Reading Test

Too dull and dismal for photography again today so I though I would pass on the following which a friend sent to me.


Only great minds can read this

This is weird, but interesting!

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to rsceearh at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! 

I found no difficulty reading it but I put that down to years of deciphering what 5 to 11 yr olds assume to be correct English spelling. lol. It did give my spell checker apoplexy though.

Photo Scavenger Hunt - February

Here are my twelve photos for the February Scavenger Hunt.
All taken in my village.
Click on the thumbnails to enlarge any photo.



Looking left to right from the top:

A Bridge  (footbridge over a ditch)
A Round Clock (my garden clock)
A Musical Instrument (church organ)
Something with stripes (bar code)
Something Heart Shaped (graffiti)
A Big Lorry / Truck (filmed trying to use my driveway to turn)
Something Red (artificial roses)
A Park Bench
A Postbox
Newspaper Headline
Eyes (Bobby nodding off)
My Shoes (fitted with ice spikes)

Original idea from POSTCARDS FROM THE P.P. where each month a new list of twelve things to find are listed.

Macro on Monday - Guess What

Virtual gold stars to Jan, Glo and Frank for correctly identifying the tiny flower of the Corkscrew Hazel in last week's puzzle picture. Well done to all.

   

I wonder how people will get on with this:



Clue: compost.

No prizes for a correct guess - just for fun.

A Change of Lighting

H has settled down to the old routine and visits the feeding area three or four times each night. The change of lighting seems to have made a difference for the XL2. It doesn't look any brighter to my eyes but the replacement LED lamps give a whiter light.



The four 12 volt lamps are about 45mm in diameter, waterproof and each contains 12 LEDs. Also I mounted them a bit lower down and I think they are now doing just the right job of illuminating Hedgehogs without disturbing them.

Hedgehog Midnight Feast

The night before last I saw the Hedgehog under the Birdy Bistro at bedtime. I had put the camcorder away and by the time I set it up again hedgie had gone. Last night I left everything set up just in case. My luck was in. Just after I had locked up for the night it arrived. The video is grainy as the only light is four small LED lamps about 1.5m above the feeding area so the XL2 had to be used on night vision.



H is enjoying dried raisins and dried mealworms - ignoring the kibbled unsalted peanuts.

If you are going to put out food and drink for hedgehogs remember they only need water to drink - milk is bad for them as their system cannot digest it. Food must be unsalted. Crushed unsalted peanuts, dried mealworms, raisins, cat food but not things like corned beef or spam as they are salty.

This is the setup I used. XL2 fitted with a Canon EF 70-200mm lens. The above was filmed at 70mm but with the adaptor to get the lens to fit the camcorder it acts like a 500mm telephoto lens.



I spent a while this morning altering the LED lighting to see whether I can improve it a bit.

Friday at the Flicks - Nestbox, Ripe Berries, Ladybird

I think the Great Tit had better make its mind up about using the nest box as a nesting site as it is not the only one interested. A few days ago I happened to catch sight of a Blue Tit in there. Luck must have been on its side as a minute after it had left the Great Tit arrived.



I had often wondered why there were so many berries left on plants, especially after a harsh Winter. I can only assume they were not ripe enough. It would appear that they are in just the right condition now as a Female Blackbird and a Wood Pigeon were seen helping themselves.



Yesterday was a beautiful day. The afternoon temperature just topped 14C.
It would seem Spring may not be too far away. Not only have more birds been singing and the local Hedgehog getting up and about but I also spied this seven spot ladybird on the move from its winter shelter. The video is a bit wobbly as it was taken hand held with the Lumix TZ7. Seeing it close up was the first time I had noticed little things like the order it moves its legs when walking.



That's it for another week. Have a great time observing the wildlife around you.

Hedgehog Visit

After many trials and tribulations I managed to set up a temporary recorder to catch any action last night. I put out some crushed unsalted peanuts in case the Hedgehog went walkabout. The recorder managed to capture one reasonable piece of video.



Looks like I had better give the camera a wash and brush up as it has been out in all weathers over the winter. In case you are wondering the clip starts with a still frame from the video. Also I need to re-route the cables so I can use my normal recorder as it is easier to operate.