'Little brown jobs' in close up....Buff-bellied pipit, West London

More great photographs from Tony Hovell. Pipits can be a real challenge for new and experienced birders alike but whatever the species they always look much better in close up and in good light when the subtlety of their plumage can really be appreciated. This rare species for the UK has been present in Berkshire recently.

Eagle throws goat off cliff to its death

Golden Eagle Attacks A Boy......watch video to the end....

Eagle Catches a Goat

Golden Eagle Snatches Kid in Montreal!

There appears to be some debate as to whether this is fake or not, but there is no doubt a golden eagle would be able to carry away a toddler.....

Dante's Peak Official Trailer #1 - Pierce Brosnan Movie (1997) HD

And another student favourite.....far better than the Tommy-Lee Jones 'Volcano' film, mainly because it was well researched, using scientific observation of the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption for reference.

The Day After Tomorrow.......

Great geographical end of term disaster movie.......

The Paris sparrow man........

Christmas in Paris........

Fascinated by owls......

I arrived home late last night and as I unloaded my car a tawny owl called loudly literally just a few feet from where I was standing. I stood and stared in to the darkness and after a few moments it called again, except this time closer. I waited for a while and the next time it called it was further away again. I have to admit I love owls.......the mystery that surrounds them - their ability to blend in, almost disappear, the way they observe you and their stealth, the ability to fly undetected in silence. These pictures of great grey owls were sent to me by a friend and encapsulate everything that is marvellous about them. One of my life ambitions is one day to see a great grey owl in the wild in northern Europe....it fascinates me how such a striking and large bird can disappear almost at will, as these pictures demonstrate.

'Meggings' anyone......?

Apparently the 'in' thing fashion-wise for men this Christmas are 'meggings'.....leggings for men. Hmmm....not sure on that one.....not sure I'd feel entirely comfortable with that one. Open to suggestions though....how about 'mights'....tights for men....or a 'bumper'....a long baggy jumper that covers your bum.......or 'fungaree'... a naughty crotchless version of that old favourite the dungaree. The possibilities are endless.......

White Falcon White Wolf....fabulous wildlife documentary for those who like wilderness.....

North Cliffs Failure - Amazing Cliff Collapse caught on Camera!

Take a virtual tour of the Museum | Natural History Museum

Off to the Natural History Museum with my sixth Formers again this afternoon. This place has been a part of my life since I was a little boy and earlier this year I even got to spend a night at the museum, sleeping at the foot of the steps leading up to the statue of Darwin...that was a surreal, dream-like experience, drifting in and out of sleep looking up at the iconic diplodocus skeleton........you never stop learning in life and the day I get bored of this place will be the day I stop living......

Way Out West -- Tickling Scene

Tim Vine bits......

Birds Of Papau New Guinea....amazing......

Giant Russian Rat Attacks Cats [HQ]

Hard Boiled Eggs and Nuts!

I love the doctor's exclamations......so reserved considering his predicament.......

Great shots of the Aylesbury Waxwings......

Thanks again to Tony Hovell for these great photographs....set against a blue sky these birds really do look amazing. The berry crop doesn't seem to be great this year, perhaps ruined by the very wet Spring. The local blackbirds have already stripped the pyracantha bushes......it may mean that waxwings are more widely seen as they go in search of new food sources.

A year on and still do not understand......

A year on and still can't understand.........Rest in Peace Gary

Leeds United: Gary Speed memories - one year on - Top Stories - Yorkshire Evening Post

Leeds United: Gary Speed memories - one year on - Top Stories - Yorkshire Evening Post

Bohemian Waxwings Eating Apples in Maine

This is a fantastic video that really captures the charismatic essence of these birds. They really do gorge themselves on fruit....I have seen them feeding on apples like this in an orchard in Norfolk and they are capable of stripping berry-bearing shrubs and trees in a very short space of time.

Dumb Ways to Die

FansNetwork/ToEllAndBack.org - Speedo -more questions than answers a year on - Leeds United news

FansNetwork/ToEllAndBack.org - Speedo -more questions than answers a year on - Leeds United news

"The Three Little Bears" from Pack Up Your Troubles...just about the cutest thing you'll see......

Beautifully crafted comedy.....

Waxwings are back......

Caught up with these beautiful birds today in exactly the same spot as I did a couple of years ago (when this video was taken) on an industrial estate near the edge of Aylesbury. They seem to have arrived a little earlier this year.....perhaps a berry crop failure further north.....? Nevertheles their exotic presence and lovely twitterings certainly brightened up a dull corner of the County Town, where they feasted on rowan berries oblivious to the traffic just metres away.......

Waxwings are back.........

In almost exactly the same spot as I last saw them a couple of years ago (when this video was taken), the waxwings were again feasting on rowan berries on an industrial estate near the edge of Aylesbury today, oblivious to the traffic and their many admirers. They normally start to appear later in the winter I find....has there been a really bad berry crop in their usual wintering grounds...? Nevertheless, they certainly brighten up a drab corner of the County town....I love the sound they make too......

Fenton gets the hollywood treatment in 4G.......

Science club....extinction

http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b01p39dw/

Supervolcano.The Truth About Yellowstone.

This is a very good clip but I feel that if the end of the world is imminent I will simply watch this , read the subtitles and die laughing........

Madness - The Liberty Of Norton Folgate (Moodboard)

So how many films can you find in this clip.......?

Who said slugs aren't sexy.....?

Dad's Army-Private Frazer's Ghost Stories

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Amazing Goal ( Sweden Vs England ) 4-2 HQ

Slavonian Grebe in winter plumage.....

