I have always enjoyed the hobby of photography, purchasing my first 35mm camera at the age of 14. Beginning in late 1989 I firmly got hooked on the world of birds and birding, and along with that, I began photographing them. After years of bird photography I started thinking about wanting more than just static bird photos, and in April of 2001 I made the plunge and purchased a Canon XL1, along with all the other expensive related items I needed. Being a Nikon shooter and having a nice inventory of both Nikon, Tokina, and Sigma lenses, I also purchased a Canon video to Nikon camera lens adapter for the XL1. My current working lens for most of my video work is a Nikon 80-400mm lens, which gives a fantastic reach for those less than cooperative birds, that you can never get close to.

The learning curve was not as steep as I thought it would be, because I already had a pretty good working knowledge of bird photography and what it took to get good results. To date, I have been able to acquire a good video library of mostly Southern California bird species, shorebirds being my favorite subject. I was involved in contributing hummingbird footage for the Advanced Birding Video Series with Jon L. Dunn produced by Peregrine Video Productions, "Hummingbirds of North America", along with some of my bird videos featured in PBS programs such as "Nova Science Now". I have also worked the Internet very hard since the days of snail speed dial-up connections, not only for exposure, but to share my bird photos and video with others. Some of the sites where I have uploaded videos to are:

The Internet Bird Collection

Vimeo "HD Wild Birds"

With the passing of every year, from the beginning to the present, it has been lots of fun and very educational. With capturing video footage of birds and bird behavior, I have been able to see and learn things that, at times, are not possible to see in the 35mm camera world of just static slides and prints. I retired the Canon XL1 camera in 2007 and started working with a Canon XL H1 1080/60i HDV camera. Since my Canon to Nikon lens adapter also works with the new camera, the Nikon 80-400mm is still my lens of choice for birds.

THE ECUADOR ADVENTURE WITH "BIRDMAN"










"Birdman" at Tapichalaca and the Jocotoco Antpitta

In 2006 and then again in 2007, for a total of 6 weeks away from home, I was privilaged to accompany my long time friend, Tim Barksdale AKA "Birdman", to Ecuador to help shoot a pilot for a conceptual birding series for TV broadcast called "Adventures With Birdman". The series, "Adventures With Birdman" is one wildlife cameraman's personal quest to find, film, and share some of the world's rarest, elusive, and most critically endangered birds. A dedicated film maker, conservationist, and birder, Tim Barksdale's mission is to bring awareness for the need to protect and provide habitat for, not only these endangered birds, but all the world's wildlife before we lose them forever. The pilot, "Search for the Jocotoco Antpitta" is about the search for a small critically endangered and elusive bird that was discovered and new to science in 1997, and only found in an isolated small area in the high Andean rain forests of Southern Ecuador, namely the area in and around the Jocotoco Foundation's Tapichalaca Reserve. You can see a few short clips from the pilot at "Adventures With Birdman" on Vimeo. This project could never have been completed without the help and generous support from the Jocotoco Foundation. Any donations to this recognized world leader in wildlife protection and conservation, would gladly be accepted and appreciated.

IWFF
In 2010 I submitted a short video called Six Minutes to the 33rd International Wildlife Film Festival held in Missoula, MT. The theme of my entry was a display of some of nature's winged creatures put to a music composition called "Jarrenetic" created by a very talented musician from the Netherlands, Mike Andrews. This film was entered in the "Amateur" category, and after preliminary judging, it was selected, along with over 100 finalist films in all categories, for final judging. The following is part of the IWFF final judging results notice I received. "With an overwhelming amount of entries, both the preliminary and final judges found the selection process more difficult than in previous years and being selected as a Finalist is an accomplishment in and of itself. Six Minutes will be listed and recognized as a Finalist in our festival program as well as on our website". This was my first ever entry to any film festival, and the results exceded any expectations I had. Also, I don't think my entry would have advanced as a finalist if it wasn't for Mike Andrews gracefully allowing me permission to use his music, thanks Mike.

HDV VIDEO FOOTAGE SALES & LICENSING
Please contact me for price quotes, which will be based on several factors such as species, action or interaction, quality, and difficulty in obtaining the footage. Special pricing consideration might be given to bonafide non-profit wildlife conservation organizations. If you are a government agency or university and say you don't have a budget, please go and find a budget, and then then come back and talk to me. Giving photos and video footage away for free or at below market value not only hinders my ability to get out and obtain footage, but does a disservice to my fellow wildlife photographers and videographers who depend on sales as part or their primary source of income and livelihood. I have many bird species, mostly Western United States, shown on several different Internet sites listed on this page, but if you need a species that you don't see, please contact me at my email address below, because I might have it in my video library. All footage is HDV 1080/60i, 25Mbps, and is delivered as native HDV 1440x1080 mpeg-2 or m2t files on disc, HDV tape, or via an Internet upload or FTP site.

