Well, thought I'd kick off this thread early.

I'm excited because I think I have a story idea that is simple and doable with my schedule for the next few weeks.

I'm presenting some of my UWOL films at an environmental film festival next week and I'm leaving for California the day after that.

So, Ii needed something that would work in Iowa as well as California. So hopefully I can put the story together here in a few days and get shooting.

Good luck to everyone!!

Wow, Kevin:

What festival is it? All the best to you! Let us know how it goes.

Have a nice trip. Shooting in both California and Iowa could prove interesting!

Cat

Cat,
It's a environmental film festival put on by several organizations, businesses and churches here in Eastern Iowa. They'll be screening films like King Corn and several other notable films.
So, it was nice that they wanted someone with an Iowa connection to be a part of it as well.

Anyway, I've found my music for the challenge. For me, that's a huge part of getting a film done. When I go out and shoot for a challenge I have that music in my head. I may not be able to capture something that goes with it exactly but it captures the emotions that I feel when I hear it.

So over the next couple of weeks I will drive my wife nuts by listening to it over and over and over. But that's what works for me.

Sitting down trying to jot down some lines for a script. Have three whole sentences so far! :)

I've figured out how to tie my California trip in as well so hopefully I'll avoid the shark tank this round. Course, anything can happen along the way to trip me up but so far, we're on track.

Oooo this all sounds very intriguing Mr Railsback !

I have an idea. I may not get to complete it because I may have to head back to Bristol. But I hope I can, it would be something very different for me, and uwol. We will see!

I managed to get a few shots Monday before the rains came. Now while I wait for clear whether, I'm working on the theme. I'm just not sure how safe it is to get intimate with my subject.

Hmm,

It looks like I may have set myself up and left it wide open by using the word "intimate"....

Man, you guys, where is your artistic license in creative speech! ;-)

I wonder if it's too late to change "intimate" to "infinite"..... then again, who knows what you all might come up with on that! The theme remains the same *sigh*, I'll just have to take the ribbing.... sheesh!

Cat

P.S. Come on Mat, let's see what you might think is new to uwol! We are ready!

First of all - thanks Cat for a interesting theme!
It´s time for me to get the dust of my long lenses and get some real close-ups of the wildlife in the nearby woodland. It will be interesting to see what I´m able to get.

As you maybe noticed, it´s been quiet from me the last year or so - but I´m still hooked on making wildlife films and the uwol is and will be a inspiration for me to proceed.
I´ve started to build a hide nearby my house. It´s a woodland area where there are lots of wildlife if you take your time and sit for some hours. Cons this time of year is the short days of available light for making good footage.

But I will really try to make something for this round, promise!

Below is one of my intimate friends (Certhia familiaris (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_Treecreeper)) not so common to get close contact to.

Great creeper shots Per Johan. I was lucky enough to be taken out by a nest recorder this year. The tree treepers nests are amazing, but hard to spot unless you know what to look for. Great little bird !!

Looking forward to seeing your film, this time round fella!

Today has been a most AMAZING day for me.

Just to encourage you, Cat: Specifically and directly attributable to this theme and trying to form some kind of a relationship with my subject I went looking for something particular for a sequence that I wanted to include. I apologise for not divulging too much detail at this point as I do not want to give too much away just yet.

I needed to hunt hard for this specific thing and while I was doing so I spotted something that looked a bit odd so I ran for my camera only to find that the breeze was blowing everything about wildly and I couldn’t film it. I snipped off the twig and took it inside to film under lights which are permanently set up for the purpose of filming insects and plants indoors.

You will understand when you see my film that I have managed to capture the impossible - a particular insect emerging after pupation. If I sat for the next hundred years entirely dedicated to the task I would never be able to repeat what I got today. Simply put – a gift from heaven! (Oh yes – sorry – but I had to use my macro lens for this!) :}

It will form a very small part of my story but more importantly it will be invaluable when I do a film on this particular insect. So I echo what Per Johan has said - thanks for the interesting theme!

BTW - Beautiful shots Per Johan.

Marj. That is a terrible thing to do to us! Now I'm super intrigued as to what the heck you've managed get down and I'll have to wait over 2 weeks to find out :-/....trying to catch pupal breakouts can indeed be an easilly missed and frustrating task!

