Fiddling around and a mouse trap review

A friend of mine has lent me a 2X multiplier lens to use on my camera for a couple of weeks.  I’m not sure that’s the right terminology, but I decided to try it out today before I had to work the VIS at noon.  This multiplier goes between the camera body and my telephoto lens.

I drove the refuge roads and began clicking away.  I took over 100 photos using it, and ended up with only two pics that were sort of okay.  Most of the pics were terribly out of focus.  Of course, I was hand holding the camera as I drove along.  Probably the use of a tripod would help since it is doubling a 300mm lens.

But there is also a difference between what I see through the viewfinder and what I end up with.  Putting the multiplier on the camera means I can’t use automatic focus, but have to use manual focus.  I adjust the focus so the subject is crisply in focus before I shoot, but there’s some kind of disconnect there.  The results are not what I originally see.  I’ll try it some more to see if I can learn how to correct that.

It was an incredibly slow day in the VIS today, so I was happy a young Cooper’s hawk came along to give me something to do and look at.

I took these two pictures without the multiplier, and like the results much better.  She was sure giving me the eye as I snuck around the gazebo to get her pic on top of the flag pole.

Now for the mouse trap review.  I’m going to show you three different mouse traps, and comment on their productivity.

This is the trap I bought at Wal-mart.  It’s easy to load bait and set, but needs a mouse that weighs as much as an elephant to set it off.  Mice just eat the bait and go on their way.  I must say that I can’t use the old fashioned wooden traps.  I can’t set them without them going off and scaring the crap out of me.  I’m afraid I’ll break a finger.

The second trap is made by Tomcat and I purchased them at the local hardware store.  They’re pretty good, but tend to wear out because the latching mechanism is made of plastic and doesn’t hold up like metal would.

The third trap is made by Intruder and was sent to me by JANNA in Montana.  (I just like saying Janna from Montana  )  I had several of these traps here at Anahuac the winter after Ike when the mice were simply overwhelming.  They are hard to find, and I appreciate her sending one to me.  To give you an idea of their performance; I caught three mice in this one trap in under eight hours.  I think it has something to do with that spring that wraps around on the outside.  So there you have it.  My unscientific mousetrap review.  I had no mice last night thanks to the two good traps and stuffing steel wool into the crack where my water hose comes into the rig.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy