A Wild success

There is a big smile on my face this week - not just because I made it back home after a long week in Jakarta (although I have to say that I am very pleased about that!), but because a set of my pictures were used as the centre Folio of Wild Magazine.

Wild Magazine is "Australia's Wilderness Adventure Magazine" - and you can find out about it (and even subscribe!) here.

This edition of the magazine focuses on 'wild on the edge' - i.e. finding wildness close to home, and my picture were featured as they were all taken less than an hour from the middle of Melbourne -albeit in the middle of a large bay!

I thought I would just include some picture of the pictures!

You can find more stuff that's been happening around the world at Our World Tuesday.  SM

Wild Bird Wednesday 161 - Kittiwake

A brief post this week due to me being on the road this week.

This weeks WBW birds are again from Bempton Cliffs in East Yorkshire in the UK.  These birds are Kittiwakes - or to give them their world wide common name Black-Legged Kittiwakes.

There formal name is Rissa tridactyla and these birds from the Atlantic are unusual in that they have a very small hind toe, or even no hind toe at all.  This is not the kind of thing you find out everyday!

Anyway, I rather like these fine looking birds, and the places in which they nest and raise chicks are remarkable.

Now it's over to you and your blogs - so click on the link below and off you go.  I'll be in touch when I get back home!  SM

An InLinkz Link-up

Brighton 2 - Afloat

I found this sculpture in Brighton - its location is called Doughnut Groyne - and I don't know which came first, the doughnut or the name.

I liked the way I could frame the sculpture and the life-ring and it came as a surprise to me when I found out that the sculpture is actually called Afloat!

Its a nice coincidence.

You can find more shots from around the world at Our World Tuesday.  SM

Mr. H

Another week on the road beckons, so I'll organise a few posts to keep things moving along.

Here is Mr. Hudson in classic pose and location - i.e. just about to go to sleep on my bed!  The animal is a complete slacker!

You can find more macro shots at Macro Monday2  and I love macro SM

Wild Bird Wednesday 160 - Jackdaw

While I was watching the sea birds at Bempton Cliffs I was visited by this rather inquisitive Jackdaw.    I rather like these images - the first has my 'trademark' out of focus vegetation and in the second I really like the position of the flowers and the look in the birds eye.

Jackdaws are the UK's smallest crow - and given that almost all black birds (except the Blackbird!) are called crows by non-birders this is a bird that is often overlooked by the general public.  The birds name is at least in part an onomatopoeic rendering of its classic 'chak - chak' call.   Its formal name Corvus monedula  places it in the same genus as many of the 'classic' crows.

These birds were common near where I lived as a kid - and also seemed to like living on or in the towers of the classically square church towers that are found in Somerset.

These may not be the find of bird that people travel very far to see, but I still think that says more about birders than it does this bird!

Now it's over to you to join in with WBW.  Click the blue button and off you go!  Also, if you happen to be involved in any social media sites - Facebook and the like - why not share this page (and future WBWs) to get more people involved.  Cheers - SM

An InLinkz Link-up

Transformers

I was in the middle of Melbourne on Sunday afternoon when these to came walking down the street.  I'm glad to know that even Transformers use wheeled shopping trollies and carry large coffee cups.

I will sleep safer in my bed knowing that!

You can find more shots from around the world at Our World Tuesday.  SM