Light on Leaves.

 Nature's Humble Beginnings.

Light Filtered Flora.

When ambling through forests in pursuit of great wildlife sightings, I can't help but become both captivated and fascinated by the growth and life by which I am surrounded. Light filtering through a crowded canopy is a stunning sight by all respects. It caused me to raise the question as to just how important light is to our flora, and essentially to us. Photosynthesis is a process many people are familiar with, but just how familiar? Over the course of this week I'm hoping to demonstrate and record the effects and process of photosynthesis to be published here. From labs to forests I'll be doing all I can to gain a better understanding of the process as a whole. I'll be taking a look at photosynthesis in action and finding exactly what's happening when light hits leaves.

If you have any questions you'd be interested in finding the answer to I'd love to hear them, post them below and I'll most definitely get around to answering them in the published clips.

Wonders of the World of Flora

Light's Path

 Canopy Canvas

Visible Sky

Blue on Grey

The Grey Heron is a regular sight near any waterway, bearing food to the heron's liking! Providing food to the liking to a Heron is no challenge as they have been reported to take all sorts; from fish and amphibians to young waders, water foul and even young rabbits, the opportunistic heron knows no boundaries. In this picture however, I've focused not on their success as a predator but their elegance. 

Message in a Bottle.

'The Fox Went Out on a Windy Night...'

This is a piece I've done of a red fox, a species that undoubtedly receives its fair share of persecution and occasional negative media stories. Despite this the red fox is a charismatic and rather handsome mammal to glimpse, even if you're one of those lucky people that get their bins raided! I can't deny spending several hours in countryside hedgerows in the hope of sighting one. Or standing in pitch darkness at an unreasonable hour listening to the screaches of a vixen.

Although many theories are proposed as to why foxes use loud barks like this, the theory I support is that it is used to locate dogs before hunting, as dogs bark and howl at the sound revealing their where abouts to the fox. I've heard on regular occasion dogs barking and howling wildly after a vixen's bark, especially at early dusk. This makes sense no doubt, as if the fox is venturing out to hunt at this time it is only lodgical to assume the fox could be checking the location of dogs.

I am filled with excitement when I'm awarded a glimpse of the cheeky vulpes and hope rare negative media stories don't provoke irrational culls or unnecessary persecution.

Falco Tinnunculus

If it's  not a crime to pick a favourite bird then mine's the Kestrel. With rich chestnuts, downy browns and the male's characteristic slate blue head, the Kestrel's plumage leaves little to be desired. Inks black strips sit below the falcon's eyes, these watercolour like strokes are not simply for display, each minute feature serves a definitive purpose. The markings are known as malar stripes which deflect excess light from raptor's eyes and absorb the light on account of the black pigment. An idea adopted by American footballers. 

However of all the Kestrel's adaptations, it's their remarkable ability to hover which fascinates me, an ability shared only by the Barn Owl in Irish bird species. Kestrels achieve this feat of flight by using their supremely adapted wings to not only apply enough thrust to remain air born, but detect and manipulate rising air thermals. The falcon's uses it's broad tail both stabilise and direct itself. All decisions made by the Kestrel while hovering are literally made in milliseconds. The raptor's head remains motionless during the hovering which allows it to use its ultra violet vision to its best advantage.

Raptor's ability to see in ultra violet is a direct function of the structure of their eye. The retina, the photosensitive membrane in the eye, is over 1.5 times thicker than ours in raptors. Raptors also have high cone and rod cell numbers. Cone cells act as photo receptors while rod cells process and filter extreme low light. All contributing to their ability to track mammal blood and urine trails, on account of their ultra violet vision. Considering 75% of a raptor's skull is occupied by their eyes, it is to be expected that exceptional sight be one of their attributes.

The Kestrel is a truly remarkable falcon and a product of several million years of  evolution and natural selection at it's best, stealing the top spot as my favourite bird.