good evening,

first road blocks

Well, sense thursday I put on about 1000 miles, got some good scenery shots of nest sites but we had a lot of rain (the prairies were in desperate need ofr it) and while we visited three eyries we did not get any ariel footage. I am shooting some alternative footage this week (another small raptor) just incase plan 1 fails. I am making another effort this next friday to get some good footage, close ups and such. However, great plans are only good if the wildlife helps out a little bit!!

well, quite a day. the rain stopped so I got the gum boots on and went wading through the swamp to my hide

lesson No. 57 - when you make a hide, make sure you make it big enough to 'hide' behind

mine was a little short so I either had to crouch down to put the lens through the hole or poke the mike, lens & my head over the top - I decided on the latter and pressed record which was fine until I noticed the mosquitoes, 57 billion give or take a few.

lesson No. 58 - ALWAYS take some repellent

I tried to ignore them and then slapped a few and ended up waiving my arms frantically about. This seemed to keep them a bay but tended to shake the camera somewhat and certainly attracted the attention of the swans who might not have been able to see me but couldn't miss the waving and slapping.

lesson No. 59 - when you're hiding, try not to draw attention to yourself

here's a few stills taken from the footage using the XH-A1 and raynox telephoto

bugger, still can't upload

Are Lessons #1 - 56 just as hysterical as these? If so you should compile a book on "Wildlife videography for Dummies!" (No offence meant!)

I reckon we could all add to the list of lessons. Mike's VO Wardrobe and my VO tent come to mind, not to mention Per Johan's lessons gained from videoing musk oxen in a blizzard. Thanks for the good laugh.

Hey I can add to the "Wildlife video for dummies" book:

lesson #60 - When you see a group of the most beautiful Great Egrets, all up nesting inside the canopy of a glorious tree, DO NOT set you and your gear up underneath them, no matter how bad you want that special shot. You will definitely regret it.

lesson #61 - When set up just one foot above the calm water's edge, on a peaceful June morning, shooting bright red crabs climbing the face of a rocky inlet - NO NOT simply wave to the lady passing by on the yacht and then go back to shooting. Instead, try to remember YACHTS THROW WAKES!

hehe ;-) thats making good reading ^

I'm really getting into it this round, and have spent the last couple of evenings stalking out some local reed beds for shots of reed warblers.
The really frustrating thing is they seem to have some kind of built-in "critical focus" alarm. So, you'll hear them, then see the rustling. One will pop up, so you zero in, pull focus just in time to see it fly away. In time it starts to feel like a bit of a game - I hope I have enough time to win!!

Rule 62

It may be a clear day when you leave, take your rain gear anyway!!

Rule 63
When you forget your tool kit, a truck key can tighten the tripod mount, but it may not be straight enough to go into the ignition!!

Rule 64 Make sure that your quick release plate is on your camera or on your tripod. Not on your telescope that is two miles walk away.

Oh thank the lord I'm not the only one who forgets things. Sometimes I just stare at the pack, knowing full well that in about three miles I'm gonna want to jump off a cliff because I forgot... like the camera or something!

Which brings me to rule 65 - be extra sure to ZIP THE PACK before you throw it over your shoulder...

holy moses

Sounds to me like this book should be titled "Wildlife videography BY dummies" :)

Boy - the unexpected and unforseen situations we get ourselves into!

"Behind the scenes" video of all these rules would have been really interesting to watch.

I can add a little off topic rule #66.
When riding a bike, don't argue with a car who has the right to use the road. The cars will always win!!
I got a nice opportunity to study the nature next to the road real close as I chose the least painful solution to the argument.
That was 2 weeks ago, and my left hand still hurts a lot when trying to hold a camera.

But the good news, I have finally come up with a plan for my video.
Hopefully I can get something on tape early next week.

Rule #66: Any self respecting " non-human living breathing entity.....on wing or on foot" takes the day off on a hot Sunday afternoon that is the only time you have to shoot....

Bryce,
I'd love to hear some details about your home-made follow focus. Is it mechanical or electronic? I made one myself once. It looked like a 14th century clock with gears and arms. Didn't work worth a damn.

Good afternoon,

Option one is not unfolding as yet.

Option two I have some pretty cool footage. Here is a screen grab.


I love these little guys!!!

boy - I think I've started something with these rules!

I finally got a screen grab uploaded. I think I should have gone to a park and filmed some tame ones, these wild swans are very difficult to get close to - still that's part of the fun I guess

Yes Paul, you started something alright... I haven't found the courage to post the embarrassing ones - yet.

Sounds to me like you could use a telephoto lens on your camera. My big feet tend to scare everything away just the moment before I set the cam on the tripod. It's almost like the birds are screwing with me - waiting for me to turn and unpack, only to turn back and they're gone. If not for the telephoto lenses I get on this camera I'd never fill more than 1/5th of the screen.

Keep at it brother, that swan is beautiful.