View allAll Photos Tagged Aggregation
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
Adult male Phidippus audax jumping spider on a piece of wood.
Single exposure, hand held, diffused flash.
Notes: During the winter they may form aggregations in protected spaces. Females lay their eggs under the bark of trees or shrubs. Male TBL 6-13 mm.
You mountains of Gilboa
Let there be no dew, neither let there be rain
Upon you
Or the fields of offerings
For there, the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away
The shield of Saul
As though he had not been anointed with oil
I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan
Very pleasant have you been to me
Your love to me was wonderful...
Passing the love of women.
(2 Samuel chapter 1, verses 21 + 26).
Part 2 of this section, following the events on Mount Gilboa, as detailed in [ colony ] Chapter 6.
A sense of loss reaching into the very soul itself...
[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.
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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. R_21165
"Tricrania sanguinipennis is a blister beetle (Meloidae) and aparently a parasitoid of Colletes spp., ground-nesting bees that are often situated in dense aggregations. Per Parker and Böving 1924, female T. sanguinipennis deposit clumps of eggs near these aggregations and when larvae hatch they seek out adult bees and clamp onto body hairs with specialized mandibles. If the bee happens to be a female, larvae release their grip when she arrives at the brood cell, sometimes up to 2 1/2 feet underground. If the beetle larva has attached to a male bee it will move onto a female while the bees are mating. Once in the nesting chamber the larva will seek out the bee egg, eat it, then set up camp inside the cell that holds the honey and pollen, which it will eat until maturity."
2012. The Fir Island Farms/Hayton Snow Goose Reserve - 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
These photos show just a few individuals in what was one of several immense nesting aggregations in the chalk grassland. Ivy bees everywhere! And to think they were first recorded in Britain less than 20 years ago.
Taken with a friend's awesome Oly 300mm f4 lens. Unfortunately, I had to give it back...
Cherhill Down / Calstone Down, Wilts
The Mitchell Grass Downs Bioregion spans 335 320 square kilometres of predominately 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.
A view from both sides of a mixed sleeping aggregation Megachile nigrovittata & Megachile deanii on dead Cobbler peg plant (Bidens pilosa)
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
A snowflake is either a single ice crystal or an aggregation of ice crystals which falls through the Earth's atmosphere as snow.[1] Each flake nucleates around a dust particle in supersaturated air masses by attracting supercooled cloud water droplets, which freeze and accrete in crystal form. Complex shapes emerge as the flake moves through differing temperature and humidity zones in the atmosphere, such that individual snowflakes differ in detail from one another, but may be categorized in eight broad classifications and at least 80 individual variants. The main constituent shapes for ice crystals, from which combinations may occur, are needle, column, plate and rime. Snowflakes appear white in color despite being made of clear ice. This is due to diffuse reflection of the whole spectrum of light by the small crystal facets. [2]
Once snowflakes land and accumulate, they undergo metamorphosis with changes in temperature and coalesce into a snowpack. The characteristics of the snowpack reflect the changed nature of the constituent snow crystals. Wikipedia
PS Click image for a closer look at the snowflake structure
Looking like a cross between a dragonfly and a butterfly, owlflies (family Ascalaphidae) are in fact more closely related to ant lions and lacewings. These nocturnal predators feed on small insects that they catch on the wing. By day, they sleep concealed on twigs, or in this unusual case (Cordulecerus sp.), as a group together on a root hanging above a stream. Sleeping in an aggregation with their antennae held outstretched in a perimeter may help to better detect the approach of predators, keeping the group safer than sleeping alone. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
Chun Kwang Young produces sculptural compositions made from small, hand-cut bits of Styrofoam wrapped in antique mulberry paper sourced from Korean periodicals and academic texts that have been tinted with teas, fruits and flowers. Often massive in scale, Chun’s highly tactile sculptures and three-dimensional canvasses are embedded with Korean tradition and history while articulated in a contemporary visual language. Although he began his career as a painter, Chun started to experiment with paper sculpture in the mid-1990s and over time his work has evolved in complexity and scale. The development of his signature technique was sparked by a childhood memory of seeing medicinal herbs wrapped in mulberry paper tied into small packages. Chun’s work subtly merges the techniques, materials and traditional sentiment of his Korean heritage with conceptual freedom he experienced during Western education.
