View allAll Photos Tagged Grasping
Things take the time they take. Don't worry.
How many roads did St. Augustine follow before he became St. Augustine?
- Mary Oliver
The Land, continued. This land has lessons to teach, providing we have ears to hear, eyes to see, hands for touching and feeling. Be careful with those hands, though: fingers can freeze in winter, and you don't want to go sticking them into dark holes under rocks in summer (where rattlers and black widows hide).
I remember this morning well. November. There was some snow, and lots of hoarfrost. The morning light was exquisite. I was learning how to look at prairie, how to photograph it, grasping for the essence, knowing I would fall short.
I still am.
But as the poet said, things take the time they take.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2011 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Alright, first of it's kind!; while it was clear that I would wonder into deep IR territory one day, it was not planned especially since I just disclosed the shorter wavelengths for myself with the start of this year so there is still plenty to learn and discover (also due to my unfortunate hand situation). However, I received a ridiculous offer that would have been plain stupid to not take advantage of, since I'm totally convinced of the quality of heliopan filters, but they are freakin' expensive. So I'm rather pleased with this situation to say the least, regardless of how I will like or find use for this particular wavelength (1000nm longpass). Time will tell.. 🤔
Obviously nothing fancy or thought-out in terms of composition, it was mid afternoon, on a hill and literally just seconds before the sun disappeared; days are short at the moment.The light came by almost horizontal, see the flare / ghosting to the right.
Minimal and simple development, though somewhat dark / moody, I refrained from lifting the shadows, flatten the image and lose the innate ratios, despite being odd.
There is also a weird 3D effect to the cloud in the center, duplicate patterns due to bad stitching I thought first; but nope, it's real. ✨
I'm also kind of on the verge of grasping, or imagining, how many lovely yet subtle nuances can be had with monochrome develop-ments, notably sepia by just applying split toning after simple but complete desaturation. Looking forward to exploring that further..
Source for this panorama are 9 photos, cylindrical stitch, 20375 x 6159px (ever wondered how a 24,2MP sensor (6016 x 4000px) can deliver a panorama of that height? it's magic.. 😋) , ~125,5MP, ~230° angle of view, ~3,3 : 1 ratio, no crop.
Nikon D3300 (APS-C / DX, fullspectrum mod)
Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di ll VC HLD
heliopan Infrared RG 1000 (87A) 800x filter
ISO100, 18mm, f/8, 1/4sec
(therefore 27mm FX / full frame equivalent)
tripod, pano head, HN-29, remote (ML-L3)
North American River Otter
The playful North American River Otter is well adapted for semi-aquatic living. The mammals 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 helps propels the Otter through the water. They can stay underwater for as many as eight minutes. North American River Otters 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 a River Otter can run at speeds of up to 15 miles an 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.
A River Otter can grow three to four feet long including its tail and weigh between 11 and 30 pounds. Males are generally larger than females. The tail makes up about a third of their total length.
For more info: www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/...
I was enjoying one of my rather hasty forays into sunrise photography while going to work (like my earlier post, The Core). It was early Spring, the leaves still a silent promise on the branches of the trees - the fields still apparently inert, after the recent ploughing. A striking aspect of the situation was that I could not walk too deep in the countryside (I was on my way to work, after all), so I was fairly close to a heavily congested road - yet it feel like being on an entirely different planet. My ears were still hearing the constant hum of the early rush hour, yet my brain was not registering it. For some fleeting, blessed moments I was disconnected from all that frenzy, and connected with my own soul - and with the soul of the world. Then the sun rose behind the curtains of the still naked trees, and suddenly the intricate tangle of the branches looked like a set of primeval runes whose meaning is lost to us - runes written in the language of creation. Yet my soul was grasping the message, in a fundamentally different way from understanding as we usually mean it. I cannot even try and put all that in words but, well, I am posting this photo just hoping that it can somehow convey the message to you.
I have obtained this picture by blending a 5-exposure bracketing [-2.0/-1.0/0/+1.0/+2.0 EV] by luminosity masks with the Gimp (EXIF data, as usual, refer to the "normal exposure" shot), then I added some final touches with Nik Color Efex Pro 4. I tried the inverted RGB blue channel technique described by Boris Hajdukovic as a possible final contribution to the processing, which especially improved the ploughed field in the foreground.
RAW files processed with Darktable.
some writing about the painting that inspired this photo and "behind the scenes" on my blog.
