The Four Ages Of Sand

Olsztyn video

Ok, the light's poor and the camera work is suspect, but here's Olsztyn: The Video. 

Greensleeves with a Green Screen: reveal.

I've just realised something: my Greensleeves duet is so convincing that people who don't know me might think I actually am a concertina playing twin, therefore I'm taking the unusual step of releasing the original greenscreenvideo

See? It was all a clever trick!

 

 

Dragonfly and Damselfly update

A very nice man in the Netherlands sent a message identifying my Venezuelan dragonflies and damselflies on youtube. 

Thanks Marcel!

Dear filmer, Tried to identify your filmed dragonfly species, I think these are the names: Tramea calverti Erythemis vesiculosa Planiplax phoenicura unknown damselfly Erythemis mithroides? Micrathyria aequalis Tramea binotata Micrathyria aequalis Erythrodiplax unimaculata Erythrodiplax unimaculata.  

The butterflies of Venezuela. A Blue Doctor (Rhetus periander) or a Dyson's Swordtail (Rhetus dysoni)

I'm finally getting organised with my Venezuelan videos and images. This was the most beautiful butterfly I saw on the trip. I think it's a Blue Doctor (Rhetus periander) though the white tips don't appear on the other images I've seen. It could be a Dyson's Swordtail (Rhetus dysoni).

I've posted up images on the neotropical butterfly forum, so should have a definitive answer soon.

This is a still from the video:

And this is the best of the photos, though no photo can do justice to the intensity of the electric blue of the original. Anyone who's seen a kingfisher with the sun on its back will know what I'm talking about. 

And the video. For busy 4AoSers, the close up shots are at 1.20

 

Mandolin Magic, Part 4. What a Liberty!

Here's Liberty, my latest submission to Mike Marshall. I think this one's going to impress even the two Alans, my harshest critics (or at least, the most vocal) 

Actually, I think my harshest critic might be the third head from the left. 

 

It's so unfair...

Alan's got Nuthatch and Great Spotted Woodpeckers in his garden, Lunita's got Green Woodpeckers in hers, and all I've got is a blackbird nibbling my apples.

I filmed this from Lunita's window at one of Max's many parties:

(half speed)

 

Yellow bird in Venezuela

Oops, my promised deadline for no more Venezuela posts has just passed. Ah well, one of the joys of writing 4AoS is being able to break the rules with impunity.

It would be easy to get the impression that all birds in Venezuela are exotic looking and colourful. The truth is that the majority are quite ordinary looking. Here's one that wouldn't look out of place in an English garden. It's some kind of seedeater, I assume (based on the fact that it's er eating seeds) but I wouldn't dare try for an accurate ID at the moment.

 

 

And here it is on youtube (lower quality but often easier to play)

 

Video of the White-fronted Whitestart (Myioborus albifrons), La Mucuy, Venezuela.

I saw the lovely White-fronted Whitestart (Myioborus albifrons) a couple of years ago on the Humbolt trail (previous post)

What's special about the White-fronted Whitestart is that it's an endemic; it's only found in the Andes of Venezuela above 2300m:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Myioborus_albifrons_map.svg

If you seach for "White-fronted Whitestart" on Google Images, the top result from 9,710 is from 4AoS. And the 4th. Fame! And now I've got a video of them. I can only find one other vid on the net, here.

It was deep in the forest with very low light levels, hence the poor quality. A small flock flew in to bathe in a tiny stream right next to us:

(Slowed to half speed) 

Yellow-Headed Caracara picking ticks off a bull's bum.

Yellow-Headed Caracara picking ticks off a bull's bum. Or maybe it's a cow.

(For very busy 4AoSers, the bum picking starts at 50 seconds in) 

 

Bananquit remains cool in the face of intimidation from a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl)

Hummingbirs are highly territorial, and this one - a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) I believe - took great exception to a Bananaquit in his bush.  He tried several times to intimidate it but the Bananaquit remained cool, and in the end the hummingbird went off to a different branch to sulk: