Very cold, but so beautiful.

Thanks for your visit and comments, I appreciate that very much!

Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © all rights reserved.

Regards, Bram (BraCom)

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But a Christmas Eve snow

A day early this year...

___________

Even though we remain hovering right at the freezing point, early this morning big, fluffy, and wet snowflakes began to fall, continuing even now and providing a beautiful, fresh white accent to the landscape...the northwoods' annual celebration of the season. This shot, as with so many others over the years, taken from my deck.

[This is also the time of year at which I get confused as to whom I've wished Season's Greetings and to whom I have not. Forgive me if I repeat myself and, in the spirit of the holidays, be patient with an old man, accepting good wishes however often they may be repeated. It's the thought, not the memory, that counts. ;-))]

Another shot from the Joshua Tree Park series. This is not the well known Skull Rock, but I found this one lookin a bit like a skull as well. The trees made for a nice frame.

Eurasian Nuthatch, sometimes called Wood Nuthatch or simply Nuthatch

sitta europaea

boomklever

sittelle torchepot

Kleiber

Trepador Azul

Picchio muratore

Trepadeira-azul

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All rights reserved. Fons Buts©2023

My photos may not be used on websites, blogs or in any other media without my written and explicit permission.

The World is but a Canvas for our Imagination

- Henry David Thoreau

The weather around here lately has not been conducive to photographing wildlife or landscapes, so I’m focusing on developing my imagination and hoping to improve my artistic skills… which currently are nearly as innovative as a bag of rocks : )

(Nikon Z6, 24-200 @ 103 mm, 1.3 sec @ f/25, ISO 400)

(edited to taste)

A very simple photo , but the simplicity of the ocean and coastlines are my happy place. Just your basic sea, sky, sand.

In solitude, I find solace by the sea,

Where peace whispers its tranquil melody.

The ocean's embrace, a sanctuary deep,

Where worries fade and souls, sweet release.

Hope everyone is having a great week.

Dreckig - aber glücklich! 😳 😃 😊 😍

Wünsche Euch allen einen schönen Montag!

Happy Monday, dear friends!

... but it was just a paper bag

My Jam

Surrounded by nothing but turquoise lagoon which melts into sapphire blue, the Maldives island of Anantara Kihavah and its pure white sands rise up out of the ocean like a mirage.

For centuries, this was where Arab traders sailing to the Far East took shelter; a lush paradise blessed by coconut, papaya and mango trees. Navigating archipelago to archipelago by the stars, the seafarers were also drawn by the riches of the ocean surrounding the island – where a prehistoric volcano sank back into the depths, leaving blooming corals within a house reef and a wealth of lagoon fish.

Wishing to keep the pristine nature of the island intact, not one tree has been moved – as evidenced by the villas growing up around them. The design pays homage to the seafarers of old, fusing Indian Ocean, Arab and Portuguese motifs with indigenous materials.

But sometimes one can make a pretty good guess.....

…But in My Dreams, I have Ocean Front Property : )

It was a lovely morning to put my toes in the sand; I left before the crowds arrived ; )

(Nikon, 30mm, 1.6 sec @ f/22, ISO 100)

garrulus glandarius

gaai of Vlaamse gaai

geai des chênes

Eichelhäher

Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF + TC 1,4 III

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All rights reserved. Fons Buts©2021

My photos may not be used on websites, blogs or in any other media without my written and explicit permission.

Looking a little bit tacky here but this Robin is over two years old now which is a good age for a Robin. Always hanging around in the same area in one of my nature reserves I often go to visit. Ever since I first spotted this as a juvenile there has always been a dark patch below the right eye that is still there to this day. My little friend here has become very tame and always so very photogenic and hopefully will be around a bit longer yet. In the 1400's when the Robin was named the colour orange had not been classified and this is why we say that the Robin has a red breast and not orange. America has an eagle so it's about time the UK had the Robin as its national bird !!!!!!

Little Owl chick a week ago

Athene noctua

steenuil

Chevêche d'Athéna ou Chouette chevêche

Steinkauz

Mochuelo Europeo

Civetta

Mocho-galego

Nikon Z9

Many thanks for your views, favorites and supportive comments.

