View allAll Photos Tagged Grasping
Time, who is knocking at the gate,
Cannot make you all his boast:
Our garden shall be desolate
But you - a ghost
Timeless; beauty's timeless norm
You are in passion and in form.
an excerpt from:
"Reflection of First Love"
by, William Soutar
An old bull Elephant stretches to reach a high branch where the leaves of his favorite acacia await. The elephant's trunk is formed by a fetal fusion of the upper lip an nose. It is made up of thousands of opposing muscle fascicles that give it unique abilities. Elephants not only use their trunks for breathing and smell, but also for touching, grasping, drinking, eating, producing sounds, and interacting. It is the animal's most important and most versatile organ. The African Elephant's trunk ends with two opposing lips that endow it with the ability to grasp objects more easily, while Asian Elephants only have one. Once might say that the elephant is led by its nose. It's a nose that knows no bounds! #iLoveNature #iLoveWildlife #WildlifePhotography in #Tanzania #Nature in #Africa #Elephants #DrDADBooks #Canon #WildlifeConservation
An image of my hand, at Anthony McCall's immersive Solid Light exhibit at the Tate Modern. "Beams of light projected through a thin mist create large three-dimensional forms in space, which slowly shift and change. As you move through these translucent sculptures of light, you’ll create new shapes and discover your own mesmerising perspectives.
Occupying a space between sculpture, cinema, drawing, and performance, McCall is known for his innovative installations of light."
www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/anthony-mccall?utm_s...
An idea I've been manifesting for some time. This morning I had the opportunity to test it out. It was my intention to do much longer exposures of around 2 or 3 minutes to completely smooth out the sea, but best I could reasonably get away with was 30 seconds or so. This is the first of a series of shots I came away with. A 3 second exposure at f10 iso100.
www.facebook.com/Mark-Leader-Fine-Art-Photography-2526509...
|| IC Photo taken at Mischief Managed ||
Grinning, Everett listens to Zaira go over the specs of the garden like the expert she is. Something about her passion amplifies his smile even more, so when she moves to pat his arm, he attempts to grab it. "You know I don't work for free," he returns swiftly. "Not in this economy. I'll be your beast of burden, but it's gonna cost you." He wiggles brows. "On completion of course, I'm not greedy," the boy adds.
Zaira pouted a bit, not that he could see it but she did. Holding his hand she blinked and pouted "Can't it just be a graduation present? I only have so many chocolate wands left!" she whined clearly not getting any hints. "Or! We can sneak some ingredients and I'll make you a lovely dinner? I think I can talk the elves into letting me use the kitchen, or we can use the homemaking magic room, that's always empty." her head was going a mile a minute trying to find ways to pay Everett for his help.
Everett snorts, then snickers, as the girl scrambles to come up with some form of payment. "How do you even function," he teases, turning towards her. "That's in, payment in full, /up front/." The boy reaches a hand up to guess at Zaira's cheek and catches her temple --close enough-- grasping with both hands and angling her gaze upwards. Grinning, the boy tilts down and attempts to capture her in a kiss, his heart pounding in his ears; it had been far too long since he'd attempted it, and was bursting at the seams to get some already!
Moremi Game Reserve
Okavango Delta
Botswana
Southern Africa
1) Males can grow up to 13 feet tall at the shoulders, measure up to 30 feet from trunk to tail, and weigh up to 14,000 pounds. Elephants are the ONLY mammals that cannot jump!
2) An elephant’s trunk weighs around 400 pounds and contains around 100,000 different muscles. But, thanks to finger-like appendages at the tip, they’re also nimble enough to pluck a single blade of grass.
3) Elephants tusks are ambidextrous. Some are “lefties,” others are “righties.” They’ll favor that tusk when fighting other Elephants, picking things up, or stripping leaves and bark off trees. Because of constant usage, their preferred tusk gets shorter over time.
4) Elephants have highly developed brains, not to mention the largest in the entire animal kingdom. Their brain is 3 or 4 times larger than that of humans.
5) Elephants have an extremely slow pulse rate, around 27 beats per minute. Compare that to the average human (80 bpm), or Canary (1000 bpm).
6) The elephant’s trunk, which is called a proboscis, contains 16 muscles, with a large muscle on the top and sides of the trunk allowing elephants to raise it. There are also thousands of smaller muscle fascicles, or bundles of muscle fibers, that allow for finer movements of the trunk.
7) These massive mammals can run at a maximum speed of 25 miles (40 km) per hour.
