Wyton

I've been in England since Sept. 24th. Going to University of Cambridge for my masters degree. I have some friends in the area so I figured I'd come a bit before term starts and get over jet lag, prepare, etc.

Sunrise at the airport in Iceland

Tea and scones with black currant jam and clotted cream at the Orchard in Grantchester.

I'd like to add daily photos once in a while. Right now I'm staying with friends in Wyton, England. Here's some shots from my walk today.

Wyton

Sheep grazing in Ouse River (pronounced Ooze) floodplain.

Cows in the rain.

Thatch roof topped with a thatch cat. Thatch animals are added to roofs to deter and distract witches and bring good luck. They also serve to keep birds from landing on the roof.

Highlights from a Bird Summer

Sunrise in humid Meshomasic State Forest

I had the perfect summer job. Perfect.

Perfect for me because it allowed me to be outside for almost four months. Perfect because I learned so much. Perfect because I was able to live with my family and re-kindle my connection to home before setting out again.

Red Eft- a juvenile newt

I did avian surveys for the state of Connecticut. Basically I started the summer navigating to random points in state forests, wildlife management areas, and regenerating clearcuts. Luckily I had a Dodge Durango SUV to get me down some pretty rough roads. My GPS and legs got me the rest of the way. At these points I would listen and look for birds for 10 minutes. I identified them as best I could, and enjoyed my beautiful morning surroundings.

The next step involved productivity surveys. The study was looking at how different habitats contribute to bird species populations and how many young birds can produce in a particular area. I had to walk 200m to 1.5km transects and look/listen for fledgling birds. Sounds easy, but not when those 200m are a straight thicket of prickers (Rubus spp., multiflora rose, green briar). I learned the true meaning and feeling of the word thicket this summer. A thicket is so thick, you can't move in it. Once I had to take a machete and chop my way through such a thicket. It took and hour and a half to move 200m. It usually took my 20 minutes.

The last field part was habitat assessments. I began working with a partner for the first time. We looked at vegetation heights, canopy cover, dominant plant species, leaf litter, basal areas in forests.

The summer ended in September with writing a section of the productivity report. I like writing long papers (10pgs) much more when I am paid to do so. A new first. Unfortunately I won't be getting paid to write huge volumes while studying at Cambridge.

Wild Wood Lillies

 

 

 Sorry I don't have any bird pictures, my camera wasn't so great at focusing. Saw and heard some beautiful birds though:
Indigo Bunting
Scarlet Tanager
and plenty others....