LIVE PEREGRINE NESTCAM

I haven't been out much locally recently, to see where our Berkshire Peregrines are nesting, so I thought I'd add ANOTHER link to BG - a Live feed from the top of Derby Cathedral, where a pair of Peregrines are nesting NOW!
Click HERE or use the Peregrine Nestcam link in the links section of BG.
Enjoy.
Er... I know I will.
(You seeing a pattern emerging here yet?)

LIVE NEW FOREST GOSHAWK WEBCAM

A new link on BG, from one of my favourite places on these shores - the New Forest.
A live stream from the Forestry Commision, of a Goshawk nest.
As I write this, the female is incubating four eggs.
Enjoy.
I know I will.


Click HERE or use the "Goshawk cam" link in the links section of BG.

NORTH DEVON FOR A DAY OR TWO...

Just to let any interested parties know Anna and I are off to north Devon for a day or two, to find a seal, (or something like that).
See you soon...

BLUE TITS, BLUE-GREY AND FLICKR

Just a few points really...
It has been recently pointed out to me (by a good blogging pal of mine) that I seem to be using "Flickr" (The "New Warren" online photo album of mine) more than my blog at "Blue-Grey (use your eyes)".
This is absolutely right.

I use my "Flickr" (my New Warren) as it is SET UP to deal with large file size photographs - something I am very much getting into at the moment, and enjoying thoroughly - especially the macro or close-up shots I take.

I will be posting on "Blue-Grey" (my blog) regularly, and feel free (possibly) to use slighly er... fruitier language on my personal site (my blog)!

There will be some (many possibly) instances where I won't be able to get a decent photograph of what I'd like to post about, and therefore I will be posting about those times on my blog alone.

There will be times when I don't feel the post warrants any photo -again, "Blue-Grey" will (obviously) be the place I make that post, still.

Then are the videos I intend to keep taking with my stills camera - again - these cannot be uploaded to the New Warren (Flickr), so have a place in my blog (and on my "youtube channel") reserved especially for them.

Finally there's the nestbox.

I am afraid we are both (Anna and I) very pessimistic about the chances of our pair of Blue Tits nesting in our nestbox any time soon - if AT ALL this year.
As mentioned briefly a week or so ago, I was worried that the pair hadn't visited the box in some time after being SO interested in it, and visiting every day for some weeks.
I'm afraid (after briefly becoming optimistic after the "Long-tailed Tit incident") that I've seen no nestbox activity AT ALL since then, so can only assume they've really lost interest now.
Was it the rat? The woodpecker? The windows in the box? The wee camera? Us? The bloody awkward neighbours (but one)?
Who knows?
Lets just say, that I am WELL aware that Blue Tits can nest as early as the middle of march, and as late as May, so we have a few months to "re-attract" them to their rightful home...
Fingers and toes crossed please, everyone, and any activity we manage to get - I (of course) will post on "Blue-Grey".


As for "flickr" (the New warren)....
Many people post photographs on flickr with little or no text. I always like to add a bit, even if its where I photographed what I photographed, or a little information about the shot or subject of the shot.
For my benefit, if no-one elses!

Feel free to peruse both "Blue-Grey" and "The New Warren" should you wish, and comment on either, if that takes your fancy.

But please be under no illusion - "Blue-Grey" is not going anywhere, or being taken over by my online photo-album.


Hey thangyew.

CHANGE TO VIDEO (10)

As mentioned, Anna and I, two friends and two Canadian relations went to Westminster to see in the new year with approximately half a million fellow revellers.
We made the decision at nine pm, to spend most of the evening in a nearby pub (which Anna and I had found the night before), so missed the best viewing spot on Westminster bridge, but we feel the trip was certainly worth it anyway...

Enjoy the videos.

CLASSICAL MUSIC ON "BLUE-GREY" (2)

I was considering dropping the classical music on BG yesterday, after I logged on and Cliff Richard was piped at me through the speakers?! Eh? Well... I guess for some people, a classic Christmas means Cliff.

