Greetings Australian Birders,
I am a college student from the
United States and am currently working on a proposal for a grant to spend a year
(July 2006-July 2007) in Australia photographing endemic birds. This is a
once in a lifetime opportunity provided by an organization that awards
substantial grants to graduating students who want to pursue a project that is
unique and has been a lifetime dream. I have been lurking on this list for
a couple months as I have been putting together my proposal and have learned a
lot from the many posts. I wanted to introduce myself and ask for some
help.
As I have never been to
Australia, I am still very new to the bird life but am quickly learning all I
can through various field guides and HANZAB. My project has two main
focuses: finding and photographing as many endemic birds as possible in a year
and experiencing as much of the Australian continent as possible. I feel
like these will go hand in hand as it is my understanding that there are
endemics just about everywhere and in every habitat. I don't plan on
finding every species as many are very rare or remote but it is a nice goal
nonetheless.
I am in the somewhat awkward
position of trying to make contacts with people for a theoretical project that
may or may not happen, depending whether or not I recieve one of the
grants. Regardless, I would love to talk with anyone that has
researched or has experience with specific species, particularly the more
scarce or more difficult to find species or extensive experience in a
certain area. I am trying to develop a network of contacts across the
country with people who would be interested in sharing their knowledge and
experience with me. I think there is no one better to learn from
than someone who has extensive experience with a single species or group of
species or a specific area.
For those of you interested in
my previous work and experience, I spent six months photographing in the
Florida Everglades and documenting the many aspects of this unique
ecosystem. I am currently working on a book telling the story of the
Everglades through photographs and essays. To see work from this project
please visit my website, www.evergladesimagery.com.
Most of the photos are posted in either the photo section or through the weblog
I maintained.
I thank you all for your time
and hope that this email is not out of place on this mailing list. I am
thrilled to even have the opportunity to apply for this grant and hope that I
will find myself exploring Australia next year. Thanks again.
Drew
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Drew Fulton
Bowdoin College
Everglades Imagery
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