View allAll Photos Tagged Aggregation
At the arboretum, next to the lake where we were sitting, there were several butterflies flying back and forth on the ground. Looks like a Spicebush Swallowtail or a Red-spotted Purple. If you know differently, please let me know.
When we took a closer look we realized they were actually puddling on the duck poo - and there was plenty of it, too. In fact there was so much of it I didn't dare kneel down to get a good close up because .. well, you can guess why.
***According to Wikipedia butterflies commonly form aggregations on wet soil, dung or carrion and from those fluids they obtain needed salts and amino acids which play various roles in their physiology, ethology and ecology.
The giraffe (Giraffa) is an African artiodactyl mammal, the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant. It is traditionally considered to be one species, Giraffa camelopardalis, with nine subspecies. However, the existence of up to nine extant giraffe species has been described, based upon research into the mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, as well as morphological measurements of Giraffa. Seven other prehistoric species, known from fossils, are extinct.
The giraffe's chief distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, its horn-like ossicones, and its distinctive coat patterns. It is classified under the family Giraffidae, along with its closest extant relative, the okapi. Its scattered range extends from Chad in the north to South Africa in the south, and from Niger in the west to Somalia in the east. Giraffes usually inhabit savannahs and woodlands. Their food source is leaves, fruits and flowers of woody plants, primarily acacia species, which they browse at heights most other herbivores cannot reach.
Lions, leopards, spotted hyenas and African wild dogs may prey upon giraffes. Giraffes live in herds of related females and their offspring, or bachelor herds of unrelated adult males, but are gregarious and may gather in large aggregations. Males establish social hierarchies through "necking", which are combat bouts where the neck is used as a weapon. Dominant males gain mating access to females, which bear the sole responsibility for raising the young.
The giraffe has intrigued various ancient and modern cultures for its peculiar appearance, and has often been featured in paintings, books, and cartoons. It is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as vulnerable to extinction and has been extirpated from many parts of its former range. Giraffes are still found in numerous national parks and game reserves, but estimates as of 2016 indicate there are approximately 97,500 members of Giraffa in the wild. More than 1,600 were kept in zoos in 2010.
2013. Moore Road, Fir Island. Snow Geese by the thousands start arriving from the Arctic in early October. Typically 70,000 to 90,000 winter in North Puget Sound until late March or April.
Fraser-Skagit Population Dynamic. "Snow geese that over-winter in northwest Washington comprise a unique population of intercontinental travelers shared by three countries: the United States, Canada and Russia. These snow geese make an arduous, annual flight to Russia’s Chuckchi Sea, to breed on Wrangel Island off the north coast of Siberia. They are called the Fraser-Skagit population, because the same identification collaring/banding studies that disclosed details of their migration timing and itinerary, found that snow geese of this group had a high fidelity to one nesting site on Wrangel Island and to one wintering area, here. They stay apart from the other snow geese aggregations that nest separately on Wrangel and winter in California." wdfw.wa.gov
The genus Colletes cunicularius is a large group of ground-nesting or mining bees of the family Colletidae. They occur mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. Although they tend to be solitary, they will sometimes nest close together in aggregations. Species in the genus build cells in underground nests that are lined with a cellophane-like plastic secretion, a true polyester, earning them the nickname polyester bees.
Photographed in Tanzania, Africa
=> Please click on the image to see the largest size. <=
It was a real treat to see all the young wildebeests, with seemingly boundless energy, racing around confines of the herd while the adults grazed. I'm guessing that all that racing helped prepare those youngsters to run for their lives when predators attacked the herd.
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From Wikipedia: The blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), also called the common wildebeest, white-bearded wildebeest, white-bearded gnu or brindled gnu, is a large antelope and one of the two species of wildebeest. It is placed in the genus Connochaetes and family Bovidae, and has a close taxonomic relationship with the black wildebeest. The blue wildebeest is known to have five subspecies. This broad-shouldered antelope has a muscular, front-heavy appearance, with a distinctive, robust muzzle. Young blue wildebeest are born tawny brown, and begin to take on their adult coloration at the age of 2 months. The adults' hues range from a deep slate or bluish-gray to light gray or even grayish-brown. Both sexes possess a pair of large curved horns.
The blue wildebeest is a herbivore, feeding primarily on short grasses. It forms herds which move about in loose aggregations, the animals being fast runners and extremely wary. The mating season begins at the end of the rainy season and a single calf is usually born after a gestational period of about 8.5 months. The calf remains with its mother for 8 months, after which it joins a juvenile herd. Oddly, rare blue wildebeat can have a glow or luminescent coat during the change of seasons between fall and winter. Blue wildebeest are found in short-grass plains bordering bush-covered acacia savannas in southern and eastern Africa, thriving in areas that are neither too wet nor too arid. Three African populations of blue wildebeest take part in a long-distance migration, timed to coincide with the annual pattern of rainfall and grass growth on the short-grass plains where they can find the nutrient-rich forage necessary for lactation and calf growth.
The blue wildebeest is native to Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Today, it is extinct in Malawi, but has been successfully reintroduced in Namibia. The southern limit of the blue wildebeest range is the Orange River, while the western limit is bounded by Lake Victoria and Mount Kenya. The blue wildebeest is widespread and is being introduced into private game farms, reserves, and conservancies. So, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources rates the blue wildebeest as being of least concern. The population has been estimated to be around 1.5 million, and the population trend is stable.
Fossil records suggest these two species diverged about one million years ago, resulting in a northern and a southern species. The blue wildebeest remained in its original range and changed very little from the ancestral species, while the black wildebeest changed more as adaptation to its open grassland habitat in the south. The most obvious ways of telling the two species apart are the differences in their colouring and in the way their horns are oriented.
