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Curlew - Numenius Arquata
They are one of the most ancient lineages of scolopacid waders, together with the godwits which look similar but have straight bills.
Curlews feed on mud or very soft ground, searching for worms and other invertebrates with their long bills. They will also take crabs and similar items.
Curlews enjoy a worldwide distribution. Most species show strong migratory habits and consequently one or more species can be encountered at different times of the year in Europe, Ireland, Britain, Iberia, Iceland, Africa, Southeast Asia, Siberia, North America, South America and Australasia.
The distribution of curlews has altered considerably in the past hundred years as a result of changing agricultural practices. Reclamation and drainage of marshy fields and moorland, and afforestation of the latter, have led to local decreases, while conversion of forest to grassland in some parts of Scandinavia has led to increases there.
Population:
UK breeding:
66,000 pairs
UK wintering:
140,000 individuals
Human pollution has affected the behavior of the American white ibis via an increase in the concentrations of methylmercury, which is released into the environment from untreated waste. Exposure to methylmercury alters the hormone levels of American white ibis, affecting their mating and nesting behavior and leading to lower reproduction rates.
Ávila - city capital of Avila province in central Spain, in the Castillian Mountains at an altitude of 1128 m above sea level. The city was founded by Celtyberów and Christianized in the first century. After three centuries of Moorish rule, won them King Alfonso VI in 1085. After the reconquest, the city re-live the Christian knights. They began work on the most characteristic and representative building in the city - Las Murallas (walls). They have an average height of 3.6 m and 2.7 m thick, and now account for nearly 2.7 km in length, 9 gates led to the city and 90 towers increased the defense walls. The city is linked to St. Teresa of Avila A notable landmark is the Basilica of San Vicente commemorating St. Vincent of Saragossa. It is famous for the unusual tomb placed under a canopy in the oriental style.
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Ávila - stolica prowincji Ávila w środkowej Hiszpanii, w Górach Kastylijskich na wysokości 1128 m n.p.m. Miasto założone zostało przez Celtyberów, a schrystianizowane w I wieku. Po trzech wiekach rządów Maurów, zdobył je król Alfons VI w 1085 r. Po rekonkwiście, w mieście ponownie zamieszkali chrześcijańscy rycerze. Rozpoczęli oni prace nad najbardziej charakterystyczną i reprezentatywną budowlą miasta - Las Murallas (mury obronne). Mają one średnio 3,6 m wysokości i 2,7 m grubości i liczą sobie prawie 2,7 km długości. Do miasta wiodło 9 bram, a 90 wież zwiększało obronność murów. Z miastem jest związana święta Teresa z Ávili
Znaczącym zabytkiem jest Basilica San Vincente upamiętniająca św. Wincentego z Saragossy. Słynie ona z niezwykłego grobowca umieszczonego pod baldachimem w orientalnym stylu.
Reed Bunting - Emberiza schoeniclus (M)
It breeds across Europe and much of temperate and northern Asia. Most birds migrate south in winter, but those in the milder south and west of the range are resident. It is common in reedbeds and also breeds in drier open areas such as moorland and cultivation. For example, it is a component of the purple moor grass and rush pastures, a type of Biodiversity Action Plan habitat in the UK. It occurs on poorly drained neutral and acidic soils of the lowlands and upland fringe.
The common reed bunting is a medium-sized bird, 13.5–15.5 cm long, with a small but sturdy seed-eater's bill. The male has a black head and throat, white neck collar and underparts, and a heavily streaked brown back. The female is much duller, with a streaked brown head, and is more streaked below.
Despite its name, the Reed Bunting breeds across a range of habitats from reedbeds and conifer plantations to hedgerows and arable crops like oil seed rape. During the non-breeding season, this species is dependent upon weed seeds, and as such, Reed Buntings would have joined other species in winter flocks on farmland stubbles. The decline of this species matches that of other farmland species like Tree Sparrow and Linnet. The increasing winter use of gardens during the 1980s probably reflects the decrease in availability of winter food.
Hi There!
