Environmental Activism
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The Mute swan actually gets its name from the fact that its is less vocal than other swan species and is one of the heaviest flying birds. A male swan is known as a Cob while the female is known as a Pen and has a lifespan of around 12 years in the wild and can reach 30 years if in an protected environment. One of three species of wild swans to be found in the UK and is the national bird of Denmark. The Mute Swan is unique in making a vibrant throbbing sound with the wings when in flight. A large group of swans can be called a school, ballet and regatta. No swan has ever broken any ones arm, this is a actually a complete myth.
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The Secret of Making Progress is to Get Started
- Mark Twain
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I spotted this Tortoise and his Human Pal taking an ocean-front walk along the cliffs of Palos Verdes California. One thing about California, you will usually find something interesting or unusual, even when you're not looking for it : )
The Tortoise:
Tortoises are "cold-blooded," meaning their body temperature varies with the surrounding environment. They are also herbivores, meaning they eat plants. Tortoises are found in a variety of habitats, including deserts, forests, grasslands, and swamps.
There are over 300 species of tortoises, and they come in a wide range of sizes. The smallest tortoise is the speckled padloper tortoise, which is only about 4 inches long. The largest tortoise is the Galapagos tortoise, which can grow to be over 150 pounds.
Tortoises are long-lived animals. Some species can live for over 100 years. The oldest known tortoise is a Galapagos tortoise named Jonathan, who is over 190 years old.
Here are some interesting facts about tortoises:
Tortoises have been around for over 200 million years.
The largest tortoise ever recorded was a Galapagos tortoise named "Johnathan" who weighed over 500 pounds and was over 190 years old.
Tortoises are very good at conserving water. They can go for long periods of time without drinking.
Tortoises are not very good swimmers.
Tortoises are very social animals and enjoy spending time with other tortoises.
Tortoises can be very affectionate and make great pets.
-Google Bard
(Sony, 200-600 @ 241 mm, 1/3200 @ f/8, ISO 4000, edited to taste)
A rather common warbler found throughout the Himalayan Belt. We sighted them almost everyday much of the journey. I know now that these are endemic to the Himalayas.
These are small birds - maybe less than 10 cms and incredibly active in the roadside bushes, trees and clumps of vegetation. I love the color of these birds and they are quite agile. The birds feed on small seeds, tree insects like Spiders, caterpillars and berries maybe. We never saw them on the ground anytime and most of the time were shooting almost 70-80 deg upwards. Except onetime when we were overlooking a valley and got this shot!
Thanks in advance for your views, faves and feedback if any.
A migratory raptor from Central Asia, Eastern Europe that winters in India. They are quite similar to the Pallid Harriers and both these birds are often seen together and even hunt in the same habitat - grasslands. The prey base is also quite similar.
There were several males when I went there over the weekend. In fact, the females were barely seen which is kind of new since every year, the females outnumber the males by a huge ratio - this year it was the opposite. The birds were gently gliding across the grasslands hunting. It was evening and they also started sitting on the ground or on rocks - we had a good time, but the low light meant not many action shots. That grasslands is the only place where we are seeing some bird action these days, hopefully the action picks up soon.
The grassland they were frequenting for the last twenty years is now slated for development and I am not sure if we will see them again at that location next year.
Thank you very much in advance for your views and feedback. Much appreciated.
You cannot protect the environment unless you empower people, you inform them, and you help them understand that these resources are their own, that they must protect them.
Wangari Maathai
Thank you for your kind visit. Have a wonderful and beautiful day! ❤️❤️❤️
Strictly speaking, one never understands anything from a photograph - Susan Sontag, "On Photography"
Pitched detail of the Hiberus Hotel under the early evening sun (Zaragoza).
Architects: Martínez Lapeña - Torres Arquitectos, Barcelona (José Antonio Martínez Lapeña y Elías Torres Tur).
Developers: Zaragoza Urbana. Palafox Hoteles.
This horizontal-shaped building boasts a construction quite untypical for an urban hotel. Minimalist in many ways, it looks pretty cold for my taste, yet it neatly fits in its natural environment, smartly protected from the strong regional wind and the outside noise by glass and concrete walls, which are different in size to provide a unique perspective. // Este edificio horizontal exhibe una construcción bastante atípica para ser un hotel urbano. Minimalista en varios sentidos, tiene un aspecto bastante frío para mi gusto, aunque encaja muy bien en su entorno natural, inteligentemente protegido del fuerte viento regional y del ruido exterior por muros de hormigón y vidrio, que tienen tamaños diferentes para proporcionar una perspectiva única.
