The sunny weather on Sunday encouraged us to visit the Windmill of Eilhausen, perfectly restored in Summer and now ready for the public.

The foothills of the mountains in the Southern Lakes are covered in trees. The acid soils and humid conditions encourage ferns and moss, sessile oaks and the most wonderful beech trees, many of which are copper beech. Holly, rowan and hazel grow here too - the perfect environment for wildlife. Bird song everywhere - just magic. Red squirrels also abide here, unseen (by me, quiet as I was), as they are small and quick.

We even had a pair of nuthatches visit our bird feeder. They became used to me, coming out for the special food I put out for them. They were raising families of course, and so their food was rich in protein. Not cheap, but worth it !

Taken from the top of our 'holiday retreat' path one morning. The light was so lovely.

Thank you as always for your kind comments, faves and invites - hope you feel inspired to visit this wonderful place.

My own texture used - processed in PicMonkey with a touch of Topaz Glow.

SMALL and compact bird with a relatively short. dark tail. This male was seen at Sandwich Bay Kent and was the only bird of note seen today, and a bit distant, hope you enjoy it!

=======================

Trust you are staying safe and well, thanks for your visit, please leave a comment, it is always appreciated, and find it encouraging . God bless.........................Tomx

KINGFISHERS often perch on overhanging branches and plunge headlong into the water, was at the Feast hide for only two hours, and he put in three visits, and caught three smallish fish. A joy to see these birds, the plumage is undeniably striking, and the paparazzi of clicking cameras , from the many birders, endorses my statement. Seen at Stodmarsh, Grove Ferry, Kent.

============================================

THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND, love your comments, they are very appreciated, and find encouraging. Will return the visit, and do the same on your latest posting.

Hope your weekend is going well , enjoy the Lords day...

God bless you....................................Tomx

A DISTINCTIVE WADER, one of my favorites to photograph, attractive, trusting, a distinctive call, and there can be few sights and sounds more evocative of the countryside than a lapwing performing a noisy display flight over its territory in the spring. Seen at Elmley Marshes,NR Sheppey Kent. Taken from my archives !

==========================================

THANK YOU for your continued support and kind comments , which is appreciated and find very encouraging, Do hope you are all keeping well, stay safe, God bless.......................Tomx

==========================================

Weave JESUS into your life today !

Brown Hare - Lepus europaeus

Norfolk

The brown hare is known for its long, black-tipped ears and fast running - it can reach speeds of 45mph when evading predators. It prefers a mosaic of farmland and woodland habitats and can often be spotted in fields.

Thought to have been introduced into the UK in Roman Times (or even earlier), the brown hare is now considered naturalised. It is most common in grassland habitats and at woodland edges, favouring a mosaic of arable fields, grasses and hedgerows. It grazes on vegetation and the bark of young trees and bushes. Brown hares do not dig burrows, but shelter in 'forms', which are shallow depressions in the ground or grass; when disturbed, they can be seen bounding across the fields, using their powerful hind legs to propel them forwards, often in a zigzag pattern. Brown hares are at their most visible in early spring when the breeding season encourages fighting or 'boxing'. Females can produce three to four litters of two to four young (known as leverets) a year.

Widespread, but absent from northern Scotland and the Scottish islands, except Islay, I'm reliably informed.

www.facebook.com/jefflack.2/photos

Brown Hare - Lepus europaeus

Norfolk

Double Click to view

The brown hare is known for its long, black-tipped ears and fast running - it can reach speeds of 45mph when evading predators. It prefers a mosaic of farmland and woodland habitats and can often be spotted in fields.

Thought to have been introduced into the UK in Roman Times (or even earlier), the brown hare is now considered naturalised. It is most common in grassland habitats and at woodland edges, favouring a mosaic of arable fields, grasses and hedgerows. It grazes on vegetation and the bark of young trees and bushes. Brown hares do not dig burrows, but shelter in 'forms', which are shallow depressions in the ground or grass; when disturbed, they can be seen bounding across the fields, using their powerful hind legs to propel them forwards, often in a zigzag pattern. Brown hares are at their most visible in early spring when the breeding season encourages fighting or 'boxing'. Females can produce three to four litters of two to four young (known as leverets) a year.

Widespread, but absent from northern Scotland and the Scottish islands, except Islay, I'm reliably informed.

Close view of a Woodchat Shrike in Spain's Sierra Morena mountains.

Thanks for your visit… Any comment you make on my photograph is greatly appreciated and encouraging! But please do not use this image without permission.

