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Hiking the Greenstone/Caples Track New Zealand, an easy track with lovely scenery , even made friends with a few sandflies while tenting here
Taken at the Queen Victoria Gardens on a rainy day.
Best viewed enlarged for more details.
Some facts on flies...
Flies form one of the five most diverse insect orders, including about 150,000 described species in 150 families.
It's estimated that there are 30,000 species of fly in Australia, of which only 6400 have been described.
Flies can be distinguished from other insects because they have only one pair of functional wings. Almost all flies have mouthparts that are adapted for lapping or piercing and sucking.
A large component of the world's fly fauna is unique to Australia. Flies are ubiquitous and often abundant in Australian terrestrial ecosystems.
They perform important ecological functions such as nutrient recycling, predation and pollination, and their larvae are often parasitoids of other insects.
Many species of fly are regarded as a nuisance, including the bush fly (Musca vetustissima), mosquitoes, sandflies and blackflies.
Flies are responsible for the transmission of a wide variety of disease-causing micro-organisms in humans and animals.
Most of these diseases are absent from Australia, with exceptions such as dengue fever and some types of encephalitis.
Many thanks for your visit, comments, invites and faves...it is always appreciated..
Happy Sunday
On the shores of Lake Te Anau, the township of Te Anau is the main visitor base for the glacier-carved wilderness that is Fiordland National Park. Lake Te Anau is the largest of the southern glacial lakes, covering an area of 344 square kilometres. I visited the Glowowrm Caves and as an added bonus, had Sandflies feast on my blood.
I have no idea how old this tree is; it may have been alive at the time 11 treasure-laden Spanish galleons sank just a mile away off Vero Beach, Florida during a hurricane in September, 1715. Twisted and expansive, regal and calm, it represents survival in the finest sense.
I have recently learned this tree is almost 900 years old.
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Early misty morning photo of this gorgeous and tranquil lake. It is also known as Lake Arthur and is a mountain lake in the Nelson Lakes National Park. The lake is fed by the Travers River, water from the lake flows into the Buller River. The lake is surrounded by beech forest. It took a lot of courage to take this shot as I was eaten slowly but surely by some very hungry sandflies!
I have a lot of real world work in the next week so will be off Flickr but thought I better get you to Milford before I disappear. I was hoping for some interesting light around Mitre Peak to the left of center but just clouds from clearing rain. What the photo doesn't show is the sandflies of which probably 100 died gallantly trying to suck blood from my hands and face. Milford sandflies seem to use insect repellant as a homing signal.
Thanks for your visit and sorry I won't be around.
... this one's Lake Rotoiti, caught in characteristic moodiness. It's party trick is to never reveal itself fully.
It's hard to photograph valleys with ICM. One ridge always gets a shadow, but this one although present, works for me.
Sandfly Bay is a sandy bay with large dunes 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) east of central Dunedin, New Zealand. Located on the southern side of Otago Peninsula, between Seal Point and the Gull Rocks on the western side of Sandymount.
Sandfly Bay is a Department of Conservation wildlife reserve frequented by hikers.
The bay is often thought by locals to have been named for a small biting insect known as the sandfly, but this is incorrect. It was named for the sand which, given the windy nature of this coast, flies from the tall dunes surrounding the bay.
A little spot on the Wanganui River called Mosquito Point. Not well named I think, and more aptly from the number of ankle bites I was getting there, should be called Sandfly Point!
© Dominic Scott 2023
Sandfly Bay on the Otago Peninsula. The small island or Rock is called Lion's Rock or Lion's Head. Areas of this beach are known for the large dunes that people use for sand boarding.
All rights reserved. Written permission required for usage.
Please do not use this photo on any websites or for personal use.
Thank you.
©2018 Fantommst
An up-close view of a shorebird (Marbled godwit) searching for food in the sand. It is always fun to watch how they go from spot to spot, dip their bill and search for worms, sandflies, crabs, etcs. The whole process is very fast, glad my camera plus lens could focus in such a close distance.
