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Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus Morus, in the family Sulidae, closely related to boobies. "Gannet" is derived from Old English ganot, ultimately from the same Old Germanic root as "gander".[1] Morus is derived from Ancient Greek moros, "foolish", due to the lack of fear shown by breeding gannets and boobies, allowing them to be easily killed
Nuthatch - Sitta europaea
The Eurasian nuthatch or wood nuthatch (Sitta europaea) is a small passerine bird found throughout temperate Asia and in Europe, where its name is the nuthatch. Like other nuthatches, it is a short-tailed bird with a long bill, blue-grey upperparts and a black eye-stripe. It is a vocal bird with a repeated loud dwip call. There are more than 20 subspecies in three main groups; birds in the west of the range have orange-buff underparts and a white throat, those in Russia have whitish underparts, and those in the Far East have a similar appearance to European birds, but lack the white throat.
The preferred habitat is mature deciduous or mixed woodland with large, old trees, preferably oak. Pairs hold permanent territories, and nest in tree holes, usually old woodpecker nests, but sometimes natural cavities. If the entrance to the hole is too large, the female plasters it with mud to reduce its size, and often coats the inside of the cavity too. The 6–9 red-speckled white eggs are laid on a deep base of pine or other wood chips.
The Eurasian nuthatch eats mainly insects, particularly caterpillars and beetles, although in autumn and winter its diet is supplemented with nuts and seeds. The young are fed mainly on insects, with some seeds, food items mainly being found on tree trunks and large branches. The nuthatch can forage when descending trees head first, as well as when climbing. It readily visits bird tables, eating fatty man-made food items as well as seeds. It is an inveterate hoarder, storing food year-round. Its main natural predator is the Eurasian sparrowhawk.
It breeds throughout England and Wales and has recently began to breed in southern Scotland. It is a resident, with birds seldom travelling far from the woods where they hatch.
Population:
UK breeding:
220,000 territories
The female, as seen here, lacks the bright colours of the male. The bird is a common resident breeder in southern India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and is found in a variety of habitats with trees, including gardens where they forage for nectar. In the monsoons it is a joy to watch them dew-bathing (bathing in rain collected on large leaves).
This is a real wild one... spotted over 100 km from any town. Its always nice to see wild animals out in their natural environment, hunting for mice and rabbits instead of living off people's garbage. Too bad I didn't manage to get a good full body shot because her tail was quite impressive.
I blew the focus by a few inches but the evening light and background made a wonderful setting, almost making up for the photographer's lack of skill.
Eher in den Lack gefallen!
Die 218 435 erstrahlt seit ein paar Wochen im schönsten Verkehrsrot und ist daher trotz ihren LED Lichtern ein gern gesehener Gast an den IC Zügen im Allgäu.
Am 24.10.21 zog die Ulmer Glanzkiste den IC2084/85 und konnte von uns am Ruderatshofener Weiher festgehalten werden.
Auch im Allgäu wird es inzwischen langsam aber sicher Winter, was an dem Baum rechts im Bild schwer zu übersehen ist.
Hà Tiên is another city that has a hydrofoil connection with Phu Quoc Island. It border on Cambodia and is only 25 km to Kep in Cambodia.
The relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia is still a bit awkward as Cambodia used to claim Phu Quoc and Mekong Delta to be their territory.
Phu Quoc Island was occupied for a short period by Khmer Rouge forces in 1975 just after the Fall of Saigon. They also carried out the Ba Chúc massacre in a village not far from Ha Tien in 1978.
Lack of boat service between Phu Quoc and Cambodia may symbolise the relationship between the two countries.
Long Eared Owl - Asio Otus
Double click to view
Long-eared owls inhabit dense vegetation close to grasslands, as well as open forests shrub lands. They are common in tree belts along streams of plains and even desert oases. They can also be found in small tree groves, thickets surrounded by wetlands, grasslands, marshes and farmlands,
It nests in trees, often conifers using old sticks from other nest. Breeding season is from February to July, average clutch 4-6 eggs and the incubation time averages 25-30 days. Owlets begin to explore the nest and close branches around 3 weeks and are capable of flight from 5 weeks, they still rely on being fed for up to 2 months. Long-eared owls usually begin breeding at 1 year.
