tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23333926467796369262024-03-19T17:39:24.497+00:00Adventures of a Marine BiologistPhotographs and stories about my life as a marine biologist, photographer, diver and perennial student.Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-62667296884489758362018-02-22T03:44:00.000+00:002018-02-22T21:40:12.246+00:00First outing with the Canon 7d mark II<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am so late to this party.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq83Vtnq4AQlCww-fdYJ99ofAW2NBPjE8VQ-pvYi4qkzONiD0jz4xib11BnSyp6kekFY214xt-Emk5p1SIxpo1Ab1ReHvrh8O4WswZzZ84xXr-k7P2FMJhrsDpIANHuI58YN-N0EkOKXg/s1600/reflections-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq83Vtnq4AQlCww-fdYJ99ofAW2NBPjE8VQ-pvYi4qkzONiD0jz4xib11BnSyp6kekFY214xt-Emk5p1SIxpo1Ab1ReHvrh8O4WswZzZ84xXr-k7P2FMJhrsDpIANHuI58YN-N0EkOKXg/s400/reflections-1.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great egret reflections</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxhLwTi7S0tv6IrmDrJtcskTIgNg2wvGVhEHqVFa77ow_1nHoEzWTQ1r-aou6JXhvvQT83BgR_qO5X5EgFah2w5M9RiA4o5eA316nDRsrGwFExGWhysTuenaK6TP_GEchmUWquqN_uqQ/s1600/egret-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="1200" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxhLwTi7S0tv6IrmDrJtcskTIgNg2wvGVhEHqVFa77ow_1nHoEzWTQ1r-aou6JXhvvQT83BgR_qO5X5EgFah2w5M9RiA4o5eA316nDRsrGwFExGWhysTuenaK6TP_GEchmUWquqN_uqQ/s400/egret-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snowy egret</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I've been using a Canon 7D since around 2010 and it's been a great camera for me as an wildlife-photography enthusiast. I mean, the low-light performance was never great, and the autofocus had a tendency to lose the subject and hunt if the light was flat or your subject was moving too fast to track easily (and the settings only helped so much), but it was a great camera that took far more great photos than it missed and it was more than able to put up with the years of abuse I treated it to. ...And I treated it pretty badly. That camera has more scrapes, dents, mud and fish scales embedded into it than any electronic device should have, but it still works great. In fact the only repair it ever needed was a screen replacement after I left it on the floor on a fishing boat and accidentally kicked it into a bolt. ...Yeah.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6-C1gU1ylt0XDYhh3TSIUmNJwV9MZCKlTE3zGQJaLrZph4baj0iVkIJk3TegCk9zM2ZGoFjWOXexGVGzpQLQxh-Vjt8lb_wcIfisAMypw572OrG-Fs5F4uhW0LneUDrL3wUdJzyelrs/s1600/heron-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1200" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6-C1gU1ylt0XDYhh3TSIUmNJwV9MZCKlTE3zGQJaLrZph4baj0iVkIJk3TegCk9zM2ZGoFjWOXexGVGzpQLQxh-Vjt8lb_wcIfisAMypw572OrG-Fs5F4uhW0LneUDrL3wUdJzyelrs/s400/heron-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A great grey heron being fluffy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgst5wL0iG6W1NI9kpsKQKQXsMdgKMNPjf1jYtk2pRjksMjKx2qwAhADyAso_D4Gcoq03fYkm5ug5cvZHLM2NhyphenhyphenTZUDUFn0dc4zwObuZ1jgLht2_NiRxFQ6qz2HqfNHwfnUTlVYVsusO3E/s1600/blue+heron-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="1200" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgst5wL0iG6W1NI9kpsKQKQXsMdgKMNPjf1jYtk2pRjksMjKx2qwAhADyAso_D4Gcoq03fYkm5ug5cvZHLM2NhyphenhyphenTZUDUFn0dc4zwObuZ1jgLht2_NiRxFQ6qz2HqfNHwfnUTlVYVsusO3E/s400/blue+heron-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A blue heron in flight</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Then I picked up a refurbished Canon 7D mark II in the sales (which is a four-year old model now) and was rapidly brought up to speed on what everyone's been talking about this whole time when they say this is an incredible upgrade. It really is. I've only had this camera out a couple of times so far, so I've not got anything of particular artistic merit to share, but I've managed more than a few photos that simply wouldn't be possible with the original 7D. The 100% viewfinder is a surprisingly helpful improvement over the old 95% which makes it much easier to get everything you want in-frame, the extra focus points are great, and the camera itself feels solid and extremely comfortable to hold. So far though, the story for me is all about the autofocus because once this thing locks onto a target, it just won't let go.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwNYPTfsfG-frewrhryS1eH4izzkKkR-HPFlXruYPobFjAl8xRmydL4BP1q9r7z-bm2PZpsSp3HF6hmG3JBozGqId29BrK4osMJ-46Ksxe6qVq6ChrVB-VGuOQYJE4ZSv-vmlx27thYU/s1600/tree+in+the+way-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="930" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwNYPTfsfG-frewrhryS1eH4izzkKkR-HPFlXruYPobFjAl8xRmydL4BP1q9r7z-bm2PZpsSp3HF6hmG3JBozGqId29BrK4osMJ-46Ksxe6qVq6ChrVB-VGuOQYJE4ZSv-vmlx27thYU/s400/tree+in+the+way-1.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The AF holds on despite distractions in the foreground</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqIULSDz7NIHqktUCBHCRSok0VuYevJVMicmR5SaVmRPB7b3zhZSnydYeGDKc73QFiv9p4OlxA72ESGfmIgW8RMkccew_wp0aSvWI8mc48dCvPNGaB3jPlOV3onNu96luzZe-sYtnwi0/s1600/tri+heron-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="1200" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqIULSDz7NIHqktUCBHCRSok0VuYevJVMicmR5SaVmRPB7b3zhZSnydYeGDKc73QFiv9p4OlxA72ESGfmIgW8RMkccew_wp0aSvWI8mc48dCvPNGaB3jPlOV3onNu96luzZe-sYtnwi0/s400/tri+heron-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was shot through tall grass from a moving car. The AF locked on and didn't let go, and produced more than enough detail for an record and ID. It's a tri-coloured </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS3gsVKreI1qwmAMkd-XSJGKFTm5Gb7WWZaagUcGqNZwtPaf4UGQLMsVpWUCqnCAY9zUm2Pt64MKn-94M1Ofpk2qWpcnLyOkvfjsCWh7P74CyWGGpadKF6Z9MQb-m6lZLDMZjwAqWjzcI/s1600/bee-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="846" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS3gsVKreI1qwmAMkd-XSJGKFTm5Gb7WWZaagUcGqNZwtPaf4UGQLMsVpWUCqnCAY9zUm2Pt64MKn-94M1Ofpk2qWpcnLyOkvfjsCWh7P74CyWGGpadKF6Z9MQb-m6lZLDMZjwAqWjzcI/s400/bee-1.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was shot handheld.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I've had a quick run through the various autofocus settings, but it seems like the facial recognition plus "tennis mode" suit my needs pretty much perfectly. It is waaaaay easier to track birds in flight with the mark II, especially at a distance or when they're hiding out against a busy background, or when your non-birding, unenthisiastic driver doesn't quite stop the car while you're hanging out the window looking for wildlife. I mean, I know that none of those things are likely to combine to produce award-winning photographs any time soon compared to frame-filling portraits with beautifully-blurred backgrounds, but sometimes you just want a cool record shot!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2sd-tnb4CwUzJ8vDe7g1kiOBsqN3Ezfybqkxv3Z-S65pD01XfFVLuohSPrt-7_DCZ4mEXGSxTJ_4uG2NhEaxxqcP5Etx8Xbg-Rgx3WHLBTU_yphdlX7WfuJFLmJlSSQ0YlDtRZuHQ-c/s1600/stork3-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="835" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2sd-tnb4CwUzJ8vDe7g1kiOBsqN3Ezfybqkxv3Z-S65pD01XfFVLuohSPrt-7_DCZ4mEXGSxTJ_4uG2NhEaxxqcP5Etx8Xbg-Rgx3WHLBTU_yphdlX7WfuJFLmJlSSQ0YlDtRZuHQ-c/s400/stork3-1.jpg" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wood stork in the tall grass</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
So that's what I've got with it so far! Hopefully I'll have some time to get out a bit more soon and play around with it again, but my work schedule is kind of exploding around my ears so we'll see what happens! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-27147160005784499922017-11-24T21:25:00.000+00:002017-11-24T22:25:36.863+00:00Florida Alligators<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
If there's one thing that Florida is famous for (besides oranges and Florida man), it's alligators! You can find them pretty much everywhere in the Everglades, and can be found in city drainage ditches, canals, golf courses and swimming pools, setting up basically anywhere they wherever there's fresh water and food. Fortunately, while American alligators are large, apex predators, they pose no real threat to adult humans, prefering to avoid us and feed on smaller prey like birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians or smaller mammals.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOuwZv0pGvp_8ZONptqmBV0dbnysrDiDwaRYR-4ScDqvc69tRTPxtz_0S-06FLJjbtOG5rXl23gfDNus6FcoDbncLbTonWxuCqR7i_ARqvVspNDOJ_QL4B_BVIBsfTQzlqzy2R714k1A/s1600/gator2-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOuwZv0pGvp_8ZONptqmBV0dbnysrDiDwaRYR-4ScDqvc69tRTPxtz_0S-06FLJjbtOG5rXl23gfDNus6FcoDbncLbTonWxuCqR7i_ARqvVspNDOJ_QL4B_BVIBsfTQzlqzy2R714k1A/s400/gator2-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A female alligator, watching us pass.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
One of our favourite ways to see alligators is to take an airboat ride out in the Everglades. There are a ton of different operators to choose from, but we tend to go out from the <a href="http://www.evergladessafaripark.com/">Everglades Safari Park </a>because they offer a good tour and it's relatively close to where we live. They're obviously geared mostly towards alligator sightings, but there are usually plenty of birds to see as well (though that's for another blog!), and you can get some beautiful evening light if you head over there for the late afternoon trips (~ 4pm).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0WqHHES0L2_XznUWz7m9dNB4fRsS3agD1JJi5DZgclxoptr4jE8avElvI92PBFz5CxFk2xZzASbUnKsfh5PPGARqlMi3YiL1J3XisolyN1k6wVJrMpb00g2yBPgoW86xURc4CaX-a7U/s1600/gator5-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="1200" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0WqHHES0L2_XznUWz7m9dNB4fRsS3agD1JJi5DZgclxoptr4jE8avElvI92PBFz5CxFk2xZzASbUnKsfh5PPGARqlMi3YiL1J3XisolyN1k6wVJrMpb00g2yBPgoW86xURc4CaX-a7U/s400/gator5-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My what shiny teeth you have!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Anyway, without further ado, here are a few of my favourite 'gator photos so far! You can see all of these images (and more) in my <a href="http://www.wildoceanphotography.com/reptiles">website gallery</a>. As usual, you can click on each image to see a larger image.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7B7E96sTWVdNSS_pJJXVFs1lFkTAi7VNTnQgdhxf-_hmck24vHx01Eg_ds9LYvE3To9KS4dP9SPDRNFiyK95YVhc-S2vA6o19LDuE55QeSBB95GLiKmmgkEGQU8Mg7ZijTmaCqTXoVDA/s1600/sunset+gator-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7B7E96sTWVdNSS_pJJXVFs1lFkTAi7VNTnQgdhxf-_hmck24vHx01Eg_ds9LYvE3To9KS4dP9SPDRNFiyK95YVhc-S2vA6o19LDuE55QeSBB95GLiKmmgkEGQU8Mg7ZijTmaCqTXoVDA/s400/sunset+gator-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A one-eyed alligator relaxing on a muddy rise in the Everglades</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9vNUOaBZekIeCPfV0l9prKwcAhW5vmXtjIRSXLyEwVySJY_mRbpV2hY2oljWZr_94eM-iYVMWYKeoP1E5W7gAfMvWH46AGxZsCdMF4oOG-VuxLyFr3VCydRu8igm1Zi7531ZOTeurrQ/s1600/reflections-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9vNUOaBZekIeCPfV0l9prKwcAhW5vmXtjIRSXLyEwVySJY_mRbpV2hY2oljWZr_94eM-iYVMWYKeoP1E5W7gAfMvWH46AGxZsCdMF4oOG-VuxLyFr3VCydRu8igm1Zi7531ZOTeurrQ/s400/reflections-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reflections</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ1JMSY3rBuB7oExkgKDGCJy56hbevH-DNPY8dv7b1OjE_AigcwsRRxakglYal_3OVK7xDAolO_hzghuG6moS8Suh4zg4qYuKDw47PV1yKmFY1l2_jDOTmKkQ0TnqiAjBuQEr-d_bYUnM/s1600/Alligator+portrait-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ1JMSY3rBuB7oExkgKDGCJy56hbevH-DNPY8dv7b1OjE_AigcwsRRxakglYal_3OVK7xDAolO_hzghuG6moS8Suh4zg4qYuKDw47PV1yKmFY1l2_jDOTmKkQ0TnqiAjBuQEr-d_bYUnM/s400/Alligator+portrait-1.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alligator portrait</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNhV7zkANvSn9MySLZroLHWcEuYAgAWJewmI-MrZQBanVVQhQtkayHzAbii6VCs1LCMcLLAf0ft_Ns-5rT4IpQeIRSB6OclJ71i23JQcHfsg4QmC5BpBbrUkEOXKY8In9gMrE7GO-EQk/s1600/Alligator1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNhV7zkANvSn9MySLZroLHWcEuYAgAWJewmI-MrZQBanVVQhQtkayHzAbii6VCs1LCMcLLAf0ft_Ns-5rT4IpQeIRSB6OclJ71i23JQcHfsg4QmC5BpBbrUkEOXKY8In9gMrE7GO-EQk/s400/Alligator1-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Floating and watching</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMzbxHtyPy524gJvapu7iqajHa83k-SmjrzMePGdqcKB9iJuCkBGW2oUoULEsWAtcOsXLZ08KIcw8q_rmmOQtSC1_ZssTFsJWyRwAjYhuOYfhYWw9U-PZarhBtAMQ1SJjl8hrkD9gJpc/s1600/gator4-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMzbxHtyPy524gJvapu7iqajHa83k-SmjrzMePGdqcKB9iJuCkBGW2oUoULEsWAtcOsXLZ08KIcw8q_rmmOQtSC1_ZssTFsJWyRwAjYhuOYfhYWw9U-PZarhBtAMQ1SJjl8hrkD9gJpc/s400/gator4-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A small female alligator swimming towards us in the evening light<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-43589743589951219882017-11-12T23:14:00.000+00:002017-11-13T14:42:31.450+00:00Big Cypress in the Rain<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We get a lot of rain in Florida. Usually, it's the type of rain that just dumps out of the sky for a few minutes and then passes, but occassionally we get a day that's just grey and wet for hours and refuses to let up. Kind of like Scotland except, you know, warm.