In East Africa, the blue wildebeest is the most abundant big-game species; some populations perform an annual migration to new grazing grounds, but the black wildebeest is merely nomadic. Breeding in both takes place over a short period of time at the end of the rainy season and the calves are soon active and are able to move with the herd, a fact necessary for their survival. Nevertheless, some fall prey to large carnivores, especially the spotted hyena.
Wildebeest often graze in mixed herds with zebra, which gives heightened awareness of potential predators. They are also alert to the warning signals emitted by other animals such as baboons. Wildebeest are a tourist attraction but compete with domesticated livestock for pasture and are sometimes blamed by farmers for transferring diseases and parasites to their cattle. Illegal hunting does take place but the population trend is fairly stable and, with some in national parks or on private land. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists both kinds of wildebeest as least-concern species.
Predators:
Major predators that feed on wildebeest include the lion, hyena, African wild dog, cheetah, leopard, and crocodile, which seem to favour the wildebeest over other prey. Wildebeest, however, are very strong, and can inflict considerable injury even to a lion. Wildebeest have a maximum running speed of around 80 km/h (50 mph). The primary defensive tactic is herding, where the young animals are protected by the older, larger ones, while the herd runs as a group. Typically, the predators attempt to isolate a young or ill animal and attack without having to worry about the herd. Wildebeest have developed additional sophisticated cooperative behaviours, such as animals taking turns sleeping while others stand guard against a night attack by invading predators. Wildebeest migrations are closely followed by vultures, as wildebeest carcasses are an important source of food for these scavengers. The vultures consume about 70% of the wildebeest carcasses available. Decreases in the number of migrating wildebeest have also had a negative effect on the vultures. In the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania, wildebeest may help facilitate the migration of other, smaller-bodied grazers, such as Thomson's gazelles (Eudorcas thomsonii), which eat the new-growth grasses stimulated by wildebeest foraging.
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Wild bees from south of France sleeping : small Eucera sp. Aggregation of sleeping males.
Fieldstack, based on 19 images, assembled using Zerene Stacker (Pmax & Dmap).
Post production using Adobe Photoshop CS6 and Lightroom 5.6.
Canon 600D. Canon EF 100mm USM, ISO-400, F/5.6, 1/60 sec. Natural morning light.
Alpes de Haute Provence, South East of France.
I've been meaning to illustrate how superb of a photo-casting aggregator iPhoto is for a while. Now that iPhoto 6.0.5 is out Apple finally has the majority of the bugs worked out.
Part of what makes it so damn superb is it that there's a paradigm shift in the way iPhoto treats aggregated photos. It doesn't assume you're merely a passive "consumer". Once a photo is aggregated you can do absolutely everything you can do with your own photos including tag it, rate it, enhance or manipulate it, and generally organize photos until your hearts delight. All the while iPhoto retains all the meta information, including the title, description by the original poster, and above all the all important permalink to the original photo on Flickr so you can comment and favorite and be social and merry. :)
Check out the notations on the photo for more information.
For more information on photocasting check out my photocasting group.
www.flickr.com/groups/photocasting/
Photocasting rulez!
photo by Naveen Jamal
You spend your time in smokey rooms
where haggled old women with cheap perfume say
"it never happens for people like us you know"
well nothing ever happened on it's own
and well the toilets smell of desperation
the streets all echo of aggregation
and you wonder
why you cant get no sleep
when you've got nothing to do,
and you've had nothing to eat
your life's slipping
and sliding right out of view
and there's absolutely nothing
that you can do, well
We'll live and die,
We'll live and die in these towns
Don't let it drag you down
Don't let it drag you down now
We'll live and die,
We'll live and die in these towns
Don't let it drag you down
Don't let it drag you down now
Dirty dishes from a tv meal
that went cold from the wind
through a smashed up window
You cant go out if anybody calls ya
cos you cant have a bath
when there's no hot water
and your friends are out
on the town again
and you ask yourself if it will ever end
and it's all too much for your head to take
just a matter of time before you break, well
北台灣這個冬季發現兩處溪神蜻蜓群聚的族群,為何有此現象仍無確定的解釋.
攝於新店.
This winter at northern Taiwan, two groups of Blue Chasers are noted to be in aggregation. There is no definite explanation about this phenomenon.
Mud-puddling is the phenomenon mostly seen in butterflies and involves their aggregation on substrates like wet soil, dung and carrion to obtain nutrients such as salts and amino acids. This behaviour is restricted to males in many species.Males seem to benefit from the sodium uptake through mud-puddling behaviour with an increase in reproductive success.
Although normally solitary, male Longhorn Bees such as these (Thygater sp.), often form sleeping aggregations on the undersides of leaves at night – a behavior aimed at reducing predatory risk. However, this group seems to be unaware of the imminent danger now lurking in their midst: while sleeping, one of their group has quietly been devoured from inside out by a pathogenic fungus (Ophiocordyceps humbertii). Long fruiting bodies now grow from the carcass of the dead bee, eventually releasing copious spores that will colonize the fungi’s next victim. Panamá Oeste, Panama.
2012. The Fir Island Farms/Hayton Snow Goose Reserve
Snow Geese by the thousands start arriving from the Arctic in early October. Typically between 60 to 120 thousand Snow Geese migrate from Wrangel Island Russia to winter and feed in Washington's Skagit / Fraser Delta, 70,000 to 90,000 of those winter in North Puget Sound and stay until late March or early April.