Thanks for relating that, Marj. I really love that feeling when you happen onto a “lucky shot”. Usually I look up and there is no one around to share it with and they wouldn’t have appreciated it anyway. I’m looking forward to watching. I must confess, I’m not enjoying this theme (yet anyway). When I first read it I thought “Oh, no!” The theme is absolutely perfect for a project I am going to shoot but, for several reasons, I can’t shoot it now. Because, to my mind, the two fit so perfectly, I have had rather a mental block in coming up with an alternative. Last night I finally had an idea. It has since washed out on a technicality, but at least I’m finally thinking about it. Right now I’m longing for some of the less complicated early themes. How about- Rocks? (Didn’t someone once maintain that all UWOL videos were about rocks and sticks …) It probably doesn’t matter anyway as Dale seems to have lent us some of his grey skies and high winds for a few days.

Wow Marj, can´t wait to watch what you got! Knowing you there must be some amazing footage!

Mike, don´t worry, there will be some rocks in my entry this time. As mention above, light is almost gone at my place this time of year, so I may edit a black & white entry :-)

Sorry to be so elusive. It’s not as though I have a spectacular insect at all but there is a specific reference to it in my story and the odds of getting one breaking out is quite slim. It was an unexpected bonus and I was really excited about that.

Here’s the problem: pupa in spherical object and adult can emerge from it anywhere - top, bottom or any place in between – east, west, north or south. How many cameras does one set up in anticipation?

It is attached to a living plant and so all equipment is subject to the elements. If you snip it off as I did and take it indoors you have a day before the spherical object starts to shrivel.

You have no idea when it will emerge – day or night – or how long you will have to wait for it (could be weeks) - so you have to change media continually - on a number of cameras.

You cannot do time interval recording for wriggly insects, it just doesn’t work.

Added to this it may not emerge at all because some nasty parasite got to it before you did.

I have neither the time not the inclination to resolve such problems - hence - amazing gift.

Mike: I must say that I too got locked into an idea at the beginning but decided to run with it because I am stretched for time and need to get on with it - I was even wondering if it is worthy of my time. This has given me some encouragement. Cat is right if you take the time to explore the subject, unexpected things can and do happen.

Well I’m definitely committed to that original idea, possibly even as a UWOL entry. It’s just impossible right now because of several logistical issues which are completely out of my hands.

Don’t worry Per Johan! Your Norwegian rocks are some of the most gorgeous on the planet- even in B&W!

Update: Sun just came out. Winds still 35+ mph.

Ok well if we are playing the tantilising game. I heading out today to try and get a secondhand rain coat and some black and white photos (Can't tell you the subject). - Told you it might be a little different :-/ !

Hey guys:

I'm glad to see the dialog starting to roll and from the posts, it looks like exciting and interesting things are happening with your work.

One rather amusing thing I have discovered with hosting a forum for the first time is how I've had to resist the temptation of entering in and commenting on every post! How silly is that? Quite frankly, this is your forum about the progress of your films and what I could possibly have to say is quite irrelevant! Personally, I think an effective host is someone who sets things up and then STEPS OUT OF THE WAY to let it roll.

Just know that I am here and I am taking a keen interest in your posts. I'll enter in at times when it is time for me to do so. In the mean time...

Have at it guys! Your talents simply inspire me! You raise the bar for me, and I am a better filmmaker because of it.

Cat

Ah, yes. The second-hand mack attack. Tantalizing indeed! Say Mat, when you slow down a bit will you please go to the challenge website and correct the information in the film vault about UWOL 17? I guess all UWOL Mikes should wear a name tag! No rush. Ta.

I finally have a somewhat workable idea. I have a rough shot list and will refine it tonight. I think it may be a little gimmicky, but I’ll do my best with it. Unfortunately, it includes some of the kind of shots that I dread most- me on camera. I will try to write those out. (As in have mercy on you viewers.)

Oooppps, sorry fella. Got my Mikes confused, all fixed :-)

No worries. I expect you may have had a bit of excitement on your mind of late. Thanks again.

Yay, I got my footage today. Was out and about for a couple hours this morning. Had a great plan all worked out in advance. Well, a plan is only valid until it is time to execute it, right. So plans quickly changed. But still I think I can make something useful out of what I have. Some locations were only possible handheld, but that only adds to the challenge.

Hope you all do well!

Well plan #1 is "down the drain." Went to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge which is a wintering site for ducks and geese. There must have been over 200,00 ducks and geese there (Nov-Feb is the busy season). Unfortunately photographic access if pretty limited and I quickly realized I need a MUCH longer lens. It's an interesting location (rule #11 applies) and I'll keep it in mind in the future if I get a longer lens.

So on to plan #2. I'm just not sure if I'll have time to get the shots I need for this one.

Your plan 1 seem to be very interesting, Rich!
If you get that longer lense later, it would be cool to see a film from that location.

Good luck with plan 2! You can do it!

