Okay, it's not actually within our backyard, but it's just beyond it. The yard behind our house borders a large park that is just being developed. The park was recently seeded, and the straw was put down as mulch. I took this shot while standing on our backyard deck. I think these Sandhill Cranes must have been eating the grass seed.

I know that there's not a lot going on in this image. But I rather like the repetitive poses of the birds, and I thought it was kind of cool that I could get this shot without leaving home, so I decided to go with it. The abundance of Sandhill Cranes in the area near our new home in Michigan has been one of the pleasant surprises of living here.

The Mute swan actually gets its name from the fact that its is less vocal than other swan species and is one of the heaviest flying birds. A male swan is known as a Cob while the female is known as a Pen and has a lifespan of around 12 years in the wild and can reach 30 years if in an protected environment. One of three species of wild swans to be found in the UK and is the national bird of Denmark. The Mute Swan is unique in making a vibrant throbbing sound with the wings when in flight. A large group of swans can be called a school, ballet and regatta. No swan has ever broken any ones arm, this is a actually a complete myth.

The Mute swan actually gets its name from the fact that its is less vocal than other swan species and is one of the heaviest flying birds. A male swan is known as a Cob while the female is known as a Pen and has a lifespan of around 12 years in the wild and can reach 30 years if in an protected environment. One of three species of wild swans to be found in the UK and is the national bird of Denmark. The Mute Swan is unique in making a vibrant throbbing sound with the wings when in flight. A large group of swans can be called, school, ballet and regatta. No swan has ever broken anyone's arm, this is a actually a complete myth.

actually

but actually a trace of it. No painting or drawing, however naturalist, belongs to its subject in the way that a photograph does :-)

John Berger

HGGT! HFF! Justice Matters! No one is above the law!

prunus mums, japanese flowering apricot, 'Nicholas', j c raulston arboretum, ncsu, raleigh, north carolina

This is actually my friend Wanna Not but this is one of my "starter pics" for this series.

Random Faces Series on the blog

Be on the lookout... you could be next!!

Actually I myself prefer the word 'prodigy' rather than 'monster' to describe this wonderfully interesting and rather rare anomaly of the common Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea. Charles Darwin in the nineteenth century already experimented with Digitalis that has this 'peloric terminal flower' ('peloric' is from the Greek for monster or prodigy). It seems that it is caused by a simple Mendelian recessive gene that is sometimes 'empowered' by an environmental shock of some sort; perhaps in this case the curious ups-and-downs of this year's Spring weather. Others say it's caused by too frequent inbreeding as might occur within a Horticultural Garden. In any case, this terminal flower of a Digitalis stalk is quite amazing and not at all usual in Nature.

Actually, I should say the end of autumn and the beginning of winter.

Aslında sonbaharın sonu, kışın başlangıcı demeliyim..

Well actually it isn't Bonny but a very amusing birthday card sent to my wife from the family! If you want to know more about the people who produced the card please visit www.avantipress.com

Our Bonny Lass was born in Ireland and was originally thought to be a labrador/collie cross - but our dog trainer thought she is a 'Heinz 57 Varieties' with some Lurcher and Staffie thrown in! Whatever she is, she is adorable!

She is now thirteen years old and although she's slowing down she can still give dogs half her age a run for their money in short bursts!

If you are looking for a rescue dog in the UK, please visit www.pupsneedinghomes.co.uk/ as they do such an outstanding job in rehoming unwanted dogs!

Actually it's in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon but I couldn't help but think of that great water storage that kept so many invaders outside the walls of Constantinople. You can see it in that great movie Topkapi

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Antiquorum/159/139/22

Actually it marked the fish for this Tricolored Heron.

Actually I like the round straw bales much more than this one here. But as I recently saw this Lego for farmers close to my house, I could'nt resist. One benefit of this version is, that I could try another perspective, with a better oberview. Foresight never hurt anyone.

Eigentlich gefallen mir die runden Strohballen deutlich besser als diese hier. Als ich kürzlich dieses Lego für Landwirte in der Nähe meines Hauses gesehen habe konnte ich trotzdem nicht widerstehen. Der Vorteil von dieser Variante ist, dass ich hier mal eine andere Perspektive versuchen konnte, eine mit mehr Übersicht. Weitblick hat noch nie geschadet.