The Fraser-Skagit Population Dynamic: "Snow geese that over-winter in northwest Washington comprise a unique population of intercontinental travelers shared by three countries: the United States, Canada and Russia. These snow geese make an arduous, annual flight to Russia's Chuckchi Sea, to breed on Wrangel Island off the north coast of Siberia. They are called the Fraser-Skagit population, because the same identification collaring/banding studies that disclosed details of their migration timing and itinerary, found that snow geese of this group had a high fidelity to one nesting site on Wrangel Island and to one wintering area, here. They stay apart from the other snow geese aggregations that nest separately on Wrangel and winter in California." ~ wdfw.wa.gov
"All this has happened before, and it will all happen again." Peter Pan
Political compromise gave birth to an tenuous aggregation of states. It was a compromise that could never persist. In the 1860s brother fought brother. Into the 21st century, battles of one sort or another play out over and over.
Here a Southern canon roars on a hot August day at Sully Farm, Fairfax, VA, during a historical demonstration.
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," George Santayana
Humanity never learns . . .
Langkawi, Kedah.
Saw a few individuals/group with loud calls. Walk slowly towards them, stop many times for them to familiarize with my presence.
The red-wattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus) is an Asian lapwing or large plover, a wader in the family Charadriidae. Like other lapwings they are ground birds that are incapable of perching. Their characteristic loud alarm calls are indicators of human or animal movements and the sounds have been variously rendered as did he do it or pity to do it leading to the colloquial name of did-he-do-it bird. Usually seen in pairs or small groups and usually not far from water they sometimes form large aggregations in the non-breeding season (winter). They nest in a ground scrape laying three to four camouflaged eggs. Adults near the nest fly around, diving at potential predators while calling noisily. The cryptically patterned chicks hatch and immediately follow their parents to feed, hiding by lying low on the ground or in the grass when threatened.
Red-wattled lapwings are large waders, about 35 cm (14 in) long. The wings and back are light brown with a purple to green sheen, but the head, a bib on the front and back of the neck are black. Prominently white patch runs between these two colours, from belly and tail, flanking the neck to the sides of crown. Short tail is tipped black. A red fleshy wattle in front of each eye, black-tipped red bill, and the long legs are yellow. In flight, prominent white wing bars formed by the white on the secondary coverts.
Source info from Wiki
The zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum) is a species of carpet shark and the sole member of the family Stegostomatidae. It is found throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific, frequenting coral reefs and sandy flats to a depth of 62 m. Adult zebra sharks are distinctive in appearance, with five longitudinal ridges on a cylindrical body, a low caudal fin comprising nearly half the total length, and usually a pattern of dark spots on a pale background. Young zebra sharks under 50–90 cm long have a completely different pattern, consisting of light vertical stripes on a brown background, and lack the ridges. This species attains a length of 2.5 m. Zebra sharks are nocturnal and spend most of the day resting motionless on the sea floor. At night, they actively hunt for molluscs, crustaceans, small bony fishes, and possibly sea snakes inside holes and crevices in the reef. Though solitary for most of the year, they form large seasonal aggregations. The zebra shark is oviparous: females produce several dozen large egg capsules, which they anchor to underwater structures via adhesive tendrils. Innocuous to humans and hardy in captivity, zebra sharks are popular subjects of ecotourism dives and public aquaria. The World Conservation Union has assessed this species as Endangered worldwide, as it is taken by commercial fisheries across most of its range (except off Australia) for meat, fins, and liver oil. There is evidence that its numbers are dwindling. 24658
The plankton doesn't stand a chance.
Hundreds of devil rays approach at Tower Steps, Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar. (Burma). A magical moment!
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"Although strong emergence is logically possible, it is uncomfortably like magic. How does an irreducible but supervenient downward causal power arise, since by definition it cannot be due to the aggregation of the micro-level potentialities? Such causal powers would be quite unlike anything within our scientific ken. This not only indicates how they will discomfort reasonable forms of materialism. Their mysteriousness will only heighten the traditional worry that emergence entails illegitimately getting something from nothing." (Bedau 1997)
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Source: Emergence || "Central Relatedness" or "RedPixel" or "Tat Tvam Asi" or "Αα" ||
I was wandering along the edge of a sea loch in Argyll, when I came across this little flotilla of Collembola a.k.a. Springtails (Anurida maritima) on the surface of a shallow rock pool. I am used to seeing other species of Collembola on rotting wood and so on, but it always takes me by surprise a bit when I come across this marine species. They are fascinating to watch ... individuals seem to bounce off the main group, as though propelled by an electric charge, and then form either new groups or re-aggregate with the main group.
I found this info on-line:
"The entire body of the Collembola is covered with white hydrophobic hairs which allow the animal to stay above the surface of the water on which it spends much of its life. Aggregation is an important aspect of collembolan biology, and A. maritima has been shown to produce an aggregating pheromone. Like many intertidal animals, A. maritima moves in rhythm with the tidal cycle, and has an endogenous circatidal rhythm with a period of hours, using visual cues to orient themselves during their movements."
Wiki (See info from Frans Janssens for more accurate and current thinking on aggregation, below.)
