CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-06-18 20:02:56 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 0 +1s)

brilliant video (understatement) and unbelievable skill!  

2013-05-01 05:43:41 (8 comments, 4 reshares, 31 +1s)

threatened by a tiny avian combatant

I was recently greeted with a threatening display in our local woods.  It appears I stumbled into this male (Calypte anna) hummingbird's territory - and although I am relatively certain my appearance doesn't mimic a typical hummingbird competitor - I certainly wasn't welcome.  Click through the sequence to see the entire (3 second) display.

This specific behaviour is know as 'chatter sway' and is utilized by males, typically from a favourite perch, to ward off competitors from his territory.  The threat display consists of loud chatter while rotating the body/head and flaring the gorget (brightly coloured neck feathers).  The display is meant to be aggressive, indicating that a breeding or feeding territory is being protected, and often ends in a chase (fortunately for me I was only threatened :).  The bright colourof th... more »

2013-04-04 21:30:35 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Please join and share as you see fit.

2013-03-27 23:04:59 (0 comments, 4 reshares, 13 +1s)

Zoo Portraits by Yago Partal

There is something quite perfect about these portraits.

zooportraits.com

2013-02-25 08:23:03 (9 comments, 4 reshares, 40 +1s)

Short eared owl (Asio flammeus) searching for rodents in the grasslands near Boundary Bay in British Columbia. Really cool birds to watch - very agile and acrobatic. This individual got into a tussle over kills with a Northern Harrier a number of times; not sure who came out on top, but looking forward to finding these two again.

300mm  f3.5  1/1000s  iso400

markusthompson.ca
#plusphotoextract  

2013-02-13 06:49:24 (0 comments, 4 reshares, 3 +1s)

Reality check - why Canada needs Marine Protected Areas

The marine environment remains relatively hidden from the public eye, consequently what we allow to happen to marine habitats and species often exceeds significantly what would ever be tolerated on land.  Allowing trawlers to dredge the vast majority of our coastline for example - it's insane (and that's not an understatement).

In the UK ~10 percent of the marine coastline is protected.  In Canada, less than 2 percent!  If you want to learn more visit the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society here: http://cpaws.org/campaigns/oceans and here: http://cpaws.org/news/mpa-guidelines

2013-02-05 22:56:28 (1 comments, 4 reshares, 7 +1s)

The Auditor General of Canada has released a report highlighting the lack of action on the development of Marine Protected Areas.... and it comes with a nice little film!

2013-01-29 04:37:03 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

shot nearly a year ago at the dumps in maui.  with the dreary weather of late here in vancouver it makes feel like spontaneously quitting my day job and just finding a beach with a great break somewhere - just for a year or two.

2013-01-19 22:03:57 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

"We're the poster children for violence."  
It appears human nature has and interesting history:

For those looking forward to watching the #ufc  tonight; or just as relevant, the first #nhl  games this season - consider that you may be watching something closely related to the primal nature of our existence.  The ability for humans to use their hands as weapons may not just be a creative alternative use - it could be a primary adaptive reason for the evolution of the human hand into what we are so familiar with now.  

2013-01-15 06:28:00 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 3 +1s)

scenarios of consequence - how long will humanity remain ambivalent?

In a nutshell, what if it takes humanity another decade before we're collectively terrified of climate change consequences - terrified enough to act decisively? What if it takes two? Or worst case scenario - will continued ambivalence trigger a runaway system, beyond reversing? 

2013-01-13 00:45:01 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 16 +1s)

paleontological discovery - or ravens playing in the snow?

Found these tracks on Mt. Seymour near the first peak.  The tail feather imprint is rather large, perhaps 30cm across.  Likely a raven, as they're common high in these mountains - though it certainly could be something else.  

2012-12-29 21:27:52 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

An answer to a timeworn debate:

Next time you're photographing a bird, listening to its song, or perhaps more intriguingly, when you find yourself responding to music - you can consider why and where it may have come from.

“Both birdsong and music elicit responses not only in brain regions associated directly with reward, but also in interconnected regions that are thought to regulate emotion. That suggests that they both may activate evolutionarily ancient mechanisms that are necessary for reproduction and survival”
Sarah Earp - Emory University research student

2012-11-12 19:48:55 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 11 +1s)

it all makes sense now: Gay marriage legalized on the same day as marijuana in Washington State. Leviticus 20:13: "if a man lays with another man he shall be stoned." Apparently the original interpretation was just wrong - yet more evidence for the inerrancy of biblical prophecy. (originally from katie stephens on twitter).

2012-10-29 15:29:05 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 16 +1s)

Composite photographed earlier this year on Ned's Atomic Dustbin - Mt. Seymour in North Vancouver... I miss Summer already.

2012-10-28 15:59:10 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 18 +1s)

Photographed on the last day of summer weather (early October) in Lynn Valley, North Vancouver.  The image is tone-mapped from four exposures; each exposure a two shot panorama (8 photographs).  The time it took me to process on my five year old laptop was ridiculous - and frustrating.  My screen isn't calibrated either - so this post also doubles as a test to see how it appears on other monitors.