Nuthatch - Sitta europaea
The Eurasian nuthatch or wood nuthatch (Sitta europaea) is a small passerine bird found throughout temperate Asia and in Europe, where its name is the nuthatch. Like other nuthatches, it is a short-tailed bird with a long bill, blue-grey upperparts and a black eye-stripe. It is a vocal bird with a repeated loud dwip call. There are more than 20 subspecies in three main groups; birds in the west of the range have orange-buff underparts and a white throat, those in Russia have whitish underparts, and those in the Far East have a similar appearance to European birds, but lack the white throat.
The preferred habitat is mature deciduous or mixed woodland with large, old trees, preferably oak. Pairs hold permanent territories, and nest in tree holes, usually old woodpecker nests, but sometimes natural cavities. If the entrance to the hole is too large, the female plasters it with mud to reduce its size, and often coats the inside of the cavity too. The 6–9 red-speckled white eggs are laid on a deep base of pine or other wood chips.
The Eurasian nuthatch eats mainly insects, particularly caterpillars and beetles, although in autumn and winter its diet is supplemented with nuts and seeds. The young are fed mainly on insects, with some seeds, food items mainly being found on tree trunks and large branches. The nuthatch can forage when descending trees head first, as well as when climbing. It readily visits bird tables, eating fatty man-made food items as well as seeds. It is an inveterate hoarder, storing food year-round. Its main natural predator is the Eurasian sparrowhawk.
It breeds throughout England and Wales and has recently began to breed in southern Scotland. It is a resident, with birds seldom travelling far from the woods where they hatch.
Population:
UK breeding:
220,000 territories
With the lack of opportunity to move freely during Covid 19, I decided to take a series of shots of reflections in the local streams, ponds, ditches and a short stretch of the River Thames.
This is a shot looking down on a shallow stream that ran between two office buildings, one of which had turquoise tinted windows.
Nuthatch - Sitta europaea
The Eurasian nuthatch or wood nuthatch (Sitta europaea) is a small passerine bird found throughout temperate Asia and in Europe, where its name is the nuthatch. Like other nuthatches, it is a short-tailed bird with a long bill, blue-grey upperparts and a black eye-stripe. It is a vocal bird with a repeated loud dwip call. There are more than 20 subspecies in three main groups; birds in the west of the range have orange-buff underparts and a white throat, those in Russia have whitish underparts, and those in the Far East have a similar appearance to European birds, but lack the white throat.
The preferred habitat is mature deciduous or mixed woodland with large, old trees, preferably oak. Pairs hold permanent territories, and nest in tree holes, usually old woodpecker nests, but sometimes natural cavities. If the entrance to the hole is too large, the female plasters it with mud to reduce its size, and often coats the inside of the cavity too. The 6–9 red-speckled white eggs are laid on a deep base of pine or other wood chips.
The Eurasian nuthatch eats mainly insects, particularly caterpillars and beetles, although in autumn and winter its diet is supplemented with nuts and seeds. The young are fed mainly on insects, with some seeds, food items mainly being found on tree trunks and large branches. The nuthatch can forage when descending trees head first, as well as when climbing. It readily visits bird tables, eating fatty man-made food items as well as seeds. It is an inveterate hoarder, storing food year-round. Its main natural predator is the Eurasian sparrowhawk.
It breeds throughout England and Wales and has recently began to breed in southern Scotland. It is a resident, with birds seldom travelling far from the woods where they hatch.
Population:
UK breeding:
220,000 territories
Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus (M)
(Double click)
The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European kestrel, Eurasian kestrel, or Old World kestrel. In Britain, where no other kestrel species occurs, it is generally just called "the kestrel".
This species occurs over a large range. It is widespread in Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as occasionally reaching the east coast of North America.
Kestrels can hover in still air, even indoors in barns. Because they face towards any slight wind when hovering, the common kestrel is called a "windhover" in some areas.
Unusual for falcons, plumage often differs between male and female, although as is usual with monogamous raptors the female is slightly larger than the male. This allows a pair to fill different feeding niches over their home range. Kestrels are bold and have adapted well to human encroachment, nesting in buildings and hunting by major roads. Kestrels do not build their own nests, but use nests built by other species.
