This image is included in 5 galleries :- 1) "Favourite Landscapes" curated by MK Hardy, 2 "INTERPHOTO: NATURE / LANDSCAPES / " by Gianfranco Marzetti, 3) "Natura" by Stefano Bacci, 4) "Wildlife" by Chris Boothman and 5) "Celebrating yet more Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World" by Jeffrey Caldwell.

The magpie goose is the sole living representative species of the family Anseranatidae. This common waterbird is found in northern Australia and southern New Guinea. As the species is prone to wandering, especially when not breeding, it is sometimes recorded outside its core range. The species was once also widespread in southern Australia, but disappeared from there largely due to the drainage of the wetlands where the birds once bred. Due to their importance to the local aboriginals as a seasonal food source, as subjects of recreational hunting, and as a tourist attraction, their expansive and stable presence in northern Australia has been "ensured protective management".

Magpie geese are unmistakable birds with their black and white plumage and yellowish legs. The feet are only partially webbed, and the magpie goose feeds on vegetable matter in the water, as well as on land. Males are larger than females. Unlike true geese, their moult is gradual, so no flightless periods result. Their voice is a loud honking.

This was taken at Serendip Sanctuary. Serendip Sanctuary is part of an Aboriginal cultural landscape in the traditional Country of the Wadawurrung Peoples. It is a 250 ha protected area in Victoria, Australia, near the You Yangs and the town of Lara, about 22 km north of Geelong and 60 km south-west of Melbourne.

This image is included in 5 galleries:- 1) "Antelope Canyon" curated by Daryshoot, 2) "LANDSCAPE VOL 18" by Jean-paul Vancoppenolle, 3) "Memories of Travels" by RD Glamour Photography, 4) "Tutto quanto non rientra nelle altre Gallerie 01" by Stefano Bacci and 5) "Antelope canyon - rw" by erwan 2949.

Upper Antelope Canyon, about 200m long, is a slot canyon in the American Southwest. It is on Navajo land east of Page, Arizona. Antelope Canyon includes two separate, scenic slot canyon sections, referred to individually as "Upper Antelope Canyon" or "The Crack" Antelope Canyon "or" The Corkscrew ". The Navajo name for Upper Antelope Canyon is Tsé bighánílíní, which means 'the place where water runs through rocks'. Lower Antelope Canyon is Hazdistazí (called "Hasdestwazi" by the Navajo Parks and Recreation Department), or 'spiral rock arches'. Both are in the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation.

Antelope Canyon's winding walls were carved by fast flowing flash flood waters. The floods carried abrasive sand, rocks logs and other debris picked up by the sudden torrents. Over millenia, these floods sculpted natural corridors through the soft sandstone.

(sourced from internet)

This is a hand-held HDR. It is called "Eye of the Dragon" according to our local guide Eddie.

The Galah can be easily identified by its rose-pink head, neck and underparts, with paler pink crown, and grey back, wings and undertail. Birds from the west of Australia have comparatively paler plumage. Galahs have a bouncing acrobatic flight, but spend much of the day sheltering from heat in the foliage of trees and shrubs. Huge noisy flocks of birds congregate and roost together at night.

Galahs were once confined to the open plains that occur beyond the inland slopes of the Great Divide in eastern Australia, north of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia, and north of the Mulga–Eucalypt line in Western Australia. However, following the clearing of subcoastal woodlands for farming, Galahs began to flood in, taking advantage of the new habitat and its abundant supply of food. They even spread to the coasts, where they are now a familiar sight in the cities.

This was taken near Wave Rock Motel, Hyden, Western Australia. The male Galah (on the left) has very dark brown, almost black coloured irises, whereas the female galah (on the right) has red irises.

The Bay of Fires (indigenous name: larapuna) is a bay on the north eastern coast of Tasmania, extending from Binalong Bay to Eddystone Point. It is a 29 km long sweep of powder-white sand and crystal-clear seas, with a string of superb beaches, punctuated by lagoons and rocky headlands, backed by coastal heath and bush.

The bay was given its name in 1773 by Captain Tobias Furneaux in Adventure, who saw the fires of Aboriginal people on the beaches along the coast line. The Bay of Fires is characterized by white beaches, blue water and huge granite blocks that are coloured bright orange by lichens. Perhaps, Captain Tobias Furneaux named the bay after these fiery red rocks. The lichens responsible for the orange hue in the rocks of Bay of Fires belong to the family Hymeneliaceae.

The conservation area is divided into three sections, with Anson's Bay dividing the southern and northern ends. A scenic view of the bay can be glimpsed by driving along the coast to The Gardens.

This was taken near The Gardens.

This image is included in a gallery "Natura 25" curated by Stefano Bacci.

This landscape belongs to the sandstone peak forest landform in Zhangjiajie, Hunan, China. Crustal uplift changed the sedimentary rock stratum into a hilly and mountainous area, then the sandstone was carved by exogenic processes like weathering and erosion into rugged rock pillars.

西海峰林, 位於索溪峪景區的西部。為一盆地型峽谷峰林群，千姿百態，林木蔥蘢茂密，有“峰海”、“林海”之稱。春夏或秋初雨後初晴，則云如浪濤，或湧或翻，或奔或瀉，鋪天蓋地，極為壯觀，譽為“雲海”。三“海”合一即為西海之特色。

This image is included in 4 galleries :- 1) "PANORAMI E LUOGHI. LANDSCAPES AND SITE" curated by maurosnaier, 2) "World in Focus G18" curated by morgonsilkstone, 3) "Australia in Focus" by morgonsilkstone and "LANDSCAPE VOL 18" by Jean-paul Vancoppenolle.