Time to upgrade - I need a machine that can handle Photoshop (and AutoCAD). Tempted to purchase a Macbook Pro (8gb Ram and 128gb SSD) - but have noticed that Samsung offer similar specs for roughly a two thirds the cost.  Is there any reason I shouldn't buy the Samsung?  Is the retina display impressive enough on the Apple to justify the extra cost?  

+Kenn Dubeau 
#plusphotoextract  

2012-10-25 04:55:50 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 27 +1s)

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) kind enough to fly within range in the morning light.  This was shot in Boundary Bay early this Spring near the colony.

300mm  f3.5  1/640s  iso200

#birdpoker  wings down
#plusphotoextract  

2012-10-24 15:38:10 (9 comments, 3 reshares, 26 +1s)

Barred owl (Strix varia) I was fortunate to encounter early in the morning while mountian biking near Seymour river in North Vancouver.  I shot this with my old Canon 350D and a cheap 70-300 and it's still one of my favorite shots.

200mm  f5.6  0.20s  iso200

#plusphotoextract  

2012-10-20 05:12:22 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 11 +1s)

Our campsite on a small island in the Boughten Archipelago.  The experience here was surreal and I can't wait to go back (see previous photos for daylight shots).

11mm  f2.8  60s  iso1600
(first attempt at a long night exposure - in retrospect there are a few adjustments I would like to make to reduce the star trails) 

2012-10-17 02:23:59 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

360 degree panorama of Whytecliff Island in the Broughten Archipelago - home for three days during a kayak trip early in September.  It would have been home for longer except for the rather large black bear that apparently swam tens of kilometers for the berries.  Whytecliff didn't appear large enough for the three of us, so we surrendered and moved on.

2012-10-16 17:09:23 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 17 +1s)

Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) photographed in the Broughten Archipelago on a kayak trip early this September.  On a number of occasions large males would surface exactly like this meters from the kayak.  I am not sure if it was just curiosity or an effort to intimidate - either way it gets your heart pounding watching a 500kg "lion" swim beneath your kayak.  This shot was taken from the comfort of our campsite.

600mm  f8  1/500s  iso400

#plusphotoextract  

2012-05-21 18:18:51 (4 comments, 3 reshares, 20 +1s)

An Open Letter to the World:

Please read and share if you value a sustainable, healthy environment.

The current Canadian Government is systematically decimating environmental sustainability and scientific process in favour of short term non-renewable resources, passing legislation that effectively muzzles scientists and charitable organizations from participating in and ensuring informed debate and even from lobbying parliament. The importance of stopping this behaviour before serious damage becomes irreversible can't be understated. Canada, once a leader in environmental protection, is now setting a brutal standard; this, combined with our massive global footprint ensure that the consequences will certainly be felt outside our borders.

http://tinyurl.com/6vzbz3v

2011-12-30 16:18:20 (377 comments, 1788 reshares, 2295 +1s)

The photographs, having spent 440 days on the ocean floor, have been reunited with the photographer and the family. I am very happy to have facilitated the journey back to where the photographs belong! I certainly didn't anticipate the attention this created, any photographer finding my camera would do the same, right? Thanks again for the great help that came from all of you - the Google+ community. I received an email from the recipient of your help this morning:

"Again thank you so much!!! Seeing the pictures brings tears as we really had forgotten what we were missing by not having them."

I love Google+, it's brilliant!

Previous Update: Thank you to everyone who responded with ideas (some listed below) - proof that the google+ hive-mind can be utilized to complete a simple gesture like returning someones photos :) Did I mention that I love... more »

2011-11-10 17:11:04 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

The ReefQuest Center for Shark Research was the brain child and hard fought for success of luminary shark biologist R. Aidan Martin. Aidan was a highly recognised and well published scientist who's mission in life was to shed light on the remarkable world of the elasmobranch and to pass his knowledge onto others, especially the general public.
One of Aidan's most notable achievements was the creation of the elasmo-research.org website, a veritable mine of information on all things elasmo.
As one of the few students lucky enough to work with Aidan it is my intention and desire to keep growing ReefQuest and to continue Aidan's legacy of conservation through science and education.

2011-11-01 05:20:40 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 24 +1s)

click for a frightening experience: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-15391515

The scariest thing I can imagine this Halloween is the population of earth reaching 10 billion humans within my lifetime! The legendary Sir David Attenborough put this into perspective far more eloquently than I possibly could:

"Instead of controlling the environment for the benefit of the population, maybe we should control the population to ensure the survival of our environment.

Immensely powerful though we are today, it's equally clear that we're going to be even more powerful tomorrow. And what's more there will be greater compulsion upon us to use our power as the number of human beings on Earth increases still further. Clearly we could devastate the world. As far as we know, the Earth is the only place in the universe where there is life. Its continued survival now... more »

2011-09-24 15:10:49 (8 comments, 10 reshares, 10 +1s)

why I consider myself an atheist - in a nutshell: