ZooAtHome

ZooAtHome has been evolving ever since I first discovered the World Wide Web more than a decade ago. Initially, I used it to provide photos and family news to relatives who were scattered across the country. For a time, it also showcased my home-crafted pillows, journals & other nifty items. Additionally, through it all, it’s been an outlet for my frustrated inner web designer as I struggle to make sense of various cryptic acronyms such as HTML, PHP & MySQL. And, to a limited extent, it still serves all these functions today.

However, my children are now pretty much grown and beginning lives as young adults. As they move into their futures, I find my attention turning to things that I didn’t often have time for during the mommy years. One that has come to top the list is the study of Nature … and the desire to capture and express what I’ve discovered through the art of photography. It seems only natural that as my own, personal focus changes so should this site.

While you will still see bits and pieces of family events scattered here and there, the bulk of ZooAtHome is now filled with images and observations of the many creatures, both wild and domestic, that are now so very prominent in my life. I’ve begun to keep track of the things I’ve captured digitally in a life list, much like birders do. However, I am trying to take it a step further than just having a list of things that I’ve seen and caught with my camera. I’m striving to learn at least a little about each creature and plant, both through direct observation and by reading up on them. I even hope to eventually create an online guide to local wildlife, using my own photos and experiences to fill it, but that’s getting a little ahead of myself at the moment.

For now, I will attempt to publish photos on a daily (well, at least several times a week) basis and include a tidbit of info about each photo and it’s subject. My emphasis currently tends to be on birds as they are easier to see, photograph and identify though I include other creatures and even plants as the opportunity arises. As my experience and expertise as both a photographer and naturalist grow, so should this site and, hopefully, it will move away from being primarily a birding site to a more complete and in depth collection of local wildlife here in the Pacific Northwest.

I invite you to come along with me as I make a sincere effort to become more intimate with my wild neighbors and maybe even capture and share a small bit of their wild beauty through my photos. Together, perhaps we can discover and experience the great wonder and variety of the Natural world we live in.

My current Life List totals:

• Birds: 78
• Mammals: 12
• Reptiles & Amphibians: 6

Note about Life Lists: These totals do not necessarily reflect all the creatures I’ve ever seen throughout my entire life, but actually include only those I have successfully photographed AND identified. For example, I have seen several coyotes over the years, but have never been able to capture them with my camera so they are not counted. I also have several bird and small rodent pictures whose subjects I have not yet been able to identify to my satisfaction. Those also are not included in the totals. Life Lists, by nature, are dynamic and will change with time as more species are seen, identified and added and old ones are discovered to have been mis-identified. I keep track of these numbers simply for the fun of seeing them go up (& occasionally down) as I make my various explorations of the natural world.