I wanted to comment on this whole anonymous message thing that has been going around flickr and invading my contact's photos with text. I think that the idea is lovely, people sharing what they are too afraid to say with their name attached. I love the honesty coming out of people. But it also saddens me that we can't just say what we want to say, that we are so afraid to let others know. I had the urge to write in the box, but then I reconsidered. I thought I would just say it here. Why not? So, this is what I wanted to write to someone, anyone, anonymously:
"I'm scared that I won't be able to live up to the name I am trying to create"
So, if anyone wants to tell me something not anonymously - good, bad or ugly...I'm all ears.
black for more detail
A little macro-study, testing different PP approaches and finding out the limits of these Tomioka lenses.
Shot with a (Tomioka) "Tominon-MC 58 mm F 4" (enlarging) lens on a Canon EOS R5.
Here you can see the grasping mechanism, with which the male, for courtship, grasps the bases of the antennae of a female. Than the female is carrying the male (at the back) around, up in the sky.
This is certainly a young female springtail (in front), because she is still very small. Canon mp-e 65 mm at 5 x + set kenko extension tubes on canon eos 80D
And we were waiting
For something that would never be.
A time and place not real.
The hope kept us from stepping from the edge.
And the wind would howl.
Cold gusts would keep us wake.
The stars would watch from above
and we let ourselves dream.
We would bathe in the sun
And kneel before Nature.
We would ask for her to keep us forever.
And those who kept the forests
Would keep us from being alone.
And we were waiting
For something that would never be.
She felt us leaving.
And the weight was lifted.
The sky was falling
And men fled to the depths.
Waiting for scars to heal.
And hands grasping one another.
And we were waiting
For something that would never be.
A place that we did not deserve.
We chose to step from the edge.
We chose death.
And she thanked us.
Rambur's Forktail (Ischnura ramburii)
Santee Coastal Reserve, South Carolina, U.S.A.
This tiny damselfly inhabits wetlands, ponds, and marshes throughout the Americas, breeding year-round in warmer climates. Despite her small size and delicate frame, the female Rambur’s Forktail is a skilled predator, feeding on mosquitoes, midges, and other small flying insects. In turn, she becomes prey for birds, frogs, fish, and larger insects, with an adult lifespan ranging from several weeks to a few months depending on environmental conditions.
According to the IUCN Red List, the Rambur's Forktail has a population trend that is increasing.
IUCN Red List Assessment (2016): Least Concern
Reach up, reach up high
Pinch the sun from the sky
Feel the heat as it slips
Between your grasping fingertips
That reach up, reach up high
To pinch the sun from the sky
Bald Eagle fishing
All images are copyright © Beve Brown-Clark Photography.
Don't use without permission
For image purchases please visit my site:Beve Brown-Clark Photography
Pogonodon platycopis was an extinct carnivore that lived in North America during the Oligocene, approximately 30 million years ago. It belonged to the Nimravidae family, known as "false saber-toothed cats," a group of predators that, although sharing some features with modern felines, belonged to a distinct evolutionary branch. These animals combined primitive traits with specialized hunting adaptations, making them key figures in the understanding of large mammalian carnivore evolution.
Scientific classification:
Domain:Eukaryota
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Carnivora
Suborder:Feliformia
Family:†Nimravidae
Subfamily:†Nimravinae
Genus:†Pogonodon
Type species: †Pogonodon platycopis
The skull of Pogonodon reveals a robust and compact structure, with well-developed zygomatic arches, large eye sockets, and relatively elongated canines—though not as extreme as those of other nimravids or the better-known saber-toothed cats like Smilodon. This dental configuration suggests a diet based on active predation, with a bite adapted for grasping and tearing prey. Its overall morphology points to an efficient ambush predator, likely suited to forested environments.
This replica was created from an original specimen recently auctioned by Heritage Auctions, considered one of the most complete and well-preserved examples of the genus found to date. It accurately reflects the key features of the skull, standing out for its impressive structure, prominently developed canines, and the uniquely curved lower jaw—a distinctive trait of this ancient predator within the nimravid lineage.
🌀 The real specimen: cutt.ly/FrdSuFCY
Found image. I love the composition of this photograph. The family have arranged themselves very carefully on their well cut lawn. It even has stripes in it and the lawn roller can be seen in the distance. Father is centre stage grasping his pipe and mother is putting the dog through its paces. One son has what I take to be a fishing tackle basket on his knees and the other poses with his bicycle. For once the back of the card, which was posted in Teddington in 1910, gives a bit more information. 'Went over to Walton for weekend, so went jack fishing yesterday but no luck (except felt beastly cold).'
