View allAll Photos Tagged Grasping
A glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens) grasping a clam in its mouth for a late evening snack at the Esquimalt Lagoon. Temperatures reached 20C today... Summertime in Spring!
Colwood, Vancouver Island, BC.
Black crowned Night Heron
"A heron can use a Probing
technique by quickly and repeatedly moving its bill into and out of the water or
substrate, in a method more typical of ibises. Probing is a non-visual, tactile foraging
technique. A more common behavior is Pecking. The heron merely picks up an item
from the substrate, often repeating the movement. The substrate may be the ground, a
plant, or surface of the water. A specialized method is Scooping used by the Boat Billed
Heron. By Scooping, the individual walks forward with its bill partially submerged,
thrusting forward and Scooping with each step.
Prey are caught in the bill either by Impale Capture or Grasp Capture. Impaling
means the bill tip goes into or through the prey. This occurs mostly on large and wide
prey, and mostly by herons with bills large enough to withstand the stress of impaling
and landing a larger prey item. Grasping is the more common capture method in which
prey are caught in a tweezers grip."
from heronconservation.org
The maiko-san and geiko-san are scattering the packets of lucky beans into the grasping crowds at Kitano-tenmangu shrine, Kyoto.
"Setsubun" is the day before the start of spring, February 3rd or 4th according to the old calendar in Japan. On the evening of this day, people shout, "Devils out! Happiness in!"(in Japanese "Oni wa Soto, Fuku wa Uchi"), while scattering roasted soy beans inside and outside their homes. This is called "mame-maki(bean scattering)". To pray for good health , there is also the custom of eating the same number of soy beans as one's age.
At shrines and temples, invited guests throw fortune soy beans to the crowds as seen in this photo.
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
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 2024
__________________________________________
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.
The Maasai giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi), also called Kilimanjaro giraffe, is the largest subspecies of giraffe. It is native to East Africa. The Masai giraffe can be found in central and southern Kenya and in Tanzania.
It has distinctive, irregular, jagged, star-like blotches that extend to the hooves. A median forehead lump is usually present in bulls.
The giraffe's prehensile tongue is about 45 cm (18 in) long. It is purplish-black in colour, perhaps to protect against sunburn, and is useful for grasping foliage, as well as for grooming and cleaning the animal's nose. The upper lip of the giraffe is also prehensile and useful when foraging and is covered in hair to protect against thorns. The tongue and inside of the mouth are covered in papillae.
This handsome Giraffe was walking along the Acacia Thorn Trees and stripping the bark off the trees and eating it. Photographed on a late evening game drive in the Crater Lake Sanctuary, Naivasha, Kenya.
Despite the lack of leaves on the trees there is no shortage of beauty to be found in the evening. The warm golden bokeh in the background is the dry, tawny grass. As the sun set, the grass lit up brilliantly behind the bare branches of shrubbery and bushes. The beautiful warmth behind the sharp thorny grasping hands of the shrubbery made a great contrast I thought. It's as if without it's significant other, the leaves, the bare twigs and branches flail about uncertain. Instead of gracefully swaying in the breeze the branches move awkwardly about. Still, they bask in the setting embrace of the sun as evening draws to a close. Nature comes together regardless of differences or changes and unites as evening falls.
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Grasp firmly.... Not to grasp firmly is not to grasp at all.
One can get a grip on something only when it is grasped firmly, without the slightest slackening. Not to grasp firmly is not to grasp at all. Naturally, one cannot get a grip on something with an open hand. When the hand is clenched as if grasping something but is not clenched tightly, there is still no grip. Some of our comrades do grasp the main tasks, but their grasp is not firm and so they cannot make a success of their work. It will not do to have no grasp at all, nor will it do if the grasp is not firm.
-Mao Tse Tung
I shallowly breathe in the pain,
grasping at adulterated trust
yet, all in vain
Forgive me father
if I have sinned
My innocence lays trampled
please accept this shard
of what used to be
your child
________________
Model: Vixie Rayna
More experimentation with shadow and light.
