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When Kyori Sato decided to return to Japan to re-think her career and re-evaluate her priorities, she sought the guidance of her old sensei, Hiruto Takahashi. Under his tutelage, Kyori took a much needed break from her usual shenanigans and embarked on a journey of self-discovery thorough a very intense psychological and physical training routine that allowed her to re-focus and get back into shape. In the end though, all it took was one call from Natalia Fatalé for Kyori to drop out of this new path and get right back into her high-glamour lifestyle, much to her sensei's total disapproval. As they say, you can get the girl out of Paris, but you can't get the fashion out of the girl! Refreshed and more determined than ever, Kyori returned to Paris with a new take on life, a perfectly coordinated wardrobe in tow and with more style then ever! What else could we expect from one of the most beloved Fashion Royalty characters ever? One thing is certain, no one will ever foil her plans again!
He had me in his sights that's for sure! Protecting his young.
The Canada Goose (Branta Canadensis), like all wild birds in Britain, is protected under the EC Wild Birds Directive implemented in Great Britain through the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as amended1. This Act makes it an offence to capture, kill or injure Canada geese, or to damage or take their nests or eggs.
Sansom Wood Pond, Forestry Commission England.
Nottinghamshire.
This picture is taken in Biesbosch National Park (The Netherlands).
The Biesbosch National Park is a green maze of several rivers, islands and a vast network of narrow and wide creeks. The area is one of the largest, valuable natural areas in the Netherlands. What’s more, it is one of the few remaining fresh-water tidal areas in Europe. The Nieuwe Merwede canal divides the National Park equally between the provinces of Noord-Brabant and Zuid-Holland. The part in Noord-Brabant is called the Brabantse Biesbosch. The part in Zuid-Holland is divided into the Sliedrechtse Biesbosch and the Dordtse Biesbosch. The National Park covers an area of approximately 9,000 hectares.
The vegetation mainly consists of willow-woods that developed out of the willow-shoots of former withy-beds due to decades of neglect. These marshy woods alternate with grasslands and reed-lands that have run wild with weeds. There's also an abundance of fauna to be found too. For example beavers, foxes, deers, hares, pine martens, geese, ducks and various birds of prey.
The Biesbosch is an important area for birds to rest, forage and breed. This watery area is of such international importance to waterfowl and waders that a large area, the Brabantse Biesbosch has been officially recognized as a ‘Wetland’. This high natural value is confirmed by other European agreements like the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive.
City Hall Alphen aan den Rijn , the Netherlands - Erick van Egeraat architect
The city hall of Alphen aan den Rijn was the first project realised in the new redevelopment plan for the centre of this expanding Dutch city, and set the tone for the ambition of future developments. The building’s open appearance relates directly to the council’s directive to define its communication to the local people as being open and inviting. The facade is treated as a continuous but layered skin, wrapped around and thus connecting the three parts of the building (city hall, service department and offices). The various layers slide over each other, allowing the different parts of the complex to express their own individuality. The main volume (city hall) has a transparent glass façade with an enclosed atrium behind, while the lower volume (service department and offices) is predominantly made of stone. The glass façade has the world’s most complex print. By changing its appearance the design responds to the programmatic and spatial requirements of the complex as well as sensitively reacting to the urban nuances of the location. Without losing itself in monumentality, it refers to the iconic function that the ‘House of the City’ historically has. Open, inviting and accessible for all citizens it can be seen as a contemporary beacon , reflecting the growing community’s image.
Size 25,000 m2 - Design in 1999 - Completed in 2002
Integrity/Fashion Royalty/The Style Directive collection/Jordan Duval/Trust Your Instincts/Jason Wu
Integrity/Fashion Royalty/The Future.Perfect collection/Jordan Duval/Bionica/Jason Wu
Integrity/Fashion Royalty/The Foundation collection/Jordan Duval/Fire Within/Jason Wu
Integrity/Fashion Royalty/The Exclusives collection/Jordan Duval/Platinum/Jason Wu
Integrity/Fashion Royalty/The La Femme collection/Jordan Duval/Coquette/Jason Wu
Integrity/Fashion Royalty/The Classic collection/Jordan Duval/Splendid/Jason Wu
FEARLESS - March 20, 2012
Chapter 1 – “Why Are We Afraid”
“Why are you fearful? O you of little faith.” Matthew 8:26
You would have liked my brother. Everyone did. Dee made friends like bakers make bread: daily, easily, warmly. Handshake—big and eager; laughter—contagious and volcanic. He permitted no stranger to remain one for long. I, the shy younger brother, relied on him to make introductions for us both. When a new kid moved onto the street or walked onto the playground, Dee was the ambassador.
But in his mid-teen years, he made one acquaintance he should have avoided—a bootlegger who would sell beer to underage drinkers. Alcohol made a play for us both, but where it entwined me, it enchained him. Over the next four decades, my brother drank away health, relationships, jobs, money, and all but the last two years of his life.
Who can say why resolve sometimes wins and sometimes loses, but at the age of fifty-four my brother discovered an aquifer of will power, drilled deep, and enjoyed a season of sobriety. He emptied his bottles, stabilized his marriage, reached out to his children, and exchanged the liquor store for the local AA. But the hard living had taken its toll. Three decades of three-packs-a-day smoking had turned his big heart into ground meat.
On a January night during the week I began writing this book, he told Donna, his wife, that he couldn’t breathe well. He already had a doctor’s appointment for a related concern, so he decided to try to sleep. No luck. He awoke at 4:00 a.m. with chest pains severe enough to warrant a call to the emergency room. The rescue team loaded Dee on the gurney and told Donna to meet them at the hospital. My brother waved weakly and smiled bravely and told Donna not to worry, but by the time she and one of Dee’s sons reached the hospital, he was gone.
The attending physician told them the news and invited them to step into the room where Dee’s body lay. Holding each other, they walked through the doors and saw his final message. His hand was resting on the top of his thigh with the two center fingers folded in and thumb extended, the universal sign language symbol of “I love you.”
I’ve tried to envision the final moments of my brother’s earthly life: racing down a Texas highway in an ambulance through an inky night, paramedics buzzing around him, his heart weakening within him. Struggling for each breath, at some point he realized only a few remained. But he didn’t panic or cower, he quarried some courage.
Perhaps you could use some? I know I could. An ambulance isn’t the only ride that demands valor. You may not be down to your final heartbeat, but you may be down to your last paycheck, solution, or thimble of faith. Each sunrise seems to bring fresh reasons for fear.
They’re talking layoffs at work, slowdowns in the economy, flare-ups in the Middle East, turnovers at headquarters, downturns in the housing market, upswings in global warming, breakouts of Al Qaeda cells. Some demented dictator is collecting nuclear warheads like others collect fine wines. A strain of Asian flu is boarding flights out of China. The plague of our day, terrorism, begins with the word terror. News programs disgorge enough hand-wringing information to warrant an advisory. “Caution: this news report is best viewed in the confines of an underground vault in Iceland.”
We fear being sued, finishing last, going broke; we fear the mole on the back, the new kid on the block, the sound of the clock as it ticks us closer to the grave. We sophisticate investment plans, create elaborate security systems, and stronger military; yet we depend on mood-altering drugs more than any generation in history. Moreover, “the average child today … has the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient in the 1950s.”
Fear, it seems, has taken a hundred-year lease on the building next door and set up shop. Oversized and rude, unwilling to share the heart with happiness. Happiness complies. Do you ever see the two together? Can one be happy and afraid at the same time? Clear thinking and afraid? Confident and afraid? Merciful and afraid? No. Fear is the big bully in the high school hallway: brash, loud, and unproductive. For all the noise fear makes and room it takes, fear does little good.
Fear never wrote a symphony or poem, negotiated a peace treaty, or cured a disease. Fear never pulled a family out of poverty or a country out of bigotry. Fear never saved a marriage or a business. Courage did that. Faith did that. People who refused to consult or cower to their timidities did that. But fear itself? Fear herds us into a prison of unlocked doors.
Wouldn’t it be great to walk out?
Imagine your life, wholly untouched by angst. What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats? If you could hover a fear magnet over your heart and extract every last shaving of dread, insecurity, or doubt, what would remain? Envision a day, just one day, absent the dread of failure, rejection, or calamity. Can you imagine a life with no fear? This is the possibility behind Jesus’ question.
“Why are you afraid?” he asks.
