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On a largely cloudy day with occasional " bright spells" and blue sky if you were lucky, 46115 emerges from the cutting at Waitby ,the light hitting the train literally in the cutting !, this is the first of two images taken here.
The train would take the Upperby Curve at Carlisle with the layover at Appleby, as lack of platform space due to engineering works further north at Carstairs.
The majority of Brent Geese wintering in Britain are Dark-bellied birds of the nominate subspecies bernicla that breed largely in the Taimyr Peninsula in central arctic Russia. This population has expanded recently and can now be found around much of the British coastline. They are recognised by their darkish belly with not much contrast with the black neck and chest like this: www.flickr.com/photos/timmelling/49638364971/in/photolist
Much rarer is the population of Pale-bellied Brent Geese of subspecies hrota. This small population breeds in Svalbard (with a few in Greenland and Franz Josef Land), and winters in Denmark and Britain, but here they are largely confined to Lindisfarne environs in Northumberland. Historically they had a much wider east coast range from Moray down to Norfolk, and small numbers do still turn up within this area, including this individual at Kilnsea (Spurn) in East Yorkshire. This pale-bellied race are recognised by the pale belly showing much more contrast with the black breast and neck.
For completeness Pale-bellied birds also breed in eastern Canadian high Arctic and these winter almost exclusively in Ireland. Another pale-bellied population (known as Grey-bellied Brent) breeds in the west of Arctic Canada and they winter on the Pacific coast of the USA. Another very dark race nigricans (known as Black Brant) breeds in Alaska and southwestern Canadian Arctic and they intermix with Grey-bellied Brents in western North America. Black Brants also breed in eastern Siberia and winter in China, Japan and Korea. Both Grey-bellied and Black Brants occasionally get disoriented and turn up in Britain.
Pam, being bored and largely confined due to Covid19, discovered and opened a pair of ancient boxes in the attic and found within them several "Paper" envelopes containing dozens of long forgotten "Paper" photo prints of the family between the mid 1950's to early 1970's. Mostly black and white with an occasional faded color one thrown in. Quite a pleasant surprise. Couldn't be more appropriate for a Flickr theme.
Les Halles, was Paris' central fresh food market. It was demolished in 1971 and replaced by the Westfield Forum des Halles, a modern shopping mall built largely underground and directly connected to the massive RER and métro transit hub of Châtelet–Les Halles. The shopping mall welcomes 150,000 visitors daily.
A major reconstruction of the mall was undertaken in 2010, and the new version of the Forum des Halles was inaugurated in 2018. The 2.5 hectare Canopy was opened on 5 April 2016. In 2017, the Forum des Halles was the second most visited shopping mall in the Paris region with 42 million yearly visitors.
History
In the eleventh century, a market grew up by a cemetery to the north-west of Paris in an area called the Little Fields (Champeaux). This was mainly a dry goods and money changing market. A bishop briefly took control of the market before sharing control with Louis VI in 1137. In 1183, Philip Augustus took full control of the market and built two market halls - halles - to protect the textiles. He also built walls around the market, including land which had recently been confiscated from exiled Jews. When he then built walls around the city, these embraced the market, which quickly became the city's largest (and, over time, went from being at the edge of the city to at its centre). Officially, it would remain a dry goods market for centuries, but food stalls soon grew up around the main buildings and by the fifteenth century food prices at les Halles were being cited as significant for the whole city.
The market would have ups and downs over the coming centuries and was rebuilt more than once. Over time, an increasing number of halls were built explicitly for food, but the dry goods market remained central to the (increasingly cramped) space.
Unable to compete in the new market economy and in need of massive repairs, the colourful ambience once associated with the bustling area of merchant stalls disappeared in 1971, when Les Halles was dismantled; the wholesale market was relocated to the suburb of Rungis.
The Forum des Halles, a partially underground multiple story commercial and shopping centre, designed by Claude Vasconi and Georges Pencreac'h, opened at the east end of the site on September 4, 1979 in presence of the Mayor of Paris Jacques Chirac, and remains there today. A public garden covering four hectares opened in 1986. Many of the surrounding streets were pedestrianized.
TD : Kodak Tri-X Pan 400 ISO 35mm film, developed in D-76 1+1 for 9,45 minutes. Exposure ISO 100 @35mm lens, ambient light. Scanned with Alpha 6000 edited in ACR, inverted in CS6.
Vintage lens, Konica Hexanon AR 50/1.7 on Nikon Zf. Handheld on a windy day at the Onga River. (Non-chipped lens so metadata is largely incorrect)
Dunes near Walvis Bay. The largely uninhabited Namib Desert stretches for 1600 km from south to north; parts of it have an annual precipitation of only 2 mm. The windblown desert is estimated to be between 55 and 80 million years old, making it the oldest desert in the world. Image from a slide.
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The blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra), also known as the Indian antelope, is an antelope native to India and Nepal. It inhabits grassy plains and lightly forested areas with perennial water sources. It stands up to 74 to 84 cm (29 to 33 in) high at the shoulder. Males weigh 20–57 kg (44–126 lb), with an average of 38 kg (84 lb). Females are lighter, weighing 20–33 kg (44–73 lb) or 27 kg (60 lb) on average. Males have 35–75 cm (14–30 in) long, ringed horns, though females may develop horns as well. The white fur on the chin and around the eyes is in sharp contrast with the black stripes on the face. The coats of males show a two-tone colouration; while the upper parts and outsides of the legs are dark brown to black, the underparts and the insides of the legs are white. Females and juveniles are yellowish fawn to tan. The blackbuck is the sole living member of the genus Antilope and was scientifically described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized. The antelope is native to and found mainly in India, while it is locally extinct in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Formerly widespread, only small, scattered herds are seen today, largely confined to protected areas. During the 20th century, blackbuck numbers declined sharply due to excessive hunting, deforestation, and habitat degradation. The blackbuck has been introduced in Argentina and the United States. In India, hunting of blackbuck is prohibited under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The blackbuck has significance in Hinduism; Indian and Nepali villagers do not harm the antelope. R_21276
Porthgwarra is a relatively unknown Cornish Cove, largely owned by Lord St Levan (of St. Michael’s Mount). It is located just under 3 miles southeast of Land’s End. Once a thriving fishing cove, it now enjoys a peaceful existence surrounded by local wildlife.
Porthgwarra Beach is a popular spot for birdwatching, with a variety of seabirds and raptors visible from the cliffs. Dolphins or seals can sometimes be seen in the sea too. At low tide there is a very small beach, with an array of interesting rock pools and caves. Swimming is relatively safe within the confines of the Cove.
One of Porthgwarra's most interesting features is the cave running through part of the cliff; there is a rope to hang on to as it is treacherously slippery. Sometimes in the evening, bats may be seen flying in and out of the cave.
Porthgwarra Beach has a rich history, and visitors can explore the cove's network of tunnels which were once used for smuggling. There are also lots of reminders of Porthgwarra's fishing heritage, although today only one boat regularly works crab pots from there. However, its appearance in the hit TV series, Poldark, has gone some way to preserving memories of the harsh realities of fishing for pilchards in the eighteenth century.