Their plumage is mainly light chestnut brown with blackish spots on the upperside and buff with narrow blackish streaks on the underside; the remiges are also blackish. Unlike most raptors, they display sexual colour dimorphism with the male having fewer black spots and streaks, as well as a blue-grey cap and tail. The tail is brown with black bars in females, and has a black tip with a narrow white rim in both sexes. All common kestrels have a prominent black malar stripe like their closest relatives.
The cere, feet, and a narrow ring around the eye are bright yellow; the toenails, bill and iris are dark. Juveniles look like adult females, but the underside streaks are wider; the yellow of their bare parts is paler. Hatchlings are covered in white down feathers, changing to a buff-grey second down coat before they grow their first true plumage.
Data from Britain shows nesting pairs bringing up about 2–3 chicks on average, though this includes a considerable rate of total brood failures; actually, few pairs that do manage to fledge offspring raise less than 3 or 4. Compared to their siblings, first-hatched chicks have greater survival and recruitment probability, thought to be due to the first-hatched chicks obtaining a higher body condition when in the nest. Population cycles of prey, particularly voles, have a considerable influence on breeding success. Most common kestrels die before they reach 2 years of age; mortality up until the first birthday may be as high as 70%. At least females generally breed at one year of age; possibly, some males take a year longer to maturity as they do in related species. The biological lifespan to death from senescence can be 16 years or more, however; one was recorded to have lived almost 24 years.
Population:
UK breeding:
46,000 pairs
This painted and lacked wooden sculpture comes from China and has been made around 13th - 15th centuries.
Besides of the sculpture, you can read the following description : Lohans are followers of Buddha who have achieved spiritual perfection. Their task is to safeguard Buddhist doctrine until the Buddha of the Future appears. They do not live among people but as hermits in the mountains. They also possess supernatural powers, such as the ability to change size and to see and hear everything. There are eighteen different lohans.
________________________________________
Rijksmuseum - Ajita le lohan
Cette sculpture en bois peint et laqué provient de Chine et a été réalisée aux environs des XIIIe - XV siècles.
A coté de la sculpture, on peut lire la description suivante : les lohans sont des disciples de Bouddha qui ont atteint la perfection spirituelle. Leur tâche est de sauvegarder la doctrine bouddhique jusqu'à l'apparition du Bouddha du futur. Ils ne vivent pas parmi les gens mais comme des ermites dans les montagnes. Ils possèdent également des pouvoirs surnaturels, tels que la capacité de changer de taille et de tout voir et tout entendre. Il existe dix-huit lohans différents.
[Dedicated to CRA (ILYWAMHASAM]
uploaded for the group
Canon EOS 450D - EF 70-300 mm IS USM
ƒ/4.5
146.0 mm
1/60 Sec
ISO 400
Beginning its westbound trek through the Rockies, the California Zephyr swings towards the portal of Tunnel 1 in Coal Creek, Colorado. This was my 2nd go at this shot, after my 1st attempt was foiled by Amtrak's lack of rested crews in February.
This one I did edit in Photoshop to obtain the desired lack of light on the back of the subject. The photo was taken in a background at Naturally Naughty. It's a cool place for backgrounds. Pose made with AnyPose HUD.
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Coast%20of%20Passion/56/14...
Eine der wenigen Loks im Freiburger Bestand die nicht mehr ganz so gut im Lack stand, zieht ihre RB 17273 aus Freiburg Hbf am Titisee vorüber. Der Zug befährt die Dreiseenbahn um an sein Ziel Seebrugg zu gelangen.
Der Dienst auf dieser Strecke war für die 43er recht anspruchsvoll, galt es doch erst die Höllentalbahn zu befahren. Diese ist die steilste Hauptbahn im Netz der DB, der Abschnitt Himmelreich–Hinterzarten weist Steigungen bis 57,14 ‰ auf. Ebenfalls auf ihrer Fahrt wird dann auch noch der höchst gelegenen Bahnhof der DB, Feldberg-Bärental mit einer Höhe von 967 m ü. NN, passiert. Aber all das haben die Ladys zuverlässig über viele Jahre gemeistert - 29.10.16
Dartford Warbler - Sylvia Undata
The Dartford warbler (Sylvia undata) iDs a typical warbler from the warmer parts of western Europe and northwestern Africa. It is a small warbler with a long thin tail and a thin pointed bill. The adult male has grey-brown upperparts and is dull reddish-brown below except for the centre of the belly which has a dirty white patch. It has light speckles on the throat and a red eye-ring. The sexes are similar but the adult female is usually less grey above and paler below.