Wonga Beach, a popular and remote seaside destination close to Daintree in Queensland, Australia.
It has a beautiful, lush back drop of huge Calophyllum trees interspersed with Coconut palms. In 1770 Captain Cook named the northern bay’s continental Island Snapper Island and the near-by coral cay Low Isles.
Looking south from Wonga Beach you can see Island Point which shelters the harbour entrance of Port Douglas. The rainforest clad mountain range to the north is called Alexandra Range after a Danish princess who married the Prince of Wales. The rainforest clad mountain range behind Wonga Beach is called Dagma Range after Alexandra’s younger sister.
The Daintree River, Wonga Beach and the beach end of Alexandra Range form a natural funnel when the prevailing south-east trade winds are considered and explain why there are no sandflies at Wonga Beach and there are so many different species of mangroves in the Daintree.
There are three maintained graves along the beach. One belongs to a maritime hero Charlie Lifu and includes an inscription of his feats. It is near the Close that bears his name.
Behind the coastal vegetation is an extraordinary array of architecture. From the quaint owner-built holiday and fishing shacks of the 1930s to the newer multimillion dollar homes.
In 1985 a large volcanic eruption beneath the Coral Sea released thousands of Pumice stones to the ocean surface which were then blown along north Queensland's shore by the trade winds.
Birdwatchers visit Wonga Beach to see three uncommon bird species: Gould's bronze cuckoo, double-eyed fig-parrot and the beach stone-curlew. The last species is easily confused with the ubiquitous bush stone-curlew noted for its wailing calls at night.
Information Sources:
On our recent walk at Tinchi Tamba Wetlands, despite it being a supposed bird hotspot, the largest number of winged creatures turned out to be the sandflies. Ouch, for days after.
Nevertheless, on the return we just spotted this Striated Heron hiding on the river bank between a bunch of mangroves. As usual, with the hunched look it was casting a gaze over the placid river looking for the telltale movement of a feed.
Tinchi Tamba Wetlands, Brisbane.
Lake McKellar in the Greenstone valley, where there are no roads, a few brave sandflies & a track for hikers. New Zealand South Island
Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm; f/11; ISO 100; HDR 9 exposures.
Copyright © 2015 Nur Ismail Photography. All rights reserved. Do not use or reproduce these images on websites, blogs or publications without expressed written permission from the photographer.
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/nurismailphotography/
For any enquiries, please visit: www.nurismailphotography.com or email at nurismailphotography@gmail.com.
Thank you.
A lensbaby shot textured with brand new Spring Painterly Flypaper textures.
I used several here, Swanns Way, Scotch Mist, Spring Equinox and Citron Vert.
Hope your weekend is going well everyone!
The color version was really pretty as the lake is so blue, however even when I was shooting this scene I knew I would post it in mono.
It was a difficult shoot as I was being bitten alive by sandflies (pesky NZ insects that leave you itching for days lol)
Sandfly Bay on the Otago Peninsula. The small island or Rock is called Lion's Rock or Lion's Head. Areas of this beach are known for the large dunes that people use for sand boarding.
Boulders Beach is a sheltered beach made up of inlets between granite boulders, from which the name originated. It is located on the Cape Peninsula, in Simon's Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is also commonly known as Boulders Bay. It is a popular tourist spot because of a colony of African penguins which settled there in 1982. Boulders Beach forms part of the Table Mountain National Park.
These African penguins are only found on the coastlines of Southern Africa (South Africa and Namibia). These penguins are currently endangered. As a result, the penguins are under the protection of the Cape Nature Conservation.
Although set in a residential area, it is one of the few sites where this vulnerable bird (Spheniscus demersus) can be observed at close range, wandering freely in a protected natural environment. From just two breeding pairs in 1982, the penguin colony has grown to about 3000 birds in recent years. This is partly due to the prohibition of commercial pelagic trawling in False Bay, which has increased the supply of sardines and anchovies, which form part of the penguins' diet. as well as the help from former SANDF naval officer, Van the Penguin Man
Bordered mainly by indigenous bush above the high-water mark on the one side, and the clear water of False Bay on the other, the area comprises several small sheltered bays, partially enclosed by granite boulders that are 540 million years old.
