Amsterdam

In Bruges

Aerosmith at Calling Festival

One of the things I've been doing in England is going to lots of concerts: classical, jazz, country, pop and rock. Photography is not permitted at most of them but I was able to take these at the Calling Festival on Camden Common. I'm not really a fan of Aerosmith's music, but there's no denying, they are an exceptionally photogenic group.

Corner View - Animal

Oriental Garden Lizard

Oman is the western limit of the Oriental Garden Lizard  (Calotes versicolor). They are especially colourful right now as it's their breeding season. This makes the males very flushed and also causes them to fight a lot.They are, you might say, real animals.

Birdwatching in Oman 2

Red-billed Tropicbird

Green Bee-eater

Now it's June and the migratory birds have passed through on their way to Southern Europe and Central Asia.

The breeding summer residents are here now, including the  Red-billed Tropicbird and the Green Bee-eater.

Birdwatching in Oman

WHITE PELICANS

GLOSSY IBIS

EUROPEAN NIGHTJAR

One of my hobbies is birdwatching and from March to May a lot of interesting birds pass through Salalah on their way north.

I saw the three White Pelicans (Pelecanus onocratulus)  on March 23. It looks like it's a family group with two adult parents and one immature bird. They stayed close together for a few weeks by the East Khawr (khawr is the Arabic for creek), before continuing their northward migration.

There was also a flock of up to 60 Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) on the East Khawr for  a few weeks. I remember the first time I ever saw an Ibis, it seemed such an exotic bird. They still seem exotic to me now, with their metallic purple and blue feathers, and long curved bills.

The male European Nightjar ( Caprimulgus europaeus) was roosting on the branch of a tree outside my office window all day today,  May 5. He will fly tonight. Whether he'll continue flying north or return to roost in the tree for a few days, I don't know. A male African Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis) stayed in the same tree for a few weeks last year. You can hear a Nightjar here:

American Portraits

Senegalese Portraits

Ethiopian Portraits

Tanzanian Portraits

Cambodian Portraits

Libyan Portraits

Korean Portraits

Latvian Portraits

Vietnamese Portraits

Yemeni Portraits

Iranian Portraits

Indonesian Portraits

Indian Portraits

Bhutanese Portraits

Guatemalan Portraits

Corner View - Organic Form

This week's theme, Organic Form, comes from Nadine.

The henna art and wall murals of Zanzibar, both, to my eyes, have organic forms and colours which grow naturally out of the earth.

My First Effort

This is my first effort with Windows Movie Maker. I hope you like it.

Night & Day in the City

Busan

Bucharest

Grey morning. Scurrying, heads down, isolated together
A moment's eye contact with a stranger
Walls that move in and out
A moan, a whisper, a fearful cry, an angry shout

It's not all bad, it's not all bad
A madman muttering underground
Heads bury deeper into papers
Night descends, dark suits replaced by neon ravers.

Emotion-drained faces framed by windows
Shuddering pipes and throbbing floors
3am, the time for new love and old death
Is when I wake up and decide that tomorrow I will try to leave

The city

Corner View - Rain

Photos:

1) On a mountain road from Kandy, Sri Lanka

2) The Darjeeling railway in the monsoon

3) Small town in Sikkim

Corner View - Holiday Photos

I take every opportunity to travel, and so usually have three or four holidays each year. Last month I was in Tanzania. I did what I usually do: booked the flight and the first night's accommodation, and then took it from there. The result was a short stay in the capital city of Dar Es Salaam, some time on the exotic island of Zanzibar, and finally, a safari in Mikumi National Park, which is where these photos were taken. We were lucky to happen upon a lioness drinking at a water hole and then followed her back to her three cubs.

Next month I am going to Ethiopia, which will be my 102nd country. Only 91 more to go!

Tanzanian Portraits

Senegalese Portraits

Cambodian Portraits

Libyan Portraits

Korean Portraits

Latvian Portraits

Vietnamese Portraits

Yemeni Portraits

Iranian Portraits

Indonesian Portraits

Indian Portraits

Bhutanese Portraits

Guatemalan Portraits