earlybirder

Sunday, 31 August 2014

Cornwall.......

Icelandic volcanoes and glaciers....land of fire and ice

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-28870969
Volcanic eruptions are notoriously difficult to predict, despite all the indicators that can be measured and might suggest an imminent event. I took these photos on a trip to Iceland with geography students in February 2012 and was staggered by the sheer beauty of the place.

Tuesday, 19 August 2014

Jon And Vangelis - I'll Find My Way Home (1981)

Obviously far better known for the theme music from Chariots of Fire, I always loved this song. It is a very early eighties sound.....I am no musician but in this performance the sounds seem to have no relation to the instruments being played on stage and I am amused by the random policeman in what looks like a Top of the Pops audience.....look closely...

Wonderful Chill Out Ambient Trance Music - Emotional Dreams [Part I] [HD]

Vangelis - Beautiful Planet Earth [HD]

Really enjoyed this one and may well use clips from it to try to inspire the students about the world around them.

Baby Timor zebra finches

The three fledgling Timor zebra finches are spending more time out of the nest and it has been fascinating to watch their behaviour. Unlike Australian zebra finches, the young seem far more independent and are already proficient flyers and are feeding themselves. They are incredibly inquisitive. Interestingly this young parson finch, itself less than six months old, has been showing a non-aggressive interest in the youngsters as demonstrated by this bout of allopreening, which is where one bird preens another, often around the head area which is difficult for any bird to reach itself. It is also clear just how small the timors and their parents are as the parson finch is not a big bird and yet it dwarfs the diminutive zebra inches.

Monday, 18 August 2014

Come on Tim......

http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/aug/19/tim-vine-wins-dave-award-funniest-joke-edinburgh-festival
I saw Tim Vine at the Bloomsbury Theatre back in 2010 .....not only were the jokes very clever, they were delivered almost in a torrent.....I laughed solidly for about two hours. And the best thing was that he didn't swear at all....not that I object particularly to a bit of well-placed profanity but he did not rely on it to get laughs.

Look at the sky, listen to the birds and smell the flowers....

Why the 'Earlybirder'? As a boy I slept in a room overlooking gardens and an old orchard. I preferred to sleep with the curtains open and as it became light in the morning I would get up and, armed with a heavy old pair of binoculars and an even heavier and older bicycle, head out to explore the Welsh Harp, Ruislip Lido or Cassiobury Park.

I like the exclusivity of early mornings. It's the best part of the day...the air is often still and fresh and the birdsong is not masked by the hum of lawnmowers or background hiss of traffic. The sun of a new day sheds a uniquely bright light which gives everything, from flowers to feathers, a lustre which fades in the less-forgiving light later in the day. The world belongs to you and you feel so alive. While others sleep the rest of the world awakes. To witness a sunrise, focus on the incredible richness of a nightingale's song or watch a newly-hatched mandarin chick dry in the warmth of a pool of morning sun is to experience life at its purest. Bed can wait...