Isaac Land

@coastalhistory

_The Craft of Historical Research: A Practical Guide from Start to Finish_ (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024). Professor Emeritus, Indiana State University. Former co-editor, Coastal Studies & Society journal.

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Bluesky

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Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Jul 12

Best I can do 🤷‍♂️

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Jul 12

My Kanji game isn’t up to it, but the big line at the top seems to be “movement to protect youth (shōnen, boys). These are public safety campaign posters #horrorwatch

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Jun 14

Can’t resist sharing—I saw so many of these ancient wooden religious statues in Japan, often carved from a single great tree. They really can last a thousand years and they are still in honored places in temples, and in museums. This one was in the National Museum in Tokyo. #horrorwatch

Tender and subtle carving with the grain of the wood preserved in this face.

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Jun 14

Idk if anyone else had this book as a kid (or read it to kids), but this was my first exposure to Lafcadio Hearn and Japanese tales of the supernatural. I was captivated by the illustrations. #horrorwatch

“The boy who drew cats,” children’s picture book

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· May 17

Greetings from Kyoto! As promised, I’m joining late. I stopped at a beer vending machine on my street to fortify myself for this movie. Picked the beer with the mythological mascot for #horrorwatch

Kirin beer that I got out of a Japanese vending machine that doesn’t make you validate your age or show ID of any kind

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· May 14

When I learned that Rashomon (1951) was filmed in this forest, I had to see it. Spent the day hiking, even today it feels remote and isolated. Tagging a couple people on here who would know the film @pauljessup.com @theharvestmaid.bsky.social

Me standing in front of “Nara Primeval Forest” boulder. Dappled sunlight filtered by forest canopy

Amazing texture on the old trees, almost wave-like ridges in the bark

Sunlight far away even at Noon, dark and otherworldly. There are a number of shots in Rashomon like this

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Mar 24

Peace Park, Nagasaki yesterday. #Japan #photography

Modern outdoor sculpture of a young woman lifting a small child joyfully over her head. The background is a line of hills and a gentle blue sky with small clouds. Budding tree branches frame the scene.

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Jan 8

Having trouble locating a novel by Mrs. Charles Kent, “Maud Hamilton.” We think it is not the “Maud Hamilton” by Mary Agatha Pennell. Any ideas? @drbibliomane.bsky.social 🗃️

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Dec 23

Red-whiskered Bulbul here in Wayanad this morning. Per Merlin, the single most common bird in this location, but a totally new one for me. I’m learning how to use the Nikon CoolPix P950. So far, it is living up to the hype. #birds #birding #India #nature #photography

Small bird with a punk rock head crest, a curved beak, and a red eye patch gazes directly at the camera

Trees crisscrossing in the mist, almost a black and white composition

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Nov 19

New to #ThickTrunkTuesday but as it happens, I have a contender. Visited the ancient cypress at Tule, Oaxaca two days ago.

Me in front of the world’s widest tree. Late afternoon sun gives the scene a nice glow. It is composed of many smaller trunks but genetically it is the same individual

Close up of the texture of just some of the trunk

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Nov 2

Greetings from Oaxaca, #horrorwatch pals, and ¡Feliz Día de Los Muertos!

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Oct 16

Actually holding a physical copy of Craft of Historical Research, what a joy! Very much the book I wish I’d had as a student, so happy to see it out in the world. 🗃️ You can find it as an affordable paperback or eBook.

Laughing academic in a sweater holding a copy of Craft of Historical Research

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Sep 29

Male Yellow-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila nigricollis) in Jardín, Colombia last week. #hiking #senderismo #nature #photography 🪶

Little bird striking a Napoleonic pose atop a shrub. The black hood contrasts with the yellow belly.

Same bird, more in repose with the fluffy feathered chest very evident.

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Sep 22

Green Jay (“Inca Jay” variety) at Gulupa Ecolodge, Jardín, Colombia yesterday. #nature #photography 🪶

Jay gazes directly at viewer in crisp morning light, its bold color scheme matching its bold gaze.

Andean foothills recede, gently rolling, into a bed of puffy clouds and blue sky. A town is nestled far below

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Sep 19

If this gives you a reference point for how close the passengers were to the water, I could have scooped up this little fella in my hand as he swam by the previous day we were out (wouldn’t have been a good idea, Hydrophis Platurus is venomous). Other whale watching boats were the same size as ours.

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Sep 18

Oilbird at Reserva Los Guácharos, Jardín yesterday. You descend into a canyon and cross a wire-and-plank bridge to see them. #Colombia #hiking 🪶 #nature #photography

The Andes peaks, ringed by clouds, dissolve into inky blue and purple like a watercolor painting. Trees appear as black silhouettes in the foreground

A roosting Oilbird appears to be shouting at me, but maybe its wide open mouth is just for echolocation. These nocturnal birds use it, like bats.

