View allAll Photos Tagged Dabble
Heather has gone from dabbling in cylocross and crits to being a Canadian Masters National CX Champion, Ironman finisher, Adventure race survivor, and downhill stud.
Read about Heather's adventures here
Race Category: Retired...just kidding, I race cross, mtb and road...and downhill (once!)
Residenze: Mountain View, CA
Résumé: ummm, I won a bottle of wine at the Wente Crit!
Bikes I ride: Look KG381, Kelly Knobby X (Cross), Spot Singlespeed, K2 Razorback FS, Specialized M4 hardtail ... and an old Specialized cruiser with a basket
How I support my Bike Habit: Making life easier for small businesses
Best Time on the Bike: Carefree long rides zipping through forests on fun-fun-fun singletrack with friends
Worst Time on the Bike: Crashing teeth-first into a street in Toronto and breaking 2 fine pearly whites
My Motto: May passion be your guide
Favorite Post-Ride Food: Coke Slurpee & Fries & Tuna Melt & (this list could be endless)
Favorite Web Site: www.brucekirkby.com because my brother is a stud and inspires me to think of ditching the life of a cubicle-dweller
Grab Bag: Sabine Dukes is my hero, Velo Bella rocks, and riding a bike is my prescription for the pursuit of happiness. Who knew that avoiding baboon-butt-looking-cycling-shorts could create a women’s cycling revolution?
I'm a dabbler, and have done more sculpting, painting, mixed media, etc. than photography in my life, but not lately. A little over a year ago, I painted this picture to go over the sink in my loft which had no windows on one side, this old window having been snatched up at Urban Ore, on one of my scavenger missions. The painting itself is a view from memory (bad memory, the actual shape is kinda different) of Mt. Shasta from a couple of acres I own, where I would put a window, IF I had an abode on the land. It's pretty rough there, no driveway, no water, so everything gets hauled in when I stay there. It's primitive and beautiful and quiet there, a great escape. But I digress.
When I painted this, I was on a roll, and was planning to continue painting and sculpting as well as joining the San Francisco Women Artists Association. (Shut up inner critic. I AM TOO allowed to call myself an artist.) I was waiting for the association's new fiscal year to sign up, and basically promised myself I'd do it as soon as some discretionary income appeared. Never happened. That was right before the bottom fell out, and I couldn't go on kidding myself that my business was never going to recover from the dotcom bust, 911 and changes in the picture framing industry. (Pretty funny, I owned a custom framing shop, but I bought this window to use as a frame, because using an actual window was so perfect for what I was doing.
One of the reasons I moved just a year ago to the little house I'm in now, was to use the one car garage and sheltered patio as artmaking spaces, and because there's a 2nd bedroom in which I wanted to invite another artist (I said 'shut up') to live so we could play around, and make a mess, get all juicy together, bouncing off each other's energy, being each other's muses. But the garage has been full of crap (a lot of which is disorganized art supplies) and no work space until a couple of weeks ago. Then my amazing daughter Rachel visited so that she could help me, and we spent the day reorganizing the space. Her idea. What a kid. It still needs a lot of work out there, but it is wayyyyy better than it was. (No pic of it yet, but soon, very soon, maybe even one of me working out there. )
In my roommate ads, I was specifically looking for that painter, sculptor, tinkerer, woodworker, welder, quilter, whatever - and a couple of months ago, enter stage left - Qathi, with camera in hand. It only took a couple of weeks for me to bounce off of that, and get my own camera, a couple weeks more to sign on to flickr, and well, that's basically all she wrote. flickr and 365 have become my new life addictions.
But now Q is moving on, going back home to Seattle later this month. It's time for me to find another partner in crime, and I HATE this process, trying to evaluate if someone is compatible enough to share my home, my sanctuary, in a matter of minutes/hours. I lucked out with Q. Although we are quite different, we get along pretty well, and she has definitely been my muse, my coach, and my confidant. Yup, it's going to be pretty different around here when she goes, and I'm just hoping I can bring another positive soul into my life, one who wants to play some, and be serious some, share the day to day responsibilities of life, a very small, chosen family of sorts. Any and all voodoo, (I guess otherwise known as prayers and wellwishes), to help me make this happen are welcome. Very welcome.
Now where did I put that application to the SFWAA?
The Numa Numa English parody video I made was selected by up and coming Internet star web site Dabble as The Video Of The Day! I'm having a Kodak moment. The photo shown is the animated character Emo from the gorgeous and stunning Creative Commons animation project "Elephants Dream. You must see this video to believe it, it's better than Pixar!. Visit the site, buy the DVD, and most importantly download the free high definition version of the movie!
One of the world'smost rare ducks, this bird what photographed in the wetlands at Zealandia, Wellington, New Zealand.
Family: Anatidae (Dabbling ducks)
Status: endangered endemic
Brown teal is one of three closely related species of teal in New Zealand. The other two being the flightless subantarctic Auckland teal and Campbell Island teal.