At the southernmost tip of mainland Australia, Wilsons Promontory (The Prom) is one of Victoria’s most-loved places. It offers spectacular scenery of huge granite mountains, open forest, rain forest, sweeping beaches and coastlines.

Squeaky Beach is one of the Prom’s iconic locations, the rounded grains of quartz sand make a ’squeak’ when walked on. These interesting looking boulder and rocks are found on the left side of the beach. The orange-pink colour are due to lichen growth some time ago.

The Sara longwing is a species of neotropical heliconiid butterfly found from Mexico to the Amazon Basin and southern Brazil. It is a colourful species: the dorsal wing surface is black with a large medial patch of metallic blue that is framed by two bands of white on the fore wings. The ventral wing surface is a dull brown to black with muted bands and small red spots on the proximal margin; total wingspan is 55–60 mm.

This was taken at a visit to Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory.

The tau emerald (Hemicordulia tau) is a species of dragonfly in the family Corduliidae. Corduliidae is the only family not a clade within the Infraorder Anisoptera. The species was first described by Edmond de Sélys Longchamps in 1871.

The tau emerald is a medium-sized, black and yellow dragonfly with long legs, reaching a body length of about 50 mm. As is unique to dragonfly and mayfly species, H. tau has flight muscles attached directly to the wings, and in both the males and females the inboard edge of the hindwing is rounded. The 7th abdominal tergum is extensively black above and yellowish at the sides The top of the frons are yellow with a dark T-mark. The species exhibits a linear relationship between head width and body length.

Nearly all of the dragonfly’s head is eye, allowing incredible vision that encompasses almost every angle except right behind them. H. tau has a particularly large and well developed compound eye with two principal regions, the dorsal eye and the ventral eye. The dorsal eye is principally sensitive to short wavelength light, while the ventral eye has 3 or more spectral types of photo receptors (Wikipedia)

This is a female. The background bokeh makes a close resemblance to Christmas decoration lights.

This image is included in a gallery "Photo Gallery" curated by Ryan Miller.

This was taken during the Rim Walk upon reaching the top of the Canyon. Below, in the Kings Canyon ravine are large fallen rock slabs. The South Wall (on the right) , a steep vertical cliff about 100 metres high, looks beautiful in the warm Spring morning light. The back- sidelit angle has presented us with a rather 3-D impression of the area.

Kings Canyon is a canyon in the Northern Territory of Australia located at the western end of the George Gill Range about 323 km southwest of Alice Springs and about 1,316 km south of Darwin within the Watarrka National Park.

From the Visitor Centre, a steep climb at the beginning of the walk, which locals call "Heartbreak Hill" (or "Heart Attack Hill", due to its steepness), takes visitors up to the top, with views of the gorge below and of the surrounding landscape. About half way during the walk, a detour descends to the Garden of Eden, a permanent waterhole surrounded by plant life. The last half of the walk passes through a maze of weathered sandstone domes, reminiscent of the Bungle Bungle. A slow descent brings the visitor back to the starting point. (Wikipedia)

This image is included in a gallery "Favourite Landscapes" curate by MK Hardy.

The sidelit basalt columns look wonderful against a cloudless blue sky above and the reflections on Jacksons Creek.

The hexagonal basalt columns known as the "Organ Pipes" which sit in the bed of the creek is of the order of 70 metres (230 ft) high.

The Organ Pipes National Park, abbreviated as OPNP, is a national park located in the Central region of Victoria, Australia. The 121-hectare (300-acre) protected area was established with the focus on conservation of the native flora and fauna, and preservation of the geological features in the Jacksons Creek, a part of the Maribyrnong valley, north-west of Melbourne. It is situated in a deep gorge in the grassy, basalt Keilor plains.

Within Organ Pipes National Park, the valley walls of Jacksons Creek expose Pleistocene volcanic rocks of the New Volcanic Group. These 2.5 to 2.8 million year-old basalt lavas, commonly known as "trap rock," fractured during cooling into vertically standing, hexagonal basalt columns. These columns are locally known as the "organ pipes" for which this park is named. Over the last one to two million years, the slow cutting by Jackson Creek of its valley down into the basaltic plains and through the underlying trap rock exposed these geological structures. The bottom of the valley of Jackson Creek also exposes a prehistoric buried creek valley, which is cut into 400 million year-old (Silurian) mudstones and sandstones. The bottom of this buried valley contains ancient creek gravel. Both the ancient river valley and the Silurian sedimentary rock lies buried beneath the basaltic volcanic rocks of the New Volcanic Group. Marine fossils that are found in the Silurian sedimentary rocks demonstrate that they accumulated beneath a prehistoric ocean.

A Friends’ group, (the first in Australia) the "Friends of Organ Pipes" (FOOPS), comprising conservation activists to support the efforts of rehabilitation of the OPNP’s indigenous flora and fauna, supplemented the work of the Victoria Park system under which the OPNP was declared a National Park. The park's importance to the whole region as a "center for education about the geology, flora and fauna of the Keilor Plains, and the restoration of degraded land" is important. With its inclusion in the IUCN Category III (Natural Monuments) of the United Nations’ list of National Parks and Protected Areas, there is a greater recognition of the need to protect or preserve outstanding natural features. (Sourced from Internet)

This landscape belongs to the sandstone peak forest landform in Zhangjiajie, Hunan, China. Crustal uplift changed the sedimentary rock stratum into a hilly and mountainous area, then the sandstone was carved by exogenic processes like weathering and erosion into rugged rock pillars.

