Ok, it's been over a year since I last wrote a journal...

Not got much to say I guess. Still out and about looking for interesting wildlife, although still leaning towards captive.



In pet news, the two pairings of crested geckos produced 8 babes between them. Oldest babies are now about 7 months and 8g although the heaviest is a younger one at 10g. I believe the first born is a girl (red one above), but still working out the rest.



Also I have started keeping fish. Not doing things by halves, I'm on 5 tanks already. Most are tropical, with some temperate minnows too. This is (probably) an Arulius barb.

Anyway... now the weather has stopped sucking I really should get out and get some new photos this year.

---

Please see also my stock account at ~LydiardWildlife

---

The Cat Survival Trust in the UK [link] recently published their spring newsletter [link]

If you're after some big cats to photograph then it is worth considering a visit. Unlike zoos and wildlife parks, this isn't freely open to the public and needs arrangement in advance. It does mean you get better access to the cats, after a health and safety warning of course! Details of people arranging photo days are in the newsletter. Personally I prefer Mark Tiller as he is local to the site he has more flexibility in running smaller groups, which means more photo chances than with bigger groups.

Anyway, what's there? The site wasn't designed with photography in mind, so you do have some work to do. That or brush up on your photoshop skills. Rather than using words, how about examples of what myself and others have taken there?

---

*Alannah-Hawker

---

~koganemouche

---

One more tip if you are thinking of visiting CST. Not far away is Paradise Wildlife Park [link] which also has a large selection of big cats. It will be down to chance what you may see them doing, but with so many on site you're bound to find someone posing for you. It is definitely worth staying a night and visiting on another day also. I could feature from there too, but this would turn into a very long journal post if I did...

---

Please see also my stock account at ~LydiardWildlife

---

This is something I've been thinking about for a long time, but never got around to doing anything about. Over the years, I've taken a LOT of photos, many of which are unlikely to see the light of day. They're the ones which are technically good, but may be lacking artistic merit. They can still provide an interesting reference or basis for something else. Would people be interested if I started up a stock account for these?

I've gone and done it. Uploaded a small bunch already, and more where that came from. See ~LydiardWildlife for the stock.

Samples:

---

Please see also my stock account at ~LydiardWildlife

---

I guess most people reading this would already know I recently got a DD. The inbox is still recovering from that, peaking over 2000 activity messages, and I've got it just under 1300 now Everyone who has fav'd, commented or, anything really, will get a llama from me at some point. How long it takes depends on how often I trip the dA spam filter

Since then, I've been getting a fair few requests for using my photos for references. I've been thinking about formalising some general terms so they will follow later. For now, I will give the following guidance:
* If you want to use my photos as a one-off reference for art, such as drawing or painting (including digital - but NOT manipulations), then you may do so without asking in advance. I will be interested to see the result so you can link me when done.
* If you want to use my photos for photo-manipulation, please ask first.
* If you want to use my photos for personal use (e.g. desktop wallpaper) that's ok, no need to ask.
* Anything else, or if you're not sure, then please ask.

The DD hit just as I was returning from a couple days travelling taking more wildlife photos, in part along with *Alannah-Hawker, *FantasticFennec and ~Chikrata. I will have more photos to post when I get round to it

Elsewhere: seeing as the nights are getting shorter now I don't really have much time to try astrophotography, so I've just ordered a solar scope. Let's really see what the sun is doing!

---

Please see also my stock account at ~LydiardWildlife

---

I haven't been out in a little while so need to correct that. Some time this month I will go back to Hawk Conservancy trust, but I'm wondering about a bigger trip too. I got a free night at a hotel I can choose* so thinking of doing an overnight trip somewhere. But where? I could do the North London combo again, 2 of Whipsnade, Cat Survival Trust or Paradise wildlife park. Or perhaps go a bit further and try new ones like Colchester? Anyone want to join me at any of those?

*free hotel conditions are I must book before the end of Feb, to be used by end of March. Some dates need to be at least a week in advance.