I feel like I AM learning a little about this type of music though (NOT Cliff), and today BG seems to be playing three of my favourites - Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Sharp Minor ("Moonlight Sonata") by Beethoven, Piano Concerto No.1 (in B Flat Minor) by Tchaikovsky, and "Morning" (Suite No.1) from Ibsen's "Peer Gynt" ( by Edvard Grieg).

So the feature has been temporarily (at least) saved....!

Remember though, if YOU don't want Classical Music on BG, scroll down to the bottom of the home page, and stop it.

CHANGE TO VIDEO (9)

A self-explanatory film (or two), about the extraordinary Snow Leopards.
Easy.....

(Well it is nearly christmas after all).


NB. Turn the classical music OFF at the bottom of the home page of BG before watching the videos!

NESTCAM!!!

The new toy arrived today - a nest box complete with mini camera to record any to-ings and fro-ings in the box this year, (should we be that lucky again).

It records in colour during the day, and in black and white (infra red) during the night, so we will always be able to see what our tits are up to. (Again, if they nest in the box).

I'll talk about it in more detail when I get more time, but I'm dead impressed with it! I'll be able to record short movies and stills and publish them here, or on the web.

All that, and it was relatively easy to set up, even with my sausage fingers!

The two shots below are of the exterior of the box (obviously!) and just a quick one ( a test really) of the interior - the wood shavings on the box floor are out of focus as the camera is deliberately focused about 2-3" higher than that, to produce sharper photos / movies of any birds themselves, should, (and I've stressed this twice, so why not thrice) they visit this year...

NIGHT MAP- NEW LINK

Confused by the multitude of stars in the night sky, and the fact they vary from month to month and place to place?
No need.
Click on the link "NIGHT MAP" in the BG Links section, enter your location and time-zone, and the entire night sky is mapped out for you - (the little window in the top lhs is the most user friendly).
So.... now you'll know what stars / planets / comets you're looking at, whenever you like!(should you ever like)?!

NB. You WILL need the latest java download (free) though, to make the link work.

In case you don't have java, at the moment, for your information...
7am in Britain. Not many stars at all visible (too light). BUT.... (at the moment, (mid December))
Stand facing south. at 7am.
SE - low in sky : the very bright planet Venus.
WSW - slightly higher in sky - 2 "stars" - RHS: "Regulus" a star in the constellation Leo, LHS: the planet Saturn, (powerful binoculars or small telescope will show you the rings).
Due W: The 2 stars of Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini.
WNW: Low in sky: The planet Mars. Orange in colour.

COMPUTER WOES

We have lost an internet connection at home - have done since wednesday night, so I'll not be posting much until this coming wednesday or Thursday, certainly not in the way of photographs, anyway.

The wonderful Virgin Media service (you understand what I mean by that I'm sure) have promised us some compensation for their latest blip in the service that we pay hundreds of pounds a year for.

That will be the second compensation package we have got in less than a year.
Time to change service providers I think.

CHANGE TO VIDEO (8)

Thought I'd change the featured video to something a little more impressive, (but not as amusing)!

Location: Rural Czech Republic
Characters: Falconer, Golden Eagle, Roe Deer

It's all over in 11 seconds. Blink and you'll miss it.
Very impressive indeed.

Any "Animal rights activists" watching this?
Well, before you blow your little fuses, you might like to check out the 10th (of 15) videos, clickable at the bottom of the (ended) embedded clip, in which a larger Deer has a difference of opinion with a camouflaged-up hunter.

FIRST TEST SHOTS WITH NEW LENS

My new "close-up" (Macro) lens arrived today in the post. I'm off work at the moment, suffering with a fever, but thought I'd quickly test the new snap-on lens out.

The first shot below was taken on the camera's own "macro-mode" (no snap on lens), from about 4cm away from the bottle top. This macro mode on its own is better thanmost cameras, compact or SLR.

