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Bats
Jun 6, 2015 5:36:24 GMT
Post by alf1951 on Jun 6, 2015 5:36:24 GMT
Anyone able to give any tips on capturing an image of a bat? They are still flying when it is quite light now but their speed is a problem for getting an image. I'm using a Finepix S9200 (big mistake! seduced by a cheap offer and a ridiculously high zoom capability) it's a glorified "point & shoot" and so far I've managed just a few blurred streaks otherwise total darkness. The flash is too slow to use effectively.
I have managed to get some video footage but this just gives a sense of the bats flying around the garden (I find it quite exhilarating standing there with them zooming all around me) but I can't edit the video format - quicktime. Has anyone got experience/advice about free software for editing quicktime or converting to another format?
Thanks Alf
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Bats
Jun 8, 2015 11:25:05 GMT
Post by alphawolf on Jun 8, 2015 11:25:05 GMT
Is there anyway to make a bat stop flying and remain still for a few seconds. That would be useful for photography and also to be able to see them in much greater detail
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Bats
Jun 9, 2015 4:10:20 GMT
Post by alf1951 on Jun 9, 2015 4:10:20 GMT
That would be handy wouldn't it! Unfortunately the only way for this to happen would be to have a remote camera sited in their roost or if some disaster has befallen the bat. I have found live, uninjured bats on the ground. Unlike birds, they are unable to get into the air again - they need height to get airborne. Bats sometimes roost behind the soffit boards around the roof of our porch - some years ago I discovered that some evenings, a cat sitting on a window ledge just below was swatting them to the ground as they emerged from the roost. An obstruction soon stopped the cat's access and solved the problem. Meanwhile moving fallen bats to a high location enabled them to get airborne again. On another occasion I found a very young bat clinging to the wall far below the roost late one morning. With no sign of its parents and in full sun, I feared it would not survive much longer so carefully lifted it to within an inch or two of its roost where it quickly scrabbled up under the soffit. Unfortunately I didn't own a camera in those days! A word of warning - it is illegal to disturb or handle bats unless you are suitably qualified and licensed. Strictly, I should have got an appropriately licensed person to come and rescue these bats but feel justified in my actions to avoid them becoming a cat's supper or dying of exposure/dehydration. The bats are common pipistrelles by the way.
Alf
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Bats
Jun 10, 2015 21:40:11 GMT
Post by alphawolf on Jun 10, 2015 21:40:11 GMT
That would be handy wouldn't it! Unfortunately the only way for this to happen would be to have a remote camera sited in their roost or if some disaster has befallen the bat. I have found live, uninjured bats on the ground. Unlike birds, they are unable to get into the air again - they need height to get airborne. Bats sometimes roost behind the soffit boards around the roof of our porch - some years ago I discovered that some evenings, a cat sitting on a window ledge just below was swatting them to the ground as they emerged from the roost. An obstruction soon stopped the cat's access and solved the problem. Meanwhile moving fallen bats to a high location enabled them to get airborne again. On another occasion I found a very young bat clinging to the wall far below the roost late one morning. With no sign of its parents and in full sun, I feared it would not survive much longer so carefully lifted it to within an inch or two of its roost where it quickly scrabbled up under the soffit. Unfortunately I didn't own a camera in those days! A word of warning - it is illegal to disturb or handle bats unless you are suitably qualified and licensed. Strictly, I should have got an appropriately licensed person to come and rescue these bats but feel justified in my actions to avoid them becoming a cat's supper or dying of exposure/dehydration. The bats are common pipistrelles by the way.
Alf Thanks for the detailed response, Alf! Seems to be that WABI has another amazing member As I'am really interested ins science, I think a good discussion would be the science behind a bats unable to flap away. Do you think this is relatable to the aerodynamics of the a bat's flight and its wing development in comparison to a bird. I think that will be a very interesting theology
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Bats
Jun 11, 2015 5:53:02 GMT
Post by alf1951 on Jun 11, 2015 5:53:02 GMT
Hi alphawolf. You're right that the bat's inability to "take off" is related to the different wing structure from birds. A bird standing on the ground has room to flap its wings. A bat on the ground would be lying on it's back or its belly - there is no room for it to flap its wings. Their legs are built into the wing membrane - a design which works well for some activities but not for others!
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Bats
Jun 11, 2015 7:00:32 GMT
Post by alphawolf on Jun 11, 2015 7:00:32 GMT
Hi alphawolf. You're right that the bat's inability to "take off" is related to the different wing structure from birds. A bird standing on the ground has room to flap its wings. A bat on the ground would be lying on it's back or its belly - there is no room for it to flap its wings. Their legs are built into the wing membrane - a design which works well for some activities but not for others! Interesting! However this doesn't explain how vampire bats crawl around on the floor when close to their victims. In many documentaries you see them crawling around using their wings, similar to pterodactyl in films. So bats can crawl around but not generate enough momentum to lift itself off the ground and fly!
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Bats
Jun 22, 2015 14:34:04 GMT
Post by alf1951 on Jun 22, 2015 14:34:04 GMT
I still cannot manage a photo of bats in flight but I have discovered that, with patience, it is possible to edit quicktime 'MOV' files in Windows Live Movie Maker. So, if anyone wants to see the early morning view of bats from my porch earlier this month it's here - vid1373.photobucket.com/albums/ag373/broadwath/Bats%2005Jun15_zps0c4tges6.mp4 - you'll need a really fast broadband connection or a lot of patience I'm afraid!
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Bats
Jun 24, 2015 18:51:53 GMT
Post by Tringa on Jun 24, 2015 18:51:53 GMT
Excellent video there, alf.
Dave
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Post by britnik on Jun 26, 2015 19:07:51 GMT
I have had a small amount of success with bats bat-4080556The technique that I have used is as follows 1) Find a place and time where you know bats are going to be hunting over you in this case it was between a cottage and a barn. The buildings acted as a funnel to bring the bats over my head. 2) Don't use the viewfinder. Practice your aim looking over or to the side of the camera 3) Don't use a too long lens. I find 80mm FF equivalent about right, you can get longer as your aim improves but longer lenses have less depth of field. 4) Don't use autofocus. Focus manually at a set distance and wait for the bat to cross this imaginary range. 5) Set the camera to manual. Shutter to to flash sync speed. 5) Set your flash to manual and balance the flash output and aperture to give correct exposure at your defined focus distance. 6) Wait for your bats. A low end bat detector helps to give warning of their approach. I have found that this works with my DSLR and my mirrorless but my Canon SX50 bridge camera does not react quickly enough
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Bats
Jun 27, 2015 6:50:26 GMT
Post by alf1951 on Jun 27, 2015 6:50:26 GMT
Thanks Britnik - Great bat image and I've made note of your advice which is much appreciated. I think the other essential is to invest in a decent camera! Thought I was buying a bridge camera, didn't do my research properly and ended up with a glorified "point & shoot". No manual focus, very limited control over exposure values and very slow flash.
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Bats
Jun 27, 2015 8:05:47 GMT
Post by lizb on Jun 27, 2015 8:05:47 GMT
Great photo and really useful advice.
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