Still Photos Compared: Camcorder vs iPhone

     For years, the photos you have seen on my blog have been taken with my Sony Handycam (FDR AX53).  I liked the way they turned out, and the comfortable easy way the camcorder sat in my hand.  I also love the focal range of the camcorder, from its zoom, to its very close ups.  When I would import the photos into my computer, I did often tweak them, giving them a little more contrast, and just a bit more intensity to the color.  

    I bought myself an iPhone 16 in December, and soon became very impressed with the photos that it was giving me.  I was amazed that the focal range on the iPhone, which gave me similar shots to my camcorder.  I do have more difficulty holding the phone in my hand when taking a photo. 

      Since I got the phone, I have been using more and more of the iPhone photos on the blog.  (Yesterday’s photos of the elk were taken with the iPhone.)  The iPhone is always in my pocket and is easier to take with me, for unexpected photos.

    I had read an article about how mobile phones do a lot manipulating of the photos you take, without you realizing it.  That made me curious, so I did a bit of experimenting.  I took a shot with my camcorder, then a shot of the same scene with my iPhone to compare.  On the photo above, the upper half was taken with my camcorder, and the lower half, with my iPhone.  

    You can see that the iPhone photo is a tad more colorful, and distinct.  (Those are both things I usually tweak on my camcorder photos anyway.)  The same differences in color and contrast show up in the photo posted below, with the camcorder shot on the top half and the iPhone photo beneath it. 

    I have noticed that sometimes the phone digital photos come out a bit “too much.”    I have really noticed that on some of the photos I took with my iPad--everything is just way too distinct, which I find disturbing.  

    Anyway, that was my little experiment.  I will keep using both my camcorder and iPhone for the photos on my blog.  I am satisfied with the photos I get from both of them.

Take a look at my paintings:  davidmarchant2.ca

A Herd of Elk

     Most Saturday nights we go visit with friends over on Hinkelman Road.  Now that we have had the time change, it means that it is light outside, when we go.  Since then, it seems like we always see something photo-worthy as we make the trip.  Last time, it was the sunlight illuminating the top of Beaver Mountain.  Last night we rounded the corner, and there in front of us was a big herd of elk (Wapiti) feasting on some of Terry’s hay bales.

    As soon as I stopped the car, the elk became suspicious and in a line, started heading away toward the middle of the field.  I grabbed my iPhone and took these photos.

    Back in the 1970’s, there were no elk in the Valley, although there were some in Jasper Park.  It is believed that Parks, started shipping problem elk out of the parks and depositing them in the Robson Valley.  The elk found their new surroundings to their liking, with all the fields of crops, hay bales in the winter, and they really thrived and their population increased in their new home.  

    The elk were not welcomed by the farmers, because they causd a lot of problems, particularly in destroying the bales of hay that were stored outside over the winter.

    While it is always enjoyable for me to see the big herd of elk, local farmers don’t have the same reaction upon seeing them.  A friend of mine who has horses, had to continually get up in the middle of the night, after hearing her dog barking.  She had to quickly dress, run out into the field, and then chase the elk away from the hay she needed for her horses.  

    

You can view my paintings at:  davidmarchant2.ca

A Throng of Thrushes

     While it may not be unusual to see a group of birds together taking advantage of some available food, I have been really surprised at the number of Varied Thrushes that have been feeding outside our house these last few days.  While I was aware that there are Varied Thrushes around here, it is a bird I usually just hear in the forests, it is a bird I rarely see.  

    I was surprised at the beginning of March to see a couple of them searching for food in the few spots that were free of snow.  When that snow had melted, they kept busy scratching around in the leaves, looking for food, which probably didn’t offer them much.  

    Then at the beginning of the week we got a foot of snow (30cm) which blanketed the ground, and the thrushes were in trouble, because the meager source of food they were depending upon was suddenly covered up.  I took mercy on them, and spread some rolled oats around in a few spots where I had seen the birds looking.

    I was surprised at what then happened.  Suddenly, there was a flock of Varied Thrushes that appeared in my yard.  I counted sixteen of them at one point.  It is the male birds that migrate first, giving them time to establish a suitable territory for  mating, the female will come later.  So all of the thrushes that appeared are males, and you know how males generally act;  they keep chasing other males away.  That is what the throng of thrushes are doing in my yard as they eat, they are also keeping busy chasing the other male birds away from the food.  

    Male Varied Thrushes look a lot like Robins, but are more decorative (photo below).  It is a treat to see so many of them, and watch all of the activity outside.

View my paintings at:  davidmarchant2.ca

The McBride Snow Pillow Graph

     BC is largely made up of mountains.  Knowing how much snow (and rain) has fallen on those mountain tops during the winter is very important information.  It gives some indication of what kind of things the province might experience in the upcoming summer.  Might there be flooding?  Might there be drought conditions?  Will there be enough water in the rivers for the electricity that is generated by the dams?  It is good to know those kind of things in advance, so preparations can be made to help minimize potential problems.  

