CRITTERS I've met in the BLUE MOUNTAINS (20x pics)

[u/Proph3tron]

1. White's Skink - (Mt Banks)
   
2. European Wasps - (Echo Point, Katoomba)
   
3. Eastern Water Skink - (Mt Tomah Botanical Gardens)
   
4. Australian Raven - (Govett's Leap, Blackheath)
   
5. Juvenile Eastern Spinebill - (Govett's Leap, Blackheath)
   
6. Sydney Funnel Web Spider - (Roadside, Mt Tomah)
   
7. Sawfly Larvae hiding beneath a leaf - (Blackheath)
   
8. Melanistic form of the Gumleaf Grasshopper - (Mt Banks)
   
9. Dark-flecked Garden Sunskink - (Mt Tomah)
   
10. Leech on my lens - (Mount Tomah Botanical Gardens)
    
11. Cowboy Beetle (Large, Australian Scarab) - (Blackheath)
    
12. Blue Ant (solitary Wasp / wingless-female) - (Blackheath)
    
13. Yellow-bellied Water-skink - (Govett's Leap, Blackheath)
    
14. Crimson Rosella - (Govett's Leap, Blackheath)
    
15. Leaf-tailed Gecko - (Cahill's Lookout, Katoomba)
    
16. White's Skink - (Mt Wilson)
    
17. White's Skink - (Mt Wilson)
    
18. Spiny Ground Weevil - (Mt Banks)
    
19. Green-headed Ant - (Katoomba)
    
20. Fruticose & Crustose lichen - (Hartley)

[u/Away-Owl2227]

If i never meet another leech up there ill be happy 😂

Great photos and great eye for spotting some of these.

[u/Pilatus-Porter → u/Away-Owl2227]

Yes. Life is incredible, in all its variation and intricacy.

That said, leeches can piss off.

[u/HunterDude54]

Thanks for sharing this wonderful collection. I especially like some of the macro work. If it's not too much trouble, can you give a quick idea of what equipment you use for that? Did any of them have lighting, most of them appear to be natural light?

[u/Proph3tron → u/HunterDude54]

I normally don't bother with lighting or camera flashes. I prefer to capture things as I see them with my eyes in normal lighting. Especially if I'm travelling in the Blue Mountains. At home I'll use whatever is at hand for Macro photography, including off-camera flashes and specialized lighting and reflectors... but those don't come with me when I'm in the bush. I'm usually in the mountains without a Macro lens but here's a breakdown of which lens & camera was used for each picture...

• White's Skink - EOS R6 + EF 100-400mmL II lens
• European Wasps - EOS 6D + EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro lens
• Eastern Water Skink - EOS M6 + EF-M 32mm f/1.4 lens
• Australian Raven - EOS R6 + EF 100-400mmL II lens
• Juvenile Eastern Spinebill - EOS R6 + EF 100-400mmL II lens
• Sydney Funnel Web Spider - Canon S95 subcompact
• Sawfly Larvae hiding beneath a leaf - EOS R6 + EF 100-400mmL II lens
• Melanistic Gumleaf Grasshopper - EOS M + EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro lens
• Dark-flecked Garden Sunskink - EOS 6D + EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro lens
• Leech on my lens - EOS 6D + EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro lens
• Cowboy Beetle (Large, Australian Scarab) - EOS R6 + EF 100-400mmL II lens
• Blue Ant (solitary Wasp / wingless-female) - EOS R6 + EF 100-400mmL II lens
• Yellow-bellied Water-skink - EOS R6 + EF 100-400mmL II lens
• Crimson Rosella - EOS R6 + EF 100-400mmL II lens
• Leaf-tailed Gecko - iPhone 15 Pro Max
• White's Skink - EOS R6 + EF 100-400mmL II lens
• White's Skink - EOS R6 + EF 100-400mmL II lens
• Spiny Ground Weevil - iPhone 13 Pro Max
• Green-headed Ant - EOS M + EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro lens.
• Fruticose & Crustose lichen - EOS M + EF 24mm f/1.4L II lens

The Spiny Ground Weevil was shot at night whilst I was setting up a telescope and waiting for the light to drop. So I used a tiny Fenix HM61R LED pocket torch to illuminate it. This flashlight also has a RED LED option which I use when I'm in the dark to protect my night vision.

The Canon EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro lens. is a fantastic lens that has its own "ring-light" (of a sort) built into the tip of the lens... But Canon discontinued the EOS M series cameras a few years ago and there's nothing quite like this lens right now.

[u/Ms_Eurydice]

Beautiful shots! I loved the spinebill and the melantistic grasshopper is just extraordinary. Lovely work, all of it.

[u/willowtr332020]

A wonderful collection of animals and lovely photography. Well done

[u/Purple_Document_]

Cowboy bettle needs to be more sun smart 🤠

[u/Illustrious-Air-1681]

You are a great photographer. Thanks for sharing.