TVB op vakansie na Gough Eiland

[Tom van Brits]

Hi Tom.  Is there any further news on the mice eradication programme

Hello Rodlau

Yes the news we got is that the mouse eradication will go ahead next year - 2019 on Gough Island as planned leaded by Keith Springer.
They are still what I have heard not on target with funding but I am confident that they will get enough donations at the RSPB has got a loyal following by many celebrities as well. Jeremy Clarkson is apparently also a loyal bird lover and contributes to the RSPB (So I was told) so despite his controversial
caracter he immediately scored point in my book when I herd this!

I will unfortunately not be here, but I have also done a bit in the early trail runs wrt the bait stations etc. I will keep you all posted on the news as it develops towards takeover.

This place is close at heart, and the same goes for all of the SANAP but I also feel it is time to call it a day and make this my last year. Days like today I can actually feel it on my body, long physical working days and I push a bit harder to justify some time off on hikes but at this stage I feel like taking my next off day and just be 'sleg' in my room. I'll wait for a rainy day and sommer stay in bed    Looking at the heading 'TVB on holiday on Gough Island'.....  pot I wish  but it is good regardless. Once it is winter and rains a lot we will have a lot more time off and then I can start working (planning`) on my future after the Islands.

Hi Tom,

Fantastic photos again. Are those Albatrosses that tame and curious that they just come up to you and start gnawing on your boot?

They really are beautiful creatures.

Yes mate, they are actually a bit quasy but strangely they do not go to any person. Some team mates are trying but no joy, so I can't really say what makes them walking up to me. Zach had a similar experience the other day but I do not know what he did do wrong but got a nasty nib on the hand. Never (touch wood) happened with me, and they will even walk up to me (both male and female) and lay down right next to me. I often do not take pictures but just enjoy the moment. These Tristan Albatross are basically exactly the same as the wandering albatross (looks and size) and only differ by a some gene of sort. Wingspan is 2.8 to 3meters! That is a massive seabird - by far my favorite on the island.

Apple News

Just another thank you for everyone that dropped something in the hat when Ri went to buy it. One can't tell this laptop is even secondhand, and she has managed to download Lightroom 6 and open/install with my key. That program was bought by Xpat and I almost fell off my chair when I saw how expensive it is on the internet....over R5K!! Well one thing I can tell, nothing like the WD's and here I am sorted learning more about photography and thinking of taking it further when I am finally back in SA again. Who knows, while I am looking for work again it can generate a sideline income along with medical standby's! MacBook is not easy to get used to, but I am learning and getting there slowly but surely. It is the best machine to do photo editing on though, the screen resolution is just better and it works much faster.

Sorry no pictures today, and I can't really tell when I'll have more but I'll make a plan soon!! Good night 

[Tom van Brits]

Hello Wd's

Yesterday after the rain (some heavy rain) I decided to hike up the mountain since the field workers did not go out and used the time to catch up on their admin. I was worried when I heard the waterfall and not sure weather I would be able to cross the stream. There is 2 x river crossing when you hike up to Goneydale; first one is coming from the Eastern slopes (Tafelkoppie area) and the other from the South (Goneydale) That one is normally the big and more difficult one to cross. However, I made it through safely by holding on tight to the guide rope choosing my steps carefully. I only took the macro lens and it was so wet that I did not want to take pics at this stage. Continued up the mountain and had a real good hike, albeit low visibility once I entered the dense mist. Did play around with the camera around baboon rock, but it looks more like a 'fade' (bad exposed pic) rather than mist  My macro attempt on the ferns was also not at it's best due to low light and a breeze but it did not stop me. I tried to up the shutter speed and dropped the aperture and only after developing did I realize I could have remedied this with higher iso settings. Can sometimes kick my own bud for not paying attention but ok it was wet and cold and I had to stop a couple of times to get the water and mud out of my gumboots.

Then I did recall (on the return trip) what the one guy from National Geographic told me. He said he is shooting flying birds on manual focussing and I actually saw him doing it. I did try but it never really worked for me. Well yesterday I tried again but first time ever with the macro lens which is also a prime lens. 60mm but add the crop factor of my camera it comes to 90mm which bring me rather close when I do get into the right location. That is when I recalled he was also just using prime lenses and now it makes a lot more sense. It takes some time getting used doing this but it really worked well....very well. I just think the camera's auto focus takes longer than the manual given you use a fast enough lens I suppose. Anyway, here are some pics:

1: Baboon Rock in the mist
2 ++ Some Macro shots

[Tom van Brits]

1: More macro - we do eat the berries, real nice taste and the only fresh thing other than the fish we catch.
2: I was a bit late for my selfie 

[Ri]

I like the macro shots. I hate it too when mist shots looks like overexposed shots.

Interesting article, don't know whether you'll be able to open the link: https://petapixel.com/2018/03/07/two-photographers-unknowingly-shot-millisecond-time/

LOL, that last photo can be the cover of your book! You should open a folder called "possible covers" and put it in there 

[Tom van Brits]

I like the macro shots. I hate it too when mist shots looks like overexposed shots.

Interesting article, don't know whether you'll be able to open the link: https://petapixel.com/2018/03/07/two-photographers-unknowingly-shot-millisecond-time/

LOL, that last photo can be the cover of your book! You should open a folder called "possible covers" and put it in there 

Thanks Ri!

I have managed to open the link, very interesting story!

Here are more misty mountain pics!

[Tom van Brits]

The Atlantic yellownosed albatross will make several passes before it finally lands.

[Tom van Brits]

These are my favorite shots.

[Tom van Brits]

1 and 2: Yellownosed chick - will soon fledge and leave the island.
3: Mmany waterfalls after the rain.
4: An Antarctic tern

Thats all

Enjoy the weekend! 

[woody1]

1 and 2: Yellownosed chick - will soon fledge and leave the island.
3: Mmany waterfalls after the rain.
4: An Antarctic tern

Thats all

Enjoy the weekend! 

Pragtig man

Sent from my F3112 using Tapatalk

[Tom van Brits]

It was raining most of the day, but it did not stop me from hiking up the mountain.
I just thought that since it is raining my plans wrt work is busted at the base, and I am just going to sit behind the computer, maybe read a book and be sleg or i can hike and just maybe I spot something nice and the same time get a good workout. I have been on 110kg in weight when I boarded the ship 1 October 2016 and currently on 94kg. Lost only 2kg in the first year and now since takeover the rest which makes me the biggest loser  My aim is to be around 88kg coming takeover, and then I want to maintain that. Being fat has always bothered me and I don't know why I never did enough to get it under control. Yes working in the emergency medical services for years contrebuted because it is a very fast and unhealthy lifestyle.....takeaways and so on.Anyway enough on that.

I didn't really get anything different other than a Tristan Albatross that showed off it's massive egg and on the way back I got a Molly (Atlantic Yellownosed albatross) feeding her chick lots of squid. The parent then left in a hurry probably to go and find more food!

Enjoy the weekend!

[woody1]

Mean lean sex machine as jy terugkom.

[Tom van Brits]

Mean lean sex machine as jy terugkom.

Nope just 'lean' 

[woody1]

 

[Tom van Brits]

What to do when your prescription glasses (specs) is already 3 years old ....make that close to 4 years and you are on a remote site and cant get new better glasses and need to do a very close up procedure on a patient? Well I got that covered 2 ways.
1: I purcured a +3 Clics reading glasses which was a tiny bit too stron for me when I left i 2016 - place them on the nose and I can see 100% when suturing a wound.
2: This is the option I opted for: I bought just before I left a magnifying glass and it has got a lot of LED lights around. So I have asked the pasient to keep it on the correct focal length while I have done my procedure. Worked like a bom!

My spects are still ok for reading and general work but just that very close ups where you want to suture up a wound real nicely and reduce scarring the magnifying glass come in handy.