Wild South Africa
Kruger National Park
# There are no bones in an elephant’s trunk, which is a fusion of its nose and upper lip.
# The trunk can grow to about 6 feet (1,8 M) long and can weigh 300 pounds (136 Kg). Using at least 40,000 different muscles, an elephant can lift over 700 pounds (318 Kg) with its trunk.
# Elephants can pull up to two gallons (7.5 L) of water into their trunks through their nostrils at a single time.
# Elephants can also use their trunks as snorkels, and breathe through them while the rest of their body is submerged.
# Asian elephants have a single finger like appendage on the end of the trunks for grasping, while African elephants have two. The latter can actually grasp things by pinching them, while the former curls the tip of its trunk around them.
# Elephants have a keener sense of smell than even a bloodhound with millions of receptor cells in their nasal cavities; they can even smell water from miles away.
Thank you Google
not cropped
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFSRCZN843c&list=RDEM-YwEhrnX...
The grave of our youth is up ahead
And life has become a burden
We move in circles of surpressed despair
Waiting for the sun
And turning stones to find evidence
But it hides in the recesses of our hearts
A written decree of our loss
And we carried no faith in the cross
And the cold years are coming
For the victims of a longing
Out through the doors of starvation
And into the rains of damnation
Where the bitter winds are singing
For the victims of a longing
We carried along through squalor
With an inborn need to dominate and possess
It gives birth to an anger inside
And we cant control this
The blood of departure in our tracks
Dripping from our emptying vessels
Your hand reached out to hold mine
But you’re grasping melting ice
Asleep in the rain
A child once again
And the ghost in my head
Has forgiven me
Lifted his curse upon me
After an 18 month sabbatical from the Calder Valley the promise of wall-to-wall blue skies encouraged me to make the trip today to snap the much favoured Preston - Lindsey tanks in what remains of the autumn foliage.
After arriving early and parking in Cornholme I made my way towards the top of Low Moor via Carr Road, and slipped a few times on the black-ice hanging around in the shadows. Anyhow it turns out that my memory of the footpaths isn't quite as wholesome as I thought it was - after taking a wrong turn and with 20 minutes to go now that the train was apparently running early, I ended up having to walk up the steeper than preferred side of the slope grasping the heather for leverage. By now sweating like a pig I eventually found a suitable spot and the hankie, packed as an insurance for driving rain, served instead to mop the head, brow and try stop the glasses from steaming up every time I lifted camera to face.
Still, it was worth it though for the net gain of one class 70, Colas unit 70817, seen here having just crested Copy Pit and still in the county of Lancashire, working the 10.07am Preston - Lindsey discharged bitumen tanks (6E32). Yorkshire officially starts just beyond the hamlet of Portsmouth and the houses basking in the sun.
Unfortunately on the debit side was a net loss of one hat - my favourite lined one too that's good for all weathers and which seemed to have slipped out of the pocket during some of the more energetic (it’s all relative) manoeuvres.
If you prefer your trains to have a few more pixels, then this may not be the shot for you! Best viewed full screen.
11.15am, 18th November 2019
Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), the African forest elephant (L. cyclotis), and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea; extinct relatives include mammoths and mastodons. Distinctive features of elephants include a long proboscis called a trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, pillar-like legs, and tough but sensitive grey skin. The trunk is prehensile, bringing food and water to the mouth and grasping objects. Tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. The large ear flaps assist in maintaining a constant body temperature as well as in communication. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears and convex or level backs.
Image Taken at Clef des champs
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Clef%20des%20champs/120/82/28
The Lighthouse
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)
The rocky ledge runs far into the sea,
And on its outer point, some miles away,
The Lighthouse lifts its massive masonry,
A pillar of fire by night, of cloud by day.
Even at this distance I can see the tides,
Upheaving, break unheard along its base,
A speechless wrath, that rises and subsides
In the white lip and tremor of the face.
And as the evening darkens, lo! how bright,
Through the deep purple of the twilight air,
Beams forth the sudden radiance of its light
With strange, unearthly splendor in the glare!
Not one alone; from each projecting cape
And perilous reef along the ocean's verge,
Starts into life a dim, gigantic shape,
Holding its lantern o'er the restless surge.
Like the great giant Christopher it stands
Upon the brink of the tempestuous wave,
Wading far out among the rocks and sands,
The night-o'ertaken mariner to save.
