The Goldfinches rarely use the feeder near the kitchen these days preferring the one near the bottom of the garden. As usual the noisy sparrows have to make themselves heard.
There were lots of seven spot ladybirds in the garden yesterday. This couple were doing their bit to make sure there will be a constant supply of hungry Ladybirds to keep down the aphids. I found a fascinating description of the mating ritual of the Ladybird on Andres Rasmussen's blog HERE. Wow - they can keep it up for up to four and a half hours!
At least one Hedgehog is visiting each night now. I can't make my mind up whether there are two or three different ones.
I have a feeling that the Blue Tits have chosen to nest somewhere else as there has been only one very short visit in the past fortnight.
Bobby sends a big sloppy 'thank you' to all who sent him birthday wishes. Have a great weekend watching the wildlife around you.
Friday, 9 April 2010
Thursday, 8 April 2010
Birthday Boy's Unofficial 12th Birthday
As Bobby is a rescue dog I have no idea when his real birthday is but today he has been with me four years and he was eight at that time. Some time ago Bobby found out that Buddy Roo was treated to cheese topped beefburger for his sixth birthday and has been looking forward to his share ever since. In fact he got two small beefburgers, one cheese topped, some Jerky and his favourite - a Tripe Stick.
I don't think he was too amused with the musical candle. The tune was a bit high pitched for his delicate hearing! Once the burgers had been chopped up and the candle removed then his Birthday Breakfast didn't last very long.
Eating is a very exhausting activity so the next item on the agenda was a long snooze in a Sunny spot out of the breeze.
OK so I'm getting dafter by the minute in my old age but Bobby enjoyed it!
I don't think he was too amused with the musical candle. The tune was a bit high pitched for his delicate hearing! Once the burgers had been chopped up and the candle removed then his Birthday Breakfast didn't last very long.
Eating is a very exhausting activity so the next item on the agenda was a long snooze in a Sunny spot out of the breeze.
OK so I'm getting dafter by the minute in my old age but Bobby enjoyed it!
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Getting a Closer Look at Things
Sometimes the only way to take a close look at objects which are a long way away is to make a small crop as with this KLM airliner which passed over a few days ago. It was so high that it could not be heard at all.
The photo as taken with 400mm zoom:
Then a small crop processed in PaintShop Pro X2 to adjust contrast and reduce noise:
Another way to get close, this time to small objects, is to put them under a microscope. I have had a cheap and cheerful microscope for years but after reading Phil's posts in his excellent blog - Beyond the Human Eye - I decided to buy a better quality microscope second hand. At first I tried to photograph using a digital camera over the lens but results were poor to say the least so in the end I invested in a USB camera which fits in place of the top lens in the microscope.
Results are much better but the main problem is lack of depth of field with 3D subjects like this lichen I found growing on a dead twig.
The camera can be seen sticking out of the top of the microscope. I am at the let's see what we can see on this stage and at the moment just admiring the intricate patterns and shapes that Nature creates but are completely overlooked by the unaided eye.
The photo as taken with 400mm zoom:
Then a small crop processed in PaintShop Pro X2 to adjust contrast and reduce noise:
Another way to get close, this time to small objects, is to put them under a microscope. I have had a cheap and cheerful microscope for years but after reading Phil's posts in his excellent blog - Beyond the Human Eye - I decided to buy a better quality microscope second hand. At first I tried to photograph using a digital camera over the lens but results were poor to say the least so in the end I invested in a USB camera which fits in place of the top lens in the microscope.
Results are much better but the main problem is lack of depth of field with 3D subjects like this lichen I found growing on a dead twig.
The camera can be seen sticking out of the top of the microscope. I am at the let's see what we can see on this stage and at the moment just admiring the intricate patterns and shapes that Nature creates but are completely overlooked by the unaided eye.
Monday, 5 April 2010
Could This be Honey?
Last night, and the night before, a Hedgehog and Bobby came face to prickles. Instead of curling up in a ball the Hedgehog ran for shelter with its head hidden and only a rump full of spikes showing. This is what Honey did every time they met last year. Henry the Hedgehog always stood his ground and only ran once any danger was past.