攝於仙女獻花觀景台附近。

This images in included in a gallery "lumière marine" curated by Christian Ragaine.

The Fifeshire / Arrow Rock is an iconic landmark of Nelson waterfront off State Highway 6, South Island, Newzealand. Situated within Nelson Harbour, Arrow Rock was site of the Fifeshire wreck in 1842, which gave the rock is secondary name. There are a number of spotted shags who live on the rock.

Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson Region. Nelson is the oldest city in the South Island and the second-oldest settled city in New Zealand, It was established in 1841 and was proclaimed a city by royal charter in 1858.

The rock is illuminated after dark and before sunrise. This image was taken near Sunderland Marine Pier shortly after dawn, when the flood light effects on the rock was gradually lessened by dawn light. From Tahunanui Beach, looking beyond is Tasman Bay / To Tai-o-Aorere.

This image is included in 22 galleries :- 1) "alyazid baiz" curated by alyazid baiz, 2) "Locations" by Piotr Szymanek, 3) "Interesting, beautiful and mind blowing shots of horizons and skylines" by frankie veldhoen, 4) "Landschaften - Landscapes" by Picture Botanica, 5) "Places We've Been" by CameliaTWU, 6) "Work I admire from other Flickr Members Vol 20" by Sett N trenZ, 7) "Look at This!! - Gallery IV" by Stuart Smith, 8) "Landscape - Landschaften" by Burkhard Kohnert, 9) "2020 04 14 Home Office" by BAKAWI, 10) "Mes coups de coeur N°98. My favourites N°98." by Chantal GIRAUDEAU, 11) "My favourite Landscapes" by Gerard, 12 "Deserts and sand" by Engalochadox, 13) "World in Focus G36" by morgonsilkstone, 14) "Australia in Focus" by morgonsilkstone, 15) "ASIE & OCÉANIE T1" by alain Michot, 16) "Australia again" by Ron Brindley, 17) "BEAUX PAYSAGES" by Garoua Kaélé, 18) "Wonderful Landscapes and seascapes 2" by Glass Angel and 19) "LANDSCAPE VOL 18" by Jean-paul Vancoppenolle, 20 ) "Wonderful Landscapes and Seascapes 3" by Glass Angel, 21) "AUSTRALIA naturally." by Ray Palmer, 22) "oz" by sephi sunset and 23) "Landscapes" by Nina Yudicheva.

Kata Tjuṯa (means many heads), also known as the Olgas, is a group of large, dome shaped rock formations or bornhardts located about 32 km west of Uluru and 360 km (220 mi) southwest of Alice Springs. Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, located 25 km to the east, and Kata Tjuṯa form the two major landmarks within the Uluru-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. The 36 domes that make up Kata Tjuṯa cover an area of 21.68 km2 (8.37 sq mi), are composed of conglomerate, a sedimentary rock consisting of cobbles and boulders of varying rock types including granite and basalt, cemented by a matrix of sandstone. The highest dome, Mount Olga, is 1,066 m (3,497 ft) above sea level, or approximately 546 m (1,791 ft) above the surrounding plain (198 m (650 ft) higher than Uluru. They are thought to have been one huge piece of rock, much like Uluru, that has weathered over millions of years to become an intriguing series of individual formations. Kata Tjuta has been listed as Dual UNESCO heritage site.

This was taken on board a helicopter run by the PROFESSIONAL HELICOPTER SERVICES. The domes were illuminated beautifully in the warm spring morning light.

Thanks for all the faves and kind comments. I have been overwhelmed by the support and encouragement since posting this one in Explored.

(explored Apr 10, 2020 #14)

This image is included in a gallery "Another Random Photo Folder" curated by Jason Williams.

The Buchan Caves are a group of limestone caves that include the Royal Cave and the Fairy Cave, located south-west of Buchan, in the East Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. They have a total length of between 3 and 4 Km, and six entrances.

The limestone rock at Buchan was laid down during the Devonian period about 300 – 400 million years ago. At the time, the sea covered this area of East Gippsland which was alive with shellfish and coral. Their remains were deposited in layers and over the years compacted to form limestone. The caves were formed by solution of the limestone.

The Buchan Caves are located approximately 360 Km from Melbourne, along the Princes Highway, north of Lakes Entrance. (Wikipedia)

Tours were conducted by candlelight and magnesium ribbon from 1907 until in the 1920s. During the 1920s and up until 1970, the caves were lit by power generated at the Buchan Caves Reserve. In 2008 both Royal and Fairy Caves were rewired with low heat and low voltage LEDs.

The magnificent Royal Cave is a through-tour with a separate entrance and exit. Connected by intimate passages, the cave features a number of large, heavily decorated chambers, including the Octopus Chamber, the massive Princess Royal Chamber, and the Skeleton Chamber. Noted decorations include the Crystal Portal, Niobe's Bower, Font of the Gods, Indian Rugs and the Temple of Peace (The Buchan Caves by Kent Henderson).

This is a handheld high ISO image taken in the Royal Cave. It covers some of the interesting features at the Octopus Chamber. No tripods or flashlights were allowed in the cave.

Geographical coordinates of the image taken: 37°29'46"S - 148°9'52"O

(Explored : Mar 31, 2022 #122)

This image is included in a gallery "Photo Gallery" curated by Ryan Miller.

