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The great blue heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to coastal Spain, the Azores, and areas of far southern Europe. Wikipedia
Conservation status: Least Concern (Population increasing) Encyclopedia of Life
Scientific name: Ardea herodias
Wingspan: 5.5 to 6.6 feet nationalgeographic.com
zoom in to appreciate
Thanks to everyone that views and comments on my images - very much appreciated.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. On all my images, Use without permission is illegal. ~m
to report a sharp increase in circles completed :-)
Robert Brault
HBW!! best viewed large :-)
www.flickr.com/photos/itucker/30387137693/in/photostream/...
orange twig littleleaf linden, 'Winter Orange', j c raulston arboretum, ncsu, Raleigh, north carolina
Found this seed pod on a flower in the back yard and decided to take a shot of it, sprinkled some powder on a black photo frame sheet and then blew most of it off to get some star’s effect, carefully propped the pod on the sheet and took 6 focus shots of it. Put the 6 shots together in Photoshop’s focus stacking feature, increased powder and pod brightness in Topaz Glow 2 and then enhanced the color in Topaz restyle, plus some minor adjustments in Photoshop for Happy Slider Sunday………. HSS
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,
An unusual morning I&O extra with traffic for Delta, OH and points north thunders through the CPLs at NE Cairo behind a clean trio of orange SD40-2s. Despite the increasing commonality of the G&W scheme, scenes like this still make it look good, though it's not quite the same orange that used to ply these rails on DT&I trackage-rights trains.
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.
The Theodore Roosevelt Lake Bridge is a vehicular bridge traversing Theodore Roosevelt Lake between Gila County and Maricopa County, Arizona.[2] Prior to its completion, traffic on Arizona SR 188 traveled directly on top of the Theodore Roosevelt Lake Dam. The bridge's completion relieved traffic over the dam. It had been designed to accommodate the width of two Ford Model-T automobiles, but increasing vehicle widths meant that the dam could only support one-way traffic until the new bridge opened.[3]
Per the United States Bureau of Reclamation, in 1995, along with other bridges such as the Brooklyn Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge, the bridge was listed by the American Consulting Engineers Council as one of the top twelve bridge designs in the United States,[3] and is the "longest two-lane, single-span, steel-arch bridge in North America".[3] The build contract was awarded to Edward Kraemer & Sons, Inc. of Plain, Wisconsin,[1] with an overall total cost of $21.3 million USD in 1992.[3] It was initially painted sky blue, but has since turned white.[4]
Steel material for the bridge was originally a part of the Washington Street elevated in Boston, Massachusetts. When the elevated was torn down in 1987, the steel was shipped to Japan and melted into bars, then shipped again as building materials.[5]
This bridge was the beginning or ending of the Apache Trail, a very scenic dirt road all the way to Phoenix depending on which way you were going. It takes several hours to complete. Our monsoons destroyed parts of the trail some years ago and they just got it repaired and reopened it last year. It is a very scenic drive and worth while taking the trip if you love the outdoors in Arizona. It is one of my favorite drives but not for the faint of heart :)
The Apache Trail in Arizona was a stagecoach trail that ran through the Superstition Mountains. It was named the Apache Trail after the Apache Indians who originally used this trail to move through the Superstition Mountains.
The historic Apache Trail linked Apache Junction (33.4152°N 111.5807°W) at the edge of the Greater Phoenix area with Theodore Roosevelt Lake (33.6725°N 111.1531°W), through the Superstition Mountains and the Tonto National Forest.
From Apache Junction heading northeast to Tortilla Flat, the Trail - named The E. Apache Trail (Arizona State Rt 88) at this point - is paved, turning into a dirt road a few miles east of Tortilla Flat, and continuing as such for nearly the full remainder of its length. The section east of Apache Junction is known officially as State Route 88. It is also the main traffic corridor through Apache Junction, turning into Main Street as the road passes into Mesa, and regains the Apache name by becoming Apache Boulevard in Tempe, ending at Mill Avenue. Prior to the completion of the Superstition Freeway in 1992, the Apache Junction portion of the Apache Trail was part of US Highway 60, which was rerouted to the Superstition Freeway once it was completed.
