Wildlife: A not-so-scary black spider

Managed to get a single clear shot of a black spider outside Sector 7 this afternoon. Hoping to get a closer more focused shot I tried getting creative with my little tripod by bracing it against the ceiling and shooting upside down, but I must have frightened my subject off by my efforts. This is what I got:

( Arachnophobes beware )

Wildlife: Wasps on a pond

The problem with living things is they have this terribly inconvenient tendency to move about. I saw these wasps coming to drink at my pond, so I thought I would try and catch a shot while they were briefly still. A tricky proposition because the camera's macro mode is not kind to moving subjects, but there was plenty of light so I gave it a go.

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Wildlife: Birdie (a member of the genus "Snack" sp. unknown)

I'm sure local twitchers will have no trouble in identifying this little bird for me. I see a lot of them in my garden and they really seem to enjoy the thickets that I cultivate^ for their protection. I'd say this is a bug eater by the look of that beak, but I could be wrong (brain not really in a bird-identifying space right now).

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Wildlife: Fishies

The fish are quite thoroughly domesticatd life actually, and amazingly tame to boot. For those who came in late, these are mostly minnows, with three Western Pygmy Perch. One picture shows them happily swimming around my hand, the rest are crowd scenes.

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