---

Please see also my stock account at ~LydiardWildlife

---

Yesterday I went to Marwell for my 2nd time, along with *FantasticFennec
*Alannah-Hawker and ~Chikrata Usual photos will be posted in due course.

Things weren't quite so simple with so many of us... something like this happened: [link]

---

Please see also my stock account at ~LydiardWildlife

---

Ok, I know this is a long shot, but has anyone been there before? [link]

Long story short: I'm travelling in that direction for work, and there's a good chance (but not 100%) I'll be able to visit next week. I know the middle of December is not the greatest time to visit any zoo, and the long range forecast is showing cold and wet, but when chances like this come up I have to take them.

Well, I did manage to get to Munich zoo. I left the hotel later than expected, but the travel was easier than expected too, so I got there just as they were opening. I was kinda worried I might be the only visitor there on the day! Although some school parties and other people did appear later in the day. It never got busy outside, but it could get a little cramped inside if you get the timing wrong. Got lucky with the weather also, and it remained dry the whole time I was there.

The zoo calls itself the first geo-zoo. That sounds great until you find out all it means is they arranged the animals together as they would be found in the wild. So you have an african zone, an asian zone, american, austalian... you get the idea.



I came in the Isar entrance, which is one of two they have. This one was nearest to the underground stop. The zoo has its own dedicated exit from the station, and there's a bit of walk over a bridge across the river to the zoo itself. The fee was a reasonable 11 euro, and that takes you right into the Europa zone. It seemed very promising, as the enclosures were designed mostly with the deep ditch and high wall method so it was easier to get a glear shot. I kinda whizzed through this zone since there wasn't anything particularly interesting for me. I also whizzed through the asian zone to reach the polar zone.



What's in the polar zone? Polar bears! It is the first time I have ever seen one. The enclosure was quite big, but then so was the bear. I only saw one the time I was there. I believe from the web site the mum is expecting babies so might not be so active. The enclosure was multi-level, with water and also high rock platforms, all behind glass which proved a bit tricky to prevent reflections.

After much time with the polar bear, I went onto the traditional kitty hunt. Swinging back to the asia zone, I found the tiger easily. There was just one sleeping on the grass until it decided not to be photogenic and started going for a walk at the back of the enclosure. This was a ditch barrier enclosure so not bad for photos, if only the tiger would be in a better spot. Snow leopards weren't far off. These were in a mesh fence enclosure, and a pair slept the whole time I was there. Pumas were near too, but also behind a mesh fence. One was  resting and the other was walking, but it was hard to find a good angle through the fence. There was a lynx encosure (more mesh) but I couldn't see anyone around inside or outside.

Into africa, there was an ocelot and lion. These were indoors as part of a tropical house. Enclosures were glass this time, so once again reflections came into play here. The lion was pacing a bit while I was there giving me a chance to line up shots from a few angles. And my camer amisted up from the warm moist air in there. The ocelot was cleaning itslef high up in the enclosure so hard to get a good shot. Outdoors were what appeared to be a giraffe family. Big, medium, small. The baby still looked cute, although it only hung around the back of the enclosure so no great shots for me.

Still moving along I stumbled across the aquarium. This was a decent size and had quite some variety. Almost an attraction in itself. Like most other aquariums, it was rather dark in there.

Outside again, I'm at the Flamingo entrance. Named because there's a whole bunch of flamingos there. I think they were two types, red and pink ones.



My feet were giving up at this point so I decided to slowly make my way out. I revisited the pumas, who were still pacing, and still had the fence in the way. The lynx were out and visible now! One of them had a small bird. I don't know if that was fed, of it a wild one had gone inside and got caught. What looked like a young lynx was playing with it for a while before a bigger one took it away. Ran around quickly to check out the snow leopards, still not doing anything interesting. One had disappeared totally, and the other one was still lying around. Back to the lynx, and one of them was playing football with the bird. It bounced it around with its feet, sending it through the air and pouncing on it again. Fun! Video of some of it: [link] Passing the tiger again, still nothing exciting happening. It was still mostly having a walk round the back.

