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Great White Egret - Ardea Alba
The great egret is generally a very successful species with a large and expanding range, occurring worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. It is ubiquitous across the Sun Belt of the United States and in the Neotropics. In North America, large numbers of great egrets were killed around the end of the 19th century so that their plumes could be used to decorate hats. Numbers have since recovered as a result of conservation measures. Its range has expanded as far north as southern Canada. However, in some parts of the southern United States, its numbers have declined due to habitat loss, particularly wetland degradation through drainage, grazing, clearing, burning, increased salinity, groundwater extraction and invasion by exotic plants. Nevertheless, the species adapts well to human habitation and can be readily seen near wetlands and bodies of water in urban and suburban areas.
The great egret is partially migratory, with northern hemisphere birds moving south from areas with colder winters. It is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
In 1953, the great egret in flight was chosen as the symbol of the National Audubon Society, which was formed in part to prevent the killing of birds for their feathers.
On 22 May 2012, a pair of great egrets was announced to be nesting in the UK for the first time at the Shapwick Heath nature reserve in Somerset. The species is a rare visitor to the UK and Ben Aviss of the BBC stated that the news could mean the UK's first great egret colony is established. The following week, Kevin Anderson of Natural England confirmed a great egret chick had hatched, making it a new breeding bird record for the UK. In 2017, seven nests in Somerset fledged 17 young, and a second breeding site was announced at Holkham National Nature Reserve in Norfolk where a pair fledged three young.
In 2018, a pair of great egrets nested in Finland for the first time, raising four young in a grey heron colony in Porvoo.
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 😊
Macro Mondays - Tape
Happy Macro Monday everyone.
Dolly was a bit miffed she'd put on a few pounds over Christmas. And that tape measure she'd got out of the Christmas cracker, was proof she wasn't going to fit into her Summer dresses.
PS ... for us mere mortals, the tape measure is tiny and totally useless for us.
Se recomienda ampliar.
It is recommended to expand.
Muchas gracias por vuestros favoritos, comentarios y visitas. Saludos cordiales.
Thank you very much for your faves, comments and visits . Best regards.
Time expands, then contracts, and in tune with the stirrings of the heart.
Quote from Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami.
Entered in the Mystic Challenge Group Contest Mystery Clocks
Thank you for taking the time to visit, comment, fave or invite. I really appreciate them all.
All photos used are my own.
All rights reserved. This photo is not authorized for use on your blogs, pin boards, websites or use in any other way. You may NOT download this image without written permission from lemon~art.
This expanded view was taken during a testsession with my new Sigma ultra wide angle lense. On the edeges I loose a little bit of sharpness but all in all I am quite happy.
I was litteraly eaten alive by mosquitos so I hope you like this picture :)
365/2021 - Expanding Horizons ~ 025/365
Treasure Hunt #75 ~ Yarn
Using my husband's scarf and a little spiralizing as inspiration for today's treasure hunt item.
Thank you to everyone who pauses long enough to look at my photo. All comments and Faves are very much appreciated
Time has come! I just updated my SL-Facebook page to expand my social horizon...visit me there as well!
亗亗 亗 www.facebook.com/ThomasCorbainSteel 亗亗亗
I'm not sure why these are called Inca Doves. Reportedly, they've never inhabited the Andes Mountains of Peru where the Inca Empire thrived. They do live in Mexico and southern US states, however. And apparently they're expanding northward. Look out Colorado, they're coming. These are very small doves, just a little bigger than a sparrow.
the macromonday theme for today 4/22 is "bottle caps", which was expanded slightly by the moderator/admin to include jars. discovered this this morning when looking for a crackle finish wine stopper that i know i have somewhere!! am pretty sure this will be my posting for today-- and surprise surprise it's blue ~grin~
btb, i had such fun doing this challenge and finding corks, wine bottle stoppers, & caps. the album, which i am still adding to, is here:
www.flickr.com/photos/muffett68/albums/72157677809335967
btb, this portion of the stopper is 2 and half inches tall
and this looks even cooler in the full-screen mode
Expanding Upwards...
Monday morning I woke up and looked out the window and noticed a heavy cloud cover and the sun was just starting to break the horizon. i could see the hint of a golden yellow sunrise and hoped i wouldn't miss it.
I made my way down to the park and as I crossed the tracks I looked at the rising sun; the colours were enhanced by the dark cloud filled sky above. I had to snap off a few quick shots to capture what I was seeing. I think this shot does it justice.
Thank you for visiting for marking my photo as a favourite and for the kind comments,
Please do not copy my image or use it on websites, blogs or other media without my express permission.
© NICK MUNROE (MUNROE PHOTOGRAPHY)
You can contact me
by email @
karenick23@yahoo.ca
munroephotographic@gmail.com
munroedesignsphotography@gmail.com
or on Facebook @
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On Instagram
her galaxies dance with grace in the infinite world
www.flickr.com/photos/magic_fly/
thank you, Paula!