The Red-headed Woodpecker and other woodpeckers may share more in common with football players than a helmet like head of feathers. They may share "tau." Some very preliminary research has suggested that a normal neuronal protein called tau, that can form abnormal aggregations following nerve injury, like that seen in football players with chronic head trauma, may also be present in some woodpeckers. It is much too early to draw any conclusions but theories abound. Consider that deceleration caused in the average amusement park rides is about 6 G (or 6 times the force of gravity). Concussions usually occur at about 100 G. But when a woodpecker's head decelerates against a tree trunk, forced have been estimated at as much as 1200 G! That's a smashing surprise. Unique anatomical adaptations protect these animals from otherwise disastrous effects. Further studies of these amazing creatures may someday lead to materials and methods for treating and avoiding chronic brain injury from repeated trauma. #RedHeadedWoodpeckers
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The giraffe (Giraffa) is an African artiodactyl mammal, the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant. It is traditionally considered to be one species, Giraffa camelopardalis, with nine subspecies. However the existence of up to eight extant giraffe species have been described, based upon research into the mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, as well as morphological measurements of Giraffa. The giraffe's chief distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, its horn-like ossicones, and its distinctive coat patterns. It is classified under the family Giraffidae, along with its closest extant relative, the okapi. Its scattered range extends from Chad in the north to South Africa in the south, and from Niger in the west to Somalia in the east. Giraffes usually inhabit savannahs and woodlands. Their food source is leaves, fruits and flowers of woody plants, primarily acacia species, which they browse at heights most other herbivores cannot reach. They may be preyed on by lions, leopards, spotted hyenas and African wild dogs. Giraffes live in herds of related females and their offspring, or bachelor herds of unrelated adult males, but are gregarious and may gather in large aggregations. Males establish social hierarchies through 'necking', which are combat bouts where the neck is used as a weapon. Dominant males gain mating access to females, which bear the sole responsibility for raising the young. 59872
Beautifully catching the winter sunlight, these trees shelter at ~340 m asl in the headwater valley of Hareden Brook (one of the main tributaries of the Trough of Bowland), deeply incised into the moorland of Hareden Fell, even so close to its source as the aggregation of disparate gullies.
This point is about a kilometre west of the Totridge Fell trig. pillar, as the photographer trudges – there's no path.
[Image reached no.93 in Flickr Explore on 07/11/14! Thanks!]
Dry Slough Road. Fir Island - Snow Geese by the thousands start arriving from the Arctic in early October. Typically 70,000 to 90,000 winter in North Puget Sound until late March or April.
Fraser-Skagit Population Dynamic. "Snow geese that over-winter in northwest Washington comprise a unique population of intercontinental travelers shared by three countries: the United States, Canada and Russia. These snow geese make an arduous, annual flight to Russia’s Chuckchi Sea, to breed on Wrangel Island off the north coast of Siberia. They are called the Fraser-Skagit population, because the same identification collaring/banding studies that disclosed details of their migration timing and itinerary, found that snow geese of this group had a high fidelity to one nesting site on Wrangel Island and to one wintering area, here. They stay apart from the other snow geese aggregations that nest separately on Wrangel and winter in California." wdfw.wa.gov
South Korean artist Kwang Young Chun combines hundreds of paper-wrapped parcels to create sculptural compositions, called Aggregations, that look like crystal formations, asteroids, or the surface of the moon. The Aggregations are simultaneously Space Age and nostalgic, beautiful and violent, powerful and fragile. They draw on the artist’s training in abstract painting as well as memories of his childhood, when Korean apothecaries sold medicine in similar little bundles.
Each parcel is wrapped in old book pages, printed in the traditional manner on Korea’s celebrated mulberry-pulp paper, called hanji. Chun likens the parcels to cells or units of information, and sees analogies to both chemistry and the human condition in the ways that the parcels interact physically: sometimes meshing, sometimes clashing. He compares the fragmentary passages of text on the wrappers—most taken from classics of Korean and Chinese philosophy—to voices overheard in a crowd.
The installation features six works by Chun—five wall pieces and one that is freestanding—presented adjacent to Korean objects relating to writing, reading, and paper that are part of our Arts of Korea galleries.
This amazing kaleidoscope of butterflies (a collective name for a group of butterflies also referred to as a swarm or rabble) were seen here in Texas on the side of the Guadalupe River in a mud puddle. These are most likely all males. Why do they do this? Butterflies seen imbibing moisture from muddy patches are almost always males. They hone in on sources of sodium and nitrates which are found dissolved in mud or damp sand. This process is commonly called "mud-puddling". The sodium is vital for physiological functions including digestion, reproduction, & flight. Urine-soaked ground, carnivore dung and bird droppings are especially rich in these minerals, and can attract large aggregations of males. Males usually mate with more than one female so after mating they need to puddle again to replenish lost salts. Typically just one or two males will chance upon a suitable feeding spot, but other butterflies flying past seem able to recognize their brethren on the ground, and swoop down to join them. The bright patch of colorful butterflies quickly becomes a magnet to every passing male of the same species. Females do not normally "mud-puddle" they feed instead on nectar, fallen fruit, and other organic matter. They obtain their sodium from the males during mating. The females can then concentrate on searching for good oviposition sites. See: www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Butterfly Facts 3.htm
This was truly and amazing sight to see. When someone
walked past and stirred them up they flew around like a
whirlwind until they were able to land again.
The firebug, Pyrrhocoris apterus, is a common insect of the family Pyrrhocoridae. Easily recognizable due to its striking red and black coloration, but may be confused with the similarly coloured though unrelated Corizus hyoscyami (cinnamon bug, squash bug) (see comparison). Pyrrhocoris apterus is distributed throughout the Palaearctic from the Atlantic coast of Europe to northwest China. It has also been reported from the US, Central America and India. It has been reported as recently expanding its distribution northwards into mainland UK and eastward on to the coast of the Mediterranean sea. [3They are frequently observed to form aggregations, especially as immature forms, with from tens to perhaps a hundred individuals.