The Eclectus Parrot is a large parrot with marked sexual dimorphism (the male and female are different). The male is emerald green, with bend of wing blue, primaries deep blue, underwing coverts and sides of belly rich scarlet. It has a short square tail with central tail feathers green tipped with blue; outer tail feathers are blue tipped with white. The underside of the tail is dusky tipped yellow. The eye is orange. The upper mandible of its bill is coral pink, but the lower mandible is black. Feet and toes are mid grey. The female's plumage is vivid red, darker and duller on back and wings. It has a blue collar across the mantle and the bend of the wing and underwing coverts are bright blue, with a broad violet-blue band across the belly. The tail is red tipped with orange. Around the pale yellow eye is a blue ring. The bill is black. The feet and toes are the same as for the male. In flight for both sexes the blue-wing linings and orange tail are conspicuous. Immatures resemble adults. In both sexes the bill is dark brown-grey becoming dusky yellow towards tip. The Eclectus Parrot is also called the Red-sided Parrot and Rocky River Parrot.

The Eclectus Parrot is found on Eastern Cape York Peninsula (Queensland, Australia), from Pascoe River south to Massey Creek and inland to McIlwraith Range and is locally common. Also widely distributed from Solomon lslands west through New Guinea to Moluccas. The Eclectus Parrot is found in the canopy of rainforests and in adjacent eucalypt woodlands. (Birdlife Australia)

This image is included in a gallery "Interesting facts on Flickr." curated by Andrzej Skałuba.

The Grand Canyon (Hopi: Ongtupqa; Yavapai: Wi:kaʼi:la, Navajo: Tsékooh Hatsoh, Spanish: Gran Cañón) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (6,093 feet or 1,857 meters). The canyon and adjacent rim are contained within Grand Canyon National Park, the Kaibab National Forest, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, the Hualapai Indian Reservation, the Havasupai Indian Reservation and the Navajo Nation. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of preservation of the Grand Canyon area, and visited it on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery.

Nearly two billion years of Earth's geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted. While some aspects about the history of incision of the canyon are debated by geologists, several recent studies support the hypothesis that the Colorado River established its course through the area about 5 to 6 million years ago. Since that time, the Colorado River has driven the down-cutting of the tributaries and retreat of the cliffs, simultaneously deepening and widening the canyon. (Wikipedia)

This was viewed from Desert View, South Rim. The steep cliffs "Palisades of the Desert" can be seen on the top left.

This image is included in a gallery "PARAISO TERRENAL-3" curated by BYKTOR-f.d.

About 310 km from Scarborough, Algonquin Provincial Park is located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River in Central Ontario, mostly within the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District. Established in 1893, it is the oldest provincial park in Canada. The park is considered part of the "border" between Northern Ontario and Southern Ontario. The park is in an area of transition between coniferous forest and deciduous forest. This unique mixture of forest types, and the wide variety of environments in the park, allows the park to support an uncommon diversity of plant and animal species.

This was a quiet part of the Oxtongue River, taken on an overcast morning, a few hundred metres from the Oxtongue River rapid falls. The river bed comprises predominantly of gravels and stones.

This image is included in a gallery "Birds 5" curated by Grisu.

This image is included in a gallery "Photo Gallery" curated by Ryan Miller.

About 310 km from Scarborough, Algonquin Provincial Park is located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River in Central Ontario, mostly within the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District. Established in 1893, it is the oldest provincial park in Canada. The park is considered part of the "border" between Northern Ontario and Southern Ontario. The park is in an area of transition between coniferous forest and deciduous forest. This unique mixture of forest types, and the wide variety of environments in the park, allows the park to support an uncommon diversity of plant and animal species.

This was taken on an overcast autumn morning, somewhere along the Oxtongue River. The light was soft and breezes were gentle.

This image is included in 2 galleries 1) "INTERPHOTO * TOP FLICKR" and 2) "COVERS INTERPHOTO * TOP FLICK", both curated by Marzetti Gianfranco.

This was taken at a pier in Lakes Entrance on a summer evening. Lakes Entrance is a seaside resort and fishing port in eastern Victoria, Australia. It is situated approximately 320 kilometres east of Melbourne, near a managed, artificial channel connecting the Gippsland Lakes to the Bass Strait.

West Lake is a freshwater lake in Hangzhou, China. It is divided into five sections by three causeways. There are numerous temples, pagodas, gardens, and natural/artificial islands within the lake. Gushan is the largest natural island and three artificial islands: Xiaoyingzhou, Huixin Pavilion, and Ruan Gongdun stand at the middle of the lake. Leifeng Pagoda and Baochu Pagoda are separated by the lake. Mirroring each other, the basic pattern of "one mountain, two towers, three islands, three banks, and five lakes" is formed.

This was taken after visiting Huangshan(Yellow Mountain). It was a misty morning. Cleaning staff are working in the shallow water near the shore.

西湖，位於中國浙江省杭州市區西面，是中國首批國家重點風景名勝區(1982年), 中國十大風景名勝之一(1985年), 和首批國家5A級旅遊景區（2006年)。是中國主要的觀賞性淡水湖泊之一。

This image is included in 2 galleries :- 1) "BUTTERFLIES / PAPILLONS (4)" curated by dominiquesainthilaire and 2) "Mère Nature" by Jacques.Bonicel.

This image is included in a gallery "Favourite Landscapes" curated by MK Hardy.

This was taken in Cheung Chau Island, near the Cheung Po Tsai Cave, Hong Kong. It was an overcast day.

此圖攝於香港長洲張保仔洞附近。

This image is included in 2 galleries :- 1) "Photo Gallery" curated by Ryan Walker and 2) "Photo Gallery" by Ryan Miller.