Once common throughout New Zealand, habitat destruction, especially swamp drainage and predation, have resulted in brown teal becoming one of our most nationally endangered species of waterfowl. Approximately 1300 birds were surviving nationwide in 1999making it one of the rarest ducks in the world!
Most birds are to be found on Great Barrier Island. There are a few brown teal on Kapiti, Mana, and Tiritiri Matangi Islands, the eastern side of Northland and a new population has recently been established in the Coromandel area. Brown teal are regularly present at the Waikanae Estuary, probably part of the Kapiti Island population.
In the South Island, a few birds survive in Fiordland.
Recognition: About half the size of the common mallard duck, brown teal stand 48cm tall and weigh just over half a kilo as an adult. The male is slightly larger than the female. Brown teal have a warm brown plumage, with dark-brown mottling on the breast. Breeding males have a glossy green head, a narrow white collar, broad green and narrow white bands on the wings and a white flank patch. A distinctive feature of all brown teal is their blue-black bill and the narrow white ring around the eye. Their eyes are brown. Males give a soft whistle, and the female a low quack and growl.
Brown teal are often referred to as bush ducks, since they prefer stream and bushland habitats. They are reluctant flyers and are shallow divers, dabbling just below the surface for food. Their favourite food is invertebrates and they mainly feed in the evening or at night.
Breeding: Most brown teal breed from June to October but are able to breed at almost any time of the year.
They begin breeding at about 2 years of age and can lay clutches of up to 8 eggs. • Brown teal build a bowl-shaped nest near water, under the cover of dense tussocks or ferns, constructed with grasses lined with down. The female incubates the eggs about 30 days while the drake guards the nest - they are strongly territorial during breeding. Chicks fledge at an age of about 2 months. Brown teal pairs generally have stable relationships. The oldest known teal in the wild lived over 6 years.
Brown teal at Karori Sanctuary. 18 brown teal were initially released in 2000 and 2001. Breeding started from late 2002 and good productivity has resulted in increased competition for preferred wetland habitats and, because these habitats are limited in the Sanctuary, losses have occurred as a result.
Supplementary feeding of maize has been largely discontinued since early 2006 to reduce productivity and competition for territories.
Genetic analysis of the population in 2006-2007 should clarify whether or not there has been a loss of genetic diversity and whether additional birds need to be released into the population in future.
Active monitoring over the breeding season was ceased in 200x due to the fact that the population is self-sustaining.
Brown teal are readily seen on the lower and upper lakes. Being forest dwellers as well as water dwellers, some are being regularly seen at the kaka feeders below the upper dam at dusk and also at the southern end of the Faultline Track. The brown teal’s omnivorous diet, restricted annual range and mainly terrestrial lifestyle give it a unique ecological niche among waterfowl, somewhat akin to a wetland rodent, and it serves as a classic example of the influence of selective forces that operated on birds in pre-human New Zealand.
Female Northern Shoveler, Anas clypeata with broken bill. "Northern shovelers feed by dabbling for plant food, often by swinging their bill from side to side and using the bill to strain food from the water. They use their highly specialized bill (from which their name is derived) to forage for aquatic invertebrates – a carnivorous diet. Their wide-flat bill is equipped with well-developed lamellae – small, comb-like structures on the edge of the bill that act like sieves (much like baleen in a whale), allowing the birds to skim crustaceans and plankton from the water's surface.-- Wikipedia
Muskegon County, Michigan, USA.
The use of any of my photos, of any file size, for any purpose, is subject to approval by me. Contact me for permission. Image files are available upon request. My email address is available at my Flickr profile page. Or send me a FlickrMail.
Dabbling in mono.. all shots are straight out of the camera..alley next to the cinema in Westover Road, Bournemouth 18.11.2014
Early Spring as small shallow wetland open large numbers of dabbling duck and geese species can be seen in the open shallow wetlands. Huron Wetland Management District in east Central South Dakota. Photo: Sandra Uecker\USFWS
Mallard Duck
The Mallard or Wild Duck is a Dabbling Duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, the Falkland Islands and South Africa. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae.
The male birds (drakes) have a glossy green head and are grey on wings and belly, while the females have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are gregarious. This species is the ancestor of most breeds of domestic ducks.
At UT I dabbled in metal casting and fabrication. For my final I had this idea for a one-man grill. It is kind of lonely but with a sense of humor, something close to independence. The Steak Grill is made of steel and based on measurements from what was a delicious steak. It was some of the most fun I have had working on a school project and I have wanted to get back into a metal shop like that ever since.
The best part is it works. I guess you could only do one side of a T-bone but a couple dogs and a burger is perfect. The Steak Grill has had a few homes over the years and was trapped in a busted car trunk for a while.
Now that the grill is preserved in pictures I would like to try to get the rust off, or at least keep it from getting worse. Even if it was clean I am not sure how to keep it that way and still be able to eat off of it.
