Author Archives: Joy Window

A song of ice and flowers

Posted on Sunday, 12 April 2020

(Despite the title of this piece, which seemed appropriate, I’ve not watched ‘Game of Thrones’ – I avoid violent TV, books and films. Andrew likes to point out that I enjoy ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Xena Warrior Princess’, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Plants, Travels | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

The sound of breath freezing

Posted on Wednesday, 1 April 2020

The sound of breath freezing is very much outside my experience. I’ve lived most of my life on the driest continent on Earth and some parts of it are very hot, so the concept intrigues me.  I first read about … Continue reading →

Posted in The sea, Travels | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Not your average Christmas reindeer

Posted on Tuesday, 5 November 2019

Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) are endemic to Svalbard and are the smallest subspecies of reindeer – about half the weight of other reindeers. They sure do look small with their short legs and pot bellies. We saw several small … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals on land, Travels | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

The world’s northernmost museum

Posted on Tuesday, 23 April 2019

I’ve mentioned before that I’m fond of museums. Having worked in a museum early in my career (a natural history one), and now volunteering in one (a historical one), I know how much effort goes into them. I couldn’t resist … Continue reading →

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Arctic trip – beluga whales

Posted on Friday, 22 March 2019

I’d seen a beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) only once before, and that was in the Atlanta aquarium in the United States. In the wild it’s a more holistic experience, although it’s impossible to see the whole of the animals unless … Continue reading →

Posted in The sea, Travels | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Arctic trip – a blue whale

Posted on Thursday, 21 March 2019

It all started in the wee small hours – I won’t say ‘sunrise’ as there hadn’t been one for weeks – but Janet (my room-mate) was having a shower and I was snoozing in the bottom bunk, contemplating getting up. … Continue reading →

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Walruses suck!

Posted on Tuesday, 15 January 2019

They really do! Let me explain. I’d only seen walruses (Odobenus rosmarus, ‘odobenus’ from the Greek meaning ‘tooth-walker’; they sometimes haul themselves out of the water using their tusks) in TV documentaries, a la David Attenborough. I think Taronga Zoo … Continue reading →

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Polar paws

Posted on Sunday, 13 January 2019

There are two types of polar paws on Svalbard: those of the arctic fox and the polar bear. I find bears interesting, possibly because we don’t have any in Australia (no, a koala is not a bear),  so I can’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals on land, Travels | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Koala aloha

Posted on Thursday, 8 November 2018

The local male koala has been creating quite a din over the last few nights, and we finally got a shot of him at twilight, high up a gum tree. You can hear a recording of the call here. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals on land, Koalas | Tagged | 6 Comments

More Arctic avians

Posted on Thursday, 11 October 2018

I met fellow-Aussies Bruce and Linda on the Arctic trip, and Bruce has kindly allowed me to post some of his great shots. He has a camera with a big lens (allowing for nice close-ups) and the knowledge to use … Continue reading →

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