Alien Vs. Pooh

http://godxiliary.com/alienvspooh/Medium/

A short guide to being an owl hero

My dad asked me an interesting question the other day;
"What would you do if somebody called you up saying that they had an injured owl? Would you know what to do?"

Now, obviously I hope none of you ever encounter an injured owl, but these things are good to share - so, just in case, here is my guide on how to be an owl hero. :)

1. Obviously, you must ascertain first whether the bird is actually injured or not. A good sign is that the owl makes no attempt to (or can't) run or fly away from you, and looks in a general poor and bedraggled state. These are signs of an owl that needs expert help and your job is to deliver it to safe hands.

2. Covering the bird with a blanket, coat or jumper will keep the bird warm and calm it by blacking out its vision. IMPORTANT: It is very easy to kill a bird by shock, or damage it further. Minimise contact as much as possible.

3. If you can, transfer the bird into a ventilated box with enough room for it to crawl around. Make sure it is comfortable - newspaper and old clothing to line the box will do, but don't use sawdust or anything in bits, and do not provide water. DO NOT attempt to touch, treat or feed the bird yourself. This is important because:

• You may further injure or stress the bird.
• With enough contact it may imprint on you - that is, it will begin to bond with you, effectively recognise you as its parent and will no longer be able to be released back into the wild. It needs to recognise that humans are the enemy and cannot do this when it sees us as a source of food and nurturing!

4. Get the poor thing to the nearest bird of prey centre AS SOON AS POSSIBLE- look in your local directory for numbers to call. Every minute is vital.

5. Wash yer hands afterwards. Those owls are dirty ;p

This method works for every bird out there too, but take care with birds of prey as they're potentially dangerous. Remember that if the bird isnt a bird of prey, then a BOP centre won't want to know about it - get it instead to an RSPCA or wildlife hospital unit, or even to a local vet.

controlled coursework and crayon box birds

I feel quite fortunate that none of my A-level subjects involve coursework as many of my friends despair over impending deadlines and fifth/sixth/seventh drafts - The subjects that I study package what is considered as coursework-type stuff neatly up into exams - or, in the case of Biology and Chemistry, into Investigating Skills Assessments (ISAs) - One of which [Biology] has been happening this week, and the exam portion is tomorrow.
So, here I am, in a short break between revising various bits and pieces on photosynthesis, and statistical tests that Biologists use. I certainly feel more confident about Biology than Chemistry, though with hard work the gap should be bridged.
In other news, I've recently been discovering the joys of photography groups on DeviantART, and birds top the list of favourites for me - especially the ones that look like little feathery jewels.

European Bee Eater by ~PauloALopes

Kingfisher by =Thrumyeye

Toucan by =oO-Rein-Oo

All of these were found at the 'Bird-Photography' group on DeviantART - I seriously suggest a peek, there are many more. :)

A long winter

It's been so long. I could excuse myself with schoolwork and painting but in truth I've just slipped into a habit of not posting anything here, which is quite shameful.
So, to make up for the absence, I'd like to introduce you to a friend:

Photograph by Saidthefawn

Moss is a very smug looking snowy owl. For most of the year the climate is too warm for him to fly but he doesn't waste his time being forlorn about it. He likes to charm guests with his happy sounds and beautiful white feathers.

Fashion: Hel-looks

I found out about the street fashion project Hel-Looks through a friend about a year ago and have enjoyed checking out Helsinki's bravest looks since. Here are some of my favourites:

find your own favourites!

Fashion: The Cherry Blossom Girl

Blogger and clothes designer Alix Bancourt has one of the most beautiful and enviable wardrobes around. Full of a healthy mix of high street, label and vintage; she must be one of the finest dressed girls in Paris! From time to time she also posts photographs of her travels and her life back at home in Paris. Choosing photographs from her blog to put in this post is certainly a difficult task. You can visit her blog here - definitely worth a read.

All images belong to Alix @ thecherryblossomgirl.

I'm longing to be creative and post more of the things that I've made, but unfortunately my exams aren't over yet and Im so incredibly lacking in free time these days :( The good news is that this exam season will largely be over in a few days and I can get down to making and doing and photographing. I can't wait. :)

Artists: Naoko Ito

I'm loving these installations by Tokyo-born Japanese artist Naoko Ito from his 'Urban Nature 2009' project, in which he has painstakingly reassembled cut-up branches to their former shapes from inside jars. I'm not very good at looking for symbolism and deeper meaning in modern art, but I appreciate the skill that this sort of project requires. Below are a couple more of his works from this project, but to see more click here.