A FROSTY MORNING ~~ WIND STORM ~~ PUZZLE UPDATE ~~ PARTING SHOT

A FROSTY MORNING

Lately I have been wanting to shoot some video using the 4K setting on my camera. I've had this camera since Christmas of 2017, and so far have not tried 4K videoing. In essence, 4K (also known as Ultra High-Definition or UHD) offers a much higher resolution than regular HD, so video is supposed to be much clearer and sharper. Here (click link) is a short article that explains this technology in more depth, if you care to learn more. It's the way all video (and television) technology is heading.

Last Thursday we woke up to a heavy frost outside and a clear day, so I figured it would be a good time to take a walk and try out the 4K. We drove to the entrance to the Jewett Pathway section of the Greenway. Upon arriving we spotted a large bird resting in a tree near the parking lot. I was able to get some video before he flew away. One thing I had read about 4K was that "grabbing" a single frame from the video will give you a much clearer picture. Below are two pictures that I took straight from the 4K video. They are much clearer than they would have been if I had been shooting in regular HD. Plus, I was able to crop them down without losing a whole lot of the definition. I am very pleased with the results.

We've determined the large bird was a Red-Tailed Hawk, as we could see the red feathers on his tail as he flew away (see below).

Definitely a Red Tail

All three of the above photographs were taken from the same video. Even with my lens zoomed all the way out, I was still able to capture enough detail so that we could identify him.

Here is another frame grab from a different video.

Once we were at the pathway, we headed for the "Eagle Trail." The temperature was rather low, so Linda and I were both suited up in our snow pants, heavy jackets, hats, scarves, and gloves. We have found that braving the elements does lend its own rewards.

Frost-covered leaf

We walked to the end of the path and didn't encounter anything of note, but on our way back we saw this guy...

I wasn't sure about the identification on this one because we couldn't see any colors. However, I posted his picture on two of my nature groups on Facebook, and the consensus was that he is also a Red-Tailed Hawk.

After watching the hawk, we walked back to the picnic area around the pond, where a gaggle of Canada Geese were gathered.

If you look closely, you can see the breath coming out of the beaks of the two very vocal geese on the shore, proof of the low temperatures that morning.

The pond looked like it had a little bit of ice on it in spots. In the dead of winter around here, there isn't much color to the landscape. Still, the reflection of the bushes and trees in the water was quite nice.

A study in brown

All in all, our trip to the Greenway to try out the 4K video on my camera was a huge success. I plan on using this technology to have clearer "frame grab" pictures for the blog in the future.

WIND STORM

Last Friday night we had a wind storm here in Yakima that was reminiscent of a hurricane remnant. Wind speeds that night were 25-35 mph sustained winds, with gusts up to 50 mph. Blowing through this valley it sounded like a freight train going through. Even I, with my bad hearing, could hear it. Linda and I both were awakened by the wind several times that night. The next morning we decided to walk down to Kissel Park to check things out. We were stunned to see that two large trees had blown over during the storm.

Trees uprooted at Kissel Park

The wind continued to blow all day on Saturday. It's interesting to note that on Friday and Saturday we had two record high temperatures, 65 and 62 degrees, with the lows hovering around freezing. Then on Sunday it was back to normal with a high of 45 degrees and a low of 21. Monday night's low was even colder, settling in at 16 degrees. It felt like we were on a weather rollercoaster.

PUZZLE UPDATE

We finished one of our favorite puzzles this past week. This one is 1000 pieces, like most of our puzzles, but we did kind of cheat on it because we didn't put together the black pieces at the top. They were all almost exactly the same size and shape and it was just too much. The rest of the puzzle was fun to do because it is titled "Cocktails," but I think it should be titled "Drinkiepoo!

PARTING SHOT

Summer Girl has taken to sitting in what used to be Precious Baby's favorite spot. Peeber used to sit there almost every time Linda was sitting on the couch.

Following in her big sister's
pawprints

That's all for this week, my friends. Join me again next week for more from the Southerner in the Northwest!