Biodiversity Exhibits

prehistoric sea turtle fossil

dodo bird

great auk

seriously endangered species

Birds

Sparrows

These are so lovely.   A little disturbing perhaps, but lovely too.  Have a look at the specimen labels, they're aged, the handwriting is beautiful... I noticed one date in particular - 1928! 

Sparrows, label closeup

Tanagers

Look at the colours!  I think there might be a future piece of work inspired by these... 

Tanagers, label closeup

Afternoon walk

At the back end of yesterday afternoon we went for a walk in the local conservation area, Rattray Marsh. We saw a deer, a great blue heron, and a swan on its nest. There was also a baby bunny in our yard earlier on.


Nesting Swan

Mayapple Flower

Great Blue Heron

Migration

Since the weekend, it's been rainy and dull here much of the time. Still, it's been beautiful, as it's making everything grow, green, and I like the wet earth smell.
It's also been exceptional for birdwatching. I usually see various birds in the yard from our kitchen window, and it often reminds me of my gran, who was always interested in both birds and gardening. At the moment there seems to be a greater variety - likely spring migration I would imagine - among them the grosbeaks, cowbirds, an oriole, and from my observations, at least a half dozen types of warblers; along with our regular bird species.

Source: animal.discovery.com via Teresa on

End of the Week

I was out and about this afternoon, and pointing out different flowers and plants along the roadside.  I thought about how few people my age (or any other age for that matter) can actually identify alot of these roadside plants, backyard birds, etc.  It may not be in the category of essential knowledge, but I do think it's a shame.  My gran and mum have always been interested so I grew up assimilating some of their knowledge, and now I'm quite grateful for it.