Wildlife Filming

Bird Nest Cam

2011-08-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

I bought this Bird nest camera in early July so it was abit late for recording birds laying their eggs in the box and the chicks hatching but the nest box is going to be left outside so next year I will hopefully get a bird nesting in the box so I can get to document it.

I bought this from Amazon (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004IFLFUM/ref=oss_product) for £49.49 and £5.21 for shipping. Its a strong box and has entrance at the front an the box I got had two holes at the both sides of the box with plastic over the them to let more light into it. Although the nest does has infra red so it not a problem if it gets too dark.

(Below is a step by step to set up the camera to show how easy it is to get it going)

connect all the wires together (red to red, yellow to yellow and white to white) then take the other end of the wire to a tv set and connect it to that (connect the white and yellow into the tv and the red goes into the power adapter.)

Then finally plug in the power adapter and turn on the tv. The footage should be shown on AV.

Other information:

QUALITY COLOUR CAMERA - (CCTV - IR - AND AUDIO) / 30M CABLE / 12V 500MA POWER SUPPLY
FULL INSTRUCTIONS - EASY TO FIX REAR HANGING PLATE
LONG-LASTING CEDAR BIRD BOX - NO NEED TO TREAT OR PAINT - MADE IN THE UK
32mm ENTRANCE AND FROSTED SIDE WINDOW AS STANDAR

Preview: On the Chase of the Cubs

2011-08-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

This post is a preview for what you can expect to see in my new Wildlife Documentary 'On the Chase of the Cubs.'

The Cubs being Six months old now would be practically fully grown, sexually active and starting to explore new areas to label their territory. So having not seen or filmed the cubs since back in early June. The last time I filmed them was on a Saturday morning but shortly interrupted by Helicopter flying over head which scared back into the bushes.

I was now starting to wonder what has happened to the playful cubs that I enjoyed watching/filming for hours on end.

I started my journey in mid July while the grass was up to my hip (I'm quite tall too) so I soon realized I not going to have the advantage of spotting the Fox Cubs from a distance and watching them. I would have to put out my trail camera if I would have any hope in filming them.

My first clue about the cubs though came from my neighbor who said that he had seen a small fox across the road at the local park. Maybe they were struggling to get food with out the mother now and had gone in search of an easy option. I went their an set up my trail camera in several different place over a week but ... sadly no footage of a Fox Cub, all I got was a curious cat cheeking out what this device was attached to a tree.

I decided next to head to the local forest, a few fields away where I had filmed the Mother Fox and her Cubs back in May. The Cubs might have moved to there, which wouldn't surprise me with all the pheasants and ducks in the forest. As I set off to the forest in typical British weather it turned from blue skies to pouring down with rain. Never the less my search for the Cubs wouldn't be stopped by some rain no matter how heavy it was.

When I got to the forest I started looking around to see if their was signs of fresh kills, foot prints or poo. As I looked round the whole forest my search had hit a brick wall again and I was left puzzled where they might be.

With my hope starting to fade of being able to find the Cubs, I was woken up by a noise coming from the field. I opened my curtains and their was ... a tractor cutting the long grass. This was great now I would be able to see a Fox at the top of the field and it wouldn't be hidden by the long grass. As the day drew on, around 7pm my theory was correct, I couldn't believe my eyes. Not one but three Cubs came out the bushes. In the few months I hadn't seen them I amazed how big they had gotten. I couldn't believe in all the places I looked they were right under my nose.

It was great to have to have the experience of watching them again and it was lovely to see they see they were still as playful as the first day I saw them.

Now over the moon the Cubs were so close to me, the next day I went up top of the field and attached my trail camera to the bush and got these amazing close ups of one the Cubs.

I've had a great time filming and making this documentary and it will soon be posted on my YouTube channel around the end of August.

Wildlife Filming: Hawke Prostalk PC2000 Nature Camera (Trail Camera)

2011-07-31T15:11:00.001-07:00

Over a couple of months ago I decided I needed a Trail Camera because I wanted to film Otters on the river. I had two cameras at that time a Xm2 which couldn't film in the dark and a Sony DCR-HC37 Handycam Mini Dv Camera which had Night shot mode but you had to be quite close to the subject to be able to film it. I felt I needed to by a trail camera this way I could get shots of the Otters without having to be beside the riverbank disturbing them. I started having a look around websites like Amazon to the prices of some trail camera and they had some decent looking trail cameras but I came across a site called www.cameraworld.co.uk and their was a trail camera called Hawke Prostalk PC2000 Nature Camera for £132. A 2.0 MP camera which can take pictures and videos in high resolution. This camera look ed prefect for what I needed and at a affordable price too. (The Pictures below are screen shots taken from video clips using the Hawke Prostalk PC2000 Nature Camera.)