Another variant of Pasque is Pulsatilla pratensis. It is beautifully shaped like a bell, a little darker than the common Pasque, growing wild on a few sites in southern Sweden. I found it on the island of Öland. Texture Flypaper.

Compare with Common Pasque, Pulstailla vulgaris, in the first comment box.

Thank you very much for kind visit, comment and fav. It´s always encouraging and appreciated! :)

Star bird on a trip to Sri Lanka was the rare and exquisite Serendib Scops Owl. This bird was seen hidden deep in bamboo and, less than a minute after this shot was taken, a thunderstorm broke overhead and I was drenched in seconds!

This owl is the most recently discovered bird of Sri Lanka. It was originally located by its unfamiliar poo-ooo call in rainforest by prominent Sri Lankan ornithologist Deepal Warakagoda. Six years later, it was finally seen by him on 23 January 2001 in Sinharaja, and formally described as a species new to science in 2004. It is the first new bird to be discovered in Sri Lanka since 1868.

Thanks for your visit… Any comment you make on my photograph is greatly appreciated and encouraging! The image is copyright - please do not use without my written permission.

Cow Elk encouraging he new born calf to stand for the first time.

The Punchinello is a common butterfly in Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, India.

Thanks for your visit… Any comment you make on my photograph is greatly appreciated and encouraging! But please do not use this image without permission.

Pink, small, and punctual,

Aromatic, low,

Covert in April,

Candid in May,

Dear to the moss,

Known by the knoll,

Next to the robin

In every human soul.

Bold little beauty,

Bedecked with thee,

Nature forswears

Antiquity.

Emily Dickinson

Warm thanks and greetings to all Flickr friends, who encouraged me yesterday when I was down.

Texture: My own.

Ann Magnolias [?]

With beautiful four-inch-wide blossoms in striking shades of medium pink or reddish-purple, this is an elegant flower that blooms very early and gets up to ten feet in height.

Magnolia flowers belong to the Magnoliaceae family and have around 210 species. They’re considered as the most ancient flowering plants, appearing before bees did. Fossilised specimen of one type of magnolia dated 20 million years while another dates back 95 million years. [...]. It is believed that they have evolved to encourage pollination by beetles. The flowers don’t yield true nectar but protein-rich pollen. www.homestratosphere.com/types-of-magnolias/

The Emperor Gum Moth belongs to the Saturniidae family and is native to Australia. This species was formerly placed in the genus Antheraea.

This captive bred male emerged from its cocoon on 16.07.2016.

Thanks for your visit… Any comment you make on my photographs is greatly appreciated and encouraging! But please do not use this image without permission.

Unexpected intrusions of beauty. This is what life is.

--Saul Bellow

Saw this dazzling little beauty visiting the lovely purple salvia in my backyard in Southern California. Nature never ceases to amaze and inspire me, and it is these precious moments that bring me much joy and peace amid the many challenges of life. Hoping this sweet little hummingbird brightens your day as it did mine. :-)

As always, a huge thanks to those who stop by to view, fave and or comment! I am truly grateful.

Dear friends, I would like to dedicate this post to my dear friend, Bill, who not only was a wonderful and faithful friend for many years, but also an amazing photographer. He was one of a few friends who inspired and encouraged me to pursue nature photography. In fact, he was the one who first took me shooting hummingbirds. :-) Bill was a very kind and gentle soul, a beloved husband, father, teacher and friend. He passed away in a biking accident the morning after I posted this hummingbird. He will be greatly missed...

:)

Explored

14 August 09

Thank you all so so much for your support & encouraging words !

if encouraged, becomes a wide channel into which all other thoughts flow

Join us starting today @Frogmore for a 1 week photo challenge. This challenge will be located in our Shire area which includes a new garden splash pool for fun avatar photos. We have amazing views from every angle and lots of wildlife including Ducks, Egrets, Frogs, Doves, Seagulls, as well as Capybaras, Butterflies, and a Kitty or two. This is designed to be a fun challenge, and we will have prizes to go around. **Frogmore Inworld Group Membership Required** Avatars photos encouraged. Frogmore Main Landing - Join our group here ---> maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frogmore/180/98/28 Shire location for photo challenge ---> maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frogmore/19/73/21 Group discussion and photo challenge details ---> www.flickr.com/groups/frogmore/discuss/72157721918776317/ *Have fun and enjoy !!*

ただいま〜。　やっと帰ってきました。

たくさんの励ましのことばをありがとうございました。

まだ視界がぼやけていて、文字を読むのはたいへんですが、

時間をかけてゆっくり治していきたいと思っています。

I'm back, again.