Peyto Lake (/ˈpiːtoʊ/ PEE-toh) is a glacier-fed lake in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. The lake itself is easily accessible from the Icefields Parkway. It was named for Bill Peyto, an early trail guide and trapper in the Banff area.

The lake is formed in a valley of the Waputik Range, between Caldron Peak, Peyto Peak and Mount Jimmy Simpson, at an elevation of 1,860 m (6,100 ft).

During the summer, significant amounts of glacial rock flour flow into the lake from a nearby glacier, and these suspended rock particles are what give the lake a unique bright, turquoise colour. Because of its bright colour, photos of the lake often appear in illustrated books, and the area around the lake is a popular sightseeing spot for tourists. The lake is best seen from Bow Summit, the highest point on the Icefields Parkway.

The lake is fed by Peyto Creek, which drains water from Caldron Lake and Peyto Glacier (part of the Wapta Icefield). Peyto Lake is the origin of the Mistaya River, which heads northwest from the lake's outflow. (Wikipedia)

This landscape belongs to the sandstone peak forest landform in Zhangjiajie, Hunan, China. Crustal uplift changed the sedimentary rock stratum into a hilly and mountainous area, then the sandstone was carved by exogenic processes like weathering and erosion into rugged rock pillars.

Oxtongue River-Ragged Falls is one of the top ten waterfalls in Ontario, Canada. The gravel falls demonstrates the powerful, erosive force of glacial melt water. Algonquin Provincial Park is about 260 km from Toronto. This was taken on an overcast morning, a few hundred metres from the actual falls when the flow was a bit rapid. The river bed comprises predominantly of gravels and stones.

This image is included in 2 galleries :- 1) "賞心悅目的博覽館" curated by ggx2ggx2@kimo.com and 2) "Most Outstanding Landscapes in the World" by mark doyle.

This mountain previously known as the 'Southern Sky Column' in China, has now been named the 'Avatar Hallelujah Mountain'. The peak became the inspiration for magical ‘floating peaks’ in James Cameron’s film after a Hollywood photographer spent time shooting there in 2008. This column is about 150 m high. This was taken from the top of a horse-shoe cliff, through thin mist. The Southern Sky Column is in the left front whereas the profiles of "5 daughters going to war" is in the distant right.

袁家界是張家界的一個景區。“南天一柱”是張家界“三千奇峰”中的一座，位於袁家界景區南端，海拔高度1074米，垂直高度約150米，頂部植物鬱鬱蔥蔥，峰體造型奇特，垂直節理切割明顯，彷若刀劈斧削般巍巍屹立，有頂天立地之勢，故又名“乾坤柱”。

2008年12月份，好萊塢攝影師漢森在張家界進行了為期四天的外景拍攝，大量風景圖片後來成為美國科幻大片《阿凡達》中“潘多拉星球”各種元素的原型，其中“南天一柱”圖片就成為“哈利路亞山”即懸浮山的原型。

2010年1月25日，張家界“南天一柱”正式被更名為 (Avatar-Hallelujah Mountain)《阿凡達》"哈利路亞山", 當天數百名土著居民及海內外遊客見證了更名儀式。

This image is included in 7 galleries : 1) "Paisajes" curated by Marina Is, 2) "Abstraction in Reality Detail" by Annette LeDuff, 3) "A | 1" by Arnalda Amaducci, 4) "Places I Want to Visit 93" by Let Ideas Complete and 5) "Rice Paddy Fields and Terraces … Vietnam 1" by aciamax, 6) "God's Nature: by Suvad Hamzić and 7) "God's Beautiful Earth" by Pat Goltz .

This is part of the Scenic "Seven Stars with the Moon". These paddy fields are tended by the Ping'an Zuang tribe and are high up the mountains of Langji.

(Not explored)

The Hopewell Rocks are located in New Brunswick, Canada, within one hour of the nearest airport in Moncton, N.B.

An UNESCO site, the Hopewell Rocks, also called the Flower Pot Rocks or simply The Rocks, are rock formations caused by tidal erosion in The Hopewell Rocks Ocean Tidal Exploration Site in New Brunswick. Carved by melting glaciers, then sculpted by the world's highest and most artistic tides, these stacks stand 40–70 feet tall. They are located on the shores of the upper reaches of the Bay of Fundy at Hopewell Cape near Moncton.

Due to the extreme tidal range of the Bay of Fundy, the base of the formations are covered in water twice a day. The formations consist of dark sedimentary conglomerate and sandstone rock. The large volume of water flowing in to and out of the Bay of Fundy modifies the landscape surrounding it. Each day 160 billion tonnes of seawater flows in and out of the Bay of Fundy during one tide cycle, more than the combined flow of the world’s freshwater rivers! After the retreat of the glaciers in the region following the last ice age, surface water filtering through cracks in the cliff has eroded and separated the formations from the rest of the cliff face. Meanwhile, advancing and retreating tides and the associated waves have eroded the base of the rocks at a faster rate than the tops, resulting in their unusual shapes.

Because the Fundy Bay is funnel-shaped - wide and deep at one end and shallow at the other, tides are pushed increasingly higher as they move up the Bay. By the time they reach "The Rocks" they are over four stories high! Although the tides vary from day to day, the high tide can be as high as 16 metres (52ft) and an average of 10.7 metres (35ft), giving the Hopewell Rocks one of the highest average tides in the world.

We only had barely over an hour's time there because the tide was coming in very fast. Luckily the light was reasonably good.

Because of the extreme tidal actions, the water appears to be muddy, brick red in colour. Plants grow on top of the rock stacks - hence they are called Flower Pot Rocks.