For Macro Monday this week with a theme of Knots I tied a strangle knot from a thin piece of multi coloured string.
Held underneath are a selection of colourful matchsticks, the whole image is very small at most 2.5 inches at its widest point.
I have taken some artistic licence in my description and poetry, I have a vivid imagination at times as you probably gathered. 😁
From the Amazon he slithered grasping it's prey in deathly coils the Boa Constrictor tightened and tightened until it was time to unlock those massive jaws swallowing, consuming this most welcome jungle meal.
"Boa Knot"
I'm big boa don't you knowa,
strangle knot I'll throwa,
you better leg it quickly please,
really don't want the squeeze,
I'm constrictor the pretty snake,
brake bones make you ache,
I don't sting with deadly bite,
but squeeze with all my might.
Original poetry
by Sean Walsh.
"Marco Mondays" (Knots)
No snakes were harmed in
the making of this image. 💓
"Love & Peace" everyone! 😁
Not done a hand shot for a while and fancied a little leaf rotation too.
Beauty dish above, snoot on blue gel flash below. Tripod and lens swap for the 9 way rotation of the Japanese Maple leaf.
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.
Everyday freedom, it is never wise to take anything in life for granted.
Stay safe, lay low and don't be a selfish, grasping, toilet roll and pasta hoarding f****r !
LR3855 © Joe O'Malley 2020
The day was as crisp blue as I ever experienced...The ice shown on the lake that morning and I yearned to freeze the moment. It's ironic how beauty can be so fleeting. Grasping at it never works...
(Larger better) Lake Warner, Hadley, MA
On another note: After weeks of indecisive Winter we are about to experience a fierce winter storm here...and be buried in its wake.
The Grey Crowned crane (Balearica regulorum), also known as the African crowned crane, golden crested crane, golden-crowned crane, East African crane, East African crowned crane, Eastern crowned crane, South African crane, is a bird in the crane family, Gruidae.
The grey crowned crane is about 1 m tall, weighs 3.5 kg, and has a wingspan of 2 m. Its body plumage is mainly grey. The wings are predominantly white, but contain feathers with a range of colours, with a distinctive black patch at the very top. The head has a crown of stiff golden feathers. The sides of the face are white, and there is a bright red inflatable throat pouch. The bill is relatively short and grey, and the legs are black. They have long legs for wading through the grasses. The feet are large, yet slender, adapted for balance rather than defence or grasping.
This beautiful Grey Crowned Crane family was busy feeding in a swamp and was captured during a photography safari on a late afternoon game drive in Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya.
African Banana Slug / Elisolimax flavescens
slowly sliding through branches but not falling off, somehow the tip of the "tail" has a firm grip on the plant...sucking, grasping, glueing? not sure how...
The Grey Crowned crane (Balearica regulorum), also known as the African crowned crane, golden crested crane, golden-crowned crane, East African crane, East African crowned crane, Eastern crowned crane, South African crane, is a bird in the crane family, Gruidae.
The grey crowned crane is about 1 m tall, weighs 3.5 kg, and has a wingspan of 2 m. Its body plumage is mainly grey. The wings are predominantly white, but contain feathers with a range of colours, with a distinctive black patch at the very top. The head has a crown of stiff golden feathers. The sides of the face are white, and there is a bright red inflatable throat pouch. The bill is relatively short and grey, and the legs are black. They have long legs for wading through the grasses. The feet are large, yet slender, adapted for balance rather than defence or grasping. The sexes are similar, although males tend to be slightly larger. Young birds are greyer than adults, with a feathered buff face.
Photographed during a light drizzle on a late evening game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya.
Afferrando il cielo
Genova, in collina
Tutto il percorso degli artisti moderni è in questa volontà di afferrare, di possedere qualcosa che sfugge continuamente. È come se la realtà fosse continuamente dietro a velari che si strappano. Ce n'è ancora un'altra, sempre un'altra...
( Alberto Giacometti )
Direi il percorso non solo degli artisti , ma di ogni uomo e donna
All the path of modern artists is in this will of grasping , possessing something that continuously escapes. It is like if reality was continually under veils that tear. There is still another one , always another one....