Actually, this is the same sunset taken from the same vantage point as the one that I posted last Saturday. But this shot was captured 18 minutes and 30 seconds earlier than last week's shot, and also zoomed closer to catch the best color and reflections at that moment. It's a pretty shot, though not as attractive as last week's image, IMO, when the sky and high clouds above lit up with pinks and purple. It goes to show that it often pays to wait until the sun drops below the horizon to get the best sunset look, methinks.

For anyone interested in the comparison, I've placed last week's shot in the first comments box.

HCS

This was actually taken a couple of weeks ago during a snow storm as I scurried around the valley floor trying to get as many shots as possible before the storm broke up. I was fortunate enough to set up my tripod at the tunnel that morning at 6 AM next to Willie Huang and Aaron Meyers among several others.

More snow covered Yosemite photos and my top 10 tips for shooting Yosemite in the snow may be found at:

The Resonant Landscape: Tips On Shooting Yosemite In The Snow

I will definitely be missing the snowstorm that's moving in today at Yosemite with a snow level down to almost 2000 feet tonight as I will be with my wonderful family. I wish safe travels to all who are out there tonight, and a very Merry Christmas to all of you!

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The Damrak houses first introduced me to the Dutch word gezellig (meaning cozy or homely) I was always wandering in from the train station after dark and I would constantly stop and stare at these houses thinking it felt like an incandescent oasis in a city of fluorescents, warming the night and the Damrak with its soft glow.

When you walk by during the day usually things are shut tight against the throngs of tourists walking back and forth from the central station but at night when the crowds have dissipated the curtains open and the world seems to be welcome to become a witness to the nocturnal activities of the residents.

The Damrak historically was originally part of the Amstel river below the Dam that gave Amsterdam its name, Rak means a straight stretch or place to gain speed, so the Damrak was actually the straight piece of river below the Dam across the Amstel where sailors would pick up some speed on their home stretch to the port of Amsterdam.

I took this on Sept 10th, 2017 with my D750 and Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens at 44mm 25 sec f/11 ISO100 processed in LR, PS +Lumenzia, Topaz , Luminar and DXO

Disclaimer: My style is a study of romantic realism as well as a work in progress

Actually there was the sunrise expected on the right side of that frame 30 minutes ago. The weatherforecast wrote that there would be a cloud cover of 30 % of the sky, so it shouldn't be a problem. But if these 30 % building a massiv wall on the wrong place I’ll keep trapped in the dawning for a while. Nature is what is happening, while I'm having different plans.

Eigentlich sollte vor ungefähr 30 Minuten auf der rechten Seite die Sonne aufgegangen sein. Der Wetterbereicht hat von 30 %iger Wolkenabdeckung des Himmels gesprochen, eigentlich kein Problem. Wenn sich allerdings diese 30 % wie ein massive Wand genau an der falschen Stelle auftürmen bleib ich noch ne Weile in der Morgendämmerung gefangen. Natur ist eben das was passiert, während ich andere Pläne mache.

more of this on my website at: www.shoot-to-catch.de

I actually liked the hut better last year when it was still really old and rickety (see pic in first comment). But it probably wasn't very safe any more... When you cross the small bridge to the left, you will reach Lake Langsee (2.384 m) and then continue up into the mountains. Our way down leads straight ahead.☀️ Have a fantastic and peaceful Travel Tuesday everybody ☀️

The Spronser Lakes (German: Spronser Seenplatte; Italian: Laghi di Sopranes) is the largest group of high elevation lakes in the Alps, located in South Tyrol, Italy. Here you can find some information:

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spronser_Seen

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to watch or leave a comment or award :)

All my photos are © All Rights Reserved. The pictures are for viewing, not to be downloaded and shared on any other site or for personal use without my explicit permission. And definitely do not post ads or your pics in my photos!!! Thank you! :)

- Lovers of Landscapes 11, Best of Lovers of Landscapes 10, Members Choice 11

Actually, I wanted to photograph dew-wetted insects, but at this time of day it doesn't work out so well. At least the lavender is still glittering a little (probably it hadn't moved enough yet as it was fixed with the spider's thread). Happy weekend everybody ☀️

Olympus E-M1 Mark II + Olympus 60mm F2.8 Macro

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to watch or leave a comment or award :)

All my photos are © All Rights Reserved. The pictures are for viewing, not to be downloaded and shared on any other site or for personal use without my explicit permission. And definitely do not post ads in my photos!!! Thank you! :)

- Living Jewels of Nature 14, Precious Living Jewels of Nature 12, Members Choice 11

- Nature's Carousel 10, Nature's Golden Carousel 10, Nature's Platinum CArousel 13

Actually it was a little warm on this late summer evening by the river ... but the cool tones of blue hour were quite soothing. A pretty place to sit and enjoy the sounds of the flowing river ... and nothing else.