Its breeding range lies west of a line from southern England to the heel of Italy (southern Apulia). The Dartford warbler is usually resident all year in its breeding range, but there is some limited migration.
The Dartford warbler was first described by the Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant from two specimens that were shot in April 1773 on Bexley Heath near Dartford in Kent.
The species is naturally rare. The largest European populations of Sylvia undata are in the Iberian peninsula, others in much of France, in Italy and southern England and south Wales. In Africa it can be found only in small areas in the north, wintering in northern Morocco and northern Algeria.
In southern England the birds breed on heathlands, sometimes near the coast, and nest in either common gorse (Ulex europaeus) or common heather (Calluna
Dartford warblers are named for Dartford Heath in north west Kent, where the population became extinct in the early twentieth century. They almost died out in the United Kingdom in the severe winter of 1962/1963 when the national population dropped to just ten pairs. Sylvia undata is also sensitive to drought affecting breeding success or producing heath fires, as occurred during 1975 and 1976 in England when virtually all juveniles failed to survive their first year.
However, this species can recover well in good quality habitat with favourable temperatures and rainfall, thanks to repeated nesting and a high survival rate for the young. Indeed, they recovered in some areas of the UK, but numbers are once again on the decline in other regions of their natural range.
The range of the Dartford warbler is restricted to western and southern Europe. The total population in 2012 was estimated at 1.1–2.5 million breeding pairs. The largest numbers occur in Spain where there were believed to be 983,000–1,750,000 pairs. For reasons that probably include loss of suitable habitat, the Spanish population appears to be declining. The species is therefore classed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being Near threatened.
A period of climatic warming since 1963 has seen the UK population increase to "more than 2,500 pairs in 2006 (Wotton et al. 2009). Expansion into patches of structurally suitable habitat (up to an altitude of 400m), more northerly areas and away from the core of the range, from Dorset and Hampshire to Derbyshire and Suffolk, is likely to have been facilitated by milder winter weather (Wotton et al. 2009, Bradbury et al. 2011)... The Dartford warbler population in the UK is expected to continue to increase. However, future climate-based projections for the European range indicate that by 2080, more than 60% of the current European range may no longer be suitable (Huntley et al 2007). There is evidence that this is happening already, with severe declines in Spain and France (Green 2017). For this reason, the species is classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Global Red List. If the declines in southern Europe continue, the UK will become increasingly important for global conservation of this species".
Population:
UK breeding:
3,200 pairs
Wer ihn nochmal sehen will sollte sich beeilen,es fehlen nur noch ein paar Meter bis er in die Nordsee stürzt !
Who wants to see him again should hurry, it lacks only a few meters until he crashes into the North Sea!
Die dänische Naturbehörde rechnet im November 2017 aufgrund der inzwischen nur noch 8 Meter betragenden Entfernung des Turmes zum Meer mit dem baldigen Sturz des Gebäudes in die Nordsee. Sollte die Entfernung auf 5 Meter schrumpfen, wird aus Sicherheitsgründen der Zugang zum Turm gesperrt. Ein Wintersturm kann schon diese Situation herbeiführen. Die Naturbehörde als Eigner will dem Sturz ins Meer zuvorkommen und das Gebäude abbauen.[6] Politiker der Gemeinde Hjørring beschlossen im Herbst 2018, den Turm 60–80 Meter in das Landesinnere zu versetzen. Die Dänische Regierung stellt dafür 5 Millionen Kronen zur Verfügung. Es fehlt noch eine Firma, die für diese Summe den Auftrag annimmt.
The Danish nature authority expects in November 2017 due to the now only 8 feet amount of the tower to the sea with the impending fall of the building in the North Sea. Should the distance shrink to 5 meters, access to the tower will be blocked for security reasons. A winter storm can bring about this situation. The nature authority as owner wants to forestall the fall into the sea and dismantle the building. Politicians of the municipality Hjørring decided in autumn 2018 to move the tower 60-80 meters into the interior of the country. The Danish government is providing 5 million kroner. There is still missing a company that accepts the order for this sum.