De vuurwants is een bontgekleurde soort die een overwegend helder rode kleur heeft met een karakteristiek patroon van zwarte lichaamsdelen en vlekken en hieraan is te herkennen. De wants komt in grote delen van Europa voor en is ook in België en Nederland te vinden. De wants is voornamelijk een planteneter die soms dode of levende insecten eet. De wants kan niet vliegen en is soms massaal aan te treffen bij lindebomen en andere favoriete voedselbronnen, vaak in bewoond gebied. Hij kan, in het nauw gedreven, steken en een onaangename geur verspreiden.
Omdat de wants algemeen voorkomt en eenvoudig in een laboratorium in leven is te houden, zijn er verschillende studies naar gedaan, zoals onderzoek naar de lange duur van de paring, de ontwikkeling van de vleugels en de tolerantie voor vorst.
Found this guy in Yango Creek, Wollombi, NSW.
He is a honeyeater and is found in Southern New Guinea and Eastern Australia.
In southern parts of eastern Australia the species is migratory, moving north to overwinter and returning south in the spring. Large aggregations of noisy friarbirds are possible, often in association with little friarbirds. At such times, the constant cackling and chattering of the noisy friarbird can fill the forest with sound. The calls are used to identify an individual's feeding territory, and also announce the presence of food sources worth defending to other birds - not necessarily friarbirds alone. Their diet consists of nectar, insects and fruit. The consumption of commercially grown fruit, such as grapes and berries, can bring noisy friarbirds into direct conflict with humans who may regard them as pests under those circumstances (Wikipedia)
[co-lo-ny]
-any group of individuals having similar interests, occupations.
-an aggregation of bacteria growing together as the descendants of a single cell.
-a group of organisms of the same kind, living or growing in close association.
This species is abundant in the tropics and north into southern United States. It has bred as far north as Ohio rarely. A huge aggregation estimated at millions of individuals was once observed in July on the Texas coast, in migration or dispersing from a very successful breeding population.
Thanks for the visits, faves and comments its greatly appreciated.
Went to the reserve to see the White Crowed Sparrow today but it did not show. Nice to see this reserve which is not open to the public, only permit holders!
REVISED RESERVE CLOSING TIME STARTING 1st May 2016
Please note the following change in the closing time for the Reserve - From 1st May 2016 the Reserve will close at 20:00 hours, 8:00pm, promptly. The opening time remains at 08:00 hours, 08:00am. Keys obtained with your permits will not operate the locks put in place at closing on the footbridge entrance or the first barrier at the end of Thelwall Lane. Reserve opening and closing times are displayed here on our homepage and on the No3 Bed entrance footbridge gate, please reference this notice on your way in so you are always aware of the Reserve closing time. The gate and barriers will be locked promptly at the stated time please ensure you are off the site before the closing time to prevent being locked in.
Volunteer to help the Reserve
If you wish to assist the Woolston Eyes Nature Reserve with voluntary work please contact our warden John Langley via email john.langley@rspb.org.uk or Mobile 07980 827537
Welcome to Woolston Eyes Nature Reserve
An S.S.S.I. Managed by Woolston Eyes Conservation Group
www.woolstoneyes.com/woolston-eyes/who-are-we/
1. Who are the Woolston Eyes Conservation Group?
The WECG
Woolston Eyes Conservation Group, a voluntary organisation formed in 1979, manages the rich and varied wildlife of the deposit grounds with the agreement of the Manchester Ship Canal Company. Its aim is to promote the study and conservation of the wildlife and habitat of the area with particular regard to the ornithology.
The group undertakes management work to preserve or maximise the ornithological value of the Reserve, provides and maintains hides for the use of the public and permit holders, keeps the paths open and discourages disturbance. The group produces an Annual Report which summarises the work carried out and the results obtained including the scientific study of the flora and fauna of the Reserve.
To carry out this work the group raises funds by the sale of Permits, Annual Reports and by applying for grants from various organisations. The Reserve is open from dawn to dusk throughout the year. No.3 bed access requires a permit and key for the vehicle barriers and gated footbridge entrance - see homepage for permit application details.
The group is a registered charity and our charity registration number is 700362.
Officers and Trustees of the W.E.C.G.
ChairmanBrian Ankers
Vice ChairmanDavid Bowman
Treasurer/SecretaryDouglas Buchanan
RecorderBrian Martin
Committee
John Blundell
Kieran Foster
Dave Hackett
John Haddock
Sue Haddock
Alexander Mansfield
Alan Patterson
Dave Riley
David Spencer
Frank Linley, who died in October 2002, was a long-standing member of our committee who made highly significant contributions to the Conservation Group. He played a prominent role in the presentation of Annual Reports and Newsletters, established a database of members and initiated our first website. The new Tower Hide has been dedicated to his memory.
WECG has had the privilege of the support of two nationally respected figures as our patrons. The eminent ornithologist, Chris Mead, who died in January 2003 was for many years Patron of WECG and had visited the site from time to time.
More recently the well known Naturalist and Wildlife Broadcaster Chris Packham has become our patron. Chris is best known as the presenter of the BBC programmes Springwatch and Autumnwatch. He first visited the reserve in 2006 as presenter of the BBC wildlife series Natures Calendar, filming a section for the Spring Wetlands feature.
Chris very kindly gave up his time on a chilly February evening in 2010 to entertain a packed house at Warrington’s Parr Hall with a talk and slideshow of his experiences as a naturalist and photographer in support of the group.
We must also recognise and thank Colin Woolf a leading UK wildlife artist who has generously contributed his wonderful artwork for the covers of our annual reports for a number of years. If you appreciate wildlife and stunning drawings and paintings visit Colin’s website www.wildart.co.uk admire his talent and perhaps invest in an original piece of art yourself?