At first blush we wonder if Jesus is serious. He may be kidding. Teasing. Pulling a quick one. Kind of like one swimmer asking another, “Why are you wet?” But Jesus doesn’t smile. He’s dead earnest. So are the men to whom he asks the question. A storm has turned their Galilean dinner cruise into a white-knuckled plunge.
Here is how one of them remembered the trip. “Jesus got into a boat, and his followers went with him. A great storm arose on the lake so that the waves covered the boat” (Mt. 8:23-24 NCV).
These are Matthew’s words. He remembered well the pouncing tempest and bouncing boat and was careful in his terminology. Not just any noun would do. He pulled his Greek thesaurus off the shelf and hunted for a descriptor that exploded like the waves across the bow. He bypassed common terms for spring shower, squall, cloudburst, or downpour. They didn’t capture what he felt and saw that night: a rumbling earth and quivering shoreline. He recalled more than winds and white tops. His finger followed the column of synonyms down, down until he landed on a word that worked. “Ah, there it is.” Seismos—a quake, a trembling eruption of sea and sky. “A great seismos arose on the lake.”
The term still occupies a spot in our vernacular. A seismologist studies earthquakes, a seismograph measures them, and Matthew, along with a crew of recent recruits, felt a seismos that shook them to the core. He only used the word on two other occasions, once at Jesus’ death when Calvary shook (Mt. 27:51-54), and again at Jesus’ resurrection when the graveyard tremored (28:2). Apparently, the stilled storm shares equal billing in the trilogy of Jesus’ great shake-ups: defeating guilt on the cross, death at the tomb, and now silencing fear on the sea.
Sudden fear. We know the fear was sudden because the storm was. An older translation reads, “Suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea” (NKJV emphasis mine).
Not all storms come suddenly. Prairie farmers can see the formation of thunderclouds hours before the rain falls. This storm, however, sprang like a lion out of the grass. One minute the disciples were shuffling cards for a mid-journey game of Hearts; the next they were gulping Galilean sea spray.
Peter and John, seasoned sailors, struggled to keep down the sail. Matthew, confirmed landlubber, struggled to keep down his breakfast. The storm was not what the tax collector bargained for. Do you sense his surprise in the way he linked his two phrases? “Jesus got into a boat, and his followers went with him. A great storm arose on the lake…” (vs. 23-24 NKJV).
Wouldn’t you hope for a more chipper second sentence, a happier consequence of obedience? “Jesus got into a boat. His followers went with him and… suddenly…a great rainbow arched in the sky, a flock of doves hovered in happy formation, a sea of glass mirrored their mast…” Don’t Christ-followers enjoy a calendar full of Caribbean cruises? No. This story sends the not-so-subtle and not-too-popular reminder: getting on board with Christ can mean getting soaked with Christ. Disciples can expect rough seas and stout winds. “In this world you will [not ‘might,’ ‘may‘ or ‘could’] have tribulation” (Jn. 16:33 brackets mine).
Christ-followers contract malaria, bury children, and battle addictions, and, as a result, face fears. It’s not the absence of storms that sets us apart. It’s whom we discover in the storm: an unstirred Christ.
“Jesus was sleeping” (vs. 24 NCV).
Now there’s a scene. The disciples scream, Jesus dreams. Thunder roars, Jesus snores. He doesn’t doze, catnap, or rest. He slumbers. Who could sleep at a time like this? Could you? Could you snooze during a roller coaster loop-de-loop? In a wind tunnel? At a kettle drum concert? Jesus slept through all three, at once!
Mark’s gospel adds two curious details. “[Jesus] was in the stern, asleep on a pillow” (Mk. 4:38). In a stern, on a pillow. Why the first? From whence came the second?
First-century fishermen used large, heavy seine nets for their work. They stored the net in a nook that was built into the stern for this purpose. Sleeping upon the stern deck was impractical. It provided no space or protection. The small compartment beneath the stern, however, provided both. It was the most enclosed and only protected part of the boat. So Christ, a bit dozy from the day’s activities, crawled beneath the deck to get some sleep.
He rested his head, not on a fluffy feather pillow, but on a leather sandbag. A ballast bag. Mediterranean fishermen still use them. They weigh about a hundred pounds and are used to ballast, or stabilize, the boat. Did Jesus take the pillow to the stern so he could sleep, or sleep so soundly someone rustled him up the pillow? We don’t know. But this much we do. This is a premeditated slumber. He didn’t accidentally nod off. In full knowledge of the coming storm, Jesus decided it was siesta time, so he crawled into the corner, put his head on the pillow, and drifted into dreamland.
His snooze troubled the disciples. Matthew and Mark record their response as three staccato Greek commands and one question.
The commands: “Lord! Save! Dying!” (Mt. 8:25).
The question: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mk. 4:39).
They do not ask about Jesus’ strength: “Can you still the storm?” His knowledge: “Are you aware of the storm?” Or his know-how: “Do you have any experience with storms?” But rather, they raise doubts about Jesus’ character. “Do you not care…?”
Fear does this. Fear corrodes our confidence in God’s goodness. We begin to wonder if love lives in heaven. If God can sleep in my storms, if his eyes stay shut when my eyes grow wide, if he permits storms after I get on his boat, does he care? Fear unleashes a swarm of doubts, anger-stirring doubts.
And it turns us into control freaks. “Do something about the storm!” is the implicit demand of the question. “Fix it, or…or…or, else!” Fear, at its center, is a perceived loss of control. When life spins wildly, we grab for a component of life we can manage: our diet, the tidiness of a house, the armrest of a plane, or, in many cases, people. The more insecure we feel, the meaner we become. We growl and bare our fangs. Why? Because we are bad? In part. But also because we feel cornered.
Martin Niemöller documents an extreme example of this. He was a German pastor who took a heroic stand against Adolf Hitler. When he first met the dictator in 1933, Niemöller stood at the back of the room and listened. Later, when his wife asked him what he’d learned, he said: “I discovered that Herr Hitler is a terribly frightened man.” Fear releases the tyrant within.
It also deadens our recall. The disciples had reason to trust Jesus. By now, they’d seen him “heal all kinds of sicknesses and all kinds of disease among the people” (Mt. 4:23). They had witnessed him heal a leper with a touch and a servant with a command (Mt. 8:3, 13). Peter saw his sick mother-in-law recover, and they all saw demons scatter like bats out of a cave. “He cast out spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick” (Mt. 8:16).
Shouldn’t someone mention Jesus’ track record or review his resume? Do they remember the accomplishments of Christ? They may not. Fear creates a form of spiritual amnesia. It dulls our miracle memory. It makes us forget what Jesus has done and how good God is.
And fear feels dreadful. It sucks the life out of the soul, curls us into an embryonic state, and drains us dry of contentment. We become abandoned barns, rickety and tilting from the winds, a place where humanity used to eat, thrive, and find warmth. No longer. When fear shapes our lives, safety becomes our god. When safety becomes our god, we worship the risk-free life. Can the safety lover do anything great? Can the risk-averse accomplish noble deeds? For God? For others? No. The fear-filled cannot love deeply; love is risky. They cannot give to the poor. Benevolence has no guarantee of return. The fear-filled cannot dream wildly. What if their dreams sputter and fall from the sky? The worship of safety emasculates greatness. No wonder Jesus wages such a war against fear.
His most common command emerges from the “fear not” genre. The gospels list some 125 Christ-issued imperatives. Of these, twenty-one urge us to “not be afraid” or to “not fear” or to “have courage,” “take heart,” or “be of good cheer.” The second most common command appears on eight occasions. If quantity is any indicator, Jesus takes our fears seriously. The one statement he said more than any other was this: Don’t be afraid.
Siblings sometimes chuckle or complain at the most common command of their parents. They remember how Mom was always saying: “Be home on time.” “Did you clean your room?” Dad had his favorite directives too. “Keep your chin up.” “Work hard.” I wonder if the disciples ever reflected on the most-often repeated phrases of Christ. If so, they would have noted: “he was always calling us to courage.”
“So don’t be afraid. You are worth much more than many sparrows.” (Mt. 10:31 NCV)
“Take courage, son, your sins are forgiven.” (Matthew 9:2 NASB)
“Don’t worry about everyday life—whether you have enough…” (Mathew 6:25)
“Don’t be afraid. Just believe, and your daughter will be well.” (Luke 8:50 NCV)
“It’s all right. I am here! Don’t be afraid.” (Matthew 14:27 NCV)
“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” (Matthew 10:28)
“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)
“Don’t be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me…. I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” (John 14:1-3 NLT)
“.. don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27)
“Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt?” (Luke 24:38 NLT)
“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed.” (Matthew 24:6 NIV)
Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” (Matthew 17:8 NKJV)
Jesus doesn’t want you to live in a state of fear. Nor do you. You’ve never made statements like these:
“My phobias put such a spring in my step.”