And the great ships sail outward and return,
Bending and bowing o'er the billowy swells,
And ever joyful, as they see it burn,
They wave their silent welcomes and farewells.
They come forth from the darkness, and their sails
Gleam for a moment only in the blaze,
And eager faces, as the light unveils,
Gaze at the tower, and vanish while they gaze.
The mariner remembers when a child,
On his first voyage, he saw it fade and sink;
And when, returning from adventures wild,
He saw it rise again o'er ocean's brink.
Steadfast, serene, immovable, the same
Year after year, through all the silent night
Burns on forevermore that quenchless flame,
Shines on that inextinguishable light!
It sees the ocean to its bosom clasp
The rocks and sea-sand with the kiss of peace;
It sees the wild winds lift it in their grasp,
And hold it up, and shake it like a fleece.
The startled waves leap over it; the storm
Smites it with all the scourges of the rain,
And steadily against its solid form
Press the great shoulders of the hurricane.
The sea-bird wheeling round it, with the din
Of wings and winds and solitary cries,
Blinded and maddened by the light within,
Dashes himself against the glare, and dies.
A new Prometheus, chained upon the rock,
Still grasping in his hand the fire of Jove,
It does not hear the cry, nor heed the shock,
But hails the mariner with words of love.
"Sail on!" it says, "sail on, ye stately ships!
And with your floating bridge the ocean span;
Be mine to guard this light from all eclipse,
Be yours to bring man nearer unto man!"
Hanging fingers of the hand
That grows up from below the land
Spreading out, reaching high
Up towards the moving sky
Catching the rays, with fingers bare
Grasping the invisible, flowing air
As the clouds of white and grey
Watch closely, then float away
Across the beauty of the land
Below the wooden fingers of the hand
"Voices in the forest tell of dark and twisted enchantments - as dark and twisted as the roots and grasping branches of the trees themselves. Even the most gnarled tree is eloquent in the telling of its own tale.
Brian Froud
Croft Castle, Herefordshire.
Just one of the ancient, twisted sweet chestnut trees in an avenue of Spanish chestnuts believed to be 400-500 year old.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/croft-castle-and-parkland
font : Renaiss-italic.
As found. I took this back in October and discarded it because of the river scum. Rescued it while weeding through an unending mass of rejects. Funny how time changes perception... Sunny days have been rare this spring - so I'm grasping at anything that has light...
Revelation is always conceived primarily as the communicating of saving information; and although it issues in love, agape, as well as gnosis, the main concern is with the nous, the spiritual understanding. Knowledge, a ‘grasping’ of the mysteries of God, is the beginning of the spiritual life.
- The Wound of Knowledge Christian Spirituality from the New Testament to St John of the Cross, ROWAN WILLIAMS
Tanzania, Parco Nazionale del Serengeti, Autunno 2019
Foto scattata durante un safari in Tanzania nell’ottobre 2019 / Photo taken during a safari in Tanzania in October 2019
Gli elefanti sono mammiferi e i più grandi animali terrestri esistenti. Le caratteristiche distintive di tutti gli elefanti includono una lunga proboscide, zanne, grandi paraorecchie, gambe enormi e pelle dura ma sensibile. La proboscide viene utilizzata per respirare, portare cibo e acqua alla bocca e afferrare oggetti. Le zanne, che sono derivate dai denti dell'incisivi, servono sia come armi che come strumenti per muovere oggetti e scavare. I grandi orecchie aiutano a mantenere una temperatura corporea costante e nella comunicazione. Le gambe simili a pilastri portano il loro grande peso. Gli elefanti sono erbivori e rimangono vicino all'acqua quando è accessibile. Sono considerate specie fondamentale, a causa del loro impatto sul loro ambiente. Altri animali tendono a mantenere le distanze dagli elefanti; l'eccezione sono i loro predatori come leoni, tigri, iene e cani selvatici, che di solito prendono di mira solo i giovani elefanti. Gli elefanti hanno una società fissione-fusione, in cui più gruppi familiari si uniscono per socializzare. Gli elefanti possono vivere fino a 70 anni in natura. Comunicano al tatto, alla vista, all'olfatto e al suono; gli elefanti usano infrasuoni e comunicazioni sismiche su lunghe distanze. L'intelligenza dell'elefante è stata paragonata a quella di primati e cetacei. Sembrano avere autocoscienza, oltre a mostrare empatia per i familiari morenti e morti.
