Bits And Pieces
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It rained a bit last night (a rarity in Southern California) so I headed out to a local park to see if the rain had instigated some wildlife action. I spotted this Acorn Woodpecker Chasing Bugs. Didn’t take him long to make a catch…. Life is Good !!
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Acorn Woodpecker
Reminiscent of a troupe of wide-eyed clowns, Acorn Woodpeckers live in large groups in western oak woodlands. Their social lives are endlessly fascinating: they store thousands of acorns each year by jamming them into specially made holes in trees.
A group member is always on alert to guard the hoard from thieves, while others race through the trees giving parrot-like waka-waka calls. Their breeding behavior is equally complicated, with multiple males and females combining efforts to raise young in a single nest.
Acorn Woodpeckers are medium-sized woodpeckers with straight, spike-like bills and stiff, wedge-shaped tails used for support as the birds cling to tree trunks.
These striking birds are mostly black above with a red cap, creamy white face, and black patch around the bill. In flight, they show three patches of white: one in each wing and one on the rump. Females have less red on the crown than males.
Acorn Woodpeckers are very unusual woodpeckers that live in large groups, hoard acorns, and breed cooperatively.
Group members gather acorns by the hundreds and wedge them into holes they’ve made in a tree trunk or telephone pole. Acorn Woodpeckers also spend considerable time catching insects on the wing.
These woodpeckers live in oak and mixed oak-conifer forests on slopes and mountains in the Southwest and West Coast. They’re tolerant of humans, and you can find them in towns where there are acorns and suitable places to store them.
(Nikon, 500/4 + TC 1.4, 1/500 @ f/5.6, ISO 100)
(Edited to Taste)
Also known as the Torx drive. These are various sizes of torx drives from T15 up to T40. Shot for Macro Mondays "Stars" theme.
Thanks for viewing and happy Macro Monday!
Switzerland, May 2021
My best photos are here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/ticino-best-photos-of-southern-...
My latest ANIMAL VIDEO (warning, it's a bit shocking): www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T2-Xszz7FI
You find a selection of my 80 BEST PHOTOS (mostly not yet on Flickr) here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/western-green-lizard-lacerta-bi... (the website exists in ESPAÑOL, FRANÇAIS, ITALIANO, ENGLISH, DEUTSCH)
ABOUT THE PHOTO:
So this photo is a bit of a novelty for me - at least here on Flickr, but it's also a journey back in time in a sense. I've always loved b/w and sepia photography; already as a very young teenager I would go out into the woods with an old Pentax Spotmatic (which I had nicked from my father) whenever it was a foggy day to shoot b/w compositions of sunbeams cutting through the ghostlike trees.
I used films with a sensitivity of at least 1600 (for those of you who remember what that means 😉 ), and the resulting photos had an incredibly fine grain which I loved; I blew them up to the size of posters and hung them on the walls of my teenage man-cave next to Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Slash.
But then I abandoned photography altogether for 20 years, and when I finally picked up a camera again, it was one of the digital kind. Now neither film nor grain played any role in my photographic endeavours - let alone b/w compositions: because the reason I fell in love with shooting pictures once more was the rare and incredibly colorful lizard species that had chosen my garden as its habitat.
It's this species - the Lacerta bilineata aka the western green lizard - that my photo website www.lacerta-bilineata.com/ and also my Flickr gallery are dedicated to, but I've since expanded that theme a bit so that it now comprises the whole Lacerta bilineata habitat, which is to say my garden and its immediate surroundings and all the flora and fauna I find in it.
I like that my gallery and the website have this clear theme, because in order to rise to the challenge of portraying all aspects of a very specific little eco system (which also happens to be my home of sorts), it forces me to constantly explore it from fresh angles, and I keep discovering fascinating new motives as my photographic journey continues.
Which brings me to the horse pasture you see in this photo. This playground for happy horsies lies just outside my garden, and it normally only interests me insofar as my green reptile friends claim parts of it as their territory, and I very much prefer it to be horseless (which it thankfully often is).
Not that the horses bother the reptiles - the lizards don't mind them one bit, and I've even seen them jump from the safety of the fly honeysuckle shrub which the pasture borders on right between the deadly looking hooves of the horses to forage for snails, without any sign of fear or even respect.
