First 5″ Drone – Radix FC
FPV
My first 5″ quad – flew it today. Been flying 3″ and smaller. This is a honey. BrainFPV supplied the BrainFPV Radix F4 FC, the Hobbywing 45A 4in1 ESC, the Hobbywing Xrotor 2306/2400 motors, the 5×3 Gemfan props, the TBS nano CRSF, the TBS vTx. I provided my own cam, frame and batt. I let BrainFPV source the gear cuz I’d not done 5″ before. And I’m really glad I did that. This thing flew for 8.5 min before my goggles battery ran out. Flew LOS a couple more mins. Cells were at 3.68v when I stopped. So I think it’s good for 15 min. So quiet – compared to my 3″ and smaller drones. And on a 4cell 1300 batt – it feels and flies exactly the way I like my stuff to feel and fly. Love it. BrainFPV picked out an excellent combination of gear. Almost forgot to mention the firmware … running Betaflight 4.0.2. Default PIDs.
I love closeups of this gear – so – here we go …
Winter in the Backyard
Winter fascinates. From the metallic dimpled icy plating laid over the back deck over night …
to the newly minted deer paths (more like highways – some serious hoof work) in all that vast whiteness down there …
Leaving a weak, waning sunset, colder, to complete the day …
Pond – Late Spring, Early Summer
Catching up, since last fall. The Minnows made it through the winter. They patrol the pond, and are busy breeding under the water lilies – you see ripples coming from the edges of the lily pads. Haven’t seen a blue gill yet – hmmmm. Of course, there are frogs, toads, etc. And flying birds. And snakes. And turtles. And fishing birds – Herons. The odd duck or two – they never stay. And beauty. So much so – I had to take some pics, and put em here.
Charlie says good bye …
Yard and Pond – Late August
Catching up – haven’t posted for a while. Some pics from Jerie’s gardens and my pond. In late August. Been a balmy summer here. A bit spoiled now. We are.
The very black eye, of a Black Eyed Susan
Close up to Hens and Chicks
Hens and Chicks … AKA Audrey when in bloom.
One dark red water lily blossom, reflections abound
The dock reflected in the pond – icy clear
Phrags reflecting on the surface, dock in foreground
Jerie knows what these are .. I sure don’t. But they are pic-worthy.
The whole shebang
Call these serenity shots
An utterly gorgeous lily, from Jerie’s side door garden.
Blue Gills
This …
Life Underwater – What a Minnow Sees
Wanted to see what the minnows breeding under the water lilies saw. So, I stuck a GoPro onto the end of a long slender board (inside a waterproof case), started up the camera, turned on the video – and shoved it underwater. Just to see if there was anything worth filming. Had to shoot blind, as there was no feedback from the GoPro. This is the result – somewhat edited.
In the first scene, there are two minnows, swimming under the lily pads. Turns out these Fathead Minnows attach their eggs to the bottom of just about anything. For my pond, lily pads fit the bill. The male takes care of the egg bundles, after the female deposits them.
If you look carefully, you can see a couple other minnows as well.
Muskrats – the battle begins
Down at the pond, this morning …
I found some muskrat tells …
3 lily pads, separated at the base of the stem, from the tuber. Meaning it was likely done by a muskrat gnawing on the tuber.
They were all in the same spot – the NW corner, where I’d found a single lily pad 2 days back.
So – I called the trapper – leaving a phone number this time. And, he called back. But … he’s out of town for 3-4 weeks, at a trappers convention, no less (who knew?).
So again – undaunted – I went down to the pond – and found two old traps. Pulling one out that I’d set last winter (it was empty and sprung).
And I set one, and put it right here …
Just like this …
Hoping for the best. I simply hate muskrats.