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Sand Martin - Riparia riparia
The sand martin (Riparia riparia) or European sand martin, bank swallow in the Americas, and collared sand martin in the Indian Subcontinent, is a migratory passerine bird in the swallow family. It has a wide range in summer, embracing practically the whole of Europe and the Mediterranean countries, part of northern Asia and also North America. It winters in eastern and southern Africa, South America and the Indian Subcontinent.
The sand martin is sociable in its nesting habits; from a dozen to many hundred pairs will nest close together, according to available space. The nests are at the end of tunnels of from a few inches to three or four feet in length, bored in sand or gravel. The actual nest is a litter of straw and feathers in a chamber at the end of the burrow; it soon becomes a hotbed of parasites. Four or five white eggs are laid about mid-late May, and a second brood is usual in all but the most northernly breeding sites.
Population:
UK breeding:
100,000 nests
Wantijpark was laid out in 1936 to a design by D.F. Tersteeg. address: Baden-Powelllaan 3312 AA Dordrecht
At that time, many people were unemployed. The municipality of Dordrecht has had the Wantijpark constructed to create work. The park is designed in the English landscape style. You can recognize this landscape style by the natural layout with winding paths, natural shapes of ponds and alternation between forest and grass. The Deep Garden is located in front of the main entrance to Wantij Park. The Sunken Garden is laid out to a symmetrical design in the French landscape style by D.F. Tersteeg. The Sunken Garden is a national monument. In the Wantij Park there is a remnant of a shooting range. The wall is a remnant from 1910 of the training area of the Benthien barracks where the Corps der Pontonniers was stationed. The shooting range wall in Wantij Park is a national monument. The Wantij Park was flooded during the flood disaster in 1953. The park has since been restored so that you can still enjoy the park. In March 2014, the Municipal Executive designated the Wantijpark as a municipal monument.
"Butterflies are A-W-E-S-O-M-E, make no mistake!"
Blue tiger butterfly specimen (Tirumala limniace)!
The males have a brush at tip of the abdomen. They protrude it out and stroke the pouches of specialized scent scales on the hind wings to scatter the scent that attract the females. The eggs are laid on the tender buds or flower buds or the tips of the leaves.
An interesting video I found:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g246c6Bv58
[Why Is Blue So Rare In Nature?]
Kingfisher - Alcedo Atthis
The common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) also known as the Eurasian kingfisher, and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but migrates from areas where rivers freeze in winter.
This sparrow-sized bird has the typical short-tailed, large-headed kingfisher profile; it has blue upperparts, orange underparts and a long bill. It feeds mainly on fish, caught by diving, and has special visual adaptations to enable it to see prey under water. The glossy white eggs are laid in a nest at the end of a burrow in a riverbank.
The female is identical in appearance to the male except that her lower mandible is orange-red with a black tip. The juvenile is similar to the adult, but with duller and greener upperparts and paler underparts. Its bill is black, and the legs are also initially black. Feathers are moulted gradually between July and November with the main flight feathers taking 90–100 days to moult and regrow. Some that moult late may suspend their moult during cold winter weather.
The flight of the kingfisher is fast, direct and usually low over water. The short rounded wings whirr rapidly, and a bird flying away shows an electric-blue "flash" down its back.
The common kingfisher is widely distributed over Europe, Asia, and North Africa, mainly south of 60°N. It is a common breeding species over much of its vast Eurasian range, but in North Africa it is mainly a winter visitor, although it is a scarce breeding resident in coastal Morocco and Tunisia. In temperate regions, this kingfisher inhabits clear, slow-flowing streams and rivers, and lakes with well-vegetated banks. It frequents scrubs and bushes with overhanging branches close to shallow open water in which it hunts. In winter it is more coastal, often feeding in estuaries or harbours and along rocky seashores. Tropical populations are found by slow-flowing rivers, in mangrove creeks and in swamps.
Like all kingfishers, the common kingfisher is highly territorial; since it must eat around 60% of its body weight each day, it is essential to have control of a suitable stretch of river. It is solitary for most of the year, roosting alone in heavy cover. If another kingfisher enters its territory, both birds display from perches, and fights may occur, in which a bird will grab the other's beak and try to hold it under water. Pairs form in the autumn but each bird retains a separate territory, generally at least 1 km (0.62 mi) long, but up to 3.5 km (2.2 mi) and territories are not merged until the spring.
Very few birds live longer than one breeding season. The oldest bird on record was 21 years.
They are also listed as a Schedule 1 species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act offering them additional protection.