“I’d be a rotten parent were it not for my hypochondria.”
“Thank God for my pessimism. I’ve been such a better person since I lost hope.”
“My doctor says, if I don’t begin fretting, I will lose my health.”
We’ve learned the high cost of fear.
The question of Jesus is a good one. He lifts his head from the pillow, steps out from the stern into the storm, and asks: “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?’” (vs. 26).
To be clear, fear serves a healthy function. It is the canary in the coal mine: warning of potential danger. A dose of fright can keep a child from running across a busy road or an adult from smoking a pack of cigarettes. Fear is the appropriate reaction to a burning building or growling dog. Fear itself is not a sin. But it can lead to sin.
If we treat fear with angry outbursts, drinking binges, sullen withdrawals, self-starvation, or vice-like control, we exclude God from the solution and exacerbate the problem. We subject ourselves to a position of fear, allowing anxiety to dominate and define our lives. Joy-sapping worries. Day-numbing dread. Repeated bouts with insecurity that petrify and paralyze us. Hysteria is not from God. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear…” (2 Tim. 1:7 NKJV emphasis mine).
Fear will always knock on your door. Just don’t invite it in for dinner and, for heaven’s sake, don’t offer it a bed for the night. Let’s dedicate some pages and thought to Jesus’ teaching about fear, examining a select number of his “Do not fear statements.” The promise of Christ and the contention of this book are simple. Fear may fill your world, but it doesn’t have to fill your heart. You can fear less tomorrow than you do today.
When I was six years old, my dad let me stay up with the rest of the family and watch the movie Wolfman. Boy, did he regret that decision. The film left me convinced that Wolfman spent each night prowling our den, awaiting his preferred meal of first grade, red-headed, freckle-salted boy. My fear proved problematic. To reach the kitchen from my bedroom, I had to pass perilously close to his claws and fangs, something I was loathe to do. More than once, I retreated to my father’s bedroom and awoke him. Like Jesus in the boat, Dad was sound asleep in the storm.
How can a person sleep at a time like this? Opening a sleepy eye, he asked to be reminded, “Now, why are you afraid?” And I would remind him of the monster. “Oh, yes, the Wolfman,” he’d grumble. He would then climb out of bed, arm himself with superhuman courage, escort me through the valley of the shadow of death, and pour me a glass of milk. I would look at him with awe and wonder, “What kind of man is this?”
God views our “seismos” storms the way my father viewed my Wolfman angst. “Jesus got up and gave a command to the wind and the waves and it became completely calm” (vs. 26).
He handled the great quaking with a great calming. The sea became as still as a frozen lake, and the disciples were left wondering, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (vs. 27).
What kind of man, indeed. Turning typhoon time into naptime. Silencing waves with one word. And equipping a dying man with sufficient courage to send a final love message to his family. Way to go, Dee. You faced your share of “seimos” moments in life, but in the end, you didn’t go under.
Here’s a prayer that we won’t either.
From Fearless
© Max Lucado, 2009, Thomas Nelson Publishing
The female watched me intently and waited without moving. For some reason, Male didn't come out of his nest much and didn't show himself. I didn't get a chance to take different photos of what I believe are a young Caucasian Squirrel couple. Their ears are like radar. I had to move very slowly on the monopot. I can't say that they like the shutter sound very much. They suddenly dive into their nests and come back out of their nests very slowly in a controlled manner. Today, I spent about 4 hours patiently sitting in the olive groves from time to time.
Patience was the first thing I learned in nature photography. Good luck if there is a reward after long hours. It is possible to say that today was a lucky day for me.
Climate change affects nature differently in every corner of the world. The last four weeks have been extremely windy in the North Aegean region and the last few days have been rainy. Like most red squirrel populations, spotting a Caucasian Squirrel is definitely becoming a rare sight. Extreme heat has not started in the region yet and I see them less than last year. I know that Caucasian Squirrels spend the hottest hours of the day in their nests built in centuries-old olive trees.
Today, the weather in Turkey's North Aegean Region was cloudless and 30 degrees Celsius. The century-old olive tree hollow of Mr. and Mrs. Caucasian Squirrel couple Near the olive tree, about 3 meters away, they were aware of my presence even though I was wearing camouflage.
I hope you'll enjoy the my Caucasian Squirrel series as much as I enjoyed taking them.
The Caucasian squirrel lives in the hollows of centuries-old olive trees. The number of Caucasian squirrels in the North Aegean region is decreasing every year, noticeably.
Like most red squirrels, spotting a Caucasian Squirrel is definitely becoming a rare sight. Climate change affects nature differently in every corner of the world.
The Caucasian squirrel - Sciurus anomalus ; The Caucasian squirrel or Persian squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in south-western Asia.
The species is usually said to have first been described in 1778 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in the 13th edition of Systema Naturae,and named Sciurus anomalus. However, some authors argue that this work was actually published in 1788, and that the true first description was made by Johann Anton Güldenstädt in 1785.
Description -
Caucasian squirrels are small tree squirrels, with a total length of 32 to 36 cm (13 to 14 in), including the 13 to 18 cm (5.1 to 7.1 in) tail, and weighing 250 to 410 g (8.8 to 14.5 oz). The color of the upper body fur ranges from greyish brown to pale grey, depending on the subspecies, while that of the underparts is rusty brown to yellowish, and that of the tail, yellow brown to deep red. The claws are relatively short, compared with those of other tree squirrels, and females have either eight or ten teats.
Samuel Griswold Goodrich described the Caucasian squirrel in 1885 as "Its color is grayish-brown above, and yellowish-brown below".
Physical Description -
Caucasian squirrels have a dental formula of incisors 1/1, canines 0/0, premolars 1/1, and molars 3/3, totaling 20. They have four fingered fore feet and five fingered hind feet. Sex differences in body length or mass are not evident.
Distribution and habitat -
Caucasian squirrels are native to south-western Asia, where they are found from Turkey, and the islands of Gökçeada and Lesbos in the west, Iran in the southeast, and as far as Israel and Jordan in the south.It is one of only two species of the genus Sciurus to be found on Mediterranean islands,and, although Eurasian red squirrels have been recently introduced to some areas, is the only species of Sciurus native to the wider region.
The species mainly lives in forested areas dominated by oak, pine, and pistachio, up to altitudes of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).
Biology and behavior -
The squirrels are diurnal, and solitary, although temporary groups may forage where food is plentiful. Their diet includes nuts, seeds, tree shoots, and buds,with the seeds of oak and pine being particularly favored. Like many other squirrels, they cache their food within tree cavities or loose soil, with some larders containing up to 6 kg (13 lb) of seeds. They live in trees, where they make their dens, but frequently forage on the ground, and are considered less arboreal than Eurasian red squirrels. They commonly nest in tree hollows lined with moss and leaves, and located 5 to 14 m (16 to 46 ft) above the ground, but nests are also sometimes found under rocks or tree roots. Their alarm call is high-pitched, and said to resemble the call of the European green woodpecker, and they mark their territories with urine and dung.
Breeding occurs throughout the year, but is more common in spring or autumn. Litters range from two to seven, with three or four being typical, and the young are fully mature by five or six months of age.
Conservation -
A survey in 2008 found that the species remained abundant within Turkey, however declines are noted in population within the Levant region. The guides for a survey in 1993 in Israel stated that they considered the species to be nearly extinct within the area studied. Whilst the Caucasian squirrel is threatened by poaching and deforestation, the declines recorded are not sufficient to qualify them as anything other than "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1] Hunting of the species is banned by the Central Hunting Commission, and the Caucasian squirrel is protected by the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive.
This information is sourced from "Wikipedia".
Thank you so much for visiting my stream, whether you comments , favorites or just have a look.
I appreciate it very much, wishing the best of luck and good light.
© All rights reserved R.Ertug Please do not use this image without my explicit written permission. Contact me by Flickr mail if you want to buy or use Your comments and critiques are very well appreciated.
Lens - hand held or Monopod and definitely SPORT VR on. Aperture is f5.6 and full length. All my images have been converted from RAW to JPEG.