The Trail winds steeply through 40 miles (64 km) of rugged desert mountains, past deep reservoir lakes like Canyon Lake and Apache Lake. The narrow, winding road is unpaved from just east of the town of Tortilla Flat to Roosevelt Dam; there are steep cliff drops and few safety barriers. The trail requires caution when driving and it is not recommended for large RVs, SUVs, or caravans. Some large RV rental companies in the US do not allow their vehicles to be taken on this route.
Fires and floods in 2019 resulted in a massive landslide between the Fish Creek Hill Overlook and Apache Lake Marina.[1] This section of road was closed for repairs, and reopened in September 2024.[2]
Some examples of AI generated country music and videos :) What will be next :) Don't know if I am ready for this new AI world :)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtNtsxtFsPg
My Texas Lady - A Country Love Anthem
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOLk_di0igo
Longing for a Cowboy
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lInrWfMIirE
Sippin' Tennessee Gold
The Scarlet Bell or as it is properly known - Bell Rock.
Ah, the color Red and the different emotions it invokes. Red is passion, desire and love. Red is fire, blood and danger. Red enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure.
Red Rock park, Sedona, Arizona.
The Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), is one of Britains most brightly coloured and interesting birds...Kingfishers are widespread, especially in central and southern England, becoming less common further north, however, following some declines last century, they are currently increasing in their range in Scotland.
Kingfishers are found by still or slow flowing water such as lakes, canals and rivers in lowland areas. In winter, some individuals move to estuaries and the coast. Occasionally they may visit suitably sized garden ponds...
Male kingfishers and female kingfishers are are almost identical except for an orange colouration with a black tip on the lower part of the females beak/mandibles. Young kingfishers are similar to the adults in appearance, however, they have duller and greener upperparts, paler underparts, black beak and initially, black legs.
Kingfishers have very keen eyesight...The kingfisher has monocular vision (in which each eye is used separately) in the air and binocular vision (in which both eyes are used together) in water...The underwater vision is not as a sharp as in the air, however, the ability to judge the distance of moving prey is more important than the sharpness of the image..."
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Particularly intelligent, the black redstart is a resourceful species. It often frequents rooftops, chimneys and antennas. During the night, it prefers crevices of walls or rock cavities instead. When not in flight, it is perched on overhangs of buildings or other perches, characteristic wiggling its tail. On the ground it proceeds in small hops.
Originally the black redstart was living almost exclusively in rocky areas, but already in the 18th and 19th centuries, due to the increasing urbanisation and expansion of cities, it spread to the plains and then into the cities and villages, using buildings and high-rises instead of its native, alpine and rocky habitat. It nests at a maximum altitude of 3200m and it’s a very widespread species. It’s funny song is strident and it starts way before sunrise, giving the start signal to the birds for their morning concert.
Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) male_w_5038
The Narrows Bridge is a freeway and railway crossing of the Swan River in Perth, Western Australia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrows_Bridge_(Perth)
Made up of two road bridges and a railway bridge constructed at a part of the river known as the Narrows, located between Mill Point and Point Lewis, it connects the Mitchell and Kwinana Freeways, linking the city's northern and southern suburbs. The original road bridge was opened in 1959 and was the largest precast prestressed concrete bridge in the world. Construction of the northern interchange for this bridge necessitated the reclamation of a large amount of land from the river.
The bridge formed part of the Kwinana Freeway which originally ran for only 2.4 miles (3.9 km) to Canning Bridge. Over the following decades, the freeway system was expanded to the north and south, greatly increasing the volume of traffic using the bridge. As a result, in 2001, a second road bridge was opened to the west of the original bridge, and in 2005, the railway bridge was constructed in the gap between the two traffic bridges. Passenger trains first traversed the Narrows in 2007 with the opening of the Mandurah railway line.
Fragile fronds press with increasing insistence against frail windowframes.
I suspect that one day they'll win.
Please, no invitations to award/forced comment groups or to those with large/animated comment codes.
The northern amber bumblebee. It is native to northern North America, where it occurs across Canada and Alaska and the northern and eastern contiguous United States.