Skin by LeLutka.
© 2015 Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott
The stillness of dawn and a mist obscuring the far shore. I love the look here as it gives the water a feeling of infinity as the sun sluggishly pentrates the haze. The trees are now bared, for the most part, but their fingers reach into the air, grasping the stillness. It the music of morning, a misty rhapsody.
Technical Information: Canon EOS 6D, Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD + Fotodiox WonderPana system, Processed in Adobe Lightroom CC, Photoshop CC, and Alien Skin Exposure X (use code "dustinabbott" to get 10% off)
Want to know more about me or make contact? Take a look at my website and find a lot of ways to connect and view my work.
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 2023
__________________________________________
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.
In those days,
we finally chose
to walk like giants
& hold the world
in arms grown strong with love
& there may be many things we forget
in the days to come,
but this will not be one of them.
~ Story People
I'm reaaally tired tonight...why I'm even still up for I'm not sure, grasping for a little me-time I think, lol
I'm not sure if I'm even going to be happy with my processing of this in the morning, but I feel like I want to upload something for GGT, so here it is!
This has a lil of Martha's texture in it ...thanks again Martha :))
Explore #36
The elephant calf weighs about 250 pounds at birth and stands about three feet tall. Calves can't see very well at first, but they can recognise their mothers by touch, scent, and sound.
Baby elephants stay very close to their mothers for the first couple of months. The calves drink their mother's milk for about two years, sometimes longer. They drink up to 3 gallons of milk a day! At about four months old, they also begin eating some plants, like adult elephants, but they continue to need as much milk from their mother. They keep drinking milk for up to ten years.
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.
"The Green Heron is one of the world’s few tool-using bird species. It creates fishing lures with bread crusts, insects, earthworms, twigs, feathers, and other objects, dropping them on the surface of the water to entice small fish. When a fish approaches, the heron lunges and darts its head, grasping (or sometimes spearing) the fish with its heavy bill." Cornell Lab of Ornithology Photograhed in the wild, Florida, USA.
I asked a good friend what she thought of this image. She wrote "I don't "like" it, because it makes me uncomfortable. But that's what makes good art, isn't it!? it makes me think of hands grasping to get out from behind contorted bars, a waterway clogged up with weed that's really made of wire... I don't like it, because it speaks to me of a bit of torment and trappedness. But it is, definitely, good."
The image is made up of two photos (using Topaz and Photoshop). One, obviously fencing wire. The other was one I wanted to use - a close up of tree decay. It was only after I put them together that I felt it portrayed the feeling of tension.
The Quiraing Tree
Gnarled, grasping broken old knuckles
Cling desperately to the broken, tumbledown earth,
Dug deep into the vertiginous, mossy precipice
That is the the edge of life, yet home and hearth.
To live balanced, precariously, between life and death,
With nothing below but the end of the world,
The wind chuckles its’ way through outstretched fingers,
And the molten sunlight is held by fingers curled.
The boldest gales, the fiercest rain,
Matter little and less than the steepest plummet,
To the ever-vigilant silent guardian,
Who stands atop the Quiraing summit.
He sees the land of the fairy glen,
He’s seen the fragile, pink gleam of every sunrise,
He stands sentinel for the forgotten land,
And smiles into the last light of the Skye.
K.T.Miller
2/3/2015
The philosopher Friedrich Nietzche spent seven wonderful summers on these trails, the most productive period of his life. I found his ideas a bit disturbing yet they keep on grasping at my consciousness. These huge mountains remind me of our insignificance. Yet, they also possess the explanations of our existential dilemma as Nietzche may have seen. At least, that's how I see it when I also put my feet on these trails.
New image set starting today: a dive into the insect world, as I experienced it this summer. When bird behaviour slows down following breeding season, and mammals are lying low because of the heat, insects come into their own.
First little subject: a Jagged Ambush Bug on a thistle flower. This is a true bug - most insects aren't bugs - in the order Hemiptera, a subfamily of Assassin Bugs. It has large grasping forelegs to snatch prey - often insects much larger than itself - which it then pierces with beaklike mouth parts. Here in Saskatchewan they're generally yellow or green; if they come in other colours, their camouflage is too perfect for me to find them. Even when they don't blend in perfectly, they may be able to fool insects with compound eyes - flies and bees, for example - that can mistake them for flower parts.
These bugs are very tiny, about 8-11 mm in length. Viewed through the macro lens, they look monstrous. Each summer, in late July and early August, I search my favourite ditches for them. If I find one, a slow approach with the macro lens often works - they don't seem to notice. If I'm at the bottom of a ditch, which is often the case, I'll usually hand hold, because the tripod is too unwieldy, the legs tending to get entangled in weeds. Like the bug itself, stealth works best.
The biggest photographic problem here was the breeze. Photographers from eastern Canada who visit here and like to shoot a lot of macro have told me the prairie breezes drive them crazy. It's true. You have to wait for a calm day, or hour, or moment. They do happen, but patience is required.
Photographed in my favourite ditch at Rosefield, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
MOUNTAIN AVOCETBILL Opisthoprora euryptera. This Mountain Avocetbill is hovering in front of a red and yellow tubular flower of Centropogon sp. (family Campanulacea) on a steep mountainside high on the eastern slope of the Andes in northern Ecuador near Papallacta at an altitude of approximately 2,700 meters (8,858 feet) at 1:33 PM on June 27, 2014.
The mechanism employed by this Mountain Avocetbill for feeding at these Centropogon sp. flowers is as follows. First, the hummingbird grasps the flower corolla (tube) with both feet and then, as it is perching on the flower, it pierces the side of the corolla near the corolla base with its bill. In this photo, the Mountain Avocetbill has just landed on the flower, grasping it with its feet. The bill is very close to the base of the corolla and it is about to pierce the corolla to feed on nectar.
This hummingbird used this technique exclusively in more than 10 photographically documented instances of feeding at individual Centropogon sp. flowers. It was never observed inserting its bill into the opening of the corolla in typical hummingbird fashion. The Mountain Avocetbill has a short bill about one half inch in length. The tip of the bill is upturned, hence the name Avocetbill. The peculiar pointed and slightly upturned tip of the bill, which gives this species its common name, may be an adaptation for this "flower piercing" feeding lifestyle.
The Mountain Avocetbill is a rare and infrequently seen hummingbird species occurring locally in the Andes of Colombia, Ecuador and northern Perú.
El Colibrí Piquiavoceta con el nombre scientifico Opisthoprora euryptera acaba de posarse en la corolla de una flor Centropogon sp. (Campanulaceae) cerca de Papallacta en una cuesta de montaña al lado oriental de los Andes en el norte de Ecuador a una altura de 2,700 metros el 27 de junio de 2014. Tiene la corolla agarrada con sus pies y está por penetrar la base de la corola con su pico para beber el néctar.
No Flash - I never use flash!
For an OPTIMAL, CLOSE UP LOOK of this rare, flower piercing Mountain Avocetbill VIEW AT THE GIANT SIZE (1875 x 900), using the direct Flickr link: www.flickr.com/photos/neotropical_birds_mayan_ruins/15987...
TO SEE MORE THAN 50 SPECIES OF HUMMINGBIRDS PLEASE VISIT MY HUMMINGBIRD ALBUM (SET) AT www.flickr.com/photos/neotropical_birds_mayan_ruins/sets/....
CP 6042 leads a refreshing trio of GMD products grasping at their CP employment, wearing fresh red dip and looking mighty fine with a clean looking set of number boards. Complete with their air conditioning on full blast, these WWA consists featuring groups of revived and mostly refurbished SD40-2's are hard to beat these days. 9/9/2024, Wyocena, Wisconsin.