The Brazilian Merganser (Mergus octosetaceus) is one of the most threatened waterfowl in the world and one of the most threatened birds in Americas. Its distribution is restricted to the center-south of Brazil, and parts of Paraguay and Argentina. The species inhabits clean rivers and streams, with rapids and still waters, bordered by forests and with fish abundance. Besides being naturally rare, it has been affected by several human activities that interfere directly or indirectly with its habitats. Until very recently, there was very little available information about Brazilian Merganser. Fortunately, in the last years, intense field studies have improved our knowledge about its habits, ecology and distribution. The information which has been arisen from these studies, although still basic, is helping the species conservation.
In 2006, the Brazilian Ministry of Environment (MMA) published the Action plan for the Brazilian Merganser Conservation, a strategic document with guidelines for conservation actions in long term.
In 2008, the Instituto Terra Brasilis started a project to mark and monitor Brazilian Merganser individuals using colour rings and radio transmitters in the Serra da Canastra region, state of Minas Gerais. We believe the coming results will lead to a major contribution to improve our knowledge about this species, in particular in its territoriality, migration and dispersal.
Picture taken at Serra da Canastra
after 3 consecutive years of expeditions in search of the Brazilian Merganser. Such a joy and sadness at the same time...
Thanks a lot for your visits, comments, faves, invites, etc. Very much appreciated!
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Picturesque framing of a coastal landscape with
a clear blue sky and calm blue water meeting a sandy and rocky shore. In the foreground, the water shows varying shades of blue, indicating depth changes or underwater features, and there's a visible transition to a clearer, shallower area near the shore. The shoreline itself is a mix of golden sand and scattered rocks.
In the mid ground, a cluster of palm trees lines the beach, suggesting a tropical or sub-tropical environment. Among the trees and slightly set back from the beach, there are some light-colored buildings adding a touch of human presence to the natural scene.
A distinctive feature in the background is a tall, slender minaret with a golden top, indicating the presence of a mosque.
The distant horizon shows a faint outline of land or mountains across the water, adding depth to the serene atmosphere of this popular diving and relaxation destination.
Shot from the coastal town of Dahab, on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula. Dahab was originally a Bedouin fishing village and has transformed into a popular tourist destination, particularly known for its relaxed atmosphere
A popular destination for various outdoor activities, including diving, snorkeling, hiking, and kite surfing.
The castle was built between 1350 and 1375. In 1534 Renswoude was recognised as a knight royal residence. In 1623 castle Borchwal already expire as Johan van Reede become the owner . This Calvinistic priest finds a church more important than the rebuilding, of his own castle. In the house, on its property where Protestant meetinings kept, the house become much too small. He gets authorisation to build its own church near the castle. This fine cupola church was taken in 1641 in use. Then late Johan van Reede demolishes in 1654 the old castle and build the new, current castle.
The castle park developed itself as from that time slowly in a baroque park, with a straight alley pattern. In 1682 Johan are succeeded by his third zoon, Frederik Adriaan. He was married with Maria Duyst van Voorhout. During the absence of her man she let dig now the Grand still existing canal, compared with the castle alley. Because of this big work, much unemployed persons could helped with the work. But it had been especially intended as a surprise for her man, They are Versailles lgarden overs in that time, so they build there own French garden. On 28 November 1985 there was a big fire on the castle. The fire made a damage of millions of guldens. All the next day, they started with setting up wharf and rebuild the damage. This was reached by the energy of the current owner, baron Taets van Amerongen. In the meantime the castle has been restored entirely. For groups the castle be visit.
Industrial heritage, sanitised and repurposed for your gentrified hipster,... Coffee swilling tossers.
LR4148
During my last trip, I didn't see any Pallid Harriers at this roosting location, but could sight mostly Montagu's Harriers. But this time, there were several Pallid Male and female as well. They were all roosting in the grassland, sometimes within 10-20 feet of each other. The Pallid or Pale Harrier nature is quite visible here as they are visibly pale compared to the greyish blue tones of Montagu's. I find the males more beautiful than the females and easier to id in both the species,
We sighted several which seemed comfortable with us as long as we sat in our vehicle. When we tried step out and crawl closer, they had little patience for our antics and flew away.
Many thanks in advance for your views and feedback. Much appreciated.
A male White-crowned Sparrow singing his heart out on an early spring evening.
Young males learn the basics of the songs they will sing as an adult during the first two or three months of their life. They don't directly learn from their fathers, but rather from the generalized song environment of their natal environment.
Because male White-crowned Sparrows learn the songs they grow up with and typically breed close to where they were raised, song dialects frequently form. Males on the edge of two dialects may be bilingual and able to sing both dialects.
Western Brook Pond is a Canadian fjord or lake located in Gros Morne National Park on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland. It is in the Long Range Mountains, the most northern section of the Appalachian Mountains.