This species is generally found in woodland habitat. It usually nests underground, and males congregate nearby to seek mates. This species feeds on several plant taxa, including milkvetches, thistles, wild blackberries, goldenrods, comfrey, clovers, and vetches. . (Wikipedia)
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Well, I thought this was the Yellow-banded Bumblebee that the Park Services was trying to protect, but I was wrong. Still, I would not have noticed this bee if it had not been for the information signs outside the Visitor Centre. Unfortunately, many bumblebee species are declining so the Park Service planted a nectar garden to support and hopefully increase the local population. This species took advantage of the buffet provided for the Yellow-banded Bumblebees :-)
Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada. July 2024.
Becoming an increasing presence on our local shoreline
When there is less grey than normal as with this bird then it is not a pure Hooded Crow. They intergrade fairly commonly with Carrion Crows,
Hooded Crow Intergrade (Corvus cornix) (also called hoodie)
Shore Crab
Ardmucknish Bay Argyll - Scotland
Many thanks to all those who take the time to comment on my photos. It is truly appreciated.
DSC_5733
I guess the willet was tired of posing on the post, and wanted a break.
The image was taken in the middle of a bright afternoon, so the light on the bird is not great. I think it was a touch overcast, fortunately, so the shadows are not as horrible as they could be.
From A.I. Google: "Birds yawn for several reasons, primarily related to temperature regulation and alertness. Like mammals, birds may yawn to cool their brains by increasing blood flow to the head and facilitating heat exchange with the air. Yawning can also help birds increase oxygen intake and clear carbon dioxide from their lungs."
It looks good, but Google's AI has offered up some pretty goofy answers for me on some topics, so I will often do a bit more digging on topics I'm interested in.
Mostar Bosnia and Herzegovina
I help aspiring and established photographers get noticed so they can earn an income from photography or increase sales. My blog, Photographer’s Business Notebook is a wealth of information as is my Mark Paulda’s YouTube Channel. I also offer a variety of books, mentor services and online classes at Mark Paulda Photography Mentor
All images are available as Museum Quality Photographic Prints and Commercial Licensing. Feel free to contact me with any and all inquiries.
Follow My Once In A Lifetime Travel Experiences at Mark Paulda’s Travel Journal
Fly Agaric.
I always think that pictures of mushrooms come in the same category as those of kittens. They make me want to say ‘Awwww… poor ickle things. How sweet…’.
But that may be because I eat too many of them in my salads.
No! Mushrooms. I don’t usually eat kittens! {sigh - I do despair of my audience at times. I’m sure the feeling is mutual :) ).
This is another picture of this cute toadstool, taken in some Suffolk pine woods at West Stow last year but processed today for the Smile on Saturday theme Mushrooms. This one is in the early stage of emerging - gradually it will extend its cap during the day until it’s flat or even slightly convex.
Fly Agarics are so-called because they were used as an insecticide (sprinkled on milk!). They contain two types of hallucinogenic chemicals and are moderately poisonous.
There were several dozen of these in the woods, scattered about. Some were even obligingly sitting on their own little mounds :)
Hope you are all OK and having a lovely weekend.
Thank you for taking the time to look. I hope you enjoy the image.
[Daylight with the camera hand propped on the ground.
Developed in Capture One reducing Clarity and increasing Structure; warming the image up a bit and emphasising the greens of the moss on the right.
Quite a lot of additional work in Nik Viveza: taking down the background and leaf litter; adding light to the top of the stem and evening out the tone and colour on the cap as well as enhancing the structure there.
More tonal and contrast work using filters in Color Efex, with a slight dark vignette centred on the mushwump.
16:9 crop to take out some annoying highlights at the top and some of the foreground, with the toadstool on the thirds line.]
One of the nice side effects of rainy weather is the increased colors in one of my favorite polypores, the turkey tail.
"Most people are on the world, not in it-- have no conscious sympathy or relationship to anything about them-- undiffused, separate, and rigidly alone like marbles of polished stone. touching but separate." John Muir
I took this, along with some others, in low light this morning. Trying to get the hang of flight shots. Very high ISO, but the focus appeared to work pretty well. Really liking the increased speed of locking on!