Population:
UK breeding:
3,800-6,400 pairs
Laid a whole bunch of Petoskey stones I have around my house on a board and took a picture. Think it would make a great puzzle....
playing with my Sweet50 and couldn't help but capture my Sweet and Adorable Bob as he laid out on the sun-room floor!!
Tom the Cat Laid Back Happy Caturday Tom is eating on a regular basis and hangs around the yard like it is his, still a bit stand offish with people but shows up for food and water several times a day, he is not happy with other cats coming by but is tolerant, he seems to be getting to be friends with Charlie cat next door, who is a very social kitty and very happy in his new home.
Had some great photos taken at the pond Yesterday with another Lily blooming to compete with this Bulls Eye Lily.
After the Female laid her eggs she posed for me on the flower, she even let me put my palm under her and touching her wings.
The remembrance poppy is an artificial flower that has been used since 1921 to commemorate military personnel who have died in war, and represents a common or field poppy, Papaver rhoeas. Inspired by the World War I poem "In Flanders Fields", and promoted by Moina Michael, they were first adopted by the American Legion to commemorate American soldiers killed in that war. They were then adopted by military veterans' groups in parts of the British Empire.
Today, they are mostly used in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, to commemorate their servicemen and women killed in all conflicts. There, small artificial poppies are often worn on clothing leading up to Remembrance Day/Armistice Day. Poppy wreaths are often laid at war memorials. In Australia and New Zealand, they are also worn on Anzac Day.
Puffin at RSPB Bempton Cliffs, East Yorkshire. We had better luck at spotting the puffins this 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
Laid down in the snow on the beach with the glass sphere in the ice and water along Middle River ... turned out pretty interesting.
Stourhead is a 2,650-acre estate at the source of the River Stour in the southwest of Wiltshire, extending into Somerset.
The gardens were laid out between 1741 and 1780 in a classical 18th-century design set around a large lake, achieved by damming a small stream so the lake is artificially created. Following a path around the lake is meant to evoke a journey similar to that of Aeneas's descent in to the underworld.
Lakeside features include the five-arched Palladian Bridge at the eastern extremity of the lake
The church overlooking Mgaar Harbour, Gozo, Malta. A church was founded here, on the second largest island of the Maltese archipelago, after the rock formation just below it was seen to resemble that at Lourdes. A statue of Our Lady of Lourdes was sculpted by the Maltese sculptor Antonio Busutill and placed in the grotto in 1879, and the foundation stone of the church above it was laid in 1888. It was finally blessed and opened in 1893 (Scerri).
MV Doulos at the Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Unfortunately this beautiful old lady is now permanently laid up as a luxury hotel in Indonesia. During a survey in Singapore around 2009/2010 serious corrosion was detected, the ship was not seaworthy anymore and repairs were beyond economic feasibility. A new Singaporean owner saved her from the shipbreakers and converted her into the aforementioned luxury hotel.
Constructed in 1914, MV Doulos was the record holder being the world's oldest active ocean-going passenger ship. She was owned by the German charity "Gute Bücher für Alle" (English: Good Books for All), and was used as a floating bookshop and library. She visited many ports every year and stayed at each for several days, her final visit to Hong Kong was Jun 6th, 2009 to Jul 4th, 2009.
Ex SS Medina, Ex SS Roma, Ex MV Franca C.
Built as SS Medina by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company for the Mallory Steamship Company of the United States in 1914. She was a freighter serving the Atlantic, during World War II she served with the United States Coast Guard.
Explore #441 on Monday, August 3, 2009
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
Redstart (m) - Phoenicuros Phoenicuros
The common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus), or often simply redstart, is a small passerine bird in the redstart genus Phoenicurus. Like its relatives, it was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family, (Turdidae), but is now known to be an Old World flycatcher (family Muscicapidae).
Common redstarts prefer open mature birch and oak woodland with a high horizontal visibility and low amounts of shrub and understorey especially where the trees are old enough to have holes suitable for its nest. They prefer to nest on the edge of woodland clearings. In Britain it occurs primarily in upland areas less affected by agricultural intensification, but further east in Europe also commonly in lowland areas, including parks and old gardens in urban areas. They nest in natural tree holes, so dead trees or those with dead limbs are beneficial to the species; nestboxes are sometimes used. A high cover of moss and lichen is also preferred. They also use mature open conifer woodland, particularly in the north of the breeding range. Management to thin out the trees is thus favoured.[5][6]
In England, where it has declined by 55% in the past 25 years, the Forestry Commission offers grants under a scheme called England's Woodland Improvement Grant (EWIG); as does Natural Englands Environmental Stewardship Scheme. It is a very rare and irregular breeding bird in Ireland, with between one and five pairs breeding in most years, mainly in County Wicklow.