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cWIXyy3lRgheK7oaJs4XNxXXsm7q9oVmjVQC4qXXAPAm3khosEdqBbRHXyCggBk8uWON7Z3gpjm47f-keLw_hj6kAl3_zUAt865EhfxftnpLdZw-NDEM9IWX49Z1tO0pg3zAUQoXb-c/s1600/night+heron-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="1200" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cWIXyy3lRgheK7oaJs4XNxXXsm7q9oVmjVQC4qXXAPAm3khosEdqBbRHXyCggBk8uWON7Z3gpjm47f-keLw_hj6kAl3_zUAt865EhfxftnpLdZw-NDEM9IWX49Z1tO0pg3zAUQoXb-c/s400/night+heron-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Little blue heron (adult)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OGMltrB0dCQm0_3kt3us8UqSXcX2MZ_fVnkCY_d9pR-MAmUbZbUs7DaimYgyHwS-oX1jg6d78E9sibW76t-rsdXE70nAxIIJWaUagSk_SPo4gqIjgd27vRVj7Gu7E4Ae4nlFbmO4FK8/s1600/Juv+little+blue+heron-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="733" data-original-width="1200" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OGMltrB0dCQm0_3kt3us8UqSXcX2MZ_fVnkCY_d9pR-MAmUbZbUs7DaimYgyHwS-oX1jg6d78E9sibW76t-rsdXE70nAxIIJWaUagSk_SPo4gqIjgd27vRVj7Gu7E4Ae4nlFbmO4FK8/s400/Juv+little+blue+heron-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juvenile little blue heron</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEJA2VF348AvtPNWnA268gy8rPlkNpk0p5_QC_inviDdnFfRwlTupDx6tqOAY8m2xm6VVorpF4YYQ-kmJbqss6Vf9X7gCK53rLoCnuZKOxPUJI0H7gmZiM66XVDfESrvSxq6TYXXw1Ko/s1600/Woodpecker-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="850" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEJA2VF348AvtPNWnA268gy8rPlkNpk0p5_QC_inviDdnFfRwlTupDx6tqOAY8m2xm6VVorpF4YYQ-kmJbqss6Vf9X7gCK53rLoCnuZKOxPUJI0H7gmZiM66XVDfESrvSxq6TYXXw1Ko/s400/Woodpecker-1.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A woodpecker</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6b3D4_mKG8Czd92EvQ-l2yVehkAUGRbyRdKxKGdHG7daHshVV1LfHblAYCJWEVp75YESvJ2QTL7kLF2HZhMThZyzetXPuTRazMFi96fL7YE37w8DyRx0qRXk5W0Y3JENldvcr2LSqSk/s1600/murder+log-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="1200" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6b3D4_mKG8Czd92EvQ-l2yVehkAUGRbyRdKxKGdHG7daHshVV1LfHblAYCJWEVp75YESvJ2QTL7kLF2HZhMThZyzetXPuTRazMFi96fL7YE37w8DyRx0qRXk5W0Y3JENldvcr2LSqSk/s400/murder+log-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A murder log (American alligator)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Still, I've always really liked rainy days for taking wildlife photos. The colours are richer, the days aren't so dazzlingly bright, and the animals all just look that bit more scunnered about everything!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfNzLVGoLyXKPV6Pe6sZIwAcr_I4O_7ObuGtvPYWoW5SAeLPFKy7T9eENA440oN-Zt2NkdmPkSRr0dwbMzHBOMI-EasG9LIvyr8cyFKtrrhjQBiriIg2Th7KUBIGiviq2NbuQKcdZv5I/s1600/Crossing+the+road-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfNzLVGoLyXKPV6Pe6sZIwAcr_I4O_7ObuGtvPYWoW5SAeLPFKy7T9eENA440oN-Zt2NkdmPkSRr0dwbMzHBOMI-EasG9LIvyr8cyFKtrrhjQBiriIg2Th7KUBIGiviq2NbuQKcdZv5I/s400/Crossing+the+road-2.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Killdeer crossing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6_x3mo9xmrhe-y6A1gwarwT7TgPNlVQHtfZysABiBrdOVI0jD1o5FiswAQnXzI1GZ4ijpE7qrlXhwLpe0x78boVpvOoH8RLXE7z5FIlOzTfe_fhAoa-466X9ut8mCwWm8JwzbOcqI-g/s1600/wet+black+vulture-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1200" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6_x3mo9xmrhe-y6A1gwarwT7TgPNlVQHtfZysABiBrdOVI0jD1o5FiswAQnXzI1GZ4ijpE7qrlXhwLpe0x78boVpvOoH8RLXE7z5FIlOzTfe_fhAoa-466X9ut8mCwWm8JwzbOcqI-g/s400/wet+black+vulture-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A black vulture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3D65W_Gx4xu4uCMytP833pd8dADtovPMbk_6LeBhwU962Jp54Dnoc_BnUSZA-IZGN6aUQorN4EcG5OXC6Z9DjN-62spgSJY4KBr12xsbKfN8jNMi_ncuuOq8XCWlGC1r5tLzIiIytuY/s1600/mockingbird-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="1200" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3D65W_Gx4xu4uCMytP833pd8dADtovPMbk_6LeBhwU962Jp54Dnoc_BnUSZA-IZGN6aUQorN4EcG5OXC6Z9DjN-62spgSJY4KBr12xsbKfN8jNMi_ncuuOq8XCWlGC1r5tLzIiIytuY/s400/mockingbird-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mockingbird</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTc6mmgjHOz-j_zh0UhyphenhyphenLTkFPjoeLbPdgQCiIcKXb1sgT41OIxiS7GxrwKuSCUmbDr8gHG_yNv7kdsR_r3op7eDuVSkN91Yrbb-hpPvDOOJwbIsKDA7AC7CWt1qIyZhtzBjA7Od_SYKU/s1600/warbler-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="754" data-original-width="1200" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTc6mmgjHOz-j_zh0UhyphenhyphenLTkFPjoeLbPdgQCiIcKXb1sgT41OIxiS7GxrwKuSCUmbDr8gHG_yNv7kdsR_r3op7eDuVSkN91Yrbb-hpPvDOOJwbIsKDA7AC7CWt1qIyZhtzBjA7Od_SYKU/s400/warbler-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Possibly a small warbler</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
These photos are from all the way back in January, and mark the first in a series of batches I'll be posting now I've had some free time to clear a bit of my backlog! I hope you enjoy them. As always, you can click on each image to see a larger version.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bOpv8CLXunltjBtwHbVzZEv6jroTssf0S0xWIud3BL9waaIFDz8-QqbQ6-UXq2g_WIj2XDqfIPz-Rm39reRgVacjSb5wumNBlfmmy2YwoW8owz-8jhW0koNmMUeDWP0iEDPJdjxFn68/s1600/juv+little+blue+heron+being+a+bird-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="818" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bOpv8CLXunltjBtwHbVzZEv6jroTssf0S0xWIud3BL9waaIFDz8-QqbQ6-UXq2g_WIj2XDqfIPz-Rm39reRgVacjSb5wumNBlfmmy2YwoW8owz-8jhW0koNmMUeDWP0iEDPJdjxFn68/s400/juv+little+blue+heron+being+a+bird-1.jpg" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A juvenile blue heron.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-71441431197667418012017-05-20T16:21:00.000+01:002017-05-20T16:21:51.721+01:00Surveying the deep Gulf of Mexico<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I have the coolest job!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/99/36/a5/9936a56c1a3e84b90a610276ef5e64e8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/99/36/a5/9936a56c1a3e84b90a610276ef5e64e8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Over the last couple of weeks I've been out at sea on a research cruise in the northern Gulf of Mexico to study the fishes that live in the deep pelagic realm. The pelagic ocean really includes everything above the seafloor and offshore from the coast, but my interest for now is in the animals that live far offshore, at depths down to 1500 m.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcalmNwC7jPkZaTbEHLp48nBnacU0sSDq2CRP232g0RN6yvOUE0qwIP4OrEEayER_BJrYT_8KTW7r-aNMXYtJ-Wa5nOjV4qzYseaPqH0LHxi8lQBVNomVDrMRd9EwuKKFf0EZWRtqYhs/s1600/phoronima-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcalmNwC7jPkZaTbEHLp48nBnacU0sSDq2CRP232g0RN6yvOUE0qwIP4OrEEayER_BJrYT_8KTW7r-aNMXYtJ-Wa5nOjV4qzYseaPqH0LHxi8lQBVNomVDrMRd9EwuKKFf0EZWRtqYhs/s400/phoronima-1.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hell, even the coolest alien in cinema was inspired by the deep oceans. This is Phronima in the home it carved from a salp, and it was the inspiration for the xenomorph in Alien movie. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Every single fish that lives in the open ocean lives in an environment with no hard surfaces at all. For their entire lives, a pelagic fish's experience of the environment is defined in gradients of temperature, light, food and water currents. They live surrounded by the bioluminescent flashes of other animals; they may eventually find a mate, or they may end up as a meal for one of the many fish-eating predators that lie in wait for them in the darkness. Many of the fish that live in the deep-pelagic ocean live short, but fascinating, lives.<br />
<br />
I've been working on deep-sea fishes for a while now. My PhD research involved trying to work out how the large deep-sea fish that live across the seafloor are distributed in different places and why. Now, I'm trying to work out where fish live in the deep in the water column and why, using a unique long-term dataset from the northern Gulf of Mexico (check out the <a href="http://deependconsortium.org/">DEEPEND</a> website for more info). Of course, species names in a database don't mean a great deal on their own, so going out on this cruise gave me my first chance to put a few fresh faces to some long and hard-to-pronounce names. And there were certainly some memorable faces...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.on-this.website/5261_16671240955919d33e35d27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://images.on-this.website/5261_16671240955919d33e35d27.jpg" width="387" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">This is a fangtooth. How it got its name is truly one of the world's great mysteries.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.on-this.website/5261_16629345455919d34ce6eb1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://images.on-this.website/5261_16629345455919d34ce6eb1.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Lanternfishes have the ability to produce light on their faces to help them spot prey<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.on-this.website/5261_7705639575919d36a09537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://images.on-this.website/5261_7705639575919d36a09537.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A dragonfish with its long, glowing lure for attracting prey and "headlights" on its cheeks for spotting prey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As cool and weird as these animals are, all the work we're doing out here has a serious purpose. Over the last decade or so, deep pelagic research has had a bit of a resurgence. While the deep-pelagic realm is probably one of the least understood anywhere on Earth, the more we learn about it, the more important it seems to be; and sometimes in surprising ways. For example, many deep-pelagic animals (like the lanternfishes for example) migrate to the surface waters every night to feed on microscopic animals (zooplankton), and in doing so, actually move huge quantities of carbon away from the surface ocean (where it could be released to the atmosphere again as carbon dioxide) and into the deep oceans (where it can be stored for up to 1000 years!). Since high levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide are one of the primary causes of our current global warming problem, it's easy to see how deep-pelagic fishes could be incredibly important animals for us to learn more about.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.on-this.website/5261_18551063885919d3514567c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://images.on-this.website/5261_18551063885919d3514567c.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many lanternfishes have light-producing organs along their bodies. This fish was still glowing when we brought it on board!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjf2fbTuDh5tkO9D0Mmw2RhyphenhyphenLDZgCmMcYFHvFTjJ16uRrqLTvxAc_kw8Wf3MeqjBgDODSWsJ6axE-JvjzWrhCvOWRaoXNY62FgdmBWfR5XhK6z7SZudzlYc25Tcj7dVdGPRZpYvA7h3Wg/s1600/cyclothone-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjf2fbTuDh5tkO9D0Mmw2RhyphenhyphenLDZgCmMcYFHvFTjJ16uRrqLTvxAc_kw8Wf3MeqjBgDODSWsJ6axE-JvjzWrhCvOWRaoXNY62FgdmBWfR5XhK6z7SZudzlYc25Tcj7dVdGPRZpYvA7h3Wg/s320/cyclothone-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These strange-looking "bristlemouth" fishes (Cyclothone spp.) are the most abundant vertebrates on Earth.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Of course, as with most of the deep sea, we have plenty of questions to ask and not a lot of data to answer them with. This makes the catches we're collecting through DEEPEND all the more valuable and gives us a huge opportunity to start digging into some cool and really fundamental questions (like "what even lives down there and how?" and "why do deep-sea fishes live where they do?"), as well as some really complex ones (like "how will future human activities affect how deep-sea ecosystems work?"). Trying to find sensible answers to these sorts of questions is what I do when I'm back in the office. For now though, I'll leave you with a few more photos of some of the stranger fish we caught!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.on-this.website/5261_378625025919d358a945b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://images.on-this.website/5261_378625025919d358a945b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barreleye fishes like this one have eyes that can see upwards and sideways at the same time! This is a glasshead barreleye (Rhynchohyalus natalensis).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.on-this.website/5261_14749476085919d36112d22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://images.on-this.website/5261_14749476085919d36112d22.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
This is a "Tubeshoulder" fish (Platytroctes apus). These have little tubes on their shoulders that they can use to shoot bioluminescent fluid out of, presumably as a defense mechanism.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.on-this.website/5261_20408336775919d367b88ef.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://images.on-this.website/5261_20408336775919d367b88ef.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A predatory bristlemouth (Sigmops elongatus). They have light organs along their belly for camouflage and a rather impressive set of teeth to eat things with!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Those of you who have been following my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wildoceanphotography/">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/zan_milligan">Twitter</a> will already have had a bit of a sneak preview of the other photos I took while I was out on the ship, but in case you haven't seen them, most of the photographs of the deep-sea animals are now also online on the website in the <a href="http://www.wildoceanphotography.com/deep-marine-species">Deep Sea</a> part of my "<a href="http://www.wildoceanphotography.com/marine-identification-guides-coastal-species">Specimen Photography</a>" gallery.<br />