Access and Permits for Woolston Eyes
A public footpath runs from the end of Weir Lane, along the west side of No.2 bed and the north side of the canal to Thelwall Lane. Access to other parts of the Reserve is strictly limited to permit holders between the hours noted on the entrance gate throughout the year. A permit entitles the holder to visit the Eyes on any number of occasions during the year and to make use of the several hides. Please use the form below when making an application. Maps of the Reserve and the principle site No.3 bed can be viewed or downloaded from the FAQ section on the top menu bar.
Permit Pricing 2016
After managing to keep our permit prices down for the past 8 years, we have reluctantly concluded that, for this coming year, we will need to raise the prices to £15-00 for a single permit and £25-00 for a family permit
The additional funds will enable us to retain the full-time services of our Estate Worker, John Langley. Buying in John’s services from the RSPB has enabled us to tackle many of our outstanding habitat management tasks, to the benefit of both wildlife and visitors. I hope you will feel able to continue supporting us in the future.
Brian Ankers WECG Chairman
The WECG wish to stress to Permit Holders that current winter access hours are 08:00 hours to 16:00 hours with gates to the Reserve and entrance track secured between these times with locks which permit holders do not have keys. The opening and closing times will vary through the year as daylight hours change so please check out the times listed on our homepage and on the entrance gate to No3 bed which will be updated accordingly. We also wish to stress the importance of locking all appropriate gates when entering or leaving the Reserve. The “disappearance” of locks from various sites could lead to insurmountable problems.
Group Visits
Woolston Eyes has become a very popular venue for visits by bird watching groups, and in order to cope efficiently with the demand a ‘Group Visit’ procedure has been established. This should enable us to avoid the situation, which has arisen in the past, where several parties arrive on the same day, causing disturbance to the Reserve and congestion and irritation in the hides.
If you wish to book an outing for your group, or bring a party of your bird watching friends to Woolston please check out the latest group visit schedule listed in the scrolling news section of the hompage then write for a booking form to:
Mrs Rosalind Martin, 45 Albert Road, Grappenhall, Warrington, Cheshire,WA4 2 PF, enclosing an SAE. It is important that at least six weeks notice is given of an intended visit.
A booking fee of £20 is normally charged for groups of up to 10 people. For groups of larger than 10 visitors, there is an additional charge of £2 for each visitor above and beyond the “10”. A warden would be available to lead the visitors if so wished (if not, a key must be obtained beforehand in order to gain access to No 3 bed).
History of the Woolston Eyes Area
Not much is known about the area known as the Eyes before the Middle Ages, but we know people were in the area during the Bronze Age, and that the Anglo-Saxons reached the region around 700 AD. In fact the word ‘Ees’ is Saxon for land near a looping watercourse, so the Germanic settlers must have arrived on the banks of the Mersey about this time. Records begin around 500 years later.
Land ownership in the township of Thelwall was fairly stable between 1300 and 1536. During medieval times a third was owned by the Clayton family and the rest by the priory of Norton. The priors owned the valuable fishing rights for the south side of the River Mersey, which if the catches of 1749 were anything to go by, (19 and 23 pound salmon landed in May of that year) were fairly substantial.
At the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536 all monastic land passed to the crown and all Norton Priory’s former possessions were subsequently sold to the Claytons who thus acquired the whole of Thelwall as a private estate. They sold out to the Brookes, who interestingly had purchased Norton priory itself in the 1530s, and may have been seeking to unite its former possessions. However, they in turn sold Thelwall to the Moores, and it changed hands again to the Pickering family, who probably had control of the land by the 1770s when a bridge over the newly built Bridgewater canal was named after them. Thelwall remained in private hands until the late l9th century, when the township was incorporated into Runcorn District Council.
During the winter months the Mersey flooded across the meadows of Thelwall ( the village itself situated on slightly higher ground ). In the summer it is likely that sheep were grazed on the fertile fields which were probably too wet for arable cultivation in a pre-land drain era. Regular references to the Claytons as being ‘of Shepecrofte’ may point to this.
At the time of the famous salmon hauls of the mid 18th century, certain transformations to the Ees meadows were underway, as the effects of the Industrial Revolution began to be felt. Powder mills with workers cottages were constructed where the north bank of No.2 bed currently stands. Woolston Old Cut was the first navigational improvement undertaken across the north bank of No.3 bed ( just north of where the new weir was recently dug), and had occurred by 1777, as testified to by a map of that date. The short canal, or New Cut, further shortened the journey down the river by cutting out the loop of what is now Nos 3 and 4 beds, and wharves were constructed at the southern end of Weir Lane, for boats and goods to transfer onto the canal. On the South bank of the Mersey stood Statham Chemical works. The powder mills were built in 1755, and lasted exactly a century before, ironically, being destroyed by an explosion.
The major change to the area was the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1896, which radically altered the landscape, beyond simply the imposing presence of the new waterway itself. The long meanders of the Mersey through Statham were cut off and became redundant, as did the old canals to the north and the wharves. The old water meadows largely disappeared under the deposit grounds which were constructed from the 1920’s onwards. The various farmsteads which had managed a living on these lowlands ceased to exist with the arrival of the first dredgings, except for the Wilgreaves’ which continued as a working farm until No.3 bed was constructed upon the site in the late 1950’s .The old farming lifestyle which had existed up to then was swept away.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Tony Usher for his help in getting us started and thanks also to David Bowman, Scott Kennedy and Brian Martin who wrote most of the text.