No, the reason I have a very conflicted relationship with those horses is that they are mighty cute and that there's usually also foals. The sight of those beautiful, happy animals jumping around and frolicking (it's a huge pasture and you can tell the horses really love it) is irresistible: and that inevitably attracts what in the entire universe is known as the most destructive anti-matter and ultimate undoing of any nature photographer: other humans.
Unlike with the horses, the lizards ARE indeed very much bothered by specimens of loud, unpredictable Homo sapiens sapiens - which makes those (and by extension also the horses) the cryptonite of this here reptile photographer. It's not the horses' fault, I know that, but that doesn't change a thing. I'm just telling you how it is (and some of you might have read about the traumatic events I had to endure to get a particular photo - if not, read at your own risk here: www.flickr.com/photos/191055893@N07/51405389883/in/datepo... - which clearly demonstrated that even when it's entirely horseless, that pasture is still a threat for artistic endeavours).
But back to the photo. So one morning during my vacation back in May I got up quite early. It had rained all night, and now the fog was creeping up from the valley below to our village just as the sky cleared up and the morning sun started to shine through the trees.
And just as I did when I was a teenager I grabbed my camera and ran out to photograph this beautiful mood of ghostlike trees and sunbeams cutting through the mist. There had already been such a day a week earlier (which is when I took this photo: www.flickr.com/photos/191055893@N07/51543603732/in/datepo... ), but this time, the horses were also there.
Because of our slightly strained relationship I only took this one photo of them (I now wish I had taken more: talk about missed opportunities), and otherwise concentrated on the landscape. It was only later when I went through all the photos on my computer that I realized that I actually really liked those horses, even despite the whole composition being such a cliché. And I realized another thing: when I drained the photo of all the color, I liked it even better - because there was almost a bit of grain in it, like in the photos from my youth.
Since then I have experimented quite a bit with b/w and sepia compositions (some of which I will upload here eventually I guess), but this photo here is the first one that helped me rediscover my old passion. I hope you like it even though it builds quite a stark contrast with the rest of my tiny - and very colorful - gallery. But in the spirit of showing you the whole Lacerta bilineata habitat (and also in the spirit of expanding my gallery a bit beyond lizards and insects), I think it's not such a bad fit.
As always, many greetings to all of you, have a wonderful day and don't hesitate to let me know what you think 😊
Bit of a special evening yesterday! Popped up to one of my favourite local places after work, Healey Dell nature reserve near Rochdale, a little hidden gem of a place right near the town, kinda hidden away.
It's the kinda place that if it was in the Lake District it would be swamped by visitors and you'd have to pay £10 to park, but as it is, there's virtually never anybody around, even locals don't know what they have there :)
This is the 2nd of a series of 5 or 6 big waterfalls that run through the place.
But when I got there my eyes nearly popped out at how beautiful it had become with the golden leaves carpeting the rocks.
One of those special moments that makes you feel good to be alive :)
Hope you like, Visit my Facebook page if you want more pics and info
Happy Friday all :)
Well, you look just like an angel
You sound so bright and true
You seem so sweet coming down my street
But the devil is an angel too
Yeah, the devil is an angel too
Somehow you seem familiar
Haven't I seen you before?
Got a different name
But is it the same old heartache coming 'round my door?
Got one hand on my shoulder
You keep one behind your back
I'm going to need some identification
Baby, before I let you unpack
You look at me so tender
But I wonder if there lies something dark
And sinister behind those innocent eyes
Well, you coo just like a baby
Make me want to let you in
You seem sincere
But if I trust you, dear, will I ever see my soul again?
You sound just like a preacher
Stand upright and tall
But I want to know
Honey, after the show, do you have any love at all?
I don't mean to doubt your sincere intent
But underneath there's the look about something mean and malevolent
You look just like an angel, you sound so bright and true
You seem so sweet coming down my street
But the devil is an angel too
Yeah, the devil is an angel too
The devil is an angel too, that's right
The devil is an angel too, that's right
The devil is an angel too, that's right
The devil is an angel too
Still a bit of white ⛄️ Christmas, although it is from the archive.
Toch een beetje witte ⛄️ Kerst al is het uit het archief
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Thanks for all the nice comments, it is much appreciated
Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit written permission.copyright all rights reserved.
Regards, Bram van Broekhoven (BraCom)
Mulholland on left was a rescue Thoroughbred (mine at the time) - Bits on right - stablemate friends to the end.
It's a good thing foil came up as a theme for Macro Mondays because now I have a reason for keeping a bag of multicolored foil bits! Perhaps they'll make it into ice cubes some day but for now it's a foil abstract.
The image area measures about 1.5 inches X 1.5 inches.
Nikon 55mm f/2.8 NIKKOR Micro, 9 image photo stack shot at f/11.
Capture taken on day 3 of previous NYC visit. The day started again early and I did use a taxi to get to Grand Central to take a few capture there. The plan afterwards was to move to Tudor bridge. Too bad, there was just construction works so I could not get on that bridge...so I went further to get to this place. Was a bit late for more blue in the sky, but now overall happy with this edit. Hope you like it too. Happy long weekend ahead....Thanks, Udo.
Bit of a fun shot. This Snowy Egret was on it's way back into the sea to carry on fishing when it sensibly paused for a moment. The fact that the wind had also whipped up it's crown feathers was a real bonus.
Taken at North Beach, Fort De Soto, Florida.
Thank you so much for stopping by and for leaving any comments or faves, they are very much appreciated.
A bit of color fun to offset the grey skies we've been having! Happy Slider Sunday and all the best this Holiday season.
Thank You for making this a wonderful year and I appreciate all the views, comments and faves; but most of all the friendship and support you have shown.
Happy Slider Sunday - HSS
It was a bit too hot for this old guy to go looking for Elephants or Alligators, so I had to settle for taking Pics of the Hummingbirds that frequent my backyard. I believe this is an Allen’s Hummingbird.
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The Allen's Hummingbird:
In early spring, a narrow strip of scrub and chaparral along the Pacific Coast starts buzzing with the sights and sounds of the coppery and green Allen's Hummingbird. Males flash their brilliant reddish orange throat and put on an elaborate show for the females, swinging in pendulous arcs before climbing high into the sky and diving back down with a sharp squeal made by their tails. These early migrants mostly spend the winter in Mexico, but some stay in southern California year-round.
Allen's Hummingbirds breed in a narrow strip of habitat along coastal Oregon and California. Male and female Allen's Hummingbirds use different habitats during the breeding season. The male sets up a territory overseeing open areas of coastal scrub or chaparral, where he perches conspicuously on exposed branches. The female visits these areas, but after mating she heads into thickets or forests to build a nest and raise the young.
The Allen's Hummingbird is a remarkably early migrant compared with most North American birds. Northbound birds may depart their wintering grounds as early as December, arriving on their breeding grounds as early as January when winter rains produce an abundance of flowers.
Like other birds, Allen's Hummingbirds use their feet to help control their body temperature. When it's cold outside they tuck their feet up against their bellies while flying, but when temperatures soar, they let their feet dangle to cool down.
The oldest recorded Allen's Hummingbird was at least 5 years old when she was captured and rereleased in California during banding operations in 2009. She was banded in the same state in 2004.
(Sony, 200-600 @ 594 mm, 1/640 @ f/6.3, ISO 8000, edited to taste)
A bit of friendly Saturday morning banter in the angling club boat shed. The eternal debate about what are the best fishing flies. Of course the answer is to be out on the water casting your line as you would have more success than drinking coffee in the shed :-D
I never thought you'd be a junkie because heroin is so passe.
But today, if you think that I don't know about depression and emotional pain, you're insane, or you're a fool
Who hasn't paid attention to a word that I say.
In a way, I can't help but feel responsible,
I always knew that you were insane
With your pain, but I never thought you'd be a junkie
because heroin is so passe, hey.
Heroin is so passe, hey.
Herion is so passe, hey, hey.
Aaaah
So passe nowadays.
You never thought you'd get addicted,
just be cooler in an obvious way
I could say, shouldn't you have got a couple piercings
and decided maybe that you were gay..
Anyway I can't help but feel responsible,
I always knew that you were insane
With your pain, but I never thought you'd be a junkie
because heroin is so passe, hey.
Heroin is so passe, hey.
Herion is so passe, hey, hey.
Ah ah ah ah, aaah, aaah, aaaah
Ah ah ah ah, aaah, aaah, aaaah
Ah ah ah ah, aaah, aaaaaaah
Heroin is so passe, hey.
Heroin is so passe, hey
Heroin is so passe, hey, hey.
Ah ah ah ah, aaah, aaah, aaaah,
Ah ah ah ah, aaah, aaah, aaaah,
hey hey hey hey heyyy, heyyy, heyyyyy
In light of what seems a dramatic decline in their numbers over recent years it was reassuring to see plenty of Small Tortoiseshells at a local spot at the weekend. They were making the most of the Devil's Bit Scabious in full bloom.
