Ecosystems
View allAll Photos Tagged ECOSYSTEMS
In 1967, Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve was declared a protected marine life conservation area and underwater park. Formed within a volcanic cone, today Hanauma Bay offers a pristine marine ecosystem after the City and County of Honolulu laid out a plan in 1990 to restore the bay, after years of use from the millions of visitors who visit and love to snorkel Hanauma Bay. Voted Best Beach in the United States in 2016, volunteers have a booth located on the beach level to help visitors learn about conservation of the reef and the types of fish that live there.
In 2002 a marine education center was opened for visitors and part of the conservation plan requires first-time visitors to watch a 9 minute video before entering the park so they can learn about the marine life, preservation and safety rules for the park.
New Caledonia is surrounded by a coral reef with a length of about 1.600km. Therefore New Caledonia's lagoon is known as the biggest lagoon in the world. Because of its' exceptional reef diversity and ecosystem it is listed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
A rainforest is an area of tall, mostly evergreen trees and a high amount of rainfall. Rainforests are Earth’s oldest living ecosystems, with some surviving in their present form for at least 70 million years. They are incredibly diverse and complex, home to more than half of the world’s plant and animal species—even though they cover just 6% of Earth’s surface. This makes rainforests astoundingly dense with flora and fauna. Rainforests’ rich biodiversity is incredibly important to our well-being and the well-being of our planet.
Music:
"Repeat" by CHRIS COMBETTE, in 'Les Enfants de Gorée' (2010)
open.spotify.com/track/5ErThqPZNKTeyITR3fYNL9?si=hRygwwzP...
A rainforest is an area of tall, mostly evergreen trees and a high amount of rainfall. Rainforests are Earth’s oldest living ecosystems, with some surviving in their present form for at least 70 million years. They are incredibly diverse and complex, home to more than half of the world’s plant and animal species—even though they cover just 6% of Earth’s surface. This makes rainforests astoundingly dense with flora and fauna. Rainforests’ rich biodiversity is incredibly important to our well-being and the well-being of our planet.
Parque Nacional Sangay at 3,370 meters (11,056 ft) above sea level now.
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The trail, from the Park Entrance, to the refugio is obvious and well-marked but fairly steep and takes 3-4 hours.
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On the way up, we follow a transition in vegetation, which has changed from pasture, from cloud forest to páramo (Andean ecosystem).
We also had views of Tungurahua at some moments of the trekking.
Bicentennial Park is a 40-hectare of parkland located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of City of Parramatta. Bicentennial Park is situated on the shores Homebush Bay and is a part of the Sydney Olympic Park in New South Wales, Australia. The Park is a natural heritage site featuring an important wetland ecosystem and parklands. It offers visitors recreation, nature-based tours, environmental education and outdoor event experiences. The park has picnic areas, playgrounds, pathways and cycle ways, access to the wetlands, salt marsh and bird hides. It also features Lake Belvedere, Peace Monument, Treillage Tower, Sundial, 'Cyrus the Great' statue, the Silent Hearts Memorial Garden and water features. Powells Creek runs through the eastern side of the park. The Homebush Bay wetland is occupied by animals that thrive in the salt water wetlands. Bicentennial Park was created by the state and federal governments during the 1980s, to celebrate Australia's Bicentenary in 1988. The project involved recycling 47.4 hectares of former rubbish dump into a regional recreation area and the conservation of 53 hectares of a wetland ecosystem on the Parramatta River. The park was officially opened on 1 January 1988. 54814
adult bird found in Enonkishu Conservancy in the Greater Masai Mara ecosystem, Kenya
a migratory bee-eater that breeds in semi-arid areas in the southern Sahara and that from October to March can be found in Uganda and parts of Kenya, where it can be seen foraging in woodland, open forest and along the edges of riparian or gallery forest.
Merops albicollis
witkeelbijeneter
Guêpier à gorge blanche
Weißkehlspint
Abejaruco gorjiblanco
Gruccione golabianca
Abelharuco-de-garganta-branca
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All rights reserved.