I thought it would be great fun to increase vibrancy and add some effects to a group of tulips. The blooms were already bold, but I wanted them bolder! Happy Sliders Sunday! HSS!
Editing and effects were done in Topaz Studio.
Thank you for stopping by and for your comments. I do appreciate hearing from you! Have a wonderful day!
©Copyright - Nancy Clark - All Rights Reserved
The Little Owl is not a native species, having been introduced to Britain in the 1870s, but it appears to have occupied a vacant niche without having any detrimental impact on other species. Numbers and breeding distribution increased gradually, reaching an estimated breeding population of between 4,000 and 8,500 pairs at the time of Project Barn Owl. The current distribution extends across England, north to the Scottish borders and west into Wales, where it is largely confined to Anglesey and to eastern parts of the country. There have been very few records from Ireland.
Pairs remain on their breeding territories throughout the year, with territorial calling evident during autumn – when young birds are searching for breeding territories – and again during spring. Small cavities are favoured for breeding, these often located within hedgerow trees or the walls of old agricultural buildings. Favoured nesting chambers tend to be located some distance from the cavity entrance and with little daylight reaching them. The male will often perch close to the nest cavity while his mate is incubating her clutch of eggs.
Little Owls often hunt from a perch, taking small mammals and large invertebrates, including earthworms, cockchafers and other beetles. There is evidence to suggest that breeding success is linked to the availability of small mammals, though some pairs evidently do well on other prey; a pair breeding on the island of Skomer, for example, took a large number of Storm Petrels (Courtesy BTO).
Thanks for viewing my photos and for any favourites and comments, it’s much appreciated 👍
Joy is a marvelous increasing of what exists, a pure addition out of nothingness.
~ Rainer Maria Rilke
Temperatures were increasing and the snow pack was beginning to melt, but this was the "Spring scene" at Grand Traverse Lighthouse State Park in mid March.
I noticed this beautiful-unique clock just outside of Palmer House Hotel in Chicago and had to get a shot of it. Used several apps (Stackables, Enlight to name a few) to obtain this textured look. Hope you like it!
"The grandeur of the scene was but softened by the haze that hung over the valley-light as gossamer -and by the clouds that partially dimmed the highest lifts and mountains. This obscurity of vision but increased the awe with which I beheld it, and as I looked, a peculiar exalted sensation seemed to fill my whole being, and I found my eyes in tears with emotion"
Words of Lafayette Houghton Bunnell, after he discovered the beauty of Yosemite Park in March 1851.
I always wanted to capture the beauty and grandeur of this magnificent place covered by a white blanket of snow. For two consecutive years I traveled in the wintertime trying to capture this scene and unfortunately was never able to find snow in the park. With the flurry of crazy weather over the holidays I thought "this is my chance!" I decided to venture yet again in hopes of this picture and welcomed in the New Year at the Park.
I thank God for allowing me to be there to admire and capture the beauty of this amazing place. The 31st was a long day of travel flying from Miami, and then driving multiple hours to Yosemite, but I think this enchanted corner made the sacrifice worth it. I hope this panorama can make justice of this wonderful place by the Merced River.
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend ahead, and all the best for this 2016! Thanks for your friendship and support though the years.
Panorama made of five 21mm vertical images merge in CR and finished in PS
Capturing a dolphin in mid-jump was very challenging, but they gave me the opportunity when they kept racing alongside the boat playfully. I set the zoom lens to 100mm (as little as possible) to increase the field of view. I then tried timing a series of bursts, anticipating when they would jump. A little luck and a little skill combined to give me this awesome image. The spray off the boat, visible as white dots in the lower right, only added to the feeling of the image. Atlantic Ocean, about 30 miles west of Cape Town, South Africa
We stayed at a lodge called Kantishna Roadhouse overnight which really increased our odds of seeing the peak of Denali.
To our amazement when we went to Wonder Lake we were treated to the sight of the entire range with calm waters.
Only about 5 to 10% of people who visit Denali actually see the entire range. The weather can change very quickly and cloud over in a few minutes.