The first male Red Mason bee of the year in our garden on the bee hotel. The Red Mason Bees are solitary bees that live in aggregations, but each bee is working for itself. They use holes such as hollow plant stems, or holes in walls and wood to lay their eggs. Each female bee provisions the cavity with pollen, and when she has collected enough she will lay an egg and seal the nest chamber. Mason Bees seal the entrance with mud. When the egg hatches, the tiny 1.5mm larvae eats the stored pollen. The larvae pupate in the late summer and overwinter as fully developed adults, wrapped up in a protective cocoon. Red Mason Bees have a single flight period, from spring usually coinciding with the flowering of Apple Blossom. The male Red Mason bees emerge first and tend to wait in the area waiting for the females to emerge. The females tend to emerge anywhere between several days to two weeks after the first male.
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 (a feeling I got).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 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 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-Brooklyn Museum
The aggregation of (torynorrhina flammea). They eat the plant tissues and cause the volatile chemicals from the plant to spread out. Other individuals therefore come together to thisparty land where they can feast and mate. Really neat system :)
The Blue-gray Tanager is one of the most widespread, and ubiquitous, birds of the humid lowland neotropics. At almost any location between southeastern Mexico and central South America, it is a familiar presence at forest edge, in second-growth, along roads and rivers, in plantations, and even in urban parks and gardens. Blue-gray Tanagers prefer semi-open habitats; they are not found in interior of closed canopy forest, but they can quickly colonize fresh clearings. They are flexible as well in their diet, eating a wide variety of fruit, and also foraging for arthropods. Blue-gray Tanagers typically travel in pairs or small single-species flocks. They may briefly join mixed-species flocks, but do not travel with such flocks; however, Blue-gray Tanagers often join mixed-species aggregations of birds that are attracted to fruiting trees. Adult Blue-gray Tanagers are predominately light bluish gray, with brighter blue margins to the wings and tail. The wing coverts are bright blue on the subspecies that occur from Mexico to northern South America, and in South America west of the Andes; other subspecies have more or less contrasting, whitish wing coverts. The juveniles of all subspecies are duller in color, and closely resemble the Sayaca Tanager (Thraupis sayaca) of eastern South America.
neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/Species-Account/nb/species/...
This unlucky hoverfly has been brought back to provision the nest of a field digger wasp. This was taken just a few inches away from a small aggregation of burrows.
It's that time of year again - PJs have been turning up in large numbers for their annual romp. Somehow they manage all this over large distances without Facebook or Instagram - truly a modern marvel. Fairy Bower
The Bee Killer or Bee Wolf is is a large solitary wasp, most often found on sandy areas of lowland heath and coastal dunes, however over the four and a half years we have been living in Ipswich they now are expanding their range locally from a known aggregation in Christchurch Park to nesting in bare ground along the roads near our house. Bee Wolves used to be extremely rare, with just a few scattered populations in southern England, but in the last few decades they have expanded their range dramatically. They are now found widely across southern Britain, with the largest concentrations in the south and east, but they have been recorded as far north as Lancashire.
The Bee Wolf is a large wasp, with a dark thorax and a yellow abdomen with black stripes. The face is yellow, but the back of the head is a dark reddish brown behind the eyes. The antennae are very thick. It can be seen from July to September.
Male bee wolves gather together in a form of lek, where each male defends a small territory and uses pheromones to attract a female. After this, males play no further part in the nesting process.
The female bee wolves dig a nesting burrow in a sandy bank or floor. These burrows can be a metre long, with up to 34 side burrows that end in brood chambers.