And towards the end, I did also check out the bat house. This had an open bird section in one end. I thought the glass was particularly clean until I realised it wasn't there at all! Guess the birds get fed and are warm there so don't try to escape. In the other section of the building was the bat area. I didn't realise until I got in there they were free flying too! It was dark and I my eyes hadn't adapted at that point, but you could see dark things moving quickly around you! By staying still and quiet, they flew really close by, sometimes brushing against some of my more disorganised strands of hair, but never colliding with anything more substantial.

And that is the short version... I did see many other aniamls while there, so the above is by no means at all comprehensive. As usual, expect submissions of photos taken there in due course. Would I recommend it? I'd say yes if you happen to be in the area anyway. I wouldn't want to travel more than a couple hours to get there. It is quite a big site, so do bring comfortable shoes.

---

Please see also my stock account at ~LydiardWildlife

---

I did it! One level 100 magikarp. Fear it. It'll splash on you!

Ok, what else have I been up to when I'm not trying to raise a fish? As you may have gathered from recent submissions I did more travelling last weekend.

First stop was Eagle Heights. [link] Yet another bird of prey place? They have a lot of birds, many of which were tethered indoors without anything in the way so you can see them without glass or mesh in the way. The weather that day was poor though, and the area was lit by natural light only. They did one flying display while I was there but again the weather didn't help. I'll post photos from there some time...



Next up was a trip into London. Before meeting others, I went to St James's Park. I'm not sure the apostrophe + s on the end is grammatically correct, but I was never that good at English anyway. The main reason I went there was because I heard they have pelicans loose in there. I walked along the north side of the lake without luck, but there were plenty of squirrels and assorted exotic ducks and geese. And the nutter on the bench. Looping around to the south side passing some transvestite cat stranglers on the way, I saw three pelicans on the ground under a tree by the lakeside. Result!



To wrap up the weekend, and sap away any strength I had left, I went down to Port Lympne [link] This attracted me as they have a lot of big cats. When I got there, the site layout wasn't so helpful though. It is a very big site so getting around isn't quick or simple. A large part of it can only be seen from their safari truck ride, which was bone crunching. And as is often the case, many cats weren't coming out either. So the lion I posted was one of few shots I think were good.

Erm... that's it for now. I'll be posting more photos over time whenever I stop slacking long enough!

---

Please see also my stock account at ~LydiardWildlife

---

British Wildlife Centre



As you probably already noticed I went to the BWC last week with *Alannah-Hawker and *FantasticFennec so check them out for more photos from there. I'm not done from uploading mine by a long shot and there will be much more to come.

Hawks Conservancy Trust

Just about to go there again today so expect more photos from there too

Magikarp



I think this is now my highest level pokemon... still some way to get to L99 without using rare candy. I might be tempted towards the end though

---

Please see also my stock account at ~LydiardWildlife

---

I thought I'd do one more big trip out on my week off, and after debating Marwell some more, I decided to go to the Hawk Conservancy Trust [link] instead. It's not far from me but the roads are rubbish so 40 miles took over an hour, and I got there not long after opening time. There was a board up with the daily schedule, which is it turns out is about the same as the one on the website. The first event was at 11am, so with some spare time I got a coffee and bacon buttie as a late breakfast before heading out.

11.00am Heron and Red Kite feed

This was in a set of hides at one end of the site. The hide overlooks a meadow. I got there a bit early so I had free choice of where to go. The routine was fixed. A keeper would go and put food out in the field, and on the way back would ring a hand bell. Which attracted... nothing. I think a crow took a look, but not much happened. Herons actually flew around before the feed but didn't get close. No kites to be seen at all. I hung around a bit longer to see if anything happened, but still nothing. These are wild birds, so nothing is guaranteed.