We came back during the evening and found it completely covered. We were about to give up when someone saw a moose in the lake. We all ran over and starting shooting. By the time we left, the moose had gotten closer and the clouds broke up. Funny thing was it was about 11 PM at this time. It stays light most of the night this time of year.
I will post that shot soon. We were really fortunate with the clear skies we had.
Wonder Lake also called Deenaalee Bene' is a lake located in Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska.
If interested in a print... www.imagekind.com/denali-reflections_art?IMID=f8271394-63...
The ferry could not handle the strongly increased traffic in the 60’s anymore and the need for a good north-south connection grew. That’s why, in 1963, the province of Zeeland finalises the order for the Zeeland bridge between Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland to be built. With its 5 kilometres in length, the bridge – then still called the Oosterschelde bridge – becomes the longest in the Netherlands. The Zeeland bridge exists of 54 pillars with spans at intervals of 95 metres. There is also a passageway for ships by making part of the bridge, which is 40 metres wide, moveable.
The bridge is officially opened on 15 December 1965 by Queen Juliana. In April of 1967, the Oosterschelde bridge is renamed Zeeland bridge. Until 1993, users of the bridge had to pay toll, after then the bridge has been toll free. The opening of the Zeeland bridge makes Schouwen-Duiveland a lot more accessible. This leads to mass tourism to Schouwen-Duiveland. Especially the Westhoek with its dunes and 18 kilometres of beach profits from this.
What a treat this was. This beautiful, adult Red-Tailed Hawk was sitting on a pole in Las Gallinas WTP. It was almost as though it was posing for our camera. Widespread and common. Apparently has increased in some areas since the 1960s, and numbers now stable or still increasing. In several regions of North America, Red-tailed Hawks are adapting to nesting in cities.
The Little Owl is not a native species, having been introduced to Britain in the 1870s, but it appears to have occupied a vacant niche without having any detrimental impact on other species. Numbers and breeding distribution increased gradually, reaching an estimated breeding population of between 4,000 and 8,500 pairs at the time of Project Barn Owl. The current distribution extends across England, north to the Scottish borders and west into Wales, where it is largely confined to Anglesey and to eastern parts of the country. There have been very few records from Ireland.
Pairs remain on their breeding territories throughout the year, with territorial calling evident during autumn – when young birds are searching for breeding territories – and again during spring. Small cavities are favoured for breeding, these often located within hedgerow trees or the walls of old agricultural buildings. Favoured nesting chambers tend to be located some distance from the cavity entrance and with little daylight reaching them. The male will often perch close to the nest cavity while his mate is incubating her clutch of eggs.
Little Owls often hunt from a perch, taking small mammals and large invertebrates, including earthworms, cockchafers and other beetles. There is evidence to suggest that breeding success is linked to the availability of small mammals, though some pairs evidently do well on other prey; a pair breeding on the island of Skomer, for example, took a large number of Storm Petrels (Courtesy BTO).
Thanks for viewing my photos and for any favourites and comments, it’s much appreciated 👍
Todmorden Unitarian Church
This church is a Grade 1 Listed Building overlooking the town. It is perched high on a hill in an imposing position and can be seen for miles around, helped by the spire, which increases its height by a further 192 feet. Reached by a long winding drive starting at a gatehouse, it looks more like an Anglican Cathedral than a non-conformist chapel. Even the gatehouse is a listed building. The church stands in its own substantial landscaped grounds and has a large burial ground on the wooded slopes behind the building.
la Casa de Ceremonias o patio de los sabios (Đại Bái Đường) y el Thượng Điện, donde Confucio y sus cuatro discípulos más cercanos son adorados, donde se pueden encontrar dos grullas posadas sobre dos tortugas, que simbolizan la suerte y la longevidad y que segun la tradicion si se tocaban se aumentaban los años de vida y la sabiduría. Junto a la Casa de Ceremonias se encuentra el pequeño Santuario Thi Thah que albergar un figura de Confucio y Chu Van An, uno de los maestros mas famosos que enseño en la escuela.