    To get that sort of information, BC uses a technology called “Snow Pillows” which they place in alpine areas around the province.   These pad-like items measure the weight of the snow that is on top of them.  If rain falls on the snow, that also adds to the weight that is measured.  That information is electronically sent to a center that has gathered and recorded the data for decades.

    The graph above shows what has been recorded this year (the dark blue line), the amount of snow recorded last year (the green line), and the pink line that shows the historical amount of snowfall (and rain) on our local mountains over the years

    Seeing that the blue line is just above the “normal” range is good news for the Robson Valley.  For several years we have been experiencing drought-like conditions locally.  Of course, we could still experience a summer of drought, but at least there should be a good deal of water in the local creeks and springs that are fed by the snow in the alpine.

    Sunbeam Creek, where we get our water, had a very low flow last year.  Hopefully, things will be back to normal this summer.

    Below is a photo of some of the snow-capped mountains, where the local snow pillow is located.

You can see my paintings at:  davidmarchant2.ca

Emergency Food Relief For Desperate Birds

     I was very surprised at the beginning of March to see the arrival of a Robin and some Varied Thrushes out in the snow looking for food.  It seemed to me they had come a bit too soon.  Luckily for them, it had warmed up and the snow in the yard had melted.  

    I usually don’t see the Varied Thrushes in our yard, but I could sometimes hear them in the nearby woods.  This year I have been surprised to see about six of them hanging around in the yard, scratching around in the leaves.  In the summer, they find insects to eat in the leaf litter, but I doubted they were finding many this time of year, since it is still basically winter here.

    Then on Tuesday night, we had a major snowfall of more than a foot, that covered the yard.  Yesterday, I began to see fragments of leaves on the edge of our front porch.  They had come from a very narrow strip of dead leaves that were still showing at the edge of the porch.  I knew why they were scattered there; the poor hungry Varied Thrushes were trying to find food in those few dead leaves that were still showing at the edge of the porch.  They were looking for food at every possibility.

    When I cleared my driveway with the snowblower yesterday, the machine had removed all the snow, down to the ground in a few places.  Later in the day, I saw that the Thrushes, we scouring those bare places looking for food.  They seemed pretty desperate, so I figured I’d better do something.

    I spread some rolled oats around the bare spots where I thought the Thrushes would find them, and almost immediately they did, and were pecking away, picking up the flakes of oats.  I did do a bit of research, and I guess the migrating Varied Thrush does vary its diet a bit during the winter to include nuts and berries, so they shouldn’t have problems with the rolled oats.

You can view my paintings at:  davidmarchant2.ca

What Happened to Spring?

     I guess I should have kept my mouth shut about all of those various signs of spring that had begun to appear.  This morning we woke up to 12-15 inches (30-38 cm) of fresh snow and a temperature of -8°C (17°F).  There was no painting for me today, as soon as I had finished breakfast I had to go out, crank up my snowblower, and start clearing the driveway.

    I spent 1 1/2 hours maneuvering the machine around, trying to see where I was going while a lot of snow was spraying back into my face.  I was not able to entirely complete the job, but I did managed to clear all of the areas that we needed to get up to the road.

    First thing I always have to do in the morning as soon as I get up and dressed, is carry Kona outside to pee.  It always maddens me that she just doesn’t immediately get down to the business at hand, instead she starts forcing herself (she can barely move herself) to some distant area that she finds appropriate.  Its painful to watch her try to walk (scoot), and even more painful watching her try to do it through deep snow.

    Today, after she tried to find the right place, she gave up and didn’t pee, so I carried her back inside the house and cleaned off all of the snow that was clinging to her.  I figured once I had cleared some of the driveway, Kona would have an easier place to move around in, while she searched for the perfect place to pee, and that was what happened, after I got done clearing the driveway.  

    The photo below shows Kona sitting in the deep snow, after giving up on her first attempt to pee.

Take a look at my paintings:  davidmarchant2.ca

Who Came Around Last Night?

     There is usually a lot of nightlife activity that goes on around here after dark, that we don’t know anything about.  One of the interesting things about snow, is that it can give you a clue about who had come for a visit.  The photo above shows the track of a Timber Wolf that had ventured around our place.   Usually the animal tracks I come upon, are not as exotic a wolf; normally they belong to more common critters. 

    The thing that got me going on animal tracks was finding the tracks of our neighbor’s cat, who likes to live its life outside.  On my many trips walking around our pond I have many times noticed that the cat seems to have a regular nighttime circuit that includes the path circling my pond.  The cat heads up by behind my greenhouse, across the yard, and then makes a beeline for my barn.  The cat seems to make this circuit several times a week.

    Immediately below is a trail left by a Field Mouse and at the very bottom, tracks of a Snowshoe Hare.

Feel free to look at my paintings:  davidmaarchant2.ca