There was no reason to complain
it's all been candy cream
neatly, smooth and clean forever
The battle seemed so far away
she never felt the pain
but then one day it came a little
Yet things happend just that way
realize your fate
shut it down, increase the pressure
There was no reason to complain
it's all been candy cream
neatly, smooth and clean forever
Robin (Erithacus rubecula)..The robin might seem cute, but it is actually a highly territorial bird and will aggressively defend its domain against others. These much-loved birds are on the rise as the UK robin population continues to increase
Qatar Airways Company operating as Qatar Airways, is the state-owned flag carrier of Qatar. Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha, the airline operates a hub-and-spoke network, linking over 150 international destinations across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania from its base at Hamad International Airport, using a fleet of more than 200 aircraft. Qatar Airways Group employs more than 43,000 people. The carrier has been a member of the Oneworld alliance since October 2013, the first Gulf carrier to sign with one of the three airline alliances.
The 777-300ER (ER for Extended Range) is the B-market version of the -300. Its higher MTOW and increased fuel capacity permits a maximum range of 7,370 nautical miles (13,650 km) with 396 passengers in a two-class seating arrangement. The 777-300ER features raked and extended wingtips, a strengthened fuselage and wings and a modified main landing gear. Its wings have an aspect ratio of 9.0. It is powered by the GE90-115B turbofan, the world's most powerful jet engine with a maximum thrust of 115,300 lbf (513 kN). 54491
Pacific National train 4621 approaches Stroud Road hauling 12 cement loads and 5 sugar empties.
With the rate of overhauls and repaints increasing this year, there are now twenty-one 82 class left in blue.
Wards Public Marina has a concrete ramp with a large dock. located in Elgin Heritage Park on the Nicomekl River.
British Columbia
Canada
Various vessels moored at this long in length dock
.
In this image the sun was disappearing quickly.
A sailing catamaran ( lead ) is a multihull vessel that is characterized by having two separate hulls, which are generally similar or identical in size. Because of their dual-hull design, they offer more space and will lay on the water like a raft, for less heeling when enjoying sailing on the open waters. These boats were originally crafted in the South Pacific as a way to navigate the shallow waters with increased stability, for transporting passengers and goods between various islands. They became popular for sailing in the 1960s and 70s and are now one of the most common sailing vessels available.
Thank-you for all the overwhelming support and many friendships.
Happy Clicks
~Christie
*Best experienced in full screen
Bryce Canyon National Park
Utah
USA
Paunsaugunt Plateau
Really shows off well in Lightbox-
www.flickr.com/photos/42964440@N08/34714349835/in/photost...
The third National Park I went to was Bryce Canyon National Park. This scene was taken from Inspiration Point looking down at a natural amphitheater seen along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau.
Bryce Canyon National Park /ˈbraɪs/ is a National Park located in southwestern Utah in the United States. The major feature of the park is Bryce Canyon, which despite its name, is not a canyon, but a collection of giant natural amphitheaters along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Bryce is distinctive due to geological structures called hoodoos, formed by frost weathering and stream erosion of the river and lake bed sedimentary rocks. The red, orange, and white colors of the rocks provide spectacular views for park visitors. Bryce sits at a much higher elevation than nearby Zion National Park. The rim at Bryce varies from 8,000 to 9,000 feet (2,400 to 2,700 m).
The Bryce Canyon area was settled by Mormon pioneers in the 1850s and was named after Ebenezer Bryce, who homesteaded in the area in 1874. The area around Bryce Canyon became a National Monument in 1923 and was designated as a National Park in 1928. The park covers 35,835 acres (55.992 sq mi; 14,502 ha; 145.02 km2) and receives substantially fewer visitors than Zion National Park (nearly 4.3 million in 2016) or Grand Canyon National Park (nearly 6 million in 2016), largely due to Bryce's more remote location. In 2016, Bryce Canyon received 2,365,110 recreational visitors, representing an increase of 35% from the prior year. - From Wikipedia
I was delighted to see this, our smallest bird, weighing in at a mere 5-7g., on a very cold, foggy morning flitting hyperactively from bush to bush in the New Forst as it searched for food to meet its increased energy needs in the sub zero temperature. I love the description of this plump tiny bird as a, "miniature ball of down, with large dark eyes, like peppercorns". ( Birdsong - J. Elphick, J. Peterssen, L. Svensson).
Thank you all for your kind responses.
Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) checks out this blooming Yarrow,
A reminder , as lives begin to increase their pace to take time to smell the flowers .