This is a great shot from Tony Hovell of the winter-plumaged Slavonian Grebe that recently lingered at Wistone Reservoir near Tring. Lovely, clean-lined bird and I love the water in this picture. More photographs to follow from Tony....thank you!

Beautiful Verona.......

I spent a few days recently in Verona, Northern Italy and was totally captivated by the place. The city was beautiful, effortlessly combining its historical heritage with modern shops and amazing food. Hopefully these pictures will have captured and be able to convey some of its charm and quintessential Italian style.

Corporal Jones' Rambling Stories

Star Trek - splitting infinitives where no man has split them before.......

Ash tree fungal infection....a scandal

Ash trees are beautiful. They burst forth from the most unpromising locations with such vitality that they can sometimes become difficult to control, but they shed a light shade that allows the flora beneath to flourish and have delicate, mid-green pinnate leaves that unfold in May. I have watched bullfinches feed on their seeds, clinging to bunches of the dark brown 'keys' in loose groups.
Since the doom-laden news that a fatal fungal infection has been found in Norfolk, I have noticed just how many ash trees there are and what a difference it would make to our landscape were they all to disappear. I am beginning to get very angry at the thought that the infection has been brought to the UK through imported nursery stock from mainland Europe, where the disease has been spreading since at least 2004. Why were import bans not in place? What sort of biosecurity measures had been established? The disease may well have found its own way here, but we now face 'culls' of ash trees to control the disease. I feel that the whole issue has not been handled at all well by DEFRA and we now face losing an integral element of our wooded landscape. More will be said on this matter......

Follow @WeAreLeedsMOT3 Leeds United 3 v 0 Southampton

Leeds United 7:0 Southampton 1972 Passing the Ball/Passing Session

Football`s Hard Men ------ Billy Bremner

Why we should certainly keep an eye on Sandy.......

Every now and then a combination of factors can come together to create geographical events of note and Hurricane Sandy is certainly one to watch. It is its course which causes most concern, heading towards the north east coast of America and its heavily populated and low-lying coastline. Shallow, shelving coastlines cause approaching storm surges to gain height....current estimates are running at approximately 3 metres, which is an incredibly destructive amount of water to hit any urban area.  east London in 1953  suffered because of  low pressure over the North Sea, a very high tide, heavy precipitation in the Thames Basin causing high levels in the Thames itself and the 'funneling' effect caused by the shape of the estuary as well as the land either side of the river being the low-lying, flat north Kent and Essex marshes. It is why we now have the Thames Barrier. London's Underground would be particularly vulnerable if Central London ever flooded and I fear for the subway in New York. I am also anxious for Central Park - where I spent some of the happiest hours of my life birding in the Autumn of 2007 - because rain-sodden leaves on trees that have not fully dropped yet will make them very susceptible to being blown over. Wind and rain are one thing but I hope that the people of the eastern coastline take the storm surge most seriously as it is that which poses the greatest threat to life. I will be listening to Radio 5 tonight around midnight UK time for updates and wish you all well........

Seduced by a stormy sea in Iceland........

It is so easy to be drawn in by the sheer drama of a wave-ravaged shoreline...the wind blowing in your face so powerfully that it makes you feel your lungs are going to burst, salty spray on your skin and lips, the continuous roar of crashing waves... simply the feeling of being so alive as every sense is stimulated.....life that can be snatched in an instant if you stray too close.......

Storms and Floods Hit Europe 1953 Newsreel PublicDomainFootage.com

Lesson 4: Tsunami & Storm Surge ....geography......very good ezplanation

Storm Surges......why they are dangerous and certainly not fun........

Hurricane Sandy: Direct Hit on New York, New Jersey, Delmarva October 29...

Hurricane Sandy, October 28, 2012, Super Rapid Scan

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The Specials - A Message To You Rudy

Fabulous bird photography.......

These fantastic photographs were sent to me by Tony and Brenda Hovell. It is sometimes difficult to appreciate the beauty of birds when they appear as fast-moving, indistinct shapes over the top of a reedbed or along a riverbank, but my goodness the shots of the bearded tits in particular capture their fantastic colours when still and in close-up. Lovely kingfisher shot too, and the subalpine warbler is a great picture, emerging as it is from within a frame of Autumnal leaves. Thanks for sharing these great photographs......

Fieldfare birds defend their young against a raven - David Attenborough ...

Saw my first fieldfare of the Autumn this morning....they are very capable birds and have a very effective way of defending their young......I have been attacked in a similar way by a common gull when I strayed to close to a nest and it certainly made me move......!

Tibetan Sky Burial - teaching the challenge of living in mountainous areas to GCSE students......

I have just been teaching my students about how people adapt to living in harsh mountainous conditions and this topic illustrates some of the issues that they face. It also demonstrates why geography is such a fabulous fusion of culture, natural beauty, wildlife and how living things adapt and survive.

Bird using bread to catch fish

This really seems to be catching on....excellent example of learned behaviour......

Green Heron using my bread as fishing bait !!

This is fascinating. I was just watching a videa of ravens using cars to crack walnuts in Japan and noticed a video of a green heron using bread as bait for fish....it appears that this is actually quite common behaviour and certainly a sign of real intelligence on the part of the individual birds concerned.

UCL in 4th place in world university rankings

UCL in 4th place in world university rankings

Planes, Trains & Automobiles (2/10) Movie CLIP - Owen (1987) HD

Snowdonia.........

Where is it and what can you see........?

It's what I do.........