Video – James Leon Young

January 15, 2022March 12, 2023

New Galápagos video on YouTube

When forest fires and poaching of iconic Galápagos tortoises broke out in 1994 on Ecuador’s Isabela Island, the Galápagos National Park Service and international partners evacuated endangered giant tortoises to save their lives.

One young tortoise had severe damage to a hind leg. Park Guards named it “Patojito” for its lame foot and advocated for its survival. They sent it for treatment to the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) on Santa Cruz island.

December 10, 2020December 10, 2020

Santa visits the Charles Darwin Research Station

Santa arrives by panga (small boat) at the Charles Darwin Research Station dock on December 23rd 1994.

Everyone welcomes Santa on his way to the Station cafeteria. There he greets the staff’s children and regales all with holiday sweets. By tradition, Santa and helpers deliver a special gift to each child.

December 10, 2020December 10, 2020

Galápagos floating city

In 1994 the pepino (sea cucumber) fishermen in Galápagos created a floating city that harvested and processed pepinos on boats, without the need to go ashore. At this time it was legal to harvest pepinos, but going ashore in protected areas of Galápagos National Park was not allowed.

August 8, 2020August 8, 2020

My Apocryphal YouTube Video Series

When I want to gain new skills I assign myself a project that will force me to learn those skills. This focused approach works well for me.

My current project is to extend my knowledge and skills in making videos.

July 18, 2020July 19, 2020

Warning about video camera at St. Marks NWR

St. Marks NWR recently installed a WeatherSTEM station with two streaming cameras. One camera points to the south end of the lighthouse and the other points toward the old pier.

Both of these streams are viewable online and are cross posted to YouTube.

June 25, 2020June 28, 2020

YouTube video on pollinators

My latest YouTube video shows Trigonopeltastes delta (Delta Flower Scarab) and Trichiotinus lunulatus (Emerald Flower Scarab) nectaring on Viburnum dentatum (Arrowwood Viburnum).

This is my first video recorded in 4K which was downsized to HD 1080P for faster upload to YouTube.

A shorter version of this video without titles and credit page can be download from my Wikimedia page at:

June 25, 2020June 25, 2020

Covid-19 and building a new computer

My last post was about my grandmother Meynel Clowney Cato and how she survived the 1918 Spanish flu at Winthrop college.

We are all now living under the threat of the the Covid-19 virus and my wife and I have been following the guidelines and avoiding unnecessary travel.

March 12, 2018July 31, 2018

The Galápagos Tapes

My new YouTube channel features 8mm video tapes recorded by Jim Young during the years we lived at the Charles Darwin Research Station on the Galápagos Islands in the early 1990s.

This turbulent period saw the rise of an unregulated sea cucumber (pepino de mar) fishery with illegal encampments in Galápagos National Park.

Ecuadorian and international response to these events spurred the Galápagos Marine Reserve declaration of 1998, which expanded the protected area and intensified management therein.

This historic footage was used in the BBC videos
“Galapagos: Paradise in Peril” and
“Lonesome George and the battle for Galapagos”

Continue reading “The Galápagos Tapes”

November 17, 2016February 22, 2017

The supermoon of 2016

Normally I do not like to take close-up photographs of a full moon because the direct lighting make the surface very flat and dull. Crescent moons have sideways illumination and the mountains and craters are much more distinct. However it is very difficult to pass up a chance to photograph the 2016 supermoon which is the brightest since 1948. Continue reading “The supermoon of 2016”

June 9, 2015July 15, 2015

Converting your photographs to video

As a photographer I love looking at still images but I recognize many people prefer to watch a video instead.

This is similar to the fact that many people prefer color movies to black and white movies. Years ago I had a friend who absolutely refused to watch old B&W movies no matter how good they were, an attitude that confounded me. Continue reading “Converting your photographs to video”