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Fields dedicated to flower bulb production generate gorgeous agricultural landscapes in spring. There is however a sad part in this picture. Bulb production is one of the most contaminant activities in agriculture, with heavy chemical inputs, including systemic pesticides that end up in your garden, affecting the pollinators visiting the flowers. Estimates for the Netherlands reach an astonishing average of 100 kg of active pesticides per ha and 310 and 130 kg of nitrogen and phosphate per ha, respectively (Jansma et al 2002 Acta Hortic 570:191-204). The sad result is that those fields are abiotic, an artificial industrial spring with no bees and butterflies. And that muteness can reach your garden if you plant those bulbs. What to do? Choose organic bulbs (or simply do not buy them).
Species ID found on Xavier Gardere - Harrington's pages Thank you Xavier👌 www.flickr.com/photos/xavier-gardere/
⭐️Thank you in Advance for your kind ‘Faves’ Visits and Comments they are so very much appreciated. 👍
😮😮 Microsoft have trashed the file I USUALLY get these 'reply addresses' from, (autosave to server), and have reduced a document with 170 pages in, to 1 with 2 lowercase "ii's" on!! (Using an old backup file right now😮) so, sorry about the delay in responding😮
I cannot always ‘Thank’ everyone individually, for their Visits and ‘Faves’ however, I will always try to respond and thank all those that leave a ‘Comment’. If I do not reply to your 'Comment', it is not because I am ignoring you, it's because I have not seen the 'Comment'.
Your 'Comments' do not always appear in 'Notifications' or Flickr mail, so, I am sorry for any delay in responding. Often your 'Comment' is only spotted 'On the Page' on the day, that I see it. (seen ONLY when replying to someone HAS 'Commented' on the image, and I see a notification)
However tempestuous this scene may appear in this photo, the ocean was far more furious in person. What makes the difference is the absence of movement.
After yesterday's post we return to standard railway topics, however still remaining near the cement plant "Kujawy" and the huge limestone mine. The facility contains one more curiosity, besides the previously mentioned cable car railway.
Me and Jarek have visited the station Wapienno a couple of years back and there was one thing I very vividly remembered from that trip. We were trying to find our way around the place to the station and searching for spots to photograph the limestone shuttle to Inowrocław. In doing so, we passed many places where a deteriorated track cut the street, and it was accompanied by a couple of lonely standing metal pylons. They very much looked like catenary poles, but what could they be doing here? I just thought they were taken from some tram network or used as lighting poles.
I later had gone on to disregard the topic completely, but a new breakthrough happened a few months back, when me and my friends were investigating the history and railway network of the Dębiec mining and metallurgical plant. We found it while browsing Open Railway Map, as it had an extensive railway network and was hidden deep in the forests of central Poland. We dug very deep in the internet and finally, in some remote corner of the plant's web page we found a picture gallery, showing the former glory of the local railways. Our jaws dropped in amazement, as we saw the network... electrified. Not only that, it featured pictures of the locomotives working there. They were the popular "Crocodiles" of the EL2 series from Hennigsdorf. "No way", we thought, "the locomotives only worked in the lignite mines", and quickly rushed to the EL2's Polish wikipedia page. There it was. "Apart from the lignite mine in Konin, the locomotives were delivered to the lignite mine in Adamów, the Dębiec plant and... the cement plant "Kujawy" in Wapienno". That's when I got a flashback from our previous trip and everything clicked. I knew I had to come back here.
I had to spend a couple more days, studying the cement factory's extensive railway network. By digging for a few more hours I found only a few pictures here aswell as one on Facebook which intrigued me even more. There I could read the comments of the former workers, which were very valuable.
The catenary, which covered the entirety of the complex - from Wapienno to Piechcin, used to look very crude. The wires were hanging from supports resembling those used on tram networks and the cables were very loose. Consequently, the pylons were placed frequently - between 25 and 30 meters apart, a third of the standard distance on normal railways. The catenary reached very remote places of the facility and spanned a total length - from my cude calculations - of around 9 kilometers. The remains of the catenary pylons are still there in many places and they fulfill the role of lighting poles nowadays, but wherever you see thin, long shadows, separated 30 meters from eachother. on aerial images, you can be sure that this was a part of the catenary.
This is exactly what we see on this picture. Further back there was a much more beautiful frame to be taken, but I really wanted to capture the remains of the catenary. Another reason for choosing this place is to talk about a now non-existant branch to the station in Piechcin (this picture shows the place where it used to be - the diagonal dirt path heading off into a curve and then later into the plant), which would have constituted a second track (to the right) in this very place. Catenary supports which we found lead me to believe that it also used to be electrified. Therefore PKP had two dropoff/pickup spots for trains to/from the mine and cement plant - in Piechcin and Wapienno. The branch also used to transport forced laborers from the very shortly lived prison camp in Piechcin (1950-1956) to the quarry near Bielawy.
On the picture is SM42-2083, heading to the place I call Masherbrum, which I will talk about tommorow. Congratulations if you managed to read through all this :D, I had no idea the text I had written would be so long. But when there is so much to discover... as far as I know, nobody had taken photographs of this place before me, because everyone always goes to the station Wapienno and chases the limestone shuttle to Inowrocław.
Photo by Piotrek/Toprus
Last week we were on the holidays at the seaside in Croatia. We also went in the national park Plitvice. There were so many people, but however it`s beautiful. :)
Although Sacramento is known for its historic gold rush significance, start of the Central Pacific, and being the capital of California, for railfans it means a lot more than that. As mentioned, the Central Pacific originated in Sacramento, however, many other notable pieces of railroad history included Southern Pacific's large and famous Sacramento Shops which laid next to downtown, SP also had their Roseville Yard to the east, the Western Pacific's Jeffery Car Shops were located in South Sacramento, Sacramento Northern had a massive presence, as well as many other things. However, as time went on many lines would be abandoned and facilities would shut down. This would leave the WP's shops looking like an abandoned lot, the SN was torn out, and SP's once bustling shops became eerily quiet, with the California State Railroad Museum taking over some of the buildings to store equipment. However, next to SP's shops was the station which was still open due to the creation of Amtrak saving passenger rail in the United States. However, eventually it was time for a makeover.
In the early 2010s the original right of way was torn out to be rerouted through an open field between the original platform and the shops. This new design cut out the very sharp s-curve as well as rerouting the mainline around the station platforms, therefore making it easier for freight traffic to navigate through the area. This also meant that Amtrak had their own area to hold their trains and a new and improved platform to replace the aging one from the 1920s. Interestingly, the original platforms were not demolished but rather one was taken over by light rail, and the other was just left abandoned.
Seen in this photo, Amtrak 11 storms out of Sacramento in the early morning with the remains of the SP all around. On the left is where the SP's Sacramento Shops would have once been, and in the background behind the power is the original platforms, with the old right of way no longer traceable.
DELIGHTFUL, plump-bodied wader, its rather unobtrusive and is surprisingly easy to overlook. However when discovered, it often endears itself to birders because of its confiding habits. Returning again to the Kentish Coast at Hamton.
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THANK YOU for your time and kind comments, please stay safe, and God bless........ ..................Tomx
They are all here:
Sometimes I end up doing things which are completely undeliberate. And then I sit here and wonder at what I just concocted.
This is obviously not a friendly meeting. At least not as far as the one coming from the left side is concerned. The one facing her seems to be far more conciliatory. However, here is the thing: The one on the left, who is taking the aggressive stance, is actually the one who is quite weak. Her entourage is bent and tired. Whereas the one on the right, who seems to be far more open to negotiation has good strong backing.
I was concentrating on the image when I placed these people and didn't pay any attention whatsoever to the emotional exchange going on here. That hit me once I was done.
There are a lot of images used in this and they all come from www.sxc.hu/. And then there are three filters from www.redpawmedia.com/. Fog, Beautifier and also Technicolor, which works very nicely on low sat images as I found out. The poses are by Frigg Ragu.
What you see written at the entrance to this market is untranslatable. However, I try to give you the idea: Here we attract customers by shouting about the goodness of our products. This makes Ballarò magical"
The Regensburg city warehouse was built in 1910. However, its function as a silo warehouse was abandoned at the end of 2018. The city of Regensburg is now planning to transform the now listed warehouse into a creative quarter. A creative authority is working on creating unique spaces for artists. The interior of the warehouse was open to the public as part of the 2024 harbour festival.