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.
Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia and are found in different habitats, including savannahs, forests, deserts, and marshes. They 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. Elephants have a fission–fusion society, in which multiple family groups come together to socialise. Females (cows) tend to live in family groups, which can consist of one female with her calves or several related females with offspring. The leader of a female group, usually the oldest cow, is known as the matriarch.
I am always so unprepared for pictures in our backyard! The other day, a couple of what I believe were immature Blue Faced Honey Eaters who have a hankering for a tree in the neighbour's back yard decided on an adventure. Sans camera I watched them as they hopped into our left Tibouchina Tree and them proceeded across our back yard via the middle wooden bracing rail of the fence and then hopped onto our garden shed and into our opposite neighbour's yard.
They looked so uncomfortable grasping onto that narrow rail but did do quite a job. I have no idea really if one was after the other or they had been let out for a play! And I finally did grab a camera, nearly too late. But I have the evidence.
Photographed in Botswana, Africa - From a boat, no cover
=> Please click twice on the image to see the largest size. <=
It was great to actually be in the water with this elephant in Botswana...but apparently our boat got closer than the guide should have taken it and the elephant let him know very clearly to not come any closer. Please notice that the photo is not a heavy crop...it was shot at 100mm.
Yesterday, August 12, 2022 was World Elephant Day!! nationaltoday.com/world-elephant-day/
Thanks for your visits and comments...much appreciated!
==========================
From Wikipedia: The African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), also known as the African savanna elephant, is one of two living African elephant species. It is the largest living terrestrial animal, with bulls reaching a shoulder height of up to 3.96 m (13 ft 0 in) and a body mass of up to 10.4 t (11.5 short tons). It is distributed across 37 African countries and inhabits forests, grasslands and woodlands, wetlands and agricultural land.
Diet:
The African bush elephant is herbivorous. Its diet consists mainly of grasses, creepers and herbs. Adults can consume up to 150 kg (330 lb) per day. During the dry season, the diet also includes leaves and bark.
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are an informal grouping within the subfamily Elephantinae of the order Proboscidea; extinct non-elephant proboscideans include the mastodons, gomphotheres, and stegodonts. Elephantinae also contains several extinct groups, including the mammoths and straight-tusked elephants. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears, and convex or level backs. The distinctive features of all elephants include a long proboscis called a trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, massive legs, and tough but sensitive skin. The trunk 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 scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia and are found in different habitats, including savannahs, forests, deserts, and marshes. They 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. Elephants have a fission–fusion society, in which multiple family groups come together to socialise. Females (cows) tend to live in family groups, which can consist of one female with her calves or several related females with offspring. The groups, which do not include bulls, are usually led by the oldest cow, known as the matriarch.
Males (bulls) leave their family groups when they reach puberty and may live alone or with other males. Adult bulls mostly interact with family groups when looking for a mate. They enter a state of increased testosterone and aggression known as musth, which helps them gain dominance over other males as well as reproductive success. Calves are the centre of attention in their family groups and rely on their mothers for as long as three years. 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, and appear to show empathy for dying and dead family members.
African bush elephants and Asian elephants are listed as endangered and African forest elephants as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). One of the biggest threats to elephant populations is the ivory trade, as the animals are poached for their ivory tusks. Other threats to wild elephants include habitat destruction and conflicts with local people. Elephants are used as working animals in Asia. In the past, they were used in war; today, they are often controversially put on display in zoos, or exploited for entertainment in circuses. Elephants are highly recognisable and have been featured in art, folklore, religion, literature, and popular culture.
6D6A0645fFlkr
In most squirrel species, the hind limbs are longer than the fore limbs, while all species have either four or five toes on each paw. The paws, 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 head-first. They do so by rotating their ankles 180 degrees, enabling the hind paws to point backward and thus grip the tree bark from the opposite direction.
Squirrels live in almost every habitat, from tropical rainforest to semiarid desert, avoiding only the high polar regions and the driest of deserts. They are predominantly herbivorous, subsisting on seeds and nuts, but many will eat insects and even small vertebrates.
As their large eyes indicate, squirrels have an excellent sense of vision, which is especially important for the tree-dwelling species. Many also have a good sense of touch, with vibrissae on their limbs as well as their heads.
Great challenge for this week's FlickrFriday - "Believe"; at first I was stumped, then the ideas came thick and fast. There are just so many religious and superstitious things to compose with.