Once excavation has begun on the burrow, the female goes hunting, preying on honey bee workers, paralysing them with a sting and carrying them back to the burrow. Up to six paralysed honey bees are placed in each brood chamber, then a single egg is laid on one of the bees and the chamber is sealed with sand. After hatching, the larva feeds on the cache of honey bees before spinning a cocoon to hibernate through winter, ready to emerge in spring.
www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/blackbird/
The males live up to their name but, confusingly, females are brown often with spots and streaks on their breasts. The bright orange-yellow beak and eye-ring make adult male blackbirds one of the most striking garden birds. One of the commonest UK birds, its mellow song is also a favourite.
Overview
Latin name
Turdus merula
Family
Chats and thrushes (Turdidae)
Where to see them
Found everywhere in gardens and countryside and from coasts to hills, although not on the highest peaks.
When to see them
All year round.
What they eat
Insects, worms and berries.
Population:-
UK Breeding:- 5,100,000 pairs
UK Wintering:- 10-15 million birds
Behaviour
Blackbirds tend to be solitary birds. Small feeding and roosting aggregation sometimes form at good sites, but there is no proper social interaction.
Male blackbirds establish a territory during their first year, which they will hold throughout their lives. The territory is essential for pair formation and nesting, although only a part of the food is obtained from within it.
Territory size varies depending on the habitat, and can be as small as 0.2 ha. Territory boundaries break down when the last broods have fledged and adults moult. During this period, territorial drive is low, and many birds will feed outside their territories at abundant food sources.
Territories are re-established in the late autumn, and from spring until July they are defended against all other blackbirds.
Breeding
The breeding season lasts from early March to late July, and chicks are often found in a nest well into August.
During this period, blackbirds rear 2-3 broods. In a good year, fourth broods may be attempted. Weather determines the timing of the breeding season.
Warm or cold spells in spring can bring the breeding season forward or delay it by several days. Dry weather in June can shorten the season and even cause starvation of late broods. The nesting season starts up to two weeks earlier in gardens than in woodland.
The nest, built by the female, is low down in any suitable cover. Trees, shrubs and climbers are preferred, but nests can be found inside buildings, occasionally even on the ground.
The nest is a substantial cup of grass, straw, small twigs and other plant material. It is plastered inside with mud and lined with fine grass. It can take two weeks to complete, and sometimes the same nest is used for successive broods.
The normal clutch size is 3-5. Larger clutches are laid in woodland than in gardens. The female incubates alone, and the chicks hatch 13-14 days later. Only the female broods the chicks, but both parents feed them. Chicks in gardens are fed on earthworms when they are available; woodland chicks are fed mainly on caterpillars.
The chicks are ready to fledge at 13-14 days, but if the nest is disturbed, they can leave and survive as early as nine days old. This ability to fledge early is an important anti-predator adaptation. The young birds creep and flutter from the nest, and remain in nearby cover for the following few days.
They are flightless at first, but within a week will have learned to fly. By this time, they begin to experiment with foods, learning by trial and error what is edible. As their skills and confidence grow, they begin to explore their parents' territory and range more widely. The young become independent three weeks after leaving the nest, and leave the natal area shortly after. They are not driven away by the male.
Fledged young are often left in the care of the male, while the female prepares for the next nesting attempt. The last brood of the season is usually divided between the parents, with each adult taking sole care of some of the young.
There are considerable losses at the egg and chick stage, with at best 30-40% of nests producing fledged young. Despite smaller clutch sizes, birds in towns fledge more chicks per nest than birds in the countryside.
Funny feathers?
Young blackbirds (sometimes called juveniles) can be confused with thrushes or even robins, due to their speckly brown feathers. They're often a rich, reddish brown colour, especially on their breasts.
You'll often see them following their parents around, pestering for food.
Baby blackbirds usually leave the nest before they can actually fly, and hop and scramble their way around trees and bushes.
They can be vulnerable from predators at this time, but you should resist the temptation to make a 'rescue' - the parent birds can do a much better job that we ever can.
If you look in a book, you might be fooled into thinking that birds change from one plumage into another overnight.
It's not that simple.
Here's a photo of a young male blackbird. He's getting rid of the first set of feathers he grew while in the nest, with the much darker, dull-black ones coming through from underneath. He's at that awkward, 'teenage' in-between stage, but it's a great chance for us to see how birds replace their feathers.