<br /></div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-58998255634734736872016-11-30T04:22:00.000+00:002016-11-30T04:22:56.227+00:00Florida's Burrowing Owls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This weekend we took a trip over to the <a href="http://www.broward.org/Parks/BrianPiccoloPark/Pages/Default.aspx">Brian Piccolo</a> park; a well-manicured park in the middle of Cooper City (FL), which contains a multitude of sports grounds, a velodrome, and cycling tracks. It also contains a whole bunch of <a href="http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/burrowing-owl">Burrowing Owls</a> (<i>Athene cunicularia</i>) who, safe inside their carefully roped-off burrows, don't seem to give two hoots (yes, I'm hilarious) about passersby with cameras.<br />
<br />
I honestly hadn't held out much hope of seeing these birds, but I'm starting to get the idea that wildlife sightings in the US are somewhat more reliable than back home, and an awful lot of the wildlife just doesn't care about random people wandering up to them. So, we had a very successful afternoon with the birds before the sun set! They have fantastically expressive little faces too which makes them brilliant subjects.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4t_sUijt49k9FHQPvIqkuCeNE95rzy1T0weO6Ve4c7n6Geb-gLSdNTWeZyX8MyPHXkKCsQshgk5_4CrBaqUm0K1KKSgA4AMHKXFO0E0hP2-lgvWi_nk7TFsm7FishqVmlc0TpxHqDjhM/s1600/Owl1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4t_sUijt49k9FHQPvIqkuCeNE95rzy1T0weO6Ve4c7n6Geb-gLSdNTWeZyX8MyPHXkKCsQshgk5_4CrBaqUm0K1KKSgA4AMHKXFO0E0hP2-lgvWi_nk7TFsm7FishqVmlc0TpxHqDjhM/s400/Owl1-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burrowing owls make their homes in old rodent burrows, essentially making it a lazy version of the <a href="http://www.wildoceanphotography.com/auks">Atlantic puffin</a> which actually digs its own burrow-nest.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7kjh_X04seXO-ey8Kp8AYiBvpZulj8X6REdTCoqHJOrUPoo03KVvmwdmAxyShzuShJMMOSCfRtWCPsxWHVoBZ-W1YRkG8GrpCkyu70GrS-ZGH2tOq1PAgTgEaxWgGb22p2qM2VlZtjzQ/s1600/Owl-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7kjh_X04seXO-ey8Kp8AYiBvpZulj8X6REdTCoqHJOrUPoo03KVvmwdmAxyShzuShJMMOSCfRtWCPsxWHVoBZ-W1YRkG8GrpCkyu70GrS-ZGH2tOq1PAgTgEaxWgGb22p2qM2VlZtjzQ/s400/Owl-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chilling on one leg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
A few of the birds seemed to have the posing down to a fine art:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy4WguTp3TCQSKbwBuQ_d_5qrn0y9M-qtbnFHG7KpTOWcqzJED_H3jrNYId1xZ4w4CQvXQ507FaWBm89WwNgStew0suq8yAJg61-diX9d2fQXvkIPGc7QPb3dqktiJPy9aKbXP_-FLtRo/s1600/backwards+owl-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy4WguTp3TCQSKbwBuQ_d_5qrn0y9M-qtbnFHG7KpTOWcqzJED_H3jrNYId1xZ4w4CQvXQ507FaWBm89WwNgStew0suq8yAJg61-diX9d2fQXvkIPGc7QPb3dqktiJPy9aKbXP_-FLtRo/s400/backwards+owl-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The all-the-way-over-the-shoulder runway pose.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdjAIplvnzTqHA05SUNS4ppIvGMTD6KkKNW-atJo8X2Owout0-rEUHe9_FUFsiWhadP2YZWCmlAeWbmnolrSWC3EZZFqTNu5hqslL8c-c6-DcnAvweHWUAANju1WatFa2w0DN05pK8kQ/s1600/angry+owl-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdjAIplvnzTqHA05SUNS4ppIvGMTD6KkKNW-atJo8X2Owout0-rEUHe9_FUFsiWhadP2YZWCmlAeWbmnolrSWC3EZZFqTNu5hqslL8c-c6-DcnAvweHWUAANju1WatFa2w0DN05pK8kQ/s400/angry+owl-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue steel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Others had less composure:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9myfYtdWXW4lZXCSMuczuQ3f__rqdKUE9ia5eYBBKtvR_yquoj2_J7UjiMXkaHlYFezW_2_PoqCZ-WnH5XYKf3P_gPfyWRJ1jCojNiWAPcUu5ilswQHgqRLt1wkAF19GWLaCODhSCtY/s1600/Gah%2521-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9myfYtdWXW4lZXCSMuczuQ3f__rqdKUE9ia5eYBBKtvR_yquoj2_J7UjiMXkaHlYFezW_2_PoqCZ-WnH5XYKf3P_gPfyWRJ1jCojNiWAPcUu5ilswQHgqRLt1wkAF19GWLaCODhSCtY/s400/Gah%2521-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OMG!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdh9RnmlHBVmUisYaj0avN3RmWAe3u8KoJQIQX84wC-SZMNkTe7Zc6rx7S5dHXnPCbg0TyyRT9wPGYONWsNBlkzUzPWoa4eb1Mj5a52rwXeq-2DmNSwgZHVKOfKtItrvkjhkKgK-yHBvQ/s1600/OMG+I+have+a+beak-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdh9RnmlHBVmUisYaj0avN3RmWAe3u8KoJQIQX84wC-SZMNkTe7Zc6rx7S5dHXnPCbg0TyyRT9wPGYONWsNBlkzUzPWoa4eb1Mj5a52rwXeq-2DmNSwgZHVKOfKtItrvkjhkKgK-yHBvQ/s400/OMG+I+have+a+beak-1.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OMG I HAVE A BEAK!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DFpLqqQNh6PYStnyLIRSNPqjTn5puRHZvcLr3zzh7c8GbnCz02Qw9RnvjSRIlaA-kY_HfVAL-kbOpI5yC16bcNf4ZBrCSjRqxRy6dI3o3ewXfZwodB6Ji506PfzzEfLFqS5k7AFiioM/s1600/OMG+Owl-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DFpLqqQNh6PYStnyLIRSNPqjTn5puRHZvcLr3zzh7c8GbnCz02Qw9RnvjSRIlaA-kY_HfVAL-kbOpI5yC16bcNf4ZBrCSjRqxRy6dI3o3ewXfZwodB6Ji506PfzzEfLFqS5k7AFiioM/s400/OMG+Owl-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OMG WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The rest just seemed happy to relax and enjoy the evening:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38gzEamWNON5GXIoD8YJkC4X-8939cukqy3oUT-zYTVhxkRc-ywrMQE8UBmPptvJ9mh6_nqShggkKSNNr9wB41cxaMJZjGF7OI6w_rAd_MBMvj3PIyh0MwNEtZqzCwAFtzAMKYixtFrw/s1600/Nap-1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38gzEamWNON5GXIoD8YJkC4X-8939cukqy3oUT-zYTVhxkRc-ywrMQE8UBmPptvJ9mh6_nqShggkKSNNr9wB41cxaMJZjGF7OI6w_rAd_MBMvj3PIyh0MwNEtZqzCwAFtzAMKYixtFrw/s400/Nap-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpmAK5nWMMler1d8rtuB920M1NH1lQEpxRAW7rcrM6azT9s2t7VA7zpXGIXAr-BWpXvTrdbEfiayM9HnlWivJV7NHBtRqVGBV602ZHbqiARSsJ4Z8xaym3moVHeIqbhbHPGeghZbiSkg/s1600/what+a+nice+day-1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpmAK5nWMMler1d8rtuB920M1NH1lQEpxRAW7rcrM6azT9s2t7VA7zpXGIXAr-BWpXvTrdbEfiayM9HnlWivJV7NHBtRqVGBV602ZHbqiARSsJ4Z8xaym3moVHeIqbhbHPGeghZbiSkg/s400/what+a+nice+day-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8h2LTrkbu0ezB6SbRK7YlaszRhQxlISsW4evKEiG5DY5rs4NeJSVY798enMM3_1Jp2MPNtQiSEbFteuSZ0VFR4-CoIUHf82c50Yjw8S2eG396T4DJdLVWH-axGo5-AwuYez7ir-e-qCQ/s1600/snooze-1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8h2LTrkbu0ezB6SbRK7YlaszRhQxlISsW4evKEiG5DY5rs4NeJSVY798enMM3_1Jp2MPNtQiSEbFteuSZ0VFR4-CoIUHf82c50Yjw8S2eG396T4DJdLVWH-axGo5-AwuYez7ir-e-qCQ/s400/snooze-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VLnHPqxU91_AeCDa9fzweUJMP0Xfkf4PbZcd5wx7dPG3BvwfaK6GPNi_GDRtoJtEhK9ohkGzEEyvHMHVtFG-X_tv9zDUQNudI_OQgpt_Qgrwc9tw77cg5hjkgKW1TB_PlvYuD3_Vzfg/s1600/owl3-1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VLnHPqxU91_AeCDa9fzweUJMP0Xfkf4PbZcd5wx7dPG3BvwfaK6GPNi_GDRtoJtEhK9ohkGzEEyvHMHVtFG-X_tv9zDUQNudI_OQgpt_Qgrwc9tw77cg5hjkgKW1TB_PlvYuD3_Vzfg/s400/owl3-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-46691219344645630832016-10-22T21:11:00.000+01:002016-10-22T21:12:51.825+01:00The Florida Mullet Run<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Every autumn a phenomenon called the 'Mullet Run' sweeps up the Florida coast, as millions of finger-size mullet head southwards along the Atlantic coast, following the warmer waters and their food supply of algae. It's quite a sight! As these small fish migrate, they form vast schools in order to avoid their predators, which in turn follow along to feed. If you've ever seen wildlife documentaries of the sardine run in South Africa, this is something similar.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZMZG4Bnx3ns9bAFbn6rz39mnkhyphenhyphenS0xaPd1RyfQJIPSQy9EHoFMds0wq_h58BbAntbGUL_Nmwaq79Wuw4aEHmWliBcFeWSWyjjh9VI_ukunZY0bMaTAo_HnGBVS21qTBsfzS8dH5cSz0/s1600/mullet1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZMZG4Bnx3ns9bAFbn6rz39mnkhyphenhyphenS0xaPd1RyfQJIPSQy9EHoFMds0wq_h58BbAntbGUL_Nmwaq79Wuw4aEHmWliBcFeWSWyjjh9VI_ukunZY0bMaTAo_HnGBVS21qTBsfzS8dH5cSz0/s400/mullet1-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finger mullet in the harbour. The density of fish was this high everywhere!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioz7NiyDQHhJaREqa5u8RZHJAu5_UNVU0G0u_GLzDf2-Tr-INibSQjBZeV8wvloSYP_XOhbXt5zCGJzEFHd6mMGZu06IqM97PWqiIZ6-vUlWCzKMdUuk1CLDf-IfnjnqYPw6nyAo69VL4/s1600/mullet+hunting-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioz7NiyDQHhJaREqa5u8RZHJAu5_UNVU0G0u_GLzDf2-Tr-INibSQjBZeV8wvloSYP_XOhbXt5zCGJzEFHd6mMGZu06IqM97PWqiIZ6-vUlWCzKMdUuk1CLDf-IfnjnqYPw6nyAo69VL4/s400/mullet+hunting-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mullet being chased (and eaten) by jacks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This year's mullet run happened to pass my work last week. Overnight, the water in our boat dock became literally packed with mullet, as predatory jacks and pelicans chased them around the seawall at the entrance. Unfortunately, I only had my phone with me to take pictures with, but they at least give you a bit of an idea of just how many fish were all jammed in there together!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i9.ytimg.com/vi/PZlPl5uXdjU/default.jpg?sqp=CJSIr8AF&rs=AOn4CLA2RKmw6Apm-Xz4hCZ99j2uJBzkJQ" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PZlPl5uXdjU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
By the next day, I had my big camera in work with me, but it was all over and the majority of the fish had moved on (of course!). Hopefully next year!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-61189001603149072182016-09-25T21:02:00.000+01:002016-09-25T21:02:13.858+01:00Snorkelling at John Pennekamp Coral State Park<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well it only took nine months, but we finally sorted ourselves out for long enough to take a snorkelling trip off the Florida Keyes and it was beautiful!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEOgDss15twDlGmNhEZGF7nuAM_37bVGNPxCv0Lu7myqfHxQa1Dpcki6vWu5dRbVGZRvHUS9hw3Y9fKZkLgJ0Y1sw35bUpvrUTJBPOlAPyJaeAW5P5rhv1Mh_Xvhyphenhyphen7aC4g55iwZhQs8U/s1600/pennekamp+park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEOgDss15twDlGmNhEZGF7nuAM_37bVGNPxCv0Lu7myqfHxQa1Dpcki6vWu5dRbVGZRvHUS9hw3Y9fKZkLgJ0Y1sw35bUpvrUTJBPOlAPyJaeAW5P5rhv1Mh_Xvhyphenhyphen7aC4g55iwZhQs8U/s320/pennekamp+park.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Pennekamp park at Key Largo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We booked a trip with a tour operator in the J<a href="http://pennekamppark.com/">ohn Pennekamp Coral State Park</a> and headed about five miles offshore to the Key Largo Dry Rocks reef where we were treated to an awesome array of fish (as well as a sadly not-photographed 2 m-long nurse shark!) and a beautiful reef of corals and a TON of soft corals (like seafans and black corals).<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYw08yetll0wPYOMhI9CNe_wMcSkI45XOjvPUyNbXmrnYfOWNHuMsto1Ej5FmsKTGZJgIsb72_cOjqNm0shzK4jMSCBjU32gPo0LQB02sS8q6k9T9QmeWDT0vQsObyv-pFJgVg9xJh9S8/s1600/seafans2-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYw08yetll0wPYOMhI9CNe_wMcSkI45XOjvPUyNbXmrnYfOWNHuMsto1Ej5FmsKTGZJgIsb72_cOjqNm0shzK4jMSCBjU32gPo0LQB02sS8q6k9T9QmeWDT0vQsObyv-pFJgVg9xJh9S8/s400/seafans2-1.jpg" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were a TON of soft corals forming the reef</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3RWeWqa0dPWE7iudUO9wTHrA2zPrCR-gWkcSNWykXVyQDYwuFKC4HrCW-P-2xFqIXLsVkM8dAknYI2Ra0O0S4tvLDPcGJHnlCJvLAzt0Ir9UTEa_wcoXPxU-vdq5jSUJHz9_faW3WyY/s1600/Reef-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3RWeWqa0dPWE7iudUO9wTHrA2zPrCR-gWkcSNWykXVyQDYwuFKC4HrCW-P-2xFqIXLsVkM8dAknYI2Ra0O0S4tvLDPcGJHnlCJvLAzt0Ir9UTEa_wcoXPxU-vdq5jSUJHz9_faW3WyY/s400/Reef-1.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The reef at Key Largo Dry Rocks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3r2S3rdL_f-EmGwytr1zZk5iv8-z5hdzeTdOGRMwtlBBn0N1ZqGhyKGzUIrEsHSTPsuVpQHikE1wwvuQyZUcfmzgGzg5O4W1f8FEhkcRFTaWYz5ewSQx0MEcXdm1DLcjJENPSy0Qsco/s1600/Seafans-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3r2S3rdL_f-EmGwytr1zZk5iv8-z5hdzeTdOGRMwtlBBn0N1ZqGhyKGzUIrEsHSTPsuVpQHikE1wwvuQyZUcfmzgGzg5O4W1f8FEhkcRFTaWYz5ewSQx0MEcXdm1DLcjJENPSy0Qsco/s400/Seafans-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seafans everywhere!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Oh aye - Jesus was there too! This is a bronze statue called "Christ of the Abyss" and it sits at around 6 m depth just off the reef. Apparently it was placed there in 1965 and has been gradually accumulating marine life ever since. It's also become a tradition for snorkelers and divers to touch the statue's hands.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImt84CYE9mXOsVewSQl5tPNnT7zjLlcKLV3dEBMomXE-FSlxb6I_o3DhRivHFMSOTNzDMfP6KvXFaP4aAT0M2OFeRnu7UCNl_xglE2nqXALS0YY9WUSXjSvmNSpaqzQFnvUuoHvu1GEM/s1600/Jesus-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImt84CYE9mXOsVewSQl5tPNnT7zjLlcKLV3dEBMomXE-FSlxb6I_o3DhRivHFMSOTNzDMfP6KvXFaP4aAT0M2OFeRnu7UCNl_xglE2nqXALS0YY9WUSXjSvmNSpaqzQFnvUuoHvu1GEM/s400/Jesus-1.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christ of the Abyss at Key Largo Dry Rocks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzoKF7ReosIX_quclmyf5JS4ilmXb01GOq_uNLqoXcutnkfRL8i9u48R2G8TLJzI42U0ndOqiB6IgqF2fKh1_lZlHnEP2xzx4ufi6RzPEsbQJkt_TNPk57TMfl5pGNjOWGU38OsInC6c/s1600/Jesus2-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzoKF7ReosIX_quclmyf5JS4ilmXb01GOq_uNLqoXcutnkfRL8i9u48R2G8TLJzI42U0ndOqiB6IgqF2fKh1_lZlHnEP2xzx4ufi6RzPEsbQJkt_TNPk57TMfl5pGNjOWGU38OsInC6c/s400/Jesus2-1.