The great thing about the Scarecrow is that it requires a heat signature as well as movement which is why slow moving predators get zapped as well as the faster ones and wind blown grasses and waterfalls won't set it off. I did discover that the highest splash from it is light enough that small birds love to set it off. A group of them will sit in the tall Marissi Viburnum until one flies low enough to trigger the spray then they all have fun in the shower. It attracts the squirrels and chippers, too but they aren't smart enough to set it off, so they come running when they see the birds flock. They did figure out the outside reach of the spray after getting knocked head over heels a few times. I have caught myself a few times and once or twice a group of teens trying to find a shortcut to the high school, and also, a couple of landscapers were caught by the spray. Not only does it keep away the predators, it is great entertainment. The only resistant critters are the large dogs that sometimes get out of their yards. I think they play with the garden hose at home. Sandy

Thanks for the quick reply. I managed to do what you said & it worked. Nice to know how to do it. But now its too slow. I will have to try to find a professional to decipher it. Thanks so much, Debbie

This is a classic problem that begins with the SLR camera design and reaches the point of maximum disruption with modern SLR, DSLR and consumer digital cameras. The problem is the long list of "operations" that have to be performed before the photo can be taken: 1. Meter the light. 2. Set the shutter speed. 3. Set the lens aperture. 4. Focus the lens. 5. Move the mirror out of the way. 6. Take a picture of the place where the subject used to be. The solution is to circumvent the above list or as much of it as possible. Joe is right to suggest that the auto-focus task is the most time consuming on the list. Modern auto focus systems have improved dramatically and are now faster than the average consumer trying to quickly focus on a moving target. Professionals use a number of techniques including pre-focusing, a fast focus rangefinder and better access to the subject. If you have an auto-focus only camera you're best bet is to learn as much about how it works as possible and practice using it. The various scene modes of a modern camera do nothing to alleviate the lag problem. The running man mode shifts the camera program to preferentially select faster shutter speeds, but the task list above still has to be completed. I don't do a lot of sports work, but I love to photograph a bike race that we have in my neighborhood. If I use a digital camera I have the same problem. Consider the photo below -- the racers are aproaching 30 mph. 1. Meter the scene -- I had the camera on full manual. No need to meter the scene the sun was shining. 2. Set the shutter speed -- I had it pre-set and on manual. 3. Set the lens aperture -- I had it pre-set and on manual. 4. Focus the lens -- I turned the auto-focus off and manually pre-set the focus to 8 feet. 5. Move the mirror out of the way -- no mirror in this camera. 6. Take a picture -- when I pushed the button there was no lag at all since I had circumvented the camera's entire task list. As close as I was and as fast as they were moving, any lag at all would have been a missed photo.

just seeing this. Wow, what a clear picture. Very nice.