Fox with a Rabbits leg

(These Other shots below are screen shots taken from video clips from the Hawke Prostalk PC2000 Nature Camera from a new documentary called 'Closer to home.')

Robin

Magpie

The trail camera has a delay time of about 1 second which is quick enough to capture the animal your trying to film but if you wanted longer shots of it in front of the camera then you could consider tempting it with food.

It records in 640 x 480 pixels and films one shot for 15 seconds. It has 15 night vision LEDs so its excellent for film at night time which is great for people wanting to film nocturnal animals like Otters, Foxs and Badgers.

For anyone thinking of buying the Hawke Prostalk PC2000 Nature Camera I say DO IT! Its a great camera and very easy to setup (reading the instruction manual.) I can't wait to get more amazing shots of animals with this camera.

Other information:

Ultra Small &Compact
LCD Display
45 degree PIR Motion Sensor
Date time and Moon Phras Imprint
Water Resistant and Rugged Case
Power supply 4AA Cell Batteries

Hares Documentary 2011

2011-07-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

Wildlife Documentary 'Over the Hill' | Zazzle.co.uk

2011-06-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

Wildlife Documentary 'Over the Hill' | Zazzle.co.uk

If anyone is interested I made a T shirt on Zazzle for my Wildlife Documentary 'Over the Hill'

If you like it then feel free to buy one!

Wildlife Filming Journal

2011-06-21T07:10:00.000-07:00

11^th March 2011

I got given a Sony camera to do a test shots for my FMP. I decided that I would go up to Grit fell and see what types of birds I could film because it is known for Golden Plovers, Red Grouse and Hen Harriers. When I got there at around 1 O’clock I started walking up and half way up I noticed a large bird. It was a Red Grouse. I took several different types of shots like long shot, close up and low angle so when put into final cut pro it could be edited into sequence. After taking shots of the Grouse I tried to sneak in closer to get a close up shot but the Grouse is very shy so the nearest shot I could get was a midshot.

14^th March

The next day I went to Quernmore Birk Bank with the Sony camera getting some nice scenery shots of the hills and the stream that flows from the top of the hill. When I was their I came up with the idea of doing a time lapse with the trees after I saw a forest all bear with no leafs and would be a great transition from winter to spring.

18^th March

This was the start of my proper filming for my FMP. I decided to go Wyreside Lake and see what I could film there on their lakes. When I got the lakes were buzzing with life and their was lots birds to film like Coots, Geese, Swans and Canada Geese. I managed to film great activity of Coots diving and eating their food, which looked great on camera.

On my way back from the lake I went through Dolphinholme and I saw two Roe Deer by the side of a forest but just as I set up my camera they jumped over the fence into the forest and I get a chance to film them.

19^th March

I did some research on the internet and found a place in Bleasdale that meant to bursting with Hares and it would be a great place to watch an film Mad March Hares. I got there at 7am because Hares are most active as the sun rises. I found a field with Hares in but as set up I looked up and they had disappeared into thin air. After waiting for a few hoping they would come back their was no Hare in sight so I got up and had a walk round the field but I couldn’t see anything except a few lapwings in the distance. When I got home disappointed I didn’t want to end the day with no footage of animals so I asked my Mum to take me up to Levens park because they have lots of Black Fallow Deer up there. Walking around Levens park for 20 minutes I noticed a big group of Deer up the top of a hill so I slowly moved closer in and got some great shots of them. On the following Monday I went back to Bleasdale at an earlier time of 6am so I could set up and wait for the sun to rise an be ready for when the Hares starting chasing each other and boxing. When I woke up that morning though it was foggy outside and by the time I got to Bleasdale I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face, which ended in another disappointing day of trying to film Hares. I tried again on 25^th March but I was having no luck with the Hares and my hope of filming Hares, never mind mad march Hares was slowly fading and I was beginning to think that I would never get any shots.

28^th March

Being a bit fed up with no footage of Hares I went up to Birk Bank because I knew I would be able Red Grouse up there to film and I was going to do the first shot of my time-lapse sequence. I got some shots of the stream as I was walking up the hill and I went up a path past a small forest. For the time-lapse sequence to work I needed to mark out the position of the tripod, write down the height of the tripod and how far I was zoomed in. I marked out the tripod with some big stones I found nearby and I picked a path that was very hard to get to so I was just hoping that no one came past and moved them.

