Wordless Wednesday

A close up view of a European eagle owl, the worlds largest owl. Those eyes seem to speak of hidden depths, its not hard to see how they got their reputation for wisdom. You can also see the specialised structure of the feathers in the facial disc. This parabolic arrangement of feathers is a distinctive feature of the owl family which acts to funnel sound waves extremely effectively to the owl's ears.

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Wordless Wednesday

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Photo of the day: Rainforest tree fern - Kilimanjaro

This photograph was taken on the final day of descent from kilimanjaro on a trip I took to Tanzania in 2006. Rainforests have always been a huge attraction for me. They feel palpably fecund, literally bursting at the seams with life. As we descended into thick fog it was possible with a burst of speed, to lose the rest of my group, for a short while at least, and enjoy a moment of solitude in the rainforest. Just me and the colobus monkeys. It was without doubt one of the most magical moments I've ever experienced and this photograph absolutely captures the mysterious mood of the surrounds for me.

Wordless Wednesday

Photo of the day: Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel

Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel, originally uploaded by blobbybirdman.

This sassy little fella was snapped this summer in the lovely Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado.

A few moments later he showed me the back of his hand, and sent me packing. Ground squirrels are mean

Reluctantly I blog

Well hello ... it is with great trepidation that, after a fairly shoddy first attempt at blogging a few years ago, I once again prepare to shoot my thoughts out into the big wide world of the internet. If you are kind enough to spend a few minutes of your life reading them let me just say thanks and apologise in advance. If you are one of those people who has been encouraging me to get blogging again, thanks for the encouragement, and remember, you only have yourself to blame.

I'm not exactly sure what direction my musings are going to take at this point. I am likely to share my thoughts on life as a research scientist, my clumsy attempts at wildlife photography, and my general philosophical musings on life. I am almost certainly going to bore you tears with every wonderful encounter with wildlife I have, especially my feathered friends, that's just how I roll. I love to travel, climb mountains and get out into the great outdoors. If I manage to do so, I will wax lyrical, if I do not I will surely rant about my frustrated wanderlust. I should also warn you my sense of humour is quirky and at times mildly inappropriate. I aim to be provocative rather than offensive, but your mileage may vary. Most of all, I love to have my fingers in more pies than I have fingers, so expect the unexpected. Of course, all this presupposes that I actually find the time to write some postings!

With no further ado, I will end this post and think about perhaps writing a post ... you know, one of those that actually contains some content.