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 believe this Praying mantis (Stagomantis carolina) was cleaning its grasping raptorial front legs although it looks like it I sometimes feel in the morning. It is perched on the dense flower of the Autumn joy sedum. Sometimes you can track them from day to day but the predator can also become prey to birds.
November 22, 2016
Equipoise:
[ee-kwuh-poiz]
noun
1. an equal distribution of weight; even balance; equilibrium.
2. a counterpoise.
verb (used with object)
3. to equal or offset in weight; balance.
------
While I was waiting for Mom today I noticed Olaf knocked over on her cabinet and decided her needed an adventure outside of that stuff office and stole him.
Not a bad idea since I was sort of grasping for inspiration today and this gave me an easy out.
Not my best character work, but it's not bad for a quick shot with a camera and lesns that I'm only just now getting used to.
Hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
This image shows 2 Common Darters mating with the male grasping the female's.pronotum, a shield covering part of the thorax.
Kruger National Park
13h25
better view from the tiny toddler
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.
Since the raccoons came early tonight I made a half-hearted attempt to photograph them with a headlamp and my cameraphone. This mother has four kits and they come every night to the pond, usually after I have fallen asleep. Sometimes (including last night) they are so noisy I try to chase them off, but they have a good read on me and usually call my bluff and just stare at me, which is pretty humbling:)
Recently I was concerned to see that my goldfish--which are quite tame--come to the surface when the raccoons start splashing and swim toward and through their outstretched grasping paws. They appear to expect the raccoons to feed them, which is certainly getting the racoons' intentions backwards.
I should also note here that despite their considerable mischief this raccoon is a really tender mother. I watch her in the tree many afternoons and she carefully grooms her kits, plays with them, and acts patiently while they push, pile on and bite her in the course of their horseplay. Raccoons, backyard Olympia.
In the quiet of the night, where shadows mourn
And hollow winds caress the weeping trees,
I linger in the echoes of a love forlorn,
A captive to the pain that never leaves.
You were the phantom touch upon my soul,
A fleeting breath of life that swiftly fades.
Yet in your absence, I am less than whole,
A specter lost in time’s relentless shades.
My heart, a sepulcher of dreams denied,
Entombs the whispered hope that once was bright.
Now, only darkness in these veins resides,
A bleeding wound that festers in the night.
Your name, a curse upon my withered lips,
An echo in the chasm of despair.
I drown in shadows of your fingertips,
Grasping at the emptiness you left there.
Oh, cruel love, that wounds with silent grace,
You carved your name into my bleeding heart.
Yet all I have is this forsaken place,
Where love and loss are never far apart.
-----------------------Death in Love ---------------------
In the shadows where the living dare not tread,
I dwell in endless night, a specter’s grace.
The world beneath my touch turns cold and dead,
Yet in my hollow heart, there is a place
For one who never saw my veiled face.
He, a demon bathed in fleeting light,
Unaware of the gaze that followed near,
Unknowing that I longed to end his night
And claim him for my own, to hold him dear.
But love is foreign to a soul austere.
I wander through the world with scythe in hand,
A harbinger of fate, of final breath.
Yet, what is Death but love misunderstood,
A longing for the end to be our thread?
I’d reap the very stars to see him spread
His mortal arms and whisper my true name.
But he, enraptured by the day’s bright flame,
Would never see the beauty of my dark domain.
Oh, how I envy life, that fragile grace,
The warmth of skin, the beating of the heart.
For just one touch, I’d halt the earth’s embrace,
To stop all time and tear the world apart,
If only for a moment in his arms to start
A dance of shadows in the dying light,
Where he and I could merge as day with night,
Two souls entwined before the endless flight.
But love is not for me, nor fleeting bliss.
I am the end of all that lives and breathes.
Yet in my endless duty, I dismiss
The aching void that my cold heart beneath.
I reap, I take, but never do I keep.
For what is Death but love’s eternal sleep?
And so, I watch him from the dusk’s soft veil,
A silent guardian of his demonic trail.
