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Australasia

       Freshwater Turtles of the Kimberley
       Whale Sharks of Ningaloo Reef
       Climate Change in the Rainforest

Africa

        Madagascar's Lemurs
        Desert Elephants of Namibia
        Lions of Tsavo
        Elephants of Tsavo
        Samburu Regional Initiative
        South African Penguins
        South Africa's Brown Hyenas
        Conserving Threatened Birds of Ghana

Europe

        Whales and Dolphins of the Hebrides
        Dolphins of Greece
        Icelandic Glaciers

The Americas

        Climate Change at the Arctic's Edge
        Moose and Wolves
        Conserving the Pantanal
        Amazon Riverboat Exploration
        Hunting for Caterpillars in La Selva (Costa Rica)
        Coastal Ecology of the Bahamas
        Among Baja's Grey Whales

Australasia

Freshwater Turtles of the Kimberley

From sleeping under the stars through the phases of the moon, waking to the chorus of birds led by the unusual sounds of the Blue Winged Kookaburra, all ideas of city comforts are obsolete, overtaken by the luxury of basking in this ancient time and wonder of this surprising land... Damian Caesar, Amcor corporate fellow

Whale Sharks of Ningaloo Reef

An open mouth heading our way from the depths heralded the arrival of this 6 m majestic fish. A mad scramble for positions, a few measured photos of the left and right pectoral sides for identification, and a few minutes to enjoy the experience before passing the whale shark to the next group and diving back in for an even bigger lad - our perfect day had gotten better! Various Team 3 2009 team members.

A gorgeous day in Exmouth for the Earthwatch volunteers. The smell of warm bread greets us as we wake to another perfect day at North West Cape. A few quick yoga stretches in front of the rising sun in an attempt to warm up for a day with swimming with the biggest of fish... Various team members

... What seemed like a dreary day first thing in the morning turned out to be a spectacular one. Our first stop off was to have a snorkel and get a feel for the gear before we headed out to whale sharks. Not long after this the boat received its first radio advice that a whale shark had been spotted... Jamie Friedland, Jonathan Horan, Rochelle Youngson, Cara Price, and Kathy Zischka

This place feels like the end of the world...what better place to find the biggest fish in the world? Exmouth is on a long cape sticking out into the Indian Ocean, with big blue skies and red, rolling hills covered with scrubby vegetation... Philip Johansson - Earthwatch Staff

Climate Change in the Rainforest

I soon realised that collecting ants in the bush was not an easy task. The ants were tiny but they could move much faster than you could imagine. I was disappointed at the beginning because I couldn't locate any for the first 10 minutes, and my only collection in the second round was not even an ant... Yew Wah Teoh, Shell corporate fellow

Africa

Madagascar's Lemurs

I was in the outhouse, with my trousers halfway down, when I heard an urgent whisper outside: "Bamboo lemur, behind the loo!" I made a judgment call. The greater bamboo lemur (Hapalemur simus) is one of the rarest primates in the world; researchers believe there are fewer than 1,000 left. Never mind the loo - I rushed out, hoping for a quick look... Laurie McAndish King

Desert Elephants of Namibia

A Scientist's Field Journal

It seemed that I was not destined to get a full night's sleep as on each subsequent night we had thunder and lightning around us at three in the morning. One night the downpour caused thoughts of arks and gathering animals two by two. Recently, I have become alert around 3 a.m., waiting either for elephants to arrive or to be struck by lightning... Dr Keith Leggett

Lions of Tsavo

A honeymoon with a difference... As part of the HSBC funding for Earthwatch I had been part of a team that went to Costa Rica in 2003 to study rainforest caterpillars. The two weeks there were like no other 'holiday' I'd ever been on, so I knew an Earthwatch trip would be ideal for our honeymoon... Helen Pickup

It's 2.30 in the morning, above me the star filled sky dazzles like a distant city, and here I am, sitting on the roof of an open top 4 by 4, hoping to catch the eye of a lioness on the prowl, a startled Impala or a watchful bush baby... Zoe Gamble

I discovered Earthwatch long before I was lucky enough to become a member of staff, and have participated as a volunteer on two projects in Kenya which have left me with some wonderful memories of the country, its wildlife and its people... Nicole Yde-Poulsen, Earthwatch Europe

Elephants of Tsavo

Samburu Regional Initiative

Stark, pure, prickly and barren, the Wamba region of Samburu is the inhospitable home to the nomadic Masaai tribe of western Kenya. They come and go like the wind; invisible, invincible, and omnipresent, all at the same time... Agnes Gambill, Earthwatch Student Scholar

Today I am working in the field with fellow scientists in the Wamba area of the Samburu District of Kenya. Wamba is communally owned and the nomadic Samburu pastoralists, their livestock and wild animals live in close proximity. The area is rich in wildlife and includes Grevy's zebras, elephants, various antelopes, gerenuks, cheetahs, lions, leopards, hyenas, the endangered wild dogs, birds and an array of invertebrates... Dr Nick Oguge, Samburu Wildlife and Communities Field Director

South African Penguins

Getting up close and personal with penguins and some other unusual wildlife on an Earthwatch expedition to South Africa. Berry Wong