Dungeness is a headland on the coast of Kent, England, formed largely of a shingle beach in the form of a cuspate foreland. It shelters a large area of low-lying land, Romney Marsh. Dungeness is also the name of the power station, of the hamlet within the location, and of an important ecological site at the same location.
The name Dungeness derives from Old Norse nes: "headland", with the first part probably connected with the nearby Denge Marsh. Popular etymology ascribes a French origin to the toponym, giving an interpretation as "dangerous nose".
Ecology
Dungeness is one of the largest expanses of shingle in Europe and is classified as Britain's only desert by the Met Office. It is of international conservation importance for its geomorphology, plant and invertebrate communities and birdlife. This is recognised and protected mostly through its conservation designations as a national nature reserve (NNR), a Special Protection Area (SPA), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and part of the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) of Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay.
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The Parish Church of Saint Peter
The church of Saint Peter was built to replace a previous church washed away in a significant flood in 1337
Sometimes referred to as "the Cathedral of the Fens", the largely Perpendicular church is Grade 1 listed, and is often regarded as one of England's finest parish churches.
The Fenlands of south-east Lincolnshire, west Norfolk and north Cambridgeshire are rich in medieval ecclesiastical architecture, because of this the area is sometimes referred to as the "Holy Land of the English".
Ruhr Museum in the Coal washing plant
The Zollverein Coal Mine Complex in Essen (More images in my series Zollverein) is one of the most impressive surviving examples of industrial culture from the modern era.
The museum building, the former coal washing plant, is 60 metres long, 30 metres wide and 40 metres high, making it the largest building at the Zollverein coal mine. In operation, it was a large machine used for sorting, classifying, intermediate storage and distribution of the hard coal. The structural design is completely subordinate to these functions.
The conversion of the building by the architects Rem Koolhaas and Heinrich Böll takes account of the preservation order. They opened up the building from top to bottom - analogous to the original production flow. The public is first transported to the 24 metre level by escalator (or decides to walk these endless stairs ...) and enters the coal washing plant in the Zollverein International Visitor Centre.
The levels above the 24 metre level, with their largely preserved machinery, are part of the Zollverein Monument Trail and, on the 30 metre level, house the Portal of Industrial Heritage, which provides information about the impressive landscape of industrial museums and monuments in North Rhine-Westphalia and the structural transformation of the Metropole Ruhr.
The floors below the visitor centre are reserved for the exhibition rooms and depots of the Ruhr Museum. Where coal was once stored, cultural assets are now preserved and presented. Spectacular museum rooms have been created in the former industrial building that a new building would never have been able to offer. They alone are a great attraction for visitors.
Tokyo is largely regarded for being the safest major city in the world. While that could very possibly be true, it is still not without it's more grimy sides. Who knows what lurks in the dark in a place where little to no one would suspect wrongdoing?
This was taken at Omoide Yokocho (and as a matter of fact, it's just a few steps back from my "Saitama" shot, that red lantern on the left is the same one). Once again, there was no discernable way to get rid of the people in the shot because as expected the corridors of this tightly compact place are never unoccupied, I don't have anything to mask or clone to go over them.
I actually had a more broad and grand vision for this image, I initially intended to make the sky black, converting a day image to a night image, but none of the borders took to the new sky incredibly well after hours of experimentation, so I just used a gradient instead
This is an urban photographer's paradise, every corner has a suitable composition for a seedy dystopian looking shot (without the added danger of getting jumped). But it's also far from a "secret" place, so prepare accordingly.
Back when I was younger the Conway Scenic Railroad was a strictly seasonal operetion and would largely shut down during the winter months. In recent years however it has become a year round operation running trains to Conway all winter long and for the first time this winter running trains through Crawford Notch in the snow. Not wanting to miss out on the chance for some snowy winter shots along the old Mountain Sub I made the trip up on the long President's Day weekend to try for some snowy images.
Alas the Saturday trip featured just CSRR 255 solo with five cars meaning the return trip which is the better chase photographically would be long hood forward which just didn't interest me. Regardless, I did make the trip up through the Notch for a few signature shots and then called it a day. However, I'd specifically chosen this particular weekend since the railroad had trains scheduled on back to back days so I held out hope Sunday would be better.
And indeed when I awoke in the morning the predicted snow was coming down and things were looking up when I saw that the railroad had MUed both of their GP38s for the trip to Crawford. With 252 trailing I was looking forward to the return chase east later in the day with the classic pseudo Maine Central schemed loco leading. Alas....this hoped for redemption was foiled when the railroad soon realized the snow was accumulating too fast and with no plow train running ahead of them it was too risky to head all the way to Crawfords so they decided they would travel only as far as Sawyers River and run around there...but it would get even worse later....so stay tuned.
But before I knew how the day was gonna go it started out with a bang with this nice show as the westbound train busted the bank crossing Intervale Cross Road at MP 61.3 (as measured from the former Portland Union Station) on the old Maine Central Mountain Subdivision.
These units are right at home here having been built in November 1966 for the Maine Central Railroad as part of an order of 13 of the model which were the first batch of second generation diesel locomotives purchased by the road. 255 came to Conway Scenic in 2022 and still wears her Vermont Rail System red paint from her nearly two decade second career as Clarendon & Pittsford 203 after having being sold by MEC successor Guilford Transportation in the early 1990s. 252 meanwhile was the last one in service on successor Guilford Transportation, lasting more than three decades, and having seen her other dozen siblings retired and scrapped or sold. She came to Conway Scenic in March 2010 along with GP35 216 in a trade with Pan Am Railways for FP9s 6505 and 6516 that would become Pan Am's OCS power.
Village of Intervale
Town of Conway, New Hampshire
Sunday February 16, 2025
IMGP9170
Audley End House is a largely early 17th-century country house outside Saffron Walden, Essex, England. It was once a prodigy house, a palace in all but name and renowned as one of the finest Jacobean houses in England. Audley End is now one-third of its original size, but is still large, with much to enjoy in its architectural features and varied collections. The house shares some similarities with Hatfield House, except that it is stone-clad as opposed to brick. It is currently in the stewardship of English Heritage and long remained the family seat of the Barons Braybrooke. Audley End railway station is named after the house.
King Vulture is a large, striking bird of undisturbed lowland forests, from southern Mexico south to northern Argentina. The body of the adult is largely white, with contrasting black remiges and a blackish neck ruff. The head and neck are bare and covered in protruding skin folds and intricate patterns of purple, orange, and yellow.
Like other vultures, the King is a scavenger. It apparently lacks a developed sense of smell, so it must depend on other vultures to lead it to food. Its large size and powerful bill then allow it to dominate at a carcass, ripping into areas that the smaller vultures cannot reach. It nests on the ground or in tree stumps, and lays a single egg per nesting attempt.
neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p...
Photo taken at the AVIARIO NACIONAL DE COLOMBIA, Barú.