Wikipedia
A Common resident duck found throughout the year in the subcontinent. They are large ducks and make for wonderful target practice for shooting birds in flight.
I think this is the breeding season and hence we could hear their calls quite often. Due to rains, there are few shallow lakes in our region now. Most of them are filled up / overflowing which makes them unsuitable for ducks or waders. I wonder how these ducks will manage their chicks when food becomes a problem in these deeper lakes.
This one is a male as noted by the bright red patch on the forehead above its beak. The females lack this red patch.
Thanks in advance for your views and feedback.
Lack of clouds and the gale force winds made me work hard for any shot here at the Lizard Point but i wanted to capture just how blue the sea is down there.
Hope you enjoy.
Have a fab weekend everyone :)
Cuckoo - Cuculus Canorus
Norfolk
The common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, Cuculiformes, which includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals.
This species is a widespread summer migrant to Europe and Asia, and winters in Africa. It is a brood parasite, which means it lays eggs in the nests of other bird species, particularly of dunnocks, meadow pipits, and reed warblers. Although its eggs are larger than those of its hosts, the eggs in each type of host nest resemble the host's eggs. The adult too is a mimic, e that species is a predator, the mimicry gives the female time to lay her eggs without being seen to do so.
The English word "cuckoo" comes from the Old French cucu and it first appears about 1240 in the poem Sumer Is Icumen In - "Summer has come in / Loudly sing, Cuckoo!" in modern English.
The scientific name is from Latin. Cuculus is "cuckoo" and canorus, "melodious ".
A study using stuffed bird models found that small birds are less likely to approach common cuckoos that have barred underparts similar to the Eurasian sparrowhawk, a predatory bird. Eurasian reed warblers were found more aggressive to cuckoos that looked less hawk-like, meaning that the resemblance to the hawk helps the cuckoo to access the nests of potential hosts. Other small birds, great tits and blue tits, showed alarm and avoided attending feeders on seeing either (mounted) sparrowhawks or cuckoos; this implies that the cuckoo's hawklike appearance functions as protective mimicry, whether to reduce attacks by hawks or to make brood parasitism easier.
The common cuckoo is an obligate brood parasite; it lays its eggs in the nests of other birds. At the appropriate moment, the hen cuckoo flies down to the host's nest, pushes one egg out of the nest, lays an egg and flies off. The whole process takes about 10 seconds. A female may visit up to 50 nests during a breeding season. Common cuckoos first breed at the age of two years.
More than 100 host species have been recorded: meadow pipit, dunnock and Eurasian reed warbler are the most common hosts in northern Europe; garden warbler, meadow pipit, pied wagtail and European robin in central Europe; brambling and common redstart in Finland; and great reed warbler in Hungary.
Studies were made of 90 great reed warbler nests in central Hungary. There was an "unusually high" frequency of common cuckoo parasitism, with 64% of the nests parasitised. Of the nests targeted by cuckoos, 64% contained one cuckoo egg, 23% had two, 10% had three and 3% had four common cuckoo eggs. In total, 58% of the common cuckoo eggs were laid in nests that were multiply parasitised. When laying eggs in nests already parasitised, the female cuckoos removed one egg at random, showing no discrimination between the great reed warbler eggs and those of other cuckoos.
It was found that nests close to cuckoo perches were most vulnerable: multiple parasitised nests were closest to the vantage points, and unparasitised nests were farthest away. Nearly all the nests "in close vicinity" to the vantage points were parasitised. More visible nests were more likely to be selected by the common cuckoos. Female cuckoos use their vantage points to watch for potential hosts and find it easier to locate the more visible nests while they are egg-laying.
Linnet (M) - Linaria cannabina
The common linnet is a slim bird with a long tail. The upper parts are brown, the throat is sullied white and the bill is grey. The summer male has a grey nape, red head-patch and red breast. Females and young birds lack the red and have white underparts, the breast streaked buff.
The common linnet breeds in Europe, western Asia and north Africa. It is partially resident, but many eastern and northern birds migrate farther south in the breeding range or move to the coasts. They are sometimes found several hundred miles off-shore.