11.30am Vulture Restaurant and keepers' talk

Waiting at the hides meant I got to the vultures moments before it started, and already the numbers of people were building up already. The vultures were in a mesh fence enclosure, but there were sections which folded down so that would help on taking photos. While trying to snipe past some people at the fence, they noticed me and kindly moved over to give me space to get closer. The vultures were fed and moved around quite a bit. I didn't hang around too long, as I wanted to get a good seat for the flying display next.

11.45am World of Birds of Prey flying demonstration



This was near the vulture feed, and got a seat near the middle in the front. This was certainly an experience. Assorted birds were bought out, and not only were they flown over the display area, they were also flown over the audience. Right at the end, they did a runner duck race, and then bought out a barn owl which anyone could hold. The web site says its is for children only, but I guess since there weren't many people there, they let anyone have a go who wanted to. Since there was a long gap until the next event, I stuck around to have a go and ended up with penultimate position in the queue. I volunteered another person who was around to take a snap of me doing that... looks ok except for bird brain. That's me, not the owl



Since I had the late breakfast I wasn't quite ready for lunch yet, so I walked around the enclosures. Most were behind mesh fences so not that great for photos, but the harris hawks and assorted eagles were tied down in the open, behind a bit of a fence. This gave a good chance for some serious close up shots.

I did give in and get lunch. There was a nice looking quiche which I think was made up from the breakfast leftovers, but it filled a hole nicely. With that inside I moved to the next flying display.

2.00pm Valley of the Eagles flying demonstration

This was held in the open. We were back at the same meadow the morning feed was held at, but instead of going in the hides, there was a large seating area nearby. This was similar to the earlier flying display, but there were many more birds, and they flew lower and faster than before! It really was quite an experience and as a single event this was the highlight for me.

3.00pm opportunity for adults to fly a Harris Hawk



There wasn't much of a gap from the end of the flying, so I went straight down to the place where you get to "fly" a hawk. There was a couple there when I got there, and it didn't take long for a bunch of others to arrive. While waiting, two donkeys walked over so much awww-ing took place. Any vague attempts at queueing had long disintegrated by this point so the order was more or less whoever's in front got the next go. The flying part wasn't exactly much. You got to put on the glove, and the hawk landed on it. In seconds it was over.

3.30pm Woodland Owls and Hawks demonstration



This was the last flying display of the day. This was held in a wooded area. Combined with the fading light and shade, this was a bit of a photographic nightmare. I need more light! The first bird they took out had suffered from this before. Apparently in the past someone used a flash in the face and since then the bird has developed a phobia of cameras. So all had to be hidden from sight for that first one. The rest had no such fears but the combination of low lighting and dodging trees made it rather difficult.

With some time left before the final event, I took this chance to visit the shop and signed up for membership. Yup, I like it that much!

4.30pm Heron and Red Kite feed



Back to the hides where we started in the morning. Same routine. Food was put out. Bell was rung. This time, a... what's the collective noun for a group of herons? Well, a whatever that is of them appeared and started feasting. It didn't take that long for most of the food to go, so many of them left. Some hung around for a bit, and so did I. I was the last to leave the hides.

By now it was around 5pm and not far off kicking out time. They did threaten that anyone staying after closing time would be fed to the vultures. I wouldn't mind that actually, the vultures were cute in their own way.

Just before the drive home, I did poke around the gift shop and picked up a barn owl to take home... this one may become extinct shortly though...

As usual, pics of everything will be posted in due course. I shot raw today due to the harsh sunlight, but still managed ~1400 shots and that's after deleting the really bad ones while I was there... when birds are flying, my shutter finger definitely gets a work out.

---

Of the places I went to in the last week, this is definitely the best by far. There's no good reason to go to Slimbridge WWT unless you're a hardcore twitcher. Noah's Ark Zoo... wasn't bad, but lacking any wow factor to make the effort for. Basically unless you happen to live next to it, I don't think it really worth making a major trip to. I think I'm travelled out with this, so I'm not planning on going anywhere far soon. I might do something local.

---

Please see also my stock account at ~LydiardWildlife

---

I haven't really been anywhere in the last month but I've taken the next week off work so will be correcting that. 9 days without work... currently without plan.

