Sutton Sun Set

Is it just me or is everything apocalyptic at the moment.

Kew Gardens

Always a chance, even on a family day out, to sneak in a bit of bird photography.

Dylan and Eypthian Geese (above)
Ring-necked Parakeets (below)

End of the Cycle- Through the Mill and then onwards

Well, hopefully everyone agrees now that we are all buggered. The economy is slipping into the unknown. With any luck, the credit crunch represents a macro adjustment- a correction that swerves close to the brink- drops a load of chaff off the edge and then swings back on track. By the end of all this, Britain may well be fused closer to Europe (Euros and all) and Europe will be part of a 'new world government'- in other words we will all be forced, kicking and screaming to 'unite'. The only way out of a world crisis is world co-operation and the only way to get rid of all this debt is to centralise it globally and then write it off.

Once this kind of apparatus for global co-ordination is in place then it will be easier to regulate the economic, social and environmental condition with global policies. This is really the only way to prevent slash and burn as it makes a regulated level playing field across the globe . This is the only way to produce a more constructive mass mind set- an extension of teeth gritting tolerance and 'co-operation'. Hopefully we are approaching the turning point. For environmentalists and sustainable future thinkers this could well be a time of great opportunity to make some bloody real money (and world peace and all that). Right that is all said and predicted. It is going to be a right old mess. Now time to get on with the job ahead.

Francesca Drinkald- Sprinkals

My neice wanted to be famous so we made this video and song for the two people that view this blog.

Sprinkals, written, recorded and performed by Francesca Drinkald.

Do you want some salt on your popcorn or sugar, do you want some sugar. Do you want some candy on your milkshake or do you want hundreds and thousands on your toast. Sprinkals everywhere I go, filling up my eyes, sometimes I think I'm gonna choke, sprinkals everywhere I go, even on my toast, even on my toast (x4) Woo.

Natural History Museum- Wildlife Photographer of the Year and the Darwin Exhibition

Spent the day at the Natural History Museum. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/

An excellent time to go- the Wildlife Photographer of the Year is on at the same time as an exhibition of Charles Darwin.

The Darwin Exhibition is amazing. To see the original note books and the scientific instruments that he actually used in the process of arriving at the theory of evolution is literally awesome. A great insight into the man behind the idea. When trying to make a life choice of scientific discovery over settling down with a wife and kids he drew up a list of pros and cons. One of the cons of a wife and kids was that it was 'a terrible waste of time'. I think that qualifies me into the ranks of a man after Darwins own heart.













WINNER OF WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Steve Winter- Remote control shot that took 10 months to get using a Canon 400D- the very camera I have but cant get it to take shots like this for some reason.

Conservation work day

Little Oak joined forces with the Beddington Farm Bird Group and we carried out some conservation work on the lake.

A good day. Strimming, trimming and boating.

Unsustainable migrations

Thought I would get a couple of shots of this daily evening migration of 20,000 or so gulls over my neighbourhood. Might be worth something one day- when all the landfill sites have been closed.

More real birding stuff here:
http://peteralfreybirdingnotebook.blogspot.com/

Xmas in Hackbridge

I agreed to do a bit of photography for the local church Xmas fair. Santa was a bit of a rogue, grabbing the mums and shattering kids dreams with his beard falling off. It was more fun than I thought it was going to be.

Long-eared Owls

We are very lucky (as are the developers) to have four Long-eared Owls roosting on my local patch. There are also two Barn Owls around which is good becuase we lost these species due to development and now they have returned. More here:

http://peteralfreybirdingnotebook.blogspot.com/

No pain-no gain

There is no shortage of will to destroy the human and natural environment but there does appear to be a shortage of unified will to protect it. I wonder if the biggest threat to the environment is not human greed but human apathy.

3 million unemployed by Christmas, 16% fall in house prices in 12 months, state of emergency interest rates, projected government borrowing of £118 billion next year, 45,000 already re-possessed and this is just the beginning.

A fundamental shift in perspective towards a more sustainable environmental future can only occur after the adverse effects of unsustainable philosophy are felt by the majority of individuals within a society.

The worse this economic crisis gets- the more chance there is for alternative and minority thinkers to gain ground.

Larus landfillus

Here is a rear view of the terrifying and enigmatic 'Landfill Gull'.