Well plan #1 is "down the drain." Went to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge which is a wintering site for ducks and geese. There must have been over 200,00 ducks and geese there (Nov-Feb is the busy season). Unfortunately photographic access if pretty limited and I quickly realized I need a MUCH longer lens. It's an interesting location (rule #11 applies) and I'll keep it in mind in the future if I get a longer lens.

So on to plan #2. I'm just not sure if I'll have time to get the shots I need for this one.
Rich:

Much closer for you is the Cosumnes River Preserve, in Thornton, CA. Should be teeming this bird this month. Here is website:

Cosumnes River Preserve (http://www.cosumnes.org/)


Shot this UWOL entry there:

The Sandhill on Vimeo

Well,

It looks like everyone is pretty much on task and getting some shots and going after others.

We were out shooting this morning for a few hours to try and get a specific behavior. I can get it if I do not zoom in to close, but I am after close up footqage of it. Rather eratic and hard to get when you are are on the far side of the lens without undue eratic camera behavior too!!!

We did get one unexpected subject to use in the video. Hope to get more up close and personal in the forth coming days!!

How can one top a pupal emergence?? I better spend a lot more time out there and hope for something unusual.

Dale

Finally got a nice sunny day, but it seems my hoped-for subjects were mostly killed off by the cold weather we had in October (while I was on vacation in the sun). So now I'm looking at plan B, but the forecast is dire this week. I might soon be formulating plan C!!

Back (just barely) from a big shoot last week and very happy to see UWOL #18 rockin' and rollin' - fantastic job rallying everybody, Cat...creepers, pupae, pink yeti - it's all great to see.

Rich:

Much closer for you is the Cosumnes River Preserve, in Thornton, CA. Should be teeming this bird this month. Here is website:

Cosumnes River Preserve (http://www.cosumnes.org/)

Chris,

Thanks I wasn't aware of Cosumnes, it looks like a nice location to put on my list.

I was in Chico for the weekend, so the Sacramento NWR seemed like a good choice. I was undecided between Sacramento NWR and the Department of Fish and Game "Gray Lodge" site. Since I hadn't been to either I tossed a coin. While the NWR is interesting, it has limited photo opportunities since you are restricted to your car for most of the site. I suspect that Gray Lodge would not have had the same problems and I would have been much better of there - "oh well, maybe next time."

I'm going to be restricted to sites much closer to home for the duration of this challenge; I have some sites in mind but this is not the best time of year for them.

Three main shooting places for Consumnes. First is a river walk, with a lot of different shooting opportunities, depending on when you go. This is on same side of road as the Main Visitor center. Second is across the road from the center, through wetland ponds area, with concrete and boardwalk walkways. Third is just north of the center, across railroad tracks. This is a road which has ponds on both sides. Shooting distances are greater here, but that is where I shot most of the Sandhill crane film.

Hi all:

I had my own bit of wonder two days ago when a female (immature?) Northern Goshawk caught a rabbit for breakfast in our "backyard". She was so enthralled with dinner, she let me film her up close for a long time.

Like Marj's emerging pupae, this sort of thing just doesn't happen all that often!

Cheers!

Cat,

Definitely an immature female goshawk!!!

Was out yesterday for most of the day but sunrise was the inspiration. I attached a screen grab of reduced quality obviously, and this was not the best part of the sunrise.

I have plenty of video, just need to sort out the approach to the theme!!!!

OMG Cat,

I have spent the last 30 years looking for that bird in every state west of the Plains with no success, and here is one in your yard. I am totally jealous. Yes, it is a juvenile.

Wow Cat, that´s amazing to hear! This is why I find nature and wildlife filming so fascinating, you never know what´s coming up! In most cases you have do do some bate/hide for several months to get shots like this.

Yesterday I was at my bird feeding station for more footage when a Spotted Nutcracker showed up, for me a amazing bird I never seen before!
It was feeding on some nuts and seeds among lots of different kind of other birds, when it suddenly attacked a Blue Tit. This happened way to fast for me to get any shoots of when it flew away with a screaming Tit in its bill. To my knowledge the birds in the crow family don´t do such kill quite often and for me it was first time i witness such a action.
Life is real hard for small creatures.

Hi you guys

Thanks for piling on! I knew I could rely on Dale, Steve and Per to know exactly the type, sex and age of this bird. It is also due to the fact that I have hung out with the UWOL community these past years to know what a gift this really is.

