Jester

Symbrenthia hippoclus

Have to admit I was quite choked at the response to yesterday's 500th blip. It feels really nice to be appreciated and feel the love. I will continue to do my best to earn that support in the future. The blip monster was kind enough to give me a spectacular butterfly to present to you all today, to say thankyou.

I thought today was going to be a washout, as for the first time I can remember, it rained all night and through the morning. Finally at 09:30 it stopped. I knew it was going to be a mud bath and I would probably only be able to patrol the first 40m of my safari route. Also, the cool and cloudy atmosphere would mean that the larger fliers like butterflies and dragons would be difficult to find, but if I did find one, it would be easier to photograph being reluctant to fly off.

I was pleasantly surprised at there being more to capture than I had anticipated, I have had far worse sunny days and ended up with six blippable images.

I was actually moving in on a black and white sailor and had stepped down the exposure compensation a couple of clicks, from past experience, when I spotted the orange, mud puddling a couple of meters ahead. This was exciting, as this is only the second time I have ever seen this gorgeous butterfly and the last one had half its rear end bitten off. This one was perfect.

I approached with maximum stealth, not wishing to blow the opportunity. As I got within range, the wings slammed shut with an almost audible clap, most unusual as these butterflies always sit with their wings flat. A side view was not possible with the wet paddy on one side and the stream ravine on the other, so I waited.

And waited and waited some more, but nothing was going to happen. As a last resort I decided to try the method that I have reported before and lightly blew down onto the wings. Success, they popped open. It was just a case of timing the shots as she slowly opened and closed her wings. I collected 15 images, but only one was any good, but that's all it takes anyway.

A great mormon stopped a couple of meters further on, but again, I could not get far enough away from this giant in order to get a shot. With the 105 lens, I need at least a meter to get the thing framed. Next time baby!

Dave