The most popular recreational spot is Boulders Beach, but the penguins are best viewed from Foxy Beach, where newly constructed boardwalks take visitors to within a few metres of the birds. It is also a famous swimming beach, although people are restricted to beaches adjacent to the penguin colony.
Sandfly Bay is located on the southern side of Otago Peninsula about 15km of central Dunedin. Sheltered by surrounding headlands and coastal rock formations, this bay provides magnificent views of large sand dunes that descend onto a wide beach. We saw several sea lions here that were resting on the beach and in the dunes.
Read the full story here: www.josbuurmans.nz/Blog/Visual-Stories/Southern-Scenic-Ro...
Wonga Beach, a popular and remote seaside destination close to Daintree in Queensland, Australia.
It has a beautiful, lush back drop of huge Calophyllum trees interspersed with Coconut palms. In 1770 Captain Cook named the northern bay’s continental Island Snapper Island and the near-by coral cay Low Isles.
Looking south from Wonga Beach you can see Island Point which shelters the harbour entrance of Port Douglas. The rainforest clad mountain range to the north is called Alexandra Range after a Danish princess who married the Prince of Wales. The rainforest clad mountain range behind Wonga Beach is called Dagma Range after Alexandra’s younger sister.
The Daintree River, Wonga Beach and the beach end of Alexandra Range form a natural funnel when the prevailing south-east trade winds are considered and explain why there are no sandflies at Wonga Beach and there are so many different species of mangroves in the Daintree.
There are three maintained graves along the beach. One belongs to a maritime hero Charlie Lifu and includes an inscription of his feats. It is near the Close that bears his name.
Behind the coastal vegetation is an extraordinary array of architecture. From the quaint owner-built holiday and fishing shacks of the 1930s to the newer multimillion dollar homes.
In 1985 a large volcanic eruption beneath the Coral Sea released thousands of Pumice stones to the ocean surface which were then blown along north Queensland's shore by the trade winds.
Birdwatchers visit Wonga Beach to see three uncommon bird species: Gould's bronze cuckoo, double-eyed fig-parrot and the beach stone-curlew. The last species is easily confused with the ubiquitous bush stone-curlew noted for its wailing calls at night.
Information Sources:
THE LITTLE FILE SNAKE EXTRAVAGANZA
When Reid Newell rang the other night and asked me if I’d like hook up with the Cairns boys (Dylan Morley and Nathan) and go looking for a Little File Snake that night, deep inside a muddy mangrove swamp (along with hordes of mozzies, sandflies, the odd bull shark and saltwater croc thrown in), I just asked him, “well, where do I sign?”
Later that night, while we were all head-torching within the mangroves, and with the incessant bellowing of an irate resident threatening to call the coppers if we did not piss off- ringing in our ears, I heard Nathan calmly say- "I’ve got one!" The lady continued her ranting and while I couldn't see her through the inky blackness, I could just tell she was blue in the face..
We all were so elated with this beautiful snake that the myriad insect bites, stinking mud coverage and each being labelled a sex offender was needless to say, completely worth it!
So here we have a few portrait images of one absolutely stunning Little File Snake (Achrochordus granulatus). I hope you enjoy this amazing snake as much as we did!
With the Canon 5D IV and the vintage Leica R Series APO Macro Elmarit 100/2.8 from the late 1980's. FNQ, Australia.
THE LITTLE FILE SNAKE EXTRAVAGANZA
When Reid Newell rang the other night and asked me if I’d like hook up with the Cairns boys (Dylan Morley and Nathan) and go looking for a Little File Snake that night, deep inside a muddy mangrove swamp (along with hordes of mozzies, sandflies, the odd bull shark and saltwater croc thrown in), I just asked him, “well, where do I sign?”