Fons Buts©2025
My photos may not be used on websites, blogs or in any other media without my written and explicit permission.
adult bird found in Enonkishu Conservancy in the Greater Masai Mara ecosystem, Kenya
a migratory bee-eater that breeds in semi-arid areas in the southern Sahara and that from October to March can be found in Uganda and parts of Kenya, where it can be seen foraging in woodland, open forest and along the edges of riparian or gallery forest.
Merops albicollis
witkeelbijeneter
Guêpier à gorge blanche
Weißkehlspint
Abejaruco gorjiblanco
Gruccione golabianca
Abelharuco-de-garganta-branca
Many thanks for your views, favorites and supportive comments.
All rights reserved. Fons Buts©2024
My photos may not be used on websites, blogs or in any other media without my written and explicit permission
Eurasian Jays are usually very shy. My experience and encounters with them are more likely by chance or probably where they nested.
Referring to my observation of animals behaviour and food scarcity at one of my usual location shoot yesterday, this particular Eurasian actually came over to ask for food, about 12 feet away. I was very surprised and decided to play it cool pretending not to know its presence whilst feeding the squirrels. However, this Eurasian Jay would moved towards wherever direction I looked at and tried to get my attention. It was actually begging for food. Of course I threw a groundnut over and sure enough it was picked up.
This bird then flew to a nearby branch, cracked the shell and ate it. The brief moment also confirms my observations of the changes in animals behaviour and food scarcity in the bush ecosystem. It actually gave me a nod just before it flew off as if to say thank you. A very interesting game but experience, lots of photos taken during this time for my coming series.
Nikon series-E 1:4 F=70-210 mm (unedited photo)
Brighton 🇬🇧
26th March 2021
male of the Defassa subspecies in Mara North Conservancy, Kenya
a large and robust African antelope found in areas with tall grass or reed beds . Also in woodland if there is nearby grassland available to feed. Always near water.
kobus ellipsiprymnus
waterbok
cobe à croissant ou waterbuck
Wasserbock
antílope acuático, cobo de agua o cobo untuoso
cobo o antilope d'acqua
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All rights reserved.
Fons Buts©2025
My photos may not be used on websites, blogs or in any other media without my written and explicit permission.
Spring of the Pita River.
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In a biogeographic definition, paramo is any intertropical mountain ecosystem, characterized by shrubby vegetation that generally occurs from altitudes of about 3,000 to 4,000 meters or up to 5,000 meters, that is, in regions above the forest line. continuous but still below the permanent snow line. It is found in East Africa, New Guinea, and Central and South America. However, since in each of these regions this ecosystem has a specific name, when discussing Paramos, we refer specifically to Andean Paramos.
In this strict sense of the term, all Paramos are located in the neotropical zone, mainly in northwestern South America, present in Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. The ecosystem occupies over 30,000 km² of South America and represents 7% of Ecuador's territory. In absolute terms, Colombia is home to 50% of the extent of Paramos (in its three branches of the Andes) and the largest Paramo in the world (Sumapaz).
Paramos' climate is characterized by wide daily fluctuations in temperature and humidity. In general, cold and humid, can undergo a sudden and drastic change in which temperatures fluctuate from below freezing to 30 ° C plus in a daily freeze-thaw cycle. High altitude in tropical locations produces a special, cold, low air density atmosphere that allows for greater dispersion of ultraviolet radiation (light and heat). This climate can be summed up in the phrase "winter every night and summer every day."
In Paramo ecosystems, soils are generally recent, of glacial and volcanic origin, and many are still in formation. Its structure is a combination of organic material that decomposes very slowly in cold weather with volcanic ash. They usually have low pH (acidity) because of the abundance of moisture and high content of organic matter. These characteristics contribute to soil water retention, which in turn is the basis of an essential environmental service: the constant storage and distribution of clean water to lower places.
The largest and most known area is the Páramo grass, which covers large areas of the mountain ranges. It extends from approximately 3,500 to 4,100 m in height, and is mainly composed of grasses and small shrubs.
Seen in Enonkishu Conservancy in the Greater Masai Mara ecosystem, Kenya
also called Black-breasted Snake-Eagle
Circaetus pectoralis
zwartborstslangenarend
Circaète à poitrine noire
Schwarzbrust-Schlangenadler
Culebrera Pechinegra
Biancone pettonero
Águia-cobreira-de-peito-preto
Many thanks for your views, favorites and supportive comments.