Colombia is the number one country in the world to have the largest varieties of birds, having about 1,876 species and almost 70 kinds that belong specially to Colombia. AVIARIO NACIONAL DE COLOMBIA has done an amazing job to show that. You see some of birds free and others in beautiful habitats. Peacocks, Toucans, Pink Flamingos, Crane Corona, Guacamayas, Pelicanos, Ducks, all types of little colorful birds Colombia is most famous for it, every imaginable birds are here.
This place is so well design, and so well taking care of, that you think some times you are in paradise!
www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attraction_Review-g1507145-d982271...
It is a largely terrestrial bird the size of a small domestic chicken, with mainly brown upperparts, finely banded black and white underparts, a white eyebrow, chestnut band running from the bill round the nape, with a buff band on the breast.
It utilises a range of moist or wetland habitats with low, dense vegetation for cover. It is usually quite shy but may become very tame and bold in some circumstances, such as in island resorts within the Great Barrier Reef region.
This image was taken at Otehei Bay, in the Bay of Islands, on the North Island of New Zealand
Dungeness is a headland on the coast of Kent, England, formed largely of a shingle beach in the form of a cuspate foreland. It shelters a large area of low-lying land, Romney Marsh. Dungeness is also the name of the power station, of the hamlet within the location, and of an important ecological site at the same location.
The name Dungeness derives from Old Norse nes: "headland", with the first part probably connected with the nearby Denge Marsh. Popular etymology ascribes a French origin to the toponym, giving an interpretation as "dangerous nose".
Ecology
Dungeness is one of the largest expanses of shingle in Europe and is classified as Britain's only desert by the Met Office. It is of international conservation importance for its geomorphology, plant and invertebrate communities and birdlife. This is recognised and protected mostly through its conservation designations as a national nature reserve (NNR), a Special Protection Area (SPA), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and part of the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) of Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay.
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Another shot of the urban east end of Montana Rail Link that is largely eschewed by most visiting railfans....but that we wanted to at least say ww sampled.
Thanks to a tip we found the noon Billings yard crew switching switching out Boise Cascade at the end of the 0.6 mile long spur that leaves the First Subdivision main out by MP 4.9 by True North Steel. This is one of several cool industry tracks that has a clearance restriction and is limited by timetable instruction to nothing larger than a GP9.
MRL 131 seen here on the South 29th Street West crossing is a Livingston rebuilt GP9R that began life as a GP7 blt. Mar. 1952 as QNSL 108. Later sold to the Chicago and Northwestern where it wore number 4355 it's called MRL hoke for more than three decades and only time will tell if it will stay around Billings and get a new coat of orange paint.
Countless articles have been written about the MRL over the past 35 years of its existence and if you care to learn more download this great set courtesy of Trains Magazine:
www.trains.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/TRN-MRL.pdf
Billings, Montana
Wednesday September 7, 2022
El Albaicín o Albayzín es un barrio del este de la ciudad española de Granada, en la comunidad autónoma de Andalucía. Está situado a una altitud de 700 a 800 m sobre el nivel del mar.
El tipo tradicional de vivienda es el carmen, compuesto por una vivienda exenta rodeada por un alto muro que la separa de la calle y que incluye un pequeño huerto o jardín.
Fue característico de dicho barrio la canalización y distribución del agua potable a través de aljibes; en total se han podido constatar unos 28; de los cuales, una gran mayoría se conservan pero no siguen en uso debido a que sus canalizaciones se han roto con el paso del tiempo.
En 1994, el Albaicín fue declarado Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la Unesco como ampliación del conjunto monumental de la Alhambra y el Generalife.
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albaic%C3%ADn
The Albaicín, also known as Albayzín is a district of Granada, in the autonomous community of
Andalusia, Spain. It is centered around a hill on the north side of the Darro River which passes through the city. The neighbourhood is notable for its historic monuments and for largely retaining its medieval street plan dating back to the Nasrid period (13th to 15th centuries), although it nonetheless went through many physical and demographic changes after the end of the Reconquista in 1492.
It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1994, as an extension of the historic site of the nearby Alhambra
I suppose photography is largely about luck and being in the right place at the right time, but moments like this don't come along that often so it was awesome to be there. After a massive down pour where I got soaked, a brief break of light produced this wonderful scene and after about 30 seconds it was gone.
Dungeness is a headland on the coast of Kent, England, formed largely of a shingle beach in the form of a cuspate foreland. It shelters a large area of low-lying land, Romney Marsh. Dungeness is also the name of the power station and a few other nearby buildings near the beach, and of an important ecological site at the same location.
Dungeness is one of the largest expanses of shingle in the world. It is of international conservation importance for its geomorphology, plant and invertebrate communities and birdlife. This is recognised and protected mostly through its conservation designations as a National Nature Reserve (NNR), a Special Protection Area (SPA), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and part of the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) of Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay.
There is a remarkable variety of wildlife living at Dungeness, with over 600 different types of plant: a third of all those found in Britain. It is one of the best places in Britain to find insects such as moths, bees and beetles, and spiders; many of these are very rare, some found nowhere else in Britain.
The short-haired bumblebee, Bombus subterraneus, was last found in the UK in 1988, but has survived in New Zealand after being shipped there more than 100 years ago. It is to be reintroduced at Dungeness. It is planned that the first bees will be introduced in the spring of 2010.
The flooded gravel pits on Denge Beach, both brackish and fresh water, provide an important refuge for many migratory and coastal bird species. The RSPB has a bird sanctuary there and every year thousands of bird watchers descend on the peninsula to catch a glimpse of a rare bird from the bird observatory.
One of the most remarkable features of the site is an area known as 'the patch' or, by anglers, as 'the boil'. The waste hot water and sewage from the Dungeness nuclear power stations are pumped into the sea through two outfall pipes, enriching the biological productivity of the sea bed and attracting seabirds from miles around.
Beach fishing is popular at Dungeness, with the area being a nationally recognised cod fishing venue in the winter.
The name Dungeness derives from Old Norse nes: "headland", with the first part probably connected with the nearby Denge Marsh. Popular etymology ascribes a French origin to the toponym, giving an interpretation as "dangerous nose".
Dungeness is a headland on the coast of Kent, England, formed largely of a shingle beach in the form of a cuspate foreland. It shelters a large area of low-lying land, Romney Marsh. Dungeness is also the name of the power station, of the hamlet within the location, and of an important ecological site at the same location.
The name Dungeness derives from Old Norse nes: "headland", with the first part probably connected with the nearby Denge Marsh. Popular etymology ascribes a French origin to the toponym, giving an interpretation as "dangerous nose".
Ecology
Dungeness is one of the largest expanses of shingle in Europe and is classified as Britain's only desert by the Met Office. It is of international conservation importance for its geomorphology, plant and invertebrate communities and birdlife. This is recognised and protected mostly through its conservation designations as a national nature reserve (NNR), a Special Protection Area (SPA), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and part of the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) of Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay.