Later that night, while we were all head-torching within the mangroves, and with the incessant bellowing of an irate resident threatening to call the coppers if we did not piss off- ringing in our ears, I heard Nathan calmly say- "I’ve got one!" The lady continued her ranting and while I couldn't see her through the inky blackness, I could just tell she was blue in the face..
We all were so elated with this beautiful snake that the myriad insect bites, stinking mud coverage and each being labelled a sex offender was needless to say, completely worth it!
So here we have a portrait image of one absolutely stunning Little File Snake (Acrochordus granulatus). I hope you enjoy this amazing snake as much as we did!
Anthornis melanura (Bellbird, korimako) feeding on Phormium tenax (New Zealand Flax, Harakeke) at the Papatowai Estuary in the Catlins, New Zealand.
I was particularly struck by his beautiful blue pollen from I know not what flower - I don't believe any of the other birds were privy to his secret stash of whatever it was.
And also the sheer horror when I looked down and saw dozens of what I assume were sandflies coating what seemed like every blade of grass/tussocky thing. There would have been tens of thousands within a few metres. Luckily not coating me. I was even stupid enough to come back again one I'd gone to put some repellant on.
A century ago when drawing the road/street plans in the Old Riomar area of Vero Beach (Orchid Island), the planners wisely routed Sandfly Lane around this old, giant Live Oak which has recently been determined to be a bit over 850 years old. It's the oldest and largest tree in Indian River County. This image was taken after two days of rain which shows the transient deep green of the Resurrection Fern which is usually a non-descript brownish-green. It stayed colorful for 3 days before fading to its normal hue.
....and another lensbaby photo :-)
I used a Fly Edge, Concorde and Absynthe Vert Flypapers in processing.
I saw a lot of these friendly trusting birds in the South Island's beech forest. This one stayed with me for an hour while I was taking photos in its mossy forest home. The robin came right up to me picking sandflies of my shoes and gaiters. They always visited my tent feeding on sandflies which were gathering between the fly and inner. I think this is a male bird but I would be happy to be corrected on that. The world seems to be a different place since I have returned from the South Island. We are expecting a Coronavirus community outbreak any day in New Zealand. The borders are closed except for returning residents and as of today libraries will be closed too. I hope you are all keeping well under the circumstances.
900 plus year old Live Oak on Sandfly Lane. Vero Beach, FL. They simply built the crushed seashell road around it over 100 years ago.
Today Wednesday, December 09, 2009 a new era in the SANDF was entered. Let's see how history will eventually remember South African Air Assault.
Extra Info
After four years of waiting I was today the first person in the SANDF to be awarded the new Air Assault Badge, which I also designed. Needless to say it was a proud moment for me. Major Werner Klokow 6SAI (Air Assault)
Captain Cook discovered a safe haven at what he called Dusky Bay and had his astronomer carefully determine its location by the stars so other ships could find it. Only problem, apart from sandflies, is that in 250 years no one has ever built a road to it. In this photo you can see the terrain inland from Dusky. We travelled 6 days by boat to get in but "as the crow flies" after 30-40 minutes we were back at civilization.
At East Point - a spot I get smashed by sandflies every time (I forgot repellent, again....) I manged about 6 frames before I had to leave. Even dousing myself in the saltwater wasn't relieving the itch haha!
The Westland temperate rainforest ecoregion is located along the central west coast of New Zealand’s South Island. These forests are found in the Westland District which is bounded on the west by the Tasman Sea, and on the east by the Southern Alps. The Southern Alps run along the coast causing air to be forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air cools its relative humidity rises which causes cloud formation and frequent rain. The Westland forests receive high amounts of precipitation, reaching approximately 3,000 millimeters (120 inches) annually on the coast and exceeding 11,000 millimeters (430 inches) on the mountains. Many glaciers are located in the Westland area. Both the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers extend below the tree line, reaching areas as low as 300 meters above sea level. On a fine day it is a beautiful place to be if you can make peace with the bloodthirsty New Zealand sandfly which thrives in these conditions. Panorama from 5 vertical frames taken from Okarito Trig.