Am thinking at some point I might hit some of all of the following: new places to me would be Slimbridge, Longleat, Noah's Ark and possibly red kite feeding stations in middle of nowhere Wales. Some old places I might go to again are Bristol Zoo and Marwell. Any other suggestions? Or does anyone want to join me on any of those?

Elsewhere: My crested gecko population is now 6. I'm debating either re-arranging their housing or go the safer option of getting an extra tank. *Alannah-Hawker thinks I'll end up with a new tank

Additional 1

Went to Slimbridge WWT, and not really impressed there. Few "exotic" birds but you might as well go to a normal zoo and get more variety. Or stick with your local park. On way back went to reptile shop and got jellies and a new tank But I didn't drink enough when out so now I got a banging dehydration headache.

If there's anything not too boring I might submit something later...

Additional 2 - quick crestie summary

Crested geckos. So cute... got 6 now, 3 male, 3 female. All were bought from people getting out of the hobby so I got a ton of stuff cheap. Curiously two of those were concentrating on beardies instead. I wont buy any more, unless they're too cheap to turn down, as I need to keep some space back for the still planned breeding which will be next year now.

Anyway, meet the crew:


Tiger


Mustard


Custard


Simon featuring cricket


Sasha


Shisha featuring ex-cricket. When she fires up her back goes a nice chocolate colour.

I only had Simon, Sasha, Shisha for about two weeks now so still need to get better photos some time.

---

Please see also my stock account at ~LydiardWildlife

---

As you've seen from the pics, I went to Whipsnade recently and met up with *Alannah-Hawker there. It was a sunny day but it was in the school holidays. I got there and was a bit horrified to find bus loads of children running around. Fortunately we didn't cross paths with too many of them throughout the day.



First stop were the Lynx, but they were nowhere to be seen. Walking over a bit pass the non-photogenic boars were the bears, and they were out and about. Mostly sunbathing and playing in the pools. Unfortunately the sun was harsh and not a good angle making for some tricky photography... I need to go through that some more later.

Walking back the other way we passed the wolves. Although they walked around a bit, they were resting far away most of the time. It also felt like it was snowing there, as a tree was putting out a lot of pollen. Onwards we went to the giraffes, and we caught them just before feeding time.



Driving around to a viewing point, we noticed baby mara out! As soon as the car stopped I ran back to them. Sooo cute... and so many too! Back to the viewing point I took some landscape shots in infra-red before we went on once more.

Big cat time! If only we could find them... stopping by the cheetahs they weren't anywhere to be seen. Passed by the zebras which were out, to the lions which... weren't doing much behind a fence. Passing by the cheetahs again we got a little glimpse in the distant grass, but still nothing much...



Having enough of walking for now, we went to the "Passage through Asia" drive through. Lots of assorted deer were out and about. It was so warm that day the deer were enjoying a cooling dip in the pool too. No sign of the yaks or camels shown on the map though.



Back outside, we checked out the elephants and rhino nearby. Both had babies. Big babies. Continuing on foot we passed the flamingos and onto the otters. They were definitely out and running around. More than could be said of the red panda sleeping in the nearby tree. The ostriches didn't like me photographing them and I came close to getting my camera pecked again.

Sealions were swimming and we had a go at catching them above and below water. Not easy... on the way back to the car we did catch a quick glimpse of the tiger sleeping.



Back to the car for another loop, we were back at the Lynx again. This time they were out! With cubs too. So cute, it was like Kinectimals! Unfortunately they didn't stick out in view much, and hung around the back of the enclosure most of the time.



Popping to the penguins, well, they didn't do much either. We might all like sunny days but it was hot enough they decided sitting in a dark rock hole was more fun than a swim. So I had another quick IR photo of the landscape there.



Next stop was the hippos. As they're next to the cheetahs I went to look at the kitties while Alannah went to the hippos. Partial success. The cheetahs were at least visible now, although not in good locations. But some were moving too for a quick chance. I got to the hippos a bit late and they were lead back into their shelter not long after I got there.