All rights reserved. Fons Buts©2022

My photos may not be used on websites, blogs or in any other media without my written and explicit permission.

A different Cuckoo for a change. This one was seen in Scotland.

texture by /crisbuscagliacom/..

from the archives . 3 years ago .. wonderful Forsythia

♫

.: CORAZON:. Tattoo CRUELLA

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tiamo/27/70/22

Taken locally on our walks!

Chiffchaff - Phylloscopus collybita

The common chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita), or simply the chiffchaff, is a common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds in open woodlands throughout northern and temperate Europe and Asia.

It is a migratory passerine which winters in southern and western Europe, southern Asia and north Africa. Greenish-brown above and off-white below, it is named onomatopoeically for its simple chiff-chaff song. It has a number of subspecies, some of which are now treated as full species.

This warbler gets its name from its simple distinctive song, a repetitive cheerful chiff-chaff. This song is one of the first avian signs that spring has returned. Its call is a hweet, less disyllabic than the hooeet of the willow warbler or hu-it of the western Bonelli's warbler.

The common chiffchaff breeds across Europe and Asia east to eastern Siberia and north to about 70°N, with isolated populations in northwest Africa, northern and western Turkey and northwestern Iran. It is migratory, but it is one of the first passerine birds to return to its breeding areas in the spring and among the last to leave in late autumn. When breeding, it is a bird of open woodlands with some taller trees and ground cover for nesting purposes. These trees are typically at least 5 metres (16 ft) high, with undergrowth that is an open, poor to medium mix of grasses, bracken, nettles or similar plants. Its breeding habitat is quite specific, and even near relatives do not share it; for example, the willow warbler (P. trochilus) prefers younger trees, while the wood warbler (P. sibilatrix) prefers less undergrowth. In winter, the common chiffchaff uses a wider range of habitats including scrub, and is not so dependent on trees. It is often found near water, unlike the willow warbler which tolerates drier habitats. There is an increasing tendency to winter in western Europe well north of the traditional areas, especially in coastal southern England and the mild urban microclimate of London. These overwintering common chiffchaffs include some visitors of the eastern subspecies abietinus and tristis, so they are certainly not all birds which have bred locally, although some undoubtedly are.

Population:

UK breeding:

1,200,000 territories

UK wintering:

500-1,000 birds

... but I love you, I love you a hundred times stronger

a hundred times stronger than you don't love me... (c)

PW2_6683

🎧 tune

Sun suffocate the atmosphere

But I'm safe with you far away from you

Another fire through another open door

It's what I'm living for

Breath of mine be all that you need

It's not much from a broken nothing

Wear another truth on your turned-up sleeve

This is everything I dream

Uh uh yeah he-hell no

I am wild eyed and waiting

Uh uh yeah he-hell

I am wild eyed and wandering

Fortunately I have enough of you

You say it's not where we are

It's not what we choose

Looking out from all that you have built

With red skies I will drift

Uh uh yeah hell no

I am wild eyed and waiting

Uh uh yeah hell no

I am wild eyed and wandering

Uh uh what are your dreams?

Uh uh what are your dreams?

but to meet you on a hill.

“I almost wish we were butterflies and liv'd but three summer days - three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain.” -- within John Keats letter to his Fanny Brawne.

In Loving Memory of April Cerise De Fore - Gaddis.

April 20, 1979 - February 21, 2016

1941 Classic Cadillac

"I'm not addicted to coffee, we're just in a commited relationship."

=> "Baby" cami, shorts & sweater by .Lunar.

=> Coffee cup by Foxy

But I would walk five hundred miles

And I would walk five hundred more

Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles

To fall down at your door

I'm Gonna Be (500 miles) - Writen by Craig Morris Reid & Charles Stobo Reid

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM0sTNtWDiI

Created for the Hypothetical Awards Contest "Take a walk or a ride"

Thank you for your visit, comment or fave. All are much appreciated. Thank you also to all who invite my photos to their groups.

All rights reserved. This photo is not authorized for use on your blogs, pin boards, websites or use in any other way.