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Sep 18

Sometimes you go looking for nature, and sometimes nature comes looking for you 😆 I just sat in the boat with my iPhone 11 and kept filming. #nature #photography #whales

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Jul 23

You just never know what the field marks will be for a new species, I noticed this male pattern baldness 😆 while photographing the heck out of this pair of birds in the rainforest only to later learn that Merlin cites this “black yarmulke” as definitive for a Whooping Motmot. 🪶 #nature #panama

Two Whooping Motmot perched close together, though facing opposite directions. Their eyes are red and fierce, the sharp contrast of cerulean blue and black makes their heads appear brilliantly painted.

The same birds at a less flattering angle, the lower one’s head plumage looks damaged or mangy, but the Merlin guide says that’s how this species looks.

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Jul 23

Aracari, aracarier, aracariest! Wish I could credit my wilderness skills for this embarrassment of riches here, but it’s actually right on the property of the AirBnB where I’m staying, Gamboa has a bunch of excellent and affordable ones for birders. #panama #nature 🪶

No less than three Collared Aracari greet the morning from a perch high atop a mostly dead tree festooned with epiphytes and luxurious vines.

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Jul 19

Here’s a slatier-looking tail (different photo of the same bird), in case you were wondering. 😆 I was struggling with the photo editing to compensate for how my lens was fogged up! 🪶

Slaty-tailed Trogon peers upwards from its perch. The saturated red belly contrasts with the dark slaty tail.

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Jul 19

This morning in Gamboa. #hiking #nature #photography #panama 🪶

Butterfly making its escape, leaving my camera to focus only on the orange flower

Slaty-tailed Trogon resplendent in turquoise and red hues. I was frantically wiping the condensation off of my camera lens—it’s very very humid here in Gamboa!

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Jun 15

Just leaving this here. Rembrandt self portrait from 1630s. #horrorwatch www.ashmolean.org/sites/defaul...

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Jun 10

A few more shots of that same American Pygmy Kingfisher. Was in plain view but under some palm branches, thanks to @stacebird.bsky.social for pointing it out! 🪶 #nature #photography #Panama

Side view. The blue almost appears greenish tinted in this light. White throat is a sharp color contrast.

Even the eye is in focus here. Kingfisher gazes off into the middle distance

Kingfisher’s head is fully turned so the beak points directly at the camera for a somewhat comedic effect

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Jun 10

The many moods of an American Pygmy Kingfisher, seen at Metropolitano Nature Park, Panama City with @stacebird.bsky.social 🪶 #nature #photography #Panama

Small puffy kingfisher with mouth wide open (not vocalizing, though). Orange belly topped with intense slaty blue wings and head

Same kingfisher with mouth closed and head turned to almost directly face the camera

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Jun 10

“Who you callin’ fluffy?” Hook-billed Kite seen with @stacebird.bsky.social at Panama City’s Metropolitano Nature Park. 🪶 #nature #photography #panama

Hook-billed Kite seen from far below, heavily ruffled feathers in the chest capped by a dark head with an indignant looking round eye and the distinctive sharp hooked beak.

View of the Panama City skyline and the Pacific Ocean in far distance, framed by trees and dense foliage. This park is close to a big shopping mall and airport, and you’d never guess it.

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Jun 1

Snail Kites (Rostrhamus sociabilis) at Lake Gatún yesterday. We saw quite a few, they were common in this location and happy to pose for me!🪶 #Panama #nature #photography

Snail Kite perches, leaning slightly and gazing to the side, its pale orange talons grasping a reed. It is framed by a delicate backdrop of wispy tall grasses.

Snail Kite turns its head to look directly at me as I snap the photo, its reddish, round eyes and white head ghostlike or a little comedic

Juvenile (?) or female (?) snail kite shows off its elegant dappled chest, the alternating grays and whites like the ermine fur that a monarch might wear. The specialized hooked bill is very evident here.

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· May 2

A tiny Bananaquit in a coconut palm, also a squirrel came along. Lazy birding from a hammock is a new thing for me, but I could get used to this. 🪶 #Panama #nature #photography

Tiny bird (Bananquit) with a yellow belly, dark top, and vividly white facial stripe darts about the (comparatively) massive palm tree.

Small, dark chocolate colored squirrel looks down at me from the same palm tree. Its yellow-orange stomach is exactly the same color as the coconuts at the moment.

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Apr 30

Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher (Terenotrychus erythurus) yesterday with @stacebird.bsky.social 🪶 #panama #nature #hiking

Small gray-headed flycatcher perched on a twig in dense rainforest vegetation. These birds are considered cute with their large round eyes

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Apr 30

And a still shot or two of the Black-chested Jay. 🪶

Bird perched vertically on a branch, its upper body sharply demarcated by a black coloration that sets off its yellow eye.

Same bird, same branch, a more horizontal orientation.

Isaac Land@coastalhistory· Apr 30

Out roaming the forest with @stacebird.bsky.social yesterday. Here’s a Black-chested Jay (Cyanocorax affines). Range is confined to Panama and some little corners of adjoining countries. 🪶 #hiking #nature #Panama #photography