Introduction - Who am I and what am I doing here?

Greetings and welcome to "View from the eyrie", a blog about birds, nature and life. You may be asking yourself about the title of my blog. Well, it's quite simple, an eyrie is where a falcon makes her home. This is the place where I can voice my thoughts on what I see from my home, or homepage if you will.

I like to think of myself as a lifelong learner. I never want to stop learning something new. I am an avid watcher of the History and Discovery Channels and Animal Planet. I graduated from the University of California, Davis in the summer of 2004 with a Bachelor's degree in Avian Sciences. It was once called Poultry Science in the days when UC Davis was more of an agricultural institution, but has since expanded to cover a wider range of feathered creatures. I was never quite certain what I wanted to do with this degree, but I certainly enjoyed most of my classes. Recently, I think I would like to be curator of a zoo or museum collection or possibly a writer or editor of a journal or magazine dedicated to birds. If I had known that then, I may have had a better idea of what to do or ask while in school. However, I am still young and there is always the chance that my dreams may one day be realized.

My passion for birds extends to before I can remember. I have seen photos of myself staring into the eyes of a very curious lovebird and the connection is tangible. I do not remember that moment, but I am certain it was a defining moment in my life. My passion has more recently extended into the realm of hunting. Namely, falconry and the art of hunting with a trained bird of prey. I have been intimately familiar with Red-tailed Hawks, American Kestrels and, most recently, a Harris' Hawk. I am constantly amazed at the things these birds teach me on a daily basis. Once I think I have it figured out, I am thrown a curve ball and am forced to re-evaluate. Of course, that is what keeps it interesting and exciting.

My goal for this blog is to keep my writing skills sharp and to avoid falling into current web-speak traps and to avoid giving you, the reader, the literary nails-on-chalkboard feeling which I find often happens when reading blogs. I also hope to make this interesting enough for many of you to come back. I hope to write no less than once a week, though I can not predict or promise which particular day I may update. I welcome any questions or comments and look forward to showing you my view from the eyrie.