In the end, this statue grasping at the air was the composition I wanted; the tree was awkward, but shooting at f/1.4 helped enormously.
Caught an oblique glimpse of blue and white while walking through the local cemetery late one afternoon. My eyes tend to scan whatever environment I find myself in. Like most photographers, it's really second nature. Curiosity drew me closer. I found this figurine of the Virgin Mary, toppled by wind, and face down in the mud. The visual impact was startling and served as a perfect metaphor: blemished but unbowed. Somehow the mud enhanced rather than degraded the spiritual effect. I hadn't planned on any of this, and photography was the last thing on my mind at the time. Yet here I was, grasping this muddy figurine in hand, standing beneath a magnificent backdrop of clouds and gloom. Without even a moment's hesitation the image was captured. This is truly a case where the resulting image is even more dramatic than in real life.
My general rule of cemetery visits is to leave things as I find them. But in this instance, there was absolutely no way I was going to plant Mary face down in mud. I carefully stood her back up on the grave from which she fell. She was still upright last time I checked. Subsequent rain has cleansed her of the caked mud.
I added to my photography arsenal, a new 100 MM RF Macro lens. I had to play with its setting on few photos before grasping how to use it. This one is one of the very first photos I took with this lens.
Distance from me to the dragon fly was close to 4 meters. There were 3 manual switch settings, less than 0.5 meters (m), 0.5 m to 10 m, and then 10 m to infinity. I tried all 3 settings. The mid setting worked the best.
The Grey Crowned crane (Balearica regulorum), also known as the African crowned crane, golden crested crane, golden-crowned crane, East African crane, East African crowned crane, Eastern crowned crane, South African crane, is a bird in the crane family, Gruidae.
The grey crowned crane is about 1 m tall, weighs 3.5 kg, and has a wingspan of 2 m. Its body plumage is mainly grey. The wings are predominantly white, but contain feathers with a range of colours, with a distinctive black patch at the very top. The head has a crown of stiff golden feathers. The sides of the face are white, and there is a bright red inflatable throat pouch. The bill is relatively short and grey, and the legs are black. They have long legs for wading through the grasses. The feet are large, yet slender, adapted for balance rather than defence or grasping.
Photographed during a Photography Safari on an early morning boat ride along the shores in Lake Baringo, Kenya.
Thank you very much for the visits, faves and comments. Cheers.
Australasian Darter
Anhinga novaehollandiae
Anhingidae
Description: The Darter is a large, slim water bird with a long snake-like neck, sharp pointed bill, and long, rounded tail. Male birds are dark brownish black with glossy black upperwings, streaked and spotted white, silver-grey and brown. The strongly kinked neck has a white or pale brown stripe from the bill to where the neck kinks and the breast is chestnut brown. Females and immatures are grey-brown above, pale grey to white below, with a white neck stripe that is less distinct in young birds. The Darter is often seen swimming with only the snake-like neck visible above the water, or drying its wings while perched on a tree or stump over water. While its gait is clumsy on land, it can soar gracefully to great heights on thermals, gliding from updraft to updraft. It has a cross-shaped silhouette when flying.
Distribution: In Australia, the Darter is found from Adelaide, South Australia, to Tennant Creek, Northern Territory and then to Broome, Western Australia. it is also found in south-western Australia, from Perth to Esperance. Worldwide, it has been thought of as one of two mainAnhinga species (the other, A. anhinga, is found in North America), found in the southern half of Africa, Madagascar, Iraq, Pakistan, India, south-east Asia, Indonesia and New Guinea. However, A. melanogaster is now considered to be further divided into three species, with rufa being found in Africa, melanogaster in south Asia and novaehollandiae in New Guinea and Australia (the Australasian Darter).
Habitat: The Darter is found in wetlands and sheltered coastal waters, mainly in the Tropics and Subtropics. It prefers smooth, open waters, for feeding, with tree trunks, branches, stumps or posts fringing the water, for resting and drying its wings. Most often seen inland, around permanent and temporary water bodies at least half a metre deep, but may be seen in calm seas near shore, fishing. The Darter is not affected by salinity or murky waters, but does require waters with sparse vegetation that allow it to swim and dive easily. It builds its nests in trees standing in water, and will move to deeper waters if the waters begin to dry up.