The Steak Grill won me an “A” and I have the pictures so maybe it is time for it to retire to rust somewhere permanent with the base buried like it sprouted out of the ground.
For more photos and videos by Mark Lewis visit mlewisphotovideo.com
For more <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/favorites" rel="nofollow">photos </a>and <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/video" rel="nofollow">videos </a>by <a href="mailto:mark@mlewisphotovideo.com" rel="nofollow">Mark Lewis </a>visit <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/home" rel="nofollow">www.mlewisphotovideo.com</a>
The mallard or wild duck is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, the Falkland Islands and South Africa. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae.
The male birds (drakes) have a glossy green head and are grey on wings and belly, while the females (hens or ducks) have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Both sexes have an area of white-bordered black speculum feathers which commonly also include iridescent blue feathers especially among males. Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are social animals preferring to congregate in groups or flocks of varying sizes. This species is the main ancestor of most breeds of domesticated ducks.
The mallard was one of the many bird species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his 18th-century work Systema Naturae, and still bears its original binomial name. The scientific name is from Latin Anas, "duck" and Ancient Greek platyrhynchus , "broad-billed" ( from platus, "broad" and rhunkhos, "bill").
Mallard originally referred to any wild drake and it is sometimes still used this way. It was derived from the Old French malart or mallart for "wild drake", although its true derivation is unclear. It may be related to (or at least influenced by) an Old High German masculine proper name Madelhart, clues lying in the alternate English forms "maudelard" or "mawdelard". Masle (male) has also been proposed as an influence.
Mallards frequently interbreed with their closest relatives in the genus Anas, such as the American black duck, and also with species more distantly related, such as the northern pintail, leading to various hybrids that may be fully fertile. This is quite unusual among such different species, and apparently is because the mallard evolved very rapidly and recently, during the Late Pleistocene. The distinct lineages of this radiation are usually kept separate due to non-overlapping ranges and behavioural cues, but are still not fully genetically incompatible. Mallards and their domesticated conspecifics are also fully interfertile.
This image was made at the rodelheim park in frankfurt am main, Germany.
I was watching this Damselfly, happily flying through the stinging nettles, when it flew straight into the spider’s web. Within a fraction of a second the spider was out and injecting the lethal dose!
I went back to the car and got my camera, max 5 mins, when I returned the Damselfly looked like it had been dead for days, looking more like the wreck of the Hindenburg.
…..always take your camera!
At UT I dabbled in metal casting and fabrication. For my final I had this idea for a one-man grill. It is kind of lonely but with a sense of humor, something close to independence. The Steak Grill is made of steel and based on measurements from what was a delicious steak. It was some of the most fun I have had working on a school project and I have wanted to get back into a metal shop like that ever since.
The best part is it works. I guess you could only do one side of a T-bone but a couple dogs and a burger is perfect. The Steak Grill has had a few homes over the years and was trapped in a busted car trunk for a while.
Now that the grill is preserved in pictures I would like to try to get the rust off, or at least keep it from getting worse. Even if it was clean I am not sure how to keep it that way and still be able to eat off of it.
The Steak Grill won me an “A” and I have the pictures so maybe it is time for it to retire to rust somewhere permanent with the base buried like it sprouted out of the ground.
For more photos and videos by Mark Lewis visit mlewisphotovideo.com
For more <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/favorites" rel="nofollow">photos </a>and <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/video" rel="nofollow">videos </a>by <a href="mailto:mark@mlewisphotovideo.com" rel="nofollow">Mark Lewis </a>visit <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/home" rel="nofollow">www.mlewisphotovideo.com</a>
Today, being a very cold Sunday, we decided to stay in bed, wrapped in comfy blankets and play a game of scrabble. Mommie, being a girl and therefore not able to spell any words beside shoes, preferred to watch and supply us players with yummy tea and cookies.
It wasn’t an optimal game, we lost Little Pip quite early on as he discovered that he was only able to spell Pip once and therefore decided that his work was done. Soon after my Uncle dared to challenge me on the word Zorg. The challenge was of course overruled by the game master (me) and after trying to sneak in the word Epig my uncle had to sit out a couple of rounds and was soon hopelessly trailing behind.
After counting together all points I have to admit that maybe we didn’t understand the game quite correctly. We probably need some lessons from the members of the Land of the Bed as they seem to be quite the experts at the game :-)
One of the world'smost rare ducks, this bird what photographed in the wetlands at Zealandia, Wellington, New Zealand.
Family: Anatidae (Dabbling ducks)
Status: endangered endemic
Brown teal is one of three closely related species of teal in New Zealand. The other two being the flightless subantarctic Auckland teal and Campbell Island teal.
Once common throughout New Zealand, habitat destruction, especially swamp drainage and predation, have resulted in brown teal becoming one of our most nationally endangered species of waterfowl. Approximately 1300 birds were surviving nationwide in 1999making it one of the rarest ducks in the world!
