Statue of Maximilian I. Joseph, the first king of Bavaria, located on the Max-Joseph-Platz. At times he attracts lots of pigeons...

Here is a 360° panorama showing the square in it's entirely.

© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.

Wood Warbler - Phylloscopus sibilatrix

The wood warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix) is a common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe, and just into the extreme west of Asia in the southern Ural Mountains.

This warbler is strongly migratory and the entire population winters in tropical Africa.

It is a summer visitor to the United Kingdom, seen from April until August. It has declined there in recent years. It is now very rare in Ireland, where only one or two pairs are recorded breeding in most years, usually in County Wicklow.

Various factors associated with forest structure, including slope, forest cover, proportion of broad-leaf forest, canopy height and forest edge length, all influenced the occupancy rates of this declining forest species. Conservation measures are therefore required that provide and maintain the wood warblers preferred forest structure. There is also a preference for forest in the non-breeding season, however this habitat is declining in wintering areas such as Ghana. Despite the decline in forest habitats, there has been no change in number of wood warblers as it appears that this species can use degraded habitats, such as well-wooded farms. However, further loss of trees will likely have a negative impact on this species in the future

The sixteenth-century wing overlooks via della Mercanzia, with the façade entirely covered with frescoes by Raimondo Sirotti that follow those made at the beginning of the twentieth century by Ludovico Pogliaghi, who in turn had rebuilt, reinterpreting them, the original ones of the Tavarone.

The painted decoration of the facade reproduces a marble cladding with ashlar on the ground floor and pilasters that divide the façade into three sections. In the center of the façade, above the imposing marble entrance portal, stands the polychrome figure depicting St. George on horseback killing the dragon, a recurring image in numerous portals of the buildings of the historic center: in the Middle Ages the saint was in fact considered the very symbol of Republic. The subject was freely interpreted by Sirotti in 1990, having disappeared all traces of the seventeenth-century original. On the sides, from left to right, six bronze statues are painted inside false niches, depicting some historical figures of the Republic: the annalist Caffaro, the "Prince" Andrea Doria, the doge Simone Boccanegra (according to some the painting would instead depict the founder of the palace, Guglielmo Boccanegra), the crusader leader Guglielmo Embriaco known as "Head of a mallet", the navigator Christopher Columbus and finally the admiral Benedetto Zaccaria.

The decoration is completed by the figures of Janus and Neptune, also in fake bronze, and the coat of arms of the "Conservatori del Mare", the body in charge of governing the port at the time of the Republic of Genoa. The facade culminates with the clock tower.

Switzerland, May 2021

My best photos are here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/ticino-best-photos-of-southern-...

My latest ANIMAL VIDEO (warning, it's a bit shocking): www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T2-Xszz7FI

You find a selection of my 80 BEST PHOTOS (mostly not yet on Flickr) here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/western-green-lizard-lacerta-bi... (the website exists in ESPAÑOL, FRANÇAIS, ITALIANO, ENGLISH, DEUTSCH)

ABOUT THE PHOTO:

So this photo is a bit of a novelty for me - at least here on Flickr, but it's also a journey back in time in a sense. I've always loved b/w and sepia photography; already as a very young teenager I would go out into the woods with an old Pentax Spotmatic (which I had nicked from my father) whenever it was a foggy day to shoot b/w compositions of sunbeams cutting through the ghostlike trees.

I used films with a sensitivity of at least 1600 (for those of you who remember what that means 😉 ), and the resulting photos had an incredibly fine grain which I loved; I blew them up to the size of posters and hung them on the walls of my teenage man-cave next to Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Slash.

But then I abandoned photography altogether for 20 years, and when I finally picked up a camera again, it was one of the digital kind. Now neither film nor grain played any role in my photographic endeavours - let alone b/w compositions: because the reason I fell in love with shooting pictures once more was the rare and incredibly colorful lizard species that had chosen my garden as its habitat.

It's this species - the Lacerta bilineata aka the western green lizard - that my photo website www.lacerta-bilineata.com/ and also my Flickr gallery are dedicated to, but I've since expanded that theme a bit so that it now comprises the whole Lacerta bilineata habitat, which is to say my garden and its immediate surroundings and all the flora and fauna I find in it.

I like that my gallery and the website have this clear theme, because in order to rise to the challenge of portraying all aspects of a very specific little eco system (which also happens to be my home of sorts), it forces me to constantly explore it from fresh angles, and I keep discovering fascinating new motives as my photographic journey continues.

Which brings me to the horse pasture you see in this photo. This playground for happy horsies lies just outside my garden, and it normally only interests me insofar as my green reptile friends claim parts of it as their territory, and I very much prefer it to be horseless (which it thankfully often is).

Not that the horses bother the reptiles - the lizards don't mind them one bit, and I've even seen them jump from the safety of the fly honeysuckle shrub which the pasture borders on right between the deadly looking hooves of the horses to forage for snails, without any sign of fear or even respect.

No, the reason I have a very conflicted relationship with those horses is that they are mighty cute and that there's usually also foals. The sight of those beautiful, happy animals jumping around and frolicking (it's a huge pasture and you can tell the horses really love it) is irresistible: and that inevitably attracts what in the entire universe is known as the most destructive anti-matter and ultimate undoing of any nature photographer: other humans.