Actually they're two bridges here - the Brooklyn and the Manhattan bridge.

* addition - one more in the comments...

Have a wonderful Friday!

© All rights reserved, don't use my pictures without permission.

Actually, these are love- locks on the Ponte Scaligero - a bridge reconstructed in 1949 after its destruction in WWII. The original bridge dates to 1354.

I'm not so sure about the love locks, but they are now appearing on bridges the world over, even when they are built with bricks.

When I'm not exploring Verona, you can find me on Twitter

actually, I was going to go to sleep ... :-)

good night!

Bryce Canyon National Park was actually the second park we went to but the last Utah National Park represented in my Photostream.

Since I missed sunrise, I knew I really only had one chance to catch some nice light. There is an overlook called Sunset Point but figured it would be packed so I decided to find Bryce Point overlook which turned out to be just as good in my opinion.

The order of parks in our itinerary was Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands.

Per www.brycecanyoncountry.com, At 8,300 feet, Bryce Point offers one of the most sweeping views of the hoodoo-filled red rock amphitheater. Famous for its astonishing sunrise as the sunlight floods the top of the hoodoos with a brilliant burst of light and then works its way down into all but the deepest crevices, this north-facing viewpoint is also beautiful throughout the day. Catch a great view of Boat Mesa and the rich colors of the Claron Formation. Bryce Point is the trailhead for Peek-a-Boo Loop, a strenuous 5.5-mile trail which winds among the majestic red rock hoodoos such as the Wall of the Windows and Three Wise Men formations. Bryce Point is also a popular birding spot; keep an eye out for a rare glimpse of the California condor. The viewpoint is named for Ebenezer Bryce, who settled the area in 1870.

I do have more pictures from each park but wanted to represent one from each. I might slip in others before posting all my Utah pictures so you don't get bored with all the rocks.

Actually, lemon blossom buds.

I had promised myself that I would not post any flower shots on Flickr until spring, but due to a variety of reasons, I have not taken a single photograph during the whole year so far (all 8 days). So here are some more flowers from last year. Atleast, it's not a rose.

this is actually the young shoot or fiddlehead of a huge fern i found in the botanical gardens in washington dc! it looked like an alien creature and at the same time reminded me of ursula, the octopus ifn the little mermaid cartoon! lol!!!

if you have time, see the rest of the photos in my washington dc set: www.flickr.com/photos/doctony/sets/72157600264872206/show/

thank you for you visits and kind comments my friends!!!

I actually wanted to go to sleep, but then the light from outside shone very brightly. I could not resist and took my camera, but since our balcony is currently somewhat crowded, I had no place for the tripod. So this is a freehand capture.

This Was Actually Taken Spotted One Late Evening After Taken Laurel Home ... Mother And I Both Saw It ... Mother Said " It Will Be Beautiful When The Sun Is Hitting It" She Was Right ..

The Next Day I Came And Got the Pic ... I Do Think It Was One Of The Prettiest Trees In All Of Roane County ..

Not Much Of A Story .. But Proved To Be A Swell Shot .. And Not Sweltering ...

Right Now In My Neck Of The Woods... We Are Rejoicing For the Rain ... We Are Getting Hard Rains - ( Much Needed At That ) ... The Mountains Are On Fire.. All Around Us ..

God Shows Up, And Off, Just In The Nick Of Time ..

.

HAVE A TREE MENDOUSLY WONDERFUL TUESDAY ... Cindy

“Actually, they didn't have chocolate in Ancient Greece, but Aphrodite was fond of apples. That was her sacred fruit, maybe because it was pretty and sweet, just like her. ”

― Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson's Greek Gods

Credits . . .

September 14th, 2021 - #436

Apparently, some people actually call this "Niagara of The West".

Have a terrific day, everyone...

I love how this turned out. I used a texture in the background by Skeletal mess. The sparkly bokeh on the flower is straight out of the camera. I love it.

Actually a yard bird, that time of year, spring is here ,,,and he didn't shut up..lol !