South Africa's Brown Hyaenas

I look around again, camera at the ready - surely out there in the darkness there is a hyaena scavenging. I glance back down the road and there it is - a menacing silhouette standing on the horizon, the moon just illuminating its sloping back and shaggy mane... Niall Riddell

Conserving Threatened Birds of Ghana

After the field work, we take our packed lunch of sandwiches and fruit juice and hike back to join our vehicle. Our driver, Prosper, always welcomes us back with a big smile. Back at camp, we wash down and relax for an hour. By late afternoon the tent is very warm so we grab some chairs and head for nearby cocoa farms to relax under the trees... Catherine Avorseh

Europe

Whales and Dolphins of the Hebrides

After a quiet start we were joined by at least two minke whales (possibly four) and a very large basking shark which cruised along as we drifted beside it to take identification pictures. Three porpoises joined the fun so we were all kept busy making observations... Katie Critchley

The landscape proved what was already written about it in the briefing - it truly was an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The way the surface of the hills always had some thing new to show moment to moment, as we went along, was breathtaking... Raihan Huq

Dolphins of Greece

With 50 Earthwatch projects and a hideous amount of air miles between us, when we found we were all booked on the same Dolphins of Greece team we decided to get there in the greenest way possible. After some research, this turned out to be by horse and cart and so we opted for the second greenest approach - train, ferry and bus... Richard Lawson and Elaine Massey

...today we head out in our NovaMarine RIB at 08.30 hrs to our most easterly transect in glass-like waters with the sun shining over the mountainous landscape. Seconds after reaching our transect starting point, Silvia Bonizzoni, Research Team Member, shouts "OUT, 11 O'CLOCK!" A dorsal fin has been spotted approximately 100 metres from our boat... Jen Alger - Program Manager, Earthwatch Europe

"OUT AT TWELVE... 100 METRES!" Three, four, no five dorsal fins break the surface. The excitement is tangible. The dolphins, currently just 50m from the bow... Ian Allison - Expedition Co-ordinator, Earthwatch Europe

Icelandic Glaciers

Nothing can quite prepare you for stepping out onto a glacier for the first time. Despite seeing photos in magazines and recognising you're heading for a pretty stunning place, experiencing the landscape yourself can only be described as ethereal... Clare Marl - Director Marketing and Communications, Earthwatch Europe

The Americas

Climate Change at the Arctic's Edge

When I was a child, I used to catch holy hell from my mother for digging holes in our front yard. My long-forgotten hole-digging abilities came in handy recently when I found my way to an outpost in northern Manitoba to dig for science... Joanne Edgar

Garry Oughtred is a Science teacher from NSW who participated on Climate Cchange at the Arctic's Edge as an UltraFeedback Earthwatch Fellow.

He spent spend October 2008 at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, 23km east of Churchill, Canada, at the meeting of three major ecosystems: marine, tundra and northern boreal forest. The surrounding area is inhabited by around 1,200 polar bears as well as grizzly and black bears.

Garry's blog site forms part of an online learning experience for his students. You're welcome to take a look too!

Listen to Garry’s ABC radio interview with Deborah Cameron.

Moose and Wolves

Ouch! Another wall of scratchy spruce ahead, with their sharp dead lower branches. And a fallen "great-great-grandfather" of a spruce, with broken pointed stubs of branches. So, we go around. And then... Barry Goldstein

Conserving the Pantanal

As we approached our destination, an oasis called the Fazenda Rio Negro loomed just a few hundred feet below. We came to rest on a grassy runway in the middle of the Pantanal, the Portuguese word for swamp and the largest tropical wetland on the planet... Ken Mallory

Amazon Riverboat Exploration

After a few minutes, Juan stops. Ah well, we were close. He stares at the forest floor as if in defeat, then points his hand to the trees above us as if ending a concerto. I follow his fingertips up to the treetops. The uakaris! They are almost directly above us in "bacacho" trees, crossing to and fro, chowing down on fruit. Their fur is cinnamon, their faces cherry red... Kris Dreessen

Malene and I retrieve our luggage from Lan Peru. It's been baptized by some sort of fish sauce, and we spend the rest of the journey letting it air out outside our cabin... Mary Rowe - Earthwatch Expedition Coordinator, Earthwatch US and veteran of 28 expeditions (20 before deciding it was just easier to work for Earthwatch)

Hunting for Caterpillars in La Selva (Costa Rica)

Today in the field I was thinking about how this rainforest doesn't have the same feel as it did 10 years ago. Of course, the region has seen some of the same negative changes as the rest of the natural world in the 20th century, but I was focusing on my improved perspective on the forest. I am no longer afraid. Or, put more accurately, I now relish my fears... Dr Lee Dyer - Principal Investigator

Coastal Ecology of the Bahamas

Because communities in the Bahamas were traditionally far apart (there are 700 islands and cays in the archipelago spread out over 124,000 square miles), they needed to be highly self-sufficient. With no doctors or hospitals within easy reach, 'bush medicine' - such as the use of the 'stopper' plant to halt diarrhoea among children - was vital... Julie Meikle

Among Baja's Grey Whales

Grey whales migrate from Baja, Mexico to British Columbia, Canada. Expeditions alternatate between these locations.

We come across a mother whale floating on the surface. Her calf is swimming around her and when he sees us he swims right up to the boat. This is what makes Laguna San Ignacio so special... Jen Tweddell