Our population of Blue-banded bees is increasing with the warmer weather, and the best way of monitoring this is by going out at night to the roosting spot. There are eleven closely packed on this twig. The same night I found another 9 on other twigs on this large camellia tree. Our garden is abuzz with these bees and also lots of Megachiles (leaf cutters)
Image rotated.
Oban, “Gateway to the Western Isles” in Argyll and Bute is the main exit port for Caledonian MacBrayne ferries sailing to both the Inner and Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The town itself can get very busy in the summer tourist season with an increase in population of some 24.000 visitors. The town is dominated by John Stuart McCaig’s Grade B listed historic monument of McCaig's Tower which sits prominent on Battery Hill overlooking the town, and was built around 1898 of Bonawe granite taken from Airds Bay on Loch Etive, to provide work for local stonemasons during the winter months.
Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, Deutschland.
Konstanz es una ciudad alemana del estado federado de Baden-Wurtemberg ubicada en la orilla sur del lago de Constanza (Bodensee en alemán) y fronteriza con Suiza. Es la ciudad más grande y de mayor densidad poblacional de este gran lago, el más extenso de Alemania, alimentado por el río Rin y que comparte con dos países más: Suiza y Austria. La ciudad de Constanza forma un solo casco urbano real junto con la localidad suiza de Kreuzlingen, sobrepasando entre ambas los 100.000 habitantes.
Hay un puente que divide la ciudad en dos zonas, bajo el cual el Rin alimenta el lago de Constanza.
A pesar de ser una ciudad pequeña, su climatología la convierte en destino turístico e incrementa notablemente sus habitantes estacionales.
El casco antiguo y, por lo tanto, lugar de máximo interés de la ciudad se encuentra en la orilla sur del Rin, donde sólo existe esta porción de tierra alemana rodeada por territorio suizo. Desde el mismo puente sobre el Rin (Rheinbrücke) que accede al casco antiguo desde el norte de la ciudad, se observan dos de los monumentos más característicos de la ciudad: las torres de Pulverturm y Rheintorturm, de origen medieval.
Más hacia el centro de la ciudad antigua destacan las plazas más importantes, la Markstätte y la Münsterplatz, donde, como indica su nombre, se halla la catedral de Nuestra Señora. Dentro de la misma es destacable la cripta románica primigenia, construida entre los años 1052 y 1089 y situada bajo el altar actual. En los meses de verano, la torre de 76 metros del edificio está abierta al público y permite unas espléndidas vistas del lago. Como cabe esperar en todo edificio europeo de estas características, el edificio románico original tiene importantes elementos y modificaciones góticas y barrocas posteriores.
También en la Münsterplatz se encuentran los restos de una fortaleza romana, los cuales son perfectamente visibles por medio de una pirámide acristalada en el suelo de la plaza, a los pies mismos de la catedral.
La puerta "Schnetztor" desde el interior de la muralla de Constanza.
Numerosas calles del centro histórico de la ciudad, como la Wessenbergstrasse o la Rosgartenstrasse, poseen gran cantidad de edificios medievales con bonitos balcones y pinturas en las que se puede leer la fecha de su construcción, nombre o gremio. Muchas de ellas son anteriores al siglo XV y entre las posteriores destacan también interesantes edificios barrocos.
La Wessenbergstrasse, una de las arterias principales del casco antiguo de la ciudad, desemboca en la Hussenstrasse y esta a su vez en la torre Schnetztor, puerta principal de la muralla antigua de la ciudad, parte de la cual todavía se conserva, y salida directa hacia la ciudad de Kreuzlingen, ya en Suiza, pero completamente integrada con Constanza, con la que forma un mismo núcleo urbano.
Konstanz is a German city in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg located on the southern shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee in German) and bordering Switzerland. It is the largest and most densely populated city of this great lake, the largest in Germany, fed by the Rhine River and shared with two other countries: Switzerland and Austria. The city of Constanza forms a single real urban area together with the Swiss town of Kreuzlingen, surpassing both 100,000 inhabitants.
There is a bridge that divides the city into two zones, under which the Rhine feeds Lake Constance.
In spite of being a small city, its climatology turns it into a tourist destination and it increases remarkably its seasonal inhabitants.