Open land with thick bushes is favoured for breeding, including heathland and garden. It builds its nest in a bush, laying 4-7 eggs.
This species can form large flocks outside the breeding season, sometimes mixed with other finches, such as twite, on coasts and salt marshes.
"The Linnets" has become the nickname of King's Lynn Football Club, Burscough Football Club and Runcorn Linnets Football Club (formerly known as 'Runcorn F.C.' and Runcorn F.C. Halton). Barry Town F.C., the South Wales-based football team, also used to be nicknamed 'The Linnets'.
Linnet numbers have dropped substantially over the past few decades, with the UK population estimated to have declined by 57 per cent between 1970 and 2014. The latest Breeding Bird Survey results show a decrease in all countries.
Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay may lack the flashy crest of its jay relatives, but it makes up for it with bold personality. Draped in soft blues and subtle grays, this sleek, long-tailed forager is captured with a bill full of my suet. A true jay in spirit, yet defined by its rugged adaptability—proof that while all scrub-jays are jays, not all jays are scrub-jays!
I have a caged suet feeder, designed so that only small birds can access it. To provide another feeding option, I drilled holes in a 3-inch diameter vertical branch, allowing passerines to perch on the bark and easily feed. However, scrubjays, unable to cling to the vertical surface, have found a clever workaround—they fly up and hover just long enough to snatch a bite of suet, proving their cunning, thieving nature!
Outsmarted by a bird, Tom.
Wegen Lokmangel bei DB Cargo in Maschen musste Railsystem 294 615-0 für die Überführung der Kesselwagen vom Chemiewerk Bock in Marschacht nach Maschen einspringen; hier fotografiert in Mover
Due to a lack of locomotives at DB Cargo in Maschen, Railsystem 294 615-0 had to step in to transfer the tank wagons from the Bock chemical plant in Marschacht to Maschen; photographed here in Mover
Huge albatross of the Southern Ocean. Two subspecies: “Gibson’s” breeds primarily on Auckland Island and ranges at sea around New Zealand and eastern Australia; “Antipodean” breeds mostly on Antipodes and Campbell Islands and ranges mainly across Pacific to Humboldt Current off Chile. Plumage highly variable, starting chocolate-brown with a white face and gradually becoming whiter over many years. Younger birds separated from Southern Royal Albatross by darker tail, brown markings on head and back, and lack of black “lips” on cutting edge of bill. Older birds more difficult to separate; focus on more coarsely marked upperwings, often with conspicuous white patch in center of wing, and lack of black “lips”. Often shows orange stain on cheek, never shown by Southern Royal. Identification from other Wandering-type Albatross is extremely difficult and often presumed by range. Older “Antipodean” often retain complete dark cap, tail, and upperwings. (eBird)
Large albatross with a total length of 110–117 cm (1) and a wingspan of 2.8–3.3 m. (Birds of the World)
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Another close encounter with an albatross. Just slightly smaller than the Southern Royal Albatross posted earlier, the best way to tell the difference is the lack of "black lips" on this bird. The bill is also slightly pinker. Regardless, it was seabird overload at Kaikoura and I loved every minute of it.
Kaikoura, New Zealand. March 2024.
Roadrunner Birding Tours.
Albatross Experience.
Beautiful Blue sky over the mouth of Duffins creek flowing into Lake Ontario in Squires beach , Martin’s photographs , Pickering , Ontario , Canada , August 25. 2021
Shrubs
Oak tree
Large Oak tree
Trees
Sticks
Stones
Reflections
Reflection
Dogwood
Tall grasses
Orange yellow Tamarack tree
Duffins trail
blue sky
cloud cover
yellow Tamarack tree
Tamarack tree
Tamarac
American Larch tree
Beautiful Nettles and it’s flowers
Nettles
Lake Ontario waterfront trail
Black eye Susan’s
Colourful bird houses
A fallen tree
Monotropa a plant that lacks chlorophyll
Shadows
Reflections
Garter snake
Large mushroom
Bird houses
Nettles
Duffins creek
Discovery bay
cropped photograph
closeup photograph
Martin’s photographs
Ajax
Ontario
Canada
August 2021
July 2021
Duffins creek
Favourites
IPhone XR
Mushroom
Large Mushroom
wildflowers
Trout lilies
Lake Ontario
Mouth of Duffins creek
white Deadnetles
Duffins trail
River
Dogwood
Favourites
White Trilliums
Unique shaped tree
Duffins marsh
Duffins trail
Ferns
Trilliums
IPhone 6s
Large tree
The Red-breasted Merganser is a shaggy-headed diving duck also known as the "sawbill"; named for its thin bill with tiny serrations on it that it uses to keep hold of slippery fish.