The second was taken after I'd snapped on my new lens, from exactly 8 inches away from the beer bottle top. This macro lens pretty well beats ALL SLR lenses in terms of strength. I'll need a bit of time with it, I'm sure, to get everything right, but for the first attempts - I'm quite pleased.

I think its fair to say that this lens (shipped over from the USA) is something else.

Now I can take VERY close up photographs of wee beasties and the like (MUCH closer and sharper than my old phone, and that was not bad), AND the long distance stuff wth the 12X zoom lens and a little cropping. The set up is perfect for me!

Watch this space for close-ups of spiders eyes etc...!


(Back to bed now though for me, with a mug of lemsip).

CLASSICAL MUSIC ON "BLUE-GREY"

If you've got the volume up on your computer, this may come as a big shock.
Don't like it?
Either turn your volume to zero, or scroll down to the very bottom of the home page of "Blue-Grey" and press the STOP button.
Like it?
Good.

(I'm trying to educate myself about classical music you see - and this seems as good as way as any, 'though I may change this new feature back to "The Blues", "Boogie-Woogie" or "Classic Rock" sooner or later...)

NEW CAMERA FLICKR PHOTO ALBUM

After a little research (and advice), I've decided to re-open my old "Flickr account" to host any photographs that I take with the new camera, the FZ20.
I have installed a link above the "OLD WARREN" link, at the top left of the home page of "Blue-Grey".
This (new camera album) link is called "NEW WARREN".
Click on it to immediately be transported to my new camera's online photo album, although as I write this, at present, there is only one photo in the new album - of the Egyptian Goose below, as I've only just started to use this new camera of mine!

To recap:

2 online photo album links for "Blue-Grey" (The Black Rabbit).

1) NEW WARREN: All photos taken with new camera (FZ20). (updated regularly)
2) OLD WARREN: All photos taken with phone etc... (not updated much now)






NB. I've also deleted the mosaic slideshows at the foot of "Blue-Grey".
Fun, they were, certainly.
Very, very slow. Absolutely.
If you really want to see them again - visit the "OLD WARREN".

I'll probably upload a slide show to "Blue-Grey" in the future,( from the "NEW WARREN"), but will certainly wait until Blogger have fine-tuned this new addition to their service.

HERE WE GO AGAIN...

Blue Tits.
Had enough of them?
At the last count, "Blue-Grey" had 62 posts on "Our Tits".
I haven't seen ANY activity near the box, since they fledged in May, and the adults soon realised that all their chicks had indeed gone.

Now, I'm well aware that some garden birds tend to roost in birdboxes during cold, winter nights - it happened last year with us - the female roosted in the box before a nest was built.

Like I said, I hadn't seen any activity at the box UNTIL yesterday lunchtime.
A plump, sleek, adult Blue Tit landed on the chopstick perch and stayed there for about a minute.
I don't know whether it had done so before, and I hadn't been around to notice it. I don't know whether there is a Blue Tit roosting in our box at night currently. (Its normally just the one).
I don't know whether this is a rejuvenated Scargill or indeed Anne.
I don't know whether this is a different bird from a different family, a grown-up fledgling of ours (very possibly), or even what sex it is. Yet.
(I don't knows a lot does I?)

What I do know though, is I'm very excited by this - I'm pretty sure we'll have Tits in the box again this coming season, and I intend to change the way I record activity this time.
I have been searching for a very cheap nestcam on tinterweb.
I think I've found what I'm looking for, and intend to order it post-haste.
Its very cheap, very basic, not great images and will probably break down the second I attempt to fix it to the box.
It might be very amusing though, to see the inside of the box with a family inside, and prevent the need for a lot of guessing like last year.
It being cheap, will not be a web-cam for you all to see - I'll bung the feed into the back of our telly (techno speak - you like?) and when/if something interesting happens, I'll take a photo of the tv screen and post the image on "Blue-Grey".