After filming the time-lapse sequence I went up the hill, over a stone wall and found a group of Red Grouse in the long grass/bushes. I only had about 5 minutes left on my tape so I couldn’t get that much footage because I had filmed too much takes of the time-lapse because I wanted to make sure it was prefect.

31^st March

I did some more research on where to find Hares and found a place round the corner from my house called Forest Hills that said on their website that they have Brown Hares on the land so I thought I would go their and check it out. I walked around the fields but only saw Rabbits. I decided to just carry on walking up this lane which lead me to a road I followed this road up the hill through some houses then on the right hand side their was field that had patches in the grass. I followed my instinct and walked through the field. I got to this hedge and looked over and there were two Hares in the grass, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I managed to get some good footage of them eating the grass but it was starting to get dark and they were starting to hide away in the grass for the night.

1^st April

Excited with finding the Hares in a location right near my house so I could be able to get there much easier to film them. That night I could hardly could go to sleep and I woke up three hours before I wanted to get up but being too excited I got up, had my breakfast and got out the house at 4am. I waited in the field for the sun to rise at around 5.30 but couldn’t see anything so I walked round the edges of the fields to see if maybe they had moved to another field, nothing in sight. It felt like devaju. Not see anything I decided to head back home then I saw a Hare! In the first field sat in the long grass. I set up the camera and tripod as quick as possible and started filming. After about 10 minutes another Hare came out of a bush and started picking up the scent of the female in the long grass. I was at the other end of the field and when the Male started chasing the female I couldn’t believe my eyes when they started running right towards me. As they started getting closer and closer I put the viewing screen into the side of the Xm2 so I could view from the side but when they got right near me, I was almost in a distorted body position because I didn’t want to move and make any noise that might scare the Hares away. Just as the Hares were about 20 feet away the female turned round and boxed the male on the head. I was so happy to finally not only film Hares but to get a bit of boxing too. As the two Hares ran off into another field I followed them and another Hare came out of nowhere and started chasing the female. A few minutes later another Hare turn in and it starts frenzy. They kept on running between the four same fields so I managed to work out where they would next be. I got one really good close of the three Hares running by the hedge then the one at the back bites the one of the Hares.

2^nd April

Being thrilled with the footage of Hares I filmed the day before, I went to the Crook O’Lune and film some shots of the river and the forest. I walked along the river and got some good panning shots then further on I got some more panning shots of the forest. As I walked through the forest I looked to the left and saw loads of footprints in the sand. I knew they wouldn’t be dog foot prints because in was down a steep embankment with loads bushes so it would be very difficult to get a dog down their. I walked down the embankment and on the sand were hundreds of Otter prints. I had been told a few months ago by Emma (Wildlife Trust) that their was Otters on the Crook O’lune but it was great to finally see evidence of them living here on the river. I had to go back and try and film them at some other point. After I climbed back up the embankment I walked along the path and got some focus pull from leafs to the river which I thought would be a good transition from the forest to the river then show the Otters.

6^th April

I went to Forest Hills at around 7 pm to film some scenery shots and the animals on the rivers. I found a group by the forest would I go some good shots but it was getting dark so didn’t have much time to get many shots. I filmed the sunset, which looked amazing with the orange sky. The next morning at 6am I went back to film the Hares but the weather wasn’t to good so they weren’t that active but I still got a lot of close shots of them.

8^th April

For the first time I tried to film Otters at the Crook O’lune. I got there at 5am with my friend Scott and I got a lovely shot of stream coming of the river and the sun set in background. As we walked to the spot were I had seen the Otter foot prints, I thought of filming otters is going to be low as many top Wildlife Cameramen have said that Otters are the hardest animal to film in Britain so I wondered if luck would be on my side. We sat on the embankment with a nice view over the sand bank, this way we weren’t too close to scare them away but still get good shots. We waited for three hours and hope was running slim and with not having any breakfast I felt it was time to go back to café to have some morning breakfast and try to film the Otters another day. Cycling back home I went down the Lancaster canal and I found a Moorhen building a nest in the side banking. The moorhen wasn’t bothered by my presence so it gave me time to get multiple shots of her building her nest. I knew I had to come back in a few weeks a see if her chicks had hatched. Two days I went back to the Crook O’lune to get some more scenery shots but because it was a very hot day their people everywhere around the river so it would be best to go to a more remote area at Birk Bank and film the last time-lapse panning shot but when I got there the trees had more flowered yet so it would be best to come back in a few more weeks. The next morning at another earlier time of 5am I went back to film some Hares. Each time I went there was like a challenge to me to see if I could get closer and closer to them. In the middle of filming some Hares and farmer came up to me on a quad bike with his two dogs and said I was trespassing on his Land but I said I thought I was on a public footpath. Next time I’m allows going to ask the Farmer if I’m allowed to go on his land because I don’t want to shouted at like that by a farmer again even though it was a incent mistake.