All rights reserved.
Fons Buts©2025
My photos may not be used on websites, blogs or in any other media without my written and explicit permission.
during the last game drive in Lemek Conservancy we saw the third male of the coalition for the first time and he was now also following the mating couple, just like the second one.
The mating pair is shown in the first comment box.
This was in the morning and obviously this third male had been in a fight shortly before
Lemek Conservancy in the Greater Masai Mara ecosystem , Kenya
Many thanks for your views, favorites and supportive comments.
All rights reserved. Fons Buts©2024
My photos may not be used on websites, blogs or in any other media without my written and explicit permission.
Einsames, kleines Ökosystem in den weiten Lavafeldern von Big Island, Hawaii.
Lonely, small ecosystem in the vast lava fields of Big Island, Hawaii.
The ecosystems around Mud Lake and near the Ottawa River are supportive of the breeding behaviours of a number of species, and a visit now will likely lead to someone finding several fledglings. The Eastern Phoebe is a frequent nester, and cycles of fledglings pop up through the summer.
I was near the edge of the water looking for frogs, who were loud but hard to see. I sat on the ground and started scanning, and in my peripheral vision I saw this young bird land after catching a dragonfly.
Fledgling Phoebes are a bit of a mess, with feathers going everywhere, but they soon begin to look and act like adults. Aside from the seemingly juvenile behaviour, given its willingness to use a perch a metre off the ground and about two metres away from me, the bird hunted successfully like an adult for about ten minutes, always returning to the same perch. This allowed me to do some minor re-positioning to identify the optimal background under the circumstances (ie not wanting to move too much or to do anything to startle the bird).
I had my tripod set up for the frogs, and the bird suddenly turned its head the other direction, and before I could move the camera to follow and recompose I secured this image. Normally I would have framed the image with space in the direction the bird was looking, but this was a happy accident, as I liked the bokeh and it works better behind the bird.
After another dragonfly was captured, it took up a perch higher up in a leafy tree by the water. And I never found the frogs, but I wasn’t disappointed.
[Enlarge and look around this micro ecosystem.]
Tomorrow we will conclude this series of infrared photographs from the Cataract Gorge in Launceston. I've been wanting to show some of the different ways infrared can add to our appreciation of the natural environment. This photograph in particular highlights the way living plants manage to secure a foothold in the cracks on ancient dolerite rock. This is their habitat, and we should always remember to walk carefully in such places.
During my 2023 African adventure, I was given the rare privilege of observing the Hadzabe—one of the last true hunter-gatherer communities.
The morning started with our guide waxing poetic about their baboon-hunting subsistence. That is, until a young hunter walked right into our civilized circle, ending the discussion with a powerful visual aid: a fresh baboon. Needless to say, the guide was upstaged, and we all watched in stunned silence as the young man dressed his kill. It was a fascinating, visceral experience... and I managed to keep my breakfast down.
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The Hadzabe: Africa's Last True Hunter-Gatherers
The Hadzabe are a small, indigenous ethnic group in Tanzania, primarily centered around the Lake Eyasi basin and the neighboring scrublands of the central Rift Valley, which lies just south of the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Their connection to this land is thousands of years old. They live in small, temporary camps of around 20-30 people. They are truly nomadic, moving every few weeks or months to follow game and seasonal resources.
The Hadzabe rely entirely on the wild for their survival, eating what they can hunt or gather. Baboons are a significant part of the Hadzabe diet and are known to be a challenging quarry due to their intelligence and aggression.
They use traditional, hand-crafted bows and arrows. For larger or tougher game like baboons, their arrows are often tipped with a potent, fast-acting neurotoxin made from the sap of the Adenium coetaneum shrub. This poison ensures a quick, humane kill.
Hunts rely heavily on incredible tracking skills, patience, and stealth. Hunters may wait for hours by waterholes or use strategic methods, sometimes even using decoys or luring the baboons into an ambush.
Because they are one of the last remaining tribes whose entire existence depends on their traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle, they are widely cited as the only tribe permitted to hunt for subsistence in their ancestral lands near the Serengeti ecosystem, which are otherwise heavily protected and restricted for all other activities, including farming or pastoralism. This exemption is crucial to their survival.