What I don't intend to happen is for me to do what I did last year, and spend hours gazing at the box, making notes (and mental notes) so that I could fathom out what was / was not happening in the box. ('Though I made a pretty good job of it if I say so myself).

Any posts this year on "Our Tits (season 2)" will be very, very short, and with luck, accompanied by an image.
I anticipate not posting more than a dozen times on the Tits this year - a bit less than 60 odd, you'll no doubt be please to hear!

Anyway.
Not much time now before we may well get a "rooster". (I hear the wind is changing to a cold North Easterly this weekend).
Must pick up the pace, get and fix that camera.

Nice to know the Tits are still keen though.
I think so.

CAMERAS AND ALBUMS

I have taken delivery of my new (second hand) digital camera a few days ago.
For those of you who are into your digital photography I'll detail it below - for those of you that are not.... excuse me whilst I bore you senseless.

The camera is a Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ20, 5 megapixel "bridge" camera, ie somewhere between a compact digital camera and a very big, expensive digital SLR.
It was first launched on the market about late in 2004, so its not exactly new technology, but its more than fine for me, and meets all my requirements in a camera.

It has a built in 12X optical zoom (and a 4X digital zoom), enabling me to take shots of objects like... oh I don't know... how about distant roosting Peregrines for example!
The camera has a built in "Mega Optical Image Stabiliser", which basically means I've got more chance of obtaining a sharp(er) picture when I'm using the long zoom.

The camera also has a useful "macro" function. Those of you that have followed the evolution of "Blue-Grey" will have noticed, I'm sure, I do like to sneak up on wee beasties and take photographs of them. This built-in macro function, believe it or not, may not match the same function on my phone, so I have gone a step further with my new toy and ordered a very good snap-on auxillary macro lens (a "Raynox DCR 150") which should enable me to take very detailed photographs of small objects, VERY close up - much, MUCH closer than my phone's capabilities.

Possibly most important of all with my new camera is its manual override functions.
Rather like a much more expensive DSLR, I can manually adjust the aperture of the lens, the speed of the film equivalent, the shutter speed and (this is the big one for me) the focussing of the lens - although it also has an automatic function on all of the above.

It has a built in flash, and my friend who sold me this kit has also thrown in a great flash diffuser for those "macro" shots.
Not only that, but he also threw in a load of other auxillary lenses to boot.

There you have it. Not a DSLR, but near as damn it - and all I'll ever need, with the ability to add auxillary lenses should I require them (rather like a DSLR).

I am getting to grips with it at the moment - this digital photography lark is all rather new to me, and very exciting, so bear with me for a few days, whilst I learn its ropes.

My phone will still be used occasionally, I expect. I won't be able to carry around the camera everywhere I go.
Anna's fathers film 35mm SLR camera which he kindly lent to us both almost a year ago, (he went digital himself!) is probably redundant now though.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank him for his generosity in lending that to us both.
It was (it still is) a wonderful camera and certainly assisted me to re-discover my interest and enjoyment of photography.
I'd also like to take another opportunity to thank the friend who sold me my new digital camera, at a knockdown price. A wonderful gesture and very much appreciated!

I have altered the home page of "Blue-Grey" to reflect my up-coming change in photography methods, with my new camera.
Near the bottom of the home page you will now be able to find a couple of mosaic images or "slide shows", all taken by me with either my phone, or Anna's father's camera.
Hover the cursor over a photograph you'd like to see fully and you will, immediately - though this does take a little practice! I had originally posted a more conventional slide show on "Blue-Grey" last night, but felt this slowed down ths site to an unacceptable level.
The mosaic slide shows on "Blue-Grey" are, in effect, an homage to my phone and Anna's Dad's camera.
As only the very centre of each photograph is shown in the mosaic before you move your mouse over it, its quite fun to guess what the image is portraying,and then see if you're right. Each photograph has certainly appeared over the last year on the blog.
Then again, I regard chasing squirrels around as fun, so don't take my word for it.
You can of course bring an image up, and click on it, to enlarge it in all its majesty, in the album. If you sowish. Sorry, so wish.

