Let's keep it wild.

15 October 2013

14 October 2013

The red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas) is an amphibian native to rainforests in Central America.

During the day, red-eyed tree frogs mostly sleep, keeping their eyes closed to help camouflage themselves. If disturbed, a frog will abruptly reveal his red eyes, startling potential predators. This often gives the frog just enough time to jump away to safety. Red-eyed tree frogs have very strong suction cup toe pads that make them agile climbers. Adult males are only about 5 cm (2 inches) in length while the females tend to be larger at 7.5 cm (3 inches). Males croak and quiver, like a song and a dance, to attract females. These frogs change color according to their mood, from dark green to a reddish-brown.

11 October 2013

Rare birds of China

Black-necked Crane, Grus nigricollis

J. Fenwick Lansdowne, often described as the successor to John James Audubon, was born in 1937 to British parents in Hong Kong. He died in Victoria BC Canada – where he had lived for many years – just before his 70th birthday in the summer of 2008. He was taught to paint by his mother, herself an accomplished artist trained in traditional Chinese watercolor techniques.

Rare Birds of China is his most recent project, one which required almost 10 years to complete. It was commissioned in 1984 as a unique record of China's rare and endangered birds. From its inception, it has been a truly international project. The 32 birds in the series were selected with the help of leading Chinese ornithologists, professors Cheng Tso-Hsin and Hsu Weishu. This list was compiled with a particular concern for those species increasingly threatened by environmental hazards and loss of habitat.

J. Fenwick Lansdowne traveled extensively in China, visiting museums and observing birds in zoos and in their natural habitats. Museums in China, England and North America provided advice and assistance with the loan of bird skins for the artist's reference. British mountaineer Chris Bonington took detailed photographs of the habitats of Himalayan species for the artist's use.