Habitat
The four beds at Woolston Deposit Grounds SSSI, are managed as a nature reserve by the Woolston Eyes Conservation Group in agreement with the Manchester Ship Canal Company. Parts of the site are still in use to accommodate dredging from the Manchester Ship Canal.
No.1 bed which is to the east of the motorway (the Thelwall Viaduct) consists primarily of rough grassland and willow scrub. Sand extraction has created a number of reedy pools which attract small numbers of Snipe and wild fowl. They are also a regular site for wintering Water Pipits.
No.2 bed is currently being used for pumping dredgings from the canal and is consequently attractive to large numbers of wildfowl. During late summer and early autumn, when water levels are at their lowest, muddy margins can appear which provide loafing areas for wildfowl, gulls and a few waders. Water Rails and the odd Spotted Crake are most easily visible at this time. Most of the water lies on the west side but during pumping the centre and east of the bed, which are predominantly willow scrub and Reed Canary Grass, can also become flooded.
No.3 bed lies to the north of a meander of the river. It has recently been made into an island by the diversion of the river along its north bank. This east side of the bed is shallowly flooded and contains extensive beds of typha and some phragmites. The western half of the bed is covered in dense vegetation, mainly grasses, nettles, thistle and willow scrub. An attempt is being made to introduce flower meadows into this area, to increase the habitat diversity, though it will be a year or two before the benefits are seen.
No.4 bed, to the west of the reserve, also lies between the river and the canal. The dredgings which were pumped onto the bed have now dried out and the silt is being excavated and sold as top dressing. The undisturbed areas of the bed are developing a dense cover of willow scrub, nettle and other rank vegetation.
All the beds are enclosed within steep embankments with rough grassland and scrub. In places taller poplars and willow grow alongside the river whose banks are covered in parts by hawthorn, elder, bramble. These banks are bird-rich at most times of year with late summer warbler flocks and early winter thrush flocks being particularly notable. The river and canal both seem to be benefiting from the slow improvement in water quality. In winter substantial flocks of diving duck, including Tufted Ducks, Pochards, Goldeneyes, Goosanders and the odd Scaup or Smew can reliably be found on the river where it encircles No.3 bed. The rubbish tips at both ends of the reserve have now closed and been capped, with both being attractive to winter feeding finches and pipits.
Bird Species
In all, two hundred and thirty two species have been recorded on the Reserve, including thirteen species of raptor, more than thirty species of wader, all five grebes, the three woodpeckers, and five species of owl. Click here for a full species list
Lying next to the Mersey, the flooded beds inevitably attract large numbers of dabbling ducks moving inland from the estuary. The Mersey Valley Pochard flock also spends time here, making this an excellent place to see winter wildfowl. Typically a thousand or more Teal are present, sometimes several times this figure, with several hundred Mallard and Pochard, a hundred or so Shoveller, Gadwall and Tufted Duck, and from a few dozen to several hundred Pintail. Ruddy Duck were also a regular feature. Other species of wildfowl occur less frequently or in smaller numbers, and scarce or rare species such as Ring-necked Duck, Feruginous and Long-tailed Duck, Green Winged Teal, Common Scoter and Smew have been noted. In late autumn and winter skeins of Pink-footed Geese can often be observed making hard weather movements to the east coast.
The water margins of No.3 bed are an excellent nesting habitat for Black-necked, Great Crested and Little Grebes plus Teal, Shoveller, Mallard, Pochard, Gadwall, Tufted and historically Ruddy Ducks. Pintail and Garganey are also suspected of breeding in some years. A similar range of species can also be found breeding on No.2 bed, dependant on water levels. A substantial Black-headed Gull colony dominates the water margins in No.3 bed and can spill over onto No.2 bed when conditions are right.
The Eyes is particularly important, in a county context, for its breeding populations of common warblers. Counts of singing males have totalled more than 200 singing Sedge Warblers, 150 Whitethroats, 100 Willow Warblers, 30 Blackcaps and a similar number of Reed Warblers, plus a dozen Grasshopper Warblers and small numbers of Chiffchaffs, Lesser Whitethroats and Garden Warblers.In the damper areas upto 100 Reed Bunting are present in summer.
Large aggregations of aerial feeders may be present from May to September, with many hundreds of Swifts joining the swirling flocks of hirundines feeding over the insect rich lagoons. In most years there is a sizeable Swallow roost, regularly up to 3,000 birds but sometimes reaching 10,000. Inevitably, a Hobby is often in attendance and provides some spectacular aerial performances. From October to early winter thousands of Redwing and other thrushes arrive to feed on the berry-rich hawthorns around the banks of the beds.
In winter roosts dwindle as food supplies diminish, although Magpies seldom seen to go hungry and over 200 continue to roost in the scrub. Finches, notably Linnets, Goldfinches and Chaffinches flock to feed on weed seeds on the drier parts of the muddy beds, with odd Siskins and Bramblings regularly located amongst them . A sprinkling of Chiffchaff remains in willow scrub during most winters and Firecrests have occasionally wintered alongside the more numerous Goldcrests.
Wader passage is much smaller than formerly due to changes in the pumping regime into the beds. Spring passage is typically light, although Common Sandpiper are seen regularly in late April and early May, and on one occasion stayed to breed. Little Ringed Plover appear annually and usually attempt to breed. The inland spread of Ringed Plover has resulted in this species also breeding. Autumn passage is much more reliable and although not as prolific as in the past, Snipe, Jack Snipe and Lapwing are reliably present, with the occasional Green Sandpiper, Dunlins, Greenshanks etc. for company.
