Aug, 22
Here it is, the new blog design! (Yes the one that has been sitting here for about 2 years…) I decided that it was good enough to be put to some use. It probably is still buggy so please let me know if something looks bad. A couple of features aren’t quite finished -hopefully I will get to them soon. Let me know what you think!
Oh, and here’s a picture of a Gray bat (endangered species) that I captured a couple of weeks ago for my real job. Enjoy!
Sep, 14
Don’t worry blog I really haven’t completely forgotten you. Actually there is some neat stuff in the works…
No really, there is. I just have this huge paper to write called a thesis so I am a bit tied up right now.
So the best I can do is post a couple of pictures of trees I took in the park…
Oh and we went camping this summer too…
I can’t decide if it is better black and white or full color.
And now, of course, it’s fall… so maybe I will be able to get out a bit and see some color. That would be nice.
But let’s not forget the bats -they are, after all, the whole reason my time has been taken up. But I really have enjoyed working with them.
I think this Red bat sums it up well… just like him I will slip back into the darkness and leave everyone wondering, “just where does he go?”…
Apr, 17
We scurry to get the project started -productivity depends on the wind, rain, and the blunders of bats. Predicable for sure… One of the great things about grad school is you never know what new, exciting project will turn up next. So it is for my buddy and I as we were handed an interesting project this spring. I has nothing to do with either of our thesis research projects but has managed absorb every spare moment and energy resource we have had over the last month or two. It will be a fantastic advancement -if only we can actually pull it off.
The past couple of weeks I have found myself lodged on the shores of Lake Erie in northern Ohio. I love the wildlife and the lake can be beautiful -but I haven’t had much time to observe.
Luckily, one night this past week was far too windy to chase after bats and I was able to grab my camera and hit the beach.
I nabbed a few pictures before the sun sunk too low.
Life never moves slow these days -this week I start the final season of field work for my thesis project and try to keep the work at the lake moving forward. Regardless, I think the worst of the time crunch is over and perhaps someday soon I will be able to find the rest of my life again.
Nov, 13
My buddy Alex and I both work with bats. Alex is studying the effect of controlled burns (a.k.a. prescribed fire) on bat activity. When properly implemented, controlled burns are beneficial to both the wildlife and the forest. Actually, fire is necessary for some ecosystems to persist.
Yesterday was the day for the fall controlled burns so I thought I would post a few pictures.
For this burn, the goal was to ignite the fire around the edge in a systematic fashion and let it burn toward the center. Here the guy in the background is spreading the fire around the perimeter using a drip torch.
If you are looking for “media grade” 100 ft flames than you will be disappointed. This is a controlled burn in the east not a national disaster in California.
After the fire goes through there is the long process of “mopping up.”
Water is used where need but generally a little goes a long way.
The fire leaves a nice clean forest ready for the new sprouts in the spring.
Copyright © 2013 Andrew B. Kniowski. • Disclaimer