You need a timekiller and you don't understand
I am like quicksand, lick it from my hand
I am your timekiller, I'll let your mind expand
I am like quicksand, lick it from my hand
Tick tock
Tick tock
This is un-cropped, shot from only 15-feet away. If you love feather details, hit the expand arrows then F11 to see full-screen.
365/2021 - Expanding Horizons ~ 192/365
Thank you to everyone who pauses long enough to look at my photo. All comments and Faves are very much appreciated
365/2021 - Expanding Horizons ~ 030/365
Treasure Hunt #73 ~ Wires
Thank you to everyone who pauses long enough to look at my photo. All comments and Faves are very much appreciated
Posted expressly for the "Smile on Saturday!" theme of 8/6/2022: BRIGHT ON BLACK.
VIEWERSHIP: 25% of 1,403 views on 8/6/2022.
FAVORABILITY: 55% of 55 faves on 8/6/2022.
Cascada de la Cueva y del Estrecho, Parque nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido, Sobrarbe, Huesca, Aragón, España.
El parque nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido (en aragonés Parque nacional d'Ordesa y d'as Tres Serols) está ubicado en el Pirineo oscense, íntegramente en la comarca del Sobrarbe, Aragón (España). Se reparte entre los términos municipales de Broto, Bielsa, Fanlo, Puértolas, Tella-Sin y Torla-Ordesa. Recibe una media de más de 600 000 visitantes al año.
Su superficie ocupa 15 608 ha y la zona de protección periférica cuenta con 19 679 ha. Su altitud oscila entre los 700 m s. n. m. en el río Bellós y los 3348 m s. n. m. del Monte Perdido.5
Es el segundo parque nacional más antiguo de España tras ser declarado el 16 de agosto de 1918 mediante el Real Decreto 16-08-1918 con el nombre de «Valle de Ordesa». Con 598 950 visitantes anualmente (2015), el parque nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido es el séptimo parque nacional de España en número de visitantes. El 13 de julio de 1982 se amplió y se reclasificó bajo el nombre actual.
Actualmente goza de diferentes figuras de protección aparte de la de parque nacional, en 1977 se declaró Reserva de la Biosfera, en 1988 Zona de Especial Protección para las Aves y en 1997 Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la Unesco. Es también Lugar de Importancia Comunitaria.
The Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park (in Aragonese Ordesa National Park and d'as Tres Serols) is located in the Pyrenees of Huesca, entirely in the Sobrarbe region, Aragon (Spain). It is distributed among the municipalities of Broto, Bielsa, Fanlo, Puértolas, Tella-Sin and Torla-Ordesa. It receives an average of more than 600,000 visitors a year.
Its surface occupies 15 608 ha and the peripheral protection zone has 19 679 ha. Its altitude ranges between 700 m s. n. m. in the Bellós river and the 3348 m s. n. m. of Monte Perdido. 5
It is the second oldest national park in Spain after being declared on August 16, 1918 by Royal Decree 16-08-1918 with the name of "Valle de Ordesa." With 598,950 visitors annually (2015), the national park Ordesa y Monte Perdido is the seventh national park in Spain in number of visitors. On July 13, 1982 it was expanded and reclassified under the current name.
It currently enjoys different protection figures apart from the national park, in 1977 it was declared a Biosphere Reserve, in 1988 a Special Protection Area for Birds and in 1997 a World Heritage Site by Unesco. It is also a Site of Community Importance.
Such a dark dismal day that I had a little fiddle with a small candle holder that I never use and gave it a twirl in Photoshop .
On this day last year I was in Bath (in comments) meeting our friends Jan and Alan from Hampshire for lunch - a double birthday celebration - we haven't seen them since because of Covid 😕)
365/2021 - Expanding Horizons ~ 051/365
Not having been in a shop, to buy anything for a very long time, I was commenting how I missed having fresh flowers in the house. Today my lovely husband came home with a pretty bouquet of flowers for me.
Thank you to everyone who pauses long enough to look at my photo. All comments and Faves are very much appreciated
365/2021 - Expanding Horizons ~ 198/365
Thank you to everyone who pauses long enough to look at my photo. All comments and Faves are very much appreciated
Maybe see some of your fantastic photographs again
Look out for FB nick gray name with a profile image of a stags head
Stay safe all 👍👍👍
Parque nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido, Sobrarbe, Huesca, Aragón, España.
El parque nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido (en aragonés Parque nacional d'Ordesa y d'as Tres Serols) está ubicado en el Pirineo oscense, íntegramente en la comarca del Sobrarbe, Aragón (España). Se reparte entre los términos municipales de Broto, Bielsa, Fanlo, Puértolas, Tella-Sin y Torla-Ordesa. Recibe una media de más de 600 000 visitantes al año.
Su superficie ocupa 15 608 ha y la zona de protección periférica cuenta con 19 679 ha. Su altitud oscila entre los 700 m s. n. m. en el río Bellós y los 3348 m s. n. m. del Monte Perdido.5
Es el segundo parque nacional más antiguo de España tras ser declarado el 16 de agosto de 1918 mediante el Real Decreto 16-08-1918 con el nombre de «Valle de Ordesa». Con 598 950 visitantes anualmente (2015), el parque nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido es el séptimo parque nacional de España en número de visitantes. El 13 de julio de 1982 se amplió y se reclasificó bajo el nombre actual.