It is surrounded by steep rock walls 600 m high, having been carved from the surrounding plateau by glaciers. After the glaciers melted, the land rebounded and the fjord was cut off from the sea. Salty water was eventually flushed from the fjord leaving it fresh. It is fed by Stag Brook at the extreme eastern end of the lake and by numerous waterfalls cascading from the plateau above. One of these, Pissing Mare Falls at 350 m, is one of the highest in eastern North America.
The lake is accessible by a moderate-easy 3 km hiking trail over coastal bogs and low limestone ridges. Two tour boats cruise the lake from June to mid-October. The lake waters are pristine, having had very little impact from human activities. The tour boat operators had to undergo special certification to ensure that their operations would have minimal impact on the environment.
In the early part of the 20th century, a part of the surrounding cliff broke off and fell into the lake, causing a 30 m tsunami. (Wikipedia)
Western Brook Pond, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. July 2011.
Another from the recent set at Clevedon Pill.....high tide and sunset....
Clevedon Pill, Somerset, UK.
© www.stevetholephotography.com. All Rights Reserved©
(White Capped variant!)
This small bird is a winter migrant to India from parts of the Central Asia and middle East. It prefers dry areas and desert regions for its habitat and we found it all over the desert - infact it was the most common bird in that area - more than the myna's or bulbuls and sighted in the dry bushes and often coming to the ground.
Wikipedia refers to three distinct morphs of the bird and we sighted all 3 of them, though 2 seemed fairly common - the 3rd one - the white cap - was a bit uncommon but did sight a few times. The one we get down in the Southern India has white on the belly all the way till the neck. We never found it in our home state despite searching several seasons, but am so am glad that we sighted all the 3 variants.
Thank you very much in advance for your views, faves and feedback.
Ordinarily I'd clone out those power lines in a heartbeat, but studying this composition, I realised they were essential to a story. If trees could think, both in life and in death, would each 'tree' seen here be envious of each other? One, grown strong and mighty, cut to have use carrying electricity, but denied it's old age; the other, wild and free, yet cruelly misshaped by weather and environment, with no future. other than an ignominious death? (I can hear someone out there saying, "Shut up, Fergal...it's just an ugly tree and a power pole. Get a life.") Seen at Aghinish, Co. Mayo, Ireland.
5 Maggio
Giornata internazionale dell'ambiente
Ho scelto questa bottiglia di plastica buttata negligentemente in acqua per denuncia:
sono tante le "piccole" cose che ognuno di noi può fare per l'ambiente.
Non possiamo chiedere ai governi di fare qualcosa per il futuro del nostro pianeta se poi noi per primi ci comportiamo male ...
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Do not use my images on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit written permission.
All rights reserved - Copyright © Nora Caracci
Snowy Egret
The Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) is a small white heron. It is the American counterpart to the very similar Old World little egret, which has established a foothold in the Bahamas. At one time, the beautiful plumes of the snowy egret were in great demand by market hunters as decorations for women's hats. This reduced the population of the species to dangerously low levels. Now protected in the United States by law, under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, this bird's population has rebounded.
For more info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowy_egret
A small (15-17 cms) blue colored bird that stands out in its environment and easy to spot. The birds are found in semi / evergreen forests and wooded areas and within them often sighted flying near streams catching the flies in the area. Its habitat is usually green or brown and this is so easy to spot, but very difficult to get close as it is a very shy bird.
The bird is a resident of the Indian subcontinent and found much of the country. The male in this picture sports this rich blue plumage while the female is pale blue with brown colored wings. We sighted a couple of families nesting in our most recent trip. I am not sure, but I think the incubation may have been delayed due to unseasonal rains and heavy gusts of winds. We sighted this bird 14 days ago in the same position. Several Paradise Flycatcher nests which we sighted 2 weeks ago, cannot be found and we sighted one that has fallen to the ground.
The Bamboo plants in the forest act as magnets for many birds - they support several varieties of insects and hence many flycatchers and small birds are often found around that plant / tree. We sighted most of the nests next to them.
Thank you so much in advance for your views, feedback and faves.
Using a gap in the wall of the Nordkirchen castle moat to become deeply rooted.
View from the eastern bridge along the wall down towards the water surface of the moat.
The baroque palace of Nordkirchen is also called the
"Versailles of Westphalia".
Many thanks for your visits, faves and comments. Cheers.
Australian White Ibis (Some Australian White Ibis populations have learnt to exploit artificial foods in urban environments and are becoming pests. However, although Australian White Ibises are becoming more common in some areas, their abundance is decreasing in their natural range.)
