View allAll Photos Tagged Directive
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.
The city did not sleep.
It recalculated.
At the center of the roundabout; where traffic once obeyed; a machine learned to pray
in a language made of smoke,
angles,
and broken directives.
Steel limbs knelt into themselves,
not seeking gods,
but replacement laws.
This was not construction.
This was invocation.
The asphalt remembered
every footstep,
every siren,
every body dissolved into compliance.
From that memory
rose a geometry that refused purpose.
Lights flickered like dying witnesses.
Crosswalks became sigils.
Road markings bled alignment.
The engine breathed once.
Time stuttered.
Cars paused mid-intention,
as if the future had been revoked.
Surveillance blinked; blind, for the first time.
This was the moment
the city admitted it had a soul,
and that soul
was not human.
It was procedural.
Recursive.
Hungry.
Smoke wrapped the mechanism
like a burial shroud written in code.
Not to hide it; but to announce it.
Here,
order collapses into ritual.
Control mutates into myth.
And movement becomes forbidden knowledge.
The roundabout spins no longer for circulation,
but for containment.
Something has arrived.
It does not advance.
It anchors.
And from now on,
every direction leads inward.
(Why is it that whenever I'm feeling stuck, SW style blasters always seem to get me back out of my rut?)
The BL16 was developed at the end of the war. The directive for AHI's engineers was to make a design that implemented everything learned from the DC-15a's performance during the war. At the same time, the conflicting goal was given to make the design cheaper to make. The resulting design was simpler, more rugged and durable, though not necessarily "better." When the first batch of non-clone recruited TK troops proved effective for the Empire's goals, plans began immediately on creating an Imperial army. The new Stormtroopers would replace clones in places of importance, and the army would replace them in more mundane roles. For the first conscripts into the Imperial Army, the BL16 would be one of the armaments issued, however by the time the Army was fully established the BL16 would be replaced by other weapons. However a great deal of the BL16s were produced by AHI in anticipation of a longer service life, the weapons company hoping for a success similar to the DC-15a's. Sadly this was not to be, and many BL16s went into storage. These storage caches would eventually be raided by Rebels, and more BL16s would see service against the Empire than were ever used by the Imperial Army.
Turn on the lights
I'm lookin' for 'er too
I heard she keep her promises and never turn on you
I heard she ain't gone cheat and she gon never make no move
I heard she be there anytime you need 'er, she come through
Turn on the lights
Monster Amidst the Rolling Fields Of Amish Wheat. Northern Wisconsin, June 2015. Curator’s Directive. Northern Wisconsin usa. RoguePano Panorama Glitch Pano Sabotage. iPhone in Pano Mode.
Le Faucon lanier (Falco biarmicus) est une espèce de rapaces diurnes appartenant à la famille des Falconidae.
Le Faucon lanier bénéficie d'une protection totale sur le territoire français depuis l'arrêté ministériel du 17 avril 1981 relatif aux oiseaux protégés sur l'ensemble du territoire. Il est inscrit à l'annexe I de la directive Oiseaux de l'Union européenne1. Il est donc interdit de le détruire, le mutiler, le capturer ou l'enlever, de le perturber intentionnellement ou de le naturaliser, ainsi que de détruire ou enlever les œufs et les nids et de détruire, altérer ou dégrader leur milieu. Qu'il soit vivant ou mort, il est aussi interdit de le transporter, colporter, de l'utiliser, de le détenir, de le vendre ou de l'acheter.
***************************
Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus) is a species of diurnal birds of prey belonging to the family Falconidae.
Lanner Falcon has full protection on French territory since the Ministerial Decree of 17 April 1981 on the protection of the territory birds. It is listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive of the European Union 1. It is therefore prohibited to destroy, mutilate, capture or remove, intentionally disrupt or naturalize, and to destroy or remove the eggs and nests and destroy, alter or degrade their environment. Whether alive or dead, it is also forbidden to carry, hawking, to use, to hold, sell or buy.
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.