Most birds are to be found on Great Barrier Island. There are a few brown teal on Kapiti, Mana, and Tiritiri Matangi Islands, the eastern side of Northland and a new population has recently been established in the Coromandel area. Brown teal are regularly present at the Waikanae Estuary, probably part of the Kapiti Island population.
In the South Island, a few birds survive in Fiordland.
Recognition: About half the size of the common mallard duck, brown teal stand 48cm tall and weigh just over half a kilo as an adult. The male is slightly larger than the female. Brown teal have a warm brown plumage, with dark-brown mottling on the breast. Breeding males have a glossy green head, a narrow white collar, broad green and narrow white bands on the wings and a white flank patch. A distinctive feature of all brown teal is their blue-black bill and the narrow white ring around the eye. Their eyes are brown. Males give a soft whistle, and the female a low quack and growl.
Brown teal are often referred to as bush ducks, since they prefer stream and bushland habitats. They are reluctant flyers and are shallow divers, dabbling just below the surface for food. Their favourite food is invertebrates and they mainly feed in the evening or at night.
Breeding: Most brown teal breed from June to October but are able to breed at almost any time of the year.
They begin breeding at about 2 years of age and can lay clutches of up to 8 eggs. • Brown teal build a bowl-shaped nest near water, under the cover of dense tussocks or ferns, constructed with grasses lined with down. The female incubates the eggs about 30 days while the drake guards the nest - they are strongly territorial during breeding. Chicks fledge at an age of about 2 months. Brown teal pairs generally have stable relationships. The oldest known teal in the wild lived over 6 years.
Brown teal at Karori Sanctuary. 18 brown teal were initially released in 2000 and 2001. Breeding started from late 2002 and good productivity has resulted in increased competition for preferred wetland habitats and, because these habitats are limited in the Sanctuary, losses have occurred as a result.
Supplementary feeding of maize has been largely discontinued since early 2006 to reduce productivity and competition for territories.
Genetic analysis of the population in 2006-2007 should clarify whether or not there has been a loss of genetic diversity and whether additional birds need to be released into the population in future.
Active monitoring over the breeding season was ceased in 200x due to the fact that the population is self-sustaining.
Brown teal are readily seen on the lower and upper lakes. Being forest dwellers as well as water dwellers, some are being regularly seen at the kaka feeders below the upper dam at dusk and also at the southern end of the Faultline Track. The brown teal’s omnivorous diet, restricted annual range and mainly terrestrial lifestyle give it a unique ecological niche among waterfowl, somewhat akin to a wetland rodent, and it serves as a classic example of the influence of selective forces that operated on birds in pre-human New Zealand.
At UT I dabbled in metal casting and fabrication. For my final I had this idea for a one-man grill. It is kind of lonely but with a sense of humor, something close to independence. The Steak Grill is made of steel and based on measurements from what was a delicious steak. It was some of the most fun I have had working on a school project and I have wanted to get back into a metal shop like that ever since.
The best part is it works. I guess you could only do one side of a T-bone but a couple dogs and a burger is perfect. The Steak Grill has had a few homes over the years and was trapped in a busted car trunk for a while.
Now that the grill is preserved in pictures I would like to try to get the rust off, or at least keep it from getting worse. Even if it was clean I am not sure how to keep it that way and still be able to eat off of it.
The Steak Grill won me an “A” and I have the pictures so maybe it is time for it to retire to rust somewhere permanent with the base buried like it sprouted out of the ground.
For more photos and videos by Mark Lewis visit mlewisphotovideo.com
For more <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/favorites" rel="nofollow">photos </a>and <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/video" rel="nofollow">videos </a>by <a href="mailto:mark@mlewisphotovideo.com" rel="nofollow">Mark Lewis </a>visit <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/home" rel="nofollow">www.mlewisphotovideo.com</a>
Buffleheads (divers) are one of the Goldeneyes - they're a little over 12" long and usually weigh about 13 oz. Bufflehead refers to their bulbous head shape. They arrive at Lost Lagoon in the late Fall and migrate when spring comes, to habitats in northern / tundra areas. They're monogamous and like to nest in trees! (Would just love to see little ones!)
Wigeons (dabblers) are about 17-23 in. long and weigh 1.5 to 2.5 lbs. Like the Bufflehead, they appear at the lagoon in the Fall and leave again in Spring. Usually where there's one Wigeon, there's a flock - they're very social - and have a whistling call that they don't hesitate to exercise non-stop.
This dabbling duck is widespread in North America, feeding on plants in freshwater and coastal ponds. This male was photographed at Harold and Wilson Conservation Park, Nassau, Bahamas, and was another new species for me.
At UT I dabbled in metal casting and fabrication. For my final I had this idea for a one-man grill. It is kind of lonely but with a sense of humor, something close to independence. The Steak Grill is made of steel and based on measurements from what was a delicious steak. It was some of the most fun I have had working on a school project and I have wanted to get back into a metal shop like that ever since.