Unlike with the horses, the lizards ARE indeed very much bothered by specimens of loud, unpredictable Homo sapiens sapiens - which makes those (and by extension also the horses) the cryptonite of this here reptile photographer. It's not the horses' fault, I know that, but that doesn't change a thing. I'm just telling you how it is (and some of you might have read about the traumatic events I had to endure to get a particular photo - if not, read at your own risk here: www.flickr.com/photos/191055893@N07/51405389883/in/datepo... - which clearly demonstrated that even when it's entirely horseless, that pasture is still a threat for artistic endeavours).

But back to the photo. So one morning during my vacation back in May I got up quite early. It had rained all night, and now the fog was creeping up from the valley below to our village just as the sky cleared up and the morning sun started to shine through the trees.

And just as I did when I was a teenager I grabbed my camera and ran out to photograph this beautiful mood of ghostlike trees and sunbeams cutting through the mist. There had already been such a day a week earlier (which is when I took this photo: www.flickr.com/photos/191055893@N07/51543603732/in/datepo... ), but this time, the horses were also there.

Because of our slightly strained relationship I only took this one photo of them (I now wish I had taken more: talk about missed opportunities), and otherwise concentrated on the landscape. It was only later when I went through all the photos on my computer that I realized that I actually really liked those horses, even despite the whole composition being such a cliché. And I realized another thing: when I drained the photo of all the color, I liked it even better - because there was almost a bit of grain in it, like in the photos from my youth.

Since then I have experimented quite a bit with b/w and sepia compositions (some of which I will upload here eventually I guess), but this photo here is the first one that helped me rediscover my old passion. I hope you like it even though it builds quite a stark contrast with the rest of my tiny - and very colorful - gallery. But in the spirit of showing you the whole Lacerta bilineata habitat (and also in the spirit of expanding my gallery a bit beyond lizards and insects), I think it's not such a bad fit.

As always, many greetings to all of you, have a wonderful day and don't hesitate to let me know what you think 😊

I think most are aware that I had a really awful 2022. I lost my entire in-world support system due to circumstances completely beyond my control. People I considered family suddenly wanted nothing to do with me.

2023 has been about picking myself up, scraping off the dust and starting over again. I could have hid. I could have alted up. I could have quit.

I will not give anyone that satisfaction. I'm still here. Whatever you may think, you didn't win. You didn't even come close.

Model: Mihailsk

Pose: Ckey

When you love someone so deeply

They become your life

It's easy to succumb to overwhelming fears inside

Blindly I imagined I could

Keep you under glass

Now I understand to hold you

I must open up my hands

And watch you rise

Spread your wings and prepare to fly

For you have become a butterfly, oh

Fly abandonedly into the sun

If you should return to me

We truly were meant to be

So spread your wings and fly

Butterfly

I can't believe I"ve never used this song before ... but it suits my love perfectly

Common and familiar across almost the entire Australian continent. Large gray parrot with pink underparts and a light cap. It tends to be noisy and active and is usually close to a water source. Typically feeds on the ground, where it consumes a range of seeds and grasses. Occurs in a wide range of habitats, including urban areas, parks, and gardens. Occurs in pairs, small groups, or enormous flocks. (eBird)

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I had been told that parrots were commonly seen in Australia, but my experience in South America led me to believe that there would be the occasional fly-by. No! Common meant groups feeding in gardens, parks, and along the road side. This Galah was the first member of the parrot/cockatoo family that we saw, but it was definitely not the last.

Olive Pink Botanic Gardens, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia. September 2022.

Small tern with an entirely black body in breeding plumage with silvery wings. In the winter, their body is whitish-gray and they are not as conspicuous, but note small size, rather dark gray wings and rump, and black "helmet." Breeds in colonies in freshwater marshes and ponds. Builds a floating nest of plant matter. In migration and winter, often found in flocks. Feeds on insects and small fish. (eBird)

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Despite being much larger than swallows and mosquitoes, these beautiful terns are also incredibly hard to photograph as they twist and turn in search of food on the wing.

John E. Poole Wetland, St. Albert, Alberta, Canada. June 2022.

La Ceja, Colombia; 2.300 meters above sea level.

Myiarchus cephalotes

(Pale-edged flycatcher / Atrapamoscas montañero)

Pale-edged flycatcher is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, distributed throughout subtropical montane forest in the Andes.

This species is typically a bird of humid forests and is one of the few species of Myiarchus that is restricted entirely to humid montane forest.

neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p...

“Zen wants us to acquire an entirely new point of view whereby to look into the mysteries of life and the secrets of nature. This is because Zen has come to the definite conclusion that the ordinary logical process of reasoning is powerless to give final satisfaction to our deepest spiritual needs.”

Quote -- D.T. Suzuki

Location: D.T. Suzuki Museum (鈴木大拙館, Suzuki Daisetsu Kan), Kanazawa, Japan

Happy Tuesday ;-)

Berzé-le-Châtel at the end of the Val Lamartinien is a stunning medieval fortress built from the 10th century, superbly preserved, and with magnificent gardens.

From the top of its ramparts, the view extends over the entire Val Lamartinien practically as far as Mâcon, and the Roches de Solutré and Vergisson stand out in the distance.

__________________________

Un beau château fort

Berzé-le-Châtel au bout du Val Lamartinien est une surperbe forteresse médiévale construite à partir du 10ème siècle, superbement conservée, et avec des jardins magnifiques.

Du haut de ses remparts, la vue porte sur tout le Val Lamartinien pratiquement jusqu'à Mâcon, et les Roches de Solutré et de Vergisson se détachent au loin à horizon

__________________________

Berzé-le-Châtel - Burgundy - France / Berzé le Châtel - Bourgogne - France

Here my entire photostream:

www.flickr.com/groups/prdsra/

I have often asked myself weather sunsets have brothers or sisters, and knowing that sunrise is actually Sunset's brother, I, for my entire life searched for it's sisters.

