Have Aliens Landed?

I have to say, I am getting a little tired of this Juneuary weather. Some sun might be nice.......

Still, it means that I am not out birding, which means that I can do "things" around the house. This generally involves installing doors of some description, drywalling or putting up shelving and usually ends up with me in a foetal position on the floor, wimpering and crying, having first put enough change in the swear box to fund a nice holiday in Hawaii. If you haven't got it yet, DIY and I are NOT friends.....

So, since I have just acquired six delightful new companions, I thought I would return to the much safer and less swear-wordy and tear-inducing pastime of macro photography. And here, for your veiwing pleasure (or nighmare-inducing terror), is the result:

And no, it is not really an alien - rather a giant prickly stick insect, Extatosoma tiaratum, all the way from its native Australia (well, to be honest, the local pet store in Ladner, British Columbia).

For those of you with a photographic inclination, the photo was taken with my Nikon D80, 105mm macro lens and this one image is actually a composite of 17 images stacked on top of one another using Helicon Focus stacking software - hence the imprint on the image. I am not actually deliberately advertising the software, I just haven't got around to paying for it yet.........

For More Macro Mondays - go here

Spot-the-Difference

Hmmmmm - I fear I might be getting a bit boring. A bit too birdy nerdy, perhaps? It seems that recently I have only posted photos of birds. Birds, birds and more birds. Admittedly, they are all very beautiful birds, but I fear I may be becoming a one-subject wonder. Or perhaps a one subject bore?

Oh well, since there doesn't seem to be much else happening in my life at the moment, I shall have to stick with the birds. Two gorgeous, but slightly different yellow-rumped warblers - can you spot the difference?

Audubon's warbler (Dendroica coronata auduboni)

Myrtle warbler (Dendroica coronata coronata)

On a positive note - I have unpacked 6 more boxes this week! I know, still unpacking boxes after being here for near-as-damn-it two years. I dare anyone to ask me how the renovations are going.........

World Bird Wednesday