The best part is it works. I guess you could only do one side of a T-bone but a couple dogs and a burger is perfect. The Steak Grill has had a few homes over the years and was trapped in a busted car trunk for a while.
Now that the grill is preserved in pictures I would like to try to get the rust off, or at least keep it from getting worse. Even if it was clean I am not sure how to keep it that way and still be able to eat off of it.
The Steak Grill won me an “A” and I have the pictures so maybe it is time for it to retire to rust somewhere permanent with the base buried like it sprouted out of the ground.
For more photos and videos by Mark Lewis visit mlewisphotovideo.com
For more <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/favorites" rel="nofollow">photos </a>and <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/video" rel="nofollow">videos </a>by <a href="mailto:mark@mlewisphotovideo.com" rel="nofollow">Mark Lewis </a>visit <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/home" rel="nofollow">www.mlewisphotovideo.com</a>
The Black Duck (Anus rubripes) is a large dabbling duck, native to Northeastern North America. It somewhat resembles the female Mallard in coloration, but has darker plumage. The male and female are generally similar in appearance, but the male's bill is yellow while the female's is dull green. This pair is swimming in Boland Pond, waiting for Spring to finally come.
At UT I dabbled in metal casting and fabrication. For my final I had this idea for a one-man grill. It is kind of lonely but with a sense of humor, something close to independence. The Steak Grill is made of steel and based on measurements from what was a delicious steak. It was some of the most fun I have had working on a school project and I have wanted to get back into a metal shop like that ever since.
The best part is it works. I guess you could only do one side of a T-bone but a couple dogs and a burger is perfect. The Steak Grill has had a few homes over the years and was trapped in a busted car trunk for a while.
Now that the grill is preserved in pictures I would like to try to get the rust off, or at least keep it from getting worse. Even if it was clean I am not sure how to keep it that way and still be able to eat off of it.
The Steak Grill won me an “A” and I have the pictures so maybe it is time for it to retire to rust somewhere permanent with the base buried like it sprouted out of the ground.
For more photos and videos by Mark Lewis visit mlewisphotovideo.com
For more <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/favorites" rel="nofollow">photos </a>and <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/video" rel="nofollow">videos </a>by <a href="mailto:mark@mlewisphotovideo.com" rel="nofollow">Mark Lewis </a>visit <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/home" rel="nofollow">www.mlewisphotovideo.com</a>
The smallest of dabbling ducks, mostly white Bufflehead, in heavy fog on the Courtenay River estuary - photographic expectations were low .... but got a focus and this shot.
The chestnut teal (Anas castanea) is a dabbling duck found in southern Australia. It is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.
The chestnut teal is darker and a slightly bigger bird than the grey teal.
The male has a distinctive green coloured head and mottled brown body. The female has a brown head and mottled brown body. The female is almost identical in appearance to the grey teal.
The female chestnut teal has a loud penetrating "laughing" quack repeated rapidly nine times or more.
The chestnut teal is commonly distributed in south-eastern and south-western Australia, while vagrants may occur elsewhere. Tasmania and southern Victoria are the species’ stronghold, while vagrants can be found as far north as New Guinea and Lord Howe Island.
The chestnut teal prefers coastal estuaries and wetlands, and is indifferent to salinity. This bird is an omnivore.
Chestnut teals form monogamous pairs that stay together outside the breeding season, defend the nest site and look after the young when hatched.
Nests are usually located over water, in a down-lined tree hollow about 6–10 m high. Sometimes nests are placed on the ground, among clumps of grass near water. The young hatch and are ready to swim and walk within a day.
Dabbling in tripods, long exposures, and HDR. (Fusion of last exposure and 2 exposures on either side.) I'm not sure I like either one!
Early Spring as small shallow wetland open large numbers of dabbling duck and geese species can be seen in the open shallow wetlands. Huron Wetland Management District in east Central South Dakota. Photo: Sandra Uecker\USFWS
At UT I dabbled in metal casting and fabrication. For my final I had this idea for a one-man grill. It is kind of lonely but with a sense of humor, something close to independence. The Steak Grill is made of steel and based on measurements from what was a delicious steak. It was some of the most fun I have had working on a school project and I have wanted to get back into a metal shop like that ever since.
The best part is it works. I guess you could only do one side of a T-bone but a couple dogs and a burger is perfect. The Steak Grill has had a few homes over the years and was trapped in a busted car trunk for a while.
Now that the grill is preserved in pictures I would like to try to get the rust off, or at least keep it from getting worse. Even if it was clean I am not sure how to keep it that way and still be able to eat off of it.
The Steak Grill won me an “A” and I have the pictures so maybe it is time for it to retire to rust somewhere permanent with the base buried like it sprouted out of the ground.
