Logo

Other / 19.01.2017

I took delivery of my Canon XA35 camera before breakfast and before noon was in Steve’s office so that he could set up the camera for me, bless him. The extras comprise two large batteries and two memory cards. The battery included with the camera is only good for 145 minutes or so.

Logo

Other / 18.01.2017

Today I completed the settings for the last four videos compiled from tape. There are now 426 videos on the page. I have over two and a half hours of material from memory card 1 shot with the demo camera, which will be made into the next species videos.

Logo

Other / 17.01.2017

This evening Steve and I captured the 20 frames from the last tape footage and the first 49 frames from memory card 1. The latter include plenty of in focus wide shots, which I was unable to film for the past two years with the Sony.

Logo

Other / 13.01.2017

Yesterday I collected two time-coded DVDs from Steve. One contained the last tape footage, the other the first memory card footage. Today I selected 20 frames for capture from the last tape footage. They completed the tally of 978 images for 2016 I am submitting to the Queensland Museum to add to my Image Library which is in its collection. I have started writing the document containing location information and species identity to accompany the images.

Logo

Other / 05.01.2017

A good way to start the blog for 2017; posting my decision to buy the Canon XA 35. This evening I was with Steve. He downloaded the footage from the memory card to his hard drive and transferred 1 hour and 20 minutes worth to his edit programme. The footage included two night filming walks and the lagoon at the Sports Complex, dry on 30 December 2016 and full of water on 4 January 2017 with four Pacific Black Ducks swimming in it, after heavy rain three days ago. I am hanging onto the demo camera and hope to be able to keep it until the new one arrives.

Logo

Other / 27.12.2016

I have just uploaded the 300th image to my Moths Album, following an excellent run of new species at the garage, since the new owner of the property replaced the bulb in one of the two lamps three weeks ago. The moth is yet to be identified. It has strange antennae which have tiny serrations on both edges and a black and white-banded tip.

Logo

Other / 19.12.2016

This evening I picked up a Canon XA 35 demo camera from Steve. It came on the market a year ago. It shoots in HD, but not in 4K. Steve has entered the basic settings. We shot some trial footage and checked out some of the features. The instruction manual has 188  pages. The camera is much smaller than the Sony and lighter. It will be a relief to have a fully functioning camera once more.

Logo

Other / 05.12.2016

Yesterday on my walk, I introduced myself to the new owner of the property whose garage has for many years been my main location for filming and photographing moths. To my great delight he told me that he had replaced the bulb in one of the lamps which for ages had been out of action and shunned by insects. Today, I saw a splendid yellow and brown longicorn beetle which had been attracted by the newly re-lit lamp and photographed two moths.

Logo

Other / 22.11.2016

This afternoon I shot the last footage of my last tape in a garden which has yielded an abundance of material. This evening I handed it over to Steve for capture and generating a time-coded DVD. Meanwhile, I am using an early tape which was dedicated to logging changes to open space on the mountain and the skylines of Brisbane and the Gold Coast. I only shot half of it. Part of the balance was used to record bird sounds and traffic which Steve transferred to his hard drive this evening. I have about 34 minutes of footage left. There is still no release date for the new Panasonic camera.

Logo

Other / 16.11.2016

The migration of plague like proportions of Caper White butterflies from west of the Great Dividing Range to south east Queensland in search of food, has boosted an already much stronger than usual late Spring butterfly presence. The migration is due to exceptional Winter rain allowing the Caper White’s host plant, the caper bush, to thrive, and strong westerly winds. There have also been plenty of Australian Painted Lady and Meadow Argus butterflies, Cabbage Whites and Monarchs. I have uploaded photos I took this morning of a Painted Lady and a Meadow Argus butterfly to my ‘Other Fauna’ album, having unsuccessfully attempted to photograph these species on several previous morning walks.