Still the sight is not clear and hard to read.

Thank you all so much for every warm and kind word that encouraged me a lot.

The unmistakable endemic Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, also called Ceylon Blue Magpie, in Sinharaja National Park.

Thanks for your visit… Any comment you make on my photograph is greatly appreciated and encouraging! But please do not use this image without permission.

thx 4 faves comments invites always encouraging bigger is good!

This is the strangest looking caterpillar I have ever reared… The Atlas moth is one of the largest of all moth species in the world. I have four captive bred larvae feeding well on Privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium). Each caterpillar is now 60mm, but will grow bigger! The larvae like humid jungle conditions of 25-30 degrees C, and spin cocoons in about 8 weeks from hatching.

The Atlas moth is a large saturniid found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia, and is common across the Malay archipelago.

Thanks for your visit… Any comment you make on my photographs is greatly appreciated and encouraging! But please do not use this image without permission.

Shock of the New Challenge #70.0

~ SOTN ~ FROSTBITE ~

BiG THANKS to EVERYONE for your personal comments and also your support from selected groups.

Awards are always encouraging and especially appreciated from those add my work to their collection of 'faves'.

Cheerz G

Fog/mist and light frost encouraged me out the other day to a location I've never ventured to before, even though it's reasonably local to me, Risby Warren, in North Lincolnshire.

Being slightly elevated, yes parts of Lincolnshire does have hills, the mist was thinner, and was burning back quick as the sun shone through.

Unfortunately the fencing restricted where I could actually get to. I had seen some great trees (behind me from this viewpoint) but I just couldn't get the composition I wanted. Nevertheless this shot attracted me due to the various leading lines of the power cables, fences, hills and clouds.

Parachuting on to a narrow, overcrowded clifftop is no mean feat - just ask a Puffin on Skomer Island. These remarkable little seabirds have adapted well to life on a rocky outcrop off the west coast of Wales. So well, in fact, that the colony is estimated to number some 25,000 birds, which means space for landing can only get tighter.

Thanks for your visit… Any comment you make on my photograph is greatly appreciated and encouraging! But please do not use this image without permission.

Sometimes called “sea parrots” as well as “clowns of the sea,” Atlantic Puffins sport large, brightly-colored beaks on their substantially-sized heads. Crisp black and white markings on their plumage, as well as superior diving capabilities, have led people to compare the northern seabirds to penguins.

About 25,000 Puffins can be seen on Skomer Island off the Pembrokeshire coast of west Wales.

Thanks for your visit… Any comment you make on my photograph is greatly appreciated and encouraging! But please do not use this image without permission.

Watch them follow and watch them run but truly...to my followers and all those who have been there to support and encourage me during this whole Photoshop adventure..I give you my thanks for believing in what I do and what I create. It is because of you all that I've kept learning , that I've kept creating and that I still try to climb that photoshop mountain to explore and learn every time again.

I still remember the very first picture that I added on Flickr , the first picture that got the 100 likes , the first banner and so on..

I know I might not always add my pictures so fast then I once did but I'm still here and still working on my little creepy sinister world , , sometimes brighter and more colorful then other times.

As always , and never forget , my special thanks to my sweet dear chum Lost..always there , always encouraging , because of him I've started with making pics. Adore you my dear Mellon.

Okay!! So after that little lecture .. 😉

DRD Spear is found @ DRD mainstore

Dirt Applier is from TWC ( The White Crow) @ TWC mainstore

Collar : CX Collar @ CX Mainstore

Scarf : XC Wanderer Scarf @ CX mainstore

Earrings : CX tainted Noctirine @ CX mainstore (gifts L'homme)

Pants : CX Roamer Pants @ CX mainstore

Bracers : CX Heathen Armguard @ CX Mainstore

CX SLurl : maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cerberus%20Crossing/133/12...

BiG THANKS to EVERYONE for your personal comments and also your support from selected groups.

Awards are always encouraging and especially appreciated from those add my work to their collection of 'faves'.

Cheerz

The little man offers his hand...

I wanted to thank all of you for your continued kindness and support. Your thoughtful comments, your generous awards and stars, and your heartfelt messages encourage me to keep shining my light. Your amazing designs and incredible images inspire me and make me feel so happy to be part of this talented community of creators. I'm grateful to be part of a universe where we readily offer one another our hands to help lift each other up. Everyone has an important message to share, and each one of us can make a difference. And when we work together, we really can change the world.

