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The prevailing ideas on Navigation
A summary 2011 The two prevailing ideas on long distance navigation are based around two ideas: Magnetic cues Olfactory cues (smell) It is clear that near home animals, birds and humans build up a map of their neighbourhood with remembered sights smells and landmarks. This is all mediated by the hippocampus. There is some evidence…
Traditional Shepherding and Transumance in the Cevennes
Transumance is the seasonal movement of animals from the lowlands to high pastures for the summer months. This article and images come from witnessing Transumance in the Cevennes each year and talking to Annie Lashermes whose flock it is. The tradition of Transumance goes back millennia. Richard Nissen Editor <<<<< Transumance routes A shepherd with…
Summary of ideas Spring 2014
Intro I have put together this article to spell out some of the thinking that I have come across recently. A lot is highly contentious (such as Torsion waves) but as we struggle to understand how animals (and humans) navigate effortlessly, ideas which seemed so strong suddenly seem to be beset by impossible conditions. We…
The Elephant Whisperer by Laurence Anthony
Lawrence Anthony sadly died in March 2012. The web link below tells the story of his death and how his elephants grieved for him and some history of his project to save a herd of elephants who he brought to his reserve At Thula Thula and tamed. Wild Elephants gather inexplicably, mourn death of “Elephant…
The long Way (excerpt) by Bernard Moitessier
Bernard Moitessier sailed single handed around the world in 1969 and published his accounts of this trip in 1971 in the book “The long Way”. This description comes from this book. Moitessier was a very seasoned sailor when he undertook the single handed round the world challenge in 1969. He opted out of the race…
The need for help
It is interesting, that the need to know how to get somewhere is often the trigger that enables navigation to begin. I discussed this with a friend of mine, whose wife always says, “Why do you use a SatNav when your own direction finding is better every time?” We discussed how his sense of direction…