Gli elefanti africani sono elencati come vulnerabili. Una delle maggiori minacce per le popolazioni di elefanti è il commercio di avorio, in quanto gli animali vengono cacciati per le loro zanne d'avorio. Gli elefanti sono altamente riconoscibili e sono stati presenti nell'arte, nel folklore, nella religione, nella letteratura e nella cultura popolare.
Elephants are mammals and the largest existing land animals. Distinctive features of all elephants include a long trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, massive legs, and tough but sensitive skin. The trunk, also called a proboscis, is used for breathing, bringing food and water to the mouth, and grasping objects. Tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. The large ear flaps assist in maintaining a constant body temperature as well as in communication. The pillar-like legs carry their great weight. Elephants are herbivorous, and they stay near water when it is accessible. They are considered to be keystone species, due to their impact on their environments. Other animals tend to keep their distance from elephants; the exception is their predators such as lions, tigers, hyenas, and wild dogs, which usually target only young elephants. Elephants have a fission–fusion society, in which multiple family groups come together to socialise. Elephants can live up to 70 years in the wild. They communicate by touch, sight, smell, and sound; elephants use infrasound, and seismic communication over long distances. Elephant intelligence has been compared with that of primates and cetaceans. They appear to have self-awareness, as well as appearing to show empathy for dying and dead family members.
African elephants are listed as vulnerable. One of the biggest threats to elephant populations is the ivory trade, as the animals are poached for their ivory tusks. Elephants are highly recognisable and have been featured in art, folklore, religion, literature, and popular culture.
Kruger National Park
no crop
At first, baby elephants don't really know what to do with their trunks. They swing them to and fro and sometimes even step on them. They will suck their trunk just as a human baby might suck its thumb.
By about 6 to 8 months, calves begin learning to use their trunks to eat and drink. By the time they are a year old, they can control their trunks pretty well and, like adult elephants, use their trunks for grasping, eating, drinking, bathing.
Wikipedia
“A donkey going round and round in a mill cannot step out of the circle to which it is tethered. . . . With its inner eyes blinded, it cannot perceive the holiness or the radiant light of Jesus.”23 Centuries later, St. John of the Cross offers a similar observation, “The soul that journeys to God, but does not shake off its cares and quiet its appetites [grasping, clinging desire], is like one who drags a cart uphill.”24 Fascinated by our own contemplative realization, we remain tethered, moving constantly but going nowhere. But when the flower of awareness opens, we are relieved of the burden of ourselves as objects of our spiritual programs.
-An Ocean of Light Contemplation, Transformation, and Liberation Martin Laird, O.S.A.
Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots (including groundhogs), flying squirrels, and prairie dogs amongst other rodents. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa, and were introduced by humans to Australia. The earliest known fossilized squirrels date from the Eocene period and are most closely related to the mountain beaver and to the dormouse among other living rodent families.
The word squirrel, first attested in 1327, comes from the Anglo-Norman esquirel which is from the Old French escurel, the reflex of a Latin word sciurus, which was taken from the Ancient Greek word σκίουρος (skiouros; from σκία-ουρος) 'shadow-tailed', referring to the long bushy tail which many of its members have. Sciurus is also the name of one of its genuses.
The native Old English word for the squirrel, ācweorna, only survived into Middle English (as aquerne) before being replaced. The Old English word is of Common Germanic origin, cognates of which are still used in other Germanic languages, including the German Eichhörnchen (diminutive of Eichhorn, which is not as frequently used); the Norwegian ikorn/ekorn; the Dutch eekhoorn; the Swedish ekorre and the Danish egern.
Squirrels are generally small animals, ranging in size from the African pygmy squirrel and least pygmy squirrel at 10–14 cm (3.9–5.5 in) in total length and just 12–26 g (0.42–0.92 oz) in weight, to the Bhutan giant flying squirrel at up to 1.27 m (4 ft 2 in) in total length, and several marmot species, which can weigh 8 kg (18 lb) or more. Squirrels typically have slender bodies with very long very bushy tails and large eyes. In general, their fur is soft and silky, though much thicker in some species than others. The coat color of squirrels is highly variable between—and often even within—species.
In most squirrel species, the hind limbs are longer than the forelimbs, while all species have either four or five toes on each foot. The feet, which include an often poorly developed thumb, have soft pads on the undersides and versatile, sturdy claws for grasping and climbing. Tree squirrels, unlike most mammals, can descend a tree headfirst. They do so by rotating their ankles 180 degrees, enabling the hind feet to point backward and thus grip the tree bark from the opposite direction.
