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Also featured in the 2006 edition.

 

Some days, I think I am a field ecologist who is a professional freelance writer on the side. Other days, I feel like a writer that makes a living as an ecologist.

My research focuses on urban ecology, especially as it pertains to birds.

I have an excellent spouse, and we share our home with two great cats and a faithful miniature macaw. For more personal odds and ends, see 50% of 100 Things About Me and The rest of 100 things about me.

What is bootstrap analysis?

This blog is large parts natural history and aspects of my field work, healthy doses of my opinions on current science and environmental issues, some personal items including the obligatory cat blogging, and a little bit of crazy stuff to indulge my weird sense of humor. Be sure to check out the greatest hits for a taste of what's here.

What's with the name?

In the real world, "bootstrap analysis" is a statistical method used to evaluate the reliability of datasets by replication. In biology in general, bootstrapping has evolutionary connotations. For instance, Wikipedia notes: "The evolution of progressively better adapted organs through natural selection in a lineage of organisms is another [example of bootstrapping]."

Originally, the term came from a German legend of a man who pulled himself from the sea by his bootstraps. All of these concepts -- testing reality by repeated experiences; the evolution of ideas through regular writings; and working to move forward at times by sheer force of will -- are behind this blog.

Contact
I am not ashamed of anything I write and I take full responsibility for it. However, like many people in academia, I have chosen to blog anonymously at this time because many people associate me with several regionally or nationally well-known projects, and I wish to be able to follow my muse and speak my mind without feeling as if I am representing one of these entities, or having to consider how it will reflect on them. Please leave comments on my posts. I'd love to hear from you. I can also be reached at nuthatch.ba AT gmail.com.

The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries,
is not "Eureka!" but "Hmm, that's funny..." ~Isaac Asimov