Common moorhen

Bruce - if you find a "pocket" tripod, you can carry it with you. THey fit in pockets nicely as a phone and are handy. They sure saved me when I was shooting with my point and click cameras. For the iphone - use a bean bag & also setting it on the ground or log or rock helps steady the camera.

Thanks for the tips, Heather. I'm mostly using my iPhone because I often have it on hand. I am admittedly a poor photographer and don't own a professional camera. Our sanyo has an anti-shake mode and a zoom effect. I'll look for a tripod for it.

Bruce - are you taking photos with a point and click or your phone? I took pictures for a long time with a point and click and one technique I found particularly helpful was to lean the camera (or myself) against a tree, rock, stump, something not moving. Then set the timer to take shots on a bit of a delay. This allowed me to hold the camera tight against the object and get better pictures. I also carried a "pocket" tripod that was about 3 inches long. I'd set the camera in the general direction, set the timer, and let it go. I got some great pictures that way.

If you are using your phone, they lack the tripod connection, so you could use a bean-bag and set it on rocks or lean it against something.

Lars, no there were 3 moorhens spotted of which two are very difficult to see in the photo. Since I wasn't able to capture clearer photos, the only other option to post data would be to use a stock photo or pictures from a previous spotting in very close proximity. This might satisfy your need for a photo, but would have little or nothing to do with logging natural history data or continuing monitoring of this wildlife hotspot.

Hi, Heather, thanks for the info. It sounds like a lot of work to post videos. But its nice to have someone welcome me.

Hi Bruce - you can post videos to other sites like Youtube or similar, and link them on here. I like to keep the few videos I've posted to about a minute or less. It seems to load better/faster/easier and also disturb the critters not too much. Birds with interesting calls and taking off and landing are great use of video.

I don't think I've said to you, "Welcome to Project Noah." I hope you have fun spotting critters around your neck of the woods.

So, what you are basicly trying to tell me with less words is:
There have been two moorhens at the spot but you missed to catch them on photo.
See? And this is not how Noah works.
It's the other way around - get a spotting on photo, post it, identify it.
Simple, isn't it?

There are actually two in this picture. One to the left and one on the right. I went in to grab my camera to get a better shot, but the moorhens had already moved on. I had a very difficult time getting any good pictures the last time I saw these even though I was much closer they really are skittish and tend to hide in the shadows. I actually have video footage which I apparently cannot be uploaded to your site. Anyway if you come by and hang out for a few weeks, I'm sure you can verify them yourself.

Hello Bruce,
aside from the picture being extremely blurry, I fail to detect any living species on it.
Is there a proper shot of it? Or where on this picture are the moorhens to find?