Actualmente goza de diferentes figuras de protección aparte de la de parque nacional, en 1977 se declaró Reserva de la Biosfera, en 1988 Zona de Especial Protección para las Aves y en 1997 Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la Unesco. Es también Lugar de Importancia Comunitaria.
The Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park (in Aragonese Ordesa National Park and d'as Tres Serols) is located in the Pyrenees of Huesca, entirely in the Sobrarbe region, Aragon (Spain). It is distributed among the municipalities of Broto, Bielsa, Fanlo, Puértolas, Tella-Sin and Torla-Ordesa. It receives an average of more than 600,000 visitors a year.
Its surface occupies 15 608 ha and the peripheral protection zone has 19 679 ha. Its altitude ranges between 700 m s. n. m. in the Bellós river and the 3348 m s. n. m. of Monte Perdido. 5
It is the second oldest national park in Spain after being declared on August 16, 1918 by Royal Decree 16-08-1918 with the name of "Valle de Ordesa." With 598,950 visitors annually (2015), the national park Ordesa y Monte Perdido is the seventh national park in Spain in number of visitors. On July 13, 1982 it was expanded and reclassified under the current name.
It currently enjoys different protection figures apart from the national park, in 1977 it was declared a Biosphere Reserve, in 1988 a Special Protection Area for Birds and in 1997 a World Heritage Site by Unesco. It is also a Site of Community Importance.
The horned sungem (Heliactin bilophus) is a species of hummingbird native to much of central Brazil and parts of Bolivia and Suriname. It prefers open habitats such as savanna and grassland and readily occupies human-created habitats such as gardens. It recently expanded its range into southern Amazonas and Espírito Santo, probably as a result of deforestation; few other hummingbird species have recently expanded their range. The horned sungem is a small hummingbird with a long tail and a comparatively short, black bill. The sexes differ markedly in appearance, with males sporting two feather tufts ("horns") above the eyes that are shiny red, golden, and green. Males also have a shiny blue head crest and a black throat with a pointed "beard". The female is plainer and has a brown or yellow-buff throat. It is the only species within its genus, Heliactin.
The horned sungem is a nomadic species, moving between areas in response to the seasonal flowering of the plants on which it feeds. It relies on a broad variety of flowering plants for nectar. If the shape of the flower is incompatible with the bird's comparatively short bill, it may rob the nectar through a little hole at the base of the flower. The sungem does also consume small insects. The species is currently classified as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horned_sungem
A precious hummingbird for a Peaceful Bokeh Wednesday!
Thanks a lot for your visits, comments, faves, invites, etc. Very much appreciated!
© All my images are protected under international authors copyright laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission. All rights reserved. Please contact me at thelma.gatuzzo@gmail.com if you intend to buy or use any of my images.
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The castle has only been partially rebuilt since its demolition in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The earliest castle structure was built before 1214 and later expanded into two castles circa 1294; however, in 1537, a lightning bolt destroyed the upper castle. The present structures had been expanded by 1650, before damage by later wars and fires. In 1764, another lightning bolt caused a fire which destroyed some rebuilt sections.
365/2021 - Expanding Horizons ~ 067/365
Thank you to everyone who pauses long enough to look at my photo. All comments and Faves are very much appreciated
Pink Footed Geese at Martin Mere Wetlands in Lancashire, alarmed by the presence of a Buzzard (at the top of the photo). Very Noisy! Best expanded.
365/2021 - Expanding Horizons ~ 249/365
Flickr Lounge ~ Macro
Thank you to everyone who pauses long enough to look at my photo. All comments and Faves are very much appreciated
365/2021 - Expanding Horizons ~ 081/365
Finally, the first of my daffodils has flowered!
Thank you to everyone who pauses long enough to look at my photo. All comments and Faves are very much appreciated
As we were driving down Gaglardi Way in West Vancouver, enjoying the light show of the setting sun,
I was snapping photos of the light on Port Mann Bridge, when Ross exclaimed "look at Miss Baker!" , she was HUGE
and just barely visible. She seems to have the ability to shrink and expand, to hide and to suddenly appear ...
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I walked out into the garden today to find that this little beauty has flowered. Another of the tulips I planted last autumn.
Thank you to everyone who pauses long enough to look at my photo. All comments and Faves are very much appreciated
This photograph taken inside the Wisconsin Central’s diesel shop at North Fond du Lac shows two recent arrivals getting a mechanical check-over before being added to their then rapidly expanding fleet of SD45s.
The WC had already purchased 21 of these big EMDs from the Santa Fe in 1993, but due to increasing traffic levels they found it necessary to add more power in late 1994 into early 1995.
The ATSF 5327 would become the WC 6599 and the ATSF 5400 the WC 6629. – The additional road units that came to the WC from the ATSF this time around included 33 SD45s, 6 F45s and the one FP45. - September 6th, 1994 ~~ A Jeff Hampton Photograph ©