Das Stadtlagerhaus Regensburg wurde 1910 erbaut. Seine Funktion als Silospeicher wurde jedoch Ende 2018 aufgegeben. Die Stadt Regensburg plant nun, das mittlerweile denkmalgeschützte Lagerhaus in ein Kreativquartier umzugestalten. Eine Kreativbehörde arbeitet daran, für Künstler einzigartige Räumen zu schaffen. Das Innere des Lagerhauses war im Rahmen des Hafenfestes 2024 zugänglich.
Everybody has different approach to a photographic composition. You may approach a composition in different ways, depending on how it catches the eye. You may see the subject from a far, approach and circle it doing little framing actions with the hands looking for the right angle, position and elevation. One may instantly see the potential and hover backwards and forwards trying to find a good stance for the tripod. Let’s face it the ways are endless, they say creativity feeds the soul. However with this scene all I was interested in was a tazza e caffe. I was attracted to this fallen tree las potential for parking my bum, I was tired I needed a coffee and a snack and this trunk was as good a place as any. However I was not totally thoughtless in my approach, just as I would be very careful on where I placed my feet in wet sand, here I was extra vigilant on the surrounding vegetation, pity I didn’t have the same idea about the frost covered tree trunk. Maybe I should have dealt with my carelessness with Lightroom, but where’s the fun in that, can anyone see where I was sitting?
The Menominee North Pier Lighthouse was built in 1877. It is a two-story, cast-iron light station constructed on the northern end of the mouth of the Menominee River. The tower itself was painted white, and it housed a ruby-glass lantern, providing a gleaming, red beacon of nautical safety for 12 miles. Over the next decade, the lighthouse was relocated further offshore twice, and in 1917, it acquired the red paint scheme we recognize today. However, it wasn’t until 1927 that the wooden pier leading up to the lighthouse was replaced with a concrete pier.
This is Lucky. She is a very demanding black cat, and no matter how much food I put into her little china bowl, she is always mewing for her next meal… loudly! However, I love her so much that with a face like hers, I can refuse her nothing!
The theme for "Looking Close on Friday" for the 2nd of June is "no real animal". I have no real animal pets of my own, which is too long a story to go into as to why, but I have always loved black cats. When the theme was announced, Lucky was amongst my first thoughts. Lucky is the lucky Royal Doulton black cat with a white face. She was designed by Charles Noke and was issued between 1932 and 1975. My Lucky is from the pre-war 1932 – 1936 period looking at her green backstamp. I hope that you like my choice for this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile!
Royal Doulton is an English ceramic manufacturing company dating from 1815. Operating originally in Vauxhall, London, later moving to Lambeth, in 1882 it opened a factory in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, in the centre of English pottery. From the start the backbone of the business was a wide range of utilitarian wares, mostly stonewares including storage jars, tankards and the like, and later extending to pipes for drains, lavatories and other bathroom ceramics. From 1853 to 1902 its wares were marked Doulton & Co., then from 1902, when a royal warrant was given, Royal Doulton. It always made some more decorative wares, initially still mostly stoneware, and from the 1860s the firm made considerable efforts to get a reputation for design, in which it was largely successful, as one of the first British makers of art pottery. Initially this was done through artistic stonewares made in Lambeth, but in 1882 the firm bought a Burslem factory, which was mainly intended for making bone china tablewares and decorative items. It was a latecomer in this market compared to firms such as Royal Crown Derby, Royal Worcester, Wedgwood, Spode and Mintons, but made a place for itself in the later 19th century. Today Royal Doulton mainly produces tableware and figurines, but also cookware, glassware, and other home accessories such as linens, curtains and lighting. Three of its brands were Royal Doulton, Royal Albert and (after a post-WWII merger) Mintons. Royal Doulton is one of the last great British bone china manufacturers still in existence.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
I sat for awhile watching the wildlife come and go in Bradley woods. There were a number of rats roaming around however this beautiful buzzard eyes werer focused upon them.
