Michael Bublé - "It's A Beautiful Day" [Official Music Video]

Little Owl in Regents Park......

It is quite a thought that so close to the centre of London these diminutive birds can live and breed almost certainly undetected by most of  the many users of the park. In the background ring-necked parakeets can be heard which is, like the Little Owl, an introduction to this country, albeit a more recent one. Tony Duckett's photography is superb and his sightings blog for the park itself is well worth a look. It will open your eyes to a new world in much the same way that birding in Central Park New York does.

Best Joke from "The Naked Gun"....

'Nice-beaver......'

clever girl.......

College Lake Story

Polecats, College Lake

Using a donkey's balls to tell the time....very funny

Commander Chris Hadfield - Ground Control to Major Tom: A Space Oddity....

State of Nature Report........only telling us what we already know........

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/22609000

This report, launched today by David Attenborough, doesn't actually tell us anything that we don't know already. Once-common species such as hedgehogs and house sparrows have declined dramatically over the last thirty years or so. We have fields devoid of wildflowers, woodlands that are no longer filled with birdsong and summer gardens without the hum of bees.
As someone who has observed nature since childhood, it is something that I have been acutely aware of: I miss spotted flycatchers, grey partridges and skylarks. I now have to make a special trip to Paxton Pits in Cambridgeshire to see and hear turtle doves.
Biodiversity - and its loss - may be seen as something only of concern to naturalists like myself, but actually the whole problem is linked to the unsustainable way in which we manage our environment, in particular the way we produce food. The documentary below is EXCELLENT and really demonstrates well the links between a healthy soil, biodiversity and ultimately our ability to feed ourselves sustainably.

A cuckoo in the Nest..........

I am very lucky to live where I live....on the edge of a village in rural Buckinghamshire overlooking fields and hedgerows and, just a short distance away, a very pretty lake with an extensive reed bed. I woke this morning to the sound of a cuckoo, a sound that was much more common in the past than it is now. The birds are still attracted to the area following their return migration from Africa by the presence of reed warblers, which are a common host for this species. Despite their deceptive activities, their call - although repetitive - is quite beautiful and certainly heralds the arrival of Spring. This video - particularly the opening scenes - is very evocative of early mornings around Weston Turville Reservoir. The BTO has been radio-tracking individual cuckoos to try and discover clues as to their movements and possible reasons for their diminished presence. Whatever the cause of their decline, whether it be drought in their wintering areas or a decline in the 'wooly' caterpillars they feed on, I hope they return and I can wake up to their call for many years to come........

Oklahoma City: How and Why Tornadoes form........

I woke up this morning to hear the terrible news coming from Oklahoma City, which has been struck by an F4/5 category tornado. Especially distressing as one of the buildings to be struck was a primary school with considerable loss of young lives. As a geography teacher we spend much of our time investigating natural disasters and I continually impress upon my students that they are more than simply spectacular and dramatic phenomena that make good case studies for exams, but events that cause incredible trauma and suffering to those affected. The State of Oklahoma is very much in the tornado belt and will be familiar with them but this appears to be a particularly powerful one. Our thoughts in lessons today will be with the people of Oklahoma City.....

An audience with Suggs.......

Off to see the big man himself in Reading tonight........

David Attenborough and the Blind Baby Rhino........

RIP Ray Harryhausen...... Jason and the Argonauts: skeleton warrior fight scene

For a young boy in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Jason and the Argonauts was a fantastic adventure film, especially the scene with the skeleton warriors. The effects look so dated now but in their time they were amazing, in particular the stop-motion required to make the fight scene look so authentic. These are not friendly skeletons....the expression and intent on their faces used to send me scurrying behind the sofa. I particularly like the bit where they all shriek and run forward........