WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY - Ants, Newts and a mystery

[@danielmeeker7587]

Not only an excellent photographer/videographer, but an engaging storyteller. Your curiosity and excitement for even the smallest of things is contagious.

[@MattGouldphotography]

Wow, thanks for the kind words Daniel! Much appreciated! Hard to not find all this exciting when so little is known ( by me at least) about it all :D.

[@adamsmith6594]

I'm gonna guess that the frogs spawn is a Jay wiping it's beak. For many years I lived in a house. The path would at one point each year be smothered in heaps of frogs spawn. Like a bucket load. We left it be because nature knows best. And year in, year out it would always appear. We had no pond and no explanation. Then a few years after we moved we were speaking to someone who had grown up there and asked if the pond was still there. The pond had been gone at least 12 years and yet no one told the frogs. And yet learly they were surviving in some small hidden puddle somewhere, enough of them that each year.... heaps of the stuff. In fact there was so much it would pour off the steps and run down them. Mad. The newts are a really cool find Matt. Really cool. As a kid we would always catch great crested newts. Always put them back but it was important work for us 9 year old at the time 😌

[@MattGouldphotography]

Hi Adam! Your guess is along the right lines but its not quite right, all will be revealed :D. Wow thats actually really interesting. I know that frogs survival strategy is to lay in ephemeral pools in order to minimise the risk of predation from animals like fish and newts which are much more comfortable in more established pools. So it kind of makes sense. Glad you like the newts, they are awesome little creatures for sure! :D Thanks for watching!

[@paulm8157]

Sterling post, Matt! Point about revisiting a venue well made. Music, audio and pacing spot on - love the boot “squish” and stream gurgles😁. Overlay text effective, and change to playful music a plus. Have seen mixed reviews about the special lens - limited aperture and optical performance. Were ants building and amassing temperature dependent? (Am thinking conserving heat.) Wasn’t sure of what you meant or said by uttering “frogspawn” until I read a few of the comments. Is tree placement unusual? I imagine birds would have a feast. Would have been a plus to have added a part 1 of 2 flag to vid title, or intro, IMO. Began to think that days 4-7 would have been very short😁. Pesky YT adds broke up story flow, but realize you don’t control that. Look forward to part 2. Cheers!

[@MattGouldphotography]

Thank you Paul! Well, its funny you should say that about the ants. A friend of mine is making a film in that area and had consequently researched them a fair bit. He thinks they may have been gathering heat by clumping together on the surface in order to then take it back into the nest and warm it up. Though neither of us are experts :). Yeah the tree placement is very odd, we don't have any arboreal frogs in the UK, our frogs only ever use ponds or lakes in the case of some brave individuals/toads. Yeah I know what you mean, but people are often less likely (in general) to watch a video if they know its part of a series. It takes less investment subconsciously to enter into something you think is 12 minutes long. A bit cheeky on my part but i'd rather have more people see it :D. Thanks for watching!

[@merkin22]

Great video. Your giggles of wonder at the natural world around you are just grand!

[@MattGouldphotography]

ha, I do love a giggle! Thanks for watching!

[@VideoNatur]

Very interesting video, was a pleasure to watch! Thanks an greetings, Rolf

[@MattGouldphotography]

Thank you so much Rolf thats very kind of you :)

[@raymondpenalver7095]

I'm counting the days down until part two Matt, great video again as ever, BBC Springwatch is just around the corner for you, have a great weekend 😀

[@MattGouldphotography]

Ha, thank you Raymond! Glad you enjoyed it! Hope you have a good weekend as well! :)

[@Derbyshire_bird_tours]

Yet again you don't disappoint Matt, really great story telling & imagery. My main issue with you now is I've just started looking at that Laowa 24mm lens. You're going to cost me ya bugger.

[@MattGouldphotography]

Hiya Stewart! Thank you very much for the kind words, much appreciated :). HAHAHAHA I am very lucky to have a friend who trusts me with it. Though it was made clear that if I break it I pay for it which is only fair :D. I would heavily advise renting it on this occasion. I rarely reccomend that but basically its so specific a lens that the 4 figure cost seems quite a lot for for a lens that won't be broadly used. Though, if macro is your thing and you have plenty of lights then it may well be worth the investment :D.

[@karenbusby9906]

What beautiful scenery! I was glued to this. Just brilliant. seeing you climb that tree was a highlight ha! :)

[@MattGouldphotography]

Hahhaa the tree was actually a lot higher than the camera angle made it look, but at least it ended up being funny 😂

[@fillyphotos]

Really enjoyed watching the over and over expeditions to show the patience behind trips and visits to a location! Like the channel dude ✌

[@SimonWattsWILDPresentationsUK]

Ahhh, the ol' frogspawn up a tree quandary. When I was a teenager maaany moons ago I once saw a Tawny owl at roost retching, 'Yay!' I thought, a pellet I can dismember. Sadly not, though the image of what occured next will be forever branded in my minds eye. The only other similar weird encounter was a woodland pond I dug with a friend as a watering hole in our early SLR days. Within 3 months we had tiny minnows. The amount of time we struggled to get to the bottom of that, ended up being probably a similar avian (maybe amphibian) distribution solution - possibly eggs on legs. Loved that dude, looking forward to pt.II. Hope you're well, Si.

