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Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Tue Oct 27, 20 8:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

The buzzards seemed to be very active low down today. Saw a couple gliding through the woods. They seem quite good at maneuvering round trees. There are rather fewer leaves on the tops of the trees now, and there is a bit more light, but still some beautiful autumn leaf colour in the beech trees.

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8571
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Tue Oct 27, 20 8:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Pairs of jackdaws are going around casing the joints, looking for a winter nesting spot

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Wed Oct 28, 20 8:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Do jackdaws nest in the winter, or are they looking for somewhere to spend winter comfortably?

I had a squirrel run right past me the other day. Husband and son were working the other side of the yard and I was working in the entrance to a tent we use as a store, as it was threatening rain. They must have scared it, but I was standing quite still, sorting birch, so it didn't see me as a threat and ran straight past me into the tent. It ran under the pallet on which I store birch tops, but son kicked the pallet to disturb it and no sign, so assume it ran out the other end of the tent.

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8571
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Thu Oct 29, 20 6:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

In my study...


Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Fri Oct 30, 20 7:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Lovely. Butterflies do tend to come indoors to hibernate, but of course if they get warm they think it is spring.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45374
Location: yes
PostPosted: Fri Oct 30, 20 8:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

what a nice visitor, i was pottering about in a derelict mill and one floor had hundreds of them sheltering for winter.

in bird town news the ID scheme plan needs revising, at least three of this years youngsters have justin's eye mark.

it does mean that recording family lines might be easier than i thought but identifying an individual requires more criteria.

back to a big lens and trying to sort out some good markers

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sat Oct 31, 20 9:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Well it was a good theory while it lasted. You were thinking about feet for ID too, is that still working?

Was up the woods yesterday after a few days break and noticed that a lot of the beech trees in the next wood have completely shed their leaves. They leaf earlier than the ones in our wood, and ours still have a fair few leaves on, but the ground is covered now and looking rather lovely. This is the time I tend to lose my way on one or two paths as it is hard to tell where they go because of the leaves.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45374
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sat Oct 31, 20 10:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

feet do have the advantage of both nature and "damage"

various stripes and patches in feather colour might add more points

beaks are variable as well

i recon i need to snap the colony and compare all of them.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 20 8:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Went out into the other part of the wood Wednesday, and as we were walking by, son with camera, a robin twittered to us. Was posing nicely on a twig, but decided it had had enough before son got the shot. I mean...these humans should take an instant picture. My time is valuable. Although we have lost a lot of leaves the remaining ones are lovely.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45374
Location: yes
PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 20 9:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

i have loads of snaps of empty air and such like.

at least with this camera it is not "where is it?" "it is that tiny dark blob in the middle"

i have found that having the camera set for a decent depth of field, on a papstrap and just wearing a lens cap can be quick draw.
turn it on, remove cap, point, zoom ,shoot, preferably burst shoot

raw3 is slower than lower res/single frame stuff but usually worth it.

auto focus is ace for some things but many small moving things(critters, leaves etc)confuses many af modes enough to miss the snap so i usually go for boresight mode with a single point of focus which is far faster and where i want it.



the old 35mm camera has a neat trick based on fast jet tech.
once you have taught it how you look at things it will put the point of focus where you look. that is really nice, but i suspect that camera parts may have been repurposed, and they were asked quietly to remove that capability from cameras.
it would not be hard to take a few grands worth of camera and make a multi million target acquisition helmet for a fast jet weapons system.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sat Nov 07, 20 9:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Son had the camera ready, and only had to raise it and take the picture, but that particular robin wasn't hanging about. I caught sight of it when it twittered, but the reaction time of son and digital camera was just not quite fast enough for it.

Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6533
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Sat Nov 07, 20 2:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Coyotes have been making their presence known very close to the house lately. A bit annoying when the cat doesn't want to come in for the night as early as I would like.
I think some of it is him having the sense not to leave a secure spot when they're yipping nearby

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45374
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sat Nov 07, 20 4:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

coyote is far nicer than loki

afaik the critters are a bit like radjel in habits and stories

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sun Nov 08, 20 8:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

You need to have words with the cat and explain inside is the safest place.

On the subject of wildlife, we had an attempt at a nest by something, probably pigeon, in out chimney which nearly gassed us. Heard an odd noise Friday evening, and thought at first it was the freezer alarm as I had just been in there, but turned out to be the CO alarm in the lounge. We opened windows and doors, and husband shut the fire down and put it out, but just as well we had the alarm. He had a go at the chimney yesterday with the cleaning brush and got it clear, so it is drawing well now and the alarm hasn't gone off again.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45374
Location: yes
PostPosted: Mon Nov 09, 20 2:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

cool ride dude

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