DON'S BIRDS ON DVD











With the migration from photography to video, I soon found myself giving video programs to Audubon groups around the Southern California area, instead of my usual slide programs. Once I became comfortable with video editing, the next logical step was to put all the footage I had been shooting on DVD. At the present time I have (5) 60 minute standard definition DVD's and (3) HD Blu-ray disc to offer. These make great gifts anytime during the year. They are also great for all age groups as an introduction to the wonderful world of nature and birdwatching.

ABOUT THE "More Birds & Other Natural Things" SERIES
The video footage was shot using a Canon XL H1 HDV camera. The DVD compliant MPEG-2 was encoded directly from the HDV MPEG-2 source footage, which yeilds a very sharp and color rich standard definition DVD. The video clips shown on my "HOME" and "CRITTERS" pages, along with my IBC videos shown to the right, are samples of the content and quality that you will enjoy in "More Birds & Other Natural Things Volume I, II, III, IV & 5". All DVD's are authored with "Play From" locations base on minutes from the beginning.

"More Birds & Other Natural Things Volume I"--This video was initially created to show video produced with using different lenses and was only 20 minutes long. The video is divided into specific sections depending on the lens used. As time passed, more content, namely birds, was added to this video until it reached 60 minutes in length. All the content is titled along with annotation for each of the 71 bird species shown. This is mainly a Ventura County bird video, but other "critters" (~23) found in the world of nature are included. The format is 16:9 widescreen NTSC and the total run time is 60 minutes.

"More Birds & Other Natural Things Volume II"--This is mostly Ventura County birds, but I do a little drifting into other areas of California and SE Arizona. Like Volume I, it's mainly all birds, but there are a handful other "critters" like a rattlesnake, lizards, butterflies, and dragonflies. All species, both birds (63) and other (18) are annotated with species common names and locations. The format is 16:9 widescreen NTSC and the total run time is 60 minutes.

"More Birds & Other Natural Things Volume III"--Again, this is mostly Ventura County birds, but it also includes a few from Santa Barbara County, Kern County, and SE Arizona. Also included are a few other "critters" found in the wonderful world of nature. One of the highlights of this DVD is an up close visit with two California Condor, an immature male #457, and an adult male #282. All species, both birds (64) and other natural (3) are annotated with species common names and locations. The format is 16:9 widescreen NTSC and is 60 minutes long.

"More Birds & Other Natural Things Volume IV"--Again, this is mostly Ventura County birds, but it also includes some great birds from Santa Barbara County, Imperial County (Bean Goose), Kern County (Le Conte's Thrasher), San Luis Obispo County (Ivory Gull), and Ventura County (Indigo Bunting). All species, both birds (66) and other natural (8) are annotated with species common names and locations. The format is 16:9 widescreen NTSC and is 60 minutes long.

"More Birds & Other natural Things Volume 5"--Again, this is mostly Ventura County bird, but also a few from San Luis Oispo and Imperial Counties. All species, both birds (60) and other natural (3) are annotated with species common names and locations. The first 45 minutes are all birds, and the last 15 minutes is a short video "Dawn to Dusk at the Salton Sea". The format is 16:9 widescreen NTSC and is 60 minutes long.

3 NEW BLU-RAY RELEASES




"More Birds & Other Natural Things Volume III" is now available on HD Blu-ray disc.

"More Birds & Other Natural Things Volume IV" is now available on HD Blu-ray disc.

"More Birds & Other Natural Things Volume 5" is now available on HD Blu-ray disc.

Note: All the above 16:9 widescreen DVD's will play as such on a standard 4:3 TV (black bars like the IBC players shown on the right of this page).

All DVD's, including Blu-Ray discs, are $20 each including shipping, and I accept checks or money orders. Please contact me at the email address shown below if you would like to order a DVD, or have any specific questions about the DVD's or ordering. Just include your mailing address, specifiy title and quanity, and I'll send it right out. You can mail me payment to the address I will give you in a return email. You can send payment when ordering, or wait until product is received. If you can't trust people who like to watch birds, who can you trust. My pledge is, "if your not satisfied, I'll return your payment". Note: If your not sure if your DVD player will, or will not play DVD-R discs, look in the manual that came with the unit under "Specifications". I can provide DVD+R discs, but specify this when you place your order. If for some reason the DVD doesn't play because of this format compatibility issue, I'll replace it at no additional charge. Email me at : don@birdsdesjardin.com