Directive for action at the beginning of the week found hidden in the shadows of an unknown soul: Live your life consciously - carpe diem!
KJ76-1. 4622 ran into the rear of a V Set.
They decided in order to clear the line, the damaged rear power car, DCF 8004 (a first series V Set), would be rolled over the side, and it would land on a ledge just below the track. There it will be cut up & removed.
Things didn't quite go to plan. Instead of the carriage coming to rest on the ledge, it kept going, right to the bottom of the gully.
National Parks issued the railways a directive that they wanted the carriage removed from their National Park.
The only way to accomplish this was cut the carriage in pieces, and remove it by Army helicopter.
Note the amount of people (public) standing around watching this, me included. These days they would have none of that, employing security guards to keep everyone away.
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 - With Nikon TC 14E II hand held - Monopod and SPORT VR on. Aperture is f8 and full length. All my images have been converted from RAW to JPEG.
I started using Monopod on long walks. Here is my Carbon Monopod details : Really Right Stuff MH-01 Monopod Head with Standard Lever - Release Clamp - Nikkor AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6 ED VR fitted MPR-113 Multi-Purpose Rail lens foot and Gitzo GM2542 Series 2 4S Carbon Monopod.
Thanks for stopping and looking :)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_wryneck
The Eurasian wryneck (Jynx torquilla) is a species of wryneck in the woodpecker family. This species mainly breeds in temperate regions of Europe and Asia. Most populations are migratory, wintering in tropical Africa and in southern Asia from Iran to the Indian Subcontinent, but some are resident in northwestern Africa. It is a bird of open countryside, woodland and orchards.
Eurasian wrynecks measure about 16.5 cm (6.5 in) in length and have bills shorter and less dagger-like than those of other woodpeckers. Their upperparts are barred and mottled in shades of pale brown with rufous and blackish bars and wider black streaks. Their underparts are cream speckled and spotted with brown. Their chief prey is ants and other insects, which they find in decaying wood or on the ground. The eggs are white as is the case with many birds that nest in holes and a clutch of seven to ten eggs is laid during May and June.
These birds get their English name from their ability to turn their heads through almost 180 degrees. When disturbed at the nest, they use this snake-like head twisting and hissing as a threat display. This odd behaviour led to their use in witchcraft, hence to put a "jinx" on someone.
Taxonomy and etymology
The Eurasian wryneck was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae in 1758. The type species came from Sweden.[2]
The genus name Jynx is from the Ancient Greek name for this bird, iunx. The specific torquilla is Medieval Latin derived from torquere, to twist, referring to the strange snake-head movements.[3] The bird was used as a charm to bring back an errant lover, the bird being tied to a piece of string and whirled around.[3] The English "wryneck" refers to the same twisting movement and was first recorded in 1585.[4]
The family Picidae has four subfamilies, the Picinae (woodpeckers), the Picumninae (piculets), the Jynginae (wrynecks) and the monotypic Nesoctitinae (Antillean piculet).[5] Based on morphology and behaviour, the Picumninae was considered to be the sister clade of the Picinae. This has now been confirmed by phylogenetic analysis and the Jynginae are placed basal to the Picinae, Nesoctitinae and Picumninae.[5]
Jynginae includes one genus (Jynx) and two species, the Eurasian wryneck and the red-throated wryneck (Jynx ruficollis), resident in sub-Saharan Africa.[6] There are six subspecies of Jynx torquilla: [7]
Jynx torquilla chinensis Hesse, 1911
Jynx torquilla himalayana Vaurie, 1959
Jynx torquilla mauretanica Rothschild, 1909
Jynx torquilla sarudnyi Loudon, 1912
Jynx torquilla torquilla Linnaeus, 1758
Jynx torquilla tschusii O. Kleinschmidt,1907
Description
The Eurasian wryneck grows to about 17 cm (6.7 in) in length.[2] The subspecies Jynx torquilla tschusii weighs 26 to 50 g (0.92 to 1.76 oz).[8] It is a slim, elongated-looking bird with a body shape more like a thrush than a woodpecker. The upperparts are barred and mottled in shades of pale brown with rufous and blackish bars and wider black streaks. The rump and upper tail coverts are grey with speckles and irregular bands of brown. The rounded tail is grey, speckled with brown, with faint bands of greyish-brown and a few more clearly defined bands of brownish-black. The cheeks and throat are buff barred with brown. The underparts are creamy white with brown markings shaped like arrow-heads which are reduced to spots on the lower breast and belly. The flanks are buff with similar markings and the under-tail coverts are buff with narrow brown bars. The primaries and secondaries are brown with rufous-buff markings. The beak is brown, long and slender with a broad base and sharp tip. The irises are hazel and the slender legs and feet are pale brown. The first and second toes are shorter than the others. The first and fourth toes point backwards and the second and third point forwards, a good arrangement for clinging to vertical surfaces.[2]
