Nick Upton's Lensography

This lens features some totally fabricated definitions of those strange squidoo security words that you see here. It was me going a bit mad really.

Having used a very wide variety of birdwatching products, binoculars, telescopes and the like, I decided that I could recommend the kit that I have settled on.

Birdwatching has been my hobby since the age of 7, when my father introduced me to the colourful birds of the Cornish coast. More recently birdwatching has become an obsession and a business; I am still amused every time someone refers to me as a "professional birdwatcher" but I guess that is now what I am.

I have travelled around many countries birdwatching and these lenses highlight some of my favourite birds from some of those countries.

Reflecting the strength of my bird obsession, I have made a number of other bird-related lenses.

If you are going to look at just one bird-related lens I suggest taking a peek at The Life of Birds, this is such a fantastic series that I have shown non-birders a few clips and they have consequently asked to borrow my copy of the DVDs so that they can watch the whole series. It really is that good and the lens gives an introduction to it.

Every bird geek, I mean ornithologist, needs a good collection of bird books. The Helm series of bird guides set the highest standards.

In September 2006 I released my first website: thaibirding.com. This was after years of messing around designing it and learning how to make a website; beforehand I had no idea and have a couple of friends to thank for pointing me in the right direction.

Thaibirding.com provides free information on birdwatching in Thailand and seems to consume an ever-increasing amount of my time but provides me with the bulk of my income; not bad for something that started as a hobby.

I first came to Thailand as part of a round-the-world trip in November 1996. Soon after I returned to work as a teacher of English as a foreign language, working for language schools and then in a private Thai school as a geography and science teacher. I returned to the UK in April 2004 but came back to Thailand in January 2008 and I am still here.

In these lenses I try to pass on some of my knowledge and enthusiasm for Thailand.

Having been a 6 year-old when the first Star Wars movie was released I was instantly hooked on light sabers, Wookies, Tie-fighters and Darth Vader. Sometimes people never really grow up and I guess I am still the same about Star Wars as when I was just a kid!

As you can see from this list of just two lenses, cooking is not my forte, although eating is. Fortunately I have my lovely wife who cooks delicious Thai food for me. Thanks dear!

Not bad hey! I had an enquiry for an advertising banner to be placed on a page of thaibirding.com and I added creating a squidoo lens as part of the deal to get a better price.

It doesn't get much traffic though; please take a look and breathe some life into it.

From September 2004 to April 2007 I studied Wildlife and Countryside Conservation, earning a first class honours degree. Quite frankly it was easy for me as a mature student considering I have spent my whole life being interested in wildlife and the environment.

Here are few lenses on the environment, I really must get around to making some more.

As a child I loved the Top Trumps series of card games. For those who don't know, these games involve comparing facts about various things (cars, boats, monsters etc) in order to win the whole pack. I memorised loads of useless facts by playing these games and have made a few sets myself.

Here is one to start with.

One of my favourite ways to relax is to watch a movie, either at home on DVD or at the cinema. My favourite movies are comedies but I like all sorts of other genres.

My father was constantly waffling on about being "a very naughty boy", questioning me on the air speed of a laden swallow, doing silly walks and just going "Ni" at me. For years I had no idea where these eccentricities came from until I was old enough to watch some of the Monty Python movies and sketches.

I have made some lenses based on Monty Python's Holy Grail movie and may make some more later.

I would have to say that I am something of a music Philistine. I usually only like a band once they have faded and become unpopular, or dead!

When I was a child my mother wanted me to learn to play the flute; she had some idea that I would be a famous musician! I hated the idea. My mother bought me recorder but I must have been the only child at school who could at least play twinkle twinkle little star on the blasted thing.

Here are my music lenses, don't laugh.

Lenses featuring themed t-shirts seem to be quite popular so here are a few that I made, based on themes that I like. Please don't mock my sartorial inelegance!

Another of my favourite pastimes is reading and this one I have my mother to thank for. When I was small I was pretty hopeless at reading but thanks to my mum's hard work I was above average by the time I was 8 and I am still an avid reader; in fact I find it hard to fall asleep if I don't read first.

I started a blog some time ago where I feature short reviews of books that I have read. One of the first lenses I made was this one to promote the blog; it was terrible but having learned a little about squidoo, I recently gave it a make-over.

Now, if my mates find out that I have been writing about children's books I will be banned from the pub, but I have taken that risk and made a few lenses about some of my favourite Dr Seuss books. These books really are not only for children, at least I still enjoy them. I will just have to hope that my friends are too busy watching football and drinking beer to notice that I have created these pages.

When researching for my Dr Seuss book lenses I came across a whole load of Dr Seuss-related products, some of which I felt robbed at not having when I was a kid. I made some lenses about certain types of Dr Seuss products - here they are.

With so many Dr Seuss angles to investigate it is hard to see an end to creating lenses on Dr Seuss characters and books - they still make me laugh.

One of the things I loved to do when I was young was to draw. When I was 5 years old I won a drawing competition with a picture that featured cowboys and indians being bombed by World War 2 aircraft!!!!!

As I got older my favourite things to draw were birds, butterflies, flowers etc. but I haven't really done any artwork for some time, maybe I will try my hand again sometime soon.

I don't have any children of my own but I do know that I like these onesies with themed pictures on them. In fact, it turns out that onesies are not only for babies anymore, there are adult onesies around too!

If my friends are reading, don't worry guys, I don't wear a onesie.

I won't profess to being a spiritual person or someone enthused by mythology, but I was interested in this mythological creature because it is a bird.

I had never heard of this myself but it is quite interesting, take a look

These lenses contains loads of royalty free photos that can be used on websites, blogs, squidoo lenses etc. I will make some more lenses like this in the future.

From July 1997 to April 2004 I worked as a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) teacher. As I often worked in schools with no resources of their own I became pretty adept at making them myself.

Somehow I have only made 3 lenses on this subject, I really should get around to making more as I have lots of materials available.

What I know about babies can be written on the back of a matchbox. However, when it comes to making them quiet I am interested - that is where this lens comes from.

This was another of my first lenses which I primarily made to create a backlink to my blog Dartford Waffler. It did that but has achieved little else really.