the House of Ceremonies or courtyard of the sages (Đại Bái Đường) and the Thượng Điện, where Confucius and his four closest disciples are worshipped, where you can find two cranes perched on two tortoises, symbolizing luck and longevity and which According to tradition, if they were touched, the years of life and wisdom increased. Next to the House of Ceremonies is the small Thi Thah Shrine that houses a figure of Confucius and Chu Van An, one of the most famous masters who taught at the school.
la Casa de Cerimònies o pati dels savis (Đại Bái Đường) i el Thượng Điện, on Confuci i els seus quatre deixebles més propers són adorats, on es poden trobar dues grues posades sobre dues tortugues, que simbolitzen la sort i la long segons la tradició si es tocaven s'augmentaven els anys de vida i la saviesa. Al costat de la Casa de Cerimònies es troba el petit Santuari Thi Thah que acull una figura de Confuci i Chu Van An, un dels mestres més famosos que ensenyo a l'escola.
Four days after strong winds, the waves size increased in size up to 4m in height. This is the first in a sequence of three photos of one of the large waves as it breaks.
Please view enlarged - type "L".
I did not try to shoot a movie of the waves this time because the Pentax K-1 has quite a slow frame rate. If you are interested I did shoot some movie footage of waves in 2017. You can see it
Thank you for visiting. I appreciate the faves very much.
Turn Off the lights and view this LARGE ! Highly Recommended
This was taken using my 18-200 VR lens. The lights on the opera house made it stand out. I decided to increase the darkness of the surrounds - selectively to make it stand out even further.
DRI - Digital Blending of 5 exposures including layer masking . Then processed thru lightroom to increase blacks
Winter scene on Grouse Creek in North Idaho. Increased the levels and Saturation. Also intensified the sun's flare a bit.
Happy Cliche Saturday and Slider Sunday!
Yes, we do have lots of rain here. This short tree or shrub was here when we moved in four years ago. Just needed water. I think it's a Crataegus, commonly called hawthorn, quickthorn, thornapple, May-tree, whitethorn, or hawberry, a genus of several hundred species of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia, North Africa, and North America.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crataegus
Feel free to correct me about the name. No increased saturation or vibrancy. The rain and clouds take credit for that.
The extreme drought that northern Italy is undergoing with the increase in temperatures is triggering more and more fires in the wooded areas, many of which are protected.
Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala)
The Noisy Miner clan at the Woodville Football Oval continues to increase. This one had swooped me as it thought I had got too close to its offspring, which I hadn't noticed at this point.
An old shot I've just got round to processing - (I'm very slow)
This week is the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London so this one seemed appropriate - I've posted a wider shot of this evening before with the old wooden posts in the foreground.
Here I'd zoomed in to 55mm to get more detail in Tower Bridge & the City but had to create a pano to include the Shard & Tower 42.
I particularly liked the burning red reflections in the windows of the Thames Clipper & Tower 42 in this one.
One of those grey overcast days where I wasn't expecting any colour but the Sun broke under the cloud right at the end.
The sky colour was so intense that the raw file was too saturated to need any increase.
The Great Fire of London was started in Pudding Lane by the Royal Baker (inadvertently) in 1666 - so they say.
Luckily very few people were thought to have been hurt & the fire succeeded in sterilising most of the run down slum filled bits of London that had been ravaged by the Great Plague.
For some reason Great Fires, Puddings & Bakers brought 'The Great British Bake Off' to mind.
If you're a fan of the show like my wife - (although I suspect the real reason she watches it is to see the steely eyed scouser - Paul Hollywood) - & you're a serious baker - be sure to turn off the oven before going to bed :))
Thanks to everyone for taking the trouble to view comment or fave.
For increasing my own immune system, I decided to hike to the Phoenix Mountain last Sunday where is full of
Pythoncide. :-) It happened to be a rainy day.