Jagged Ambush Bugs are among the most effective of all insect predators. They are amazingly well camouflaged, and lie in wait on flowers for bees and other flying insects; their front feet are modified into claws for grasping their prey; their bodies seem almost armour-plated to resist counter-attacks from prey insects; and they have a long, stiff, pointed proboscis with which they penetrate their prey and inject a lethal cocktail of toxins which paralyse the victims and start digesting the internal organs. Photo was taken in Kanata, ON. (Note - best viewed enlarged)
Picture made in calle Real (Royal Street), Calatañazor, Soria, Spain
A door knocker, also known as a latch or knocker, is a hinged metal piece located on the exterior doors of houses, used to summon the occupants by striking the door.
The earliest door knockers in the Middle Ages consisted of small hammers suspended from the outside of the door.
The most typical and oldest form is a ring or hoop, made of iron in the oldest examples, generally attached to a bronze head.
These knockers were struck against a fairly large nail head.
These knockers also served as handles, and on the doors of some churches, they were a sign of asylum, which could be sought by grasping the ring. (Data Source: Wikipedia)
ALDABA, 2025
Foto hecha en la calle Real, Calatañazor, Soria, España.
Una aldaba, picaporte o llamador es una pieza articulada de metal situada en las puertas exteriores de las casas que sirve para llamar a sus ocupantes por medio de golpes en la puerta.
Las primeras aldabas en la Edad Media consistían en martillitos suspendidos de las hojas de las puertas por la parte exterior.
La forma más típica y más antigua es la de argolla o aro, de hierro en las más antiguas, generalmente unida a una cabeza de bronce.
Se golpeaba con ellas sobre una cabeza de clavo bastante gorda.
Estas aldabas servían además como tiradores y en las puertas de algunas iglesias eran un signo de asilo que se requería asiéndose de dicha anilla. (Fuente de datos: Wikipedia)
Not always landing in big trees with large branches, it is amazing how these large birds can land in these smaller trees, with all the small branches, leaves and other hazards safely.
Homily012923- Mt 5:1-12a
“Christ died for all, so that those who live should not live for themselves, but for him who died for them” (2 Corinthians 5:15)
We hear the beatitudes quite often. We are taught them in our catechism classes, and we frequently hear them read at Mass. They are as familiar as milk in the fridge, but what are they? Technically, they are eight blessings that make up the Sermon on the Mount given by Jesus. They articulate simply the reward for a good action-a right choice. For example, there is a common phrase “that it is better to give then receive.” The proof of this statement is found in the action of giving. It is a choice, that begins with a “yes” to do it. Why else do parents surprise their children with gifts on Christmas morning. The blessings of the beatitudes work in a similar way. When we say “yes” to Jesus, to follow him and HIS way, the stage is set to receive the blessings. It is as simple as that. Of course, what sounds straightforward and easy, is never like that in reality.
The word beatitude comes from the word beatidudo which is Latin for blessedness. Each beatitude begins with the phrase “blessed are” which implies a state of peace, happiness and well-being. In Christ’s day it would have a meaning of “divine joy and perfect happiness. In addition there is an implied reward that all would be well in the future. Jesus’ intent is to bring a bit of the Kingdom of God on earth.
The action, on our part, is the decision to do a good thing, which comes first. Disciples of Christ understand this well.
When we say “Yes” to God, a space opens up in time…and a mystery unfolds in each and every moment of our lives. It is in this place that we have the potential to experience what our Gospel declares to us today. It is a unique experience for each of us. In our YES, in our experiencing and doing what Jesus does, we experience the “peace beyond understanding” which is the fruit of the Beatitudes. When we are given these graces, we recognize them…and ponder them in our heart.
Recently, I have read a book, called “Icon of Trust-Mary in the Gospels of Luke and John.” It follows Mary from her initial “Yes” and the many “Yes’s” flowing from her life as she shadows her Son.
“Mary’s childlike trust consists in giving a full yes to God — without knowing everything this yes implies. This complete yes is full of trust, not of detailed knowledge of what is to come.” “In front of God, she demonstrates the vigilance of someone ready to be surprised.”Mary is attentive, she is ready to say yes, and she is docile and humble in “ acknowledging the things she does not know and in trying to understand better the things she has already perceived and experienced; she is the perfect collaborator of God in the unfolding of His plan of salvation.”