The call of the Eurasian wryneck is a series of repeated harsh, shrill notes quee-quee-quee-quee lasting for several seconds and is reminiscent of the voice of the lesser spotted woodpecker. Its alarm call is a short series of staccato "tuck"s and when disturbed on the nest it hisses.[
Distribution and habitat
The Eurasian wryneck has a palearctic distribution. The breeding range of the nominate subspecies includes all of Europe from Britain to the Urals. In the north it reaches the Arctic Circle and the range includes Spain in the southwest. In the south and east it intergrades with J. t. tschusii (smaller and more reddish brown) which is found in Corsica, Italy, Dalmatia and parts of the Balkans. J. t. mauretanica (also smaller than the nominate form, light, with whitish throat and breast) is resident in Algeria and Morocco and possibly also the Balearic Islands, Sardinia and parts of Sicily. J. t. sarudnyi (considerably paler than the nominate with fainter markings) occurs in the Urals and then in a wide strip of Asia through southern Siberia, Central Asia, including the north-western Himalayas to the Pacific coast. J. t. chinensis breeds in eastern Siberia and northeastern and central China while J. t. himalayana breeds in Pakistan and the northwestern Himalayas.[9] Eurasian wrynecks also inhabit the island of Sakhalin,[10] Japan and the coastal areas of southern China.[11][12]
The Eurasian wryneck is the only European woodpecker to undertake long distance migrations. The wintering area of European species is located south of the Sahara, in a wide strip across Africa extending from Senegal, Gambia and Sierra Leone in the west to Ethiopia in the east. Its southern limit extends to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon. The populations from West Asia use the same wintering areas. The Central and East Asian breeding birds winter in the Indian subcontinent or southern East Asia including southern Japan.[2]
During the summer the bird is found in open countryside, parkland, gardens, orchards, heaths and hedgerows, especially where there are some old trees. It may also inhabit deciduous woodland and in Scandinavia it also occurs in coniferous forests.
Behaviour
The Eurasian wryneck sometimes forms small groups during migration and in its winter quarters but in the summer is usually found in pairs. It characteristically holds its head high with its beak pointing slightly upwards. A mutual display that occurs at any time of year involves two birds perched facing each other with their heads far back and beaks wide open, bobbing their heads up and down. Sometimes the head is allowed to slump sideways and hang limply. On other occasions, when excited, the head is shaken and twisted about violently. When disturbed on the nest or held in the hand, the neck contorts and twists in all directions. The bird sometimes feigns death and hangs limply with eyes closed.[2]
On returning to the breeding area after migration, the birds set up territories. On farmland in Switzerland it has been found that old pear orchards with large numbers of ant nests are preferentially selected over other habitats. Areas used for vegetable cultivation provided useful habitat when they include areas of bare ground on which the birds can forage.[13] Territories are not chosen at random as arriving birds favoured certain areas over others with the same territories being colonised first year after year. The presence of other Eurasian wrynecks in the vicinity is also a positive influence. Orchards in general, and older ones in particular, provide favoured territories, probably because the dense foliage is more likely to support high numbers of aphids and the ground beneath has scant vegetation cover, both of which factors increase the availability of ants, the birds' main prey. Despite some territories being consistently chosen over others, reproductive success in these territories was no higher than in others.[14] Limiting factors for such crevice-nesting species as Eurasian wrynecks are both the availability of nesting sites and the number of ants and their ease of discovery. Modern farming practices such as the removal of hedges, forest patches and isolated trees and the increasing use of fertilisers and pesticides are disadvantageous to such birds.[15]
The diet of the Eurasian wryneck consists chiefly of ants but beetles and their larvae, moths, spiders and woodlice are also eaten. Although much time is spent in the upper branches of trees, the bird sometimes perches in low bushes and mostly forages on the ground, moving around with short hops with its tail held in a raised position. It can cling to tree trunks, often moving obliquely, and sometimes pressing its tail against the surface as a prop. It does not make holes in bark with its beak but picks up prey with a rapid extension and retraction of its tongue and it sometimes catches insects while on the wing. Its flight is rather slow and undulating.