Keep shining so bright, my friends!

From above, Monaco’s harbor reveals its grand dance. Yachts and cruises nestle in nature’s embrace, city buildings shimmer in elegance, and distant mountains whisper timeless tales. A view that celebrates the union of splendor and serenity.

Thank you for viewing my photo! Your views, favorites, and thoughtful comments inspire me to keep sharing these moments. Each word is deeply appreciated and encourages me on this journey...

Just to make you smile.......

Thank you so much dear Flickr friends for all your encouraging comments and faves. I enjoy reading them all and get inspiration from all your wonderful photography too....Sue

Thanks indeed everyone for your personal comments and also your support from selected groups.

Awards are encouraging and especially from those who add my work to their 'faves'.

Cheerz G

Thank you all my kind friends for your thoughtful and encouraging comments, favs and views, I wish I could thank you all individually but right now it's not possible, hope all of you have a wonderful weekend and as always happy shooting :-))

I would like to thank everyone who take the time to view and comment on my photographs it is greatly appreciated and encouraging

So, I depart tomorrow morning to get my bride....wish me luck!

I leave you, my dear Flickr friends, with a pic of my hometown, Ajmer.

I normally don't say this, but I'd encourage you to View On Black

Thank You Very Much all for your encouraging ♡♡♡

Impressionist Gardens Challenge - September 2018

Sponsoring Groups of this Challenge :The Golden Horse Impressionists

BiG THANKS to EVERYONE for your personal comments and also your support from selected groups.

Awards are always encouraging and especially appreciated from those add my work to their collection of 'faves'.

Cheerz G

BiG THANKS to EVERYONE for your personal comments and also your support from selected groups.

Awards are always encouraging and especially appreciated from those add my work to their collection of 'faves'.

Cheerz G

Thank You Very Much all for your encouraging ♡♡♡

Not one I encourage normally, but when they stare at you with such intelligence & confidence and display plumage of such perfect beauty, it's impossible not to offer something. Our house already bears too many cockatoo scars so I need to resist their charming ways.

I was much encouraged by a friend's appreciation to attempt more shots at relatively slow shutter speeds for panning with an 800mm focal length, hand-held lens. I am glad I did as I got several pictures that I wouldn't otherwise have attempted - this is one such taken at 1/60th seconds.

The Gladiator was the last biplane fighter to enter RAF service, in 1937 - the same year as the far more capable Spitfire. Despite looking rather old fashioned, it has a very sprightly performance, compared to other biplanes of the era, but even so, was already pretty much obsolescent when it entered service. It had some relatively novel features such as landing flaps (seen in the lowered position in the picture) and an enclosed cockpit. This latter was not very popular with pilots of the day as 'real flying' involved being in the open air. Later aircraft that flew higher and faster in much colder air soon put paid that attitude! The cockpit hood was kept in the open position for this display.

So that's what i took yesterday. I'm still trying to learn what works well with you and what does not. over all the males on Jake get more attention and pictures with lots of background are liked and viewed more. atm im on a like ratio of 10% to 15% wich is normal if you are not an insane artist (which i am not *giggle*) i decided i don't go for Follower Reach points. I'd say about 80-100 of the ones who follow me actually ever looked at my gallery and at least dropped one like, the rest (around 350) have never done anything but drop a follow so that does not mean anything i guess. hmmm what else... I am really happy so many here are active every day and encourage me to keep going, and i love interacting with you! ahm i think that's it. Thank you all and enjoy~♥

Portrait of a captive bred Ferruginous Hawk. Buteo regalis is Latin for royal hawk.

Thanks for your visit… Any comment you make on my photograph is greatly appreciated and encouraging! But please do not use this image without permission.

thx 4 faves comments invites always encouraging put cursor on image!

The Butterfly Sculpture at Doddington Hall, near Lincoln. Visitors to the Elizabethan Hall are encouraged to make a butterfly and add it to others on a wire framework. The frame was covered in random paper and fabric butterflies by the end of the year.

Explore #343

I would like to thank everyone who take the time to view and comment on my photographs it is greatly appreciated and encouraging

Encouraged by the sun and blue sky, we braved the 3°C for a ride through the countryside. Passed this little cabin that looks like an ideal spot to spend some time - on a warmer day.