Wow, all you guys are really getting off to a great start. I have yet to even think about grabbing the camera, so to hear you have footage already in the can makes me jealous! I do have a couple of ideas, one of which should come off depending on what i manage to get on tape when i have a couple of hours to spare with the camera. In the meantime, i need to get so many things organised for my move to Canada it's making my head spin!

Bryce

Working long days means I have to wait for the weekend to get out and about with the camera, so I feel like I'm lagging behind too. It's a busy time at home and at work and I hope I don't end up in the tank.

Not to mention that I can't go anywhere until I get new glasses on Saturday, my eyes aren't HD-ready any more!

Hey Bruce, how's the heat in San Angelo? Probably hotter than here in Tomball, but a 103 heat index is enough for me. The 35 mph gusts are trying to blow my little A1U away.

I just missed a great shot this morning about 7 am. I had a Great White Egret, a Great Blue Heron and another Egret lined up for a great transition shot (Did I say great enough times?). As soon as I got in position, they bolted.

That's the first time I've seen any herons in this area. Hope it comes back.

Looks like some more, early shooting before work. At least it's cooler (not as hot) then.

I see some of you already have some great footage on tape.
Me, that's a different story.... I haven't even found an idea yet.
Camera still waiting to get used. But sooner or later I will come up with something as always.
My major concern is that I won't get my new computer in time to edit my entry. Well, time will show. No need to worry until I really have to, right.

Good luck, everyone!

Well I just got my repair estimate from Canon....$62.93...(expected more!)

So hopefully they can finish and get it shipped back out by Friday and I can have it next week....

Still need an idea, also...

Bob T.

102 on my front porch yesterday. Not too bad in the evenings. I don't get out in the heat of the day to photograph, do video, or teach defensive handgun classes. But once it starts cooling off a tad it gets better.

The wind gusts here caused me a lot of stability problems while doing video the last two days. If you think your cam is tiny...

I'm trying to shoot in all that wind with a Canon HF100.

That sounds like my kind of luck. We have an area where egrets and herons go wading to "munch". I can't count the times I've seen a great possibility and not had a camera handy.
That makes sense. At least I got a little of this unexpected behaviour yesterday evening.

I've been getting some wonderful ideas on the theme, so i planned to go out filming on my four rest days from work (i work 4 on 4 off) but on the first day off my daughter bless her had an accident in the park, fell off the climbing frame and guess what... broke her leg :(

So the last two days I've spent in hospital with her. She is a mummy's girl but sometimes needs her dad as well. Perhaps in plaster and physio for four weeks, so gonna be a long month...

Still, I'll be trying to get some filming done, even if it's birds out the window, I'm determined to finish this challenge and upload an entry.

I built my first hide today!

Well, it's actually a long piece of cloth 12'x5' strung between some trees on the lake edge but it should serve the purpose.

Every time I try to get close to the swans they seem to drift a little further away - hopefully I can sneak up on them now ... if the rain stays away.

The raynox works well, I'll post some pics tomorrow

Paul, a tip will be to go out to the hide with one more person, then after a while the other person leaves the hide. Birds can't count so when they see the other person leave, they think nobody still there!

Great Tip!
 

Great tip that is Per Johan, I read that in "Go Wild...With your Camcorder" by Piers Warren. Great book, always fascinated me that has :)

Russ

the real trick will be trying to con someone into donning their gum boots and trudging all that way through the mud just to fool some swans - great idea though!

Well Canon still has my camera....and time is getting short.

Broke out the old Panasonic GS250 this morning and got some shots of.....
Never mind....hopefully I won't have to use them.

But I'm gonna get somethin' in...that's for sure.

Bob T.

Well.. I've only gone and twisted both ankles so I'm on crutches, 10min walking max for every hour. (10min is tuff work) So unless I can film from the car with my partner driving, I don't think I'm going to make it.

Sorry to hear that Mark,
Now if you lived in S.A. filming from your car is probably not a bad idea at all, but i guess in the UK the critters aren't quite so fearsome. Good luck with it, hope you do manage to get something together, & i hope your ankles heal quickly.

Bryce

Hi Paul,
Sounds great. I've wanted to build myself a hide too, just haven't gotten around to it yet. I would like one of the ones you simply pack up like a tent, but they're ridiculously expensive. To be honest, i think if i were to actually buy/build all the things i would like to have with me when i go out filming, i think i would need a couple of sherpas to help me carry everything!
Glad to hear you like the Raynox lens too. It sure is a big sucker huh! I have found the pictures i have made with it to be fantastic, & to be honest, so far i haven't seen any degredation in the picture quality at all. Just remember to use the magnification button when you're getting your focus right, as you loose a lot of depth of focus with the 1.8x extender & are zoomed in all the way. You may even find that if a swan was swimming towards you, you could have his head in perfect focus, but his back will be way out. I have actually made myself a follow focus simply to help me get the focus right for these long focal length shots. In fact, the more i think about it, the more i am amazed at how sharp Per Johan's shots are considering the long focal lengths he works with all the time. Hmmmm, i've got a lot to learn!

Bryce