Weekly Progress (3)

Saturday 3rd -Tues 6th 07

• The work planned was to go out to the Park and film some more animals. However, In particualr the Green Woodpecker and the Fox
• Saturday's session: I had 6 mins remaining of my first tape, and so I went to finish it off. I managed to get more birds that I needed (Blue Tit, Robin etc.). Sunday's session: was at night as I was lucky to get some more footage of Foxes. I had to wait till 1.15am, till I got a 15-20 second shot of the Foxes (there were two of them), but unluckly a car scared them off. Monday's session I was again at night and again I got a site of the Fox, and much earlier, roughly 10.30-11.30pm. Tuesday's session: Straight after my Tuesday Media lesson, I went home to get the camera and went out to do some filming until 3.30pm. In that time I was lucky again, as I saw what I was after, the Green Woodpecker. Again, in was in an open area. However by seeing it again and also seeing where the Woodpecker had been pecking a large whole in the bark of the tree, usually for creating a nest, I feel that I might be in luck as if my guess is right, the Green Woodpecker lives in Rectory Park.
• Overall I am happy to catch the Green Woodpecker again and the Foxes as they were my prime targets. I still want more though. I am intending to go to the Park on Thursday morning, also I think its snowing on that morning. This is turn will help me illustrate that this series is based in Winter.

Weekly Progress (2)

(Thursday 1st & Friday 2nd Feb 07)

• The worked planned was to capture the animals and birds on my list. As I had media lessons off on both Thursday and Friday, I used all the time available. So from 8.3opm I started filming. To capture the footage I need to take with me both the digital video camera and the tripod.
• Both Thursday and Friday proved to be enourmously successful. On all the outings I had I have got a large amount of my list of animals ticked off. So far I have captured the Blackbird, Ferel Pigeon, Robins, Grey Squirell, Common Gull, Crow and more Grey Squirrels. (Note: I have mentioned all the animals that i want in the list, they are just what 'I am intending and hopeful of capturing for my documentary'). Today (Friday), I was both the luckiest and unluckiest person. As I was in the park, I heard a knocking sound that seemed familiar, to confirm my suspicions, I followed the sound, and when i looked up I saw a Green Woodpecker (right), which is the largest of the three Woodpeckers in Britain, drilling a whole in the bark of the Tree. However by the time i looked to see where it was, It flew away. I was lucky of finding some more, and got them on footage, but in the open spaces. I missed out on a Green Woodpecker pecking a whole in the tree. But next time I go out, I will purposely look for it. I also saw another type of Woodpecker, I could not entirely tell, it was either the Great or Small Spotted Woodpecker, but it just flew away before I even got to set up. Oh yeah, and I got a glimse of a Red Fox. One downside was that I had to keep going back to the house once the batteries ran out (twice on Thursday and once on Friday), Then I had to wait for the batteries to recharge before I could continue with my filming which took up time aswell. But overall, I got some fantastic footage.
• Overall, I have to say from the last two days I have got more than what I had planned. However I've made a decision in that although you are supposed to start editing as soon as possible, I have decided that I will use the full filming time given just in case I miss out on anything and also I still feel I need even more footage. I am getting ready to move onto my second tape. The aim of my next trek through Rectory Park, will be to find the Green Woodpecker, especially now I know where some of their nests are. I am also intending to climb up a tree and look inside one of the bird nest. Also I still need more footage of songbirds i.e Robins, Blue Tits etc. and others such as Magpies and House Sparrow. Also I will have to start staying up again as the Foxes have truely returned. But another job well done I'd say. Tonight I will stay up and look out for Foxes.