Males are decked out with a dark green shaggy head, a red bill and eye, and a rusty chest.
Females lack the male's bright colors but also don the same messy do. It parades around coastal waters and large inland lakes in Winter.
Agatha gave a bottle of water for a woman she didn't know... that woman didn't had any money to pay, so her daughter paid Agatha with a big hug
Nuthatch - Sitta europaea
The Eurasian nuthatch or wood nuthatch (Sitta europaea) is a small passerine bird found throughout temperate Asia and in Europe, where its name is the nuthatch. Like other nuthatches, it is a short-tailed bird with a long bill, blue-grey upperparts and a black eye-stripe. It is a vocal bird with a repeated loud dwip call. There are more than 20 subspecies in three main groups; birds in the west of the range have orange-buff underparts and a white throat, those in Russia have whitish underparts, and those in the Far East have a similar appearance to European birds, but lack the white throat.
The preferred habitat is mature deciduous or mixed woodland with large, old trees, preferably oak. Pairs hold permanent territories, and nest in tree holes, usually old woodpecker nests, but sometimes natural cavities. If the entrance to the hole is too large, the female plasters it with mud to reduce its size, and often coats the inside of the cavity too. The 6–9 red-speckled white eggs are laid on a deep base of pine or other wood chips.
The Eurasian nuthatch eats mainly insects, particularly caterpillars and beetles, although in autumn and winter its diet is supplemented with nuts and seeds. The young are fed mainly on insects, with some seeds, food items mainly being found on tree trunks and large branches. The nuthatch can forage when descending trees head first, as well as when climbing. It readily visits bird tables, eating fatty man-made food items as well as seeds. It is an inveterate hoarder, storing food year-round. Its main natural predator is the Eurasian sparrowhawk.
It breeds throughout England and Wales and has recently began to breed in southern Scotland. It is a resident, with birds seldom travelling far from the woods where they hatch.
Population:
UK breeding:
220,000 territories
Marsh Tit - Poecile palustris
Globally, the marsh tit is classified as Least Concern, although there is evidence of a decline in numbers (in the UK, numbers have dropped by more than 50% since the 1970s, for example). It can be found throughout temperate Europe and northern Asia and, despite its name, it occurs in a range of habitats including dry woodland. The marsh tit is omnivorous; its food includes caterpillars, spiders and seeds. It nests in tree holes, choosing existing hollows to enlarge, rather than excavating its own. A clutch of 5–9 eggs is laid.
Marsh and willow tits are difficult to identify on appearance alone; the races occurring in the UK and are especially hard to separate. When caught for ringing, the pale 'cutting edge' of the marsh tit's bill is a reliable criterion; otherwise, the best way to tell apart the two species is by voice. Plumage characteristics include the lack of a pale wing panel (formed by pale edges to the secondary feathers in the willow tit), the marsh tit's glossier black cap and smaller black 'bib', although none of these is 'completely reliable'; for example, juvenile marsh tits can show a pale wing panel. The marsh tit has a noticeably smaller and shorter head than the willow tit and overall the markings are crisp and neat, with the head in proportion to the rest of the bird (willow tit gives the impression of being 'bull-necked').
A measure of the difficulty in identification is given by the fact that, in the UK, the willow tit was not identified as distinct from marsh tit until 1897. Two German ornithologists, Ernst Hartert and Otto Kleinschmidt, were studying marsh tit skins at the British Museum and found two wrongly-labelled willow tits amongst them (two willow tit specimens were then collected at Coalfall Wood in Finchley, north London, and that species was added to the British list in 1900).
After finding the male near the summit I was sat on the scree slope having lunch and planning what to do next, it was very kind of the female to clamber over the rocks and stand in front of me, maybe she fancied a cheese sandwich!