Xitou Nature Education Area or Xitou Bamboo Forest is a forest park in Lugu Village, Lugu Township, Nantou County, Taiwan. Xitou is derived from a Chinese word with the meaning of the origin of river. During the Japanese rule of Taiwan, the forest was used as an experimental forest for University of Tokyo students. Later after the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China in 1945, the forest was declared a nature reserve and named Xitou Nature Education Area in 1970. On 11 September 2016, a 2,800-year old giant tree fell after long heavy rain, injuring three visitors.
The Butterfly Palace, Branson, Missouri. Sony A6500 and FE90/2.8 Macro G. This is a wonderful butterfly theater. They allow flash photography, so in the next day or so, I want to return and try my A7II flash rig with larger f/number to increase depth of field.
Increased the ISO here to get the shutter speed faster to get more of the pattern in the water falling over the rocks.
Captured with just the CPL filter.
With a population of 282 the village of Petruro is the second smallest municipality in the Avellino province (Irpinia) in southern Italy. Since 2017 the population has slightly increased with the arrive of 20 asylum seekers.
This is a very small echinacea (cone flower) bloom. The image is an example of photo stacking. It used 19 photos stacked together to increase depth of field. It was one of my first efforts to use a new focusing rail and macro reverse adapter. The adapter reverses a lens to create a macro lens.
Increased the de-hazing and some vibrancy to add some color and pop to this gray toned wintry take of the pretty seagull.
Happy Sliding Sunday
Continuing on the theme of one sparrow a day this week, here is a beautiful Chipping Sparrow spotted near Nutter's Battery, Central Park, New York. They are now coming in increasing numbers...
Shek O, Hong Kong. This shot is heavily inspired from my flickr friend John (johopo).
ND400 + Digital Blending + Photoshop photo filters. More shots using this technique in my Digital Blending Set.
Please check my Hong Kong Set.
Another image from a productive day out to Nottingham visiting family this week.
DB Cargo Tug 60039 'Dove Holes' passes through the station and disappears east with the 12.20pm Toton Sidings - Boston Steel 'pig-pens' (6E02). Meantime, Cross Country unit 170114 stands at platform 4 after arriving with the 9.45am ex-Cardiff (1M60).
Bay platform 5 is to the near right, and currently empty. Once a through platform it was turned into a bay during the track modifications made a few years ago intended to increase the station's capacity.
I couldn't resist exploiting the shape and rippled texture of those 'pig-pen' wagons, and who knows how long they'll be around.
Apologies for the obscure title - those in the know will know, maybe.
1.14pm, 22nd June 2021
27.11.2020
die Luft ist klar und kalt, der Himmel ist Wolkenfrei und der zunehmende Mond leuchtet am Himmel.
the air is clear and cold, the sky is free of clouds and the increasing Moon shines in the sky.
Bryce Canyon, UT
The overcast and intermittent rain in the low southwestern deserts made for days of frustration with little end in sight. The system was stalled, no breaks in the canopy, no good for photography. I laid out my Indian Country map and plotted a course north, where maybe I’d find snow in the higher deserts. It bore out. Fresh snow had moved through Zion and past the Paunsaugunt Plateau, and I arrived at Bryce as the storm petered out. I followed someone else’s trail through the forest thinking I had a shortcut to the Rim Trail, and continued on like an idiot after it was obvious they had turned back, snow to my knees and looking for oxygen in my exertion at 8000 feet. Thankfully I brought micro spikes, and needed them when I reached the beaten path, frozen and refrozen, and under the fresh inches today. There is clarity in the air after rain or snow, or so it seems. I’ve heard that the precipitation picks up dust particles, that some kind of ionization takes place effectively cleaning the air and increasing visibilty. Is it what we see, or how we see it? We learn through the lens of what came behind us, not what is ahead. And yet, some directions we look in are clearer than others. An undecided sky let the afternoon sun peekaboo features in the landscape. It dappled the horizon in degrees of shadow and light. Beyond Boat Mesa, Canaan and Tablet Top, some 30 miles away, were alight with rising mists where perhaps the storm still brewed. Beyond them is where I will head tomorrow.