And than it happened the other day. Climbing a small grassy hill in the most beloved part of the world, my Homeland, I came about what I was searching for. Sunset sisters were there talking to the Sun in a way lovers talk to each other.

Now I have to find out about who is it's Mother...b.mikic

My one minute poetry/prose continues...

Guess what it is....

I will tell you tomorrow 😃

A little hint, your entire home in your hand.....

Many thanks to all who takes the time to view, comment and fave my pictures!

MELODY SHEY FATPACK

40 COLORS SHORT-40 COLORS TOP-SOLIDS ,LACE-40 COLORS BELT SIZES: MAITREYA-LEGACY-HOURGLASS-FREYA-ISIS

::Fluffy Stuff::

::Fluffy Stuff:: So Fluffy Slippers

all info in the blog

blog

Elephants are among the most intelligent of the creatures with whom we share the planet, with complex consciousnesses that are capable of strong emotions. Across Africa they have inspired respect from the people that share the landscape with them, giving them a strong cultural significance. As icons of the continent elephants are tourism magnets, attracting funding that helps protect wilderness areas. They are also keystone species, playing an important role in maintaining the biodiversity of the ecosystems in which they live.

During the dry season, elephants use their tusks to dig for water. This not only allows the elephants to survive in dry environments and when droughts strike, but also provides water for other animals that share harsh habitats.

When forest elephants eat, they create gaps in the vegetation. These gaps allow new plants to grow and create pathways for other smaller animals to use. They are also one of the major ways in which trees disperse their seeds; some species rely entirely upon elephants for seed dispersal.

On the savannahs, elephants feeding on tree sprouts and shrubs help to keep the plains open and able to support the plains game that inhabit these ecosystems.

Wherever they live, elephants leave dung that is full of seeds from the many plants they eat. When this dung is deposited the seeds are sown and grow into new grasses, bushes and trees, boosting the health of the savannah ecosystem.

Save the Elephant

Sidenote: (This kind of digital art is certainly not one of my strengths, I don't use photoshop so cutting out the model to place into a background wasn't as easy as I thought. I still have much to learn with this but felt proud enough with what I had achieved to publish this with regards to the subject. Elephants face so many more threats than loss of habitat, as do many more wild life species.)

Thankyou in advance for your support, faves, comments and awards!

I do appreciate you all ❤️

Egyptian Goose - Alopochen Aegyptiacus

Once common along the entire Nile valley and regarded as sacred in ancient times, the Egyptian Goose is no longer an easy bird to see in the country from which it takes its name, as it is largely confined to upper Egypt. It is, however, widespread and common throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with introduced populations firmly established in England, Holland, Belgium and France. Concerns over conflict with native species has led to restrictions on keeping them in Britain and Europe.

This distinctive small goose is a member of the shelduck family. In the wild it is invariably found in pairs or family parties, while flocks of 50 or more can be found after the breeding season. The sexes are similar: both have a conspicuous chestnut patch encircling the eyes, giving them a somewhat piratical appearance, while the brilliant white forewing is obvious when they fly.

The UK Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019 came into force on Sunday 1st December. The Order implements requirements contained in EU Regulation 1143/2014 on Invasive Alien Species, which sets out rules to prevent and minimise the impact of the introduction and spread of non-native animals and plants across the EU. The Order makes it an offence, amongst other things, to import, keep, sell, transport, breed or release into the environment, any of the listed plants and animals. Invasive alien waterfowl currently covered by this Order are Egyptian Geese and Ruddy Ducks Oxyura jamaicensis.

Two photos for this 14th day of March, 2014. Almost the entire coast of Norfolk Island is sheer and rugged cliffs. I took this photo on a morning walk in Norfolk Island National Park, and carefully framed it with a Norfolk Island pine, the reason the English claimed the island in the first place. They assumed the pines would replace the timber previously acquired from their north American colonies. In fact, Norfolk Island pines were wholly unsuitable for ship building, such is the folly of greed.

The disaster didn't stop there, when the penal settlement was established on the island and land clearing began, they discovered a thin layer of soil over what is a volcanic outcrop. The soil was not fertile and not suited to growing crops, consequently much of it was washed away due to deforestation.

Unable to grow crops, the settlers turned to eating the wildlife, until there were none left. A pristine uninhabited South Pacific island raped and ruined for no good purpose, while untold and unnecessary misery was inflicted on those sent there against their will and better judgement.

Incredible as it may sound, the folly, mismanagement and maladministration continues to this very day, but that's a story for another time.

Yellow-headed blackbirds are not entirely uncommon west of the Cascades but they usually stay well clear of people. For whatever reason, on this day in late April, I was able to get close. A nice treat! Apparently this was an aberration as on several days since they stay at least 50 yards away.

Dark woodpecker, inconspicuous and uncommon. Found in coniferous forests, often in recently burned areas or bogs with many dead trees. Distinctive habit of flaking bark off trees in search of grubs; behavior shared only with American Three-toed Woodpecker. Back entirely glossy black with faint white markings only on flight feathers. Head mostly black with white mustache stripe and throat. Barred flanks. Males show yellow cap; sexes otherwise alike. "Pick" call is short and has unique clicking tone unlike other woodpeckers. Drum is slow, speeding up at end. Does not visit bird feeders. (eBird)

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Usually, we travel north to Algonquin Park to try and find our yearly Black-backed Woodpecker. They can be incredibly difficult to find. This year, this female decided to make Ottawa her home and has visited many of the trails within the Stony Swamp Conservation Area We finally caught up with her today.