I long to whisper, yet my words would pale
Against the beauty of his fleeting strife.
For in his mortal pain, I find my knife,
A blade that cuts me deeper than the grave.
Yet still, I yearn, his dark and silent slave,
To feel his love, the one thing I can’t save.
So I shall wait, eternal, ever near,
A shadow in the corner of his eye.
And when his time has come, I’ll draw him near,
With tender hands, beneath the starless sky.
For only then, in Death, will he be mine,
A love that blooms beyond the reach of time.
The red panda is a specialised bamboo feeder and has strong, curved and sharp semi-retractile claws standing inward for grasping narrow tree branches, leaves and fruit. Like the giant panda it has a false thumb which is an extension of the wrist bone. When descending a tree, head first, the red panda rotates its ankle to control its descent and is one of the few climbing species to do so. The red panda is territorial and lives on its own except during the breeding season, they only make a few sounds like twittering, tweeting and whistling, and they like sleeping and resting on tree branches or in tree hollows during the early hours of the day and they increase their activity during late afternoon and early evening. They eat mostly bamboo, but they may also eat small mammals, birds, eggs, flowers and berries. The red panda can reproduce when they are about 28 months old, and a few days before they give birth she will start gathering items to make a nest with and has and she will have between one to four cubs. After the birth she will clean the cubs and by doing this she is then able to easily recognise each cub by its own smell. Photograph taken at Selwo Zoo, Estepona, Spain.
- explored #1 - thank you!!
I'm finding a lot of folks my age are feeling the same way I do right now. We grew up being told to just go get a degree. Stop at nothing to get one. Go into debt and pay whatever for the education, because with a degree you can pay it off in no time. It's worth it. It doesn't matter what your degree is in, you just need one. And it will bring you success in the real world.
But this isn't the case anymore, is it? Now the market wants a Master's with 10 years of experience. And it's shrinking to the point that it can make such demands because goodness knows there are thousands of us grasping for that one opening.
I'm not mad nor do I blame society/parents for engraining such teachings in us. A degree was truth for so long and with the exception of a few conspiracy theorists, no one saw this recession coming. We were prepared for one type of world, only to get out in it and learn the hardest lesson of all – things change.
So, let's be done with bitter. Let's be done being victims. Let's be done with “life's not fair.”
Instead, let's be smarter. Let's define the next greatness. Let's rise above and create a better society.
I'm accepting that horizons have changed. It's a brave new world baby. Here's to jumping in with both feet.
Futter fassen nach Senkrechtstart vom Gras
Grasping forage after vertical take-off from the grass floor
With their vertical pupils and opposable thumbs, Phyllomedusa are easily some of the most distinguishable of all tree frogs. However, it is their peculiar form of locomotion that is perhaps their most striking feature: when seen walking slowly down a branch with their bodies raised, they appear decidedly ‘un-froglike’. Studies into their anatomy reveal that they possess a specialized musculature that not only allows them to move their limbs independently (as opposed to the simultaneous bilateral hopping motions of most other frogs), but also gives them a ‘precision grip’ which enables steady movement over thin branches. This grasping ability is rare among animals and is shared predominantly with higher primates, hence leading to one of their common names: ‘Monkey Frogs’. Coca, Ecuador.
Bonne journée chers Amis !
Have a nice day my Friends
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Merci à tous pour vos gentils commentaires.
J'ai eu 2 séances d'ergothérapie cette semaine pour tenter de pouvoir plier mes doigts, elle fait un drainage lymphatique sur la main pour commencer, puis j'ai des exercices à faire comme prendre un par un des petits carrés éponge et les garder dans la main, saisir des objets ave une grosse pincette, malaxer de la pâte à modeler, tout cela est très douloureux pour mes doigts enflés et la main remplie de liquide. Après 9 séances, j'espère obtenir un bon résultat et récupérer l'usage de mes doigts.
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Thank you all for your nice comments.