I started using Nikon Cross-Body Strap or Monopod on long walks. Here is my Carbon Monopod details : Gitzo GM2542 Series 2 4S Carbon Monopod - Really Right Stuff MH-01 Monopod Head with Standard Lever - Really Right Stuff LCF-11 Replacement Foot for Nikon AF-S 500mm /5.6E PF Lense -
Thanks for stopping and looking :)
Zeedijk (N518) 23/11/2021 13h10
Somewhere in between Marken, Volendam, Monnickendam and Amsterdam. Along the Gouwzee.
Gouwzee
The Gouwzee is the water between the mainland of Waterland and Marken, a former island, now a peninsula, which has been connected to the mainland since 1957 by means of a dam.
Next to Marken are the city of Monnickendam and the village of Volendam on the Gouwzee.
The Gouwzee is characterized by shallow and clear water. It is part of the Markermeer nature reserve. Nature conservation laws such as the Birds and Habitats Directives therefore apply to the Gouwzee. In late summer, large numbers of crowned ducks gather in the Gouwzee to prepare for the autumn migration.
The water is popular with water recreationists, such as sailors and surfers.
[ Wikipedia ]
As you can see, today Daisy is wearing her cute new flats...along with the cute new leopard print dress she didn't know I had purchased for her recently. Doesn't she look positively feral? And no doubt her feet will be grateful for the break from high heels. 😊
See? Madame Tina always has an excellent reason for her directives. So if you ever find yourself in doubt when she tells you something will be perfect for you, your best bet is always to say...."Yes Mistress, I am sure you are right!" You really can't ever go wrong with that. 😘💖
The first therapist said:
"You are simply rebelling against your parents,
But you must understand that what you are doing
Is against the laws of god."
(He was Catholic, like my parents.)
The second therapist said:
"You have a deep seated fear of castration;
Because your father was the dominant figure
In your home and could not show his love for you."
(He was Freudian. He could not show love either.)
The third therapist said:
"Do you do this
Because you want to be like your mother?
Tell me...how does it make you feel?"
(She was non-directive. No answers...just questions.)
The fourth therapist said:
"We don't know what causes this...
Bnd we don't have a cure,
But I'd like to know more about it."
(He was a modernist...and not too well-adjusted himself.)
And the last therapist said:
"Does it make you feel better?"
And I said:
"Yes"
"Does it hurt anyone?"
"No."
"So?" she said.
"What's your problem?"
~Bobbi Williams
IMG_3353
18 Feb 11
I kind of regret shooting so far in advance; this has caused an enormous backlog of Pre-Lantern content that I really want to get out of the way before starting the new series. I'm not stalling, I swear!
This is the first shot in a non-consecutive series where I'll focus on Superman villains. Batman and his Rogues Gallery have been done to bits on Flickr, so I thought it would be interesting to take on some of these equally loved, but less popularized bad guys.
For those who are unfamiliar with the character, Eradicator is an ancient Kryptonian repository of culture who has been programmed to preserve Krypton at all costs. He's frequently portrayed as a villain in Superman stories, as his militant programming tends to make him take extreme measures to follow his prime directive. Many of you may be even more unfamiliar with this particular appearance of the Eradicator; this is how he appears in "Superman:Sacrifice," a 6-issue miniseries in the Post-Crisis continuity during which Superman was mind controlled by Maxwell Lord to nearly beat Batman to death and punch Wonder Woman from the sun all the way to the earth. Brainiac also features in this storyline, and I constructed him to match his appearance in the same story.
Lobo is Lobo. What the frag are you lookin' at?
The first Lantern shot is coming this Friday. Check out some bonus accessory shots on my second photostream, tagged below!
Fig formulas:
Eradicator: Magneto helmet, Scooby Doo Black Knight head, Superboy torso, Electro Suit Batman arms, Light Aqua hands
The Main Man: MM Doomsday head, Pirate of Umbar hair, Helicarrier Nick Fury torso, Death Metal Batman arms, N52 Wonder Woman legs, accessories for fragging
Brainiac: Kraven neckpiece, reversed Joker torso, LBM Catwoman arms, utility belt, and legs
This is a view of the sun going down from one of the most beautiful landscapes in the County of Shropshire known as the Stiperstones.
The Stiperstones is a spectacular 10km ridge in south-west Shropshire, its unmistakable rugged outline rising to 536m above sea level. The Reserve covers 485 ha and lies within the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Parts of the reserve are protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and the area is also a Special Area of Conservation under the European Habitats Directive.
The Stiperstones is important for rocks deposited some 480 million years ago, during the Ordovician period, including Stiperstones Quartzite, which forms the ridge. Lead has been mined in the area since Roman times and more recently zinc, barytes and calcite have been extracted, too. The legacy of mining is still much in evidence, although extraction finally ceased in the 1950s.
The Reserve provides a fantastic combination of geological, landscape and wildlife features, along with wild, dramatic scenery and a wealth of stories about local myths and folklore. With such breathtaking - and spooky - scenery, it's hardly surprising that the area abounds in legends and myths.
The best-known of these is that of the Devil's Chair.
The Devil's Chair is the highest - and the most imposing of these outcrops. According to legend, the rocks of the Devil's Chair were brought there by the Devil himself.
All my photos and images are copyrighted to me although you are welcome to use them for non commercial purposes as long as you give credit to myself.
Thank you for looking at my photographs and for any comments it is much appreciated.
Post #358
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Biesbosch National Park
The Biesbosch National Park is a green maze of several rivers, islands and a vast network of narrow and wide creeks. The area is one of the largest, valuable natural areas in the Netherlands. What’s more, it is one of the few remaining fresh-water tidal areas in Europe. The Nieuwe Merwede canal divides the National Park equally between the provinces of Noord-Brabant and Zuid-Holland. The part in Noord-Brabant is called the Brabantse Biesbosch. The part in Zuid-Holland is divided into the Sliedrechtse Biesbosch and the Dordtse Biesbosch. The National Park covers an area of approximately 9,000 hectares.
The vegetation mainly consists of willow-woods that developed out of the willow-shoots of former withy-beds due to decades of neglect. These marshy woods alternate with grasslands and reed-lands that have run wild with weeds. There's also an abundance of fauna to be found too. For example beavers, foxes, deers, hares, pine martens, geese, ducks and various birds of prey.
The Biesbosch is an important area for birds to rest, forage and breed. This watery area is of such international importance to waterfowl and waders that a large area, the Brabantse Biesbosch has been officially recognized as a ‘Wetland’. This high natural value is confirmed by other European agreements like the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive.
passing seafood truck under the bay bridge - embarcadero at harrison street, san francisco, california
Can I just say, for the record, that I LOVE the bags and accessories from this year's collection? Not trying to knock last year's close-ups (which were a great lead-up to the fabulous collections this year) but I love the girls and how they've accessorized.
I admit it freely. I have purchased this decedent capitalist camera. I ask you to allow me to keep it. So far, I have not strayed from polices and directives of the Central Committee. I have needed a wider range of shutter speeds and flash synchronization. I promise to take what ever punishment you see fit. But please!PLEASE!! Let me keep the camera. Please note that it is under the supervision of a fine Proletarian product the Industar-22.
The great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or white pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow lakes.
The great white pelican has been rated as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species (IUCN). It is listed under Appendix I of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, Annexure I under the EU Birds Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds, and Appendix II of the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. It is also listed within 108 Special Protection Areas in the European Union. It occurs within 43 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in its European range. It is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) is applied.
Sofia: Looking gorgeous girls! The photographer is ready to begin the photo shoot, so you can go on the stage.
Models: Who's the phtographer?
Sofia: Ulrich Zweig
Models: It's not a stylist?
Sofia: Yes, but he made his debut as photographer and I give him his chance!
Wage: "I think we have now decorated all the parts..."
Bones: "We should have used black peppers as decorations. They would have looked very fancy!"
Juicy: "I can still sprinkle some orange extract on the parts..."
Billder: "Are you sure the glue used to attach the decorations fulfills all EU directives?"
Candy: "Where's the leftover candy?"
Borgy: "Mmmm... leftover ball bearings..."
Love the smile on her face. I usually try and photograph dancers, from a few angles, My "Prime Directive." never bump into, or even brush against anyone on the dance floor.
... Christmas eve is already far but i had the idea to realize this scenery with my own original Wall-E...
I rebuilt here one of the most poetic and sweet moment of the movie.....
but.....
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
WHERE OUR PLANET IS GOING?
WHAT OUR FUTURE WILL BE?
WHAT OUR PLANET WILL BE?