Thank you very much for your kind comments, favorites and looking and please stay safe !

Old and Dusty looks like small view camera, actually a dummy camera, looks good sitting there but cant take a picture, one of mine, found in North Carolina.

Actually, it was a quartet -- see the one in the upper left?

Beautiful roses, beautifully colored. Isn't God a great artist?

Thank you for looking.

Actually called Carr Head rocks on the maps but you can see where it gets it's name from. You can see the Cement works at Castleton in the background.

Finally a new photograph

Actually a museum exhibit!

I was actually there earlier that day to take pictures but every single spot of this infamous palace which was made more famous by the famed "The Last Emperor" was cramped with local tourists. So I decided to return later that afternoon hoping that people have dwindled as admission closes. Had to find a place where crowd was less and was lucky enough to get a bonus from this setting sun.

Built from 1406 to 1420, The Forbidden City was the home for he Emperors of Ming and Qing Dynasties. For almost five centuries, of course, it was also the home of the Emperors' household and also served as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.

It consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms that covers 720,000 square meters. The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture that influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere.

Well, actually it's a little Eastern Amberwing dragonfly. They are very small and like most dragonflies, lightening fast.

There were lots of them zipping about and luckily this tiny branch seemed to be a favorite landing spot. Still not the most accessible spot being way down at the water's edge, but I watched and waited - hoping one would land long enough for me to grab a shot or two.

Seen during a recent visit to a nearby arboretum. *** And yes, it's still facing the wrong way and too far away, but beggars can't be choosers.

Autumn Sun you might think this is moss but it is actually an old frayed rope, found in North Carolina.

Actually, a False Shamrock, part of the Wood Sorrel species (Oxalis Regnellii.) Learn something new every day.

Thanks for Viewing.

Actually looking at this, I see why I *had* to take it - the layout of the folds and her markings and the sheet/comforter markings has fabulous lines to it. And Kitty smile. After I took this she put her paw over her eyes to block light so I’m glad I grabbed the cell pic rather than try to get the camera. Oh, and this hasn't been in Happy Caturday and with the 6 February 2021 theme "A Winter's Nap"... I guess it is now!

Actually, the scientific name for this Robin is rather interesting:

" Turdus migratorius".............

Regardless, it's nice to see them back here (although many do not migrate!!).

Click to enlarge for even more fun, and details!!

Thanks for looking, etc.:)

Actually, I was looking for the mating pair of Peregrine Falcons, but the Brown Pelicans did keep doing fly-bys of the seaside cliffs to keep me entertained. This was the only one I got in full breeding color though.

actually this is just a word play, since the plate is from the series Manufacture Rock from Villeroy und Boch.

Same plate differnt day , different light, light shaped by the railings of my balcony, one photo with an addidional reflector zebra gold and silver.

It's actually remnants of a Moon Snail's shell. I found it while collecting seashells at Sanibel Island in Florida several years ago. This theme is a wonderful challenge: it wasn't until I had been looking for a pareidolia for a few days until I remembered this shell!

photo size: 2.37"W by 1.52"H and 6.03cm W by 3.87cm H

Theme: "Pareidolia" The human brain can create meaningful and significant shapes from patterns and textures. Take a photo of a pareidolia you perceive.

Thank you for taking the time to view this photo, and for the faves and comments you make, thank you.

It's actually true that our sole reason for going to the Lone Tree was just because it was a convenient place to meet. We had no intention of trying to take a shot of it on this occasion. We thought we had better places to go. But it didn't make any difference with the front row blocked out and I decided to take this shot as much to prove you don't have to block everyone else out by putting your tripod in the water in front of the tree preventing everyone else getting a shot. The mist didn't develop and the sky didn't become much more interesting so we didn't bother to hang about and went looking for other interesting trees.

Actually, I was going to ditch this when the title occurred to me.

Explore #376

Actually, I’m not a expert photographer for bird shots, but I never thought to see one of those. The planets were aligned when I was getting off the car with my camera in hand.

I only have a 150mm lens, so I had to come really closer to took this pic.

Enjoy ^^.

Puyehue, Chile.

Spider was not big at all, but think it looks it in this photo.

Purple card was placed behind it to create a back drop.

Here is a similar one using Black card.

www.flickr.com/photos/tracyhughes/2891273504

I think coloured cards are really useful for photographing insects, spiders, flowers and such.

perf, gold, macro award.