(iPhone 13 Pro Max, edited to taste)
DF, Brazil.
Known locally as "quiriquiri".
DNA analysis shows this species is considerably different to the European and African kestrel clade within the genus Falco. Therefore it's not actually a kestrel. Instead, a process of convergent evolution to fit a similar small prey niche in the ecosystem as the true kestrels have left it with similar physical characteristics and hunting methods.
More information: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_kestrel
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Falconidae
Subfamily: Falconinae
Genus: Falco Linnaeus, 1758
Species: F. sparverius Linnaeus, 1758
Binomial name: Falco sparverius
Eardley Escarpment, Gatineau Park, Québec, Canada
The Eardley Escarpment is home to the richest and most fragile ecosystem in Gatineau Park, primarily because of its geology and location. The Escarpment is the dividing line between the rock of the Canadian Shield, which covers more than half of Canada, and the St. Lawrence Lowland. It rises 300 metres from the floor of the Ottawa Valley, and extends over more than 30 kilometres.
Eleven thousand years ago, the Gatineau Park appears as a peninsula into the Champlain Sea. The Ottawa Valley was under 100 metres of water. The sea lingers in the Ottawa Valley for 2,500 years slowly ebbing away as the land rises.
The Eardley Escarpment can be seen from three scenic lookouts:
Champlain Lookout
Étienne Brûlé Lookout
Huron Lookout
ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/gatineau-park
Escarpement d’Eardley, Parc de la Gatineau, Québec, Canada
L’escarpement d’Earley abrite l’écosystème le plus riche et le plus fragile du parc de la Gatineau en raison de sa géologie de son emplacement. L’escarpement est la ligne de démarcation entre le Bouclier canadien, qui couvre plus de la moitié du Canada, et les basses terres du Saint-Laurent. Il s’élève à 300 mère au-dessus de la vallée de l’Outaouais et s’étend sur plus de 30 kilomètres.
Il y a 11 000 ans, le Parc de la Gatineau forme une presqu’île qui s’avance dans la Mer de Champlain. La vallée de l’Outaouais était sous 100 mètres d’eau. Avec le temps, la croûte terrestre se relèvera graduellement et les eaux de mer se retireront de la vallée après un séjour de 2 500 ans.
L’Escarpement d’Eardley peut être contemplé depuis trois belvédères :
Belvédère Champlain
Belvédère Étienne Brûlé
Belvédère Huron
Amid the misty embrace of Cameron Highlands, this striking bird perches on a moss-laden branch, a silent sentinel of its pristine montane forest habitat. The rich biodiversity of this region provides a sanctuary for countless species, showcasing the delicate balance of nature in this cool highland ecosystem. A true gem of Malaysia's natural heritage.
Various plants in the arboretum in Rogów. It's nice to walk there among this greenery :)
The Rogów Arboretum, established in 1925, is the Station of Protection and Shaping of Forest Ecosystems. It covers an area of 54 ha and is of an exceptional character as compared with other centers of the type in Poland or Europe, because it has been built from the very beginning as a research – didactic object and, moreover, it was located in the forest and has been tightly connected with the forest experimental study from the moment of its origin. The Arboretum consists of three basic parts: the dendrological collections (about 22 ha), the forest experimental plots (about 18 ha) and the alpine garden (1.5 ha).
The dendrological collections that is tree and shrub individuals planted either separately or in groups or small area forms, are mainly concentrated in the central and southern part of the Arboretum, covering a total of 2350 species and varieties. The Arboretum’s specialty is its collection of maples and shrubs from China. This segment is managed naturally, having the look of more a forest park than a typical botanical garden. The trees give the shelter and the proper microclimate for the introduced trees and shrubs.