Natures natural way of keeping down the numbers
I went to photograph bluebells in my local woodland but couldn't gel with them very well this year. However, I was impressed by the yellow archangel, a member of the dead-nettle family and a bedfellow of bluebells in ancient woodlands. There were some beautiful specimens and close-up their hooded flowers took on a very orchid-like appearance.
In plants veins transport materials both to and from the plant tissues. In mammals however veins return blood back to the heart after it has traveled to parts of the body and delivered oxygen. The veins carry the deoxygenated blood
(which has picked up carbon dioxide on its journey) to the heart where it is again oxygenated for recirculation through the body via arteries. In plants veins perform both functions - they are a plant's life line, and plants are our life line.
During photosynthesis which requires light, plants produce and give off oxygen. At night when there is no light, plants absorb a small amount of oxygen and give off carbon dioxide; however overall, they produce many times more oxygen during the day than they consume at night. And that my friends, is what keeps us and our planet alive.
"In the process [photosynthesis], they produce oxygen, which constitutes a significant portion of the air we breathe so less plants means less recycling of
carbon dioxide and less oxygen production. Plants also give us food and fibers to make clothes and without photosynthesis, we would not be able to sustain the life we are living." Alessia Para Gallio, research assistant professor at Northwestern and at the Chicago Botanic Garden. She received her Ph.D. degree in Physiological Botany from Uppsala University, Sweden, with a thesis on plant development. (Quote Source:
19, 2012)
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Thank you for viewing my photos. Your comments and/or faves are greatly appreciated.
" The Long View on the Rising Ground [ 2] "
This is the 2nd version of this photo that I have put up here. However, I am not putting this up to promote my photos or look for comments or faves. I already have a version of this photo on here [2nd last photo back] that is not in any groups and I am more than happy with it, thanks. I am putting this up to show people on here how to work around the 30/60 group maximum rule that Flickr introduced over a month ago!
People who have PRO status on here can only now put there photos in 60 groups and those with non Pro status in only 30 groups. This is not enough for many of us!
However, there is a way around it in which we can put each of our photos in hundreds of groups or as many as you like by following these instructions and not breaking any rules.
There are lots of administrators of groups on here who do not want to accept Flickrs ruling as it is affecting their viewing figures so they have decided to allow us to add as many photos as we want to their groups,
but you must do this in the correct order or Flickr will block you when you have added only 60/30 photos maximum!
From tomorrow morning, Tuesday [9/1/2017] I will start adding this photo to groups and will by the end of the week, Friday,[ 12/1/2017 ] have this photo in over 100 groups.
If you drop by between tomorrow and next thurday I will have put the instructions on how to do the first stage, and then on Friday I will put up on ,how to do the 2nd/3rd final stage.
I know that lots of people dont understand how to do this as English is not there first language so please, if you are there friends and can translate for them, please do. Flickr translate is worse than useless!!! Others dont understand how to do this this because of the complications of modern technology { Im one of those who struggle with modern stuff too!} so this is why Im doing it step by step to help people understand. Its easy once you do it the first time!
Please do join the "OPT OUT GROUP"
[www.flickr.com/groups/2982691@N21/ ] where my good frends, i LOVE NatureiLOVEnature's Photography Inspiration and SaffyH SaffyH have compiled a list of the groups that have opted out of the 30/60 maximum rule and you can use as many of these groups as you like but only when stage one is complete!!!!!!! Thank you to them for explaining to me how to do his! They will also help you in any way they can including assisting administrators who wish to opt their groups out of the 30/60 restrictions!
Hopefully I will catch you here between tomorrow and Thursday and if you have any queries do message me as I will be more than pleased to help you if I can!
P@t.
TUESDAY 9/1/2018
Hi all! I said Id come back this morning and start adding this photo to opt in grops { groups that have stayed with the 30/60 maximum ruling! }
I am adding the photo to 30 of these froups today and I will add it to a further 30 [total 60} on friday}
I could add it to 60 now in one hit but it is better to do it in 2 or more sections. The reason for this is as follows;
When you put up say one of your phoos and add it to one group, it immediatly goes on the first page of the group site and can be seen by all who visit that group. However as the day progresses, more people will add their photos to the group and your photo will go onto the 2nd, 3rd or 4th page etc and will disappear from public view as most people only look at the first webpage on a group site! By splitting the sixty groups into smaller sections of say 30+30 or 15 +15+15 +15 or whatever way you want to do it, your photo is getting more exposure to the public view. You could of course if you have lots of time, put your photo into 60 opt in groups today, remove it from these groups tomorrow and then add it to 60 new opt in groups. Its your choice.Just do remember that 60 is the total maximum you can leave up!!