Funny story - just as we were starting to be interested in birds, we saw a strange dark woodpecker with a little yellow cap. After chasing it around a tree with the bird guide, we id'd it as a Black-backed Woodpecker. it wasn't until years later that we realized it had a been a rare bird in Ottawa. Alas, no photos to prove our sighting.

Jack Pine Trail, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. March 2023.

White Rabbit.

● CREDITS ●

DOUX

DOUX - Lucia Hairstyle

SOUNDS ● ● 🎧 ● ●

Home @ Neverfar

A large and very striking yellow and black leafhopper which is unmistakable. The black patterning is variable and rarely the forewings are entirely yellow. The wings are distinctly shorter than the abdomen in females.

It is fairly common throughout the UK and found widely in grasslands and scrub.

Adult: June to October

Length 5.5-6.5 mm

[Love Is Like Champagne]

Here my entire photostream:

www.flickr.com/groups/prdsra/

Love days like these where fog engulfs the entire docklands area and you are left with a misty fog all around. Light bounces in unusual ways and you get to see colours and highlights such as these.

Thank you all for your appreciation.

Explored on 11/12/2022

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© 2022 Jordi Corbilla - All Rights Reserved.

Jordi Corbilla Photography

Do not use any of my images without permission.

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[SERENO E']

Here my entire photostream:

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The "Boardwalk" crosses the rough ground, over White hill on the "Wicklow Way". This is the highest point on the entire trail and stands at 630 metres as it winds its way between the mountains.

The "Way" travels for a total distance of 131 km [81miles] and was the brainchild of J.B. Malone an avid walker who first dreamed up the idea in 1966. He wrote a series of letters to one of the national papers and the sharp sighted and astute editor asked him to write a few articles on hill walking, which he did with much success. In 1977, the government asked him to research and plot the route which he did to wonderful acclaim. He wrote a number of books and lectured extensively appearing regularly on tv here and also abroad. He is internationally know by walkers world wide but always appeared slightly ill at ease in public as he didnt want fame, just the wild places where he could "lose" himself.I think most of us could relate to that as there definitely is a slight madness to us who like this type of thing, and thats meant as a compliment! The places in this modern World where you can loose yourself are few and far between now!

He died in 1989 and a monument was erected at Barr Rock quite close to here. Its just a big granite rock that he was well known to sit upon and take in the views. There is just a plain brass plaque to his memory. This quiet unassuming man would have loved the simplicity of it.

The Wicklow way was the first trail ever opened in Ireland as is now part of the European Walking Route E8 that stretches from the Atlantic coast, here in Co. Cork to Istanbul in Turkey.

I like the harsh landscape here in Winter, but the sky and the green of the Sitka Spruce seen here in Ballinastoe Woods bring a nice softness to it.

So if your ever this way, you could do a lot worse than "lose" yourself up here for a few hours and let it all pass over you!

I do hope you will like my pic and the ramblings!

Have a "wild" weekend! I will!!!!!

Pat.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicklow_Way

My photos are also on Flickriver. Click on link below:

flickriver.com/photos/137473925@N08/

DSC_7373DS1

Entire frame as taken, absolutely no crop.

I was behind a blind when shooting this frame. It was under a very heavy canopy & overcast sky. I'd say pretty dark shooting conditions resulting in ISO16000 (yes, sixteen thousand ISO).Denoise using DxO but the original noise level was manageable. The D500 is really a good body. Glass used - NIkon 500mm f4 VR with TC-14E II.

Whale breaching - Southern Right Whales are about 15m/50ft in length, so only about half of it is visible here.

The patterns of white barnacles and sea-lice are unique to each whale and is thought to aid visual identification amongst the whales.

Its eye is clearly visible - they are able to focus both below and above the surface. The reason for breaching is not entirely clear; it could be part of their mating behaviour, or possibly a way of removing skin infestations - or maybe it's just fun!

Pictured here off the coast of Hermanus in South Africa. The whales can be easily seen from the cliff-tops.

I am a lover of words and tragically beautiful things, poor timing and longing, and all things with soul, and I wonder if that means I am entirely broken, or if those are the things that have been keeping me whole.

Featuring new releases from INDIGO, Luas, TOP1SALON, LaGyo, & 28LA!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Find credits for the entire look here!

“Radiate boundless love towards the entire world — above, below, and across — unhindered, without ill will, without enmity.”

– The Buddha

Soundtrack : www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9AFMVMl9qE

ELLIE GOULDING – YOUR SONG

FREEDOM

Seated in my dining room

I look towards the patio

where Buddha watches over me

through closed and hooded lids

so wise; so tranquil; so knowledgeable

an oasis of calm upon the ledge of the boundary of my life

my life may seem smaller now in some respects

my plans may have recently been shelved

but within the confines of my garden

my world is complete and in perfect harmony

there will be time enough I hope

when the illness that restricts my movements

has ended it's journey so that mine can then begin

this year I wanted to travel more

to see new places and revisit old memories

but “life is what happens

when we are making other plans” clichéd, yet true

so here I am and I can either watch the world go by

or I can wait for the world to come to me

for our knowledge of the world can be completely found

within the intricacies of nature; from the smallest insect

to the tallest tree and I can still lay on the grass

and look up to the sky; watch clouds endlessly floating by

imagine where they've been and all that they have seen

their watchful gaze takes in my form and carries it along

to another sky where someone else is also watching

how exciting it is to be a part of something

so much bigger than we are

the Universe; the Moon; the Sun and stars

I am not unique, but I am a part of you

and you are a part of me; together we make up the world

and who is to say that collective consciousness

is not within the clouds

or in the blinking of a shooting star;