[@MattGouldphotography]

Hi Simon! Thanks for your lovely comment as always. The eggs on legs comment made me laugh I have to say, ponds always amaze me though. I think the conclusion you came to is most likely. Thanks for your support on the SIBC, I saw your live chat :D. I hope not to disappoint with part 2.

[@ishirafernando180]

Awesome stuff Matt. That Laowa is such a cool piece of kit.

[@Rudy60426]

Another great video and footage that blows me off my chair Matt. Continue to amaze me.

[@MattGouldphotography]

Thank you Rudy that's really kind of you! 😁👍 Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Rudy60426]

Always Matt, keep going.

[@michaelrodgers4589]

It's a palmate newt you can tell by the black back feet and how it's patterns are primarily in the tail, plus its lacking the crests

[@MattGouldphotography]

Hiya Michael! Cheers for the ident tip. Before this week I always thought the feet had to actually look palmate, clearly not :D

[@KGsPhotography]

Another excellent video Matt. Frogspawn in a tree? That is something different. Cheers Keith

[@MattGouldphotography]

Thank you Keith! Glad to hear you enjoyed it! And yep, in a tree of all places :D. All will be revealed in part 2 :D

[@cerealkiller4248]

I went to take the dog for a walk night before last, and there was a Palmate Newt right by my front door. When I came back an hour or so later it was still around. Came across a badger the night before that, and a Munjac two days before that. Quite a good week since I wasn’t specifically going out looking for wildlife.

[@MattGouldphotography]

Blimey thats quite the list in a week! Glad to here it though! :) Thanks for watching!

[@kevinrichards5814]

Absolutely loved this, just goes to show what is in your local area if you look. I would have loved for your to use the macro lens with the wood ants

[@MattGouldphotography]

Thank you Kevin! Yeah the older I get the more I realise that seeing cool stuff is less a case of location but more a case of the time you are willing to give to a location. Thanks for watching!

[@jimflinn8305]

Nice Matt. Looking forward to part 2. Don’t keep us waiting too long 😄

[@MattGouldphotography]

Cheers Jim! Should be next Friday with any luck. Assuming all goes to plan (which isn't always the case with wildlife as you know) then there should be a video every Friday for the next 5 weeks :).

[@JPLamoureuxsTravels]

Great vlog buddy!!! Really enjoyed that!! That'll be a buzzard or a Tawny owl predating the frogs, they don't particularly like the spawn jelly, size of perch and location, id go Tawny owl.... again loved it, take care bud.. JP

[@MattGouldphotography]

Thank you so much! Yeah most likely i'm sure. Thanks for watching and for the kind words as always!

[@andrewnoden9117]

Hi Matt, great video. Thanks. Can you comment or give details on the settings you used for the GoPro that was immersed. Cheers

[@MattGouldphotography]

Hi Andrew, 4K 25fps. Is that the info you were after?

[@andrewnoden9117]

@@MattGouldphotography Hi Matt, thanks but was it a time lapse you did? I was under the impression you left it under water for some time so trying to understand the technique . Did you remote from your phone and then start some footage for several minutes or did you just let the camera film for a period of time? Thanks Andrew

[@lisamarie7527]

You always find such neat stuff Matt!! Makes me want to explore my local area! Looking forward to part 2! Great stuff as always. Cheers

[@MattGouldphotography]

Thank you Lisa! There is definitely an element of luck involved with the finding neat stuff :D. But I am super chuffed to hear it makes you want to explore your local area! I am sure you will find neat stuff of your own! Thank you for watching!

[@samuelhornemedia]

Brilliant video buddy! That newt shot was awesome and it's funny just before you brought the laowa 24 I thought oh why not bring that lens your friend had haha. Also I know very little about frog spawn but like you did find it bizarre to see up a tree🤣. Look forward to finding out why it's there.

[@MattGouldphotography]

Thank you Sam! Ahhh yes I couldn't resist being a bit cheeky and pinching that off him :D. Yeah the answer was a little surprising to be honest. Part 2 isn't far away :D.

[@samuelhornemedia]

@@MattGouldphotography Haha, it's always handy having a friend to borrow stuff off like that, especially at the price point of that lens, you really have to have a lot of usage out of it for it to be worth buying. Look forward to finding out your discoveries to the mystery ;)

[@bensutcliffe3463]

This is crazy cool. Frogspawn in a tree 🤯. Great job matey!