Im now adding my photo to my 30 groups.
I will drop back on Friday next to complete step one and do step 2 [opt out groups }and step 3 if any!
By the way, to find out if a group is opt in or opt out, open the groups main page. Scroll down to the bottom and its written in the first paragraph!! Do remember to choose only opt in groups at this stage!!
This photo has 77 Faves overnight which I didnt really want but thats how good people are on here!
We will see how many extra faves, if any, it has by Friday!!
Hope your day is good and thank you for joining me!!!!
P@t.
Friday 12/1/2018
Hiya!
The photo has done quite well since I put it up last Tuesday.
1250 Views! If only 25% of the people here, read this and use the "Workaround" as suggested, that would be really great!
I checked back 6 hours later, on the groups[ 30 ] I had put he photo in, and it had disappeared of their front pages. Mostly it was on the third page. This means that the photo loses interest very quickly as it is pushed further back as other members add their photos. It might be better to add the 60/30 opt in groups over a longer period of time, say 5 per day over 12 days. If course, the larger the group the photo is added to, the quicker it disappears off the front page. In smaller groups it would stay visible for longer.
Im now going to add it to the remaining 30 {Opt In } groups.
Now I have reached the maximum. I can still remove some at this stage and add other ones in but Im leaving it as is.
Im now going to add the opt out groups that I have colected. Approximately 40. { Stage 2 }
Ive finished that and including admin approval on 6 of the photos, I have now put the photo in over 100 groups. I will add more opt out ones as I find them.
It is at this point that any group invites that you have should be added. { Stage 3 }
I do hope you may find this helpful and If you have any questions, please ask and Ill do my best to answer them.
Thanks for all your Faves, comments and your kindness!
P@t.
I try every year to get a decent bluebell shot, however, I have always been frustrated with the local woods. This year I went a bit further afield to Oversley Wood. The morning had not gone well as I did not know the wood at all and despite a lovely sunrise I was in the wrong place in the wood. I was on my way back to the car without even getting my camera out of its bagwhen I came across this patch of strongly lit wood and more strangely a set of iron wheels in the middle of it. No idea what the wheels were doing there and the sunburst was a bonus.
Moment of Truth at Ananda Village - Bagan
Myanmar
Well, some people may question me how i take those interesting images?.....
I often reply them with a laugh, just my pure Luck!
No, Not really so effectively, it fundamentally fall into my basic photography instinct Plus the game of patient waiting.
Waiting for the right moment will stand you higher chance succeding if you are also patient enough to expect what u didn't expect to turn out as primarily we can never able to control their subtle mind, but the rewards of patient to wait for the right moment to strike would be fruitful after plugging out some great courages tries..
Candid street photography is definitely exciting and super challenging, people been suspicously shot would be intimidated by your move after they discover your intention.
However, don't be intimidated and quit if you kept really a distance away with them as they might express the moment of time correctly suitable for the next golden call shot of the day.
My little secret to share, when i spotted what interest me no matter the distance is too far away, i will first subtly hit few triggle trial shots quietly to test unawareness is possible, then i will advance quickly closer to my target and compose shot that well fits with another few shots all in silent mode and auto ISO. if the angle wasn't right i would quickly recompose decisively as too many rowdy movement may alarm your target quickly and thing you don't want start fall apart wrongly. The vital elements is see the correct light and shadow fall and follow the direction of lights to position one-selves to capture them with as many possible good shots as require
A queen is she
However tiny a being be
A being, majestic
However tiny a queen be
Not in a royal couch
Was she, had no maids of honour,
On a bent down branch
Of a jack tree was she sitting ,strange
Is there a foe
To fight and prowess show ?
Against this queen
A marvellous creature, in no less sheen
- Anuj Nair
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© 2008 Anuj Nair. All rights reserved.
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Contact : www.anujnair.net
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© 2008 Anuj Nair. All rights reserved.
All images and poems are the property of Anuj Nair.
Using these images and poems without permission is in violation of international copyright laws (633/41 DPR19/78-Disg 154/97-L.248/2000). All materials may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any forms or by any means,including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording without written permission of Anuj Nair. Every violation will be pursued penally.
Stowe National Trust Property, Buckinghamshire
Palladianism was an approach to architecture strongly influenced by the sixteenth century architect Andrea Palladio. Characterised by Classical forms, symmetry, and strict proportion, the exteriors of Palladian buildings were often austere. Inside, however, elaborate decoration, gilding and ornamentation created a lavish, opulent environment.
Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) was a Venetian architect, responsible for a series of churches in Venice, public buildings, villas and much more.
Seeking to revive the principles which underpinned ancient Roman architecture, he stressed the importance of proportion, symmetry, and the correct use of the Classical orders.
His influence was magnified by a series of important publications, not least his Four Books of Architecture.
Palladio’s vision was brought to England in the early seventeenth century. A key figure in this process was the architect Inigo Jones (1573-1652), who made several trips to Italy, acquired a copy of the Four Books of Architecture, and collected original drawings by Palladio.
In the 1710s, a generation of architects began to revive what they saw as the purity of Palladio’s vision – a process aided by the first complete translation of the Four Books of Architecture into English from 1716.
James Gibbs started work on this Palladian bridge in 1737, which crosses the far end of the Octagon Lake at Stowe, linking two sides of the Hawkwell Fields. The bridge is based on a similar one built at Wilton House in Wiltshire a year earlier. The bridge at Stowe was adapted to be lower and wider, allowing for carriages to cross on tours of the gardens. The bridge would later form the Path of Liberty, the longest walk through the gardens which also takes in most of the additions from Gibbs.
Information from National Trust.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TreWCNDX5M
© All rights reserved Anna Kwa. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.
I wish you and yours a Joyous Holiday Season...
As far back as I can remember, Christmas Eve always included fish for dinner... and I still carry on the tradition...
Today David cleaned the muscles and clams to add to the fish sauce tomorrow... along with squid and shrimp...
Happy Sunday and new week to everyone!!!
Cleveland’s Lakeview Cemetery contains over 100,000 graves, including those of presidents and business moguls. However, its most striking grave marker may be the unsettling statue known as Haserot’s Angel.
Actually named “The Angel of Death Victorious,” the stoic angel is seated on the marble gravestone of canning entrepreneur Francis Haserot and his family. The life-size bronze holds an extinguished torch upside-down, a symbol of life extinguished. Her wings are outstretched and she gazes straight ahead.
The statue’s most striking feature, however, is how death’s guardian appears to be weeping black tears, which pour from her eyes and drip down her neck. These “tears” formed over time, an effect of the aging bronze combined with the impressive sculpting work of the piece itself. As a result, she is often referred to as the Weeping Angel.
I rushed up to North Point as soon as I could, but missed the show. However, I thought the reverberations were pretty cool as well!
North Point, Morro Bay, ca.
Celebrity 'Shed' 66779 "Evening Star" glides past Helwith Bridge, with the 4N00 0925 Carlisle New Yard to Clitheroe Castle Cement - 15/06/2022.
When I found out that this locomotive had worked this train just before we went on holiday, I was fairly confident it would keep on the working during our stay at Ribblehead.
I was hoping that this train would run on the previous Friday, which was our arrival day. However, it was cancelled. Then I thought it would run on the following Monday, but it was cancelled again. No show on Tuesday either, but it then looked guaranteed it would run on the Wednesday, when it appeared on RTT with this locomotive allocated. However, it didn't show any movement off Carlisle & I began to wonder if the train would be cancelled yet again. Thankfully however, it was just a delayed departure & it was definitely worth the wait in the end. I was over the moon to see this locomotive while we were on holiday & I was very lucky to capture it on camera in superb weather conditions such as this.
Inspired by the rustlings of Spring and frustrated by the on-going lockdown, a minstrel, much to the delight of his neighbour, plays a spontaneous serenade for the few passers-by coming from Vienna's Naschmarkt - an open-air fruit and vegetable market normally frequented by locals and tourists alike.