or even a speck of dust carried on the wind

tomorrow that dust may settle on your shoulder or your shoe

and as you brush it gently away think of me

and I will know by the sound of the whispering wind

as it gently touches my face that the thought of me has travelled

and the thought of you is here,

so though we may stand still and barely move at all

we have in fact travelled the world together

have you ever caught a glimpse of a shadow

within your peripheral vision

only to turn and there is nothing there

perhaps that is me or one of you;

or at least the imprint that you have made upon this world

that travels freely within your mind and mine;

no borders can prevent this freedom that we have

the freedom of our minds can take us to the moon and back

in the blinking of an eye and the rain that falls on me

may someday fall on you; and can you see what happens

when raindrops trickle down the window

they merge and form a pool and that is us

one drop at a time we form the world; the whole.

- AP – Copyright remains with the author

My artwork is a compilation of 4 of my photographs

'copyright image please do not reproduce without permission'

This was my first camera. My parents gave it to me as a child 46 years ago. With it I photographed my entire family for years. How many beautiful memories!

PS: And it still works of course!

This is what the inside of a pagoda looks like. I had fun and games getting this which required me lying flat on my back as compressed as possible with lens wide open. This procedure provided my dearest with plenty of amusing photo ops of his own! thankfully no one else around.

31:52 Architecture – photograph an entire building that you really like, or get in very close and shoot the details.

Kinda. Sorta. Not sorry.

Sponsored and entirely inspired by: Licky or Treat by [The DeadBoy] - an addon for the Morus Tungue - available still at the The Warehouse Sale, afterwards at [The DeadBoy] mainstore.

Teeth: Roedor Teeth by [The DeadBoy], available at [The DeadBoy] mainstore.

Ears: Noria Ears by [The DeadBoy], available at [The DeadBoy] mainstore.

Tongue: Morus Tongue + My New Demons Addon [The DeadBoy], available at [The DeadBoy] mainstore.

WE OUTSIDE

My favorite people in the entire world call me Auntie/TT!!!

Sponsored by:

♠ Rebane

♠ SAYO

Collaboration with:

♠ Simply She-EEK

♠ Press the letter "L" on your keyboard to view this pic in HD!

For FULL credits...

¢нє¢к συт му вℓσg ƒσя ∂єтαιℓѕ

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Edensor (pronounced ‘Enzer’) is a small but pretty village situated within the grounds of the Chatsworth House estate in the Peak District National Park.

The original village was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, at which time it was located along the River Derwent, where the buildings were visible from Chatsworth House. This view displeased the then Duke of Devonshire, William Cavendish, however, and between 1838 and 1842 the entire village was dismantled. Many of the residents were moved to the nearby Chatsworth villages of Beeley and Pilsley, and the planning and building of a new village, over the brow of a hill and out of sight of Chatsworth House, was managed by the famed architect Sir Joseph Paxton.

Only one of the houses, Park Cottage, was allowed to remain in its original position, reputedly because its elderly tenant at the time did not want to move and the Duke took pity on him.

The village is made up of a charming, slightly eccentric mixture of different house styles, from Tudor to Norman, with Swiss-style cottages and Italian-style villas. Rumour has it that the architect who worked with Paxton to produce the designs for the houses, John Robertson, presented the Duke with a selection of house styles to choose from at a time when he was particularly busy, and the Duke – rather distractedly – chose ‘one of each’.

The original church of St Peter’s dated back to the 12th Century. However, in the mid-19th Century it was rebuilt and expanded for the 7th Duke of Devonshire, and its beautiful spire now dominates the skyline. The churchyard contains a number of graves of the Chatsworth’s Cavendish family, including a memorial to Kathleen Kennedy, sister of the former US president John F Kennedy, who was the wife of William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington. The churchyard also contains the grave of Sir Joseph Paxton, the famous architect of the Crystal Palace in London.

This is the split rail fence that borders a portion of the Mill Valley Dog Park and is probably the most colorful fence you'll find anywhere, with lichen growing along its entire length.

I don't know what Flickr has done with the EXIF data, but I set the aperture at f22 for this shot, in order to get the entire length of the fence in sharp focus. Whatever Flickr's problem is, I hope they fix it soon because, whenever I see an interesting image, I immediately check the EXIF data to see how the shot was accomplished, and I really miss not having it.

HFF!

18-march-2022: the perpetual alternation between low and high tide, more marked precisely in this area where the tidal masses are channeled along the entire narrow Adriatic Sea, has greater variation in conjunction with the days around the full moon and the new moon.

It is therefore an astronomical phenomenon, but that Weather Patterns can alter, even massively.

In "my area", for most of the winter and with a peak in March, there were numerous extreme low tides and minimal high tides, this due to the over 1040hpas of adiabatic pressure and the continuous currents prevailing from the East or North-East.

So, every +1hpas over the terrestrial average pressure (gravity) value of 1013hpas corresponds to 1cm less in the level of that sea placed under the adiabatic pressure of the anticyclone and obviously vice versa in case of decreasing pressure.

The north-eastern currents tend to move the water masses towards the West and then towards the South following the anti-clockwise current that goes up the Adriatic along the Dalmatian coast and descends it from the Italian side.

All these factors "empty" the Gulf of Trieste which is also the Northernmost Spot of the entire Mediterranean Sea!

