Germander Speedwell

From the nighttime trail cameras, a very short clip of Merlin on the swing. He had been and is sitting on the dry cat food supply for the regular stray cats. He hears something, and you can see his alarm. But no indication on video as to see what it was.

Cat Merlin hears something...
https://youtu.be/Atsk5TAhybc


I have been spending far too long/far too much of my time watching and editing these video clips. Maybe 4 or 5 hours some days. I also post them on Instagram, and they cannot be more than 60 seconds long.I cannot post the YouTube video on to Instagram, not even a short one. I have to make a separate video for Instagram. And I have been posting every day on YouTube, and most days on Instagram. So, this has led me to rethink how I do every aspect of this. I need to change my strategies, because I have other stuff I need to do. In terms of views, Instagram sends me several messages a week saying this one has had 500 views, another one 900 views, and yet another has 1.5k views. I was shocked, I didn't realise you could get those kind of views on Instagram. On YouTube, the views might be in single or double figures (usually) but then my shorts on YouTube can bring in up to 2.9k views. But there is extra work to do those shorts, and timing of posting is key. My daughter from Australia and I discussed this last week. I am also doing a project for her, which I have abandoned a wee bit from lack of time.

So we decided at least one more year on this wildlife video project. I need to re-evaluate, re-strategise every aspect of it. And my young grandson has made suggestions. He is a computer nerd, like my son.

I am happy that people gat to see animal behaviour they would not otherwise see. That is my reward from doing these wildlife videos.

I am trying to write this with a large spread out black cat on my lap, and me feeling like comfortably dozing, and watching my small birds out of my glass door.

I could happily sit here all day...

Ah, the sun has come out...now time to do some other stuff!

The kitchen SD card only picked up Midnight and Merlin, nothing else. But I know it is missing some stuff. The kitchen is too small for it to trigger off properly, and in time to capture a shot.

And one more thing. I was sitting in the kitchen chair with an cuppa, after I had made beef burgers. The kitchen door was half closed, so I was not seen by anything outside. My new cat feeding station is outside (and not in the kitchen anymore) when I realised some large birds were flying in, the glass on the door is frosted. Then I saw through the cat flap that it was magpies. My Mr Magpie, his Mrs, and their 3 young magpies! And he was showing his young magpies how to find kind batty old ladies who put wet cat food and dry cat biscuits out for them!!!

So much for my new stray cat feeding station...

He has taken them all into the back garden as well. And the remarkable thing is, all my sparrows and my baby sparrows, as well as other small birds do not regard this particular magpie family as a threat. They all stay in full view,mhappily chirping and playing and feeding, all the while this particular magpie family are in my garden. I find this amazing, and uplifting that they can all get on.

Okay, creative now, Germander Speedwell. It's been in Procreate, through a few apps, then into Snapseed which refused to work last night, so I had to find another way to get my effect I wanted. (I re-installed Snapseed, re-booted the iPad, etc etc, but all to no avail)

Ah, and that poor love, Midnight spent all night locked from coming any further in the bungalow than the kitchen. He wouldn't come in last night. And I am trying to make sure that tech savvy beastie does not come in for food.Nothing was caught on camera, but I am pretty certain it came in. But Midnight has his comfy luxurious chair in the kitchen. This morning he looks at me with baleful eyes, doing the slow eye blink...

Have your best day!