Just a little more background info to let you know how unrealistically this all happened:

My husband Ed was getting the goats and burros up in the morning when he saw the kill happen. Unfortunately, she made the kill inside the burro pasture where of course the burros would eventually not leave her alone long enough to eat. That's why we have them, they are good guard animals. The goshawk flew away. When Ed reported this all to me, we decided to move the dead rabbit to another more private area that would give her a little more peace and me a good filming opportunity. Decadent no? She came back to the moved rabbit and enjoyed her feast while I (still in my PJs!) was able to film her. I was astonished at how she allowed me to slowly get closer and closer until I was filming maybe 30 feet away or so(?).

I know, crazy. Hardly the stamina and fortitude you guys exhibit in your wildlife filming pursuits, but it was there!

Per, I wonder if you are the first to witness such an event between the Spotted Nutcracker and the Blue Tit? The wild is a rapturous and amazing continuous event, no?

Dale, I'm glad to see you might be going big in parts of your entry with the detail theme!

Steve, in your trek across the US for the goshawk, venture over to my backyard! We can sit on our deck and toast a cold one.... and who knows? It could happen again!

Cat

Nice shots, Catherine! My only two sightings in Texas were of juvenile birds at this time of year and in both cases they remained in the area for weeks on end, so- keep watching.

How exciting, Per Johan. I’m sorry you weren’t able to get any shots, I would have liked to see that! Sometimes even under the best of circumstances things just happen too unexpectedly and too fast. I remember once walking to my blind in a marsh when a black rail crossed the path four feet in front of me with a rodent in it’s bill. I’ve not seen documentation of any rail predating on mammals. I felt quite embarrassed later that I was standing there, camera in hand, and missed it.

I’m glad everyone seems to be doing well, but I have run into another complication. A field study that I declined while shooting for the long form has come back to haunt me. The client didn’t hire the biologist I recommended and instead hired two college students. The students did a good job of setting up the field work but found they were in over their heads when it came to analysis and reporting. It’s not their fault because the client mislead them. The project is so far behind that the permitting agency has become frustrated and hired me to review the work and see if I can get them back on track. I am now struggling to find time for UWOL.

Cat,

While you have native goshawks in colorado it is the time of year that the far Northern Goshawks are moving through. the fundamental difference is that the birds from the boreal forst have virtually no interaction with man and therefore are much tamer!! It is not uncommon to stand 15 feet from them as they eat. A friend of mine actually captured a male by hand laying on his stomach and grabbed it by its feet, took a couple pictures and let it go!! Personally I would have rather got close up video. Here Sept is a huge goshawk migration time. Every small town in the prairies is an island and they come to them for cover and food. I keep my roller pigeons in the loft for the month of september as they will kill one or two a day!! Our neighbor had a female gos fly through her living room window. she picked up and was knocking at my door at 6 am. I rehabbed it and turned it loose a couple weeks later. I really look forward to seeing your footage.

Well, I got the beginning of the attack and as I decided not to use this in my final film - here it is!

This is a quick and dirty edit compressed to only 1.17MB of size, but I think it shows some very strange and rare behavior.

BTW, as the theme says "intimate detail" and I had to use my very long lenses, the 24-105mm could be used for other tasks ;-)

“Other tasks”… like, ummm- drinking coffee? ; - ) That’s a great shot even without the new bird and unusual behaviour. I can’t wait to see what you have for us this time. I just hope I am able to finish one.

I hope your review of the students’ work goes quickly Mike so you will be able to finish your entry.

I must admit that things are going very slowly here due to work, but some amazing things happening out there by the looks of it.

Lovely shots of the immature Northern Goshawk Cat - and Dale that sun rise is spectacular with the clouds picking up all those colours. Hope you did a time-lapse of that.

The Spotted Nutcracker and the Blue Tit are birds foreign to us – nothing like that here. Really interesting footage you got Per. The bird feeding table is known to be a place of aggressive behaviour because of the pecking order but that was really aggressive!

Look forward to seeing what everyone has managed to put together.

I've been filming one of the strangest creatures on the planet for the past week, under water. I never would have even thought of studying this species if it wasn't for this challenge, and it's been very enlightening. The facts and science aside, after following this thing for a week I see habits and personality and there's a bit of a bond now. Unfortunately my camera froze on me when I was in position to get the footage of the century, and I can't get any more shots. I think I have enough footage, but I just wanted more.

I'm sitting at 999 Green on the 21st floor overlooking San Francisco Bay. An incredible view but certainly not the Yeti's natural habitat.

Headed out of SFO tomorrow so hopefully I'll be able to get some footage for my entry. Not much down time built in but we'll see how it goes.

Per,

You always seem to come up with some sort of amazing footage!!!