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timster1973.wordpress.com
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"Syvota town is a well-developed resort, owing largely to the numerous pristine beaches with clear waters located on several islets immediately offshore." (Wikipedia)
//
"Comme un contrepoint aux rudes terres montagnardes de l'arrière-pays, la côté Ionienne offre une variante adoucie de l'Epire, dédiée au soleil et aux plaisirs balnéaires. Vertigineuses falaises plongeant dans la mer, petites criques baignées d'eaux turquoises, PORTS DE PÊCHE nichés au creux d'admirables abris naturels... le littoral occidental n'a rien à envier aux îles de la mer Egée. Et malgré l'afflux touristique, on y dénichera toujours une station à taille humaine et une plage loin de la foule où poser sa serviette." (Le Guide Vert / Grèce Continentale)
Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcolm III in the 11th century, and the castle continued to be a royal residence until 1633. From the 15th century, the castle's residential role declined, and by the 17th century it was principally used as a military garrison. Its importance as a part of Scotland's national heritage was recognised increasingly from the early 19th century onwards, and various restoration programmes have been carried out over the past century and a half.
Edinburgh Castle has played a prominent role in Scottish history, and has served variously as a royal residence, an arsenal, a treasury, a national archive, a mint, a prison, a military fortress, and the home of the Honours of Scotland – the Scottish regalia. As one of the most important strongholds in the Kingdom of Scotland, the castle was involved in many historical conflicts from the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century to the Jacobite rising of 1745. Research undertaken in 2014 identified 26 sieges in its 1,100-year history, giving it a claim to having been "the most besieged place in Great Britain and one of the most attacked in the world". Few of the present buildings pre-date the Lang Siege of 1573, when the medieval defences were largely destroyed by artillery bombardment. The most notable exceptions are St Margaret's Chapel from the early 12th century, which is regarded as the oldest building in Edinburgh, the Royal Palace, and the early 16th-century Great Hall. The castle is the site of the Scottish National War Memorial and the National War Museum. The British Army is still responsible for some parts of the castle, although its presence is now largely ceremonial and administrative. The castle is the regimental headquarters of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and houses their regimental museums, along with that of the Royal Scots.
The castle, in the care of Historic Environment Scotland, is Scotland's most (and the United Kingdom's second most) visited paid tourist attraction, with over 2.2 million visitors in 2019 and over 70 percent of leisure visitors to Edinburgh visiting the castle. As the backdrop to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo during the annual Edinburgh Festival, the castle has become a recognisable symbol of Edinburgh in particular and of Scotland as a whole.
The Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) belongs to the genus Branta of black geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey Anser species.
The Barnacle Goose is a medium-sized goose, 55 - 70 cm long, with a wingspan of 130 - 145 cm and a weight of 1.2 - 2.2 kg. It has a white face and black head, neck, and upper breast. Its belly is white. The wings and its back are silver-gray with black-and-white bars that look like they are shining when the light reflects on it. It flies in packs and long lines, with a noisy chorus of barking or yapping sounds. Barnacle geese feed on grasses and coastal plants found in salt marshes, grasslands near river estuaries or tidal mud flats.
The wintering population (130.000 birds) in the Netherlands breeds in Arctic Russia and the Baltic.
This picture was taken at the Lauwersmeer, a man-made lake in the north of the Netherlands, on the border of the provinces of Groningen and Friesland. The lake was formed on 1969, when the dike between the bay called Lauwerssea" and the Waddensea was closed. The Lauwersmeer is now one of the famoust birding areas in Western Europe. The area is famous for the huge numbers of birds. During the winter months the Lauwersmeer is famous for the huge numbers of geese. You will see thousands of Barnacle Geese, White Fronted Geese, Greylag Geese and also good numbers of Bean Geese, Brant, Tundra Swan and Whooper Swan.
De brandgans (Branta leucopsis) is een sterke ongeveer 60 cm grote gans, die weinig of geen last ondervindt van vriesweer, met geelachtige witte kop, waarvan de achterzijde zwart is, met een zwarte nek en bovenborst. Als deze gans tijdens de winter aan de Nederlandse kust opduikt, worden ze al vlug verraden door het wit van hun wangen dat fel afsteekt op het zwart van de kop en hals.
Hun broedgebied is het noordelijk deel van de Atlantische Oceaan, van de oostkust van Groenland tot Spitsbergen en het zuiden van Nova Zembla. Het wintergebied bevindt zich vooral aan de kusten van Ierland, de westkust van Schotland en de Noordzeekust van Duitsland en Nederland.
De Nederlandse overwinteraars komen vooral van Nova Zembla.
De laatste jaren blijven grote groepen brandganzen in Nederland en zijn dus het hele jaar door op Nederlandse graslanden te vinden.
Deze foto is genomen bij het Lauwersmeer, op de grens van Groningen en Friesland bij de Waddenzee. Jaarlijks met meer dan 100.000 vogels een van de grootste en belangrijkste overwinterengebieden voor brandganzen in Nederland.
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All rights reserved. Copyright © Martien Uiterweerd (Foto Martien).
All my images are protected under international authors copyright laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission.
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This alcove is located in Clear Creek Canyon in the Escalante River arm of Lake Powell (Glen Canyon). It is adjacent to the Cathedral in the Desert, another amazing alcove largely covered by a sandstone ceiling. The cathedral is/was renowned for the beautiful light that filters through its “ceiling” into the quiet verdant floor at the bottom of the canyon, now under water. The surrounding walls are ornamented by striped desert varnish on the Navajo sandstone.
This part of Glen Canyon/ Lake Powell has been a flashpoint of contention between environmentalists, who view the cathedral’s drowning as "America’s most regretted environmental mistake" (David Brower, former Sierra Club head) and recreationists who relish their jet skies and power boats, and feel the access to such monuments was enhanced; (although as much as 90 feet of it is underwater… ) “Environmental activists want you to believe that all was lost when Lake Powell was created but those of us who are intimate with Glen Canyon know better” (Paul Ostapuk, Friends of Lake Powell). The cathedral fully emerged from the lake in 2005 following a severe drought, but has since again been partially immersed by the rising lake waters. Given the prediction of climate change for the southwestern U.S., it is likely the lake levels will lower and the cathedral will again be viewable in its entirety. (#2)
Collage composed of 2 photos
The Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) belongs to the genus Branta of black geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey Anser species.
The Barnacle Goose is a medium-sized goose, 55 - 70 cm long, with a wingspan of 130 - 145 cm and a weight of 1.2 - 2.2 kg. It has a white face and black head, neck, and upper breast. Its belly is white. The wings and its back are silver-gray with black-and-white bars that look like they are shining when the light reflects on it. It flies in packs and long lines, with a noisy chorus of barking or yapping sounds.
Barnacle geese feed on grasses and coastal plants found in salt marshes, grasslands near river estuaries or tidal mud flats.
The wintering population (130.000 birds) in the Netherlands breeds in Arctic Russia and the Baltic.
This picture was taken at the Lauwersmeer, a man-made lake in the north of the Netherlands, on the border of the provinces of Groningen and Friesland. The lake was formed on 1969, when the dike between the bay called Lauwerssea" and the Waddensea was closed. The Lauwersmeer is now one of the famoust birding areas in Western Europe. The area is famous for the huge numbers of birds. During the winter months the Lauwersmeer is famous for the huge numbers of geese. You will see thousands of Barnacle Geese, White Fronted Geese, Greylag Geese and also good numbers of Bean Geese, Brant, Tundra Swan and Whooper Swan.
De brandgans (Branta leucopsis) is een sterke ongeveer 60 cm grote gans, die weinig of geen last ondervindt van vriesweer, met geelachtige witte kop, waarvan de achterzijde zwart is, met een zwarte nek en bovenborst. Als deze gans tijdens de winter aan de Nederlandse kust opduikt, worden ze al vlug verraden door het wit van hun wangen dat fel afsteekt op het zwart van de kop en hals.
Hun broedgebied is het noordelijk deel van de Atlantische Oceaan, van de oostkust van Groenland tot Spitsbergen en het zuiden van Nova Zembla. Het wintergebied bevindt zich vooral aan de kusten van Ierland, de westkust van Schotland en de Noordzeekust van Duitsland en Nederland.
De Nederlandse overwinteraars komen vooral van Nova Zembla.
De laatste jaren blijven grote groepen brandganzen in Nederland en zijn dus het hele jaar door op Nederlandse graslanden te vinden.
Deze foto is genomen bij het Lauwersmeer, op de grens van Groningen en Friesland bij de Waddenzee. Jaarlijks met meer dan 100.000 vogels een van de grootste en belangrijkste overwinterengebieden voor brandganzen in Nederland.
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All rights reserved. Copyright © Martien Uiterweerd (Foto Martien).
All my images are protected under international authors copyright laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission.
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The jetty - built as part of the extensive coal mining infrastructure in the area - is the latest in a series of structures. The first dated from 1873, but was short-lived. A replacement, built more robustly, was constructed in the late 1880s. This was replaced in time, but was largely destroyed in the 1974 'Sygna Storm'. What you see here was built following that storm, and was the first here to be constructed not from wood, but from steel. Its condition is questionable but it remains a famous icon of the Bay.
Fujifilm GFX100S with Laowa 20mm lens.
StarTrailsFromFiles_DSF6392-6625_DxO_Step9sRGBSMALL.jpg
Otavalo, has a population largely made up of the Otavalo indigenous group. They are famous for weaving textiles, usually made of wool, which are sold at the famous market. During the market's peak, almost one third of the town becomes full of stalls selling textiles, tagua nut jewelry, musical instruments, dream catchers, leather goods, fake shrunken heads, indigenous costumes, hand-painted platters and trays, purses, clothing, spices, raw foods and spools of wool.
They are largely resident in the same woodland area throughout the year, the search for food does oblige them to become somewhat nomadic during the winter months. At such times they often join mixed feeding flocks of other small woodland birds................
Thank you for your visit, any comments are always appreciated, God bless.....Tomx.
Although Exeter Cathedral was largely rebuilt in the late 13th century in the Decorated Gothic style, it retained two Norman towers from an earlier building which dated from 1133. This is one of them. The cathedral is in the heart of the city of Exeter, and is surrounded by a large green with a variety of attractive buildings. This makes up the Cathedral Close. In medieval times this area was walled and there were seven gates which provided access.
A little sweetie in an 1880's gold mining encampment, which is now largely deserted. In early days Havilah was Kern County Seat...'til there was one stage robbery too many. Looks like the house was too small for the fridge to be inside. :)
“Life does not consist mainly, or even largely, of facts and happenings. It consists mainly of the storm of thought that is forever flowing through one’s head.”
– Mark Twain (pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer)
This photo was taken in 2013 during my previous Project 365…please visit my album for this “REMASTERED” Project 365 as I revisit each day of 2013 for additional photos to share!!
Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D5200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11
The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/
Northamptonshire is a largely rural county on the fringes of the east of England with just a handful of large towns and no city. This was taken in the rich arable farmland that lies between Brixworth and Cottesbrooke, and is some seven miles north of the county town of Northampton. The Northampton and Market Harborough railway was opened in 1859 and passed through these fields. But it was first closed to passenger traffic in 1960 and to freight traffic in 1981. The trackbed of the former railway was reopened in 1993 as the Brampton Valley Way.
Small fen in a Dutch nature reserve largely dried up due to the persistent drought. The photo was taken during the autumn season on the Strijbeek Heide, a border area between Dutch and Belgium.
When you look closely you see, on the other side of the lake, one of the Hereford cattle grazing the area.
Klein ven op de Strijbeekse Heide, een natuurgebied ten zuiden van Breda op de grens tussen Nederland en België. Ten gevolge van de aanhoudende droogte is het ven grotendeels opgedroogd en dat veroorzaakt de karakteristieke kleuren aan de oever.
Wanneer je heel goed kijkt zie je, aan de overkant van het ven, één van de Hereford runderen die het gebied begrazen.
© All of my photos are unconditional copyrighted unless explicitly stated otherwise. Therefore it is legally forbidden to use my pictures on websites, in commercial and/or editorial prints or in other media without my explicit permission.
Some of my photos are sold at reasonable prices through various stock photo agencies.
For example look here for my images on Adobe Stock:
stock.adobe.com/bg/contributor/202653768/ruud-morijn?load...
This image printed: www.werkaandemuur.nl/nl/werk/Klein-ven-op-de-Strijbeekse-...
The Drawing Room
Audley End House is a largely early 17th century country house just outside the town of Saffron Walden in Essex.
The site was originally Walden Abbey, a Benedictine monastery founded in 1139. In 1538, during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Henry VIII granted the abbey and lands to his Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas Audley.
Sir Thomas Audley converted the abbey buildings into a mansion. His great-grandson, Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, demolished most of the earlier house and built the current magnificent mansion between 1605 and 1614. It was intended to be grand enough to host King James I, a feat it achieved, but its immense cost led to the Earl's financial ruin and conviction for embezzlement.
Throughout the 18th century, successive owners, including the Countess of Portsmouth, reduced the house to a more manageable size by demolishing large sections, saving it from total dereliction.
In the 1820s, the 3rd Lord Braybrooke remodelled the house to recover its original Jacobean character, a style that largely prevails in the house's interiors today.
After the second world war, due to heavy death duties, the 9th Lord Braybrooke sold the house to the Ministry of Works (the predecessor of English Heritage) in 1948. The house and gardens are now open to the public, offering a glimpse into centuries of English history.
Before knowing the weather condition of the Himalayan region we should understand its geography. The Himalayan region covers an area of 2,250 km with an average width of 200 km.
The forest belt of the Himalayan region consists of Oak, Rhododendron, Birch, Pine, Deodar, and Fir. And the monsoon season in this region lasts for mid June till the end of September. The Himalayas influences the meteorological conditions in the Indian subcontinent to the south and in the Central Asian highlands to the north to a great extent. It acts a climatic divider circulating the air and water system to a great extent. Because of its altitude and location it blocks the passage of the cold winds coming from the north to the Indian sub continent thereby making India's climate much more moderate. It also influences the rainfall pattern in India. The combined effect of rainfall, latitude and altitude largely influences the forests belts in the Himalayan region. The rainfall is mostly recorded during the monsoon time of June to September but it decreases as you travel from east to west. The snow-capped ranges of the Himalayas stretch 2, 250 km from the Namcha Barwa to Nanga Parbat on the Indus. The range extends from east to west up to central-Nepal and then takes a southeast to northwest direction.
www.himalaya2000.com/himalayan-facts/climate-of-himalayas...
Gray langurs, sacred langurs, Indian langurs or Hanuman langurs are a group of Old World monkeys native to the Indian subcontinent constituting the entirety of the genus Semnopithecus.
These langurs are largely gray (some more yellowish), with a black face and ears. Externally, the various species mainly differ in the darkness of the hands and feet, the overall color and the presence or absence of a crest. Typically all north Indian gray langurs have their tail tips looping towards their head during a casual walk whereas all south Indian and Sri Lankan gray langurs have an inverted "U" shape or a "S" tail carriage pattern. There are also significant variations in the size depending on the sex, with the male always larger than the female. The head-and-body length is from 51 to 79 cm (20 to 31 in). Their tails, at 69 to 102 cm (27 to 40 in) are never longer than their bodies. Langurs from the southern part of their range are smaller than those from the north. At 26.5 kg (58 lb), the heaviest langur ever recorded was a male Nepal gray langur. The larger gray langurs are rivals for the largest species of monkey found in Asia. The average weight of gray langurs is 18 kg (40 lb) in the males and 11 kg (24 lb) in the females.
Langurs mostly walk quadrupedally and spend half their time on the ground and the other half in the trees. They will also make bipedal hops, climbing and descending supports with the body upright, and leaps. Langurs can leap 3.6–4.7 m (12–15 ft) horizontally and 10.7–12.2 m (35–40 ft) in descending.
The entire distribution of all gray langur species stretches from the Himalayas in the north to Sri Lanka in the south, and from Bangladesh in the east to Pakistan in the west. They possibly occur in Afghanistan. The bulk of the gray langur distribution is within India, and all seven currently recognized species have at least a part of their range in this country.
Gray langurs can adapt to a variety of habitats.They inhabit arid habitats like deserts, tropical habitats like tropical rainforests and temperate habitats like coniferous forests, deciduous habitats and mountains habitats. They are found at sea level to altitudes up to 4,000 m (13,000 ft). They can adapt well to human settlements, and are found in villages, towns and areas with housing or agriculture.They live in densely populated cities like Jodhpur, which has a population numbering up to a million.
Gray langurs are diurnal. They sleep during the night in trees but also on man-made structures like towers and electric poles when in human settlements. When resting in trees, they generally prefer the highest branches.
Ungulates like bovine and deer will eat food dropped by foraging langurs.Langurs are preyed upon by leopards, dholes and tigers.Wolves, jackals, Asian black bears and pythons may also prey on them
Gray langurs are primarily herbivores. However, unlike some other colobines they do not depend on leaves and leaf buds of herbs, but will also eat coniferous needles and cones, fruits and fruit buds, evergreen petioles, shoots and roots, seeds, grass, bamboo, fern rhizomes, mosses, and lichens. Leaves of trees and shrubs rank at the top of preferred food, followed by herbs and grasses. Non-plant material consumed include spider webs, termite mounds and insect larvae.They forage on agricultural crops and other human foods, and even accept handouts. Although they occasionally drink, langurs get most of their water from the moisture in their food.
In one-male groups, the resident male is usually the sole breeder of the females and sires all the young. In multiple-male groups, the highest-ranking male fathers most of the offspring, followed by the next-ranking males and even outside males will father young. Higher-ranking females are more reproductively successful than lower-ranking ones.
Female gray langurs do not make it obvious that they are in estrous. However, males are still somehow able to reduce the reproduction state of females.Females signal that they are ready to mate by shuddering the head, lowering the tail, and presenting their anogenital regions. Such solicitations do not always lead to copulation. When langurs mate, they are sometimes disrupted by other group members. Females have even been recorded mounting other females.
The gestation period of gray langur lasts around 200 days, at least at Jodhpur, India. In some areas, reproduction is year-around. Year-round reproduction appears to occur in populations that capitalize on human-made foods. Other populations have seasonal reproduction.
Infanticide is common among gray langurs. Most infanticidal langurs are males that have recently immigrated to a group and driven out the prior male. These males only kill infants that are not their own.Infanticide is more commonly reported in one-male groups, perhaps because one male monopolizing matings drives the evolution of this trait. In multiple-male groups, the costs for infanticidal males are likely to be high as the other males may protect the infants and they can't ensure that they'll sire young with other males around. Nevertheless, infanticide does occur in these groups, and is suggested that such practices serve to return a female to estrous and gain the opportunity to mate.
Females usually give birth to a single infant, although twins do occur. Most births occur during the night. Infants are born with thin, dark brown or black hair and pale skin. Infants spend their first week attach themselves to their mothers' chests and mostly just suckle or sleep. They do not move much in terms of locomotion for the first two weeks of their life. As they approach their sixth week of life, infants vocalize more.They use squeaks and shrieks to communicate stress. In the following months, the infants are capable of quadrupedal locomotion and can walk, run and jump by the second and third months. Alloparenting occurs among langurs, starting when the infants reach two years of age. The infant will be given to the other females of the group. However, if the mother dies, the infant usually follows.Langurs are weaned by 13 months.
Hoog Catharijne is a largely covered shopping center, office and residential complex, partly falling in the city center of the Dutch city of Utrecht. It runs from Stationsplein, to Vredenburg and houses hundreds of shops, halls, offices and homes.
Hoog Catharijne was officially opened on 24 September 1973.
In 2012, the renovation of Hoog Catharijnen started because the shopping center was considerably outdated and, if all goes well, will be ready in 2020.
Here you see a part that is already finished with the decorations for the holidays.
☛ Please see here more from; the Netherlands.
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As its name implies, the fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) predominantly preys on fish. Largely active at night, fishing cats are good swimmers and have been observed diving for fish, as well as scooping them out of the water with their paws. These cats will also prey on small mammals, snakes, snails and birds.
This is a heavily built, medium-sized cat with an elongated head, rather short legs and a short tail. Head-body length ranges from 60 to 85 cm, tail length from 20 to 33 cm, height at shoulder about 40 cm. Body weight varies from 5 to 15 kg. Females are smaller than males. Males are about twice the size of a domestic cat.
Their olive-gray fur has black or dark brown stripes and rows of spots in horizontal streaks running along the length of the body.
When swimming, the fishing cat may use its short, flattened tail like a rudder, helping control its direction in the water.