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Bujna roślinność w arboretum w Rogowie. Miło tak spacerować tam wśród zieleni :)
Arboretum w Rogowie – należy do grupy najcenniejszych, najbogatszych w gatunki i odmiany drzew i krzewów tego typu ogrodów w Europie. Położony jest w dawnym siedlisku leśym i ma charakter parku leśnego. Od początku istnienia (1925 r.) podlega pod Wydział Leśny SGGW. Na jego obszarze znajdują się jedne z najbogatszych i najciekawszych kolekcji drzew i krzewów Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej. Najchetniej odwiedzanym miejscem w ogrodzie jest alpinarium. Oprócz wyniesionych na 2 m ponad poziom gruntu skalniaków, założono tu ciąg strumyków, kilka oczek wodnych i 5-arowy staw z wyspą. W rogowskim alpinarium można obejrzeć ponad 400 gatunków i odmian roślin, pochodzących z gór całego świata. W większości są to byliny, ale nie tylko. Rosną tu także krzewy i drzewa terenów górzystych, np. majestatyczne świerki serbskie, kształtne limby czy srebrzyste jodły kalifornijskie.
As the sun sets on the Nature Preserve Trail
Captured w/Apple iPhone 6s back camera 4.15mm f/2.2
© All rights reserved.
This concludes my brief wetlands birds series. From Conservation International:
"The species found in wetlands are some of the most unique in the world because they’ve evolved specifically to survive in these hydrologically changing ecosystems. Alligators, crocodiles, muskrats, nutrias, fish species and hundreds of birds, including mallards, geese and herons are all found in wetlands. More than half of the 800 species of protected migratory birds in the U.S. rely on wetlands. The vegetation found in wetlands is also unique as they have evolved to survive in seasonally flooded and saline conditions. Some examples include the cattail in freshwater wetlands and mangrove species in coastal wetlands."
One of those protected species that relies on wetlands is the endangered Whooping Crane, shown here near the gulf coast of Texas.
PUBLISHED:
journal.com.ph/earths-gentle-giants-at-extinctions-edge-w...
zpe.gov.pl/a/przeczytaj/DNoxlybrO
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The African Bush Elephant is the largest known land mammal on Earth, with male African Bush Elephants reaching up to 3.5 metres in height and the females being slightly smaller at around 3 metres tall. The body of the African Bush Elephants can also grow to between 6 and 7 meters long. The tusks of an African Bush Elephant can be nearly 2.5 meters in length and generally weigh between 50 and 100 pounds, which is about the same as a small adult Human. African Bush Elephants have four molar teeth each weighing about 5.0 kg and measuring about 12 inches long. As the front pair of molars in the mouth of the African Bush Elephant wear down and drop out in pieces, the back pair shift forward and two new molars emerge in the back of the African Bush Elephant's mouth. African Bush Elephants replace their teeth six times during their lives but when the African Bush Elephant is between 40 to 60 years old, it no longer has teeth and will likely die of starvation, which is sadly a common cause of death of Elephants in the African wilderness.
Amboseli National Park, formerly Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve, is in Kajiado County, Kenya. The park is 39,206 hectares (392 km2; 151 sq mi) in size at the core of an 8,000 square kilometres (3,100 sq mi) ecosystem that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. The local people are mainly Maasai, but people from other parts of the country have settled there attracted by the successful tourist-driven economy and intensive agriculture along the system of swamps that makes this low-rainfall area (average 350 mm (14 in)) one of the best wildlife-viewing experiences in the world with 400 species of birds including water birds, pelicans, kingfishers, crakes, hammerkops and 47 types of raptor. The park protects two of the five main swamps, and includes a dried-up Pleistocene lake and semi-arid vegetation.
240 kilometers (150 miles) southeast from the capital city Nairobi, Amboseli National Park is the second most popular national park in Kenya after Maasai Mara National Reserve.
The park is famous for being the best place in the world to get close to free-ranging elephants. The park also offers spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world.
A bridge, and many species of birds, trees, grasses and aquatic plants in, around, and over Creekfield Lake in Brazos Bend State Park, Needville, TX.
For the Remote theme of Flickr Friday.
Wetlands are a distinct ecosystem that benefit people through ecosystem services that include water purification, groundwater replenishment, stabilization of shorelines and storm protection, water storage and flood control, processing of carbon (carbon fixation, decomposition and sequestration), other nutrients and pollutants, and support of plants and animals. Put bluntly, no wetlands, no sustainable life for humans.
Source Wikipedia.
World Wetlands Day, February 2, 2022.