Feeding: The Darter catches fish with its sharp bill partly open while diving in water deeper than 60 cm. The fish is pierced from underneath, flicked onto the water's surface and then swallowed head first. Smaller items are eaten underwater and large items may be carried to a convenient perch and then swallowed. Insects and other aquatic animals, including tortoises, may also be eaten, as well as some vegetable matter. In hot weather, adult birds may pour water from their bills into the gullets of their young chicks when they are still in the nest.
Breeding: The Darter is usually a solitary bird, forming pairs only while breeding. Breeding is erratic, happening whenever water levels and food supplies are suitable, but most often occurs in spring and summer. Nests are usually solitary, but Darters may nest within loose colonies with other water birds that nest in trees, such as cormorants, spoonbills and ibis. The male decorates a nest-site with green leafy twigs and displays to attract a mate, with elaborate wing-waving and twig-grasping movements. The male carries most of the nest material to the nest-site, which is normally in the fork of a tree standing in water, usually about 3.5 m above the water's surface. Both sexes complete the nest, incubate the eggs and raise the young. Chicks are kept warm by brooding continously (or cooled down by shading with spread wings) for up to a week after hatching and both adults stay in the nest with the chicks overnight. In hot weather, the adults will even shake water over the chicks after a swim. Chicks can swim after about four weeks in the nest and start to fly at about 50 days.
(Source: www.birdlife.org.au)
__________________________________________
© Chris Burns 2025
All rights reserved.
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.
Grasping comfort in a sea of unknowns. A fleeting moment of childhood instinct — hiding in plain sight, anchored by polka dots.
Ricoh GRii
GR Lens 18.3mm/f2.8
Buddhist tradition holds that Queen Maya of Sakya, while en route to her grandfather's kingdom, gave birth to Gautama Buddha while grasping the branch of a sal tree or an Ashoka tree in a garden in Lumbini in south Nepal.
Also according to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha was lying between a pair of sal trees when he died:
Then the Blessed One with a large community of monks went to the far shore of the Hiraññavati River and headed for Upavattana, the Mallans' sal-grove near Kusinara. On arrival, he said to Ven. Ananda, "Ananda, please prepare a bed for me between the twin sal-trees, with its head to the north. I am tired, and will lie down."
A young osprey is getting ready to start a new chapter of its life after grasping the art of flying and landing.
Theodore Roosevelt's Maltese Cross cabin, the first of his two residences in the region. It has been moved from its original location to park headquarters in Medora, North Dakota.
Pearl Shoals
Jiuzhaigou,
Sichuan Province, China
This is one of those images the neither Marianne nor I can be sure of who took it. It's a single exposure with the highlights quite blown in the top left (ends up looking a bit funny with highlight reduction) but I personally liked the water flow in both vertical and horizontal plains and I'm going to claim I took it :P
Midgard is a realm in Norse mythology. It is one of the Nine Worlds—the only one that is completely visible to mankind (the others may intersect with this visible realm but are mostly invisible). Pictured as placed somewhere in the middle of Yggdrasil, Midgard is between the land of Niflheim—the land of ice—to the north and Muspelheim—the land of fire—to the south. Midgard is surrounded by a world of water, or ocean, that is impassable. The ocean is inhabited by the great sea serpent Jörmungandr (Miðgarðsormr), who is so huge that he encircles the world entirely, grasping his own tail. The concept is similar to that of the Ouroboros. Midgard was also connected to Asgard, the home of the gods, by the Bifröst, the rainbow bridge, guarded by Heimdallr.
The fronds of the Sago Palm splay outward like arms waving in the wind. Out of the darkness and into the light, their long fingers extending. Grasping the light and glowing with energy. This palm frond was blowing back and forth during a rain. I decided to grab a few shots while the drops were fresh.
......................... GUS....................................... & ..............................JAQ.........................
UPDATE: This is the third day, and they still seem to be doing well. I didn't really notice til I took these pics of them, that have changed so much in 3 days. Looking more and more like mice, and getting a soft fuzz. When you see them so many times a day you really miss this! hehehe obviously this is not a job for someone that values their manicures and nails!
Tomorrow: ...or maybe later on today, I hope DH or my daughter can get a shot of them grasping the sides of the "bottle" (really a slender tube), as they feed. That is just IMPOSSIBLY cute to see, but I obviously need more hands to catch it!
Mouse Stages: Thought you might be interested in this easy diagram of the mouse stages...mine appear to be nearing the end of the first week...around 7 days old.