This image is included in 4 galleries:- 1) "Land, Sea and Sky" curated by Anne Ahearne, 2) "Nature #5" by Kathy(kfocean01), 3) "Landschaften 2020 0202" by BAKAWI and 4) "PARAISO TERRENAL-3" by BYKTOR-f.d.

Peyto Lake (/ˈpiːtoʊ/ PEE-toh) is a glacier-fed lake in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. The lake itself is easily accessible from the Icefields Parkway. It was named for Bill Peyto, an early trail guide and trapper in the Banff area.

The lake is formed in a valley of the Waputik Range, between Caldron Peak, Peyto Peak and Mount Jimmy Simpson, at an elevation of 1,860 m (6,100 ft).

During the summer, significant amounts of glacial rock flour flow into the lake from a nearby glacier, and these suspended rock particles are what give the lake a unique bright, turquoise colour. Because of its bright colour, photos of the lake often appear in illustrated books, and the area around the lake is a popular sightseeing spot for tourists. The lake is best seen from Bow Summit, the highest point on the Icefields Parkway.

The lake is fed by Peyto Creek, which drains water from Caldron Lake and Peyto Glacier (part of the Wapta Icefield). Peyto Lake is the origin of the Mistaya River, which heads northwest from the lake's outflow. (Wikipedia)

The buff-banded rail is a distinctively coloured, highly dispersive, medium-sized rail of the rail family, Rallidae. This species comprises several subspecies found throughout much of Australasia and the south-west Pacific region, including the Philippines, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and numerous smaller islands, covering a range of latitudes from the tropics to the Subantarctic. (Wikipedia)

Occasionally seen as it quickly dashes between clumps of rank grass, sedges, rushes or other overgrown vegetation, the Buff-banded Rail is often otherwise difficult to observe as it skulks about, concealed by plant cover, though its harsh squeaks may reveal its presence. The species inhabits a wide range of terrestrial wetlands, as well as coastal beaches, reef flats, sandbanks, and mangroves, where it forages on the ground, pecking and probing in mud to catch crustaceans, worms and other invertebrates, and rails on beaches may scavenge along the strandline. (Birdlife Australia)

The red-browed finch (Neochmia temporalis) is an estrildid finch that inhabits the east coast of Australia. This species has also been introduced to French Polynesia. It is commonly found in temperate forest and dry savannah habitats. It may also be found in dry forest and mangrove habitats in tropical region.

The species is distinguished by the bright red stripe above the eye, and bright red rump. The rest of the body is grey, with olive wing coverts and collar. Juveniles do not have red brow marks, and lack olive colouration on the collar and wing coverts. The adults are 11–12 cm long. (Wikipedia)

Red-browed Finches may also be called Red-browed Firetails. Both sexes are similar in appearance. This was my first encounter of this species.

This image is included in a gallery "Birds 4" curated by artiste24artiste241.

The Cape Barren goose is 75 to 100 cm (30 to 39 in) long, weighs 3 to 7 kg (6.6 to 15.4 lb) and has a 150 to 190 cm (59 to 75 in) wingspan; males are somewhat larger than females. This bird feeds by grazing and rarely swims.

This images is included in a gallery "

The species' common name is derived from Cape Barren Island, where specimens were first sighted by European explorers. It is known in the local Jardwadjali language as toolka.

These are bulky geese and their almost uniformly grey plumage, bearing rounded black spots, is unique. The tail and flight feathers are blackish and the legs are pink with black feet. The short, decurved black bill and green cere gives it a very peculiar expression.

The Cape Barren goose was first described by English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 under the current binomial name. It is a most peculiar goose of uncertain affiliations (Sraml et al. 1996). It may either belong in the "true geese" and swan subfamily Anserinae or in the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae as distinct tribe Cereopsini, or be separated, possibly including the prehistorically extinct flightless New Zealand geese of the genus Cnemiornis, in a distinct subfamily Cereopsinae. The first bones of the New Zealand birds to be discovered were similar enough to those of the Cape Barren goose to erroneously refer to them as "New Zealand Cape Barren goose" ("Cereopsis" novaezeelandiae).

These interesting looking boulders are found just above Wave Rock, not far from the crest of the Wave.

Wave Rock, a granite cliff, is 15 metres high and 110 metres long. It forms the north side of a solitary hill, which is known as "Hyden Rock". This hill, which is a granite inselberg, lies about 3 km east of the small town of Hyden and 296 km east-southeast of Perth, Western Australia.

It was cloudy and the light was grey for most the day, however, there was a few minutes of beautiful light and clear sky - and the sunflowers smiled to me...

Giverny lies 80 km west-northwest of Paris, in the old province of Normandy.

This image is included in 3 galleries :- !) "Australia in Focus", 2) "World in Focus G27" both curated by morgonsilkstone and 3) "the light" by Matthias Huber.

Kata Tjuṯa (means many heads), also known as the Olgas, is a group of large, dome shaped rock formations or bornhardts located about 32 km west of Uluru and 360 km (220 mi) southwest of Alice Springs. Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, located 25 km to the east, and Kata Tjuṯa form the two major landmarks within the Uluru-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. The 36 domes that make up Kata Tjuṯa cover an area of 21.68 km2 (8.37 sq mi), are composed of conglomerate, a sedimentary rock consisting of cobbles and boulders of varying rock types including granite and basalt, cemented by a matrix of sandstone. The highest dome, Mount Olga, is 1,066 m (3,497 ft) above sea level, or approximately 546 m (1,791 ft) above the surrounding plain (198 m (650 ft) higher than Uluru. They are thought to have been one huge piece of rock, much like Uluru, that has weathered over millions of years to become an intriguing series of individual formations. Kata Tjuta has been listed as Dual UNESCO heritage site.