Perfectly designed for the mountains, the lack of snow these days does not really help them blend in anymore though, probably part of the reasons they seem so much harder to find.
Siskin - Carduelis Spinus
The Eurasian siskin (Spinus spinus) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is also called the European siskin, common siskin or just siskin. Other (archaic) names include black-headed goldfinch, barley bird and aberdevine. It is very common throughout Europe and Asia. It is found in forested areas, both coniferous and mixed woodland where it feeds on seeds of all kinds, especially of alder and conifers.
These birds have an unusual migration pattern as every few years in winter they migrate southwards in large numbers. The reasons for this behaviour are not known but may be related to climatic factors and above all the availability of food. In this way overwintering populations can thrive where food is abundant. This small finch is an acrobatic feeder, often hanging upside-down like a tit. It will visit garden bird feeding stations.
These birds can be found throughout the year in Central Europe and some mountain ranges in the south of the continent. They are present in the north of Scandinavia and in Russia and they over-winter in the Mediterranean basin and the area around the Black Sea. In China they breed in the Khingan Mountains of Inner Mongolia and in Jiangsu province; they spend summer in Tibet, Taiwan, the valleys of the lower Yangtse River and the south east coast.
The Eurasian siskin is occasionally seen in North America. There is also a similar and closely related North America counterpart, the pine siskin, Spinus pinus.
heir seasonal distribution is also marked by the fact that they follow an anomalous migration pattern. Every few years they migrate southwards in larger numbers and the overwintering populations in the Iberian Peninsula are greatly augmented. This event has been the object of diverse theories, one theory suggests that it occurs in the years when Norway Spruce produces abundant fruit in the centre and north of Europe, causing populations to increase. An alternative theory is that greater migration occurs when the preferred food of alder or birch seed fails. This species will form large flocks outside the breeding season, often mixed with redpolls.
It is a bird that does not remain for long in one area but which varies the areas it used for breeding, feeding, over-wintering from one year to the next.
They are very active and restless birds. They are also very social, forming small cohesive flocks especially in autumn and winter. They are fairly trusting of humans, it being possible to observe them from a short distance. During the breeding season, however, they are much more timid, solitary and difficult to observe.
Population:
UK breeding:
410,000 pairs
The great spotted woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker. It nests in holes that it excavates in trees in woodlands and parks. It has a distinctive, bouncing flight, but is mostly likely to be heard, rather than seen. In spring, it marks its territory with a distinctive 'drum', hammering its beak against a tree or other hard surface. Great spotted woodpeckers eat insects and their larvae, chipping away bark and probing tree trunks with their extremely sticky tongue. In autumn and winter, they will also eat seeds and nuts, often visiting peanut feeders in gardens.
How to identify
The great spotted woodpecker is black and white, with white shoulder patches and red underneath the tail. Males have a small red patch at the back of the head, which is black in females. They are only likely to be confused with the lesser spotted woodpecker, which is much smaller and rarer.
Young great spotted woodpeckers are often mistaken for lesser spotted woodpeckers, as they have a red crown – as do male lesser spotted woodpeckers. As well as being smaller than a great spotted woodpecker, lesser spotteds have horizontal white lines across their back, rather than the white shoulder patches of the great spotted woodpecker. Lesser spotted woodpeckers also lack the red beneath the tail.
The Christmas Tree that’s put up under the Washington Square Park Arch annually by the Washington Square Association. The Washington Square Association was the first neighborhood organization in New York City with over 100 years of service to the neighborhood and was the city’s second civic organization after the Municipal Art Society. Washington Square Park is in the heart of Greenwich Village, surrounded by the campus of New York University. It was a very frigid night I took this picture this past December, thus the lack of people in the usually heavy trafficked Washington Square Park which created a nice focus on the Christmas tree itself. - [ ] #developportdev @gothamtomato @developphotonewsletter @omsystem.cameras #excellent_america #omsystem @bheventspace @bhphoto @adorama @tamracphoto @tiffencompany #usaprimeshot #tamractales @kehcamera #omd #microfourthirds #micro43 @nycurbanism @nycprimeshot @nycparks @nybucketlist @wspconservancy #washingtonsquarepark