The exact opposite occurs with Low Pressure and the activation of persistent "long currents" from the South or South/East, in which cases not only Venice ends up under the surface of the Northern Adriatic Sea.

The most important building, not only of the monumental complex of Ingapirca but also of the entire North of the Inca Empire was and is this elliptical Temple whose major axis is 37.10 m by 12.36 m of the minor and 4.10 m Tall. It has 11 parallel rows whose perfectly joined joints and sores present a careful work of padded and overlapping ashlars according to the traditional norms of classical Cuzco architecture. Its construction was due to a process of adaptation of the elliptical design conceived by the Inca architect on the outcrop of a rock that stood out in that place at the top of a deep ravine. This rock was shaped like an ellipse and proceeded to coat it with those symmetrically carved blocks.

Although the external parts of the joints have a perfect union, internally you can check the use of mortar based on a clay with a high cement content and that exists only in Ingapirca which, due to its presentation and color, the farmers follow calling with the quichua terminology of "quillucaca" (yellow droppings). The temple is linked to the Ceremonial Square through a ramp that ascends to a trapezoidal door in the center of the major axis, on its south side. When passing this door, one encounters a beautiful typically Inca niche and the wall of the evil called "guard body", so it must be turned to the sides where two small opposite stairways arise that allow to reach the temple platform. From there the view is wonderful because the entire Hatun Cañar Valley is dominated and the ruins of the monument are appreciated.

The elliptical platform is divided in its central part by the presence of two enclosures whose fronts face opposite, one towards the east and the other towards the west. These two rooms are separated by a mediating wall with evidence of trapezoidal niches or niches; while in its north and south walls, which end in tall gables, two niches the size of a man appear and match the entrance doors to each enclosure. This building with two opposite environments and without windows is considered the sanctuary of the sun. In the opinion of the archaeastronomic scholars, through its doors the rays of the rising sun (eastern room) and the west (western room) entered the niches of the mediating wall, indicating periods of illumination and shadow according to the periodic variations in the output and sunset of the star king. According to Ziólkowski's experiments, the eastern room would have been illuminated in the period of the December solstice, while the western one in the June solstice, a phenomenon interpreted by Aboriginal priests and sages to announce their feasts and the beginning of sowing and harvesting respectively in the fields.

On the northern part of the Temple, that is, in Barranco, four retaining walls, now restored and consolidated, stand out, giving it a total contrast with the south side; because while in this sector everything is flat and accessible, in Barranco everything is pending and rugged. These contrasts generate in the visitor two different attitudes: the one of security and the other of anguish and vertigo. In any case, the danger is annulled with the presence of an extraordinary Inca wall that extends from the Ellipse to the West, separating the cozy spaces of the Akllahuasi from those inaccessible from the precipice. It is the wall that still keeps intact the original finish of its carvers and builders from five hundred years ago.

Shot on OnePlus 3

Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius)

My best photos are here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/ticino-best-photos-of-southern-...

More TICINO/TESSIN Wildlife Photos (all taken in my garden in Monteggio/Ti, Switzerland): it.lacerta-bilineata.com/ramarro-occidentale-lacerta-bili...

If you're interested, you'll find a more detailed closeup here (it's the 8th photo from the top): www.lacerta-bilineata.com/western-green-lizard-lacerta-bi...

My latest ANIMAL VIDEO (it's very brief but pretty unusual: a tiny wall lizard attacks two young great tits): www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQqkSsyrm7E

THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: MY LONG AND ARDUOUS JOURNEY TO BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY

If you've set yourself the challenge of exclusively shooting the wildlife in your own back yard, you might find - as I did - that bird photography is really, really hard.

It's not that reptiles are easy to photograph either, mind - but at least the ones in my garden stay (for the most part) on the ground, and one can learn how to carefully approach them with a camera. They're also clearly egoists, which from a photographer's point of view is is a great character trait: if a lizard detects a human in its vicinity, it's only interested in saving its own skin, and it won't alarm its buddies.

But birds... oh man. Over the years, my feathered friends and I have developed a lovely routine that now defines our peaceful co-existence. As soon as I as much as open a window (let alone the door), I'm instantly greeted by an eruption of panicky fluttering and hysterical shouts from my garden: "SAVE YOUR WOMEN AND CHILDREN AND FLY FOR YOUR LIVES: THE HAIRLESS, PINK MONSTER IS COMING!!! (Yes, I speak bird, and I know that this is exactly what they are shouting 😉).

Needless to say, with the exception of the redstart I already showed here, all my efforts to get the kind of detailed shots I usually strive for with my nature photography ended in complete failure and utter disillusionment. I was ready to give up on stalking the winged misanthropes in my garden altogether, but then winter came - and changed everything.

One day this past January I observed my neighbor Signora P - a kind, elderly Italian lady - putting something on the low garden wall in front of my house. At first I thought she was just putting some treat there for her cat Romeo; the young tom patrols that wall constantly (it's his favorite spot in the garden, and during the warmer months he usually lurks in the thick foliage next to it to prey on lizards).

But once I detected a lot of movement on that wall through my window, I understood she had put a little pile of bread crumbs there; she was feeding the birds who soon arrived in flocks. This was certainly well-intended on my neighbor's part, but her noble action came with a catch, and I'm afraid quite literally.

When I took a stroll through my garden the next day I discovered a suspicious amount of feathers on the ground next to the wall. Romeo had apparently switched from his low-calorie summer diet (lizard) to more energy-rich meals consisting of "fowl" (it was winter after all, so from a nutritionist's point of view this made sense).