I can remember my first “yes” to God. Since that first “yes”, I have learned that daily life consists of many yes’s. With each and every decision I make, big or small…that first “yes” becomes the context of all the yes’s that follow. My Christian walk, has been to follow Jesus. His gift of grace, which includes a peace beyond understanding, has accompanied me in the good and bad times of my life. In reflecting on my life, I can say that I have been blessed.
Brian Zahnd, a Christian author….paraphrases the beatitudes this way…
Blessed are those who are poor at being spiritual,
For the kingdom of heaven is well-suited for ordinary people.
Blessed are the depressed who mourn and grieve,
For they create space to encounter comfort from another.
Blessed are the gentle and trusting, who are not grasping and clutching,
For God will personally guarantee their share when heaven comes to earth.
Blessed are those who ache for the world to be made right,
For them the government of God is a dream come true.
Blessed are those who give mercy,
For they will get it back when they need it most.
Blessed are those who have a clean window in their soul,
For they will perceive God when and where others don’t.
Blessed are the bridge-builders in a war-torn world,
For they are God’s children working in the family business.
Blessed are those who are mocked and misunderstood for the right reasons,
For the kingdom of heaven comes to earth amidst such persecution.”
source: Brian Zahnd, “The Beatitudes”
Conclusion
Often, in our Christian walk, we struggle to find words to articulate to others why we have found our way of life purposeful and meaningful. The beatitudes are a beautiful display of of proverbs that describe beautifully what the state and outcome of living a sacrificial life is. This way of life begins when we invite Jesus into our hearts. It is not an easy life living as a Christian in the world today. But the peace, we hold in our hearts is worth every right choice we make to follow HIM. The rewards are experienced by us in this life and the life to come.
Orange tentacles grasping for the last sunlight. There's plenty for everyone this evening. Take it and have an energy to grow.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird grasping a Black and Blue Salvia to steady himself while feeding. Thanks again for visiting.
Tanzania, Parco Nazionale del Tarangire, Autunno 2019
Foto scattata durante un safari in Tanzania nell’ottobre 2019 / Photo taken during a safari in Tanzania in October 2019
Gli elefanti sono mammiferi e i più grandi animali terrestri esistenti. Le caratteristiche distintive di tutti gli elefanti includono una lunga proboscide, zanne, grandi paraorecchie, gambe enormi e pelle dura ma sensibile. La proboscide viene utilizzata per respirare, portare cibo e acqua alla bocca e afferrare oggetti. Le zanne, che sono derivate dai denti dell'incisivi, servono sia come armi che come strumenti per muovere oggetti e scavare. I grandi orecchie aiutano a mantenere una temperatura corporea costante e nella comunicazione. Le gambe simili a pilastri portano il loro grande peso. Gli elefanti sono erbivori e rimangono vicino all'acqua quando è accessibile. Sono considerate specie fondamentale, a causa del loro impatto sul loro ambiente. Altri animali tendono a mantenere le distanze dagli elefanti; l'eccezione sono i loro predatori come leoni, tigri, iene e cani selvatici, che di solito prendono di mira solo i giovani elefanti. Gli elefanti hanno una società fissione-fusione, in cui più gruppi familiari si uniscono per socializzare. Gli elefanti possono vivere fino a 70 anni in natura. Comunicano al tatto, alla vista, all'olfatto e al suono; gli elefanti usano infrasuoni e comunicazioni sismiche su lunghe distanze. L'intelligenza dell'elefante è stata paragonata a quella di primati e cetacei. Sembrano avere autocoscienza, oltre a mostrare empatia per i familiari morenti e morti.
Gli elefanti africani sono elencati come vulnerabili. Una delle maggiori minacce per le popolazioni di elefanti è il commercio di avorio, in quanto gli animali vengono cacciati per le loro zanne d'avorio. Gli elefanti sono altamente riconoscibili e sono stati presenti nell'arte, nel folklore, nella religione, nella letteratura e nella cultura popolare.
Elephants are mammals and the largest existing land animals. Distinctive features of all elephants include a long trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, massive legs, and tough but sensitive skin. The trunk, also called a proboscis, is used for breathing, bringing food and water to the mouth, and grasping objects. Tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. The large ear flaps assist in maintaining a constant body temperature as well as in communication. The pillar-like legs carry their great weight. Elephants are herbivorous, and they stay near water when it is accessible. They are considered to be keystone species, due to their impact on their environments. Other animals tend to keep their distance from elephants; the exception is their predators such as lions, tigers, hyenas, and wild dogs, which usually target only young elephants. Elephants have a fission–fusion society, in which multiple family groups come together to socialise. Elephants can live up to 70 years in the wild. They communicate by touch, sight, smell, and sound; elephants use infrasound, and seismic communication over long distances. Elephant intelligence has been compared with that of primates and cetaceans. They appear to have self-awareness, as well as appearing to show empathy for dying and dead family members.