This was taken when there was no direct sunlight on the mounts, and mauve colours started to become apparent against a pale blue, cloudless sky. To me they appeared to glow...

This image is included in 2 galleries:- 1) "Chefs-d'oeuvre...ou Merveilles de la Nature...# 2" curated by Impatience_1 and 2) "PARAISO TERRENAL-3" by BYKTOR-f.d.

Glen Helen Gorge is located 132 km west of Alice Springs. This extraordinary landscape is 800 million years old and has been home to the Western Aranda Aboriginal people for tens of thousands of years. It is a popular overnight stop for drivers embarking on the Red Centre Way from Alice Springs.

The landscape around Glen Helen is spectacular - a towering sandstone wall is the first thing you see as you arrive. The area includes views of Mount Sonder, one of the highest points in Central Australia, which changes colours with the light.

At Glen Helen Gorge the ranges part to make way for the Finke River. The permanent Finke River waterhole is an important refuge in the hot summer months, for all nine species of fish recorded for the Finke, and migrating waterbirds. From here the Finke River continues and makes its way to the Simpson Desert.

The area's traditional owners believe that this inviting swimming spot is the home of an ancient and powerful Rainbow Serpent, and regard it as off limits.

London Bridge is a well known, hollowed out sea stack that can be viewed from a lookout at the end of London Bridge Road, Portsea, Mornington Peninsula. On either side of London Bridge are two high tide platform beaches, backed by 30 to 40 m high calcarenite bluffs and fronted by continuous intertidal rock flats, with reefs further offshore. Waves average 1.7 m on the outer reefs, with their height at the beach depending on the tide. The narrow sand beaches are awash at high tide, but fronted by exposed rock flats at low tide. It is located approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) south of the Melbourne CBD, on the opposite side of Port Phillip Bay. (Sourced from internet)

This image is included in a gallery "Paesaggi 28" curated by

This cluster of beautiful, rugged small islands (collectively known as Open Bay Islands) can be seen from Knights Point Lookout. Knights Point is on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.

The area "Te Wāhipounamu“ is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and includes four national parks. Te Wāhipounamu is a spectacular landscape in the southwest of New Zealand's South Island. The area is considered one of the best-preserved examples of the primeval nature of the former super continent Gondwana.

The name “Te Wāhipounamu” means “the place of greenstone” in Māori, as this region is where the valuable pounamu (jade or greenstone) is found, which is of great cultural importance to the Māori.

I captured this image after visiting Franz Josef Glacier, on my way to Queens Town, just off New Zealand State Highway 6 (Haast HWY). Haast Beach is to the left, looking beyond the horizon is Tasman Sea.

This image is included in 3 galleries :- 1) "God's Nature" curated by Suvad Hamzić, 2) "LANDSCAPE VOL 18" by Jean-paul Vancoppenolle and 3) "Rocks, Stones and Pebbles" by

Rob Withey.

Punakaiki is a small community on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, between Westport and Greymouth. The community lies on the edge of the Paparoa National Park. The Pancake Rocks are a very popular tourist destination at Dolomite Point south of the main village. The Pancake Rocks are a heavily eroded limestone area where the sea bursts through several vertical blowholes during high tides. Together with the 'pancake'-layering of the limestone, these form the main attraction of the area.

The weather was bad in the afternoon. It was rainy and dark. Went back there in the evening : the clouds looked angry in the distance. Somehow, the sun peeped through dark clouds and sidelit the rocks for very brief moments. This was taken 1 minute later than the previous posting. The weak bursts of sunlight had almost disappeared, hence there is no sunglare into the lens. The rocks are gilded into gold nuggets.

This image is included in a gallery "Wonders of the Underground" curated by skipsul.

The Buchan Caves are a group of limestone caves that include the Royal Cave and the Fairy Cave, located south-west of Buchan, in the East Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. They have a total length of between 3 and 4 Km, and six entrances.

The limestone rock at Buchan was laid down during the Devonian period about 300 – 400 million years ago. At the time, the sea covered this area of East Gippsland which was alive with shellfish and coral. Their remains were deposited in layers and over the years compacted to form limestone. The caves were formed by solution of the limestone.

The Buchan Caves are located approximately 360 Km from Melbourne, along the Princes Highway, north of Lakes Entrance. (Wikipedia)

Tours were conducted by candlelight and magnesium ribbon from 1907 until in the 1920s. During the 1920s and up until 1970, the caves were lit by power generated at the Buchan Caves Reserve. In 2008 both Royal and Fairy Caves were rewired with low heat and low voltage LEDs.

The magnificent Royal Cave is a through-tour with a separate entrance and exit. Connected by intimate passages, the cave features a number of large, heavily decorated chambers, including the Octopus Chamber, the massive Princess Royal Chamber, and the Skeleton Chamber. Noted decorations include the Crystal Portal, Niobe's Bower, Font of the Gods, Indian Rugs and the Temple of Peace (The Buchan Caves by Kent Henderson).

This is a handheld HDR image taken in the Royal Cave. No tripods or flashlights were allowed in the cave. The Royal Cave is famous for its beautiful calcite-rimmed pools.

Geographical coordinates of the taken: 37°29'46"S - 148°9'52"O

(Explored: Dec 21, 2021 #69)

Interesting facts about mantids :-

1) Mantids can turn their heads a full 180 degrees.