With that, I called it a day. It was a long hot one, and even though I drunk a lot, I was badly dehydrated by then.

Traffic home sucked too, with traffic frequently slowing for no apparent reason. But still I made it in the end...

Next year, remind me not to do school holidays again!

---

Please see also my stock account at ~LydiardWildlife

---

As watchers may have noticed by now from the photo-spam, I was at Dartmoor Zoo again yesterday. It was raining a lot so that kept people away. The car park was pretty empty when I got there, and there were about as many staff as visitors walking around. During the lion feed talk the presenter said normally they'd have around 300 people there. On that day, not even close.



Sovereign the Jaguar is one of my favourites, and somewhat elusive as there's a fair bit of cover in his enclosure, so I always try to visit him as often as I can and headed straight in that direction. No one at home, but in passing I saw a red fox out and about. In all my visits this is the first time I saw one out. The fences and rain proved a challenge for a great shot though, although this pose was just too cute not to post.



The lions are often active, and this was no exception. I never really get great shots of them as once again the fence does rather get in the way.



It was time for the otter feed soon. The trees around it always give a lighting challenge, but the pair they have are always cute when they are out. And they don't miss a chance to get fed.



Back round to the cats, Sita came out for a walk. That's always a nice photo chance, but this particular pose is a new one to me.

The tigers nearby slept pretty much the whole time when they were in sight so nothing really interesting there.



Bears were also active, but once again the light and positions were conspiring against me. I will post something later...

The wolves surprised me a bit in how much of a scaredy cat they were. Some would move away whenever anyone went close. For the ones that didn't, once when I coughed slightly that was enough to startle them.

The lynx was also out, kind of. At least it wasn't in its hide, but instead it took refuge from the rain under a rock outside so there was some fenced up photo chances there.



After the lion feed there was a falconry display. This consisted of three birds: a harris hawk, bengal eagle owl, and also a barn owl. I still suck at birds in flight shots in general...

I thought I'd do one last round before calling it a day. The agouti was out, and finally so was Sovereign. Unfortunately he was sleeping on the platform when I got there, and only had a quick shot when he raised his head to see what was going on.



On the way out, I did catch the capybara out and about.

---

Please see also my stock account at ~LydiardWildlife

---

So tiered... what could be better than a day out with big cats? Simples, two days out with big cats.

On Sunday I went to the Cat Survival Trust [link] with ~koganemouche. Weather wasn't the best. Was lightly raining as we got there and never really stopped, although it did change in intensity a bit throughout the day.



First up was the Jaguar. She was a bit angry that day. At one point, she charged at me. I didn't flinch when that happens knowing I have the fence there between me and her. I made one miscalculation though. I had the camera pressed up against the fence, and was looking through the viewfinder. When she hit the fence, her force was transferred through the camera and gave me a good bash around the eye Ouch!



Next up were the amur leopards in the next enclosure. If memory serves me they were a brother-sister pair in there. The male kinda hung around in the corners, and let the female take centre stage.



Next stop were the snow leopard family. Last year they had 3 cubs but only one made it. They really weren't feeling like doing much in the rain, and spent most of the time in their shelter. They did move around a little later on.



With a quick trip to the serval, we went over to the Geoffroy's cat and caracal. The serval enclosure had a fine mesh on it so I didn't take many shots there. The Geoffroy's cat and caracal were a bit more friendly. They were moving around a bit, but as always never when or where you want, but I still got something here.

After lunch we went inside the animal house. I went straight to the lynx as that's where I took my only DD photo [link] to date. Today the only one out wasn't being cooperative, sitting there looking unimpressed at the weather. Didn't stick around too long before going into the shelter where it stayed.



The pumas were friendly as ever, and moved around a fair bit outside, but they also didn't like the rain much and constantly popped in and out of the shelter.

To end the day, the clouded leopard did make a showing, and did some circuits around the enclosure, again looking unimpressed at the rain. We were also allowed quickly inside the pallas cat enclosure to get a shot.