African elephants are listed as vulnerable. One of the biggest threats to elephant populations is the ivory trade, as the animals are poached for their ivory tusks. Elephants are highly recognisable and have been featured in art, folklore, religion, literature, and popular culture.
Both these herons are shy and elusive. Photographing either is a challenge, but to get both in the same picture was a rarity. The Yellow-Crowned Night Heron (left) is actually quite rare in Delaware. Delaware is considered the northern edge of its typical summer breeding area, dubbed "uncommon breeding region". These herons are "snowbirds" of sorts, in that they leave the colder climes and spend the winter in the region from southern Florida down to Brazil. They are quite elusive and shy. This fellow was a new comer to area that I see everyday, as my office window overlooks Canary Creek and the adjacent wetlands. The diet of these two birds is quite different. The night heron on the left eats crabs and his beak is shorter and more substantial for grabbing and breaking open hard shells. The green heron on the right eats fish and grass shrimp and his beak is long and slender for catching and grasping fish. As crabs are only available when it's warm, the night heron goes south and follows the crabs for the winter. The green heron, able to eat fish year round, remains in the area.
One solitare standing in the shadow of bigger, yet still grasping the attention. Is it the color, silhouette, proportion, placement...? Or maybe just some sixth sence of aesthetics that only a not eye can see. And when we realise that presence of such a thing, the miracle happen as the soul gets happy.
The sound of my boat didn’t wake him so I left to follow other photo ops and returned later. This time he sat up had a look, assessed the threat and laid down and when back to sleep, obviously not concerned, nap time is more important.
Here some information about the North American River Otter from NWF
These playful mammals are well adapted for semi-aquatic living. They have thick, protective fur to help them keep warm while swimming in cold waters. They have short legs, webbed feet for faster swimming, and a long, narrow body and flattened head for streamlined movement in the water. A long, strong tail (called a rudder) helps propels them through the water. They can stay underwater for as much as eight minutes. They have long whiskers which they use to detect prey in dark or cloudy water and clawed feet for grasping onto slippery prey. They are very flexible and can make sharp, sudden turns that help them catch fish. Their fur is dark brown over much of the body, and lighter brown on the belly and face. On land they can run at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour—they can slide even faster. Their playful snow and mud sliding, tail chasing, water play and snow burrowing activities also serve other purposes—they help strengthen social bonds and let young otters practice hunting techniques.
Settings:
f/7.1
400mm
1/200sec
ISO 320
St Ann’s Well, opposite The Crescent Hotel, Buxton, Derbyshire.
I always expect to see a queue of people taking advantage of the free Buxton Spa water…what I wasn’t quite prepared for was a couple who, between them, filled 16 1.5ltr containers! I felt compelled to ask them if they’d left any. They took it as banter…I was serious.
Then, blow me, the next lady filled a 25ltr container!! Nowt as queer as folk, and nowt queerer than folks grasping freebies.
Lumix S5M2 and S85mm f1.8 : Kodachrome LUT
Today marks the point in my village where the length of daylight begins to increase. There will be exactly nine hours and 14 minutes of daylight today, versus nine hours and 13 minutes yesterday. Obviously we still have an enormous hole to climb out of in terms of winter. But the effect on my psyche is enormous now that we are gaining as opposed to losing daylight. I can handle the cold and snow of winter, but the incessant darkness is another matter; I never truly adjust to that. Interestingly, the time of sunset started moving forward before the winter solstice arrived. We've already gained back nearly ten minutes of light at the end of the day, even though the total length of daylight continued to shorten on account of sunrise. Comprehension of the mechanics of all of this is beyond me. All that matters is that we are emerging (slowly) back into the light and for that I celebrate.
When going forth / from wood to bronze / and grasping the result / I realized progress had halted. // A result stands in the way / of the learning process.
(better photo than last year, creation of bronze 2016)
This handsome male upland goose was hanging out with a few others in a grassy area in Port Stanley.