The process when old feathers are replaced by new is called moulting. Adult birds do it too, often growing their new feathers after the breeding season when they've been rushing around for months to feed and care for their young.
Here's a photo of young male blackbird, taken in March. He hatched the previous spring or summer. How can we tell?
Look at the longest wing feathers, known as the primaries. They're a dull brown colour, which contrasts with the rest of his body, which is blackish.
Young female blackbirds keep their brown wing feathers too, but it's not as easy to spot them.
A few months earlier, his beak would have been dark, too, instead of the usual bright yellow. It can be confusing when you see a blackbird that's dark from head to toe - they're males that hatched the previous spring.
Some birds grow funny-coloured feathers where they're not meant to.
Here's a male blackbird that's a great example.
This condition is called partial albinism, and it's usually inherited but can be caused by other factors.
Some birds have just one or two white feathers, while others can be white all over or with big white blotches.
Blackbirds seem to be some of the birds most commonly affected, but that might be because they're common garden birds where it's easy to spot the white feathers.
Some birds have just one or two white feathers, while others can be white all over or covered with big white blotches.
Birds with white patches might be vulnerable to attack from predators, as they stand out from the crowd.
These individuals with strange coloration can also be shunned by their own kind.
They even get picked on by other birds which seem to know they're not the same!
Though it's often male blackbirds that are seen with partial albinism, females are sometimes affected, too.
We get quite a lot of e-mails from people saying: 'I've got a funny-looking bird in my garden. It's shaped like a blackbird, it behaves like a blackbird and it's got a yellow beak, but it's got white bits on it so it can't be one. What is it?'
Often, the answer is 'it's a blackbird' - those white feathers can be very confusing.
Legal status
Blackbirds and their nests are fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it an offence to intentionally kill, injure or take any wild bird.
It is an offence to intentionally take, damage or destroy the eggs, young or nest of a blackbird while it is being built or in use. It is therefore essential to ensure nests are not destroyed if hedge trimming or tree felling has to be carried out in the breeding season.
Orphaned birds
Now and again partly developed blackbird chicks are found outside the nest, often because of predators such as cats. If possible, the chick should be returned to the nest. Should this not be possible, the chicks survival is dependent on human care. Intervene only if the chick is not fully feathered. Hand-rearing is time-consuming and difficult, and the chance of success is low: attempt it only as a last resort. In most instances orphaned young should be passed on to an expert rehabilitator.
Young blackbirds leave the nest when they are fully feathered but not yet able to fly. They remain flightless for a couple of days. Since the parents will continue to look after it for a further three weeks, a fledgling is extremely unlikely to be abandoned. If the fledgling is in an unsuitable place such as the middle of a footpath, it makes sense to move it a few feet out of harms way. Fledglings should almost never be rescued, but should be left well alone and in the care of their own parents.
Threats
Blackbirds are relatively short-lived birds. They live on average only 3-4 years, but a few reach quite an advanced age.
The oldest known wild individual was 21 years and 1 month. Mortality is high especially during the breeding season - over half of all deaths occur between March and June.
The population trend for the blackbird shows a sustained period of decline from the 1970s to the mid-1990s, followed by a period of recovery, with a 26 per cent increase recorded by the Breeding Bird Survey between 1995 and 2008.
The recent increase in population has seen the blackbird transferred from the Amber to Green list of Birds of Conservation Concern. Causes for the observed population changes remain unknown, although hedgerow loss and drainage of farmland may have affected blackbirds.
In gardens, blackbird populations have remained stable, and the number of chicks that fledge per nest is higher than in many other habitats. However, food availability is often a problem, and starvation of chicks is a common occurrence, particularly in dry weather.
Gardeners can help blackbirds by avoiding the use of garden chemicals, and by planting shrubs that provide blackbirds with caterpillars, berries, or both.
Part of a large aggregation of female wolf spiders at New Ferry Butterfly Park. Most are carrying egg sacks but on has dozens of spiderlings hitching a lift.
