Posts - Page 2 of 7

Hong Kong bird photo gallery

By Martin Williams

Never mind the antimask-o-sphere. Science shows face masks help reduce Covid spread

Just had one of those silly Twitter “conversations” with someone who had position so fixed, impossible to change with facts. Yeah, reminds me of adage “Don’t mud wrestle with a pig. The pig enjoys it, and you just get dirty.”…

Hong Kong drone photography and video

Still images and videos using drone, taken by Hong Kong based photographer DocMartin Williams.

Cape Town Nature and Culture Combo Makes for a Top Sustainable Tourism Destination

Wow – look at that for a view! Across a bay lie green hills and a headland topped by a craggy summit, with a fishing town on the shoreline. There’s a blue sky with wispy clouds, and not a hint…

Birds of Prey Passing Hong Kong in Spring Help Reveal Wonders of Migration

Grey-faced buzzards and Chinese sparrowhawks pass Hong Kong in numbers on spring days with weather deflecting them from oceanic flyway.

Keep Calm and Carry on Twitching

whatever is the world coming to? These groups are supposed to be looking after our feathered friends, cute and cuddly creatures, not getting stroppy. And for what?

A Covid scrapbook: snapshots from the crazy pandemic

I’ve read accounts of the Spanish Flu, which was the last major pandemic, mainly in 1918 [so over and done with relatively quickly]. At times, could seem responses were odd: maybe trying to act as if there was no disease…

Spectacular southern Java including Geopark

Even a relatively short road trip from Jakarta allows you to explore glorious landscapes near and south of Pelabuhan Ratu, southern Java.

WordPress site on Cloudflare via W3 Total Cache moved to https

I had a couple of WordPress sites I wanted to move to https from http; found the process was not so simple as just one click, via Site Health.

Spread of Guangdong goose highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry farms and wild birds

Wild birds can be readily blamed for spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, while investigations of poultry trade sparse by comparison.

Highly pathogenic bird flu variants mostly evolve in intensive poultry farming

Highly pathogenic bird flu variants evolve from regular, low pathogenic, bird flus, within intensive poultry farming.

Keep Your Underpants Duck Taped and Air Clean as Covid Wild Ride Continues

We’ve learned a lot about Covid, even developing vaccines. Yet Covid remains an issue, no matter how much we might wish it gone.

World’s Birds Akin to Canaries in Coalmine as Human Impacts Continue Apace

Birds are wonderful, but also face an array of threats, mostly resulting from human activities - hunting, habitat loss, climate change...

Covid is airborne so ventilation and air filtration are important

Since early in the pandemic, I’ve been seeing scientists arguing Covid is airborne, even with hashtag #covidisairborne – including to counter notions it is spread by droplets [short range], which seem to be based on very old notions. Important if…

Long Covid – info and links indicating major impact

Evidence is snowballing that Long Covid is also a serious issue, even affecting people in whom the disease initially appeared mild.

Guangxi’s Volcano in the Sea – Weizhou; and Beihai, City with an Old Street

Weizhou Island in Guangxi, southwest China, is volcanic, with a bay occupying the crater; close to the nearby resort city of Beihai.

Exploring Shanxi: temples, natural beauty and Pingyao, the Banking Centre that Died with a Dynasty

Qinyuan county seems little known even within Shanxi, while nearby Pingyao ancient city was a banking centre dubbed "China's Wall Street".

Wailingding – Zhuhai island south of Cheung Chau

Though physically similar to Po Toi, and little more than 10km south of Cheung Chau, Wailingding has a thriving village with a unique character, and a visit makes for an entertaining, out of Hong Kong experience Even if you’re familiar…

On Safari in the Valley Where Snow Leopards Roam

This area along the Lancang has been dubbed the "Valley of the Cats", site of a conservation project in China's first pilot national park.

Kenting – Laid-back Southernmost Taiwan; and Almost Polynesia on Lanyu

Kenting is at the southern tip of Taiwan, while the island of Lanyu is a ferry ride away, with almost Polynesian character.

Seram and Haruku, South Maluku: The Islands Where Birds Colour the World

At 340 kilometres long, Seram in eastern Indonesia may be one of the largest islands you've never heard of.

Danxia Shan – Far More than a Magnificent Rock Penis

Though China’s bullet train network is yet to reach Hong Kong [connected since I wrote this], lines start just across the border, in Shenzhen, and shorten travel times to places that are otherwise just a tad distant for a weekend…

Dapeng – History, Culture and Beachgoing in Shenzhen … Yes, Really!

The Dapeng Peninsula lies within Shenzhen though is a place apart, rooted in Guangdong province and with history and coastal scenery.

Photos of Taiwan by Martin Williams

Taiwan’s Magnificent Marble Mountains: Simply Gorgeous

Taiwan's Taroko National Park includes spectacular gorges carved into marble, and magnificent coastal cliffs.

Foshan – Islands of Interest in an Ocean of Development

Surely the place to head when in Foshan is Lingnan Tiandi, a renovated historic area; not sure Bruce Lee park is so crucial tho.

Israel’s Wild Side: Beasts of the Earth, Birds of the Air; and a Tank

A tour of Israel is rewarding for scenery such as by the Dead Sea and above Eilat, and wildlife including migratory birds.

Huizhou West Lake and Red Flower Lake

Huizhou is the name of a city and the surrounding county in the eastern "Greater Bay Area", with a mix of urban areas, culture and scenery.

Perhaps Covid arose through lab leak of tweaked bat Coronavirus

Maybe humans tweaked bat coronaviruses in gain of function experiments, inadvertently creating Covid thro lab leak.

Photos of Bajau village, Bacan, Maluku, Indonesia

The Bajau – or Bajo [and other spellings!] – are also known as “sea gypsies” – ace fisherfolk, some with astonishing ability for swimming/diving, with only minimal gear. This village is Kampung Bajo Sangkuang – on Bacan Island, Maluku, Indonesia.