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-4051614444621420172016-06-21T01:05:00.002+01:002016-06-21T01:05:51.643+01:00Islamorada & The Blazing Mako Fishing Tournament<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphs0GrI_4R2vYRYSIZu8nDjcyKg8GsEawEtXb7689IDvlwjg-4Dm6nivZPOWXz7j7R9mfLIdfEH6jpORXT_gFItWnPWWtnaHe8M5wNJlkdeY76Wm8qE_p0lDQRYkflHOHCDBX1kJ6n3o/s1600/the+deepend+team_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphs0GrI_4R2vYRYSIZu8nDjcyKg8GsEawEtXb7689IDvlwjg-4Dm6nivZPOWXz7j7R9mfLIdfEH6jpORXT_gFItWnPWWtnaHe8M5wNJlkdeY76Wm8qE_p0lDQRYkflHOHCDBX1kJ6n3o/s400/the+deepend+team_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our team, braving the ridiculous heat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Last weekend the <a href="http://sutton.deependconsortium.org//">Oceanic Ecology</a> team headed south to <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Islamorada,+FL/@24.9296736,-80.7789475,11z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x88d7377ccd9df6ef:0xa7d154af283bfc9!8m2!3d24.9242943!4d-80.6278364">Islamorada</a> in the Florida Keys to represent the <a href="http://www.deependconsortium.org/">DEEPEND</a> project at the <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/blazing-mako/">Blazing Mako Fishing Tournament</a>. We took along a bunch of cool activities for people to do (all made up by our intrepid MSc students), as well as a tons of postcards and stickers featuring some of Dante's <a href="http://www.deependconsortium.org/index.php/gallery">deep-sea fish photographs</a> and (of course!), the temporary tattoos I designed:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFU1HEfw4LhpqXlHzeTXFID0FmttzKXNYF3-3GxqCMlJ-SLm1X-8FiKIB6gxIcExHUMrySRtNYb_9BksAdKni0rp8oYB5c1rzwqiu0HYf7vJNCeoLNb9epaN8CiJ-TILSduqQt7aHVLd8/s1600/tattoo_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFU1HEfw4LhpqXlHzeTXFID0FmttzKXNYF3-3GxqCMlJ-SLm1X-8FiKIB6gxIcExHUMrySRtNYb_9BksAdKni0rp8oYB5c1rzwqiu0HYf7vJNCeoLNb9epaN8CiJ-TILSduqQt7aHVLd8/s400/tattoo_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It totes glows in the dark!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When we weren't working on the stand, I had a bit of time off to take some photos. It was stupidly hot during the day, so we didn't exactly go very far! Luckily, we had plenty of iguanas-in-trees to keep me entertained (and slightly pooped on) during the middle of the day while we were hiding out in the shade!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTeGlNftFKMwsnxECglq8IFI-PpNMgOuoQZqL6Yxduj_HvBevmz2o5VLTHeH6NFMzKTlTw_MCp_AFJdOL9UppkRJeZ6wifF5WSF83lRZdPGIdMXm1U_2hqo_I3StEeMj5mSbIAiFVhoZc/s1600/Tree+Iguana2-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTeGlNftFKMwsnxECglq8IFI-PpNMgOuoQZqL6Yxduj_HvBevmz2o5VLTHeH6NFMzKTlTw_MCp_AFJdOL9UppkRJeZ6wifF5WSF83lRZdPGIdMXm1U_2hqo_I3StEeMj5mSbIAiFVhoZc/s400/Tree+Iguana2-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An iguana in a tree.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The evenings were a lot more pleasant, and I headed back to the tournament after work to see them lighting the bonfire (the 'Blazing Mako' itself!)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg11PIOI9kc2RankUtN181DDOxVQIZj9Rf3kKBBpCu0J51l6E7YuAYZYms0eQ9kXv72oX9I4iYtp8nzGb-jdMn0s2tKkvtVW_40MR3eNj6kOxuo09edcTmspihsN6yKcCrRPLKcsZjw84/s1600/THe+blazing+mako-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg11PIOI9kc2RankUtN181DDOxVQIZj9Rf3kKBBpCu0J51l6E7YuAYZYms0eQ9kXv72oX9I4iYtp8nzGb-jdMn0s2tKkvtVW_40MR3eNj6kOxuo09edcTmspihsN6yKcCrRPLKcsZjw84/s400/THe+blazing+mako-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The blazing mako!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It also gave me a chance to try out my new Manfrotto BeFree tripod. I've never really done much low-light photography and there's not a lot of need for a tripod when you're on a boat, so it was fun to have a play around with it on the beach. If I can catch one of the lightning storms off the coast this summer with it I'll be a happy photographer!<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9tQyB0qV_EFOxzWsQBib0i4Mpy8TGaVF7KOjBQpPLrIedMg9aSfMXdmqRo5OXdSeh0bl8-jf46fKbNqNMKN6zFKj74-DBjrK_oXIFLma78u-1gkfAF1uiCXhqcKuACsqulGhUDJ0GeI/s1600/Pier+%2526+Hut-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9tQyB0qV_EFOxzWsQBib0i4Mpy8TGaVF7KOjBQpPLrIedMg9aSfMXdmqRo5OXdSeh0bl8-jf46fKbNqNMKN6zFKj74-DBjrK_oXIFLma78u-1gkfAF1uiCXhqcKuACsqulGhUDJ0GeI/s400/Pier+%2526+Hut-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">A hut on the pier </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_4JrtbbBjkq5kilbI0ASF0_3BSe52qfUIh1xLcELMyD_5ZKspMueO8ctLNCYL2NLeL9MZsHP5uNrvL3RYoWPzomG_Uy4fjq2uBd7ztbUa-SmXtNUavGYSXi_vppS3DaLqyalz-LOwg4/s1600/Pier+at+night-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_4JrtbbBjkq5kilbI0ASF0_3BSe52qfUIh1xLcELMyD_5ZKspMueO8ctLNCYL2NLeL9MZsHP5uNrvL3RYoWPzomG_Uy4fjq2uBd7ztbUa-SmXtNUavGYSXi_vppS3DaLqyalz-LOwg4/s400/Pier+at+night-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A family fishing under the full moon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Oh - Islamorada also has a sweet diving museum if you're interested in that kind of thing. It's pretty small, but they've got some really cool stuff covering the full history of diving!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQZlkSht91_fS1loS6lqdfj0Do7xL4crZPkBBNKgcZQwm20ptHX6wmDu2dS9tOnmb4AKbNxi-J3TG79oYg-enm_7_M2CyHj8dxrUxkdYsALPT1G4fJcB-Sn3MvCmZ_27lIGVUj95QaBE/s1600/diving+stuff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQZlkSht91_fS1loS6lqdfj0Do7xL4crZPkBBNKgcZQwm20ptHX6wmDu2dS9tOnmb4AKbNxi-J3TG79oYg-enm_7_M2CyHj8dxrUxkdYsALPT1G4fJcB-Sn3MvCmZ_27lIGVUj95QaBE/s400/diving+stuff.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the one-person diving suits and commercial diving helmets on display in the diving museum.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-89341681770705859542016-06-04T15:19:00.002+01:002016-06-04T15:19:43.762+01:00Deep-sea (temporary) tattoos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One of the things I love about my job is how varied it can be. We've got an outreach event coming up in the Florida Keys next weekend to promote the research we're doing in the Gulf of Mexico through the <a href="http://www.deependconsortium.org/">DEEPEND project</a>. With most people in the office just back from a cruise, things were somewhat hectic, and I ended up spending an evening last week designing a couple of temporary tattoos for the event!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC092LKsniF2HwFCCgrfLhQEC7kzxcuwwcXSRQ2KrVM9LmhKXaIZkZa2LXtZlTvBvPDtGo1SPQsrbjwDMsbtuN8DGz1blJYN6XMjxuGsdAukVwZAmXSKU2aj4xsBWXOnxzcsMm2i473UM/s1600/angler-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC092LKsniF2HwFCCgrfLhQEC7kzxcuwwcXSRQ2KrVM9LmhKXaIZkZa2LXtZlTvBvPDtGo1SPQsrbjwDMsbtuN8DGz1blJYN6XMjxuGsdAukVwZAmXSKU2aj4xsBWXOnxzcsMm2i473UM/s400/angler-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">An anglerfish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_uTrtlPEeilQ2s46FO-2DrCZH8nW3bunlmudbjrDa73wOEiZDHT14OB8HFS179Vk-cfPtsd8fAWO-L9_RFMHEleA9ymFQJT8yzAfWdmwYP-Qtmfjbdy_yY1RR-qOgeXVkRcYAAdvy40c/s1600/squid-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_uTrtlPEeilQ2s46FO-2DrCZH8nW3bunlmudbjrDa73wOEiZDHT14OB8HFS179Vk-cfPtsd8fAWO-L9_RFMHEleA9ymFQJT8yzAfWdmwYP-Qtmfjbdy_yY1RR-qOgeXVkRcYAAdvy40c/s320/squid-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">And a little squid</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
What makes them extra cool is that because they're going to be used as part of a 'bioluminscence' theme, the white bits will glow in the dark!<br />
<br /></div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-65014468857515600992016-05-29T16:42:00.002+01:002016-05-29T16:42:48.803+01:00Florida photographs!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Now that work has calmed down again a little bit I've had time to upload some of my Florida photographs to the website under a new portfolio in the <a href="http://www.wildoceanphotography.com/rest-of-the-world">"Rest of the World"</a> gallery on my <a href="http://www.wildoceanphotography.com/">Wild Ocean Photography</a> website.<br />
<br />
The website is where you can see the best of what I've taken so far, or you can also check out the albums on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wildoceanphotography/">Facebook page</a> for some extras!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc5XCOq3iD7_k9y2xnXLPKDc_D7dLfvKTmpC-qxsZ_hnGAMRZGNmrf9L91bMqQHkVn75kvybATRoXg4NUJ-ZvB5wheULlxWGCL_MNyk5Bez-A0dRfJ7j4ug62d3Q6K3rGvHR6XpK79G1g/s1600/dragonfly+thing-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc5XCOq3iD7_k9y2xnXLPKDc_D7dLfvKTmpC-qxsZ_hnGAMRZGNmrf9L91bMqQHkVn75kvybATRoXg4NUJ-ZvB5wheULlxWGCL_MNyk5Bez-A0dRfJ7j4ug62d3Q6K3rGvHR6XpK79G1g/s400/dragonfly+thing-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A dragonfly in the Everglades</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0ZpXkc0cmFxPpJWoqYb7j0QNAnHZMGMVwp8VDO13sWHyTSihcp_4lgFhSwpHvgPx0UDElfWCBArjcP0qmgaHp50gQ-I_OcCEVGQhl7KzMF1dUGqZrBJJBv2nDIV9AIsOCob2ESjVU5A/s1600/grackle-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0ZpXkc0cmFxPpJWoqYb7j0QNAnHZMGMVwp8VDO13sWHyTSihcp_4lgFhSwpHvgPx0UDElfWCBArjcP0qmgaHp50gQ-I_OcCEVGQhl7KzMF1dUGqZrBJJBv2nDIV9AIsOCob2ESjVU5A/s400/grackle-1.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A female grackle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj450R_yV-4zp4QV_mLRd67T5BUtJWnHyH-6TnU1R1VvwclNx9YbTZ1bLascT9VqqtLbaWxjkBylhZJHHLNQIn-zQA_RmObs-bXs-3aZNYyil3o4iVZA7w6oeBHIt6pvxUHOsO6UPFcxHA/s1600/bairds+or+semipalmated+SP-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj450R_yV-4zp4QV_mLRd67T5BUtJWnHyH-6TnU1R1VvwclNx9YbTZ1bLascT9VqqtLbaWxjkBylhZJHHLNQIn-zQA_RmObs-bXs-3aZNYyil3o4iVZA7w6oeBHIt6pvxUHOsO6UPFcxHA/s400/bairds+or+semipalmated+SP-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">A dipper by the shore </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IYIcJIFERAe-DZ0CIlTTtJS6Jnit7Fy0zJ0KcemuJJyZ281lJPiysp0bhf1nMuIapH-BXfac0LEC7k-BBM6xSU7ZqFXVQojzrvuuKbBRqnURUKJeM7cWWDR-ukCNNT9mEPPuZ-aZZI4/s1600/fiddler+crab+by+burrow-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IYIcJIFERAe-DZ0CIlTTtJS6Jnit7Fy0zJ0KcemuJJyZ281lJPiysp0bhf1nMuIapH-BXfac0LEC7k-BBM6xSU7ZqFXVQojzrvuuKbBRqnURUKJeM7cWWDR-ukCNNT9mEPPuZ-aZZI4/s400/fiddler+crab+by+burrow-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fiddler crab by its burrow in the mangroves</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-69671532557524508752016-05-07T04:19:00.000+01:002016-05-07T04:19:01.657+01:00I moved to Florida and I'm still alive!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Right. I've apparently been out here for three and a half months already so I guess it's about time I told you guys a bit about Florida! So far I've spent most of my time in a state of mild confusion while attempting to function like an adult in a land where "the Simpsons" is my primary frame of reference.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/simpsons/images/b/b4/Monstromart.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100826143509" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/simpsons/images/b/b4/Monstromart.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100826143509" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty sure I've been here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Anyway, despite all the culture shock, I at least have a functioning car, an "apartment", a whole bunch of paperwork to assure the US government that I exist and am legal, and I haven't starved to death yet, been eaten by an alligator or had any run-ins with <a href="http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/crime-law/report-jupiter-man-arrested-for-tossing-gator-into/nqL3c/">Florida Man</a>. So far so good. Also, my <a href="http://www.deependconsortium.org/">new job</a> is making me a very happy deep-sea nerd so happy days :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLoDmJSr09HfNCJoUSjj5qmXMDRT5dZZGBkLk1c0_iyMK8-ljNtU5onpmSAPB3wddRabvfhEUOYwGJaMBRb1V1qnByGOHg6RIid-FR1BI-si2BOeUSJ4kjtD_R6imerpVxC34EMNkY5zY/s1600/Florida+butterfly-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLoDmJSr09HfNCJoUSjj5qmXMDRT5dZZGBkLk1c0_iyMK8-ljNtU5onpmSAPB3wddRabvfhEUOYwGJaMBRb1V1qnByGOHg6RIid-FR1BI-si2BOeUSJ4kjtD_R6imerpVxC34EMNkY5zY/s400/Florida+butterfly-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The zebra longwing butterfly is apparently Florida's state butterfly because apparently states have butterflies. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
On a more wildlife-related note, I've also managed to get out with the camera a few times. I'm living in sub-tropical Fort Lauderdale (on the Atlantic coast just north of Miami), so there are mangrove swamps and white-sand beaches everywhere, and of course, there's the Everglades National park just to the west of us which has fan boats and alligators every few metres. I've not managed to get out scuba diving or snorkelling yet, but the summer is just around the corner for that!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYf7ePxdntTYUIU4KKeSO_l0sh7sq1HicmUpiTp-JS09-DAa6AXB1HVsXFS0e12H13bth1KEJ2JOON9A-NalUB0xdkaYem44TV5lDgL69IR-5C7ouKSexvOp4FK5CGfvMAZJQrsKJD8J8/s1600/Itchy+tern-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYf7ePxdntTYUIU4KKeSO_l0sh7sq1HicmUpiTp-JS09-DAa6AXB1HVsXFS0e12H13bth1KEJ2JOON9A-NalUB0xdkaYem44TV5lDgL69IR-5C7ouKSexvOp4FK5CGfvMAZJQrsKJD8J8/s400/Itchy+tern-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A royal tern in its winter plumage.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I'll set up some separate blog posts for the specific parks I've been to, but for now, here's an alligator from a couple of weeks ago:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmiL-wllm8ByFdFOktmsSMf7E-vSZlEH9WEj8Nb0OY8FjewEN-wsVajIkZvGw19NqzvzFPLbJqf-jMrQjjUEr60UocpUySz0gCpi1JgfPPsWBYiJkbWpMOcP3QKWmaXE0r9rN687I4TMw/s1600/Alligator-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmiL-wllm8ByFdFOktmsSMf7E-vSZlEH9WEj8Nb0OY8FjewEN-wsVajIkZvGw19NqzvzFPLbJqf-jMrQjjUEr60UocpUySz0gCpi1JgfPPsWBYiJkbWpMOcP3QKWmaXE0r9rN687I4TMw/s400/Alligator-1.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An American alligator in the water lilies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I'll be back in a day or two with some more photos to share. Have a good weekend!<br />