Honey and Bobby had met while she was on her way to the feeder but that didn't put her off for long. The bowl isn't full of red wine - it is just the way the light reflects from the bottom of the plant pot saucer.
Honey and Bobby had met while she was on her way to the feeder but that didn't put her off for long. The bowl isn't full of red wine - it is just the way the light reflects from the bottom of the plant pot saucer.
Sunday, 4 April 2010
A Song for Sunday
Light was beginning to fade by the time I got round to topping up the bird feeders. There were lots of birds singing. At the top of one tree was what I think was a Dunnock so I took the camcorder out to film it singing. As usual, as soon as I set the tripod up the bird flew off to carry on singing out of sight. Fortunately about a hundred feet away there was a Robin making sure others knew where his territory was so I turned the camcorder in his direction.
The camcorder was on its maximum 70x zoom but it still managed to pick out the song amongst the 'pink, pink, pink' of a Great Tit, the constant cooing of a Collared Dove and others.
The camcorder was on its maximum 70x zoom but it still managed to pick out the song amongst the 'pink, pink, pink' of a Great Tit, the constant cooing of a Collared Dove and others.
Friday, 2 April 2010
Friday at the Flicks (Jackdaws, Hedgehog)
Earlier in the week when I was photographing a group of Jackdaws on the lawn I also set up the camcorder. To start with there was a single Rook amongst them which was having a hard time keeping the Jackdaws away from the seed it was trying to gather in its throat pouch. In the end it gave up and moved to a different part of the garden.
Once the Jackdaws had the area to themselves they set about the tricky task of stripping the husks from the grain. At first I thought they were burying the seed but closer examination showed they were jamming each seed under their claws and stripping the husk off with their beaks. Not an easy task on a soft grassy surface.
Just before my bedtime last night one of the Hedgehog visitors arrived. As there are three LED lights shining down on the feeding area to give illumination for the video camera I thought I would see how well the camcorder would cope. On the normal settings it could just make out what was there so I switched it over to its night setting. Now the picture was much brighter but to achieve this the shutter speed is very slow and few frames are taken each second. The result is a very jerky video. To overcome this I speeded the motion up 2.5 times when the video was being put together in the computer.
It may look as though the Hedgehog is just sniffing at the food. In fact it was eating at its usual fast and furious rate which was too fast for the night setting on the camcorder but rest assured it was tucking in to dried mealworms as though that was the only food it had eaten this year.
Have a great holiday weekend observing the wildlife around you.
Once the Jackdaws had the area to themselves they set about the tricky task of stripping the husks from the grain. At first I thought they were burying the seed but closer examination showed they were jamming each seed under their claws and stripping the husk off with their beaks. Not an easy task on a soft grassy surface.
Just before my bedtime last night one of the Hedgehog visitors arrived. As there are three LED lights shining down on the feeding area to give illumination for the video camera I thought I would see how well the camcorder would cope. On the normal settings it could just make out what was there so I switched it over to its night setting. Now the picture was much brighter but to achieve this the shutter speed is very slow and few frames are taken each second. The result is a very jerky video. To overcome this I speeded the motion up 2.5 times when the video was being put together in the computer.
It may look as though the Hedgehog is just sniffing at the food. In fact it was eating at its usual fast and furious rate which was too fast for the night setting on the camcorder but rest assured it was tucking in to dried mealworms as though that was the only food it had eaten this year.
Have a great holiday weekend observing the wildlife around you.
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Rookery
There are two Rookeries that I know of in the village. This one can be seen from the cricket field where we walk most afternoons. It is less than a quarter of a mile from my garden so you can see why so many corvids visit here.
Later in the year, when they start raising their broods I will take a different route so I can get closer.
This photo was taken with my old Pentax Optio. Only 3.2 mega-pixels with a 3X optical zoom but small enough to put in a shirt pocket. I don't use it a lot as it eats batteries but now I've got into the habit of taking them out when the camera is not is use.
Later in the year, when they start raising their broods I will take a different route so I can get closer.
This photo was taken with my old Pentax Optio. Only 3.2 mega-pixels with a 3X optical zoom but small enough to put in a shirt pocket. I don't use it a lot as it eats batteries but now I've got into the habit of taking them out when the camera is not is use.
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