I would find fresh traces of Romeo's victims (mostly feathers, but also the odd wing) in my garden over the following days; so my first intuition that my neighbor was feeding her cat hadn't been that far off after all, as Romeo was now clearly being "served" fresh birds on a daily basis. And although the hungry visitors seemed to be aware of the danger and became slightly more prudent, they just couldn't resist the tasty snacks Signora P put on that wall - and neither could Romeo.

It was obvious that I had to act, but talking to my neighbor - who is as stubborn as she is kind - would have been futile, I knew that much. I pondered the matter long and hard - until a light bulb went off in my head. The idea was genius. If successful, what I had in mind would not only increase the birds' chances of surviving Romeo's appetite, but also greatly benefit my own photographic endeavors.

I started to enact my master plan the very next day by buying a giant bag of bird feed (consisting mainly of sunflower seeds) from the store. Then I dragged a huge piece of a tree trunk (approx. 120 cm in height) that we normally chop firewood on in the shed out into the garden and emptied almost half of the bag's content on top of it. Signora P's buffet for birds (and cats) was about to get some serious competition 😊.

My reasoning was as follows: not only would the birds be lured away from the fatally low garden wall to a place where they were safe from the cat - there was nothing around that tree trunk that provided cover for a predator, and the birds had a nice 360° view around it at all times - but I was also able to photograph them while hiding in the shed.

However, in order for my plan to work there was one little extra measure I had to take, and it was one that risked lowering my own life expectancy considerably once the owner of the property - my mom - discovered it. You see, our shed is completely windowless, so if I wanted to use it as a blind, I had no choice but to cut a hole into one of its wooden walls... which I promptly did (I figured all's fair in love - and photography 😉).

Granted, I have absolutely zero carpentering skills, and it showed. That hole was an ugly mess: the shed's wall seemed to have had an encounter with Jack Nicholson's ax-wielding lunatic character from the film 'The Shining'. Needless to say, I was incredibly proud of my work (I mean, come on: there now was a hole where before there wasn't a hole, and it was big enough for the lens of my camera to peek through, so it was mission accomplished as far as I was concerned).

Now all I had to do was wait for the birds to discover the tree trunk. In the meantime I started to mentally prepare myself for the inevitable confrontation with my mom and go through possible explanations for that splintering hole in the wall (it was either gonna be a rabid woodpecker attack or an emergency rescue mission with a feeding tube for a little kid that had accidentally locked himself inside the shed - both seemed valid options, though I slightly preferred the locked-in kid due to the involved drama and heroism 😉).

A whole day went by, and not a single bird visited the sunflower seeds. I had expected that it might take a few hours until the first of the ever curious great tits or blue tits would show up, but given how tiny my garden is, an entire day seemed excessive. Then another day came and went: the birds kept flocking to the bread crumbs on the wall, and my tree trunk kept collecting dust. To add injury to insult, a few fresh feathers on the ground were proof that Romeo was still feasting.

It was incredibly frustrating: I provided my winged guests with a much better view - plus a higher chance of surviving the cuisine - than Signora P's place; I risked (almost) certain death at the hands of my own mother (OK, the act of vandalism on the shed I had committed for my own benefit, but still), yet the birds kept ignoring me.

Then, after three days, just before sunset, I spotted a single blue tit on the tree trunk picking away at the sunflower seeds.

When I got up the next morning I immediately realized that the loud noise that accompanies each and every tit activity had shifted from the wall to the shed. At last the dam had broken: there was a flurry of movement around the tree trunk, and I counted at least 5 different species of birds feasting on the sunflower seeds.

From day 4 onward my plan worked beautifully: the birds now indeed mostly ignored Romeo's "snack wall" and kept to the tree trunk. And yes, I was able to play peeping tom from behind the shed's wall and photograph them!! 😊

Thus, dear readers, I finally managed to produce some acceptable bird photos, and I had even saved my feathered friends from a deadly foe in the process. All through winter and spring I took advantage of my new bird hide, and in late May I started mixing some cherries with the sunflower seeds. The idea was to attract a Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius), and as you can see, it worked!

It took me almost three weeks and more than a few tricks to capture that clever fella, but given how long I've been rambling here already, that's a story for another day. As for my mom, she still doesn't know about the hole in the wall, so please don't snitch! 😉.

I hope you like the photo and wish you all a wonderful weekend! Many greetings from Switzerland, and as always: let me know what you think in the comments 🙏 😊 ❤!

P.S. if anyone has their own funny tale about the obstacles we photographers are prepared to overcome for a desired photo, please write it in the comments: I love such stories 😊

Our guides, from Guilin Photography Tours, setup an opportunity to go into some peoples homes on our first day.

It's one thing to be walking around an ancient village but something else entirely to be invited into a home and photograph people within their surroundings.

This lady, to me, was absolutely beautiful both in her appearance and in spirit. So was so welcoming when we came in and was so willing to be a subject for our cameras.

This is one of my favourite moments from the trip and one of my favourite shots from the couple of weeks that I was in China.

My website: In the Moment Creations

Serengeti National Park

Tanzania

East Africa

The Cokes hartebeest is a large, fawn-colored antelope. It is one of the fastest antelopes and most enduring runners. These qualities gave rise to its name, which means “tough ox.” Its sedentary lifestyle seems to inhibit the mixing of populations and gene flow; as a result, there are several subspecies of hartebeest.

Hartebeest are mainly found in medium and tall grasslands, including savannas. Adult females are often accompanied by up to four generations of their young. Female offspring remain close to their mothers up to the time they give birth to calves of their own. Even male offspring may remain with their mothers for as long as 3 years, an unusually long bonding period. As groups of females move in and out of male territories, the males sometimes chase away the older offspring. Their mothers become defensive and protect them from the males.

Although bachelor herds of young males are also formed, they are less structured than those of some antelopes, and age classes are not as conspicuous.

The hartebeest feeds almost entirely on grass but it is not very selective and quite tolerant of poor-quality food. Although a prolific breeder and even a dominant species in some areas, the hartebeest has probably suffered the greatest reduction in range of all African ruminants. This is both because it is easily hunted (being relatively sedentary), and because its diet is almost equivalent to that of cattle—it must compete for food resources. Wikipedia

Veröffentlicht mit freundlicher Genehmigung des Eden Projects.

Das Eden Project entstand nach einer Idee des englischen Archäologen und Gartenliebhabers Tim Smit in einer stillgelegten Kaolingrube nahe St Austell. Von der Idee im Jahr 1995 bis zur Eröffnung der Anlage am 17. März 2001 dauerte es sechs Jahre. Charakterisiert wird der Garten durch die zwei riesigen Gewächshäuser, die aus jeweils vier miteinander verschnittenen geodätischen Kuppeln in der Bauweise von Richard Buckminster Fuller bestehen. Hier werden verschiedene Vegetationszonen simuliert. Die Gewächshäuser des Eden Projects sind derzeit die größten der Welt.

Die Entwürfe für die geodätischen Kuppeln stammen vom britischen Architekturbüro Nicholas Grimshaw, die Tragwerksplanung von Anthony Hunt, ihre Ausführung erfolgte durch die Würzburger Firma Mero. Gedeckt sind die mehrfach miteinander verschnittenen Kuppeln mit doppelwandigen Kissen aus ETFE, einem besonders leichten, transparenten Kunststoff. Die Folienkissen wurden in eine Konstruktion aus standardisierten, sechs- und fünfeckigen Stahlrohrrahmenelementen (Raumfachwerk) eingepasst. Die Raumfachwerkkonstruktionen überdecken stützenfrei eine Fläche von insgesamt 23.000 m² (Oberfläche etwa 30.000 m²) und haben eine Höhe von bis zu 50 m bei einem Durchmesser von bis zu 125 m.

Quelle: Wikipedia.de

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The project was conceived by Tim Smit and designed by architect Nicholas Grimshaw and engineering firm Anthony Hunt and Associates (now part of Sinclair Knight Merz). Davis Langdon carried out the project management, Sir Robert McAlpine and Alfred McAlpine[4] did the construction, MERO designed and built the biomes, and Arup was the services engineer, economic consultant, environmental engineer and transportation engineer. Land use consultants led the masterplan and landscape design. The project took 2½ years to construct and opened to the public on 17 March 2001.

The Tropical Biome, covers 1.56 ha (3.9 acres) and measures 55 m (180 ft) high, 100 m (328 ft) wide, and 200 m (656 ft) long. It is used for tropical plants, such as fruiting banana plants, coffee, rubber and giant bamboo, and is kept at a tropical temperature and moisture level.

The Tropical Biome

The Mediterranean Biome covers 0.654 ha (1.6 acres) and measures 35 m (115 ft) high, 65 m (213 ft) wide, and 135 m (443 ft) long. It houses familiar warm temperate and arid plants such as olives and grape vines and various sculptures.

The Outdoor Gardens represent the temperate regions of the world with plants such as tea, lavender, hops, hemp and sunflowers, as well as local plant species.

The covered biomes are constructed from a tubular steel (hex-tri-hex) with mostly hexagonal external cladding panels made from the thermoplastic ETFE. Glass was avoided due to its weight and potential dangers. The cladding panels themselves are created from several layers of thin UV-transparent ETFE film, which are sealed around their perimeter and inflated to create a large cushion. The resulting cushion acts as a thermal blanket to the structure. The ETFE material is resistant to most stains, which simply wash off in the rain. If required, cleaning can be performed by abseilers. Although the ETFE is susceptible to punctures, these can be easily fixed with ETFE tape. The structure is completely self-supporting, with no internal supports, and takes the form of a geodesic structure. The panels vary in size up to 9 m (29.5 ft) across, with the largest at the top of the structure.

The ETFE technology was supplied and installed by the firm Vector Foiltec, which is also responsible for ongoing maintenance of the cladding. The steel spaceframe and cladding package (with Vector Foiltec as ETFE subcontractor) was designed, supplied and installed by MERO (UK) PLC, who also jointly developed the overall scheme geometry with the architect, Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners.

The entire build project was managed by McAlpine Joint Venture.

source: www.//en.wikipedia.org/

Veröffentlicht mit freundlicher Genehmigung des Eden Projects.

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|Gaia| Tracy Mini Riped Skirt @Equal10

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|Rebel Gal| Bobbie Top @Mainstore

My entire life, I have had a fascination of miniatures. This was a wonderful series to work on. Made my soul happy.

AI

Do not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you.

-Rumi-

My son has to go to work, I'm staying home alone almost all day and night. I'm not feeling alone because your photos give me a virtual tour of your home and the places you go. We'll win this fight against coronavirus and we'll be free and healthy again. 🙏

Thanks for your visit and taking the time to comment so I can visit your photos, too... very much appreciated! Have a great day and stay safe, stay Home!🏡

Autumn color, majestic mountains, sounds of nature, and crisp temperatures made for sensory overload on this wonderful day at Oxbow Bend in Grand Teton National Park.

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View the entire Tetons - East and West Set

View my - Most Interesting according to Flickr