'Documentary' is the major focus of our Friday p.m. senior 'Wildlife' group: throughout the year we film and photograph wildlife through the seasons in Edgbaston Nature Reserve, Winterbourne Botanic Garden and the school site; and also on regular Friday p.m. trips to nature reserves elsewhere in the region.
Instruction is given both in wildlife surveying (identification, fieldcraft, tracking etc.) and in photography and filming (including equipment, technical settings, composition and video-craft, still image and video editing, and publishing). The hub for our material is here on the KES Wildlife website, and on our 'KES Wildlife' YouTubechannel.
We make use of DSLR, video and remote 'trail' cameras in the field to obtain footage in the following projects - click on the images to see sample footage from each.
Birds
Behaviour of woodland and water birds, inc. feeding, flight, fighting & courting
Bird song
Nesting, inc. material gathering and raising of young
Mammals
Badgers: behaviour
Muntjac Deer
Bats
Grey squirrel
Rodents
Invertebrates
Insect behaviour in spring/summer (esp. Winterbourne, reservoir, light box)
Pond invertebrates
Slow-motion video
Amphibians & Reptiles
Pond amphibians esp. frogs & spawn, newts
Underwater filming
Plants & Fungi
Plants & trees through the seasons (inc. growth, flowering, reproduction)
Time-lapse techniques
Fungi
Landscape
Changing scenery through the seasons; wildlife in context
Woodland, Reservoir, Pond
Time-lapse techniques
For one afternoon per half-term, you will also lead Upper Middle pupils (on a rota basis) taking part in the annual Wildlife Photography Competition, for which you will also be part of the judging panel and (if you wish) the presenting of the awards.
Please speak to Mr Corns if you would like to know more!