And that was it. With the rain, they just generally didn't seem interested in sticking around outside but we still had some nice opportunities. I'm sure both myself and ~koganemouche will be posting more photos of the day over time so keep looking!



My travels didn't end there. While I was in the area, I thought I'd also go to Paradise Wildlife Park [link] the next day where I met up with *Alannah-Hawker for the day. I'll write more on that later as I'm still in the process of going through the images from CST let alone start looking at these too!

All considered it was quite a tiring two days. I did originally plan to visit Dartmoor Zoo [link] tomorrow but now I'm not sure! I don't have the energy left so will leave it until later in the week. I'll update this later...



I did end up going to Dartmoor Zoo. It pretty much rained the whole time I was there which didn't help. Had to give up after a while as one lens got too much condensation and I left. Of course, the weather cleared not long after I left and it was nice the rest of the day. Typical.

---

Please see also my stock account at ~LydiardWildlife

---

I first saw a crested gecko when *Alannah-Hawker got one and posted some photos of hers. I thought they were cute but didn't look further into them at that point.



That changed last weekend. I went on my second reptile shoot with *AngiWallace. There I met this cute fellow:



That was it, I really wanted one for me own. *Alannah-Hawker pointed me in the direction of some "preloved" ones, and soon enough I had not one but two existing setups.


This is the older one of the two. About a year old I'm told. Male.


This is the younger one, about 4-5 months old. I suspect this one is also male based on an initial look. [link]

I have noticed, they seem to change colour depending on unknown factors. I think this could be what is described as "fired up". [link] Both look mostly yellow in daytime resting. The older one seems to gain darker patches when active at night. The younger one seems to get more orange in colour. I can't rule out the lighting differences during photography yet, it is still early days with them.

I'm currently in the process of refurbishing the tanks they came in. In particular, the bigger tank had mould growing and signs of tiny insects moving around, so I've chucked the substrate and will totally clean and replace it. Similarly with the wood features. I tried the oven bake trick mentioned everywhere but might have overcooked it, as some pieces now give off a smell. It's not really noticeable in the open, but I found it concentrates in the tanks so I had to take them out again in case. So to be safe than sorry I've ordered some new bits to fill out the environments.

Feeding is proving fun. The little one appears to prefer live food. I haven't seen any evidence of it eating other stuff yet. The older one is less fussy, and eats anything. I really hope I can get evidence of the young one eating something other than live food soon, as I don't like handling crickets. I don't know how they're getting out, but they are. I've found and recaptured 6 so far... now I've taken to keeping their container inside one of the tanks. If they escape from there, they get to meet the baby sooner!

I guess there's one question left, what do I call them? They didn't get a previous name so I can start over. And naming has always been a weak area for me...

Thanks again to for advice.

Update 1:



Since the question was asked on the size of this little one I got the above photo. About 7 cm body only, 13cm including tail. I got home today and found him having quite a colour change. As he was clinging on the glass, I could easily see the under side which was mostly grey in colour.

The Repashy CGD has arrived. It smells really nice, I want to try some I'll leave the existing fruit out a bit longer I think and wont try this out until tomorrow.

---

Please see also my stock account at ~LydiardWildlife

---

I've decided to create another account and split off the doll photography into that. You can find it at ~ferruginous Add that account if you want to keep up with future doll activities.

This account will remain my main general account for wildlife and other general photography.

I will be slowly removing doll content from this account. I don't intend to repost anything already created at the new account, so if you like anything here, save it now for personal use.

---

Please see also my stock account at ~LydiardWildlife

---

Pokemon Black/White that is. I got black... after an epic battle on the weekend I finished the first part of the game with pokemon up to level 55. The 2nd part of the game was a bit of a shock, as all the NPCs seemed to have got L60+! I've only just made it up to L60+ now... still plenty of things to explore once I get high enough level I don't need to run to the pokemon centre for healing all the time

For anyone else playing black/white I'm curious, what's your game time, pokedex completion and top 3 pokemon?