As far as rare or scarce birds are concerned, Woolston remains a much under-watched site, offering much opportunity for the discovery of that ever-elusive rarity. Nevertheless, almost two decades of observation by a small number of enthusiasts, spread over Woolstons huge acreage, has produced some good birds, including: Storm and Leachs Petrels, Spoonbill, Bittern, Night and Purple Herons, Ring-necked and Ferruginous Ducks, Quail, Honey and Rough-legged Buzzards, Red Kite, Montagues Harrier, Temmincks Stint, White-rumped, Pectoral and Buff-breasted Sandpipers, Red-necked and Wilson`s Phalaropes, Avocet, Great and Arctic Skuas, Laughing, Mediterranean and Ring-billed Gulls, Whiskered and White-winged Black Terns, Bee-eater, Nightjar, Golden Oriole, Bluethroat, Great Grey Shrike, Marsh Warbler, Firecrest and Nutcracker.
Ringing
Over 110,000 birds have been ringed at Woolston since ringing first started here in 1980. A small team now operates on all four beds, usually from April to October each year, ringing around 4,000 birds per year. During more recent years, Woolston has taken part in an international ringing programme, aimed at studying those migratory species which winter in Africa. During the summer and early autumn large numbers of common warblers are ringed, with full biometrics taken, as part of that research programme. In the latter part of the year the focus is on tape-luring overflying finches and buntings. At any time there is the constant chance of the odd surprise, with Marsh Warbler, Bluethroat and Firecrest among the scarcer species ringed.
Ringing is a physically demanding and time consuming occupation but one which brings many rewards in terms of our knowledge of national and local bird populations. If you are interested in observing, or taking a more active part in the ringing programme, then please contact Dave Riley or Prof. David Norman through the website email facility via the ‘Contact’ tab.
The Heath Frog (Litoria littlejohni) is threatened in New South Wales, due mostly to its low number of highly fragmented populations. Although the distribution extends from the Watagan Mountains (where this frog was found) to Victoria, there are <50 known populations. Within these populations, breeding aggregations are quite small, often with 2-3 calling males. The breeding period is quite large, so it may be the case that frogs alternate nights at which they call to prevent competition.
We surveyed three ponds in the one night. One of these ponds had five males, a large number for this species.
I'm now on facebook, please like our page at www.facebook.com/CrypsisNaturePhotography
The Mitchell Grass Downs Bioregion spans 335 320 square kilometres of predominantly treeless plains from Augathella in Queensland to Elliott in the Northern Territory. While it contains some occasional ridges, rivers and gorges, it is mainly deep cracking clay soils supporting highly productive Mitchell Grass grasslands. The Mitchell Grass Downs is leasehold cattle grazing for the most part, with sheep as well in the eastern quarter. Longreach is the major town of the grasslands, whilst other centres are Isisford, Tambo, Blackall, Aramac, Muttaburra, Hughenden, Richmond, Julia Creek, Winton, Boulia, Urandangi, and Camooweal.
Threatened species across this area include the Greater Bilby (Macrotis lagotis), Julia Creek Dunnart (Sminthopsis douglasi), Elizabeth Springs Goby (Chlamydogobius micropretus), Waddy Tree (Acacia peuce), and Sal Pipewort (Eriocaulon carsanii).
Nationally important wetlands across this area include Austral Limestone Aggregation, Corella Lake, Diamantina Lakes Area, Elizabeth Springs, Eva Downs Swamp, Lake de Burgh, Lake Sylvester, Lake Woods, Tarrabool Lake, and Thorntonia Aggregation.
National Parks across this area include Astrelba Downs, Bladensburg, Camooweal Caves, Diamantina, Idalia, Lochern, and the Welford.
Source: Desert Channels Queensland.
It’s really flat here. Virtually all topographic relief is stream valleys. And not all that big examples of them.
Hasn't been much else to photograph lately and I gotta shoot somethin'. You could consider this a local adaptation of Bob Dylan's "Talkin New York"
After typing the above, I went to a link aggregation site where the first thing I saw was a story about the continental glaciers of this area's past. The continental glaciation hit this area pretty good. I've said elsewhere that our rural area well is 90 feet deep and it's dirt all the way down - that dirt is glacial till from the ice age.
an aggregation of around 5 animals, one of which is the larger female. In spite of suboptimal weather conditions I saw over 40 snakes today, in what must be one of the top grass snake sites in the entire country. Yet there are plans to put a road through this phenomenal wildlife site - go to www.saveotmoor.org for more information.
A whale shark (Rhincodon typus) blocks out the sun at a feeding aggregation off of Isla Mujeres, Mexico. Taken while freediving down below the shark as it swam by.
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2012. The Fir Island Farms/Hayton Snow Goose Reserve.
Snow Geese by the thousands start arriving from the Arctic in early October. Typically between 60 to 120 thousand Snow Geese migrate from Wrangel Island Russia to winter and feed in Washington's Skagit / Fraser Delta, 70,000 to 90,000 of those winter in North Puget Sound and stay until late March or early April.
The Fraser-Skagit Population Dynamic: "Snow geese that over-winter in northwest Washington comprise a unique population of intercontinental travelers shared by three countries: the United States, Canada and Russia. These snow geese make an arduous, annual flight to Russia's Chuckchi Sea, to breed on Wrangel Island off the north coast of Siberia. They are called the Fraser-Skagit population, because the same identification collaring/banding studies that disclosed details of their migration timing and itinerary, found that snow geese of this group had a high fidelity to one nesting site on Wrangel Island and to one wintering area, here. They stay apart from the other snow geese aggregations that nest separately on Wrangel and winter in California." ~ wdfw.wa.gov