I have also added a new link to my newly-formed online photo album.
Click HERE or click on the MY ALBUM link found in the sidebar, at the very top of the home page of "Blue-Grey".
Click on this link, and not only will you be able to view my photographs at any time (should you really want?), but will also see any new photographs added to the album, immediately.
Along with the "blogmosaic" slide shows, (the mosaics for "Blue-Grey"), you will also be able to easily find a few more conventional slide shows (all titled "blackrabbit x") to view my photographs.

At present, the only photographs in my online album are ones not taken using my new (run) DMC digital camera. I have taken possibly 1000 photographs in the last year, but only selected about 75 to be included in the online album.
This will change imminently, as I'm sure you can guess, with the new digital camera coming out to play very often!

Onwards and upwards...

CHANGE TO VIDEO (7)

You want a talking cat?
You've got it.
When this was released on YouTube, there was (only) one complaint that the cat was scared, and this video was sick.
Well, the cat is angry, certainly, or a bit peed off anyway. Out of shot (not on this clip, but IN shot in another) is another cat, a kitten really, that is about 6' away from this moggy, and annoying it clearly.
I can't help but find it funny.
Very funny indeed.

"Ohhhh Long Johnson.
Why I eyes ya.
Ohhh Don Piano...."

EXCITING NEWS FOR "BLUE-GREY"

My photographs on "Blue-Grey" aren't too bad, considering, in the main, they're taken with my phone (bar the Blue Tit phtographs and a few others).
Very soon though, I hope to be in possession of my first ever grown-up digital camera.
It has a 12x zoom lens (more than enough) and I've ordered an auxillary lens for very close up macro-shots, MUCH closer than my phone can handle.

With a lot of failed attempts I'm sure, soon enough I hope to be posting some really quite good photographs on "Blue-Grey".
Thankyou to the person (you know who you are) who has sold me this camera (a cherished possession, I know).
I will certainly put it (or attempt to!) to very good use.

Watch this space...

1000 UP, SORRY, 1000 OPP.

Congratulations must go to the 1000th documented individual visitor to "Blue-Grey" since 14th September 2007.
My stat-counter (foot of the home page of the blog) has revealed to me that...
someone was searching for "Horned Beetles" in Opp, Alabama, USA, yesterday, and popped into "Blue-Grey" whilst doing it.

The "city" of Opp, Alabama, in the darkest, deepest south of the USA, has a population of about 6,500, all crammed into half a dozen trailers. (I'm going to get in trouble here...)!
But seriously, there is an annual "Rattlesnake Rodeo" in Opp - which I assume is the high point of the long, hot year.

I'm not at all surprised someone there was searching for long-horned beetles.
"Say... Tammy Lee! Gitt yursel' atta that there trailer wommun!
Ah'd shore lak this lil crittur for ma suppurh, with sum of yur momma's gad-givern carrn? Hell yeah! Reeeeeal goood!".

Well, there you go. A real bona-fide "Hick" has just become the 1000th documented individual visitor to "Blue-Grey".

For any future residents of Opp that visit "Blue-Grey", I've embedded a favourite pop video below...
Click to play
(Now I really am in trouble)!

CHANGE TO VIDEO (6)

Time for a change to the video on "Blue-Grey".
Well now, it was Hallowe'en last night, so lets think pumpkin.
Lets make the pumpkin a fermenting, rotting pumpkin.
Now lets think of a Squirrel feasting on that pumpkin.
Result?
Completely wasted squirrel.
Enjoy the video...



NB. At the bottom of the clip (when it has finished) you can find other related clips.
The sedated cat is quite funny (in a guilty way) as are the drunk monkeys.
Come to think of it, the (hidden) clip of the "Drunk Man" is good as well - give it time - and before long, you'll be rooting for him to get to his feet and walk away!