26 June 2012

This is what extinction looks like


Lonesome George has died. The last of his subspecies of giant Galápagos tortoise, he was thought to be about a hundred years old. I met him in September last year; by then his subspecies had long been doomed to extinction, but his death two days ago (24 June) saddens me nevertheless.


[7 September 2011, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 300 mm, ISO 400, 1/200 at f8]

All content © 2012 Pete McGregor

20 June 2012

Somewhere in the fjords of Chile


I've read claims that wild places no longer exist, that you can't go anywhere without encountering overt signs of human activity. I find those kinds of claims slippery at best — what's overt to their authors might be not all all obvious to many of us; just how long must I go without being reminded that other humans share this place with me; what constitutes wildness; how large is this wild (or not) place about which we're arguing, and so on —  but I do acknowledge this: wild places are declining.

Still, some remain. Anyone who's travelled through the fjords of Chile will know that.


[6 December 2011, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 14–45 mm at 45 mm, ISO 100, 1/60 at f11]

All content © 2012 Pete McGregor

16 June 2012

Winter birch


Lately we've had cold, damp days — sometimes a frost followed by a heavily overcast day. I live most of the time in several layers of thermals and fleece, topped with a down jacket, hands in edging mittens.


[28 May 2012, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 100 mm, ISO 200, 1/320 at f8]

All content © 2012 Pete McGregor

06 June 2012

Silkie


Another of the new chooks living out the back. Silkies have been popular for many decades — perhaps even centuries — and their popularity apparently shows no sign of diminishing. My parents preferred less outrageous-looking fowls and considered the silkie's feathered legs a fault (they look quaint when they're clean, but there's the rub), but I'm happy to enjoy the sight of these. I do prefer clean-legged breeds, though, particularly game fowls and some of the wyandottes.



[28 May 2012, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 300 mm, ISO 200, 1/60 at f5.6]

All content © 2012 Pete McGregor

02 June 2012

Old cans


I suppose cans like these will eventually survive only in museums. Now it's all red and yellow plastic — oil holding oil. (These are petrol cans, but it's all oil in one form or another.)


[28 May 2012, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 183 mm, ISO 200, 1/320 at f8]

All content © 2012 Pete McGregor