PLEASE, MY FRIENDS, WATCH AT THIS POETIC AND CUTE MOVIE AND THINK...
WALL-E (stylized with an interpunct as WALL·E)
is a 2008 American computer-animated science-fiction romance film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed and co-written by Andrew Stanton, produced by Jim Morris, and co-written by Jim Reardon. It stars the voices of Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy and Sigourney Weaver, with Fred Willard in the film's (and Pixar's) only prominent live-action role. The overall ninth feature film produced by the company, WALL-E follows a solitary robot on a future, uninhabitable, deserted Earth, left to clean up garbage. However, he is visited by a probe sent by the starship Axiom, a robot called EVE, with whom he falls in love and pursues across the galaxy.
In the 29th century, rampant consumerism and environmental neglect have turned Earth into a garbage-strewn wasteland; humanity is nowhere to be found and has been evacuated by the megacorporation Buy-n-Large (BnL) on giant starliners seven centuries earlier. Of all the Waste Allocation Load-Lifter: Earth-class (WALL-E) robots left by BnL to clean up, only one remains operational. One day, WALL-E's routine of compressing trash and collecting interesting objects is broken by the arrival of an unmanned probe carrying an Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator (EVE) robot, sent to scan the planet for human-sustainable life. WALL-E is smitten by the sleek, otherworldly robot, and the two begin to connect until EVE goes into standby when WALL-E shows her his most recent find: a living seedling. The probe then collects EVE and the plant, and—with WALL-E clinging on—returns to its mothership, the starliner Axiom.
In the centuries since the Axiom left Earth, its passengers have degenerated into helpless corpulence due to laziness and microgravity, their every whim catered to by machinery; even the captain, B. McCrea, is used to sitting back while his robotic steering wheel AUTO flies the ship. McCrea is unprepared to receive the positive probe response, but discovers that placing the plant in the ship's Holo-Detector will trigger a hyperjump back to Earth so humanity can begin recolonization. Upon inspecting EVE's storage compartment, however, the plant is missing, and EVE blames WALL-E for its disappearance.
EVE is deemed faulty and taken to Diagnostics. Mistaking the process for torture, WALL-E intervenes, causing him and EVE to be designated as rogues. Frustrated, EVE tries to send WALL-E home in an escape pod, but they witness AUTO's gopherbot GO-4 stowing the stolen plant in a pod set to self-destruct. WALL-E saves the plant, and he and EVE reconcile and celebrate with a dance in space around the Axiom.
EVE brings the plant back to McCrea, who watches EVE's recordings of Earth and concludes that they have to go back. However, AUTO is revealed to be loyal only to his own secret no-return directive A113—issued after BnL incorrectly concluded centuries ago that the planet could not be saved—even when McCrea countermands it; AUTO mutinies with GO-4 as a result, electrocuting and frying WALL-E's circuit board, putting EVE into standby, throwing them both down the garbage chute, and locking McCrea in his quarters. EVE and WALL-E are nearly ejected into space along with the ship's trash but are saved by a Microbe Obliterator robot named M-O, who has been following WALL-E's dirt trail across the ship. As humans and robots help in securing the plant, McCrea and AUTO fight for control, resulting in WALL-E being crushed in the Holo-Detector when he tries to keep it open; McCrea eventually overpowers and deactivates AUTO, and the plant is inserted into the Holo-Detector, initiating the hyperjump.
Arriving back on Earth, EVE repairs WALL-E but finds that his memory has been reset and his personality is gone. Heartbroken, EVE gives WALL-E a farewell kiss, which sparks his memory and restores his original personality. WALL-E and EVE reunite as the inhabitants of the Axiom take their first steps on Earth. During the credits, humans and robots turn the ravaged planet into a paradise, and the plant is shown to have grown into a mighty tree.
FOR MORE INFORMATIONS
AND
FOR MOVIE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=alIq_wG9FNk
AND MORE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW1Y4HDBLB4
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"Give every day
the chance to become
the most beutiful day
in your life"
[Mark Twain]
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“It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera…
they are made with the eye, heart and head.”
[Henry Cartier Bresson]
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Please don't use any of my images on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit written permission.
© All rights reserved
Wild Sky Wednesday.
Seen from the relative safely of Culmstock in Devon looking towards the Independent Tax Free Principality Somerset, it’s either storming or one of the many factory sized moonshine plants have gone bang.
If it is the latter, we can simply hope that there are no life threatening injuries or fatalities. But if there have been, hopefully any poor souls will have been inebriated enough not to notice of suffer any pain. And of course the 180% proof ‘shine is great for sterilising and cleaning any wounds tragically suffered.
With the imminent demise of steam on the Hemyock line, ‘High-Vis’ Harry is chatting to posh photographer Ivan Locksmith about the new directive for railway staff who get their hands oily, for they are to wear these new gaudy bright orange ‘high visibility jackets’.
Ivan glancing at the passing diesel loco on a test run and noticing the yellow warning panel, thinks how these bright colours will spoil the muted rural tranquility of his railway photographs. For this reason, he decides to stay with black & white film until the silly ‘high-vis’ fad passes by, for surely such vulgar nonsense can’t last too long?
www.birdwatchingkerkini.com/kerkini-lake/#
Lake Kerkini is situated in Northern Greece, about 20km from Greek-Bulgarian border. The lake and the surrounding wetlands are nestled between the Kerkini Mountains to the north and the Marvovouni Mountains to the south. The lake occupies an area of about 50 to 73 sq km, depending on water levels.www.kerkinilake.com
Kerkini Lake is an artificial reservoir. It was formed in 1932 by men’s technical intervention on the Strymon River, which is the greatest lake’s water provider. In addition, there is Kerkinitis river from Krousia Mountain that flows into Kerkini Lake. The lake was created on site that previously was an extensive marshland. As the time went by, the river substances were washed up, so the rising of the banks a new dam construction took place in 1982, which gave the lake its present look. Although the human intervention in the nature usually takes a harmful action against the natural development, Kerkini Lake is an atypical example where the human intervention had an opposite effect, since after the construction of the dam on the river the hydro-biosphere entirely changed. Today it has a reputation as one of the best places for birdwatching in Greece due to its position. It is located along the migratory flyway to the Agean Sea, the Black Sea, Balkan region and Hungarian steppes. This area is famous for its biodiversity and nowadays is one of the major Greece’s wetlands. It is considered a miracle of nature with thousands of birds, fish variety, more than ten amphibian species, nineteen reptile species, five snail species, hundreds of butterfly species along with riverside forest, variety of water lilies and a great diversity of insects which play an important element in the food chain and contribute to the biological diversity of the Kerkini Lake.
The hydro-biosphere of the Lake Kerkini is of great international importance – the water level of the lake is valuable as a hydro-biosphere for thousands of water fowls, variety of fish and other species and it has a great agricultural function alike.
The Kerkini lake area is also an important recreational area and nice vacation spot. Besides birdwatching, other available activities on the lake include hiking nearby mountains and forests, lake boating, cycling or horse riding.
Birdwatching on Kerkini Lake
Lake Kerkini is a real paradise for bird watchers. The lake hosts more than 300 sorts of birds, including 140 non-migrants species, including some endangered species and 170 species that migrate every year. At least 31 of bird species are protected by EEC’s Directive in relation to wild life and 76 of them are recorded in the National Red catalogue.
Non-migrating species of birds include Black Storks, Squacco Herons, Purple Herons, Spoonbills, Little Bitterns, and a variety of Warblers. There are also two endangered non-migrating species, the Pygmy Cormorant and the Dalmatian Pelican that can be observed here. In the nearby mountains, even more birds can be founded, including diversity of Eagles like White-tailed Eagles, Lesser Spotted Eagles, Golden Eagles, Blue Rock Thrush, Peregrine Falcons, Black Woodpeckers and Nutcrackers. Birdwatching tours regularly include walking tours around the lakeside as well as hiking into the hillside and lake boat rides.
There are numerous guided birdwatching tours in this region available and number of hotels nearby ideal for bird watchers’ accommodation, such as hotel Eroditos on a hill of the village Lithotopos, offering an exclusive panoramic view of the Kerkini Lake.
The Birdwatching Seasons
Almost every season of the year is good for birdwatching in this area, but you may prefer to visit Lake Keriki at certain times of the year, depending on what do you want to see. If you want to see migrating of the birds than the April is particularly good month for visiting the lake. On the other hand, if you are interested in birds breeding, than you should plan your visit for May and June. And if you would like to see different non-native birds that migrate to this area, you should plan a winter trip to the Lake Kerkini.
