Lubuntu 14.04 upgrade

As Linux upgrades go, this one was pretty painless.

 

Since fully switching to Linux early in 2008 I've been through some good releases and some not so good.

Sometimes it is down to your hardware, and how good or bad support is for your particular wireless module or graphics card...

Simple Video Editing with Avidemux

Avidemux is a relatively simple to use video editor. It is cross-platform, free open source software (FOSS), so you can use it on Linux, Windows or a MAC box.

Illustrations in this post are from Avidemux running on Lubuntu Linux.

Before we start, there are a few points which need clarification.

BirdBoxPiCam2014: the box falls silent

It always seems strange to me, once the blue or great tits have left the nest, that the nest falls silent.

After 10 weeks of activity inside the nest box, 10 weeks of checking video recordings & watching "live" when we get the chance, the last chick leaves, and the screen displays a static view of moss, dried grass and dog hair.

And the view inside the box will probably remain largely unchanged (apart from the addition of more cobwebs), until next spring.

BirdBoxPiCam2014: Almost time to go!

The first of our great tit chicks hatched 22 days ago, so it's almost time to go for our two remaining youngsters.

The female is still doing a great job feeding her chicks without any help.

And, even more amazingly, my Raspberry Pi powered system is still going strong.

BirdBoxPiCam2014: two chicks & video quality

It must be a bit unpleasant sharing the nest with eight dead siblings.

But the two remaining great tit chicks seem to be doing OK, with mum making frequent visits to the nest to feed them and keep the place tidy.

There are now more flies buzzing around inside the nest, and I've noticed

My Portable Pi-Cam

Well, when I say "portable" I wouldn't want to lug it around London on a site-seeing trip.

Maybe transportable is a better description. At least I can move it around the garden and film the wildlife.

This post provides more technical detail on this system, and a few more video clips.

BirdBoxPiCam2014: inside & outside

I put together a portable RaspberryPi camera system a few days ago, so here are a few video clips outside the box.

Inside the box things are not looking great.

I don't think the female has been feeding the chicks at a high enough rate, and it looks like we may have lost a few more chicks.

BirdBoxPiCam2014: Where's my daddy?

I do hope I'm wrong, but it looks like our great tit chicks have lost their daddy.

If I'm right, then its going to get tougher for mum and the chicks.

Thursday evening was a rare opportunity for me to observe our great tit family, both inside and outside the nest.