I found the Learning 2 experience fun and interesting. The quantity of websites, tools and information is overwhelming. Leanne and Carmen have been very patient and helpful.

week 4: RSS feeds and podcasts

RSS feeds and podcasts have a lot to offer; obviously I need to spend a fair bit of time to explore the geography of these networks.

week 3 flickr

Today I found a new means of enjoyment by exploring flickr and you tube - and the excuse for
spending a lot more time in internet cafes.

American Bittern

This is a beautiful
photograph of an
American Bittern

Outing to Cherry Lake

Altona-Smelltona: that's what most people think of Altona; this is misleading, as the petro-chemical
plants are well away from populated areas. Also, what most people don't know is that the Altona area
offers several interesting walks: the Kororoit Creek estuary with its extensive saltmarsh, mangroves and tidal channels, the beach at Seaholme fringed with saltbush and Trugannina Swamp through which Laverton Creek meanders - all this open space within 30 minutes of the CBD!
Walking across the footy oval towards Altona's Cherry Lake I am greeted by a flock of garrulous
Galahs, a joyful sight in their pink and grey plumage. Further on there are some timid Crested
Pigeons. Cherry Lake is man-made but still a good place for a relaxing walk, particularly the conservation zone that fringes the lake on the south west side which has an abundance of native trees, shrubs, grasses and thick reed beds that rustle in the breeze and also a bird hide.
I always enjoy watching the Pelicans gliding in, with huge wings outstretched like seaplanes, putting their feet forward as they land on the water, skiing to a halt. A male Superb Fairy-wren,
a jewel-like blue and black, catches my eye, showing off among the bushes. In the distance a
freight train honks its horn, a rather forlorn sound; I think of it traversing the wilds in the depths of the night. Some merry chatter at the edge of the path - a group of Firetail Finches, their faces and tails brilliant red - the first time I have seen them here.
Two chic young women get on the Melbourne bound train at Footscray. They are talking about websites, one says that JB Hi-Fi's website is clunky and "SOo retarded."

week 2

Wikis are not all good: not all the information on them is reliable.

week one

Hello, I'm musicbirdman.
Most of us live busy lives in a big city. A stroll through a park or woodland can introduce some
refreshment and poetry into our hectic lives.This blog invites anyone to communicate their experiences of the natural environment, no matter how brief, even a record of what birds seen when and where.
Tuesday August 19.
No work today. After a
late lunch I decided to go for a short walk in Studley Park, Kew.
A cold grey winter day, a gentle breeze whispered through the trees. A group of Rainbow Lorikeets
darting through the trees broke the stillness with flashes of brilliant colour and high twitterings. Walking
on I heard the whining calls of Noisy Miners, raucous Red Wattlebirds, the harsh squawks of Sulphur-
crested Cockatoos, and the gentle repeated note of a distant Eastern Rosella. Now the track edged the Yarra River; a few people in kyaks skimmed past on the water; a tantalising speck of brightness on the water's edge, on examination with binoculars, turned out to be a plastic bottle
(one of several seen).
Departing from the woodland, the swish of the wind was supplanted by the muffled roar of traffic from the nearby freeway. Just before the road, at the top of the path, I looked down at the river and noticed five Mute Swans, their white plumage luminous as halogen lights.
All you need for birdwatching is a pair of binoculars and a good field guide - it's that simple.