Fishing cats live an average of 12 years, but have been known to live more than 15 years in captivity.
The fishing cat is distributed throughout southern and southeast Asia, found in northeastern India, the foot of the Himalayas in Nepal and India, and a few scattered areas in Bangladesh, Indus Valley Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma and in the Indonesian Islands of Sumatra and Java. However, these cats are not found all throughout this broad area because of their habitat preferences. They are strongly tied to densely vegetated areas near water, in marshes, mangroves, rivers, and streams.
This picture was taken in Zoo Duisburg, Germany.
Zoals de naam al aangeeft, is vis de belangrijkste prooi voor de vissende kat of viskat (Prionailurus viverrinus). De vissende kat is een wilde middelgrote katachtige uit Zuid- en Zuidoost-Azië.
De vissende kat heeft een korte, lichtbruine tot groenig grijze vacht met donkerbruine tot zwarte vlekken, die op de nek en het voorhoofd overgaan in donkere strepen. De flanken en de buik zijn lichter gekleurd. De poten zijn vrij kort. De klauwen hebben kleine, slecht ontwikkelde zwemvliezen. De vissende kat kan zijn tenen spreiden, waardoor hij zich makkelijker kan voortbewegen over drassige grond. De vissende kat is een stevige katachtige met een lang lichaam en een korte staart. Het dier wordt 60 à 85 centimeter lang en 5 à 15 kg zwaar. De staart is ongeveer 40 cm. Mannetjes worden groter dan vrouwtjes: vrouwtjes worden gemiddeld 5 à 8 kg zwaar, mannetjes 11 à 15 kg.
De vissende kat is afhankelijk van water, en komt voornamelijk voor in waterrijke gebieden met dichtbegroeide oevers, als moerassen, meren, rivieren, traagstromende beken en rivierdelta's grenzend aan bossen, rietvelden en mangrovebossen. De vissende kat is een solitaire jager, die 's avonds en 's nachts op jacht gaat.
Deze kat eet vooral waterdieren als vissen, kikkers, schelpdieren, kreeftachtigen, waterinsecten, watervogels, en op het land, slangen, vogels en kleine zoogdieren.
Overdag verblijft hij in dicht struikgewas of in een holle boomstam.
Deze foto is gemaakt in Zoo Duisburg, Duitsland.
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All rights reserved. Copyright © Martien Uiterweerd. All my images are protected under international authors copyright laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission.
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Well, strictly speaking this scene is a sunset, so one could question the title and the attached meaning... But it was a radiant Umbrian sunset just after a long, powerful thunderstorm, so I will stick to my idea.
As the WHO has declared the state of pandemic Covid-19 is spreading everywhere and is reaping its dreadful harvest, bringing whole nations and economies to their knees. Believe me, it is even possible that the darkest hour is still to come. But I think that this incredible planetary experience has the potential to change our way to live. We have taken for granted too many beautiful, precious things (and beware, when you take something for granted you are lessening it). This humble, unaware virus is teaching us values we had drowned in our running digital hedonism - solidarity, self-sacrifice, collaboration. It is teaching us the fundamental value of truth and of scientific research. It is reminding us that we are just a small part of a wonderfully complex world - and that we are not nearly as powerful as we like to think to be. After all, the immediate means to limit infection are exactly the same as they were for the epidemics of the past - quarantine, avoiding close contact with one another, clean your hands frequently, limitations to gatherings, public events, and so on (and everything is worsened and sped up by our global network of transportation). On the other hand science, unavoidably, needs time to find real solutions. So we are experiencing a new sense of being frail - something we used to think of as a relic of the past.
I believe that this pandemic will change everything, more than a war: this is not an enemy endowed with evil projects for mankind but, rather, a natural phenomenon which is putting us in the right perspective in the world. So I believe that this pandemic will change everything. But, in the meantime, we have to manage to get out of these dark times. I would like to dedicate this photo to the people who are suffering because of this ordeal, and to the heroic people who is wrestling with the effects of the infection*: my humble contribute to remember that the darkest hour - whenever it will come - is just before the dawn.
* Sadly in Italy we have seen a growing trend of threats and assaults to physicians during the last years. Many people doubted the good faith of physicians, scientists and medicine in general. I'd guess that this tide is quickly changing.
This photo is closely related to my A neverending story. To be precise, it has been captured some 5 minutes earlier. This view, however, is somewhat narrower and, after a bit of cropping in the foreground, lays a greater emphasis on the glorious cloudscape.
I have obtained this picture by blending an exposure bracketing [-1.7/0/+1.7 EV] by luminosity masks in the Gimp (EXIF data, as usual, refer to the "normal exposure" shot), then I added some final touches with Nik Color Efex Pro 4. RAW files has been processed with Darktable.
A good contribution to the post-processing of part of the foreground came from a cool trick by Boris Hajdukovic I have found rather serendipitously on the web. I have cloned out an obnoxious young olive tree at the center of the foreground dancing a bit too freely in the residual wind.
I am afraid that colours and tones of this picture might be pretty close to the edge of looking overdone (this seems to be an inherent feature of the bracketings I captured of this sunset, since I always post-process from scratch). It all depends on your screen, of course: the picture looks safely good my HP screen, but I am afraid that it can easily look a bit over-the-top on other screens.
Now we know that a picture cannot possibly look right on every screen - the factors affecting the results are simply too many, including largely unpredictable ones, such as personal display settings. Admittedly one should not think too much about this, but when a photo is close to the critical boundary one should struggle to find the better balance between what she would like the photo to be and the risk of looking overdone. Since this photo is important to me, I would be grateful for comments about this matter, to help me realise if I have to downtone it :-)
Thank you very much in advance!
Skärgården i Askeröfjorden är i stort sett obebodd, skyddas och kännetecknas av exceptionell naturskönhet.
Die Schären im Askeröfjorden sind weitgehend unbewohnt, stehen unter Naturschutz und zeichnen sich durch aussergewöhnliche landschaftliche Schönheit aus.
The archipelago in Askeröfjorden are largely uninhabited, are protected and are characterized by exceptional natural beauty.
Kraków is the second largest city in Poland after Warsaw. The city is located on the Vistula River in the south of Poland and is the capital of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (Małopolska).
Kraków is one of the most important cultural cities in Central Europe. It is therefore sometimes called the "Florence of Poland". The city was one of the few cities in Poland to survive the Second World War relatively unscathed, although the Jewish district of Kazimierz was largely destroyed during the German occupation. The city centre is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Marina in Douglas is well supported with few empty places. The quayside has had a major facelift over the past few years and is now largely pedestrianised with sitting areas.
Ragusa is, together with seven other cities in the Val di Noto, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In 1693, Ragusa was devastated by a huge earthquake, which killed some 5,000 inhabitants. After the catastrophe, the city was largely rebuilt, and many Baroque buildings from that time remain in the city.