For more photos and videos by Mark Lewis visit mlewisphotovideo.com
For more <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/favorites" rel="nofollow">photos </a>and <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/video" rel="nofollow">videos </a>by <a href="mailto:mark@mlewisphotovideo.com" rel="nofollow">Mark Lewis </a>visit <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/home" rel="nofollow">www.mlewisphotovideo.com</a>
Taken from the Hushan section of the Great Wall of China.
Hushan, in Liaoning province, 15 km northeast of Dandong, is the easternmost section of the Great Wall of China. (That is to say, the easternmost known to date...) About 600 meters of the wall were excavated here in 1989 and, in 1992, a section was renovated and open to the public. The section runs about 1,200 meters over the top of Hushan Mountain.
The wall was built during the Ming Dynasty. The wall, like the nearby city of Dandong, were established to guard against Korean invaders from the south.
As far as sections of the wall go, this is probably about as common as the other renovated sections I've been to (Badaling, Mutianyu, Juyongguan). What makes this distinctive -- along with being the easternmost section -- is its proximity to the North Korean border. Hushan Mountain, at many points, is within 15-20 meters of sovereign North Korean soil. It's quite fascinating to be that close to that country without having the massive DMZ that you find on the southern end of the DPRK. It makes it feel like a more "naked look" into that nation.
One more week to get your entries in! Contest ends 2/12.
'
1. "Kiss Me Deadly" poisoned lipstick, 2. Crazy for you, 3. Bitter Candy Hearts Bracelet, 4. anti-valentines card, 5. Black Mended Heart Necklace, 6. I tore my heart out for you, 7. ATC-AntiVal2009, 8. lovelost_3, 9. HeartLine, 10. I Heart Maggots, 11. True Love, 12. 2009_365_013 Black Heart Anti-Valentine
Created with fd's Flickr Toys.
At UT I dabbled in metal casting and fabrication. For my final I had this idea for a one-man grill. It is kind of lonely but with a sense of humor, something close to independence. The Steak Grill is made of steel and based on measurements from what was a delicious steak. It was some of the most fun I have had working on a school project and I have wanted to get back into a metal shop like that ever since.
The best part is it works. I guess you could only do one side of a T-bone but a couple dogs and a burger is perfect. The Steak Grill has had a few homes over the years and was trapped in a busted car trunk for a while.
Now that the grill is preserved in pictures I would like to try to get the rust off, or at least keep it from getting worse. Even if it was clean I am not sure how to keep it that way and still be able to eat off of it.
The Steak Grill won me an “A” and I have the pictures so maybe it is time for it to retire to rust somewhere permanent with the base buried like it sprouted out of the ground.
For more photos and videos by Mark Lewis visit mlewisphotovideo.com
For more <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/favorites" rel="nofollow">photos </a>and <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/video" rel="nofollow">videos </a>by <a href="mailto:mark@mlewisphotovideo.com" rel="nofollow">Mark Lewis </a>visit <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/home" rel="nofollow">www.mlewisphotovideo.com</a>
Photographed at Zealandia, Karori Sanctuary.
Family: Anatidae (Dabbling ducks)
Status: endangered endemic
Brown teal is one of three closely related species of teal in New Zealand. The other two being the flightless subantarctic Auckland teal and Campbell Island teal.
Once common throughout New Zealand, habitat destruction, especially swamp drainage and predation, have resulted in brown teal becoming one of our most nationally endangered species of waterfowl. Approximately 1300 birds were surviving nationwide in 1999making it one of the rarest ducks in the world!
Most birds are to be found on Great Barrier Island. There are a few brown teal on Kapiti, Mana, and Tiritiri Matangi Islands, the eastern side of Northland and a new population has recently been established in the Coromandel area. Brown teal are regularly present at the Waikanae Estuary, probably part of the Kapiti Island population.
In the South Island, a few birds survive in Fiordland.
Recognition: About half the size of the common mallard duck, brown teal stand 48cm tall and weigh just over half a kilo as an adult. The male is slightly larger than the female. Brown teal have a warm brown plumage, with dark-brown mottling on the breast. Breeding males have a glossy green head, a narrow white collar, broad green and narrow white bands on the wings and a white flank patch. A distinctive feature of all brown teal is their blue-black bill and the narrow white ring around the eye. Their eyes are brown. Males give a soft whistle, and the female a low quack and growl.
Brown teal are often referred to as bush ducks, since they prefer stream and bushland habitats. They are reluctant flyers and are shallow divers, dabbling just below the surface for food. Their favourite food is invertebrates and they mainly feed in the evening or at night.
Breeding: Most brown teal breed from June to October but are able to breed at almost any time of the year.
They begin breeding at about 2 years of age and can lay clutches of up to 8 eggs. • Brown teal build a bowl-shaped nest near water, under the cover of dense tussocks or ferns, constructed with grasses lined with down. The female incubates the eggs about 30 days while the drake guards the nest - they are strongly territorial during breeding. Chicks fledge at an age of about 2 months. Brown teal pairs generally have stable relationships. The oldest known teal in the wild lived over 6 years.