Elasmucha grisea 1st instar nymphs on a birch (Betula pendula) leaf.
Handheld in-camera focus stack of 15 images
The blue wildebeest, also called the common wildebeest, white-bearded wildebeest, or brindled gnu is a large antelope and one of the two species of wildebeest. This broad-shouldered antelope has a muscular, front-heavy appearance, with a distinctive, robust muzzle. 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.
Info source URL: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_wildebeest
=========
Photo capture date & Location: 2017-06 De Kleine Serengeti
The Bee Wolf (Philanthus triangulum) is a large solitary wasp, with a dark thorax and a yellow abdomen with black stripes. The face is yellow, but the back of the head is a dark reddish brown behind the eyes. The antennae are very thick. Bee Wolves used to be considered rare in the UK, but currently the species is locally common to abundant in a steadily increasing number of sites in southern England, and is increasing its range. The largest concentrations are in the south and east, but it is recorded as far north as Lancashire, and even into Wales. It is a joy to have these beauties nesting in the pavement opposite our house! Generally, they inhabit sand dunes and lowland heaths, but there is a known aggregation in Christchurch Park in Ipswich!
The Bee Wolf is on the wing from early July to mid-September. The major prey species throughout the world range of this wasp is the worker honey bee (Apis mellifera), and in some regions the wasp may greatly reduce the local populations. There are, however, reports of other bees being utilised: for example in Britain, Andrena flavipes and Lasioglossum zonulus, and a Nomada sp.
The Bee Wolf nests in both level sandy exposures and in vertical soil faces. Some nesting aggregations may number as many as 15,000 burrows. The main nest burrow may be up to 1 m in length, with 3-34 short lateral burrows at the end, each terminating in a brood chamber. Up to six paralysed honey bees are placed in each brood chamber, then a single egg is laid on one of the bees and the chamber is sealed with sand. After hatching, the larva feeds on the cache of honey bees before spinning a cocoon to hibernate through winter, ready to emerge in spring.
Male bee wolves gather together in a form of lek, where each male defends a small territory and uses pheromones to attract a female. After this, males play no further part in the nesting process. It is the female bee wolves who dig the nesting burrow. Once excavation has begun on the burrow, the female goes hunting. The prey is paralysed by being stung through the articular membranes immediately behind the front legs. Returning females, clutching the prey with their legs, often hover above the nest burrow before slowly descending to it.
Nectar sources include bramble, sea-holly, heather, thrift, pale toadflax, common ragwort, hemp-agrimony and creeping thistle.
na ja , den 3. sieht man nur nicht ;-)
2 aggregation states, the 3rd you can't see ;-)
Es ist kalt draußen - Winter seid 1,5 Tagen! Ein Teil der Wakenitz hat eine geschlossene Eisdecke.
Thanks for all your views, *** and (critical) kind review :))
Please don't use my images on websites, blogs or other media without my written permission © 2016 Karins-Linse.de All rights reserved 2016-D90-00098-DSC_1584
The Fir Island Farms/Hayton Snow Goose Reserve - 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
There were these pairs of mating beetles in most species of flowers. Here is an aggregation in a flase Dandelion flower (Agoseris) Kootenay National Park, British Columbia, Canada. 19 June 2010
Oil beetle (Meloe strigulosus) - Contra Costa County, California, USA
A mating pair of oil beetles, slow and flightless they rely on noxious secretions to protect themselves. Their larvae will hatch, climb onto vegetation forming and aggregation of dozens to 100s of individuals and release pheromones to attract a male of a particular solitary bee species who will try to mate with them. When he does so, he will become covered with the larvae who will hold onto him until he mates with female at which point they will switch hosts. They will ride back with the female to her burrow where they will eat the stored food that the female bee has for her offspring, they will also probably eat her larvae and eggs. Horrible house guests.