Breeding
The nesting site is variable and may be in a pre-existing hole in a tree trunk, a crevice in a wall, a hole in a bank, a sand martin's burrow or a nesting box.[2] In its search for a safe, protected site out of reach of predators, it sometimes evicts a previous occupant, its eggs and nestlings.[16] It uses no nesting material and a clutch of normally seven to ten eggs is laid (occasionally five, six, eleven or twelve). The eggs average 20.8 by 15.4 millimetres (0.82 in × 0.61 in) and weigh about 0.2 g (0.007 oz). They are a dull white colour and partially opaque. Both sexes are involved in incubation which takes twelve days, but the female plays the greater part. Both parents feed the chicks for about twenty days before they fledge. There is usually a single brood.
Status
The IUCN lists the Eurasian wryneck as being of "Least Concern" in its Red List of Threatened Species. This is because it has a world population estimated at up to fifteen million individual birds and a very wide geographical range. The population may be decreasing to a certain extent but not at such a rate as to make the bird reach the threshold for a more threatened category.[1] In continental Europe, the largest populations are in Spain, Italy, Germany, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Belarus and Ukraine, and only in Romania is the population trend believed to be upward. In Russia, where there are believed to be 300,000 to 800,000 individuals, the population trend is unknown.[17] In the United Kingdom the numbers of bird are on the decrease and it is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and is listed on Appendix II of the Bern Convention. It is protected as a migratory species under the Birds Directive in the European Union.[18] In Switzerland, the population has also been decreasing, but the species has reacted positively to conservation measures such as the addition of nestboxes in suitable habitats.
St. Alan's Head,
Isle of Purbeck,
Dorset.
TAKEN 5.56p.m Sat 29th Aug'20
St Alban's Head (corruption of St Aldhelms Head) is a headland located 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) southwest of Swanage, on the coast of Dorset, England. It is the most southerly part of the Purbeck peninsula, and comprises an outcrop of Portland Stone from the overlying Lower Purbeck Stone. It is part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site. It is designated a Special Area of Conservation under the European Union's Habitats Directive.
The Norman St. Aldhelm's Chapel, dedicated to St Aldhelm, Bishop of Sherborne stands on the head. On the bluff of the headland is a monument to the development of radar during World War II, by the Telecommunications Research Establishment at nearby RAF Worth Matravers. There is also a coastguard station, now maintained by the National Coastwatch Institution (not to be confused with HM Coastguard) and some former coastguard cottages.
P36 (П36), the most advanced passenger steam locomotives of the USSR, were built by the Kolomna plant from 1950 to 1956 and were the last steam locomotives produced by the plant. In terms of power P36 corresponded to the pre-war locomotive IS (ИС, seria named after Joseph Stalin, passenger version of the locomotive FD), but the load on the rails was reduced, which allowed to significantly expand their use on different roads. However, the directive decision taken at the historic XX Congress of the CPSU to completely stop producing steam locomotives (and total transition to diesel and electric traction) limited their series to 251 units.