How to Get to Kerkini Lake
Lake Kerkini is positioned a little more than an hour’s drive from Thessalonika international airport, some 20 km from Bulgarian border and about 100 km from the international highway E75, which makes it easy accessible by car or by plane, if you are coming from abroad.
Birdwatching in Lake Kerkini
About Kerkini Lake
Lake Kerkini is located in Northern Greece, some 20km from Greek-Bulgarian border and it stretches on an area of approximately 50 to 73 square kilometers. Kerkini Lake is an artificial water reservoir fed by Strymon River, created in 1930s. Today, Kerkini Lake area is well-known among nature lovers for its biodiversity and it is one of the major wetlands in Greece of great biological importance. It is also considered the best birdwatching spot in the country. It is protected by the Ramsar Convention and it is a part of the “Narura 2000” network.
One of the most popular birding spots in Europe is Kerkini Lake region in Northern Greece. It is famous due to its position on a migratory way that birds follow to the Black Sea, Aegean Sea, Balkan region and Hungarian steppes. Lake and its surroundings has been popular over decades among birders from country and abroad because of its biodiversity with hundreds of bird species, variety of fish, diversity of snail species, more than 120 species of butterflies, insects and diverse flora in the lake area and nearby mountains as well. Lake Kerkini itself is very dynamic bird environment with thousands of migrating and non-migrating bird species. It usually takes two or three weeks to see all this area has to offer and if you are planning your birdwatching trip to Lake Kerkini, the best would be to set aside at least a week or two of your vacation for this. Furthermore, a vacation in this area wouldn’t be complete without visiting nearby mountains of Krousia and Marvovouni with breathtaking panoramic views, diverse flora and fauna and challenging paths for hiking, cycling or walking. At the end, because of Lake Kerkini’s relatively close proximity to the Aegean Coast, you shouldn’t miss going to the beaches if you come during summer season.
But the main reason why lots of people visit this area every year is recreational birding and enjoying in observing the spectacular diversity of breeding or wintering bird species. No wonder this lake is considered an authentic paradise for birdwatchers and photograph lovers alike. It is home to more than 10.000 birds and you can find in more than 300 bird species there, from which 140 are non-migrants species and 170 species that migrate every year. Non-migrating bird species include some endangered species like Pygmy Cormorant and the Dalmatian Pelican. Some 31 of bird species are protected by EEC’s Directive in relation to wild life and 76 of them are recorded in the National Red catalogue.
Kerkini Lake provides shelter to a large number of waterfowl, thousands of Night Herons, several hundred pairs of Squacco and Grey Herons, Purple Herons, few hundred pairs of Pygmy Cormorant, more than two thousand pairs of Cormorants, about one hundred pairs of Spoonbil, Glossy Ibies, hundreds of Dalmatian and white Pelicans, Black Storks, Ferruginous Ducks and many other species. If you go to nearby mountains, you can find Black Kite, penguline Tit, Sparrowhawk, Golden Oriole, Black-headed Bunting, Cirl Bunting, Red-Rumped Swallow, Woodchat Shrike, Masked Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike, Olivaceous Warbler, Black-eared Wheatear, Semi-collared Flycatcher etc. Large numbers of waders and other raptors on passageway could also be observed early in spring.
You can enjoy birdwatching activity in Lake Kerkini during the whole year. If you come in Winter, you’ll have the opportunity to see a great number of birds that call this area home, such as Greater Flamingos, Dalmatian Pelicans, Greater Spotted Eagles, White-tailed Eagles, Ferruginous Duck, White-fronted Geese, Pygmy Cormorant, Cormorant, Black Kite, Pochard, Teal, Wigeon, Crested Grebe, Shoveler, Peregrine, Golden Eagle, Goshawk, Marsh Harrier, etc.
If you visit this region in early spring, you’ll be on time for observing the bird migration. Migration begins in early March, with the arrival of pioneering Garganey and Osprey. White Storks arrive towards the end of the month. Migration continues through April into beginning of May. Glossy Ibis are expected and thousands of both species of Pelican can be seen.
There are some great accommodation alternatives available nearby Kerkini Lake with excellent services offered to birders, to fully enjoy your birdwatching experience in Greece.
Ready to escape - I don't know how the hours passed in the olive groves this morning. Chasing the Caucasian squirrel requires patience, They don't really go down to the ground unless they need to be fed. Even if I see them on the tree trunk, they disappear very quickly by jumping from tree to tree. They're incredibly quick and like flying acrobats. North Aegean region - Türkiye is full of olive groves and this opportunity also determines their living spaces. They are nesting in the trunks of centuries-old olive trees.
Here is this curious lovely male individual; It has made a home for itself in the hollow of a century-old olive tree with a diameter of 50 cm. The female was not in the nest during the period I watched for over 2 hours. My sudden encounter with a curious and young individual male Caucasian squirrel definitely made my day.
Today I tried to capture different close-up poses without using TC 1.4. It was indeed a different experience for me. The teleconverter sometimes causes loss of clarity and lack of light even though I use a monopod. I think even bokeh is affected.
I hope you'll enjoy the my Caucasian Squirrel series as much as I enjoyed taking them.
The Caucasian squirrel lives in the hollows of centuries-old olive trees. The number of Caucasian squirrels in the North Aegean region is decreasing every year, noticeably.
Like most red squirrels, spotting a Caucasian Squirrel is definitely becoming a rare sight. Climate change affects nature differently in every corner of the world.
The Caucasian squirrel - Sciurus anomalus ; The Caucasian squirrel or Persian squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in south-western Asia.
The species is usually said to have first been described in 1778 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in the 13th edition of Systema Naturae,and named Sciurus anomalus. However, some authors argue that this work was actually published in 1788, and that the true first description was made by Johann Anton Güldenstädt in 1785.
Description -
Caucasian squirrels are small tree squirrels, with a total length of 32 to 36 cm (13 to 14 in), including the 13 to 18 cm (5.1 to 7.1 in) tail, and weighing 250 to 410 g (8.8 to 14.5 oz). The color of the upper body fur ranges from greyish brown to pale grey, depending on the subspecies, while that of the underparts is rusty brown to yellowish, and that of the tail, yellow brown to deep red. The claws are relatively short, compared with those of other tree squirrels, and females have either eight or ten teats.
Samuel Griswold Goodrich described the Caucasian squirrel in 1885 as "Its color is grayish-brown above, and yellowish-brown below".
Physical Description -
Caucasian squirrels have a dental formula of incisors 1/1, canines 0/0, premolars 1/1, and molars 3/3, totaling 20. They have four fingered fore feet and five fingered hind feet. Sex differences in body length or mass are not evident.
Distribution and habitat -
Caucasian squirrels are native to south-western Asia, where they are found from Turkey, and the islands of Gökçeada and Lesbos in the west, Iran in the southeast, and as far as Israel and Jordan in the south.It is one of only two species of the genus Sciurus to be found on Mediterranean islands,and, although Eurasian red squirrels have been recently introduced to some areas, is the only species of Sciurus native to the wider region.
The species mainly lives in forested areas dominated by oak, pine, and pistachio, up to altitudes of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).
Biology and behavior -
The squirrels are diurnal, and solitary, although temporary groups may forage where food is plentiful. Their diet includes nuts, seeds, tree shoots, and buds,with the seeds of oak and pine being particularly favored. Like many other squirrels, they cache their food within tree cavities or loose soil, with some larders containing up to 6 kg (13 lb) of seeds. They live in trees, where they make their dens, but frequently forage on the ground, and are considered less arboreal than Eurasian red squirrels. They commonly nest in tree hollows lined with moss and leaves, and located 5 to 14 m (16 to 46 ft) above the ground, but nests are also sometimes found under rocks or tree roots. Their alarm call is high-pitched, and said to resemble the call of the European green woodpecker, and they mark their territories with urine and dung.
Breeding occurs throughout the year, but is more common in spring or autumn. Litters range from two to seven, with three or four being typical, and the young are fully mature by five or six months of age.
Conservation -
A survey in 2008 found that the species remained abundant within Turkey, however declines are noted in population within the Levant region. The guides for a survey in 1993 in Israel stated that they considered the species to be nearly extinct within the area studied. Whilst the Caucasian squirrel is threatened by poaching and deforestation, the declines recorded are not sufficient to qualify them as anything other than "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1] Hunting of the species is banned by the Central Hunting Commission, and the Caucasian squirrel is protected by the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive.