<br /></div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-80335038028411861642016-01-15T14:36:00.002+00:002016-01-15T14:36:20.921+00:00My 5 Favourite Photographs: Number 5<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFAtD21OmUT6CqDInRNLhVpYndfp6a0B4NV14S8s0wIFPKR4gwMNTSG49WH2RKTyZ29cQ1IzIn1UPfEeKCoH2cSerpwYnWOOw1PfQSeVQsT4DSriqW8TUiapWYY5DCvE1B2tPDHRySho/s1600/sailing+with+gannets.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFAtD21OmUT6CqDInRNLhVpYndfp6a0B4NV14S8s0wIFPKR4gwMNTSG49WH2RKTyZ29cQ1IzIn1UPfEeKCoH2cSerpwYnWOOw1PfQSeVQsT4DSriqW8TUiapWYY5DCvE1B2tPDHRySho/s400/sailing+with+gannets.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now, bring me that horizon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For my final photograph this week I've chosen this shot of some gannets tagging alongside our research ship (RRS Discovery) as we sailed out into the Atlantic Ocean. I'm not going to lie, the fact that I'm leaving the UK tomorrow has quite a lot to do with this particular photo choice! For me, this photo sums up everything I love about my job - the excitement and anticipation that comes with discovering something new about the world, along with the calmness of just being at sea and away from everyday life for a little while. The next couple of years are going to have some pretty big changes in them, but to be honest, as long as I can get out on the water every once in a while I think I'll be more than happy!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-56838558062585053272016-01-14T16:15:00.002+00:002016-01-14T16:15:35.291+00:00My 5 Favourite Photographs: Number 4<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71Tbz_ofgdm97-47LM6RF2V0oc7wlOSvOkUuHvXcf6hYBXy7ECWxgrY55cgQaTaY4KOWD8zTeIf5li_u3KjzzCY_510kCe0bG6MWNDvN9PTo6UmLcfpXaaXb6ke4cQOIA3dPNfR1GHtI/s1600/Adult+Cormorant-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71Tbz_ofgdm97-47LM6RF2V0oc7wlOSvOkUuHvXcf6hYBXy7ECWxgrY55cgQaTaY4KOWD8zTeIf5li_u3KjzzCY_510kCe0bG6MWNDvN9PTo6UmLcfpXaaXb6ke4cQOIA3dPNfR1GHtI/s400/Adult+Cormorant-1.jpg" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cormorant by the Forth & Clyde canal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Considering Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, it is great for wildlife. With dozens of parks, two rivers and the Forth and Clyde canal running through the city, there is plenty to see if you have a little patience. From garden birds, seabirds and birds of prey to squirrels, foxes and even deer, there is a huge amount of urban wildlife to find in our "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow">Dear Green Place</a>". <br />
<br />
This portrait of a cormorant relaxing on one leg was taken by the Forth and Clyde canal has been one of my favourite photographs for years now. I love the gentle autumnal colours of the bird and the background and how they contrast with the bright green in the bird's eye. Part of what I really love about photography is that it gives you a chance to stop and really look at the details in your subject, whether it's the texture of a fish's scales, or, as in this case, the subtle differences in the colours and shapes of a bird's wing feathers.<br />
<br /></div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-90867074875750495752016-01-13T14:00:00.000+00:002016-01-13T14:00:00.161+00:00My 5 Favourite Photographs: Number 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE00iFWFgR-oILD92OuEBXpAxFjvI10Tr_qRJgWdczpQQJ5T_EAqVKt1claq5HnkF7I_udLQcw9teVY11lNFALzsYlMoU3qcmSdqRk4MpJYKXXlPGSHRv3ymCy7mIpzMbg31BnxKmjgUI/s1600/Endeavour+-+Jim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE00iFWFgR-oILD92OuEBXpAxFjvI10Tr_qRJgWdczpQQJ5T_EAqVKt1claq5HnkF7I_udLQcw9teVY11lNFALzsYlMoU3qcmSdqRk4MpJYKXXlPGSHRv3ymCy7mIpzMbg31BnxKmjgUI/s400/Endeavour+-+Jim.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diving the Endeavour</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
<a href="http://wildoceanphotography.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/guide-diving-scapa-flow-northern-isles.html#.VpYitBWLShc">Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands</a> is an amazing place to dive. With seven German warships still lying on the seabed after being scuttled at the end of WW1 and numerous other vessels that were either sunk accidentally or deliberately through WW2, it's an incredible heritage site that very few people get the chance to visit. Scapa is also one of my favourite places to photograph underwater, because it gives the opportunity to take the sorts of naturally-lit, wide angle photographs that I really like. The shipwrecks provide framing and context for the photographs against the natural sunlight coming in from above, and then any divers in the frame provide a little extra colour and focus with their dive lights.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This particular photo was taken inside the wreck of a small fishing boat in the Northern Isles called the <i>Endeavour, </i>which is an absolutely stunning dive in very tidal waters. The wreck itself is festooned with marine life, and it's open enough that going inside it is fairly safe. This is one of the first underwater photographs I'd taken using natural lighting rather than on-camera strobes, and it came out exactly as I hoped it would (which is particularly unusual considering how blooming difficult underwater photography is!). I love the framing of the wreck around the diver and the little extra warmth he brings in with the yellow light of his torch, but mostly, it's a reminder of why I love diving in the UK so much. With relatively poor visibility and cold waters compared to holiday dive locations, you need a lot of gear and perseverance to do it, and you usually need a bit of luck with the weather too. But every so often everything comes together, and on those days there is nowhere in the world I'd rather dive!<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-25941911840615901982016-01-12T15:14:00.002+00:002016-01-12T15:14:22.778+00:00My 5 Favourite Photographs: Number 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2P_e29BVDn1hbkeheYFWoQKJXCrpK4zq0NhJsIahKsa2KNpSx3P7Xm_S7BWyv0PKkbrqQjmSiTPvtLijPx1fteFaRy_4WoFL_rjr0-8laJMzh0Ek7tUcYUXo4G63M-4fHDUugHAa6_sU/s1600/aerial+acrobatics-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2P_e29BVDn1hbkeheYFWoQKJXCrpK4zq0NhJsIahKsa2KNpSx3P7Xm_S7BWyv0PKkbrqQjmSiTPvtLijPx1fteFaRy_4WoFL_rjr0-8laJMzh0Ek7tUcYUXo4G63M-4fHDUugHAa6_sU/s400/aerial+acrobatics-1.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial acrobatics</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After leaving Oban and going back to University, I spent a lot of time working with the Scottish fishing industry to try and figure out ways of reducing waste in the langoustine trawl fisheries. Not surprisingly, this meant I needed to spend quite a lot of time on fishing and research boats to get good samples of their catches and turn it into the data I needed. It quickly became apparent that one of the few hobbies I could stomach while we were waiting for the catches to come aboard was photography (reading was a DEFINITE no-no!). After hours and hours of watching and practising taking photos of the seabirds following behind our boats, the gannets quickly became my favourites and I really wanted to get a good photograph of one. Unfortunately, they are damn fast and either kept too far away from the boat to shoot or got hidden in amongst the flocks of gulls that also followed us around.<br />
<br />
This photograph was taken during a lucky break in the chaos just as we were hauling our fishing nets back into the boat with a full catch. The gulls and kittiwakes made a gap just as this particular gannet jammed its brakes on midair and twisted into some sort of martial-arts pose just before the dive, which is just the moment I caught on camera. I've taken a <a href="http://www.wildoceanphotography.com/gannets">LOT of gannet photos</a> since, but this one makes the favourites list because it was the first time I'd managed to get a decent action shot of a bird in flight. Also, that pose still makes me laugh!<br />
</div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-56316635941150188042016-01-11T14:46:00.001+00:002016-01-11T14:47:18.930+00:00My 5 favourite photographs: Number 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsmU0d6QaRiHg38Xvppie03A3yM4dI3bRAWDrohIpPqYlXVXSUymfk04Nd93zHyj8G0fA9auAe5G_SOQGvX6bQI-baFS-GO31Aezk-s_Z14DauKNeERY4qxRm7thzTNmTXLpKG6RJSEY/s1600/the-eagle-has-landed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsmU0d6QaRiHg38Xvppie03A3yM4dI3bRAWDrohIpPqYlXVXSUymfk04Nd93zHyj8G0fA9auAe5G_SOQGvX6bQI-baFS-GO31Aezk-s_Z14DauKNeERY4qxRm7thzTNmTXLpKG6RJSEY/s400/the-eagle-has-landed.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">A juvenile golden eagle learning to fly</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
After I graduated for the first time in summer 2006, I got a job as a guide on a <a href="http://www.sealife-adventures.com/">wildlife tour boat</a> in the <a href="http://www.argyllmarinesac.org/images/fol/map.jpg">Firth of Lorn</a> on the west coast of Scotland which I absolutely loved. That part of the world is amazing for wildlife, and is a great place to see dolphins, whales, wild goats, deer, seabirds and of course, eagles.<br />
<br />
The summer I worked there, we were lucky enough to have found a pair of nesting golden eagles which we could visit without causing them any disturbance. So we got to see this eagle family almost every day over about three months, and watch their chick grow from a tiny fluffy hatchling into a into a demanding young eaglet which was really cool. By the end of the summer, the chick was doing pretty well, and was providing us with a near-constant source of amusement as it learned how to bird! I took this photograph with my boss's camera right before I left the job at the end of the season, and shows the eaglet attempting to land on the clifftop after a short (and not-very-graceful) test flight. The photo is hardly a masterpiece, but for me, it's a reminder of one of the best wildlife experiences I've had in Scotland in a place I absolutely love.<br />
<br />
Shortly after, I decided to buy my first DSLR camera and I've been photographing ever since...</div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-47268316831885221022016-01-11T14:18:00.000+00:002016-01-11T14:55:17.888+00:005 Days Until the Big Move (and my 5 favourite photographs)...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Happy New Year!<br />
<br />
So this year is promising a whole host of new things for me. Back in October last year, I was offered an awesome post-doctorate job which will see me spending the next 2 years of my life right next to sunny Fort Lauderdale, Florida! I'll be joining the <a href="http://www.deependconsortium.org/">DEEPEND project</a> to study how communities of pelagic organisms (stuff that lives in the water column rather than on the seabed) in the Gulf of Mexico vary over time and space in response to changing environmental conditions. It's pretty cool, and signals a definite increase in the number of teeny tiny sea monsters I'll be meeting in the immediate future!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEindNelN_YvozJS6RMg94VWyPhNO2vipK5xhaBFY6AQrtQiOPzg7NgwzZaO2EsApeu_uweDeTJbXiFlpCUSRDVO_r6chzfze08-OSvK_Zvf-DzUoL19iMgHIbmyQ6IRBV75IY1_7ZJx8aE/s1600/poss+gulper+face.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEindNelN_YvozJS6RMg94VWyPhNO2vipK5xhaBFY6AQrtQiOPzg7NgwzZaO2EsApeu_uweDeTJbXiFlpCUSRDVO_r6chzfze08-OSvK_Zvf-DzUoL19iMgHIbmyQ6IRBV75IY1_7ZJx8aE/s400/poss+gulper+face.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's not to love about that slimy wee face?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Anyway, although I'll definitely be continuing with the photography when I get to Florida (because holy moly is there a LOT of wildlife out there!), I thought I'd round out my last week in Scotland by sharing five of my favourite photographs with you. These aren't photographs that I think are the "best" from a technical or compositional standpoint, but they're the ones that mean a lot to me because they captured a particularly special moment in time.<br />
<br />
So without further ado, here comes my first favourite photo...<br />
<br /></div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-39934946713136789492015-07-22T19:12:00.001+01:002015-07-24T22:59:48.449+01:00A Review of Recent Happenings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you're a fan of my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wildoceanphotography">Facebook page</a> (and if you're not, you REALLY should be!), you've probably noticed that I have been keeping fairly busy this summer with the photography and I wanted to give you a quick update on how things are going.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2RR7rJQLVYGM8K9_VKM78Fb2CXOlKMJKnQEWxuOkShFc-iNfNL__Q_BXhEK5YcwLfxRxapHVurnkXYWA2O1b-qQG84tZu59oD_w4ZG0GeTm94RoQXki5DsuQsMEFDjqPlqTluE2-Lw0/s1600/Sea+cliffs-1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2RR7rJQLVYGM8K9_VKM78Fb2CXOlKMJKnQEWxuOkShFc-iNfNL__Q_BXhEK5YcwLfxRxapHVurnkXYWA2O1b-qQG84tZu59oD_w4ZG0GeTm94RoQXki5DsuQsMEFDjqPlqTluE2-Lw0/s400/Sea+cliffs-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