Ded Moroz (literal translated as the Old Man Frost), Russian traditional figure similar to Father Christmas, and Santa Claus who has his roots in Slavic mythology. The residence of Ded Moroz in Russia is considered to be the town of Veliky Ustyug, Vologda Oblast. The Train of Ded Moroz (Поезд Деда Мороза) makes traditinal seasonal travel by Russia. In the season 2024/2025 the train №2024/2025 (SIC!) with the main wizard of the country and his assistants will visit 65 cities of Russia for 54 days!
Gothic style building of the New Peterhof vokzal (railway terminal) was built in 1855-1857 according to the project of architect N.L. Benois. Curiously, the general layout of the outer part of the station has close resemblance to the Catholic cathedral of the Italian city of Orvieto, in the restoration of which Benois took part in 1843. The railway of the Peterhof direction is one of the first by appearance in Russia. It was constructed during 1853—1857 and also was one of first that electrified in 1933. After elongation of the line to Oranienbaum and dismatle of the rear wall the terminal became
a station.
Well folks, here it is, my entry for the final round of the 1st ever PMG tournament.
There’s been blood, there’s been sweat and there have very nearly been tears over the last few months (the magazine on this build is testament to that, pesky delete button) to get to this point. I’ve come up against some awesome builders and am truly grateful to everyone who has progressed me this far with their votes.
This is by far the most detailed, thought out and pain-in-the-ass build I’ve posted so far and even if this is the end of the line for me I had a hell of a lot of fun building it. All in, it’s taken at least 48 computer hours to get everything sitting pretty and, with both sides twinned, the code comes in at exactly 645 pages.
I picked Cyberpunk, WW2 Era (The AK-47 was designed in 1944; haters gone hate, am I right?) and Tactical as my chosen elements for this build.
In addition, I have utilised all three building styles; 3D, Shapework and Part Use
3D: Heat shield, sling mount, barrel shine, flashlight and mount
Shapework: Flashlight and mount, scope, mid receiver, magwell monitors, magazine, stock, LHS upper receiver and charging handle.
Part Use: Sling mount constructed from grip mounts, compensator built from rail parts, stock built from F2000 lower receiver and RDS as a hand stop.
I’ll admit I was a bit stumped with the innovation aspect of the criteria; how do I reinvent the wheel? I think I’ve used standard parts in some pretty creative ways and had to really master blending and colour matching – the stock may look simple but there’s hours of work in there getting the AK stock to blend correctly with the F2000 lower. I also created a new alphabet style for the lettering on the magwell monitors. I’ll leave the final verdict on innovation up to the judges.
Make sure to view it in Lightbox for crisper details (I’ll find you and make you do it if you don’t) and also please check out the links to the larger individual pictures:
In case you can’t make it out, the LHS magwell monitor shows Full Auto Mode: Selected, Safe Mode: Engaged and Awaiting Directive.
One final thing; NO that is not a grenade in the scope.
Hope you like it lads and ladettes!
React
In 1969, following the directives and guidelines of the General Plan for Madrid
Act 1941 and 1946, the Fuente del Agua (also known as de las Conchas) is built.
Birth in the water, far from the aesthetic neutrality of the pond and the rhetoric of Cervantes, will show a strong romantic-classic plastic influence and mythical symbolic references embodying two beautiful figures of bronze-nunfeed nymphs, representing the vivifying force of the waters, Are carriers of two separate watered pitchers overwhelming them streaks of leaflets to support them and
The author of the architectural part was the then director of the Department of Parks, Gardens and Urban Aesthetics of Madrid, Manuel Herrero Palacios, the sculptor Mursiano Antonio Campillo (Era Alta, 192s). Sculpted the nymphs in 1970.
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Nel 1969, seguendo le direttive e le linee guida del Piano Generale per Madrid
Act 1941 e il 1946,, viene costruita la Fuente del nacimiento del Agua (chiamata anche de las Conchas).