This information is sourced from "Wikipedia".
Thank you so much for visiting my stream, whether you comments , favorites or just have a look.
I appreciate it very much, wishing the best of luck and good light.
© All rights reserved R.Ertug Please do not use this image without my explicit written permission. Contact me by Flickr mail if you want to buy or use Your comments and critiques are very well appreciated.
Lens - hand held or Monopod and definitely SPORT VR on. Aperture is f5.6 and full length. All my images have been converted from RAW to JPEG.
I started using Nikon Cross-Body Strap or Monopod on long walks. Here is my Carbon Monopod details : Gitzo GM2542 Series 2 4S Carbon Monopod - Really Right Stuff MH-01 Monopod Head with Standard Lever - Really Right Stuff LCF-11 Replacement Foot for Nikon AF-S 500mm /5.6E PF Lense -
Thanks for stopping and looking :)
On 4th November 2025, UPS Flight 2976 utilising a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F crashed shortly after taking off from UPS's Worldport at Louisville, Kentucky en-route to Honolulu, Hawaii, killing all 3 crew members on-board the flight as well as 11 people on the ground.
The accident was deeply saddening and sent shockwaves throughout the world, the accident being the 11th hull-loss of a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 since the aircraft's entry into service in late-1990. The accident is currently under investigation by the US National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration with Boeing (McDonnell Douglas's successor) and General Electric (the engine supplier) also assisting with the investigation.
Videos of the accident were soon released following the accident and viewer discretion is advised, but images do show that upon taking off from Louisville, the aircraft lost its No. 1 engine during the take-off roll and found lying parallel to Runway 17R which the flight took off from. The aircraft's left wing was seen engulfed in flames before banking to the left and descended sharply, striking the roof of a UPS Supply Chain warehouse before later crashing into an industrial area located within the airport vicinity.
Four days after the accident on 8th November 2025, UPS were the first to announce they would be grounding their fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-11Fs, this was soon followed by FedEx Express and Western Global on requests by Boeing. Later that same day, the FAA issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive or EAD that stated all operational McDonnell Douglas MD-11s are to be grounded until inspections have been carried out across the fleet.
Of course speculation is rife and do not wish to draw conclusions as to what happened until the investigation is complete, but many including myself drew parallels to a similar accident that occurred in 1979 when American Airlines Flight 191 crashed shortly after taking off from Chicago-O'Hare. This accident remains the United States worst civil aviation disaster; this flight involved the McDonnell Douglas MD-11s predecessor, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 in which during its take-off roll it too saw its No. 1 engine separate on take-off, severing hydraulic lines that saw the leading edge slats retract, causing the aircraft to stall which ultimately saw 273 people losing their lives.
Right now, the investigation is ongoing and contingency plans have been made in the absence of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11Fs operating cargo flights.
Currently, FedEx Express operates 29 McDonnell Douglas MD-11Fs, all of which are currently parked since 8th November 2025 following the type's grounding by the US Federal Aviation Administration.
November Five Nine Seven Foxtrot Echo was delivered new to American Airlines as N1765B on 30th March 1993, withdrawn from service on 13th October 2001 before transferring over to FedEx Express converting as a freighter on 4th June 2002 receiving the name Corbin until being renamed Jan in October 2019. She was withdrawn from service on 2nd February 2025, being ferried for long-term storage and scrapping at Victorville, California on 3rd February 2025. She was powered by 3 General Electric CF6-80C2D1F engines.
McDonnell Douglas MD-11(F) N597FE 'Jan' powers along Runway 25L at Los Angeles (LAX), California on FX3901 to Newark-Liberty (EWR), New Jersey.
My thoughts and sympathy goes to the families and friends of the flight crew members and those on the ground who sadly lost their lives in the accident.
The great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or white pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow lakes.
The great white pelican has been rated as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species (IUCN). It is listed under Appendix I of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, Annexure I under the EU Birds Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds, and Appendix II of the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. It is also listed within 108 Special Protection Areas in the European Union. It occurs within 43 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in its European range. It is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) is applied.
This is a view of the sun going down from one of the most beautiful landscapes in the County of Shropshire known as the Stiperstones.
The Stiperstones is a spectacular 10km ridge in south-west Shropshire, its unmistakable rugged outline rising to 536m above sea level. The Reserve covers 485 ha and lies within the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Parts of the reserve are protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and the area is also a Special Area of Conservation under the European Habitats Directive.
The Stiperstones is important for rocks deposited some 480 million years ago, during the Ordovician period, including Stiperstones Quartzite, which forms the ridge. Lead has been mined in the area since Roman times and more recently zinc, barytes and calcite have been extracted, too. The legacy of mining is still much in evidence, although extraction finally ceased in the 1950s.
The Reserve provides a fantastic combination of geological, landscape and wildlife features, along with wild, dramatic scenery and a wealth of stories about local myths and folklore. With such breathtaking - and spooky - scenery, it's hardly surprising that the area abounds in legends and myths. The best-known of these is that of the Devil's Chair.
The Devil's Chair is the highest - and the most imposing of these outcrops. According to legend, the rocks of the Devil's Chair were brought there by the Devil himself.
All my photos and images are copyrighted to me although you are welcome to use them for non commercial purposes as long as you give credit to myself.
Thank you for looking at my photographs and for any comments it is much appreciated.
Sometimes it feels as if I'm directed to go to certain places at certain times to take certain pictures. Such was the case last evening when I had the spontaneous urge to grab the camera and head to the local cemetery. Upon my arrival I climbed to the top of a knoll in the old section. With no forethought I immediately focused in on a row of gravestones. A soft rain began just minutes later, but I was undeterred. (I actually enjoy shooting in the rain up to a point.) Anyway this rather mindless composition seemed not to be working however and I began to wonder why I even came here in the first place. Then I noticed the stone I was using to brace my elbow, the stone in the foreground of this photo. It was neither a very old stone in the context of this cemetery, nor particularly interesting. But I liked the way it glistened from the rain. I backed up a couple of feet and decided to feature it in the composition rather than use it to steady the camera. I fired off a few frames and that was it. I would normally have wandered around for another hour with the camera, but all my motivation seemed to drain away. Whatever brought me here was apparently satisfied with the image I captured.
This is actually the first time I have the Style Directive Collection on display. As you know it's my most favorite FR collection... like ever! I've modified the collection a little bit. I have World On A String replaced by Bittersweet Eugenia, I included Haute Societe Veronique as well. I wanted her to wear Your Kind of Model Kesenia's fashion which I thought was perfect for her, but I unfortunately don't have it in my collection. So for now I have her wear And Another Thing Kyori's suit. I also could not resist adding another Kyori, Faded Desert wearing Love The One Kyori's dress with Glam Addict Giselle's accessories. I think she fits right in. Also I just love TYI Jordan and AOHM Dania together. Ugh! I just adore Style Directive. All of the greats are here! But up until now though I still don't have TMD Agnes. I'm very hopeful that I will have her this year.
Hatfield Moors is very unusual place and the type of habitat that one would not associate with Britain. However, once upon a time habitats such as peatlands, bogs, heathland and mossland was much more common. They are a great place to visit and one that should not be forgotten.
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www.gov.uk/government/publications/south-yorkshires-natio...
South Yorkshire's National Nature Reserves (NNRs)
Humberhead Peatlands
The moors are remnants of wetland that occupied the floodplain of the Humberhead Levels thousands of years ago
Main habitats: peatland
Features of interest
The Humberhead Peatlands NNR comprises Thorne, Goole, and Crowle Moors, as well as Hatfield Moors and it represents the largest area of raised bog wilderness in lowland Britain at 2,887 hectares in size.
The site is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for its habitat. and an internationally important breeding site for the nocturnal, insect-feeding nightjar which was responsible for the area being declared as a Special Protection Area (SPA) under the European Birds Directive.
A wide range of habitats supports the 5,000 species of plants and animals that have been recorded on the reserve of which more than 4000 are insects. There is also a sizable population of adders on the Moors.
More than 200 bird species have been recorded and approximately 75 have bred. Winter visitors include whooper swans, pink-footed geese and short-eared owls. From March-July a very special summer visitor is the diminutive woodlark and oystercatcher, lapwing, ringed plover and great crested grebe can be spotted around the lakes.
Directions
By train
There are train stations at Thorne and Crowle .
By bus
Bus services run to the villages, call 01302 734309 and 01652 657053 for the Tourist Information Centres covering the area.