Photos and textures used are my own.

Standing tall, proudly and confident but two of them kept a close eye on me !!

utterly

…but most of all, that contrary ecstasy

ricocheting inside – the barren racket

love finally makes on its way to silence…

tess gallagher

Three young egret siblings fight over a piece of small but apparently desirable real estate near their nest in a rookery on Anastasia Island in northeast Florida. c.2021 John M. Hudson | jmhudson1.com

SAPA Poses :

Lemme take a selfie

But they are very hot when you eat them.

Fiddler crabs at West Meadow Beach, East Setauket, NY

-Henry David Thoreau

The elegant Great Egret is a dazzling sight in many a North American wetlands. Slightly smaller and more svelte than a Great Blue Heron, these are still large birds with impressive wingspans.

They hunt in classic heron fashion, standing immobile or wading through wetlands to capture fish with a deadly jab of their yellow bill.

Great Egrets were hunted nearly to extinction for their plumes in the late nineteenth century, sparking conservation movements and some of the first laws to protect birds. The Great Egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society, one of the oldest environmental organizations in North America. Audubon was founded to protect birds from being killed for their feathers.

Not all young that hatch survive the nestling period. Aggression among nestlings is common and large chicks frequently kill their smaller siblings. This behavior, known as siblicide, is not uncommon among birds such as hawks, owls, and herons, and is often a result of poor breeding conditions in a given year.

Great Egrets fly slowly but powerfully: with just two wing-beats per second their cruising speed is around 25 miles an hour.

The oldest known Great Egret was 22 years, 10 months old and was banded in Ohio.

(Nikon D500, 300/4.0 + TC 1.4, 1/1600 @ f/7.1, ISO 220, Edited to Taste)

Uprooted but strongly we hold. The spring that washed away our soil still quenches our thirst. Watch us grow.

Frail but still standing, the Hundred Guinea Oak is now over 600 years old. William John Chute who owned The Vyne in the late Georgian period was offered a hundred pounds and later a hundred guineas for the timber.

He flatly refused to sell the oak which you can see for yourself at the top of the lime avenue.

Old houses always have vibes. This one was particularly interesting. It is maintained beautifully, but has some rather strange vibes coming off of it is in an area that could be very busy. It brings nothing to the area because it’s been closed for quite some time.. i’ve always thought when I see really interesting properties if walls could talk, what would they say? This house didn’t seem to be able to share. No one seems to know the story of the closures of every business that has tried to survive in this historic building. The only comments I obtained from a couple of locals is that the place is haunted and very creepy.. one lady shared a worker has been coming and going doing some restoration and his constant companion, a small, mixed breed dog stops, staring at the door, and refuses to go in even though her owner is in there. That is a curious thing. As the little dog is quite adventurous per the lady, and always accompanies him on all jobs . hmmm

let me take a selfie"

But my favourite ones lead to the beach

youtu.be/3gK_2XdjOdY

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

It was early April but the temperature was in the mid 20s so it was perfect for walking along The Tiber.

PUBLISHED:

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Poggio_Amorelli_Castellin...

www.tripsite.com/bike/tours/tuscany-road-bike-tour/

----------------------------

The farmhouse Poggio Amorelli owned by the couple Adriana and Marco Mazzarrini is located in one of the most beautiful area in Chianti, near to the village of Castellina in Chianti and one of part of the wineyards are also in Maremma, near the village of Magliana in Tuscany.

It embraces 40 hectars land; 15 hectars of wineyard specialized in the production of Chianti Classico DOCG, Gallo Nero and of Morellino di Scansano DOCG.

The Wine production started in 1987, but only in 1995, with the restoration of the wine cellar and with the change in equipments for the wine production, the products started in receiving awards for its quality.

The wines are sold both on the national market as also in foreign countries, majority in Germany and USA. The aim of the Mazzarrini family is to grow in quality and not in quantity, to maintain the characteristics and the management of the family owned company, the only peculiarity to be different in a global market that push towards uniformity of traditions and tastes.

www.vinopoggioamorelli.it/azienda_eng.htm

kerstinfrankart textures