The old town and, therefore, place of maximum interest of the city is on the southern bank of the Rhine, where only this portion of German land surrounded by Swiss territory exists. From the same bridge over the Rhine (Rheinbrücke) that accesses the old town from the north of the city, there are two of the most characteristic monuments of the city: the Pulverturm and Rheintorturm towers, of medieval origin.
More towards the center of the old city, the most important squares stand out, the Markstätte and the Münsterplatz, where, as its name indicates, there is the Cathedral of Our Lady. Inside it is remarkable the original Romanesque crypt, built between 1052 and 1089 and located under the current altar. In the summer months, the 76-meter tower of the building is open to the public and allows a splendid view of the lake. As expected in any European building of these characteristics, the original Romanesque building has important elements and subsequent Gothic and Baroque modifications.
Also on the Münsterplatz are the remains of a Roman fortress, which are perfectly visible by means of a glass pyramid on the floor of the square, at the very foot of the cathedral.
The "Schnetztor" door from inside the wall of Constance.
Numerous streets in the historic center of the city, such as the Wessenbergstrasse or the Rosgartenstrasse, have a large number of medieval buildings with beautiful balconies and paintings in which you can read the date of its construction, name or guild. Many of them date from before the 15th century and interesting baroque buildings also stand out among the later ones.
The Wessenbergstrasse, one of the main arteries of the old part of the city, flows into the Hussenstrasse and this in turn into the Schnetztor tower, the main gate of the old city wall, part of which is still preserved, and direct exit towards the city of Kreuzlingen, already in Switzerland, but completely integrated with Constance, with which it forms the same urban nucleus.
A view across the geothermal area, Gunnuhver, shows some of the thermal features and power generation facilities This highly active geothermal area, which is also called the Reykjanes Geothermal Field, sits on the southwest side of the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland. Altered ground and sinter encrusted in places with native sulfur and sulphates make up the foreground, The visible features visible from left to right in the center of the photo are: Observation platform on Kísilhól (“silica hill”) surrunded by solfataras; Grey Lagoon; Powerplant group containing fumaroles, steaming ground and mudpots; power generation wells and plants.
The development of the Geothermal power plant in 2006 effected the hydrothermal features. Steaming off the ground at Reykjanes increased markedly as a consequence of pressure drawdown in the geothermal reservoir after exploitation. Some boreholes drilled during development became steam vents or mud pools. Geysers once known in the area have all disappeared.
This image was created by merging several handheld images together.
Long Exposure Photographs of the Old City of Dubrovnik.
I help aspiring and established photographers get noticed so they can earn an income from photography or increase sales. My blog, Photographer’s Business Notebook is a wealth of information as is my Mark Paulda’s YouTube Channel. I also offer a variety of books, mentor services and online classes at Mark Paulda Photography Mentor
All images are available as Museum Quality Photographic Prints and Commercial Licensing. Feel free to contact me with any and all inquiries.
Follow My Once In A Lifetime Travel Experiences at Mark Paulda’s Travel Journal
Huntington Gardens
San Marino, CA
From Huntington.org:
Liu Fang Yuan is based on the mid-late Ming dynasty (1368–1644) style of a scholars’ garden, especially the gardens from the city of Suzhou, China. The mid-late Ming dynasty, 16-17th centuries, was a time of increased garden-making activity in China because of a variety of economic and social factors.
The water from the spring is believed to have a magical power to increase the fortune. It is a tradition to wash coins and bills with the water to effectuate the magic.
It is a folk belief rather than Shintoism.
Sarasvati is originally an Indian goddess of water but other roles were attached later such as music, art, war and speech. Benzaiten comes from its Chinese translation meaning the "goddess of eloquence (弁才天)." It was wrongly or intentionally written as Benzaiten (弁"財"天) in Japan due to the same pronunciation, which means the goddess of speech and fortune.
I suppose this makes the background of money laundering practice.
The shrine's priests may be embarrassed to see it so widespread globally.
The shrine also enshrines Ugajin (宇賀神) that is a god or a spectre that looks like a snake with human head, which is also believed to bring good fortune.
It is an interesting place of religious syncretism.
To help meet the increasing demand on water supplies, Siblyback Lake was constructed in the late 1960s, with the dam being completed in 1969.