[@MattGouldphotography]

Yeah that was my reaction 😂. All questions will be answered in part 2 😁

[@pukster88]

Top quality

[@MattGouldphotography]

Thank you so much, glad you think so :)

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Damn that newt stuff though. Very very cool!

[@MattGouldphotography]

Cheers Matt! It was fun to film for sure :)

[@BenjaminSmail]

Lovey video as always. I love a wood ant 🐜 very impressive insects! Love that you always take us on your journey and always puts a smile on my face seeing the same excitement I get when being in nature and wildlife. Keep it up man!

[@MattGouldphotography]

Glad you are a fellow fan of the humble wood ant! And thats so nice of you to say, thank you Benjamin! Many more journeys to come :D

[@user-kk9cw]

Noooooooooooooooooooooo 2 parter! The wait is going to a nightmare. Joke. Looking forwarding to it.

[@MattGouldphotography]

Ha, yeah sorry, had to be done :D

[@TheSambrad1990]

Nice work I'm looking forward to the next video. I know a good spot where I could something like this

[@MattGouldphotography]

Cheers Sam! Glad to hear it! And yes definitely do it! It was a great learning experience for me :).

[@WrecksReefsWildlife]

I dont know if you say later on (I'm only half way through) these newts are palmate newts. They have a spine at the end of their tail :)

[@MattGouldphotography]

Ahhhhhh the Spine is the key ident feature? You'd be surprised how few places specify that online :D. Cheers Ben! Hope you enjoyed it.

[@thisisme1999]

I love this video, the concept of just shooting in one location appeals to me. It is not something I have done as I tend to shoot in a different location every time I go out. But we are in a bit of lull in my area with winter finishing off and the new migrants barely starting. You have inspired me to try something different, thank you for that. As to the frog spawn in the tree, is not the UK known for it's wet weather? We get tree frogs here (coastal British Columbia) I have no idea about their life cycle and where they hatch out from but again you have inspired me to look in to it.

[@MattGouldphotography]

Thanks so much Nick! It isnt something i'd done before either but I highly recommend it!So chuffed to hear you now want to get out and try something new in your area! You won't regret it for sure. So, I don't want to give too much away but we don't have any native tree frog species though there are a couple of isolated introduced colonies. Also, very envious of British Columbia :D.

[@thisisme1999]

@@MattGouldphotography I googled it and found how little I know about frogs and the answer was quite interesting. I look forward toward to the next episode!

[@MattGouldphotography]

@@thisisme1999 Glad to hear it Nick! Yeah I had a similar experience! They are such cool creatures.

[@trembichmovingmoments8778]

Can't wait for part 2 =)

[@MattGouldphotography]

Glad to hear it! Thank you as always for your support :)

[@clivesouffe5423]

Heck yes men thats the way to Go men 🤜🏼🤛🏼 Appreciate your photos

[@MattGouldphotography]

Cheers Clive 😁😁😁. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@svencaspers]

Great video, I left a subscription, BUT you shouldn´t walk over an ant nest. Later in the year, when the ants build up and repaired their old tunnels and chambers, you can make a lot of damage. However, this seems to be Formica polyctena. The ants were warming up in the sun. They take the warmth into the nest and when they are cold again, they repeat the process. Usually they do it in March and April to heat up their breeding chambers up to 31.5 ° Celsius (88.7 ° Fahrenheit).

[@MattGouldphotography]

Hello!!! Yeah I completely agree, I actually don't know why I said I did because I didnt :D. If you watch it back you will see there is a small footpath around to the right which I was using :). Yeah this was the theory my friend had, fascinating to see first hand! Thanks for your informed comment and for the sub, much appreciated :)

[@musicaldedication8501]

Remarkable Video. I liked. 👍 Love from India.

[@MattGouldphotography]

Thank you so much thats very kind 😊

[@anson4924]

Those newts🤩

[@MattGouldphotography]

Gotta love newts 😁. Hope you're well Anson! 😁

[@anson4924]

@@MattGouldphotography thanks Matt, I am trying to film a documentary myself now, hopefully it will turn out nice!

Nice video, Like 131 and Greetings from Italy :)

[@MattGouldphotography]

Thank you as always Peri! :)

[@prestons3400]

Yeah I think it is a smooth newt

[@MattGouldphotography]

I keep changing my mind but I am now about 70% it's palmate. I thought the rear feet had to be palmated but apparently not. The key ident feature for me is the line through the eye though... Though I have seen a couple of examples of that in smooth newts so you could well be right 😂

[@prestons3400]

Am I watching a KZbin video or a bbc documentary

[@MattGouldphotography]

Hahahha based on previous positive comments from your lovely self I assume that's meant in a positive way? If so then thank you Preston! 😁