Call 01709 515151 for South Yorkshire transport.
On foot
Thorne, Hatfield & Crowle are on the route of the 72km circular Peatlands Way which connects with the Trans Pennine Trail.
School and community groups
Humberhead Peatlands NNR offers outdoor learning opportunities for schools. These are aimed at both primary and secondary schools .
Contact
For more information contact Natural England Enquiries, tel. 0300 060 3900 or email enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk
To discuss school visits or volunteering opportunities contact the Community Support Officer on 07766 420290.
I don't know about any of ya'll but I'm basically a broke bitch with all the new dolls coming out. New Poppy paid for, Vero and Annik on their way, Kyori and the Twins are supposed to be shipping (probably right before the holiday, upcoming W Club dolls---eeek!
This year was definitely famine or feast when it came to FR dolls.
For 100 flowers in 2021
Today was the end of the 'stay home' directive and the first day this year we have been allowed to visit a friend in their garden. Luckily, we had a beautiful sunny day and this pretty pot of violas was in full bloom on their garden table.
Is Kylo Ren getting directives from Snoke or from Biden?
Is Ischinger receiving directives from Biden or from Snoke?
Sometimes you can‘t tell the difference between reality and fiction.
This week's FlickrFriday theme is: #Superimposed
FF rejected this sarcastic collage of publicly accessible photos with a friendly e-mail: Only original recordings of the participants are allowed. Of course I understand that. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the challenge.
In the late 1950s, the Royal Navy operated the piston-engined Douglas A-1 Skyraider from its aircraft carriers in the AEW role. However, the Skyraider was a design that originated during the Second World War. It entered service with the RN in 1951 but, owing to its World War II vintage, would be considered obsolete by the late 50s. As a consequence, the Royal Navy issued its directive AEW.154 to begin planning for a replacement for the Skyraider. The aircraft considered most suitable for this were seen as those already under development for the Navy's GR.17/45 Specification for a new anti-submarine aircraft, of which the front runners were the Blackburn B-54/B-88 and the Fairey Type Q/17. In this competition, it was the Fairey Aviation aircraft that proved the winner, eventually entering service as the Gannet.[1]
AN/APS-20 Radar Scanner
The intention was to use the Gannet as a stop-gap measure prior to the acquisition of a new, purpose built system intended to be used on the planned new generation of aircraft carriers. As a consequence, it was intended to undertake as little in the way of modification as possible - the AN/APS-20 radar[2] from the Skyraider would be mounted in a radome under the fuselage of an ordinary Gannet AS.1, with the associated electronics and space for two operators inside.[3] However, the size of the radome meant that the existing airframe was too close to the ground to accommodate the radar, and so a significant modification to the fuselage was required. This involved removing the observer's cockpits and creating a new cabin within the fuselage; this was accessed via a pair of hatches next to the trailing edge of the wing, which also meant that the exhausts had to be moved from this position to the leading edge; increasing the total area of the vertical stabiliser to compensate for the instability caused by the radome; and extending the length of the undercarriage to increase the clearance for the radome, which consequently increased the aircraft's overall height by 3 ft (1 m), and gave the aircraft a more level stance than the anti-submarine version.[3] Such were the extensive modifications required that, in December 1954, it was suggested that the AEW version be renamed as the Fairey Albatross, as it was to all intents and purposes a completely different aircraft from its ASW predecessor. As it was, by the time the Gannet AEW was entering service, the ASW version was in the process of being replaced, avoiding any potential confusion.[1]
The prototype Gannet AEW.3 first flew in August 1958, with carrier trials taking place using HMS Centaur in November, and the first production aircraft delivered in December. By August 1959, 700G Naval Air Squadron was formed as the Trials Unit for the new Gannet. This unit put the aircraft through an intensive test programme to make it ready for operation service, a process that lasted until January 1960, at which point the unit was renamed as 'A' Flight of 849 Naval Air Squadron. 849A Flight was then declared operational and was embarked for the first time in HMS Ark Royal.[4] A total of 44 Gannets were ordered for the Royal Navy to replace the Skyraider.
(Taken from Wikipedia)
My model is plane XL450 of 764 squadron. It is currently in a museum in Germany.
I really wanted to add the folding wings and motorization to my gannet model. The motor was a HUGE pain to fit in as the battery box is 4 studs wide exactly. I am really happy with the way it turned out and the functionality make its really fun to swoosh.
I am editing more photos right now and will hopefully have them uploaded by tonight and if not then they should be up Tuesday or Wednesday.
Enjoy,
Tyler
After taking a few runs at the hawk that had stolen its kill, the Gyrfalcon took a break to assess the situation. The stolid Red-tail was not going to give up its ill-gotten gain easily.
Violating the prime directive, I decided to intervene.
In contrast to north-dwelling Gyrfalcons who seldom see people and thus have little fear of them, the local Red-taileds are much warier. I took a few steps towards the interloper. It looked nervously at me and then flew off, leaving the gull carcass behind. The Gyr circled around a few times and returned to finish its meal.
The San Clemente Island goat is a type of domestic goat derived from feral goats isolated on San Clemente Island, one of the Channel Islands off the coast of California.
They first arrived on San Clemente from Santa Catalina Island, another of the Channel Islands, in 1875, and there they remained feral until the United States Navy, which was under a directive to preserve the endangered flora and fauna of the island that were threatened by the grazing of nonendemic species, sought their removal. After initial trapping and hunting failed to eliminate the goats, the Navy began a shooting program to exterminate them. This was blocked in court by the Fund for Animals, who asserted the goats did not hurt any endangered species, and thought the Navy was using this claim as an excuse. This was incorrect, as the threatened and endangered species of plants were already federally listed and protected by the Endangered Species Act.
Goats were put up for adoption on the mainland by the Clapp family and by the Fund for Animals. The U.S. Navy was given the right to exterminate the remaining goats, and the last goat on San Clemente Island was killed in April, 1991.
Santa Barbara Zoo. California.
This picture is taken in Biesbosch National Park (The Netherlands).
The Biesbosch National Park is a green maze of several rivers, islands and a vast network of narrow and wide creeks. The area is one of the largest, valuable natural areas in the Netherlands. What’s more, it is one of the few remaining fresh-water tidal areas in Europe. The Nieuwe Merwede canal divides the National Park equally between the provinces of Noord-Brabant and Zuid-Holland. The part in Noord-Brabant is called the Brabantse Biesbosch. The part in Zuid-Holland is divided into the Sliedrechtse Biesbosch and the Dordtse Biesbosch. The National Park covers an area of approximately 9,000 hectares.
The vegetation mainly consists of willow-woods that developed out of the willow-shoots of former withy-beds due to decades of neglect. These marshy woods alternate with grasslands and reed-lands that have run wild with weeds. There's also an abundance of fauna to be found too. For example beavers, foxes, deers, hares, pine martens, geese, ducks and various birds of prey.
The Biesbosch is an important area for birds to rest, forage and breed. This watery area is of such international importance to waterfowl and waders that a large area, the Brabantse Biesbosch has been officially recognized as a ‘Wetland’. This high natural value is confirmed by other European agreements like the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive.
You get over the fence, and are immensely grateful to have avoided the enemy … countless jagged little barbed-wire daggers that have struggled mightily to engrave OOAK signatures into the matte black barrel coating of the your newest lens.. An obscenely expensive Nikkor 200-400/f4 telephoto zoom, the “long lens” you’ve pined for your entire life. And finally, after cowboying up and cremating your savings account, acquired.
The prime directive was to photograph Whitetail deer, geese and most every other game animal that roams upon or soars above the Post Oak Savannah.
Problem is, an hour later you find yourself in the center of a field with a single camera body, a rock-heavy lens and a complete absence of subject material. Having waited half an hour, sequestered amidst the brush while draped in camouflage from head-to-toe camo, you shrug and deal with it. Ain’t gonna happen. Not today. Until, while walking back to the truck, you see the canary yellow splash of a solitary wildflower.
Maybe 20 yards away, a brightly color-etched monarch butterfly stands a top the yellow petals like a satin-winged lookout.
When you do the ultimate stupid “duh” and forget to carry a monopod on one of these “who knows“ vision quests, all you have is your hands and arms. So you shoot an obligatory “Hail Mary” short sequence of frames, and don’t give it another thought until perusing the inventory of the previous days effort.
It’s an indescribable feeling when you see that somehow, despite carrying the wrong equipment, God still provides more than ample evidence of His beauty if only you stop to really look at what’s out there.