Surrounded by the striking backdrop of Bodmin Moor, Siblyback Lake lies within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
There is a beautiful 5km round lake circuit, which is perfect for pushchairs, wheelchairs and bicycles. The path runs adjacent to the lake, and passes by the impressive Siblyback Dam and through woodlands.
The Malvaceae, or the mallows, are a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 243 genera with 4225+ species. Well-known members of this family include okra, cotton, and cacao. The largest genera in terms of number of species include Hibiscus (300 species), Sterculia (250 species), Dombeya (250 species), Pavonia (200 species), and Sida (200 species).
Large deciduous tree, occasionally on deciduous forested hills and slopes. The tree is commonly known as Kullu (in Hindi), Kandol (in Marathi) and Indian Ghost Tree (in English).
Gum karaya is exuded from Sterculia urens, a large bushy tree growing to about 30 ft (10 m) in height on the dry rocky hills and plateaus of central and northern India. Originally introduced as a substitute for gum tragacanth, many uses were found and commercial quantities increased rapidly until its use became second only to that of gum arabic.
Kavalama urens or Sterculia urens
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami FL
Pacific white-fronted geese after taking off from the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge on their spring migration to the northern reaches of Alaska and Canada. Currently two populations of white-fronted geese are recognized: the Pacific Population and the Mid-Continent Population. Numbers of Pacific Population white-fronted geese have increased steadily over the last decade.
Thanks, as always, for stopping by and for all of your kind comments -- I appreciate them all.
© Melissa Post 2018
After many years finally the ice reaches its final stage and with a thunder falls to the bay. The speed of glacial displacement is partly determined by friction. Friction makes the ice at the bottom of the glacier move more slowly than ice at the top. Mean speeds vary greatly, but is typically around 1 m (3 ft) per day. In other cases, glaciers can move as fast as 20–30 m (70–100 ft) per day. Velocity increases with increasing slope, thickness, snowfall, longitudinal confinement, basal temperature, melt-water production and reduced bed hardness. The blue ice occurs when snow falls on a glacier, it is compressed, and becomes part of the glacier. Air bubbles are squeezed out and ice crystals enlarge, making the ice appear blue. The dark bands are soil layers taken away by the interaction of the ice with the ground.
The Gruffy, Sanderstead is a small park with a pond and a few benches. It sits at the top of Sanderstead Hill, between the main Limpsfield road and All Saints church.
From www.croydon.gov.uk/libraries-leisure-and-culture/parks-an...:
The area around the pond and church once constituted Sanderstead Village, until in 1799 the squire added the village green to his park, a process of enclosure that went on in Sanderstead during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
In 1958‐60 Sanderstead Archaeological Group excavated in the vicinity of the pond and found traces of a 17th century lodge‐house and further digging revealed the presence of man as far back as the Mesolithic Period, nearly 12000 years ago. Pottery fragments dated between 100 AD ‐ 1300 AD, a bronze belt‐end of saxon era was also found.
Panorama stitched from two jpegs then processed in SilkyPix to increase exposure mostly.
Does anyone still believe that the Earth is flat?
OK, seriously: This is a view from Waterfall Bluff Lookout on the east coast of the Tasman Peninsula, south-east Tasmania, Australia. The curved horizon is due to lens distortion. I considered removing it by image processing, but then opted for actually increasing it for some different look.
Camera: Canon PowerShot G12.
Edited with GIMP.
Adult and Juvenile variable oystercatcher.
The variable oystercatcher is a familiar stocky coastal bird with a long, bright orange bill, found around much of New Zealand. They are often seen in pairs probing busily for shellfish along beaches or in estuaries. Previously shot for food, variable oystercatchers probably reached low numbers before being protected in 1922, since when numbers have increased rapidly. They are long-lived, with some birds reaching 30+ years of age.
Identification
The variable oystercatcher is a large heavily-built shorebird. Adults have black upperparts, their underparts vary from all black, through a range of ‘smudgy’ intermediate states to white. They have a conspicuous long bright orange bill (longer in females), and stout coral-pink legs. The iris is red and eye-ring orange. Downy chicks occur in two colour morphs; they have a black bill, pale-mid grey upper parts with black markings, and either grey or off-white underparts. First-year birds have a dark tip to the bill, browner dorsal plumage, and grey legs.