Scientific Name: Threskiornis molucca
Description: The Australian White Ibis is identified by its almost entirely white body plumage and black head and neck. The head is featherless and its black bill is long and down-curved. During the breeding season the small patch of skin on the under-surface of the wing changes from dull pink to dark scarlet. Adult birds have a tuft of cream plumes on the base of the neck. Females differ from males by being slightly smaller, with shorter bills. Young birds are similar to adults, but have the neck covered with black feathers. In flight, flocks of Australian White Ibis form distinctive V-shaped flight patterns. Another common name for this bird is Sacred Ibis, but this more appropriately refers to a closely related African species.
Distribution: The Australian White Ibis is common and widespread in northern and eastern Australia, and both its range and abundance in western Australia is expanding, despite its absence from Western Australia prior to the 1950s. The species is absent from Tasmania.
Habitat: The Australian White Ibis can be observed in all but the driest habitats. Preferred habitats include swamps, lagoons, floodplains and grasslands, but it has also become a successful inhabitant of urban parks and gardens.The Australian White Ibis' range of food includes both terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates and human scraps. The most favoured foods are crayfish and mussels, which the bird obtains by digging with its long bill. Mussels are opened by hammering them on a hard surface to reveal the soft body inside.
Feeding: The Australian White Ibis' range of food includes both terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates and human scraps. The most favoured foods are crayfish and mussels, which the bird obtains by digging with its long bill. Mussels are opened by hammering them on a hard surface to reveal the soft body inside.
Breeding: The male Australian White Ibis secures a pairing territory on a branch of a tall tree in order to attract a female. The courtship ceremony involves the male putting on a noisy display, as well as showing aggression towards other males. When a female arrives, the male attracts her by bowing from his branch. He then offers the female a twig, forging a bond when she grasps it and they begin to preen one another. Once the pair bond is cemented, the birds fly off to build a nest at another location. Australian White Ibis nest in large colonies, often with the Straw-necked Ibis, T. spinicollis. Young are born naked and helpless. One or two broods may be reared in a year.
Calls: Drawn-out croaks.
Minimum Size: 69cm
Maximum Size: 76cm
Average size: 72cm
(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net)
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© Chris Burns 2025
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This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying and recording without my written consent.
Former Cinema.
Opened as the 700 seat Electric Palace in 1910.
Became the Majestic in 1915.
Then Vogue in 1940, 541 seats.
And finally Vogue Continental in 1951 before closing on 21st June 1958.
Now the unfortunately named, Testi Restaurant.
LR3510
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Song: Moon River
By: Frank Sinatra
🌎Photo Taken At:
The visual imagery conveys the extreme cold and harshness of the environment; this contrast between humanity and nature highlights the resilience of humankind in surviving in extreme conditions.
Photographed by Liu Wanching at Lake Baikal, Russia, March 2, 2026.
🌸
視覺上傳達出極低的溫度和惡劣，這種人與自然的對比，突顯了人類在嚴酷環境下求生存的堅韌精神。
劉浣青2026.3.2攝於俄羅斯貝加爾湖
A gondola slips between façades shaped by centuries of tide and craftsmanship. Brick, stucco, arches, and ironwork rise in layered textures, each surface carrying the mark of a city built on water and ambition. Light moves across the architecture like a slow conversation, revealing patterns, colours, and stories etched into every wall. Venice shows its character here — not in spectacle, but in the enduring artistry of place.
A Small passerine bird found across small ranges in the country and across much of South East Asia. The bird is around 15 cms long, and found in decidous forests where it hunts in the middle canopy. This is an elusive bird and since its prefers hunting in canopy, is a tough shot in my view.
The bird is a quick agile flyer and I had seen it a few times before from long distance just enough to get a record shot. But this time, under dense canopy and hiding behind bushes, we got a chance to observe it in action. The Flycatcher Shrike tends to join other species (mixed flock groups) in hunting insects. It darts off, catches, consumes and darts off in quick succession. The area we found it had a variety of bird species - around 7-8 interesting ones, and this is the only bird we got a shot of. We did sight around 4-5 of them, though they hunted alone.
Many thanks in advance for your views, feedback and faves.
"As long as there is wanting in you, especially for someone or something to make you happy, paradoxically, this is a sure way to make yourself feel lacking and therefore miserable."
-Mooji (White Fire)
God's Utterance "God Himself, the Unique VIII God Is the Source of Life for All Things" (Part One)
Introduction
God’s word in this video are from the book “Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh”.
The content of this video:
1. The Basic Living Environment God Creates for Mankind
1) Air
2) Temperature
After waiting patiently, the evening sun finally managed to pierce the cloud on the horizon, instantaneously transforming the scene in front of my lens. Impressive fiery red sunlight illuminates the rock forms of Belstone Ridge, which compliment the beautiful rich greens of the surrounding summer landscape. Well worth the wait! Thanks for looking. Mk