It is a summer visitor throughout most of Europe and western Asia (east to Lake Baikal), and also in northwest Africa in Morocco. It winters in central Africa and Arabia, south of the Sahara Desert but north of the Equator, from Senegal east to Yemen. It is widespread as a breeding bird in Great Britain, particularly in upland broadleaf woodlands and hedgerow trees, but in Ireland it is very local, and may not breed every year.
The males first arrive in early to mid April, often a few days in advance of the females. Five or six light blue eggs are laid during May, with a second brood in mid summer in the south of the breeding range. It departs for Africa between mid-August and early October. It often feeds like a flycatcher, making aerial sallies after passing insects, and most of its food consists of winged insects. The call is chat-like and the alarm a plaintive single note, wheet, like that of many other chats.
The male’s song is similar to that of the Robin, but never more than a prelude, since it has an unfinished, feeble ending.
Very rarely have I come across a hare as laid back and confiding as this one, allowing me to share its world for so long a period.
The location was a grassy bank on the edge of a stubble field beside a wood. The track I crept along was slightly uphill enabling me to keep low until I dropped down and inched gently forward on my knees in order to photograph it eye to eye.
I make no apologies for posting several more intimate images after this one of it nibbling the grass, scratching, washing, grooming and glancing casually my way from time to time by way of checking that all was still ok.
Pleasingly, when I carefully backed away, overjoyed and thankful, it just carried on with its Brown Hare business.
In the middle of La Concha Bay, there is an imposing English-style palace on a hill. This outer palace of the Spanish Royal Family was built in 1893 by Queen María Cristina. She had skin problems and therefore often came to the coast in San Sebastián to take salt baths. Today, the palace serves, among other things, for cultural purposes and the University of the Basque Country gives summer courses to students. A beautiful garden has been laid out around the palace with green lawns and colorful flowers.
This laid-back individual was a member of a twenty strong group of White-faced Capuchins. They were often seen in the morning, at around breakfast time, where they'd learned that seeking out tourists & beg for an easy meal. I'm told that grapes & boiled egg were a particular favourite.
Guanacaste, Costa Rica - Oct 2019.
... The old queen went into the bedroom, took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a pea on the bottom; then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on the pea, and then twenty eider-down beds on top of the mattresses ...
Lake Sani, a decent waterbody with numerous hotsprings within lies at 12,000 ft in Padum, Zanskar valley, Ladakh Himalayas, India
La belleza de los almendros en flor, me deja sin palabras. Van gogh ya plasmó su belleza en un cuadro y son uno de los pocos árboles que se atreven a florecer antes de que llegué la primavera. La foto la tomé con el objetivo del kit y dos tubos de extensión de 16 y 10 mm.
The beauty of flowering almond trees leaves me speechless. Van gogh already laid his beauty into a picture and are one of the few trees who dare to bloom before spring came. The photo I took with the kit lens and two extension tubes of 16 and 10 mm.
Macro -Arbeit von einer mir unbekannten rankelnden wilden Pflanze .
Ich kann sie leider nicht bestimmen .
Sie ist bodendeckend auf sandigen Boden gewachsen. Habe mir ein paar Austriebe zur Bestimmung mit nach Hause genommen und in eine Glasschale mit Wasser gelegt .
Name weiterhin unbekannt --- aber ein nettes Macro ist daraus noch geworden . . .
Mittwochsmacro - Grüße Christine
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Macro work of a unknown wild plant . This small flower I have laid in a glas of water ... Her name is continued unknown for me , but it is a nice macro Photo as result ...
Wednesday macro - greetings Christine
The small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) is a colourful Eurasian butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. Adults feed on nectar and may hibernate over winter; in warmer climates they may have two broods in a season. While the dorsal surface of the wings is vividly marked, the ventral surface is drab, providing camouflage. Eggs are laid on the common nettle, on which the larvae feed. (Wikipedia)
Je m'approchai de la toile. Elle n'était ni belle ni laide mais mon regard s'y plongea.
Je vis alors l'envol des âmes ...
Honestly, Teddy, I'm beginning to think that we're not only very, very, VERY lost but we're also going to be terribly, HORRIBLY late!!!
While visiting my daughter in Texas one of my Grandsons had a field trip to the Crocodile Encounter. My daughter and I decided to go and see what it was all about and try to catch a glimpse of my Grandson. We all had a fun time and the weather was fantastic. I even held a snake and a baby alligator! They had lots more animals then just Gators and Crocs!
Happy Fence Friday and hope you too have a laid back weekend!