Friday at the Flicks - Hedgehogs

Yesterday I set up the Panasonic hard drive camcorder up to film any birds bathing in the garden pond waterfall. It has the advantage of being able to film unattended for long periods as there is space for over 25 hours of video on the hard drive and a decent battery will last for about 2.5 hrs. I tried three sessions totalling about 1.5 hrs - result - nothing! Not a single bird though I chose times which are normally popular with the birds. Typical.

I did manage to get a few views of the hedgehogs which visit after dark. There are at least two which visit every night.



Have a great weekend observing the wildlife wherever you are.

Wings on Wednesday

Glorious day yesterday. Set up the 350D to take some automatic photos of any birds visiting the garden pond waterfall. Lighting not so good as the Sun is lower in the sky so the depth of focus wasn't great.

Mainly House Sparrows. Not a good photo but gives an idea of how well they have been breeding this year.



Of course Starlings cannot resist a good bath either.....



... making sure everyone else gets a good shower at the same time.



Back with the Sparrows I have been pleased to see a few Tree Sparrows returning to the feeders after spending the Summer in the local hedgerows. Young House Sparrow at the top, Tree Sparrow underneath.



Another missed photo: (Bee or Moth?)

While I was seeing what to prune out of the remaining Lavender bush I spotted a new visitor. Was it a bee or a moth? It looked much like the Hummingbird Hawk Moth photos I have looked at but the descriptions say the size is 35 to 45 mm wingspan and my visitor seemed smaller than that. The body looked just like a smallish bumblebee, it had the straight snout sticking out in front and hovered like a hummingbird. Of course I dashed in for the TZ7 but it had gone by the time I got back and I haven't seen it again.

My Sketch iPhone / iPad app - Free for a short while

My Sketch iPad / iPhone App


Just found this app which is free for a very short while. It takes a colour photo and turns it into a sketch with a choice of 20 slightly different effects. Needless to say I couldn't resist trying it out while it is free (normally £1.49) and was absolutely delighted with the results. One example:


   


I tend to transfer photos from the PC to the iPad for some processing as there are some great easy to use apps. This one has one disadvantage at the moment. The photo can be cropped but seems to have a fixed aspect ratio. If the original is not that shape some will be missing on the finished result. Not a problem unless the original is closely cropped to start with.


If it interests you then search for My Sketch on the iTunes app store.

Macro on Monday - Guess What

Brilliant! Once again all five guesses were correct in identifying the frog last week. Congratulations and virtual  go to Keith, Adrian, Wilma, Matron and Glo.



What a lovely patient subject it was as I poked the lens within a few inches and once again the Panasonic TZ7 performed beautifully on still and movie settings. There are many times I feel I get better results from this little camera than I do from my Canon equipment costing ten times as much.




And now, as they say, for something completely different. There is nothing macro or micro about this inanimate object.

Guess what:


 Just for fun, no prizes for a correct guess. Just that glow of satisfaction and a virtual gold star.

Friday at the Flicks - Red Admiral Feeding on Ivy

Some weeks, like last week, there is plenty to video. Others there is nothing until the last minute, like this week. Until midday yesterday I had no new video clips when I spotted a Red Admiral butterfly on some Ivy near the bottom of the garden. I needed a camcorder with a powerful zoom so I dug out the Panasonic with its 70x optical zoom and, even though it hadn't been used for nearly a year, found the battery was still fully charged. I started filming trough the kitchen window and then gradually moved closer. Fortunately the flutter stayed for quite a long while. The only problem with the 70x zoom is some purple colour fringing round high contrast areas otherwise it does a decent job. The camera was tripod mounted so movement is the result of a breezy day.



I missed another opportunity to snap the Grey Heron this morning. Spotted it cautiously making its way to the garden pond but it noticed me and when I got it nicely framed as it took off - the camera refused to take the shot! Such are the frustrations of nature photography.

Have a great weekend observing the wildlife around you wherever you are.

Wings for Wednesday - Those Goldfinches and a Comma

 Really bustling activity at the Birdy Bistro this morning.







 



 To finish with, a Comma Butterfly which actually waited while I got the mobile phone near enough for a decent shot.

Macro on Monday - Guess What

Great, all five guesses last week were correct so Adrian, John, Keith, Wilma and Glo are all awarded my congratulations and a   for correctly identifying the garden snail.

Yes Wilma. That was the eye stalk. Once again the photo was taken with the TZ7 and small crops used. Thank you Glo for the witty explanation as to why you were later than usual. (Follow the link in last Monday's comments)

 

On to this week's puzzle picture. I am sure you will not need any clues from Miss Piggy to help with the identification of this creature.

Guess What:


 Just for fun. No prizes except a virtual gold star for a correct identification.