The combination of isolation, attacks on the Evans Cherry Tree community and adolescent cherry testosterone has led to an increase in incidents of bizarre and freakish behaviour.
One example of this increase in cherry rage was this past Sunday at the C.F.L. (Cherry Football League) game. A small group of adolescent cherries got into a fight which resulted in some sliced cherries, one to the pit. Thank goodness the injuries were not life threatening.
A tip through Cherry Stoppers led the authorities to the alleged instigator of the fight, which in turn led to a key witness having to identify the sour cherry.
This freak behaviour has to stop. It's time to make Sundays great again and put the cherry on top.
Take care and stay safe
Red Kites:-
This magnificently graceful bird of prey is unmistakable with its reddish-brown body, angled wings and deeply forked tail.
The RSPB is celebrating the "remarkable" comeback of the Red Kite, a bird which had almost become extinct in Britain.
For more than 400 years the bird of prey was killed as vermin and by the 1960s there were just 20 pairs.
But the organisation's 2011 Big Garden Birdwatch survey recorded as many as 2,000 breeding pairs, an increase of over 130% since last year.
Its return began in the 1990s with re-introductions in several areas.
At the turn of the 20th century it was extinct in England and Scotland with just a handful of breeding pairs in the Welsh valleys.
The Welsh birds began to expand slowly in the 1980s with legal protection, reduced persecution and efforts of conservationists, but remained very vulnerable.
Courtesy: RSPB
According to Venetian official statistics approximately 16 million people visited the province of Venice in 2011, with increases projected for 2012-13. Most if not all visitors, come to visit the central island Venezia in order to see and be in the heart of the city. Geographically the city center which includes St. Mark’s Basilica, St Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace, the Rialto Bridge, as well as the homes and businesses of Venetians exists on a land mass that is roughly six square miles. These six square miles are criss-crossed by the Grand and the not-so-grand canals which invite tourists to explore the nooks and crannies of a medieval powerhouse that still displays its heritage.
However, as a frame of reference, visitors should do the math. Public access to the six square miles of the central part of Venice is reduced by the areas occupied by private housing, businesses and by canals. Effectively the 80,000 to 100,000 daily visitors and the 40,000 to 60,000 local residents or business employers and employees are competing for approximately one to two square miles of open space. Regardless of the crowds it should be noted that while tourists may travel stem to stern in seemingly endless lines of gondolas, on Venice’s solid ground no car, bus or motor scooter challenges a visitor’s right to live long and prosper. In Venice the trucks, cars, and buses come with keels and rudders. All vie for space on and in the canals. Gondoliers weave their boats and passengers through the Grand Canal water traffic much like carriage driver guide their clip-clopping horse drawn carriages through any busy city’s tourist center. To paraphrase Shakespeare, in Venice all the water’s a stage,
(Milvus milvus) The re-introduction programme in the UK has certainly transformed this species. They are a joy to observe and photograph. When heading North of England and Wales, the iconic forked tail makes them easy to spot and one has to be careful especially when driving! There's been a +2232% increase between 1995 and 2022 changing their status to Least Concern in the UK a real success story however globally they remain Near threatened.
Increased the ISO some to see if it provided better overall results ... I think the version at ISO 2500 was better. But then that could have also been because the wind was gusting more or less.
The winds were around 20 to 30 MPH last evening ... and bitter cold with temperatures heading towards 15 degrees F.
Had to have the gloves off to manually focus the lens ... brrrrr.
Trees and bushes that lost their leaves over the winter begin to grow new leaves again and also flower in spring. This happens because the temperature of the air and soil starts to warm up and the hours of daylight increase as the days get longer with the coming of spring.
Did you know that spending time in the forest ist good for the immune system? It reduces inflammation and increases the number of killer cells.
How awesome is that?!
It's so sad that most of the forests around where I live are not well prepared for climate change. If we don't manage to limit heating of the earth, they will most likely die.
If you care about the environment and climate, consider joining the group "flickr for future": www.flickr.com/groups/flickr-for-future/ :)