Frantic Naturalist Development Method

Where does one develop a passionate interest in wildlife and all things nature. There is only one way. Experience nature, up close.

I have just read a wonderful blog post which I though needed sharing as a great example of how ones fascination in nature first begins. It's very well written, and I enjoyed it so much that I read it a couple times and even left a comment.

So, please go an visit this story on Bird Ecology Study Group's blog

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What do you want from a nature oriented tour company?

Over the last few days I have done some reading on various companies websites to see what people around the world offer. I find it really hard to find companies with a strong focus on nature. I understand that even a superficial level nature experience is still experiencing nature, but I just feel that for the person who really wants a quality nature experience, it's rather hard to pick?

I don't know if I am right about it. I would love to hear from travelers who have planned holidays around the world and aimed to visit areas with tour companies who are nature oriented? Are they easy to pick, or is it hard to know who really has a good field knowledge and who doesn't?

My feelings only reflect the reactions that I got from guests that I have had over the years. I guess that for a good 70% its not a big deal. If you, as a guest, don't know a great deal about nature and don't have expectations about what you will learn, then it's not a problem. Perhaps you may feel that to much field knowledge is not at all what you want your from your guide.

But I find it frustrating, on the few birding outings and game drives that I have been on. I feel that even if a guide doesn't need to be divulging copious amounts of information all the time, he/she should still be able to back up his stories and tidbits with solid facts and a rock solid field knowledge background.

In any other profession that sort of knowledge would be expected, but somehow in guiding a lot is let slip. Many a guide still gets away with telling the guests rubbish, and getting away with it so often that they even start to believe either that they can just always lie or simply believing their own lies.

Now, that said, I know that their are a great many good, very good field guides out there in the business. I have even had the great pleasure to be mentored or to have meet some guides I would rate right up there with the gurus in the business. Go on tour with them, and there is no question that a good field knowledge in important. Everyone hangs spellbound by the expert. A solid field knowledge like that means that they know enough to not have to tell you the boring things. They know enough about the natural world in that area that they can tell you interesting stuff for hours. Those guides are out there. Lots of them. But in the world of internet marketing, how do you know where to find them. What are the standards? Perhaps you know?

[Just a note about my opinion about top end guides - I do not for a second think that all top end guides have a strong educational background. It's a huge advantage. But there are other ways to study. Spending time with wildlife. Some with a very poor educational background, poor English (Spanish, Chinese, or whatever is relevant to their guests) and un-scientific approach would keep you spell bound with their knowledge and appreciation of nature. I almost felt this note didn't need to be included, but it's important to me. I would go so far as to say it the other way round. The guy with the book knowledge makes a very week guide if he/she didn't spend time in the bush.]

If you read this blog as a potential traveler to Africa or anywhere around the world, seeking a naturalist or nature experience, what are you expecting? Do you think that your travel agent is able to point you to those guide and companies where that sort of field depth is provided? I'm not answering the question. I am asking.

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New Website

For all you faithful supporters (most of you who read this blog) I just wanted to update everyone on what I am doing.

I got offered a deal from Safari Wise to help them launch birding day tours at the coast (Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.) As a result I have put Frantic Naturalist on hold. The company exists (on paper) and will certainly be revived in some form later on.

For now, I really have a great opportunity to get my name in on the birding scene in Namibia - and in the world of commercial birding. So, that's that side of things.

Well, I still have a registered domain, http://www.frantic-naturalist.com/

I had thought to just take the site off for the time being, but was advised by my father-in-law (swakop.com, who hosts frantic-naturalist) not to take it off. As the web geeks know, there are things like pagerank to consider. So, I thought, while I haven't been doing much, I will start changing it.

I really enjoy doing web design, and decided that since I don't have to make it make money for now, I could play around with it. Actually, same goes for blogging. Without worrying about Frantic Naturalist Tours and Safaris hanging over my head, I can be a little more free, and write what I want to write.

So, I started banging away. First I made it more hobby like (didn't change it on line, only on my hard-drive.) But I did think that I needed (and wanted) to keep it optimized for the search terms that it has done well with so far.

So I did some Google digging and I still do very, very well with the search terms "naturalist tours." I often get it above the fold on the front page on google search. That's really something. Just a two word search, to get within the first ten pages is tough. I mainly did it by submitting to free directories and blogging.

So, Frantic Naturalist isn't on hold because I didn't get requests through the website. Other reasons (money being a big one...) but anyway, the website gets hits and I wanted to keep that as it is. Thanks for all of you who have helped by listing it and so on.

Anyway, so as I got working on it, I started to look around at directories for 'naturalist tours' since that is what I seem to be doing well for. I don't find much. Not world wide.

So, it may be biting off a lot, but for now I am bending the website to be a completely free directory of naturalist tours (naturalist, in terms of nature - passionate and questioning interest in the natural world.)

It's coming along well. I have been busy with boys and birding during much of the days, and have been cutting code (or html mark-up - I'm a nature nut, so it's almost code to me) at night. I have had a lot of fun. I have done the whole website in a pure text editor, just for fun. I have used cut and paste to check spelling (please, I torture the English language, when I put it up, help me with spelling so on.)

I have done the website in pure html and the styling with css. I have to use Frontpage to load it (that's not my fault, it's the only access I have to the server.) Even though I have taken lots of images lately, I have still kept it very clean and image free. I know some of you don't like that about my websites, but I like it. They are easy to use, clean and fast loading. I really like clean easy pages, that don't make me push things and don't flash and beep at me. Reminds me of a quote from a movie I watched many times:

Buck Murdock: Oh, cut the bleeding heart crap, will ya? We've all got our switches, lights, and knobs to deal with, Striker. I mean, down here there are literally hundreds and thousands of blinking, beeping, and flashing lights, blinking and beeping and flashing - they're *flashing* and they're *beeping*. I can't stand it anymore! They're *blinking* and *beeping* and *flashing*! Why doesn't somebody pull the plug!
Aeroplane 2:the sequel

So, towards the end of the week, have a look on Friday (Oh, it's going to be the 13th!It will only have a few entries for Naturalist Tour companies to begin with.

I will be adding frequently after that. I will build a little database with Python (using SQLite for those who know that stuff.) I am not a programmer. Just enjoy torturing computers a little. How big it can get will depend mainly on support people give it. For me, to list on free directories was a great way to get free marketing for Frantic Naturalist. Let's see.

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