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 (a feeling I got).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 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 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-Brooklyn Museum
PROJECT:
Rules of Six
PHOTO CREDIT:
Aranda\Lasch
commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art for the exhibition Design and the Elastic Mind, curated by Paola Antonelli
New York, NY, USA
2008
The Fir Island Farms/Hayton Snow Goose Reserve - 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
This is the second floor showing the "Aggregations" artwork by South Korean,Kwang Young Chun in the previous video clip.The couple had just left from climbing the glass stairs to the floor,I was watching from behind.I like the contrast in their apparel.
Little Haldon, Devon
Small aggregation of these wasps nesting in a exposed bank by a metal gate. They were seen coming and going with a variety of different fly species.
Another view in the comments.
Common Australian Crow Butterfly - "Euploea core"
FAMILY "NYMPHALIDAE"
Common Australian Crow Butterflies are also called Oleander Crow.
At night the butterflies aggregate together in sheltered area.
In winter their aggregation even be in very large number.
They usually rest within a few meter above ground on trees.
The male has a narrow opaque mark on the forewing, which releases perfume to attract and attach the female.
www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_nymphs/Crow.htm
No edits ~ I was pleased with this one :)
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An aggregation of Harlequin ladybirds photographed just inside the doorway of West Chelborough church. Their highly varied appearance is typical of the species. There were half a dozen clusters, totaling several hundred insects and they were all seeking a suitable place with relatively stable conditions where they will huddle together to see out the winter months.
Harlequins are a non-native species originating in Asia. Now that they are so well established in the UK, our native species will just have to take their chances.
‘Landing stage'. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis, breaking flight to land on water, West Yorkshire.
Many thanks for visiting my Flickr pages ...Your visits, interest, comments and kindness to 'fave' my photos is very much appreciated, Steve.
Canada Geese eat grain from fields, graze on grass, and dabble in shallow water by tipping forward and extending their necks underwater. During much of the year they associate in large flocks, and many of these birds may be related to one another. They mate for life with very low “divorce rates,” and pairs remain together throughout the year. Geese mate “assortatively,” larger birds choosing larger mates and smaller ones choosing smaller mates; in a given pair, the male is usually larger than the female. Most Canada Geese do not breed until their fourth year; less than 10 percent breed as yearlings, and most pair bonds are unstable until birds are at least two or three years old. Extra-pair copulations have been documented.
During spring, pairs break out from flocks and begin defending territories. Spacing of these pairs is variable and depends on availability of nest sites and population density; where population is large, even after a great many fights birds may end up nesting in view of one another, and some populations are semi-colonial.
Canada Goose threat displays may involve head pumping, bill opened with tongue raised, hissing, honking, and vibrating neck feathers. When an intruding goose doesn’t retreat, geese may grab each other by breast or throat and hit each other with their wings. Fighting may result in injuries.
Female selects nest site, builds nest, and incubates eggs. She may brood goslings in cold, wet, or windy weather and while they’re sleeping for first week after hatching. Male guards the nest while female incubates.
Soon after they hatch, goslings begin pecking at small objects, and spend most of their time sleeping and feeding. They remain with their parents constantly, though sometimes “gang broods” form, especially in more southern latitudes. These can include at least two broods, and sometimes five or more, that travel, feed, and loaf together, accompanied by at least one adult.
Young often remain with their parents for their entire first year, especially in the larger subspecies. As summer wanes birds become more social; they may gather in large numbers at food sources; where food is limited and patchy, may compete with displays and fights.
In winter, Geese can remain in northern areas with some open water and food resources even where temperatures are extremely cold. Geese breeding in the northernmost reaches of their range tend to migrate long distances to winter in the more southerly parts of the range, whereas geese breeding in southern Canada and the conterminous United States migrate shorter distances or not at all. Individuals tend to return to the same migratory stopover and wintering areas year after year. Spring migration may be difficult for observers to track because of over-wintering birds and movements between night time resting areas and feeding areas, but the bulk of spring migratory movements tend to move north behind the retreating snow line, where the temperature is averaging 35 degrees.
Migrating flocks generally include loose aggregations of family groups and individuals, in both spring and fall. Flights usually begin at dusk, but may begin anytime of day, and birds fly both night and day. They move in a V formation, with experienced individuals taking turns leading the flock. All About Birds Notes.