On a Saturday afternoon I was up in my bedroom when I looked out the window I thought I saw a Fox and cub So a few days later on the 5^th May I got the Xm2 camera and sat in the back field at 6 pm waited to maybe see a glimpse of a fox. As the time I finished reading my two MTB magazines I started concentrate on the bushes at the top. As my eyes were beginning to get soar and invasion of ginger cubs ran out the bushes. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I was expecting to see maybe a Fox and maybe if I was lucky a cub but to see so many I was stunned. As I filmed the seven cubs playing around, my heart was beating so fast I’m surprised I could even film properly. When the vixen came out I think my heart just stopped and I was breathless. I felt so luck to have these foxes so close to me; this was a great chance to observe them and get insight into their lives. I guess the saying is true that as soon looking you will be surprised what lives near you. Over the next five days I spent trying to get closer to them. I built a camera box to put the Xm2 camera in so I could it at the top of the field and get some close up shots of the Fox and her cubs. I put it at the top of the field when I knew they would be coming out at around 7 pm everyday they would come out of the den. By the end of the week I had some what incepted by them because I could be about 20 feet away and they wouldn’t mind me being there filming them.

9^th May

Being thrilled by what I had filmed so far with the foxes I had to detach myself away from them for a day so I could go in search of a kingfisher. I had been a long the Lancaster canal near Galgate I had a high chance of filming a Kingfisher. Walked the canal but didn’t see any Kingfishers. I went back to were the moorhen nest was I was delighted to see that their was a Moorhen chick. After filming the moorhen chick swimming and trying find food I set off back home and their in the water was a Grey Heron. I only got to film it for about 2 minutes until it flew off. As said by Spencer “that’s the money shot.”

16^th May

As my filming drew near to the end I thought it be excellent to film the birds in my garden. I built a bird feeder table and put birdseeds on one end and the xm2 on the other. I surprised that I got so many good shots of Robins, Sparrows and many other garden birds. I didn’t realize until after a few shots that the Xm2 was in auto focus so the shots of robins were blurry and didn’t focus on it. I put it out again and put it in manual focus and got some more excellent shots.

20^th May

My last weekends filming the Foxes so I decided to get some really, close up shots. I hid in a bush near the Foxes den all in camouflaged and with my camouflaged netting. They didn’t come out which was strange so I went back to have my tea and I came back out an just as I was about sit in my Hide, I saw a group of things in the distance running around by the forest a few fields away. As I got closer I realized it was the Fox and her Cubs. It was great that they gone there because it gave me more cover behind a bush to get closer to them instead of being in an open field. I filmed them behind the bush then just as I was about to sneak round the back through the forest I saw the vixen walking through the trees with the cubs. It was great to see them so close but I couldn’t help wonder if I had gone round the forest earlier I would of got a even better shot of the vixen walking through the bluebells in the forest.

24^th May

My last day of filming, in the morning I went back up Birk Bank to get end shots of the time-lapse panning shot and thankful all the trees had all their leafs now. I’m also thankful that no one had moved the stones to mark the tripod so my panning shot would look great. After doing multiple takes of the panning to be on the safe side I walked over the hills to Abbeystead to film the Lapwings. When I got there, they were everywhere to be seen. After Filming them for a while some mini fights between the lapwings starting happening probably over nesting ground or to keep away from their eggs. I was amazing to see them fighting in min air.

I have learn’t a lot of the course of the production; it has given me great experience working/filming animals and many memories that will last a lifetime. I can’t wait to do it all again sometime soon.

'Over the Hill'

2011-06-16T05:21:00.000-07:00

My first ever Wildlife Documentary about the animals around my house in Lancashire. Even I was surprised at what I found. 'Over the Hill' follows the behavior of the Mad March Hares, Lapwings fighting in the sky, the birth of a Moorhen chick and a Mother Fox with her seven cubs.

Wildlife Documentary Trailer

2011-06-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

Trailer for my Wildlife Documentary giving a preview of what you can expect from it. Features Foxes, Hares, Roe Deer, Lapwings and many more