Brown teal at Karori Sanctuary. 18 brown teal were initially released in 2000 and 2001. Breeding started from late 2002 and good productivity has resulted in increased competition for preferred wetland habitats and, because these habitats are limited in the Sanctuary, losses have occurred as a result.
Supplementary feeding of maize has been largely discontinued since early 2006 to reduce productivity and competition for territories.
Genetic analysis of the population in 2006-2007 should clarify whether or not there has been a loss of genetic diversity and whether additional birds need to be released into the population in future.
Active monitoring over the breeding season has ceased due to the fact that the population is self-sustaining.
Brown teal are readily seen on the lower and upper lakes. Being forest dwellers as well as water dwellers, some are being regularly seen at the kaka feeders below the upper dam at dusk and also at the southern end of the Faultline Track. The brown teal’s omnivorous diet, restricted annual range and mainly terrestrial lifestyle give it a unique ecological niche among waterfowl, somewhat akin to a wetland rodent, and it serves as a classic example of the influence of selective forces that operated on birds in pre-human New Zealand.
One of the most rare ducks in the world! Photographed at Zealandia, Karori Sanctuary, Wellington, New Zealand.
Family: Anatidae (Dabbling ducks)
Status: endangered endemic
Brown teal is one of three closely related species of teal in New Zealand. The other two being the flightless subantarctic Auckland teal and Campbell Island teal.
Once common throughout New Zealand, habitat destruction, especially swamp drainage and predation, have resulted in brown teal becoming one of our most nationally endangered species of waterfowl. Approximately 1300 birds were surviving nationwide in 1999making it one of the rarest ducks in the world!
Most birds are to be found on Great Barrier Island. There are a few brown teal on Kapiti, Mana, and Tiritiri Matangi Islands, the eastern side of Northland and a new population has recently been established in the Coromandel area. Brown teal are regularly present at the Waikanae Estuary, probably part of the Kapiti Island population.
In the South Island, a few birds survive in Fiordland.
Recognition: About half the size of the common mallard duck, brown teal stand 48cm tall and weigh just over half a kilo as an adult. The male is slightly larger than the female. Brown teal have a warm brown plumage, with dark-brown mottling on the breast. Breeding males have a glossy green head, a narrow white collar, broad green and narrow white bands on the wings and a white flank patch. A distinctive feature of all brown teal is their blue-black bill and the narrow white ring around the eye. Their eyes are brown. Males give a soft whistle, and the female a low quack and growl.
Brown teal are often referred to as bush ducks, since they prefer stream and bushland habitats. They are reluctant flyers and are shallow divers, dabbling just below the surface for food. Their favourite food is invertebrates and they mainly feed in the evening or at night.
Breeding: Most brown teal breed from June to October but are able to breed at almost any time of the year.
They begin breeding at about 2 years of age and can lay clutches of up to 8 eggs. • Brown teal build a bowl-shaped nest near water, under the cover of dense tussocks or ferns, constructed with grasses lined with down. The female incubates the eggs about 30 days while the drake guards the nest - they are strongly territorial during breeding. Chicks fledge at an age of about 2 months. Brown teal pairs generally have stable relationships. The oldest known teal in the wild lived over 6 years.
Brown teal at Karori Sanctuary. 18 brown teal were initially released in 2000 and 2001. Breeding started from late 2002 and good productivity has resulted in increased competition for preferred wetland habitats and, because these habitats are limited in the Sanctuary, losses have occurred as a result.
Supplementary feeding of maize has been largely discontinued since early 2006 to reduce productivity and competition for territories.
Genetic analysis of the population in 2006-2007 should clarify whether or not there has been a loss of genetic diversity and whether additional birds need to be released into the population in future.
Active monitoring over the breeding season was ceased in 200x due to the fact that the population is self-sustaining.
Brown teal are readily seen on the lower and upper lakes. Being forest dwellers as well as water dwellers, some are being regularly seen at the kaka feeders below the upper dam at dusk and also at the southern end of the Faultline Track. The brown teal’s omnivorous diet, restricted annual range and mainly terrestrial lifestyle give it a unique ecological niche among waterfowl, somewhat akin to a wetland rodent, and it serves as a classic example of the influence of selective forces that operated on birds in pre-human New Zealand.
One of the most rare ducks in the world! Photographed at Zealandia, Karori Sanctuary, Wellington, New Zealand.
Family: Anatidae (Dabbling ducks)
Status: endangered endemic
Brown teal is one of three closely related species of teal in New Zealand. The other two being the flightless subantarctic Auckland teal and Campbell Island teal.
Once common throughout New Zealand, habitat destruction, especially swamp drainage and predation, have resulted in brown teal becoming one of our most nationally endangered species of waterfowl. Approximately 1300 birds were surviving nationwide in 1999making it one of the rarest ducks in the world!