At the start of the summer, I decided to make the effort to visit some new places around the Scottish coast. It's dead easy to slip into the habit of only going to the same places over and over again because you learn quite quickly that those are the places where you've got a good chance of getting a few nice photographs. But then of course, you don't know what you're missing! So far this year, I've tried out a few new places on the east coast of Scotland, and have visited coastal reserves around <a href="http://wildoceanphotography.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/tentsmuir-nature-reserve-in-fog.html#.Va_fYPlVg7c">Tayport</a>, <a href="http://wildoceanphotography.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/north-queensferry-carlingnose-reserve.html#.Va_evvlVg7c">North Queensferry</a>, <a href="http://wildoceanphotography.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/rockcliffe-to-sandyhills-coastal-walk.html#.Va_fLflVg7c">the Solway Coast</a> and <a href="http://wildoceanphotography.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/seaton-cliffs.html#.Va_fSflVg7c">Seaton Cliffs</a> which have been pretty nice!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3iV4yXFNWvvlDP3Up9ChbKisVHEPkBvcjQDcgItaFL1vlC7gaM0sXpn94hNwYd9mBj4KC3CMe10Xmd9sS6v2tkudFOiz7UnrBxj1MQVLMbC-AaQTgUODdPXG0cOJvcOaRi_SDd1hFxA/s1600/Eider+family-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3iV4yXFNWvvlDP3Up9ChbKisVHEPkBvcjQDcgItaFL1vlC7gaM0sXpn94hNwYd9mBj4KC3CMe10Xmd9sS6v2tkudFOiz7UnrBxj1MQVLMbC-AaQTgUODdPXG0cOJvcOaRi_SDd1hFxA/s400/Eider+family-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
To make it extra simple for you to find the blog posts about different sites, I've also put together a <a href="http://wildoceanphotography.blogspot.co.uk/p/map.html#.Va_gS_lVg7c">Google Map</a> which lists all the various locations with links to my thoughts on them (under "Location Guides" on the drop down menu). The map works better in full-screen view rather than embedded in the blogger template, but I've left a handy link for you so can enjoy the more spacious version!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7YBTEoHT0zjV9s4s6-497OfZE27jZU-KQoQFgIHuAKTGdfAqWtqYg8TiRs2QM8jkNvYVj3kATBv-FWdgMX-c6UFuH9SSy9w0iZ9l5oZTR31O72GJPJS6-KuPjSQLG-W-vq27ReqwpXM/s1600/GSF_working+the+creels-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7YBTEoHT0zjV9s4s6-497OfZE27jZU-KQoQFgIHuAKTGdfAqWtqYg8TiRs2QM8jkNvYVj3kATBv-FWdgMX-c6UFuH9SSy9w0iZ9l5oZTR31O72GJPJS6-KuPjSQLG-W-vq27ReqwpXM/s400/GSF_working+the+creels-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I've also done a bit of work for the <a href="http://www.glasgowsciencefestival.org.uk/">Glasgow Science Festival</a> this year, which has largely involved taking photographs of some of their big events. One of the projects I was particularly involved with was the "<a href="http://www.wildoceanphotography.com/gsf-2015-from-creel-to">Creel to Meal</a>" event, which followed the journey that Scottish seafood makes from the sea to your plate. My role in that project was to document that journey, all the way from a creel boat in Loch Fyne to kitchens in Stravaigin, Glasgow. I also took photographs at their two big weekend events: the <a href="http://www.wildoceanphotography.com/weekend-events-gsf">Kelvingrove weekend and Science Sunday</a>, which showcase some of the best research happening around Glasgow for the public. It's an incredible amount of fun, and an awesome way to spend a couple of weeks taking photographs and playing with science!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9hzsgwOIU2pOfb00JyR_BEbUvxNqfYFfsosIXIO2uIxrDfKTpbhQhWQ7aCNOWBB9P-rYV5Kc4YM40Egqdq65wait06oSNqCfPZe6z06r8F9M2KBphH3geHN2torCBqc_G0uJ6nFB-Og/s1600/1933_panto-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9hzsgwOIU2pOfb00JyR_BEbUvxNqfYFfsosIXIO2uIxrDfKTpbhQhWQ7aCNOWBB9P-rYV5Kc4YM40Egqdq65wait06oSNqCfPZe6z06r8F9M2KBphH3geHN2torCBqc_G0uJ6nFB-Og/s320/1933_panto-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
After the science festival, I was straight on a ship and heading back out to the <a href="http://www.wildoceanphotography.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/to-abyss-again.html#.VbKp8rNVg7c">Porcupine </a>Abyssal <a href="http://www.wildoceanphotography.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/gone-fishing.html#.VbKp17NVg7c">Plain</a> for three weeks of work. We were lucky enough to be visited by <a href="http://www.wildoceanphotography.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/theres-dolphins-off-starboard-bow.html#.VbKqSbNVg7c">dolphins</a> and baby <a href="http://www.wildoceanphotography.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/whales.html#.VbKqXbNVg7c">whales</a> on the way out, but the trip also gave me an opportunity to catch up on some old projects. The longest-running project is one I started about 4 years ago when I began my PhD and which is currently (and very imaginatively) called "<a href="http://www.wildoceanphotography.com/days-at-sea">Days at Sea</a>". You can read more about that particular project <a href="http://www.wildoceanphotography.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/days-at-sea.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFo1Srelg0-SPq-upmsSUARL81kR40VdSM7R3FXo1G9Pym8IYC3-QwHfl6d1g_lTA67h7wPYJLXrAjuSfF4BOMA6IgauFVc_lLfsOtnCuXeYtXQbrAeQ5SgBwIsAHB1b-RV2zdvlOI5zc/s1600/Days+at+the+PAP-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFo1Srelg0-SPq-upmsSUARL81kR40VdSM7R3FXo1G9Pym8IYC3-QwHfl6d1g_lTA67h7wPYJLXrAjuSfF4BOMA6IgauFVc_lLfsOtnCuXeYtXQbrAeQ5SgBwIsAHB1b-RV2zdvlOI5zc/s400/Days+at+the+PAP-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
All my current projects and commissioned work also have their own space on my <a href="http://www.wildoceanphotography.com/marine-biology-id-guides">Wild Ocean Photography</a> website too!<br />
<br />
So it's been a busy few weeks all in all! Here's to a few more!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-40717512045330763972015-07-07T10:18:00.000+01:002015-07-07T10:18:13.853+01:00Gone fishing...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On the offchance(!) that you aren't currently following the official Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP) Observatory blog, I thought I'd leave you a wee link to the post I wrote for them at the weekend about our trawling work. Enjoy!<br /><br />https://papobservatory.wordpress.com/2015/07/06/gone-fishing/<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXSMA2_nLZNK26xpu333PY640XIVBYGYINgn7XcNVxo5yC3b0hhjG9kmg_zbb2XiUjHMlYCfMy_lAEnOPO9V7_rCBeGKVks7LmQIDiwcXpZRdMh0LDtkQSZIRmOXTq6uMA4_3GVGWUrI/s1600/fishing1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXSMA2_nLZNK26xpu333PY640XIVBYGYINgn7XcNVxo5yC3b0hhjG9kmg_zbb2XiUjHMlYCfMy_lAEnOPO9V7_rCBeGKVks7LmQIDiwcXpZRdMh0LDtkQSZIRmOXTq6uMA4_3GVGWUrI/s400/fishing1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bringing the nets on board</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-OYHyloLgrkD08qQcFHADIPvPJA0DdJY7HlgrI73HzvJSsS2Bt5-eCJkYtufVEmbrMP4gd8pi1qTjZOL5IQ-qipwzaGU8-gvuMIt4MMdypN2kKkEMepAVxx-MYzib56CdpIEzl79990/s1600/fish1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-OYHyloLgrkD08qQcFHADIPvPJA0DdJY7HlgrI73HzvJSsS2Bt5-eCJkYtufVEmbrMP4gd8pi1qTjZOL5IQ-qipwzaGU8-gvuMIt4MMdypN2kKkEMepAVxx-MYzib56CdpIEzl79990/s400/fish1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The armoured grenadier, <i>Coryphaenoides armatus, </i>caught from 4850 m down!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFqaRcKWzBAD8U4mZ05pAiRUlyRlYoA0RnB5TMVZzIvLJiz_tcm48qKI6RhL-WDKZB87bqI-XI4oG-BwcgK1uvw84eo3nnR55GKDvSCLoSz8MLsMetdQm73HlFmoSg52uEWbZ9T_8p-U/s1600/specimens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFqaRcKWzBAD8U4mZ05pAiRUlyRlYoA0RnB5TMVZzIvLJiz_tcm48qKI6RhL-WDKZB87bqI-XI4oG-BwcgK1uvw84eo3nnR55GKDvSCLoSz8MLsMetdQm73HlFmoSg52uEWbZ9T_8p-U/s400/specimens.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the other animals from the trawl catches. Left: Brittle stars (Ophiuroidea); Middle top: A sea cucumber (Holothuroidea); Middle: an Abyssal Grenadier (<i>Coryphaenoides profundicolus</i>); Middle bottom: an isopod; Right: A sea spider (Pycnogonidae)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-107744446254331562015-06-29T15:16:00.001+01:002015-07-23T13:30:06.240+01:00"Days at Sea"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We've been busily working away out here over the past few days, getting well stuck into our nights of mud-sampling while bobbing around in the tail end of a tropical storm. The rough weather has made it too difficult to do much willdife-watching, but it has given me a bit of extra time to work on a photo project I've been adding to for a few years now but never quite got round to finishing that I'm provisionally calling "Days at Sea".<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67aLSMmThmrphR2vyHVNOKr0kXJzhpqIJyRsJJcHNoKqzUTyIOS9eF5LcF-s4_rf21fT5AzbgMNIS420wuHwqDHBeRCGcKfyafjCwwxxqVMFTP1NbXJ4-Tr-n0xeLCJ6fkiwHs7BGXPU/s1600/Days+at+the+PAP-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67aLSMmThmrphR2vyHVNOKr0kXJzhpqIJyRsJJcHNoKqzUTyIOS9eF5LcF-s4_rf21fT5AzbgMNIS420wuHwqDHBeRCGcKfyafjCwwxxqVMFTP1NbXJ4-Tr-n0xeLCJ6fkiwHs7BGXPU/s400/Days+at+the+PAP-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">25 days on the Atlantic Ocean. Click to view a larger version.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When I went on my first deep-sea research cruise, I took a photo out of my cabin window every day. At the time, it was largely just a nice way to track the number of days we'd been out on the water (and how many we had left!), and it very quickly turned into a bit of a habit which has turned into a rather large archive of images. Out here, there is virtually nothing out here to see except and endless expanse of sea and sky, but for such a simple view it's amazing how variable it can be from hour to hour and day to day. This project is intended to be a reflection of the dynamic and relentless beauty of our oceans.</div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-12483547185325249632015-06-25T13:57:00.003+01:002015-07-23T13:29:24.759+01:00Whales!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last night we were joined by a family group of pilot whales just as we were finishing dinner and preparing ourselves for our first night of seafloor sampling. Incidentally, running up and down two flights of stairs to get your camera after eating a large amount of lasagne and banana bread (separately, not at once!) is not an entirely pleasant experience!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBIGiLMJWQ6LD-vglO6ZFtn2Hu9DWYcn2My4huxmZ215sIq1SW1NlWzkzmzWEJtgRJg_bqDryvSSUE9xI7BsWVRMT3CjQ_98s-j_XSucF1pHHM3eq8H2LfRx110ZYveRoUTyZ7_yZAps/s1600/pilots5-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBIGiLMJWQ6LD-vglO6ZFtn2Hu9DWYcn2My4huxmZ215sIq1SW1NlWzkzmzWEJtgRJg_bqDryvSSUE9xI7BsWVRMT3CjQ_98s-j_XSucF1pHHM3eq8H2LfRx110ZYveRoUTyZ7_yZAps/s400/pilots5-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A large pod of pilot whales popped by the ship yesterday.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZyuvh6FA9X0okJ3Pu-vzOv3R0gXnyqUjsK-fJOuzm7BlHBngiRlMexdYUbutHKds820MHZQdQVwkBQnr-8D5k68Q6Cws2qJVIsDrx0uDeaDOEbMxSnjLQdh4y_VJAdvkOkW0cfMTAjPY/s400/pilots4-1.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pilot whales in the waves</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pilot whales are funny beasts. They have a very lazy way of rolling through the water, which makes them a bit difficult to take interesting photographs of because they don't do much other than breathe and pootle about. The calves tend to be a lot more active and tend to leap around a bit more which is VERY cute to see if you can find a family group! </div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9_Oqoi4MgmuK9OYQTi3VOdBYeFhYycHWmLvXJ9KRkNCevGzogoz65GRlmoi-eKAiuGDAWj9GP3aSNqg48EraoqAZjwEl-Bi0JsgqBYd7Ds8xJL368Wx6no7vEyA-LB0qWIYJ0Gwtzlg/s1600/pilots2-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9_Oqoi4MgmuK9OYQTi3VOdBYeFhYycHWmLvXJ9KRkNCevGzogoz65GRlmoi-eKAiuGDAWj9GP3aSNqg48EraoqAZjwEl-Bi0JsgqBYd7Ds8xJL368Wx6no7vEyA-LB0qWIYJ0Gwtzlg/s400/pilots2-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photobombing whale</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAcmYUf33noGiHtTyG49vXA3hj4yGpIqX1lONW3fS0k4dV-3-2bqO2zY9gc_mWxskQYrgFj1IkJ4DDgYjVEqPOYOgd4jzPC6su_3yojw4qhnTyQ_t1lI2ZEYQ1124I-xTmA9tc-wrrUk/s1600/Pilots3-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAcmYUf33noGiHtTyG49vXA3hj4yGpIqX1lONW3fS0k4dV-3-2bqO2zY9gc_mWxskQYrgFj1IkJ4DDgYjVEqPOYOgd4jzPC6su_3yojw4qhnTyQ_t1lI2ZEYQ1124I-xTmA9tc-wrrUk/s400/Pilots3-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family of pilot whales</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This pod had a couple of calves with them that still had visible foetal bands, meaning they must have been pretty new! We got really lucky with this group, and they stayed near the ship for about two hours. Most of the photos I took were of small black fins in the distance (as is typical of photographing whales and dolphins), but they did briefly come right up close to us and I got a few photos that were a bit more reasonable!<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6VphbojIzxF8UMjHPNpC1Bk6uNhcjniUNiMoSZXFcWw1pZ4I3C-vHmYI_5I-OF-j5nbfLsX0ynei858ks0bTINNK2vLO-0TgC66fYkX9qGD1qy_cST27Eu-vRJ7j9ptszXOYUU-_xkU/s400/Pilot+calf-1.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This pilot whale calf was so young the foetal bands were still visible on its flanks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We've also been seeing a few shearwaters over the past couple of days. I'm not completely sure what species of they are, but I suspect they're Cory's shearwaters, though that's based mostly on the fact that I've seen them out here before and these ones look a bit similar. If anyone with a better internet connection than me can check and let me know it'd be much appreciated!</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAPHiooZrfqJyI1u9x69cMPT9Ng8q4IcSKe07fRYqA6zPd57063JTewWeNFli9KlQ-BpfXAmacu9fusQAFC9zVJBnxrzXgDvKo7MVUsR-rSYuyzZa8HO2_hhc7pQMkPGgR9gXPQ7Vwt4/s1600/Poss+Cory%2527s+-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAPHiooZrfqJyI1u9x69cMPT9Ng8q4IcSKe07fRYqA6zPd57063JTewWeNFli9KlQ-BpfXAmacu9fusQAFC9zVJBnxrzXgDvKo7MVUsR-rSYuyzZa8HO2_hhc7pQMkPGgR9gXPQ7Vwt4/s400/Poss+Cory%2527s+-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this is a Cory's Shearwater... Is that right?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyway, we've been put on night duty for our mud-coring work so I'm going to try and grab a couple of hours of sleep before dinner. See you next time!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-14338795892224196252015-06-24T12:00:00.000+01:002015-06-24T14:49:06.553+01:00There's dolphins off the starboard bow!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I mentioned in the <a href="http://wildoceanphotography.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/to-abyss-again.html#.VYln-EbMaUk">last blog</a>, we had to spend a couple