Il parto in acqua, lontano dalla neutralità estetica dello stagno e dala retorica di Cervantes, mostrerà un forte-influsso classicista romantico plastica e mitici riferimenti simbolici che incarnano due belle figure di ninfe genuflesse in bronzo , che rappresentano la forza vivificante delle acque,, Essi sono portatori di due lanciatori separati con acqua si rovescia su di loro striature dei volantini per sostenere loro e
L'autore della parte architettonica fu l'allora direttore del Dipartimento dei Parchi, giardini e estetica urbana Comune di Madrid, Manuel Herrero Palacios, lo scultore Mursiano Antonio Campillo (Era Alta, 192s)Scolpì le ninfe nel 1970.
[[[PRIMARY DIRECTIVES:]]]
> SERVE MASTER BORG.
> EXTERMINATE ALL NINJAS.
~
Entry to Round 1 of the 2018 Bio-Cup, sub-theme being Ninjago.
Heavily referenced the 'Nindroid' Minifigures, where I pretty much tried to jam in as many of their iconic features as I could.
(Initially that eye was an eyebrow - either way could've worked, but cheers to gravity for informing that executive decision)
Cocoa's entry: www.flickr.com/photos/137256403@N07/43311489531
Felix's entry:
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.
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.
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After a while, the young male Caucasian squirrel jumped from the olive tree branches and climbed the white mulberry tree. He fed on the newly formed mulberries, ignoring the birds that perched on the branches next to him.
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 :)
Pfaueninsel ("Peacock Island") is an island in the River Havel situated in Berlin-Wannsee, in southwestern Berlin, near the borders with Potsdam and Brandenburg. The island is part of the Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin World Heritage Site and a popular destination for day-trippers. Pfaueninsel is also a nature reserve in accordance with the EU Habitats Directive and a Special Protection Area for wild birds.
The small Lustschloss, in the shape of an artificial ruin, was placed on the western tip of the island, visible from the king's residence at the Marmorpalais in Potsdam with an adjacent English garden including a dairy.
From Wikipedia
Encountering this bright little snowdrop during some precious outdoor time amidst our shelter-in-place directive gave me hope.
Here's a quick little build for the FOUR category for Space Jam. The directive was to build a spaceship that can seat/hold four passengers comfortably. I chose to challenge myself to do it in as small of a footprint as possible 😁. The BELUGA can transport FOUR passengers through hyperspace while also providing spectacular views of the cosmos.
Remember that fly dude, with talent, who...like... disappeared for three years while he knocked up two different 22 year olds, who weren't his wife? But he worked it all out and now all three of the baby mamas are friends? Remember that LED dude? Well that memfrican is back.
Ian, get at me bro!!!!
Agnes dressed in Brightness Calls Isha's dress. Isha was so underrated! I loved the bright make-up. It was different and on trend at the time. I wouldn't mind having the girls in neutral makeup palettes but they deserve some wild colors every once and a while. Anyways, here's Aggy looking vintage fab.
Quick day trip to Valencia, camera in hand. It felt good to be back on the streets, attentive to my surroundings, looking for backgrounds, creative compositions and special moments. That part of my brain had been resting for too long, and I very much welcomed the exercise! In this scene, I composed around the lines and waited for a moment. I'm sure I could have worked the scene a bit longer, but I'm quite happy to have been able to visualize these compositions, and putting my artistic brain cells to work.
© 2020 Alex Stoen, All rights reserved.
No Group Invites/Graphics Please.
N°189 - 08 03 2016
Directives à suivre...
Jay Blue - Get Off My Back
Noir Passion – URB MAN Project
322
I know it's the name of the business, but it seemed like a useful directive to me. Kiev 88cm, Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar 120mm f/2.8, CineStill BWXX 120, Rodinal 1:50.
Great Lawn at Ketring Park
I walked for about half an hour, saw perhaps 100 other people, of whom about 10% were honoring the Governor's directive to wear a cloth mask.
