I've spent the last few weeks doing some research into how I can be a better zoologist.
So, today has all been about really honing in and making a plan for how I want to move forward. My ecology lecturer always used to say you'd never get anywhere in conservation or zoology without a bit of clarity. And he's right! There's so many different areas to specialise in that no mortal being could know enough about everything to succeed.
So after a lovely walk with Oakley, the neurotic spaniel I'm currently looking after (see end of blog) and spending my morning doing adulty chores (laundry, hoovering, a visit to the bank (bleurgh) and opticians), I headed to my local bookstore to find some relevant words. I'm a big bibliophile, but admittedly have been reading rubbish lately. My last novel, and I use the term loosely, was the epitome of beach trash and even I struggled to finish it. I won't name and shame the author, but I felt the need to read a book penned by someone with an IQ higher than the aforementioned Oakley. So I picked up:
A Sting in the Tale Dave Goulson
Dave Goulson is a name I'd heard of (good start), he studied biology at Oxford, is best known for his published work on bees and butterflies and founded the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in 2006. I remember reading some of his papers during some research I was doing on bees (admittedly of the honey variety) out in Portugal during my second year at uni. The book is an autobiographical account of Goulson's love for British wildlife, in particular bees, the dramatic effect farming has had on bee populations in Britain and his drive to reintroduce the extinct and boost the populations of those struggling. Being a topic I have some experience of and a definite interest in, I thought it was a good place to start and it will be my first read.
Dave Goulson is a name I'd heard of (good start), he studied biology at Oxford, is best known for his published work on bees and butterflies and founded the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in 2006. I remember reading some of his papers during some research I was doing on bees (admittedly of the honey variety) out in Portugal during my second year at uni. The book is an autobiographical account of Goulson's love for British wildlife, in particular bees, the dramatic effect farming has had on bee populations in Britain and his drive to reintroduce the extinct and boost the populations of those struggling. Being a topic I have some experience of and a definite interest in, I thought it was a good place to start and it will be my first read.
Ten Million Aliens Simon Barnes
This book simply caught my eye with the tag line 'Life on planet Earth is not weirder than we imagine. It's weirder than we are capable of imagining...'. Picking it up I realised I also knew of the author (apparently I remember more names today than I did during the lead up to my finals). Barnes is a journalist and novelist. Originally a sports writer, he moved in to natural history column writing and has since written 12 (and a half) novels over a range of subjects. He is coincidentally a patron for The Bumblebee Conservation Trust, giving our newly introduced buddy, Goulson a hand protecting and promoting the buzzies. This books is essentially a whirlwind account of the Animal Kingdom. It has a review from Stephen Fry on the front and a picture of a leaf cutter ant (the only ant species I'm not petrified of, purely because of their incredible behaviour) so I thought I'd give it a shot.
This book simply caught my eye with the tag line 'Life on planet Earth is not weirder than we imagine. It's weirder than we are capable of imagining...'. Picking it up I realised I also knew of the author (apparently I remember more names today than I did during the lead up to my finals). Barnes is a journalist and novelist. Originally a sports writer, he moved in to natural history column writing and has since written 12 (and a half) novels over a range of subjects. He is coincidentally a patron for The Bumblebee Conservation Trust, giving our newly introduced buddy, Goulson a hand protecting and promoting the buzzies. This books is essentially a whirlwind account of the Animal Kingdom. It has a review from Stephen Fry on the front and a picture of a leaf cutter ant (the only ant species I'm not petrified of, purely because of their incredible behaviour) so I thought I'd give it a shot.
The Origin of Species Charles Darwin
Before anyone complains about me being a rubbish zoologist, yes I have read this before. But I only have a version on Kindle and I wanted a paper copy to annotate and refer to. Plus it was in the reduced section, shocking I know.
Before anyone complains about me being a rubbish zoologist, yes I have read this before. But I only have a version on Kindle and I wanted a paper copy to annotate and refer to. Plus it was in the reduced section, shocking I know.
So with some not so light bed time reading and new contact lenses, I'm feeling pretty positive about what the future holds. Tomorrow I'm heading out to the London Wetlands Centre to ask about picking up some volunteering slots and advice on building up some more solid bird ID skills and following up a volunteering position at the Natural History Museum that I had to turn down at the beginning of the year due to other (annoyingly irrelevant) commitments.
Be safe kids!
Alice.
Alice.
Song of the Day
Gunga Din - The Libertines
- first track from them in years and very much an 'early days' feel about it. They've tapped in to their raw and raspy sound again and with some catchy scratchy guitar and a repetitive chorus, I can only imagine the atmosphere this would stir up live. With Carl and Pete alternating vocals during the verses and then singing together on the chorus, it seems like they've put their differences right behind them and hopefully the future looks bright for the band. The album comes out soon, I'm eagerly awaiting it!
Gunga Din - The Libertines
- first track from them in years and very much an 'early days' feel about it. They've tapped in to their raw and raspy sound again and with some catchy scratchy guitar and a repetitive chorus, I can only imagine the atmosphere this would stir up live. With Carl and Pete alternating vocals during the verses and then singing together on the chorus, it seems like they've put their differences right behind them and hopefully the future looks bright for the band. The album comes out soon, I'm eagerly awaiting it!
Oakley
I may as well introduce this fella now too, I look after him every now and then and he's a pretty good example of how natural selection sometimes gets it wrong. That's kinda harsh, he's a lovely dog, knows some awesome tricks and isn't badly behaved (for a spaniel) but he's neurotic and has a whole library of what I call 'Oakleyisms'. He likes to bark. A lot. He also enjoys eating and would eat a crisp out your mouth if given the chance. His favourite past times include barking at aeroplanes, motorbikes and push bikes, chasing deer and cats and investigating every single object on the floor to determine whether it is edible. He has a body clock more accurate than Big Ben and will tell me at 9pm (with a bark) that it is time for a dentastick and bed. He also has a fondness for underwear and managed to consume a pair of my knickers during our first night together; something I don't normally allow until after at least date 3... (cheap joke, sorry). The day before his mum went on holiday, she called me to say he'd eaten a wooden kebab skewer and so I'm now on the look out for symptoms of a perforated intestine... luckily for me he has an iron stomach and so far no evidence of perforation has been seen. I draw the line at dissecting his poop so I'm just hoping that the skewer has either passed through without much drama or been somehow absorbed into his garbage can stomach. He's cute though and likes to snuggle, so is easily forgiven.
I may as well introduce this fella now too, I look after him every now and then and he's a pretty good example of how natural selection sometimes gets it wrong. That's kinda harsh, he's a lovely dog, knows some awesome tricks and isn't badly behaved (for a spaniel) but he's neurotic and has a whole library of what I call 'Oakleyisms'. He likes to bark. A lot. He also enjoys eating and would eat a crisp out your mouth if given the chance. His favourite past times include barking at aeroplanes, motorbikes and push bikes, chasing deer and cats and investigating every single object on the floor to determine whether it is edible. He has a body clock more accurate than Big Ben and will tell me at 9pm (with a bark) that it is time for a dentastick and bed. He also has a fondness for underwear and managed to consume a pair of my knickers during our first night together; something I don't normally allow until after at least date 3... (cheap joke, sorry). The day before his mum went on holiday, she called me to say he'd eaten a wooden kebab skewer and so I'm now on the look out for symptoms of a perforated intestine... luckily for me he has an iron stomach and so far no evidence of perforation has been seen. I draw the line at dissecting his poop so I'm just hoping that the skewer has either passed through without much drama or been somehow absorbed into his garbage can stomach. He's cute though and likes to snuggle, so is easily forgiven.
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