of days travelling from Liverpool to Falmouth at the start of our cruise so
that we could fix a problem with the ship (which went smoothly) and then
transfer our remaining scientists on board ready to get to work. Because our
research site is 300 km offshore, we tend not to see too much in terms of
wildlife once we get over deep water so the extra time spent off the Welsh
coast provided some nice opportunities for wildlife-spotting!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTeiOYwWxJZ2CPgAA4LMRf43LlXy57QmRBOs9Wiz9PuXzOF8E5gddL6ZCUH1yGKTTmrBw1ddC0xLniEZtxNec_-p4vphjVSAnYfTn8e5fEmiPSuM1lA6AD4M83v7PDRsiSaEw1ItCc4g/s400/gannet-1.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello down there!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had really nice sightings of most of the usual suspects:
kittiwakes, gulls, gannets and fulmars were the most common birds, as you'd
expect really, but because we were a little further offshore we also had a few
sightings of Manx shearwaters which was really nice. Shearwaters and petrels
live almost entirely at sea (usually quite far offshore), and only come to
shore to breed in burrows (a bit like puffins). Unfortunately, when they come
ashore they're also nocturnal, which means your chances of seeing them are pretty
small most of the time. I can't pretend I got any decent photos of them, but
they are always nice to see!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRG5nKCQbPid5GYQkdInHlXDSFjyLVUriw3sIAzjxoOkkFcXXUL6JI_mmSdFdry9sNg24LHkX_zY3YQFy2yR1E2WGFv1WFbHz5J0SJQiSsYYVsHYztYPiDdOrDW6uUnb8ofMLBkYdS9M/s400/shearwater-1.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A crappy photo of a distant Manx shearwater</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
We were also joined by a small pod of common dolphins en
route, which looked like they had a calf or two with them. They didn't
stay with us for too long, but they were bouncing around enough to grab a
few
shots! I've never had a great deal of luck photographing these guys
because they move around so fast, but I'm pretty pleased with how these
photos came out.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8gkuel05LJwdNf-yAHXcwxD9g3lnq_dDOVUB-BZPNviiiN7R9qIJHbl7KzLTmf0pmxLwzxEa_EaXah6avJQCqIB6ngjDh3hwd5koxSgWvufpMceq9fma51X_0GUwU9gRmqZuLh6KlsY/s400/dolphin4-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common dolphins under a wave</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oypvHsRRmpRI28ClLxUG9SXQvuq08m_zOWC1s3H819s35k0YaFD-hd5zR2Ltfgs2T171SbBNGf1EogV73Le5O00l5V_sBEV8NC7IZCJ5x0nS1I_UJctK-qycRMO530Q-xohZ-SDr_x4/s400/dolphin1-1.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common dolphin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiO5m2ofWmesWEUSyG_tjFSaGEoA_QV99P9pWM0VRdJ4HTCTown7AUkB6-KKAq8pXgDr6G48r6HJb3aqoBoCyyZGGx7on1y36wsxx9bEEv-QJ7bYh4uJ-BWg_DmW4hXtzmr0r39Ll_cdg/s400/dolphin2-1.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A small group of common dolphins leaping</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-lstemWslIZvYWieUfQM9R1ylpjKHgQX8TEe9XDdxMA2XTFD6ITqVMIXPMWiG8gbyPR1cIl611VcXUhvzpu3LUxWL7ZZ8_3MLkPlffEV8S4WBZRy_tB19UpkirzlAMzO7MLFRhXsu4k/s400/Dolphin3-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common dolphins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh - and we also briefly had a couple of stowaways with us
too! They seem to have left us at Falmouth though so we won't be adopting them as cruise mascots!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSEc_Wa5E6e3luNul2f8Gy6cRi_-ugvYWVO5aEag_JT1xS8uhhgiD2uf8qBZVvX9TtsmlhuVxabvGhi8EOpw74KElCs-19xV0nt7E4R2PtPKB8xxQWQX7CfoltU5YObs6_TYRk8nGuHw/s400/pigeon-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A couple of racing pigeons briefly stowed away with us for a trip to Falmouth.<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-56567039176815899402015-06-23T15:06:00.001+01:002015-06-23T15:18:27.199+01:00To the Abyss (again!)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's nice to be back at sea!<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last Friday, I left Glasgow with one of my fish-ecologist colleagues to join the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">RRS Discovery </i>for another cruise to the Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP) long-term survey site. This is my fourth trip out to the PAP in as many years now, and I must admit it's really nice to be back on a ship! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGA0UHW17ofRYHEwcL6dGkVOjYtYQ_l_VOhdjpqZR79FZWz5cvtgvqpnhnfK74sthPY4QgIs8M3RUkXflkxT9oA8yOcd_OrT9egm4G3SiRC0aLTHAlMC_bB-ATWIK4fSJE_Bibtiku7Js/s1600/Ready+to+go%2521-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGA0UHW17ofRYHEwcL6dGkVOjYtYQ_l_VOhdjpqZR79FZWz5cvtgvqpnhnfK74sthPY4QgIs8M3RUkXflkxT9oA8yOcd_OrT9egm4G3SiRC0aLTHAlMC_bB-ATWIK4fSJE_Bibtiku7Js/s400/Ready+to+go%2521-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Jo, ready to sail!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7thi7MXsSs6YfFa_5WhFA6NQyrZ4RLQlS23W0HhZ-Wsj-6F3X9QQiP6CIIr9PGJ-GQ5F1yceMS1xlswYGI0yAn0W_qDpQMZtuYb7lXNApCRVesUAMSEVeUxvoHv1nF6QRr-uBX8uOKdg/s1600/Leaving+Liverpool-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7thi7MXsSs6YfFa_5WhFA6NQyrZ4RLQlS23W0HhZ-Wsj-6F3X9QQiP6CIIr9PGJ-GQ5F1yceMS1xlswYGI0yAn0W_qDpQMZtuYb7lXNApCRVesUAMSEVeUxvoHv1nF6QRr-uBX8uOKdg/s400/Leaving+Liverpool-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving a wet and rainy Liverpool</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The main purpose of this particular cruise is to service the PAP monitoring buoy and download the data that it's been collecting for the past year. This includes oceanographic data (e.g. current speed, water temperature, salinity), as well as collections of the sinking particles of dead organisms, biological waste and other organic and inorganic materials that make up the "marine snow" which fuels the vast majority of deep-sea ecosystems.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSHpd5yjGUjtCK5S-OHvpZbJsESlv1PnF7e3DqqEYQ7jwVIHhcrOA" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSHpd5yjGUjtCK5S-OHvpZbJsESlv1PnF7e3DqqEYQ7jwVIHhcrOA" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP) study site is about 300 miles south-west of Ireland</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-OzM7on4NAnZubIyL4i8TTucRoVVz8NSIb6qUwqeJkWvi9eqw3iyRb9WSemWG3VpKlHnVfh2QjWHpZNUZ4wDUlG4SiYq3nSgWCr9sr-AneacARLR11HbF_hWd3zdge_IPu5QGMvGQDY/s1600/PAP+Buoy-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-OzM7on4NAnZubIyL4i8TTucRoVVz8NSIb6qUwqeJkWvi9eqw3iyRb9WSemWG3VpKlHnVfh2QjWHpZNUZ4wDUlG4SiYq3nSgWCr9sr-AneacARLR11HbF_hWd3zdge_IPu5QGMvGQDY/s400/PAP+Buoy-1.jpg" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Recoving the PAP buoy in 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Taking a ship 300 miles offshore is not a simple (or cheap!) task however, and there's no point coming all the way out here just to service a buoy and go home again so we've got a full contingent of scientists ready to make the most of the opportunity to collect their own data from the PAP site. On this particular cruise, we've got teams who are interested in understanding how mid-water bacterial processes and communities are influenced by "marine snow" particles, as well as researchers who will be studying the plankton communities and oceanography of the site. We even have a couple of holographic cameras which can automatically assess the sizes of all the particles in a tiny patch of seawater and rebuild an image of them all! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_YrnNMczYV66rpdOuGO0YB_aAaNxw9VqokHQ_xv4osg5KH6q3MrPmcB9G3NaEb0aKxWQHIBt7Mq-8OCKFCslnKbkItjnUkJ4ll6KFexL97LnPDIA742DUOCSEgz6971sf87d7M3ZRjc/s1600/trawling.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_YrnNMczYV66rpdOuGO0YB_aAaNxw9VqokHQ_xv4osg5KH6q3MrPmcB9G3NaEb0aKxWQHIBt7Mq-8OCKFCslnKbkItjnUkJ4ll6KFexL97LnPDIA742DUOCSEgz6971sf87d7M3ZRjc/s400/trawling.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some photos from the last time I was out here to fish in the abyss. Hopefully this time we'll catch even more!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As exciting as the midwater research is though, I am here with Jo Clarke from Glasgow University to go fishing! We're working with the "benthic" (seafloor) ecologists from NOC to help collect deep-water animals from the seabed using mud cores, grabs and a trawl. We're really here for the fish, so we're mainly interested in the fish samples, and are here to make sure that they get identified, processed and recorded correctly for any future work that might be done on them. We'll also be helping out with all the other benthic sampling that needs to be done which will largely involve dealing with a lot of mud!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3kPdnxtrwQQGtHRzkvfpNdtJ1WVZoOa84CHCkRX2t_4vDi0N-9O7UOEU9_0LnNmh_xDOLc4667wBP6jnFM0CeBwXuV7I183g9Pyd0p7xEEHO6Xt82aZgNseMCDEh3wCeoHcdhrI7RYI/s400/happy+sieve+team-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sieving mud samples isn't so bad really!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdwaogM0pQ5HPbfIkGdks9KYf1nQ6NcploBXNHsFNNFxkUkT428JhogBdewxd5ZW7mwwyBnUqv0plDZBkPSHXVJGZtgagbms2TstAED1PvjjJbo_LWxBCwdZN6VSmQJup2kU22dFe9DU/s400/fisheye+core1-1.jpg" width="266" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The megacorer is one of the standard sampling gears for getting good quality sediment and animal samples back from the seabed. We'll be seeing a lot of it over the next few days!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>So far we've had a pretty quiet start to the cruise. We met the ship in Liverpool and then spent a couple of days steaming south to Falmouth so some repairs could be done to one of the ship's thrusters while we were still near the coast. Happily that all went well, and we reached Falmouth just after midnight on Sunday for a mini crew-swap before starting our voyage to the PAP site. We should arrive there tomorrow, ready to start working!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-64139321968093029552015-06-14T08:39:00.000+01:002015-06-14T08:43:57.827+01:00North Queensferry / Carlingnose Reserve<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnGQRvJjQJacF5fjvDP8L8iKkFcOKqW_W_a-AF3P2jup873UwDjkgV_-cRfTEBBGERdXX9CKIdVTQubFU42N57RhXMnZ5abvOC2DJcg_pM64EPyIktKqSW8-SsjCHeSCRtLgNIBFV2sTo/s1600/Forth+Rail+Bridge1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnGQRvJjQJacF5fjvDP8L8iKkFcOKqW_W_a-AF3P2jup873UwDjkgV_-cRfTEBBGERdXX9CKIdVTQubFU42N57RhXMnZ5abvOC2DJcg_pM64EPyIktKqSW8-SsjCHeSCRtLgNIBFV2sTo/s320/Forth+Rail+Bridge1-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Forth Rail (and road) bridge at North Queensferry, as seen from Carlingnose Reserve.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
North Queensferry is probably best known for their stunning views of the <a href="https://www.networkrail.co.uk/VirtualArchive/forth-bridge/" target="_blank">Forth Rail Bridge</a>, and possibly for the <a href="http://www.deepseaworld.com/" target="_blank">Deep Sea World</a> aquarium (if you haven't been, it's VERY cool!) However, the Scottish Wildlife Trust also run a lovely little reserve at <a href="http://www.swt-fife.org.uk/reserve8.htm" target="_blank">Carlingnose Point</a> with views looking west over the Firth of Forth. ... If you can find it that is!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHmFkV4hZkuUDX82iu22Igri9q2wS5IA7zfWVrj6iXGLCxio-9xmbJufnKyjYEBjM4x6_AUHg3_x9VaNx8c03yVR-EZZzRSvNN356DB6tdwc2uDkJp2xEYtKFgEJEleHktXM6Q8EpgQA/s1600/map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHmFkV4hZkuUDX82iu22Igri9q2wS5IA7zfWVrj6iXGLCxio-9xmbJufnKyjYEBjM4x6_AUHg3_x9VaNx8c03yVR-EZZzRSvNN356DB6tdwc2uDkJp2xEYtKFgEJEleHktXM6Q8EpgQA/s400/map.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">North Queensferry (<a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/North+Queensferry,+Fife,+UK/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x4887cfc50950c81f:0xb1827ae7fddd3fe3?sa=X&ved=0CCEQ8gEwAGoVChMIu-7s1N6MxgIVAusUCh1GrQA3" target="_blank">link to map</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We parked at a car park underneath the rail bridge, found a sign showing that we were not only in the right place, but a mere stone's throw away from the reserve. It then took us about an hour of wandering the town and scrambling unnecessarily over the boulder shore before we admitted defeat, went back to town and managed to find the path leading to it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgh4GmlNEj5vMqEmsyNLEgWEjx_-rUndRfohESqedEe_7mbMeVkAd5bgiAxyPICqKCLM6zNPNRHWXl7HizftwsGlJFULTAMInSlQmpALXV0iLP3qjP4xin-jh1KlHneeqZAR3px_r6n-g/s1600/Beach+wood-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgh4GmlNEj5vMqEmsyNLEgWEjx_-rUndRfohESqedEe_7mbMeVkAd5bgiAxyPICqKCLM6zNPNRHWXl7HizftwsGlJFULTAMInSlQmpALXV0iLP3qjP4xin-jh1KlHneeqZAR3px_r6n-g/s400/Beach+wood-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">There was a lot of really interesting dried out pieces of driftwood along the shore.