How smart are men (and they mostly are men) when it comes to fully grasping the big picture of the decisions they make on a wide variety of topics? History is littered liberally with negative outcomes. Here is yet another example, which is from Wikipedia: 'In the early 20th 'century, the Argentinian government declared the three Patagonian sheldgeese species (Ruddy-headed goose, Ashy-headed goose, and Upland goose) as pests due to claims of excessive grazing and negative effects on crop yields. Since then, wildlife agencies have encouraged hunting of upland geese across the entirety of their range and without restrictions on the number of birds killed. Consequently, population surveys started suggesting continental populations were declining. In 2008, all three species were classified as endangered by the Argentine government and hunting was banned, although some poaching still occurs, mostly on the mainland. Recently, fox predation has drastically reduced population numbers on the mainland, so national governments have established several protected areas throughout Patagonia in an attempt to conserve the species.
A great favourite with falconers, the saker falcon (Falco cherrug) is a large, powerful bird of prey with an exceptionally broad wingspan for its size. Like other falcons, this bird is equipped with sharp, curved talons for grasping prey, while the strong, hooked beak is used to tear its victim's flesh.
Le vautour fauve est charognard : il nettoie les montagnes des carcasses d’animaux sauvages mais aussi domestiques et évite ainsi la propagation des maladies. Il vit donc très souvent dans des zones où se pratique l’élevage extensif du bétail.
Ses pattes ne sont pas adaptées à la préhension mais à la marche. Il n’a pas de véritables serres et ne peut donc ni capturer de proies ni transporter les charognes. La consommation de la carcasse se fait donc sur place, réunissant tous les vautours : c’est la curée.
The griffon vulture is a scavenger: it cleans the mountains of carcasses of both wild and domestic animals, thus preventing the spread of disease. It therefore often lives in areas where extensive livestock farming is practiced.
Its feet are not adapted for grasping but for walking. It lacks true talons and therefore cannot capture prey or transport carrion. The carcass is consumed on the spot, bringing all the vultures together: this is known as the feeding frenzy.
This little one seemed to be totally enjoying the corn I put out there, as you can see he had been pretty busy gathering it! I love the little paws grasping that piece of corn!
We need guidance from time to time
The guidance can come from cirumstances you are in, or people you are surrounded by
In addition we need to strenghten our intuition to find out what is the right way, not my Ego's way - which is always the easiest way
Strengthen our intuition is not always easy if you are stressed or imbalanced
We need time for ourselves to listen to our within, finding out who we really are, getting to know ourselves also makes you love and respect yourself
How fortunate we are, the ones of us that live in the richer countries, that can take the challenge to grow from within
Not easy to do when you are in a warzone or living in a poor country and your main issue in life is to get water, food and shelter
We often don't know how fortunate we are, because we don't know of anything else - what we see happening to others is not our lives and therefore we don't get it in
Living in it is totally something else
It is not only the news, it's actually somebodys lives
Living in a rich country, as Im doing, gives me this opportunity, and I'm grasping that opportunity with both arms and deep diving into it
In a way I owe it to the ones that aren't so fortunate
Maybe that sounds very strange and egocentric
But otherwise I think I'm wasting an opportunity that I am given
My magic forest truly spoke to me today 💕
Birds of prey or raptors include species of bird that primarily hunt and feed on vertebrates that are large relative to the hunter. Additionally, they have keen eyesight for detecting food at a distance or during flight, strong feet equipped with talons for grasping or killing prey, and powerful, curved beaks for tearing flesh. The term raptor is derived from the Latin word rapio, meaning to seize or take by force. In addition to hunting live prey, most also eat carrion, at least occasionally, and vultures and condors eat carrion as their main food source.
The black-breasted buzzard (Hamirostra melanosternon) is a large raptor endemic to mainland Australia. First described by John Gould in 1841, it forms part of the family Accipitridae (hawks and eagles) and is most closely related to the square-tailed kite (Lophoictinia isura). It is a versatile hunter known for its special skill in cracking eggs. The species is common throughout most of its range. 61009
Brain-Down Lock
Road is bumpy, thoughts fall over,
They cannot do a single step,
Your face is prisoner in a high tower,
The bridge is facing a real gap.
Seeing pictures: snapshots of life,
Grasping nothing that can matter,
Gazing thru the real world twice,
I learn an alphabet without letter.
No words who dare to paint a love,
I freeze my mind down to the hell,
Fake is the brightness calling above,
There is though only one name to spell.
Volatile wisdom blowing the air,
Acquired chances embrace the mind,
Let the grey heart be a bit fair,
I need to see then what I'll find.
by Henrik Somogyi Wednesday, May 15, 2019