Most birds are to be found on Great Barrier Island. There are a few brown teal on Kapiti, Mana, and Tiritiri Matangi Islands, the eastern side of Northland and a new population has recently been established in the Coromandel area. Brown teal are regularly present at the Waikanae Estuary, probably part of the Kapiti Island population.
In the South Island, a few birds survive in Fiordland.
Recognition: About half the size of the common mallard duck, brown teal stand 48cm tall and weigh just over half a kilo as an adult. The male is slightly larger than the female. Brown teal have a warm brown plumage, with dark-brown mottling on the breast. Breeding males have a glossy green head, a narrow white collar, broad green and narrow white bands on the wings and a white flank patch. A distinctive feature of all brown teal is their blue-black bill and the narrow white ring around the eye. Their eyes are brown. Males give a soft whistle, and the female a low quack and growl.
Brown teal are often referred to as bush ducks, since they prefer stream and bushland habitats. They are reluctant flyers and are shallow divers, dabbling just below the surface for food. Their favourite food is invertebrates and they mainly feed in the evening or at night.
Breeding: Most brown teal breed from June to October but are able to breed at almost any time of the year.
They begin breeding at about 2 years of age and can lay clutches of up to 8 eggs. • Brown teal build a bowl-shaped nest near water, under the cover of dense tussocks or ferns, constructed with grasses lined with down. The female incubates the eggs about 30 days while the drake guards the nest - they are strongly territorial during breeding. Chicks fledge at an age of about 2 months. Brown teal pairs generally have stable relationships. The oldest known teal in the wild lived over 6 years.
Brown teal at Karori Sanctuary. 18 brown teal were initially released in 2000 and 2001. Breeding started from late 2002 and good productivity has resulted in increased competition for preferred wetland habitats and, because these habitats are limited in the Sanctuary, losses have occurred as a result.
Supplementary feeding of maize has been largely discontinued since early 2006 to reduce productivity and competition for territories.
Genetic analysis of the population in 2006-2007 should clarify whether or not there has been a loss of genetic diversity and whether additional birds need to be released into the population in future.
Active monitoring over the breeding season was ceased in 200x due to the fact that the population is self-sustaining.
Brown teal are readily seen on the lower and upper lakes. Being forest dwellers as well as water dwellers, some are being regularly seen at the kaka feeders below the upper dam at dusk and also at the southern end of the Faultline Track. The brown teal’s omnivorous diet, restricted annual range and mainly terrestrial lifestyle give it a unique ecological niche among waterfowl, somewhat akin to a wetland rodent, and it serves as a classic example of the influence of selective forces that operated on birds in pre-human New Zealand.
Mallard Duck
The Mallard or Wild Duck is a Dabbling Duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, the Falkland Islands and South Africa. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae.
The male birds (drakes) have a glossy green head and are grey on wings and belly, while the females have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are gregarious. This species is the ancestor of most breeds of domestic ducks.
Lake Takanassee
Lake Takanassee is downstream of Whale Pond Brook, which flows through the Monmouth University campus in West Long Branch.
Dabbling in mono.. all shots are straight out of the camera..not my shadow, but that of a passer- by.
Westover Road, Bournemouth 18.11.2014
1. Felt and old wool sweater (shrink it!)., 2. Cut our your ornament shapes, 3. Cut a 'window' in one of your two halves, 4. Materials: sweater material, old plastic packaging (flexible and clear), embroidery thread, ribbon or thread for hanging, 5. Cut a square out of your packagin slightly larger than the window., 6. sew the window on to your sweater, 7. Window sewn in, 8. Stitch the two pieces together,, 9. Leave a space large enough to stuff/insert picture., 10. Stich around the window to cover your thread, 11. Ready to stuff: insert picture, and stuff, and then stitch closed, 12. Hang on tree!
Created with fd's Flickr Toys.
At UT I dabbled in metal casting and fabrication. For my final I had this idea for a one-man grill. It is kind of lonely but with a sense of humor, something close to independence. The Steak Grill is made of steel and based on measurements from what was a delicious steak. It was some of the most fun I have had working on a school project and I have wanted to get back into a metal shop like that ever since.
The best part is it works. I guess you could only do one side of a T-bone but a couple dogs and a burger is perfect. The Steak Grill has had a few homes over the years and was trapped in a busted car trunk for a while.
Now that the grill is preserved in pictures I would like to try to get the rust off, or at least keep it from getting worse. Even if it was clean I am not sure how to keep it that way and still be able to eat off of it.
The Steak Grill won me an “A” and I have the pictures so maybe it is time for it to retire to rust somewhere permanent with the base buried like it sprouted out of the ground.
For more photos and videos by Mark Lewis visit mlewisphotovideo.com
For more <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/favorites" rel="nofollow">photos </a>and <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/video" rel="nofollow">videos </a>by <a href="mailto:mark@mlewisphotovideo.com" rel="nofollow">Mark Lewis </a>visit <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/home" rel="nofollow">www.mlewisphotovideo.com</a>