I'm a little bit shy
I’m a little bit right on time
And I know that you don't operate the same
Are you feeling alright?
Cause I really can't tell sometimes
I wanna know what's going on inside your brain
Just come a little bit closer
Cause I don't know if I know you yet
Yeah, there seems to be something new everyday
Why do I really wanna hold you?
Why do I want you so bad?
Yeah, you're beautiful but something's in my way
Credits :
From [Cubic Cherry] Vaala Gacha @ Main Store
[Cubic Cherry] BLOGGERS-Vaala dress rare
[Cubic Cherry] BLOGGERS-Vaala hair pin
[Cubic Cherry] BLOGGERS-Vaala wings
[Cubic Cherry] BLOGGERS-Vaala bits cover
[Cubic Cherry] {Vaala} socks
Cubic Cherry] {Vaala} bra
Hair : {Limerence} Clary hair New!! ❥ @ Main Store 🐾
Tattoo : Rainbow Sundae Flora Tattoo @ Main Store
Face Tattoo : Rainbow Sundae Doll Blush & Freckles @ Main Store
~[LeiMotiv] Psychdancer Horns New!! ❥ Enchantment 🐾
Eyes : {S0NG} :: Niki Eyes New!! ❥ @ Uber 🐾
Groves : amias - PETRA black
Eliya.K - Heather Hoodie * Silk *Dress
Decor :
[Cubic Cherry] {Sion} tileable backdrop New!! ❥ @ The Warehouse Sale 🐾
{anc} mist cloud [Heavenlyblue]
{anc} cracked glass
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Pentax K-5
Super-Takumar 55mm f1.8
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© 2021 stefanorugolo | All rights reserved.
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Thank you for your visit, most appreciated!
With a bit of an influx going on at the moment with Painted Lady butterflies, it reminded me of this encounter from last Summer, when a similar Spring influx led to some rather nice specimens later in the year when the eggs laid by the early arrivals became British hatched butterflies in immaculate condition.
I had to wait nearly 30 minutes for this one to nectar on the Bramble stem away from the main bush. The background was a field some distance away and after watching the butterfly for the 30 odd minutes feeding in the centre of the bush I very nearly decided it wasn't going to use this stem at the edge of the bush. As it was it was only showing on this stem for a few seconds before it headed back to the jungle of the main part of the bush.
One of two very memorable Painted Lady sessions in 2021.
💫NEW POST💫
more info click link below...
#noedited #blackdragon #secondlife #reallightsview #unedited #blogger #missred #PsychoByts #original
Brownie-bear had a bit of a fright, but he was saved by his great friends Oleg and Peter all the way from Groningen.
Harm and M. Jean are comforting him. He will be okay in no time and up to new mischief I fear..
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Brownie-beer is erg geschrokken, gelukkig werd hij snel gered door zijn vrienden Oleg en Peter uit Groningen.
Harm en M. Jean proberen hem te troosten. Hij zal in een mum van tijd in orde zijn en en nieuw kattekwaad verzinnen.
After a bit of a wait, 250 rolls across the 1200' long trestle in Onawa, led by CP SD70ACu 7020, the first of CP's military units to run over the CMQ. Borestone Mountain can be seen looming in the distance to the right of the train, while some lingering fall colors add some nice color to the hillside.
"The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won't."
Henry Ward Beecher
I'm sure everyone has had that sort of a day....just feeling a bit obstinate. Apparently insects exhibit those feelings, too.
It took a little bit of waiting for the sunny railfan shot of the Missabe maroon pair once they were assigned to the E Lead Switch (actually 8 days of trying on the St. Louis River Road bridge), but we were able to get the DM&IR 215 and 403 working the north end of Proctor Yard here on September 27, 2021. Good thing we got the Missabe pair on day 8 as they only lasted on this job for 9 days. DMIR 215 and 403 are still together at Proctor but have spent the last few days inside the Diesel House.
Lots of CN painted EMDs continue working around Proctor as seen here around the yard, but two maroons look more at home even shuffling freight cars.
Something a bit different today. Two different types of Robin to compare in almost identical pose.
The European robin, known simply as the robin or robin redbreast in the British Isles, is a small insectivorous passerine bird, specifically a chat, that was formerly classified as a member of the thrush family but is now considered to be an Old World flycatcher.