Sunday 9 November 2014

What a tumultuous week it’s been.

Stand to Attention..........Eyes Left
Big Highs – Big Lows

I’ll start with the “Highs”.

There is no doubt that my birds are with eggs, as Mum turned up today to show me her Baby belly.


Mummy Tummy
Mummy Tummy
My goal this week was to catch some birds flying towards my camera that I could present in slow motion videos.

I have a tree next door loaded with Lorikeets. I have noticed that when they fly off, they quite often use the same flight path (swooping low to the ground to gain speed before flying to some palm trees on the other side of my place. Watched dozens do this.
So the plan was to set up my camera in their main flight corridor, and get them flying towards the camera.
Well, you know that saying about working with” Kids & Animals”. Of all days to camera shy.

 
I did however have 2 fly past the camera, giving me hope (and some footage)


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The next morning while having coffee on the veranda, planning how to better catch these Lorries, I noticed a Willy Willy Wagtail land on a post 100 meters down the reserve I back onto. He did this repeatedly.

didn't read the script did she
 
 
So armed with camp chair, camera on a stick, off I set. Camera set 12 inches from post…..now let’s see if he’ll play the game. Unlike yesterday, the Gods smiled on me.



 
 
 
 
I got ½ dozen landings.



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 




 



Helicopter landing







While I’m sitting the in shade of a tree with my remote, I got pissed on from above (some say this is good luck – well it was for me).

I looked up to see a Lorrie munching away above my head. He was saying “Take my photo, I’m so much better looking than Willy”.

I obliged.


Tell me there's no intent in those eyes
 



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pumped, I couldn’t wait to get back home to see what I had caught.

I get back home, I’m on the veranda, preparing to get my camera out of its housing so I could upload to the pc, when I get this feeling of being watched.

Above me is Bashful perched on the top of my A frame. She is watching my every move.

We then played a game of “Peek-a-boo”.

Boring whole’s in the back of my head

Normally I would use my camera with its head mount so you could see what I see, but it was still attached to the rod. So holding the camera next to my right shoulder we played the game. What I didn’t realise until I uploaded it, that because I was holding the camera on my right side, the view of him looking at me when I step to his left is hard to discern. But the video gives you the general jist (that was the little “Low”).
Peek-a-boo vid
I'll bet you lean to the left when you watch this :)
http://youtu.be/iVusndOd5Os

Now for the “Big Low”.

After splicing, adding slow motion, adding background music it was ready to publish (David Attenborough eat your heart out)

I thought I might get some more stuff in the morn to add, then publish.

Well, during the night my computer upgraded itself from windows 8 to 8.1. Now my editing software doesn’t work. Not only that, it corrupted the video I did the night before.

I did manage to get 1 video done today, but it took 2 hours to save a 30 second file.
SloMo Vid
http://youtu.be/D8nSgrBTbAs

So hopefully, if I can sort out this issue, I might have some more SloMo stuff for my next post.

An inquiring mind



I hope you enjoyed this week’s post.