I have always enjoyed the hobby of photography, purchasing my first 35mm camera at the age of 14. Beginning in the late 80’s, I firmly got hooked on and discovered 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 early 2000 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 28 baud connections, not only for exposure, but to share my bird photos and video with others. Some of the sites I have posted video to are:

The Internet Bird Collection

Vimeo "HD Wild Birds"

Exposure Room "Don's Birds in HD"

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.

**** BIRD VIDEOS 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 four 60 minute DVD's to offer.

"Birds of Ventura County"-- This was my first edited video shot using the Canon XL1 and showing ~130 Southern California bird species, both resident and migratory. Each species is annotated with its common name, and the name appears at the end of the scene, so it gives the viewer some time to ID the bird first. The format is 4:3 NTSC and burned on DVD-R media. This DVD is great for beginners to birdwatching who want to develop their identification skills. Total run time is 60 minutes.

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".

"More Birds & Other Natural Things Volume I"--This video was created to show video produced with using different lenses. The video is divided into specific sections depending on the lens used. All the content is titled along with annotation for each species shown. This is mainly a Ventura County bird video, but a few other "critters" found in the world of nature are included. The format is 16:9 widescreen NTSC and burned on DVD-R media. 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 the content is annotated for each species shown along with location. The format is 16:9 widescreen NTSC and burned on DVD-R media. 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 a up close visit with two California Condor, an immature male #457, and an adult male #282. All the content is annotated for each species shown along with location. The format is 16:9 widescreen NTSC and burned on DVD-R media. Total run time is 60 minutes.

Note: All the above 16:9 widescreen DVD's will play as such on a standard 4:3 TV.

These DVD's 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