https://markcocker.com/writing/journalism/https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/1716548078942_img_4735.jpg1716548078942_IMG_4735https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/maria-in-cyprus-img_1089.jpgMaria in Cyprus IMG_10892025-12-11T11:21:10+00:00weekly0.6https://markcocker.com/2025/12/10/christmas-books-2025/https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/dsc02356.jpgDSC02356https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/alder-alnus-glutinosa-in-snow-dsc02675.jpgalder Alnus glutinosa in snow DSC02675https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/dsc03291.jpgDSC03291https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/common-crane-grus-grus-dsc02966.jpgcommon crane Grus grus DSC02966https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/birch-betula-pendula-dsc02362.jpgbirch Betula pendula DSC02362https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/dsc02248.jpgDSC02248https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/alder-alnus-glutinosa-dsc02282.jpgalder Alnus glutinosa DSC02282https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/dsc03287.jpgDSC03287https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/11-1.jpg11https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/11.jpg112025-12-11T10:16:32+00:00monthlyhttps://markcocker.com/photo-of-the-month/https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tarantula-lycosa-p1060387.jpgtarantula lycosa P1060387This tarantula was affecting for the blend of horror and pure tenderness (see her babies on her back!). And may be spectacle always invokes a blend of irreconcilable or at least, opposed feelings in us https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/small-and-elephant-hawkmoth-p6230391.jpgsmall and elephant hawkmoth P6230391And things don't always have to be big to be impressive. My affair with spectacle began when I was 12 in Rhodes, the Greek island, where i visited the Valley of the Butterflies. -a moth-rich dale where they gather to avoid the heat in immense numbers. That was 54 years ago and I still feel it and sort of remember ithttps://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/serondella-chobe-5-img089.jpgserondella, chobe 5 img089And sometimes spectacle entails a sense of completeness, that all of us and all of life are present and all are perfectly imperfecthttps://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/p9271009.jpgOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAeven one insect can be spectacular when you adjust your own sense of scale and get down on your knees - a posture appropriate to all natural spectaclehttps://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/p7160110.jpgP7160110To capture spectacle is almost always a challenge and part of the spectacle itselfhttps://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/p1250031.jpgP1250031Vulture feeding station in Spain. Here it was momentary drama, the faux ferocity of the birds and the light amid the duststorm they created. https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/p1190082.jpgP1190082Or on the Staffordshire moorshttps://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/p1011544.jpgP1011544But when we want European colour and visual drama a flock of waxwings can move you to tears https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/lioness-chobe-1994-img109.jpglioness, Chobe 1994 img109Almost nothing has inspired fear (in me ) like the blank you-don't-exist-to-me stare of a lioness. At dusk!https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/kelafa-castle-and-messenian-gulf-mani-dsc01818.jpgKelafa castle and Messenian Gulf Mani DSC01818And often it is simply the light ... here on the Aegean Sea2025-10-23T09:40:28+00:00weekly0.6https://markcocker.com/home-page/profile/https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/mc-with-swallow.jpgmc with swallowhttps://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/img-20220623-wa0000.jpgIMG-20220623-WA00002025-09-02T19:19:43+00:00weekly0.6https://markcocker.com/my-latest-news/https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/dsc06124.jpgDSC06124https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/dsc3897.jpg_DSC3897https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/09-dsc04642-02.jpg09 DSC04642 02https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/09-dsc04642-01.jpg09 DSC04642 01https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/p1210398.jpgP1210398https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/p9271013.jpgOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS 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(2)https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/p1230292-2-2.jpgp1230292-2-2https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/p1230292-2-1.jpgp1230292-2-1https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/p1230292-2.jpgp1230292-2https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/beautiful-golden-y-p6230409-2.jpgbeautiful-golden-y-p6230409-2https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/hawkmoth-poplar-.jpghawkmoth-poplar-https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/hawkmoth-elephant-4-vii-09-.jpghawkmoth-elephant-4-vii-09-https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/elephant-hawkmoth-p6230385-2.jpgelephant-hawkmoth-p6230385-22022-09-19T20:25:44+00:00monthlyhttps://markcocker.com/2022/01/24/zagori-through-360-degrees/https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/img_1673.jpgIMG_1673https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/img_7610.jpgIMG_7610https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/img_7619.jpgIMG_7619https://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/p1160870-red-backed-shrike-beloi.jpgP1160870 red-backed shrike, BeloiRed-backed shrikes are almost common in Zagorihttps://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/wryneck-p1060253-2.jpgwryneck P1060253 (2)but it did have a wryneck in ithttps://markcocker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/img_8938.jpgIMG_8938The ancient oak at Dodona. 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