Unova pokedex: seen 142, obtained 82.
National pokedex: seen 199, obtained 94.
Game time: 40:50

Top 3 pokemon (21/3):
L63 Samurott, my starter
L62 Reshiram. I have to admit I was disappointed to find the featured pokemon in BLACK is actually WHITE.
L60 Cobalion

Update 26/3:
Unova pokedex: seen 144, obtained 87.
National pokedex: seen 347, obtained 137.
Game time: 51:06

L71 Samurott
L73 Reshiram
L72 Cobalion

Think I got them up a bit nicely... I think I'll pay Cynthia another visit soon. It really hurt the last time I do have an even higher level pokemon now, caught Kyurem a moment ago (L75). I'm on my way to find one more now...

Update 2/4:
Unova pokedex: seen 149, obtained 102.
National pokedex: seen 409, obtained 177.
Game time: 63:33

L81 Reshiram
L80 Volcarona
L79 Samurott
L78 Cobalion
L78 Kyurem
L64 Swanna

Yup, I was slacking and forgot to go fight the Elite 4 again and Alder So just did it... slowly working the Unova pokedex now. The few I haven't seen are one from White and some legendary ones...

---

As an open question to my watchers, what do you think of my submission rate and types? Too many? Too few? Are there any particular areas you'd like to see more or less of? I was going to set up a poll, but this seems more appropriate as a write-in question.

Even as a heavy rain/hail shower just passed by, I'm looking forward to spring and getting out more often for wildlife. I definitely want to get back out to some zoos or wildlife parks in the near future. On that note, I'm expecting another delivery soon... I just ordered a used 300mm f/2.8. This is the old model with no IS, and it looks pretty battle damaged, but that's why the price was low enough for me to bite. That should arrive early next week so don't be surprised if I test it out.

---

Supposed to be at a reptile photoshoot today but unfortunately that got cancelled at the last minute. As alternative plan was wildlife park, but that got cancelled too. Weather is a bit bleh anyway...

So I've been slacking a bit this morning. Wanted to get more games but which ones? Forza Motorsport 3 sounds like it is a the Xbox equivalent to Gran Turismo on PS, so I thought I'd get that. Popped down to the local Asda game section but they didn't have it, so that was a wasted trip.

Over a lazy breakfast, I had a look online. Long story short I ended up buying Beetles Rock Band bundle, Rock Band 3, House of the Dead 2 and gun holders, and FM3. I'm not the biggest fan of the Beetles. Sure they have a bunch of good songs that more than stood the test of time, but I wouldn't consider myself a fan. So why did I get that kit? Simply it seemed the easiest way to get a nice set of drums and guitar for the game series

HOTD2 was the reason I bought a Dreamcast years ago, but the progress of technology meant I couldn't play it any more as old light guns don't work with LCD TVs. It was recently pointed out you can now get it on Wii, and not expensive too, so I have to do that.

Now I'm thinking, I probably shouldn't stay at home all day so I might wander down the park later. It seems to have dried off for now, but still quite windy, so there is a possibility for some bird in flight shots.

---

I finally came to a realisation today, but it is only half thought out.

I've been at my current job for over a decade, pretty much since I left uni actually. I'm rather bored of it all, and there is nothing on the radar to suggest it will change for the better. In fact, I think it is about to get worse. It pays decently enough, hence my various shopping sprees from time to time. But I couldn't keep my house without replacing it with another job.

The realisation I had was that I don't need my house if I don't have this job! Of course, I'd still need somewhere to live, but it doesn't have to be right here. I need to check out current property prices, but I think I would be tens of thousands up compared to when I got it. I can rent somewhere else, and start fresh.

There is the eternal problem... I have no idea what to do! It definitely wont be doing more of the same, so I'd have to start from scratch working for someone else. Alternatively, is there enough of a market out there I can reach to make a simple living out of photography?... the wildlife and nature areas don't seem to be the easiest to make money from though! There could be enough capital to start my own business, but what niche can I fill that hasn't been already?

---