2) Mantids Are Closely Related to Cockroaches and Termites.

3) Mantids have two eyes, but only one ear. The single ear is located on the underside of its belly, just forward of its hind legs.

4) A praying mantis will molt 5-10 times in its lifetime. The whole process should take about 20 minutes, unless it’s the last/adult molt in which case takes it will take a little longer to inflate wings.

This image is included in 3 galleries :- 1) "Birds" curated by haiku_rose, 2) "2020 05 04 Montag" by BAKAWI and 3) "Oiseaux en vol. Birds in flight" by Claudie MENOUD.

(Explored: May 21, 2016 #111)

This image is included in a gallery "Happiness" curated by J Lewis (Denalidaze).

This image is included in 3 galleries :- 1) "Our Wonderful World - Unsere Wunderbare Welt - Nuestro Mundo # 2" and "Our Wonderful World - Unsere Wunderbare Welt - Nuestro Mundo # 3" curated both by Rita Rojas and 3) "몽유도원도" by chaewon yeo (artchae098).

Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) is a jagged range of more than 70 knifelike peaks in eastern China’s Anhui province. The region's low-hanging clouds, distinctively shaped granite rocks and twisted pine trees have been subjects of numerous classical paintings and poems. Cable cars provide access to several peaks, and steep paved trails with thousands of stone steps snake past many of the range's famous viewpoints. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of China's major tourist destinations.

This is an hand-held HDR image taken near 玉屏樓 on a Spring afternoon. The mauve colour in the blends seamlessly between the blue sky and mountain peaks is especially beautiful.

黃山位於中國安徽省南部黃山市境內。黃山古稱黟山，南北長約40千米，東西寬約30千米。黃山素以「奇松、怪石、雲海、溫泉」四絕聞名天下。那72峰、24溪、2湖、3瀑，峰峰奇特，溪溪曲折、極盡天下山水之美，更聚名山大川之勝。黃山最高峰是蓮花峰，海拔1860米 ，位 於黃山中部、站在玉屏樓向前望去, 猶如一朵含苞初放的蓮花, 峻峭高聳, 仰天怒放。晴天從蓮花峰頂可遙見江西的廬山和似帶的長江。黃山三大主峰之一的天都峰，與蓮花峰爭雄對峙。它位於黃山東南部，人稱無上之都會, 海拔1829米、從玉屏樓至天都峰約15千米，其間有黃山最險峻的峰嶺，峰上的石樓，坡度都在70度以上；尤以中途的鯽魚背最險。

此圖攝於玉屏樓附近。

Hutt Lagoon is a salty lake with a pink hue due to the presence of the carotenoid-producing algae Dunaliella salina, which is a source of ß-carotene, a food-colouring agent and source of vitamin A. The lagoon contains the world's largest microalgae production plant, a 250-hectare (620-acre) series of artificial ponds used to farm Dunaliella salina. (Sourced from the internet)

Hutt Lagoon is about 55 km from Kalbarri towards Port Gregory, Western Australia. It smells stinky when near. A patch of salt resistant weed is in the right foreground.

This was taken during the Rim Walk. The Lost City is a weathered rock formations carved out over time by water and wind erosion. Myriads of beehive-like sandstone domes (mini-Purnululu) on the plateau appear to be the ruins of a lost civilization. This is a maze of weathered sandstone domes, reminiscent of the Bungle Bungle.

Kings Canyon is a canyon in the Northern Territory of Australia located at the western end of the George Gill Range about 323 km southwest of Alice Springs and about 1,316 km south of Darwin within the Watarrka National Park. (Wikipedia)

This image is included in 2 galleries :- 1) "Janvier 2022 *2" and 2) "Ces superbes rivages...# 2", both curated by Impatience_1.

Squeaky Beach is on the western side of Wilsons Promontory National Park, north-west of Tidal River.

The famous white sand of Squeaky Beach is so named because of the noise it makes when you stroll along it. Enclosed by impressive orange-yellow granite boulders at either end of the beach, park locally or walk here from neighbouring Picnic Bay or Tidal River.

This view here was taken from a high vantage point. Great Glennie and Caz Islands are on the left while Norman Island is on the right. Beyond the horizon is Bass Strait.

This image is included in 4 galleries :- 1) "Libellen(Dragonfly)" curated by holest33, 2) "Gallery One" by Pete Zuhpie, 3) "Beautiful Macro's Flowers Or Insects" by John Carson Essex UK and 4) "Dragonflies 33(2467)" by DAN VARTANIAN.

Hanging Rock (also known as Mount Diogenes, Dryden's Rock, and to some of its traditional owners as Ngannelong) is a distinctive geological formation in central Victoria, Australia. A former volcano, it lies 718m above sea level (105m above plain level) on the plain between the two small townships of Newham and Hesket, approximately 70 km north-west of Melbourne and a few kilometres north of Mount Macedon.

Hanging Rock is a mamelon, created 6.25 million years ago by stiff magma pouring from a vent and congealing in place. Often thought to be a volcanic plug, it is not. Two other mamelons exist nearby, created in the same period: Camels Hump, to the south on Mount Macedon and, to the east, Crozier's Rocks. All three mamelons are composed of soda trachyte. As Hanging Rock's magma cooled and contracted it split into rough columns. These weathered over time into the many pinnacles that can be seen today.

The featured rock on the right is also called the "Rock 'n' Roll singer of Hanging Rock" in a book "The Silent Faces of Hanging Rock - Stories, Myths and Legends" written by Roger McAuliffe.