I had 2 sessions occupational therapy this week to try to bend my fingers, she makes a lymphatic drainage on hand to start, then I have to do exercises like taking a small square sponge and keep in hand, grasping objects ave a big tweezers, knead the modeling clay this is very painful for my swollen fingers and filled with liquid hand. After 9 sessions, I hope for a good result and recover the use of my fingers.
SEMICOLLARED HAWK Accipiter collaris. A Very Rare adult Semicollared Hawk is holding its left foot up as though grasping something as it perches on a slender branch in the Tandayapa Valley of northwestern Ecuador at 8:56 AM on the sunlit morning of October 31, 2015.
We watched this Semicollared Hawk for about 10 minutes as it searched for prey.
(The Flickr Map caption incompetently misidentifies the site of this photograph.)
The very rare Semicollared Hawk is a member of the Family Accipitridae and has been found in the mountains of southwestern Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Perú.
Un adulto de Gavilán Semicollarejo Accipiter collaris con el pie izquierdo levantado en el Valle de Tandayapa en el noroeste de Ecuador a las 8 y 56 de la mañana el 31 de octubre de 2015.
No Flash - I never use flash.
For OPTIMAL DETAILED VIEWING of this Semicollared Hawk, VIEW AT THE GIGANTIC SIZE (2140 x 1100) using the direct Flickr link: www.flickr.com/photos/neotropical_birds_mayan_ruins/23685...
¿Cómo está tu relación con Dios?
En tu creer en Dios, por lo menos debes resolver tener una relación normal con Dios. Sin una relación normal con Dios, pierdes el significado de tu creer en Dios. Establecer una relación normal con Dios depende totalmente de que acalles tu corazón ante Dios. Una relación normal con Dios quiere decir no dudar ni negar nada de la obra de Dios, sino poder obedecer la obra de Dios, quiere decir tener los motivos correctos delante de Dios, sin pensar en ti mismo, poniendo siempre los intereses de la casa de Dios en primer lugar sin importar lo que estés haciendo, y aceptar la observación de Dios y obedecer Sus arreglos. Quiere decir poder sosegar tu corazón en la presencia de Dios en todo lo que hagas e incluso cuando no entiendas la voluntad de Dios, seguir cumpliendo tu deber y responsabilidades lo mejor que puedas; cuando la voluntad de Dios se te revele, entonces no es tarde para que la acates en tu práctica. Cuando tu relación con Dios se haya vuelto normal, tu relación con las personas será normal. Todo se construye sobre el fundamento de las palabras de Dios: por medio de comer y beber las palabras de Dios, practica de acuerdo a lo que Dios pide, enmienda tus opiniones, y no hagas cosas que se opongan a Dios o perturben la iglesia. No hagas cosas que no tengan ningún beneficio para las vidas de tus hermanos y hermanas, no digas cosas que no edifiquen a los demás ni hagas nada vergonzoso. Sé justo y honorable en todas las cosas que hagas y permite que sean presentables delante de Dios. Aunque haya veces en que la carne sea débil, serás capaz de poner los intereses de la casa de Dios en primer lugar, no procurar tus propios beneficios, y actuar con justicia. Si puedes practicar de esta manera, entonces tu relación con Dios será normal.
También podría gustarte: es.easternlightning.org/proper-relationship-with-God.html
Holocaust Memorial Berlin, everytime I'm passing by, I will end up taking a picture of it, this time I decided to put it in use...
A glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens) grasping a clam in its mouth on the pebble beach at the Esquimalt Lagoon. Colwood, Vancouver Island, BC.
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/...
We found this river otter frolicking near the mouth of the Smith River in Northern California. He/she wasn't very cooperative photographically but I thought this pose facing the morning sun is worth posting.
From the National Wildlife Federation:
" 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 (24 kilometers) 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 (0.9 to 1.2 meters) long including its tail and weigh between 11 and 30 pounds (5 to 14 kilograms). Males are generally larger than females. The tail makes up about a third of their total length".