The imposing balcony with its arched windows belongs to the "Renaissance Hof", one of a number of grand 19th and early 20th century houses on the "Wienzeile", the former embankment of the Wien River, which here trickles underground below the market on its way from the Vienna Woods to the Danube Canal. I say "trickles" because that's what it usually does, however heavy rainfall can make it swell to a raging torrent.
Caught on the run with a Tele-Takumar 300mm f:6.3 lens mounted on my Pentax K-1.
HWW!!!
This 261 train was my primary target on this evening. However, I ensured to get the one ahead of him too, which turned out to be a ballast train with a MAC Belle (see "Flying West" in photostream). With the encroaching shadows eating up comps rapidly, I thought to try down by the depot, but rail cars pulled up tight to the crossing nixed that. So I reverted to this dark side shot from the newish pedestrian bridge on the west side of town. The sun was just low enough to get full nose light underneath the bridge for the ghost.
Traveling light ? However you are going - a safe journey into 2019 and I hope the destination will find you happy and well throughout the year .
Mynas are quite common on Maui. One day, however, I came upon what seemed like a full scale brawl involving as many as ten myna birds. This shot shows one of the pileups. If you look closely, you can see at least four birds in this particular part of the melee. Although the cause of the ten minute dispute was not entirely clear, it seemed that the large bird with its wings extended was attempting to establish its dominance over the others. The struggle was quite fluid with birds wrestling on the ground and in the air. I like the defensive wrestling hold administered against the larger bird. In subsequent shots, the larger bird wins the fight. The shot was taken in February 2017, with my trusty Olympus digital camera. Enjoy.
However, after a sleep she (the females have smaller heads) stood up and looked calmly around before descending.
Pan Am Railways train RJED (Rotterdam Jct, NY - East Deerfield, MA) has a pair of ex CSX GE C40-8Ws for power as it knocks down the MP 430 searchlight signals at the east dog track road grade crossing in Pownal, VT. The plan for the day was to head out early and check Eagle Bridge for loads for the Battenkill, however, on the way east we saw the approach signal at Johnsonville lit for a eastbound. We made our way to Eagle Bridge and setup for the eastbound shot in town, thinking the train would be a 16R. After a 20 or so minute wait, we were surprised to see the yellow nose of a CSX YN3b widecab coming over the hill calling "RJED", and the chase east was on...
Taken at Widewater Lagoon. I went to see the Red-necked Phalarope after work – although I’ve photographed them in Shetland, I had never seen one in Sussex. It was present for just the one day and was always too distant for photos. However, this Little Egret was some compensation looking great in the evening light.
The rage is unnerving. It is, however, understandable. As vicious seizures take over his fragile mind, making sense of it is difficult. No, making sense of it is impossible. He looks at me but cannot see through the bloodied tears running down his face. His involuntary movements and shaking which the seizure causes have caught his own face. Fingernails cutting into his skin. I could not get to cradle and protect him in time to prevent the harm he had caused himself. I reach him and hold him tight. He is shaking violently. He is crying out in pain and distress and is both deafening and frightening. He struggles with cognitive overloading as he recovers, trying to make sense of it. The unspoken question, why? is in those bloodshot eyes. I have no answer, I just hold him. He manages to say 'Help me'.
These attacks are getting worse. I have managed to arrange a neurologist appointment, still a few days away, but hopefully, if the country's industrial action does not stop the consultation, I will have an opportunity to talk through Marc’s decline. I know deep down that there are no answers. Only prayers and the loving support we give as long as we need to.
Previously grouped with the Ibis genus, the Milky Stork is now part of the genus Mycteria, together with e.g. the Painted Stork and the American Woodstork. It is listed as an endangered species due to loss of habitat throughout Southeast Asia but also due to extensive inbreeding with the Painted Stork. I saw two birds during my visit but I am not 100% either is a pure Milky Stork as not all of the plumage conditions can be seen in my pictures. The likelihood is however high as there are several confirmed sightings for this species in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Singapore, where I found these birds.
However I prefer the Crossrail MSC-shuttle from Antwerpen to Germersheim (D) in diesel modus, the white Traxx isn't that bad neither! 27/05/2020
Queens, workers and males all have two yellow bands on the thorax but none on the abdomen. The yellow is bright and often straw-coloured. However the rear band on the thorax is less pronounced. The orange-red tail colouring extends over more than half of the abdomen. This species is usually associated with upland moors but may also be seen in habitats close to these.