With the recent change in weather and its effects I just may not be able to fulfill the intimate detail theme.


The birds I was really trying to get have moved out. I have some footage but not that intimate or detailed.

I am trying to come up with a different idea.

Change in weather here too! Winter has come, last night snowfall all night, so today the scenery is crisp and white. I have some days off next week and will do some more footage in real winter weather. Forecast says a temperature of as low as 5 F (-15 C). Gonna be very cold sitting there for hours!

Another Spotted Nutcracker showed up today. Had to go out and shop for more nuts. They have consumed 5 kg of nuts, 15 kg of Sunflower seeds, in 14 days!

It´s going to be a very expensive winter :-)

With the recent change in weather and its effects I just may not be able to fulfill the intimate detail theme.
The birds I was really trying to get have moved out. I have some footage but not that intimate or detailed.

I am trying to come up with a different idea.

Hey Dale:

Hang in there with your entry. The invitation is open for you to share the kind of footage you have and maybe we can all give it a bit of thought and come up with an angle that might help you move forward with the theme.

You shared a beautiful sunset awhile back.... maybe you can start with that? If nothing pans out, I have no problems with getting you some of my raw footage of the immature goshawk to see what you come up with using that.

Cat

The good news is that the past weekend was beautiful here in Northern California - it was sunny and unseasonably warm.

And some bad news...

I had some cooperation, but unfortunately it seems I am too early for some of the footage I was hoping for and too late for others. At least I found one male Tarantula out "looking for love." He wasn't being very cooperative, but I think I have something I can use.

I have some clips, but I may need a slight adjustment to my storyline to make any use of it.

At least I got a good hike in yesterday. (-:

I have some clips, but I may need a slight adjustment to my storyline to make any use of it.


I have a similar problem - my original storyline was too long to fit into three minutes and trying to shorten it caused it to lose all meaning. Have had to re-think my story a bit. At least I have most of my footage - just one last sequence on Thursday - weather-permitting.

Another Spotted Nutcracker showed up today. Had to go out and shop for more nuts. They have consumed 5 kg of nuts, 15 kg of Sunflower seeds, in 14 days!

It´s going to be a very expensive winter :-)

Wow Per. Perhaps you can tail it off slowly.

Mary, it´s a tradition in my country to feed the birds in the winter. So I will not tail it off any way!

Some of the birds forage food but others dont´t. Today it´s -10 C (14 F) the ground is covered with snow, trees with no foliage, no bugs to find. And it´s only November, still 5-6 months before winter is gone!
And for nature lovers this is the time of year when you get close contact with different kind of birds by establishing a feeding station. If you are lucky, rare species like the Spotted Nutcracker suddenly appears.

So for me this is the time of year when I really like to be out, sit for hours, observing those small creatures. Even in the same genus, entity are quite different in behavior. This have amazed me several times!

Hi Per
Yes - we all have very different weather conditions and the customs in one country can be so different from those in another.

Per....you are an inspiration ! The image in my head of you sitting in a hide in -10 for hours on end is fab! I nearly froze back in June doing 5 hours on the Black Grouse and that was only 4 or 5 degs. Sitting motionless is a killer indeed!

My film, well I'm one shoot away from being finished. This is indeed something very different from me and for uwol !

The hardest thing I’ve done in a blind is spend four and one half hours there with eighteen other people. It was ten feet by ten feet and the temperature was close to 100°F. We were waiting for a bird to arrive. Imagine standing motionless and silent while performing your best imitation of a sardine in an oven!

As for feeding birds, I do also. I’ve read several scholarly studies on the subject and, for the most part, it seems to not be detrimental. Most passerines operate under an optimal foraging strategy and simply treat the feeding station as a bonanza. I like to think of it like this- after spending a hard day rustling up wild foods they like to shoot round the bird pub and nosh bar for a quickie (or noonsies…). Many ascribe the beginning of the practice to Francis of Assisi, but it is certainly much older. The feeding of wild animals was a necessary prerequisite to their domestication. I think it began shortly after man invented art and developed a sense of aesthetics. In some cultures, such as the Bishnois of India, feeding wild birds is regarded as a religious and moral duty.

I’m pleased many of us seem to be nearing completion (I am not). I look forward to enjoying the fruits of your efforts and will, at least, try to post a clip which you may find entertaining. Good-luck all!

I'm finished and have uploaded to the UWOL vault. A little different work for me this time. A lot of facts and figures educational type film. None of my usual 'trying to figure out the universe' stuff. I spent about 15 hours on it, and it turns out I really enjoyed it. I hope it's not too 'boring'...