North Beach is a neighborhood in the northeast of San Francisco adjacent to Chinatown, the Financial District, and Russian Hill. The neighborhood is San Francisco's "Little Italy" and has historically been home to a large Italian American population, largely from Northern Italy. It still has many Italian restaurants, though many other ethnic groups currently live in the neighborhood. It was also the historic center of the beatnik subculture and has become one of San Francisco's main nightlife districts as well as a residential neighborhood populated by a mix of young urban professionals, families, and Chinese immigrants.
The American Planning Association (APA) has named North Beach as one of ten "Great Neighborhoods in America".
North Beach is bounded by the former Barbary Coast, now Jackson Square, the Financial District south of Broadway, Chinatown to the southwest of Columbus below Green Street, Russian Hill to the west, Telegraph Hill to the east and Fisherman's Wharf at Bay Street to the north.
Main intersections are Union and Columbus, the southwest corner of Washington Square, Grant Avenue, and Vallejo Street.
The neighborhood consists of modern, mid-century apartments, duplexes, and Victorian homes and multiplexes.
Largely unnoticed (despite very large size) public space decorative art - but it probably works on a subliminal level. Life is sure better with colours :)
The palace was built in the mid-15th century by King Sejong. Many structures were destroyed during Japan's multiple late 15th to 16th (1592) century attempts to conquer Korea and invade China. It was rebuilt by successive Joseon Kings but was once again largely destroyed by the Japanese in the early 20th century. During the Japanese colonial period, the Japanese built a zoo, botanical garden, and museum on the site.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changgyeonggung
Scanned slide, image taken October 1999
The Carthaginian Empire is largely known for having a naval based empire throughout the Western Mediterranean region and for its conflicts with Rome. It was based out of the city of Carthage in what is now Tunisia that was founded by Phoenician settlers from modern day Lebanon around the 9th century B.C. The city was one of the largest and wealthiest cities of the ancient world with a large circular port and six story buildings with indoor plumbing. In order to protect the city, Carthage needed a strong military and defensive system to secure its interests and prosperity.
The Carthaginians were largely a mercantile people who had no interest in military affairs, with a few notable exceptions. Instead, they would use their vast wealth to recruit other people to do the fighting for them. They would largely recruit men from the countryside who were largely of Libyan or mixed Libyan and Phoenician origin. As the empire grew, they would start to recruit more specialized units such as Numidian cavalry, Balearic slingers, and Celtic warriors. The most famous Carthaginian unit, the war elephant, would not be in use until the 3rd century B.C. after their war against Pyrrhus of Epirus in 278-276 B.C. when they encountered them in Sicily. They would use the now extinct North African Elephant, which was not as big as the Asian Elephant but was still effective. They would then recruit Indian mahouts who knew how to train elephants for warfare.
At some point during the 3rd century B.C., Carthage built a large defensive system consisting of three walls, an outer wall, middle wall, and the inner wall. The inner wall seen here was the largest of these walls and would function as the barracks of Carthage. It could house 300 elephants, 4,000 horses, and 20,000 men. Unfortunately for the Carthaginians, the wall, like much of the city, would be destroyed by the Romans in 146 B.C. Today there is very little trace of it, which is impressive considering how big it once was.
Savernake Forest | Marlborough | Wiltshire
Today was my first outing with the camera in several months, largely due to work and family commitments. I was delighted to make the most of the misty conditions at Savernake Forest in Wiltshire this morning. This time of year is my absolute favourite for the fantastic array of colours on show. It's particularly beautiful in our woodlands and forests, none more so than at Savernake Forest.
Taking The Shot:
As with any type of subject matter, mood, timing and light can alter everything, and manipulating these to our advantage can produce tremendous results. A typical British woodland or forest scene can often be a little chaotic. However a touch of morning mist can really help add atmosphere and depth. I got lucky with this morning’s conditions.
I setup my tripod and composed the shot, using the large tree trunk on the right as a focal point and the footpath as a leading line into the mist. I opted for a 16:9 wide-panoramic crop and set my aperture to f/5.6 to soften the background a little. I’ve recently learned that Not all landscape photography needs to be shot at f/16 with endless depth of field. Using my trusty 24-70mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens, I zoomed right in to 66mm which helped keep all the verticals (ie the trees) in a straight line and prevents them from looking distorted. I also find that the closer I zoom in the flatter the perspective is and the background appears closer, enhancing the mist and creating a dramatic effect.
Background:
Savernake Forest, lying between Marlborough and Hungerford, is privately-owned by the Earl of Cardigan and his family Trustees. Extending to some 4,500 acres, The forest is a surviving remnant of one of Wiltshire's ancient 'Royal Forests' much beloved by Norman kings. It is the only privately owned forest in Britain. Today the forest is leased to the Forestry Commission and access is via many footpaths and tracks. It remains a place of mystery and imagination and an important habitat for a number of wild birds, plants and animals.
History:
No-one can say for sure just how old Savernake Forest is. However, it cannot be less than 1,000 years old, as it is referred to in a Saxon Charter from King Athelstan in 934AD, being called "Safernoc”. It is certainly older than the other great Forest of southern England, which was only planted over a century later by the Normans, and whose name reminds us that it is younger than ancient Savernake - “The New Forest”.
Since it was put into the care of one of the victorious knights who fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, Savernake Forest has passed down from father to son (or daughter, on 4 occasions) in an unbroken line for 31 generations, never once being bought or sold in a thousand years, and today it is the only Forest in Britain still in private hands.
The high-water mark of the Savernake Estate's fortunes was undoubtedly in Elisabethan times. The head of the family (Sir John Seymour) was used to welcoming King Henry VIII to the Forest, where the King was very keen on his deer-hunting. King Henry stayed at Savernake shortly after the execution of Queen Anne Boleyn in 1536, and his eye was then taken by his host's daughter, Jane. They were subsequently married, and Jane Seymour was crowned Queen just months later, causing the head of the family at Savernake to suddenly find himself father-in-law to Henry VIII.
Jane's great claim to fame is that of all his 6 wives she was the only one to give the King what he so badly wanted - a son - the future Edward VI. Sadly Jane died in childbirth, and after marrying again, Henry himself died a few years later. So it fell to Jane's brother Edward to leave his estate of Savernake Forest in 1547 and to go up to Hampton Court, where for the next 5 years with the title 'Lord Protector' he was King of England in all but name, while his late sister's young child Edward VI grew old enough to reign alone.
The other high-water mark was in the 1740s. The head of the family at that time (Lord Thomas Bruce) made a great success of himself, and had risen at Court to be Governor to the young King George IV. He employed Lancelot 'Capability' Brown to plant great beech Avenues in Savernake Forest, which was then some 40,000 acres, nearly 10 times its present size. These included the Grand Avenue, running through the heart of the Forest, and which at 3.9 miles (dead straight) stands in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest Avenue in Britain.
Directions:
There’s multiple entry points into Savernake Forest. But this morning, I parked up at Postern Hill Campsite (Post Code SN8 4ND). It’s a short journey out of the Wiltshire market town of Marlborough and can be easily found on Google Maps.