Normally, BNSF's Longmont Switch power has been a pair of SD70MACs. However, the crew was notified by the trainmaster to swap power with the Buck Local as the Buck Local needed their SD70MACs to bring cars up from Denver later in the day. So for one day, ex-Burlington Northern GP39-2 No. 2700 and BNSF GP39-3 No. 2618 can be seen powering the Longmont Switch north up Atwood Street in Longmont, Colorado on February 18, 2021
Excerpt from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Bank_Tower_(Montreal):
The Royal Bank Tower is a skyscraper at 360 Saint-Jacques Street in Montreal, Quebec. The 22-storey 121 m (397 ft) neo-classical tower was designed by the firm of York and Sawyer with the bank's chief architect Sumner Godfrey Davenport of Montreal. Upon completion in 1928, it was the tallest building in the entire British Empire, the tallest structure in all of Canada and the first building in the city that was taller than Montréal's Notre-Dame Basilica built nearly a century before.
The bank's first official head office was at Hollis and George in Halifax in 1879. In 1907 the Royal Bank of Canada moved its head office from Halifax to Montreal. As its original building on Saint-Jacques Street turned out to be too small, in 1926 the board of directors of the biggest bank in Canada hired New York architects York and Sawyer to build a prestigious new building a short distance westward. Between 1920 and 1926 the bank had bought up all the property between Saint-Jacques, Saint-Pierre, Notre-Dame and Dollard Streets to demolish all the buildings there including the old Mechanics' Institute and the ten-storey Bank of Ottawa building in order to make space for the new 22-storey building.
In 1962, the Royal Bank moved its main office to another famous Montreal building, Place Ville-Marie, however kept a branch in the impressive main hall of the old building, situated in Old Montreal. That branch relocated to the nearby Tour de la Bourse in July 2012.
On Sunday evening I was lucky to witness a very unusual sunset over Beeston Rylands. My usual view would be to photograph the setting sun over the River Trent, which is out of view to the right of this photograph, but the clouds in the direction of the setting sun were relatively flat and dull. Looking in the opposite direction, however, was this view of stunning pink clouds. The only down side, perhaps, was the lack of foreground interest, so I gave greater prominence to the sky, using the path to the right and muddy field for context.
Ballymagorry, Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
During summer I often spend my days traversing the coasts of Ireland, mainly due to how stunning our beaches and waters look during these warmer seasons. What attracts myself and many others to the sea, lakes or rivers especially for sunsets is the vast open vistas and mainly for the colourful evening reflections which dance off the water’s surface. We get a sort of “two for one deal” from nature on these lucky evenings when both the sky and the surface glows with vibrant tones. However, when in this “beach vibe” mode it can be easy to overlook the simpler beauty inland which is often hidden in plain sight.
Every so often I stop whilst on route and stroll onto these everyday crop fields in hope of a warm lit sunset. On this evening, I stood alone amongst the sounds of many birds and insects flying around and a few muffled cow moo's in the distance. The sun touched the horizon then released its vibrant rays which flowed outwards and reflected off these ears of barley. Shimmered from yellow to gold then amber to red depending on which way the gentle breeze swayed the crop. It was almost like staring onto the waves of the ocean on how the sunlight danced, shifted and changed due to surface reflection movements
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The alps : probably the symbol of Switzerland !
Don't you find strange that when you have a photographic interest of any subject, the best solution is not to go directly to it, but to stay remote in order to have a global view ? For example, most of good pictures of castles are not taken from the castle, but precisely a few km away.
It's the same situation here : I am about 100 Km away of the Berner Oberland and the Alps, on another Mountain Range : the Jura. Between me and these mountains there's at least two lakes. However, it's probably one of the best place - better than the alps themselves - where you can see what alps really are : a chain crossing the horizon from east to west.
This place is absolutely beautiful in the morning when the air is clear. That day, it rained between me and the Alps, giving this graphic aspects for the clouds.
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This picture was published in the Nordic Magazine, n°16, October 2015, pp. 80-81. : Here is the result