Wd's gave me this year a shitload of stuff. I started off real 'arm' in a way and even bought second hand safety shoes off a guy to have shoes. Still using it for working although it is a big....nothing an extra pair of socks can't fix.. One friend gave me another pair of shoes but it was too tight so I gave them to my son. Yes I have been out of work for a while and people kept me on a string hanging.... In the end I got many stuff and will never forget the generosity of the Wild dogs and after a couple of months I was breathing and now even saving money, I would love to do some paybacks but Ri advised me that the persons that contributed did that without expecting anything back. So I thought to help some other people like the blind daughter and also to contribute here on the site towards something at some stage. I also bought the base (for our team) a sandwich press and flame tamers for the gas stove and some other small things. replaced a headlamp which I lost with a much more expensive LED Lensor one and got one again from you guys! I have 2 hard drives now to back up pics....so many stuff. the last thing I'll ask Ri when the ship come again is some money (cash -but I will refund her) to buy stuff on the ship, I did get money here but I used some to pay people for things procured. And I may bug her one more time to buy me maybe 3 decent looking Golf shirts because all my clothes are hanging like bags on me since I lost some weight. Captain Clarens will be here a month before the SA Agulhas and I'll as Ri to put me my stuff in his capablle safe hands again.

All good on Gough
Good night! 

[Ri]

Maak al voorbrand né 

LOL, dankie vir die kennisgewing, ek sal solank begin uitkyk vir sales en specials. Laat weet my watter grootte jy nou dra asb. Also well done on the weight loss!

And don't pay it forward too much. You've been giving all along, even when you didn't have much. Sometimes you should relax, and receive graciously

[Tom van Brits]

Maak al voorbrand né 

LOL, dankie vir die kennisgewing, ek sal solank begin uitkyk vir sales en specials. Laat weet my watter grootte jy nou dra asb. Also well done on the weight loss!

And don't pay it forward too much. You've been giving all along, even when you didn't have much. Sometimes you should relax, and receive graciously

  

Thanks Ri 

[Ri]

 

[Tom van Brits]

Don't know if you all recall the rope ladder which we have made. Today the scientists were asked to do a risk assessment on it and the area (dieselcove) we are planning to use it because they are now thinking of sending a few people here a month before takeover. Yes the Geosearcher is gone now, reach their fishing kwota and they are at Tristan for a few weeks before they will return to Cape Town. The planning in sending some fieldworkers early is all due to the mouse eradication program which is a go ahead for 2019. So we did do a few photos of the ladder as well as the planned landing spot and now we need to wait and see what they will come up with. I personally think that a risk assessment is a bit dramatic but I forgot we live in a modern world now where health and safety is the main priority. I would have reckoned that a rope ladder is a bonus, but coming to Gough a short swim to come ashore at seal beach would have been worth the while. Anyway, interesting times ahead and all that matters is that they knock this mice off the island. They have done enough damage to the ecosystem already the past 200 or so years...

[Tom van Brits]

Hello WD's

We have experience heavy rain last night, 40mm in 2 hours at some stage! I thought to bake some pancakes this morning for the team before work which is currently all admin. Stocktaking of medication, expiry dates and proposed to order. This will keep me busy for quite a while and I am trying to find any excuse not to be in the clinic and behind the computer. So when Zach came back after a short walk reporting that the waterfall is rather impressive. I thought to take the camera and do a short hike to capture it. It was very muddy and even the path is still a stream, water above the rim of the gumboots and not all that lekker the hike but still got a few pictures. Also made a quick panorama and played around with different focal lengths just to see with what compact prime lens I would be able to live with on most of my hikes. Turned out to be 17mm on the cropped sensor camera which equates to 25mm on full frame. Most bird on nest shots are great on 50mm which is actual 80mm in full frame. Verdict; the 17/50 F2.8 Tamron I am using 90% of the time is the perfect lens for me here on Gough Island.

[Tom van Brits]

Even the poor Atlantic Yellownosed chics looked a bit weird after the rainstorm.

We are also expecting a sail-by visit from a tourist ship: Silver Cloud.

It was due yesterday but the stormy seas delayed them of maybe we have missed them completely. I do keep an ear out on the radio but unfortunately can't keep an eye on the see since my clinic is right at the back on the mountain side.

Anyway, hope you all got a great weekend!