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Top tip: if you ever arrive looking for the reserve yourself, there are no signs in the town, but you'll find it if you follow the signs for the Fife Coastal Path and head away from the town (or away from the grey road bridge if that's easier).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwjADqYSLV8KRBr9Eg5lr6GfqW-LidHmbHvomlsO_O19mh5OIU0dDlryiN-80GstJzzP3LRqOU6jK_g0UAF-Sa0qFuQ0t_ngEbnRhjk8S5zzAUrO0jzsiiZ6ATnZQOCdggpLKOUn_0x70/s1600/Fife+Coastal+Path-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwjADqYSLV8KRBr9Eg5lr6GfqW-LidHmbHvomlsO_O19mh5OIU0dDlryiN-80GstJzzP3LRqOU6jK_g0UAF-Sa0qFuQ0t_ngEbnRhjk8S5zzAUrO0jzsiiZ6ATnZQOCdggpLKOUn_0x70/s400/Fife+Coastal+Path-1.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Look for the Fife Coastal Path and follow it west. There are no signs for the Carlingnose Point Reserve in town that I could find. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The reserve itself is in place to protect locally rare populations of wildflowers and plants, and the dense scrub provides a nice habitat for smaller birds as well but it's also a nice viewpoint to look for seabirds on the shore. We visited in May and only saw a couple of eider ducks, but it was a really sunny day and it's possible that the birds had all finished foraging early in the morning and headed away to roost by the time we arrived. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pTruxLicqbpR4AegMXWRkZ_m9UEVadAosHOsQVlqdoYaeewRcuOEnfuF6fFS9PBNT5tV7KvOsLwreQwW515_IV-jqZfUrUjQ9r6Cf5LfjpNj5Gn9oAvQno2lqlUCrYKJqFHhp2rh31k/s1600/carlingnose+reserve1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pTruxLicqbpR4AegMXWRkZ_m9UEVadAosHOsQVlqdoYaeewRcuOEnfuF6fFS9PBNT5tV7KvOsLwreQwW515_IV-jqZfUrUjQ9r6Cf5LfjpNj5Gn9oAvQno2lqlUCrYKJqFHhp2rh31k/s400/carlingnose+reserve1-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The reserve was small and pretty quiet on the day we visited, but the vast fields of gorse were stunning!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There's an old ruined pier just offshore that had a sleeping gull on it, but the wildlife was keeping fairly quiet on the day we visited.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioB3jabYg1l-uGfPJkbODjHsakfoqjb5AoTdT-5tggDBq4oLICvuh-iq1TjADfNOVRN6uNkqxmdO_XfsqnlDuCXmyUrcFDKM0RycsM_2mlcxGciDDdBDVryJxLGwu_VGKi_3TN9TPh89w/s1600/derelict+pier-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioB3jabYg1l-uGfPJkbODjHsakfoqjb5AoTdT-5tggDBq4oLICvuh-iq1TjADfNOVRN6uNkqxmdO_XfsqnlDuCXmyUrcFDKM0RycsM_2mlcxGciDDdBDVryJxLGwu_VGKi_3TN9TPh89w/s400/derelict+pier-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An old ruined pier lies just offshore off the reserve.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2DtVD8XDPEKNF2cjNCHpLMCaVQE7LBaAbGsteLaO0sVtTUlGaTzYTqCdm1AkVnq3JXV0JK5ws-_xvPqz2x6MMbLDt_JC1cU11H4R-uUlMtfpxPpgP_ZE5MsYJ0pcoj_W9jdJhsQrCOg/s1600/Derelict+pier2-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2DtVD8XDPEKNF2cjNCHpLMCaVQE7LBaAbGsteLaO0sVtTUlGaTzYTqCdm1AkVnq3JXV0JK5ws-_xvPqz2x6MMbLDt_JC1cU11H4R-uUlMtfpxPpgP_ZE5MsYJ0pcoj_W9jdJhsQrCOg/s400/Derelict+pier2-1.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Sunny afternoons are perfect for napping, no matter what species you are!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The reserve itself is pretty small, but if you follow the Fife Coastal Path, you'll be led down to a big sandy bay where you get some lovely views over the Firth of Forth.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9a7bGl6DIznrMKFf9RwZnZqshvw2YaNv5BOP9VFFCjjiOk49qRqzxyK-osEA9ylTcaqEBoc3oXqY6NpXeBftBe7r0arjDtk3uQKABEZG99GWXNk4BUTaacFUh_yy6WFTJ8qtpHg76yY/s1600/carlingnose+beach-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9a7bGl6DIznrMKFf9RwZnZqshvw2YaNv5BOP9VFFCjjiOk49qRqzxyK-osEA9ylTcaqEBoc3oXqY6NpXeBftBe7r0arjDtk3uQKABEZG99GWXNk4BUTaacFUh_yy6WFTJ8qtpHg76yY/s400/carlingnose+beach-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Following the coastal path brings you to this beach which was covered in oyster shells.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3M24D_cis7sJ4ArTkThfLhEL3fbZLQGsOE9g9O9PyvqXvRhPHcxog0tgX5smrSMQWgivQch8cCqXU3EXaP2Tt7h3JOBIzuoOFeXD6HDDkVOo1p7fSoXhrIXB82m3IV5v87NfEHfXtr-s/s1600/Cormorants2-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3M24D_cis7sJ4ArTkThfLhEL3fbZLQGsOE9g9O9PyvqXvRhPHcxog0tgX5smrSMQWgivQch8cCqXU3EXaP2Tt7h3JOBIzuoOFeXD6HDDkVOo1p7fSoXhrIXB82m3IV5v87NfEHfXtr-s/s400/Cormorants2-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A group of cormorants were out enjoying the sun on the edge of the shore too.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The beach was also covered in oyster shells, which is pretty unusual and the first time I can remember seeing any - especially in such large numbers!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32oT24GD-7jRu63geSV_n-X4OzNM16s8WlUzI0LZrPoAfKDLBKRfgfPZxhZ6Uk0l6PKzZRObLRbKI_Nd59fK2FgTeOYF-4ZWjoXy1d-er3rk-UT-y0bIut_NUMkU-5ef_QqeWhFYp8aM/s1600/shells-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32oT24GD-7jRu63geSV_n-X4OzNM16s8WlUzI0LZrPoAfKDLBKRfgfPZxhZ6Uk0l6PKzZRObLRbKI_Nd59fK2FgTeOYF-4ZWjoXy1d-er3rk-UT-y0bIut_NUMkU-5ef_QqeWhFYp8aM/s320/shells-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Shells from what I think might be native oysters (<i>Ostrea edulis</i>). I included a 10 pence coin for scale, which has a diameter of roughly 25 mm. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I suspect they're possibly native oysters (<i>Ostrea edulis</i>), but I'm not an expert on these animals. If anyone knows what these are, it'd be really interesting to know.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1rWmE4GpG-iF1HTJd4BT3ImrwXRI9EEuI5giA2dfpk5-YYBD2eB5ESA22p6GEaUeOaM2W9m2qI5ARWa8OgrWEsX4thQLza2L1LcHtZqPR2IkFCaSBZPH_nltb3HsOLb4qLuSnFkYAUg/s1600/N+queensferry-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1rWmE4GpG-iF1HTJd4BT3ImrwXRI9EEuI5giA2dfpk5-YYBD2eB5ESA22p6GEaUeOaM2W9m2qI5ARWa8OgrWEsX4thQLza2L1LcHtZqPR2IkFCaSBZPH_nltb3HsOLb4qLuSnFkYAUg/s400/N+queensferry-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">North Queensferry and the road and rail bridges over the Firth of Forth.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Back in the town, you will of course be treated to some stunning views of the road and rail bridges, but the town itself is beautiful and quite typical of a coastal Fife town so it's well worth saving a little time to look around the town and its harbour before you leave. It's sometimes also possible to see dolphins in the tidal races underneath the rail bridge, so they're worth looking out for too!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZC655JIfveuLyFuxsG45MYOKwEo4wPKLSv8pEwk-S4dXwVRBqarnyxCsA87w10_66OAUM1IKgLYhnasl0ZtchAC-OfaLUK5oZQOR-iqZpBM-Go-988dDyqsDa_x7IFvTEWbuyHHUpdtY/s1600/Forth+Road+Bridge+%2526+New+Bridge-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZC655JIfveuLyFuxsG45MYOKwEo4wPKLSv8pEwk-S4dXwVRBqarnyxCsA87w10_66OAUM1IKgLYhnasl0ZtchAC-OfaLUK5oZQOR-iqZpBM-Go-988dDyqsDa_x7IFvTEWbuyHHUpdtY/s400/Forth+Road+Bridge+%2526+New+Bridge-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The new road bridge being constructed. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This year (2015), they're also in the process of building a new bridge over the river and it's pretty cool just to see the scale of the engineering works that are happening just now.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com0North Queensferry, Inverkeithing, Fife KY11, UK56.0101001 -3.39459590000001355.9923471 -3.4349364000000131 56.0278531 -3.3542554000000129tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333392646779636926.post-54790954370331319202015-06-11T12:31:00.000+01:002015-06-11T13:22:29.557+01:00The Ayrshire Coast (Stranraer to Girvan)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoev75gfbiPVO8YfYUthKUjrH1ek46U775QZkUNLaM3wR0tdfYz5kWT2SasdRPBVW9R7iPj2EwIPvLhH1WoCUOnPOhaIx4AnccXOaz9JwfoZWOm-tqNw5QsbMV50pG0W4KFBG0SF5pMMc/s1600/ailsa+craig+view-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoev75gfbiPVO8YfYUthKUjrH1ek46U775QZkUNLaM3wR0tdfYz5kWT2SasdRPBVW9R7iPj2EwIPvLhH1WoCUOnPOhaIx4AnccXOaz9JwfoZWOm-tqNw5QsbMV50pG0W4KFBG0SF5pMMc/s400/ailsa+craig+view-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view out to Ailsa Craig.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After exploring around <a href="http://wildoceanphotography.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/rockcliffe-to-sandyhills-coastal-walk.html#.VXf8dM9VhBc">Rockcliffe</a>, we drove out west to the Ayrshire coast. The road from Stranraer to Girvan follows the shore very closely, and has plenty of large parking places which make it really easy to stop and have a look around. I've found this stretch of coastline to be pretty good for seabirds in the past, and it didn't disappoint this time around either!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-7H-jW_3K13M_xwwUaTAC-AKNujm3NRZuao9FOIFYauHeCR7dCSritlKh40NgnAEYmXDc3__RuLaOaltrcpiC8OU52wZLytjIxLTwxhSqgDBdQoyhrjPZkETJCWrwqNBbpXXVAYof7w/s1600/Lendalfoot+Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-7H-jW_3K13M_xwwUaTAC-AKNujm3NRZuao9FOIFYauHeCR7dCSritlKh40NgnAEYmXDc3__RuLaOaltrcpiC8OU52wZLytjIxLTwxhSqgDBdQoyhrjPZkETJCWrwqNBbpXXVAYof7w/s400/Lendalfoot+Map.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">We stopped at Carleton Bay, close to Lendalfoot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The bit we stopped in this time was close to Lendalfoot at Carleton Bay - if you follow the signs for the Russian naval memorial you'll find it. Being relatively close to Ailsa Craig, it's also usually a good area to look for gannets, and this time was no exception.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcAzIRS9LX5h_5ShJlh7x3a25eqX0hyphenhyphenAjX2OjIiu1BBNp4x1PvL7DnXn9DzQHTbvJCKCtEuGMyaYUROfw67OTuqmrWOGd1oayD_XK0MVMObLzoxaF1eOc4TH_85dMaSjVLM4iI17sB3s/s400/gannet+diving-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="218" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a composite image (obviously. No-one gets this lucky!), of a gannet diving just off the beach. It took longer to make than I'd like to admit!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Of course, early summer is also the time when eider ducks breed, and usually hatch their chicks in late May - early June. This is a lot earlier than most of the other seabirds will be hatching their chicks, so if you go to any of the big seabird colonies like the Isle of May or the Farne Islands, they can be easy to miss if you're not on the ball. Anyway, eider ducklings have been on my photography wishlist for a while now, and I was pretty pleased to find that there were quite a few groups of them around this patch of coastline, and pretty delighted to spot the little ducklings in amongst the adults!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyo6dzAPAoxPrbaOT5nlJZm4u_JxaftlEenzZt4w_q_pgORvbDR709CQeBrsQuKAQmXWud2yCUDqNZ-iajJgzTz7rQcR3inqQ-kJe2roZj0npyNcSRW9YyRqZSot8XwzYZcMKWXx3Eyo/s1600/Eider+fight-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyo6dzAPAoxPrbaOT5nlJZm4u_JxaftlEenzZt4w_q_pgORvbDR709CQeBrsQuKAQmXWud2yCUDqNZ-iajJgzTz7rQcR3inqQ-kJe2roZj0npyNcSRW9YyRqZSot8XwzYZcMKWXx3Eyo/s400/Eider+fight-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eider ducks fighting about something while a bunch of seals look on in the background. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So delighted that I didn't actually notice there were a group of common seals basking just offshore until I looked at the photos later on my computer!<br />
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3iV4yXFNWvvlDP3Up9ChbKisVHEPkBvcjQDcgItaFL1vlC7gaM0sXpn94hNwYd9mBj4KC3CMe10Xmd9sS6v2tkudFOiz7UnrBxj1MQVLMbC-AaQTgUODdPXG0cOJvcOaRi_SDd1hFxA/s1600/Eider+family-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3iV4yXFNWvvlDP3Up9ChbKisVHEPkBvcjQDcgItaFL1vlC7gaM0sXpn94hNwYd9mBj4KC3CMe10Xmd9sS6v2tkudFOiz7UnrBxj1MQVLMbC-AaQTgUODdPXG0cOJvcOaRi_SDd1hFxA/s400/Eider+family-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An eider duck family settling in for a nap. The duckling is just visible underneath its mum (the brown one).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<br />
Eventually, one pair of eiders came into the shore with a chick and settled down in a rather photogenic fashion for a snooze, and I finally got my first decent photo of an entire eider duck family!</div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwyhT5bjlpw6PyS-VgeRse__R81mkxLGEwHMcCt66uvOxlC7jWhW1TsDd5sNhnsMMNi6rYsSz3czd4bZS5gpTM8XyFJipPD4MTVzBqshgEBSsvjSyj4KOK2kXHELt1rNeTAiu5PtWOzI/s1600/OC+on+rocks1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwyhT5bjlpw6PyS-VgeRse__R81mkxLGEwHMcCt66uvOxlC7jWhW1TsDd5sNhnsMMNi6rYsSz3czd4bZS5gpTM8XyFJipPD4MTVzBqshgEBSsvjSyj4KOK2kXHELt1rNeTAiu5PtWOzI/s400/OC+on+rocks1-1.jpg" width="291" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An oystercatcher exploring the shore.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<br />
Of course, that's not all there was to shoot. A group of shags were making good use of an exposed line of rocks to rest on for the evening, and a rather bold oystercatcher was happy to pose for a few photos before wandering off again!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvakNJVTxEGNsr8fZYhlrb3HlbWRBjN9b3jVBDuV43Fp-JUVj2Vq6tuCWQBRlvMZnJEfaliSmnhKi_D4eUr8UhCEmNnvCkqoxv1cIxxgRWM8nAYdsTHvda9hesyyP4WwV_eZO_1Y0qaQ/s1600/shags-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvakNJVTxEGNsr8fZYhlrb3HlbWRBjN9b3jVBDuV43Fp-JUVj2Vq6tuCWQBRlvMZnJEfaliSmnhKi_D4eUr8UhCEmNnvCkqoxv1cIxxgRWM8nAYdsTHvda9hesyyP4WwV_eZO_1Y0qaQ/s400/shags-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">30 shags sitting on a rock...<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
Zan Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11868113319592092228noreply@blogger.com1