Aye, Aye, I’ve got my eye on you!

[Dennis]

Hello,

Here is the latest photo from our expanding Lizzie collection! Taken this morning from the lounge window with Lizzie lazing by the pool. We often see her near the pot plants around the pool, looking up at the blooms. Not sure if she’s admiring natures bountiful coloured spectacle or whether she’s just keeping an eye out for insects!

Taken with the Canon 40D, 400mm F5.6L and 12mm Canon extension tube to allow for closer focus (reduces minimum focus distance of 3.5 metres). Photo captured at 1/400 sec, F7.1 at ISO400.

Thanks for looking!

Dennis

[matt]

Nice one, Dennis.

You've certainly developed a photographic soft spot for your reptilian friend

[dpastern (Dave Pastern)]

Another wonderful shot of Lizzie. She's beautiful.

Dave

[lacad01 (Adam)]

Outstanding shot

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

She's a very photogenic subject Dennis.
Guess she's have to be used to it by now.
A beautiful portrait.

[Dennis]

Thanks Matt, Dave, Adam & Jeanette! As Lizzie has become more used to us just moving around the garden, opening and closing windows, sliding back fly screens etc., it has become easier to grab quick bursts of photos and there are usually a couple in each set that capture a good pose and are also in focus!

The new skin looks really nice and makes the photos pop whereas her old skin looked a little dull.

Wish I could exfoliate just as easy!

Cheers

Dennis

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

Originally Posted by Dennis

Wish I could exfoliate just as easy!

Cheers

Dennis

Ahhh yes. To be able to moult those wrinkles and start afresh each year.
It would be nice.

[dpastern (Dave Pastern)]

hahaha @ "Wish I could exfoliate just a easy!". I think she'll get more comfortable as time goes buy, and getting closer to her is only a matter of time. Just be careful not to spook her.

Dave

[ving (David)]

i'd say keeping an eye out for food

[Dennis]

Hmm, I dunno Ving?

I’m not sure what operating system she is running and how rich her instruction set is, but she doesn’t visit the non-flowering pots, preferring to sit and watch the flowering ones. Most of her food foraging is done on the lawns and in the council paddock behind our house, where she often goes walk about for several days at a time. Her longest adventure was some 3 to 4 weeks.

Even on the wind less days when the blooms are not swaying, she’ll park herself near a flowering pot, whether in shade or not, and just chill out, looking up at the blooms?

Crikey - spending way too much time watching her!

Cheers

Dennis

[gary]

Hi Dennis,

Fabulous and consistent with the high standards we have come to enjoy from
your postings of animal portraits.

I have to ask though, can you post a zoom-up of the reflection in the eye?
There looks like there is plenty of detail in there and is that a fence?
Can we possibly even see the photographer himself in the eye of the subject??

[GeoffW1 (Geoff)]

Originally Posted by jjjnettie

Ahhh yes. To be able to moult those wrinkles and start afresh each year.
It would be nice.

Various persons in Hollywood (of all genders) trying hard

[Dennis]

Originally Posted by gary

Hi Dennis,
Fabulous and consistent with the high standards we have come to enjoy from your postings of animal portraits.

I have to ask though, can you post a zoom-up of the reflection in the eye?
There looks like there is plenty of detail in there and is that a fence?
Can we possibly even see the photographer himself in the eye of the subject??

Hi Gary

Thank you for those nice words of appreciation, they are particularly welcome at this moment in time because rather sadly, we discovered the dead body of Lizzie in the lower garden yesterday arvo. There were no external marks on the body so we assume she died by poisoning or natural causes.

Our back fence joins onto a council paddock and my wife saw a council worker spraying (the day before) some weed control stuff under a couple of trees some 3 to 4 metres from our fence line and this got us wondering. We also recall seeing a couple of crested pigeons suffering what appeared to be fits the last time the council sprayed some months ago.

We will contact the local council and ask them about the spray used and notify them about our observations of the erratic behaviour of the pigeons and the death of the water dragon, both occurring within 24 hours of the spraying.

These events may be coincidences but we think it worth while reporting them, just in case there is some connection that requires investigation and action.

The photos attached are the last I took of Lizzie. The 1st one is a full resolution crop showing the eye and the 2nd one has been re-sampled to show the reflected details of the side of our house. You can see the battens (entrance to Lizzie’s dwelling) and the weatherboard wall with the lounge room windows above, from where the photo was taken.

Lizzie was a spirited creature who brought us much fun with her behaviour and habits; we hope her death wasn’t a painful one.

Cheers

Dennis

[Octane (Humayun)]

Dennis,

I'm so sorry to hear about her/his untimely death. That is really tragic.

It was a most beautiful creature. I've looked at all your images of it and loved them all.

Excellent photographs showing just how exquisite this particular creature is.

I'm all sad now.

Regards,
Humayun

[Dennis]

Thanks Humayun, we appreciate your sentiments.

We were both quite shocked when we discovered the body, as Lizzie looked a picture of perfect health. When we inspected her to try to investigate what had happened, we marveled at her form; the colours of her skin, texture of her scales, strong limbs, details in her eyes, etc. It was quite an insight into the thrilling beauty of nature.

We don’t have a pet but I can now sympathise with pet owners when they lose a pet that is a friend of the family.

Don’t be too sad; I think Lizzie enjoyed her short stay under our house, it was dry and safe! The occasional morning red grape was quite a welcome treat too!

Cheers

Dennis

[gary]

Originally Posted by Dennis

Hi Gary

Thank you for those nice words of appreciation, they are particularly welcome at this moment in time because rather sadly, we discovered the dead body of Lizzie in the lower garden yesterday arvo. There were no external marks on the body so we assume she died by poisoning or natural causes.

Hi Dennis,

Oh no!!! I am upset to hear this! Even though Lizzie was wildlife, I appreciate
how one can get attached to these visitors to the garden.

Our back fence joins onto a council paddock and my wife saw a council worker spraying (the day before) some weed control stuff under a couple of trees some 3 to 4 metres from our fence line and this got us wondering. We also recall seeing a couple of crested pigeons suffering what appeared to be fits the last time the council sprayed some months ago.

Dear, of dear, that's a bit of a worry. One speculates that all that Lizzie or the crested
pigeons had to do was eat a poisoned insect or possibly just walk through
the stuff.

We will contact the local council and ask them about the spray used and notify them about our observations of the erratic behaviour of the pigeons and the death of the water dragon, both occurring within 24 hours of the spraying.

Please do and please be sure they provide you with a factual response
as to what chemicals were used. If it were just Lizzie, one might pass it
off as a coincidence but with the pigeons as well, Occam's Razor might
suggest the chemicals were involved.

The photos attached are the last I took of Lizzie. The 1st one is a full resolution crop showing the eye and the 2nd one has been re-sampled to show the reflected details of the side of our house. You can see the battens (entrance to Lizzie’s dwelling) and the weatherboard wall with the lounge room windows above, from where the photo was taken.

Wow! Isn't that incredible! Says a lot about the resolution of the camera, the
quality of your lenses, the sharpness of your focus and the steady hand of the
operator!

Lizzie was a spirited creature who brought us much fun with her behaviour and habits; we hope her death wasn’t a painful one.

I certainly hope Lizzie passed away from natural causes but if the chemicals
are implicated, I hope too that her death was peaceful.

Thanks again for the amazing closeups and I just knew there was some information
in there! Let's hope another dragon takes up residence in your garden soon!

All the best.

Gary