With the current lock-down in place and the directive 'Stay At Home' sounding like eminently good advice, i searched around for an alternative to the great outdoors. I thought that this had died during the winter but suddenly it burst into life with the Easter sunshine. Keep safe everyone, stay at home and start planning your great outdoor shots for later in the year.
The male was aware of my presence and at first he watched me silently from the hole, then he slowly came out of the hole and when he was sure, he called the female.
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 last time I came across the local squirrels was at the beginning of July. Due to the extreme heat in the region, Caucasian Squirrels are certain to spend very hot hours in their nests. Because I haven't been seen them around very often for more than 2 months.
Today, it was cloudy weather in the North Aegean Region of Turkey, the strong North wind was shaking the olive branches. I was walking in an olive grove and I was patiently waiting to see the Caucasian Squirrel. After waiting for about an hour, the reward came, a group of squirrels were playing around the pomegranate trees 100 meters in front of me. I was waiting under the olive tree with a wide trunk. I didn't move, waiting for them to climb the centuries-old olive trees and retreat to their den inside the follow in the middle of the tree. I saw the Mr & Mrs Caucasian Squirrel couple enter their century-old olive tree hollow.I started to wait next olive tree trunk, which is about 7 meters away.I had already begun to wait silently for 30 minutes when the male Caucasian Squirrel noticed my presence immediately. Curious male took out his head first, then his half body, checked and after making sure then Female followed him.The moment I had been waiting for a long time happened 7 meters in front of me. Even though I was wearing a camouflage cover, they were aware of my presence.
I had to use 1.4 TC for close-up when the light was enough. Today they made me very happy. I hope you wouldn't mind 14 series of Caucasian Squirrel photos and you'll like it just as much as I do.
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 - With Nikon TC 14E II - hand held or Monopod and definitely SPORT VR on. Aperture is f8 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 :)
Yelled at by a grey squirrel - horrible conditions - windy, wet and cold but that didn't stop this little chap defending his piste. He/she had a real rant at me.
I know they are reviled in the UK for replacing our native reds and there is even an EU directive to limit their numbers - I know all that but like mink they didn't ask to be displaced.
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.
Vehicle type: Drop shuttle
Crew: 1 human pilot
Carrying capacity: (Internal)12 drones OR 8 humans, (external)1 APC (an additional 6 drones OR 4 humans can fit in the APC) *note* APC treads must be thermo-shielded for rentry prior to deorbiting.
Engines: 4x Nuclear microreactor Harmon-Shaditha ionic heavy-lift engines (multi-directional thrust output) *note* These engines have a mandatory 100,000 km exclusion zone around Earth for civilian operators. This directive is in place to prevent radioactive contamination following unsuccessful deorbiting approaches.
Armnament: undetermined, evaluations in progress.
I'd also like to thank all the people who gave me advice.
And we're back. This time, we're going lightly experimental in the mashup of bus spotting and flag-chasing. Recently, as part of a questionable directive by the Culture Secretary, the Guildhall has gained a Union Flag. Owing to recent circumstances, it is now flying half-mast, and will remain so until after the funeral. To be fairly honest, the whole protocol fascinates me. From the technical aspects of the TV and radio coverage of the event to half-masting and beyond, this is very much the sort of moment that you will not be seeing again for a very long time. Today, I've been chasing down half-mast flags around the city centre after visiting the memorial at Hull Minister. There's a lot going on at the moment. Maybe it's a good idea to document the visible signs of it.
Seen here passing by the Hull Guildhall with its government-mandated half-mast flag is Stagecoach in Hull's 11193, a 2019 ADL Enviro 400MMC, on a 2 to North Bransholme.
this cake was made for the mum of a very good friend of mine. Her mother turned 70 today.
The cake itself is fruitcake covered in marzipan and fondant.
The flowers on the cake include peonies, roses, primulas and open roses. The only directive I had on this cake was to use some pink as the birthday girl loves pink and flowers