Brunsbüttel 2025.05.24

IMO:9822451

MMSI:563071100

Callsign:9V6119

Width:46.0 m

Length:294.0 m

Deadweight:92728 tons

Gross tonnage:110532 tons

Liquid Capacity:170000.0 m³

Year of build:2018

AIS type:Tankship

Ship type:Fsru Tanker

Flag:Singapore

Builder:

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.

Owner:

HOEGH LNG GANNET PTE LTD

Seeking a heavier-armored battle tank for their upcoming conquests, the APA designed the Pangolin to spell doom for enemy tanks. Its low profile keeps it out of harms way from enemy tank guns that are mounted higher up.

Weight: 26.5 tonnes

Length: 6.68 m

Width: 3.56 m

Height: 2.00 m

Crew: 4

Main armament:76.2 mm tank gun

Secondary armament: 7.62 mm machine gun

"The first Saltburn Pier had a length of 1500ft and was designed by John Anderson – however, the pier head and end of the pier was sadly destroyed in a storm in October 1875.

The “modern-day” grade II listed pier was re-opened to the public in 1877 and is now 681ft in length, however, over the years it has been subject to alterations and improvements.

In May 1924 when the boat the Ovenbeg collided with the pier, a small theatre building was then created to help close the gap that was caused by the damage – this was later fully repaired in 1930.

In 1947, Saltburn Pier was rebuilt at a cost of £20,000 and was re-opened in 1952 – however it was then damaged again in 1953 by strong gales. This meant that Saltburn Pier was closed for a number of years, until it re-opened in 1958.

1959, and 1961 saw two further instances of storm damage, and in 1973 it was concluded that the Pier wasn’t in fact safe in anything but calm weather.

Over the course of a number of years, 1971 to 1974 to be exact, a number of piles were lost, meaning that the pier was permanently closed in December 1973. On October 29 1974 another strong storm damaged the rest of the pier whilst washing the pier head away.

Discussions with the local council were had in 1976 to replace the pier or significantly restore it. Restoration costs were estimated to be in the region of £52,500 and it eventually re-opened 2 years later.

As can be seen, there has been a number of significant upgrades and improvements to the pier including £1.2 million of National Lottery funding – which helped the pier to re-open again in 2001." (saltburn.org.uk)

Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Yorkshire Coast, North Yorkshire, UK

SWJuk (2023)

All rights reserved

MS EURODAM

Class and type:Signature class cruise ship

Tonnage:86,273 GT

Length:935 ft (285.0 m)

Beam:105.8 ft (32.2 m)

Draft:8 m (26 ft)

Decks:11 passenger decks

Installed power:

MaK M43C diesel engines

64,000 kW (combined)

Propulsion:Diesel-electric; two ABB Azipod units

Speed:

23.9 knots (44.3 km/h; 27.5 mph) (max)

(22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) (service)

Capacity:2,104 passengers

is a Signature class cruise ship for Holland America Line. Eurodam is the 80th ship to enter Holland America's service and, at 86,700 tons and carrying 2,104 passengers, she is the largest Holland America Signature class ship, along with her sister MS Nieuw Amsterdam. She also has dynamic positioning abilities using three 1.9 MW bow thrusters and two 17.6 MW aft mounted Azipods. Total electrical power generation is 64 MW by six diesel generators.

Service History

Eurodam was christened by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands at Rotterdam, Netherlands on July 1, 2008 before embarking on its official 10-day maiden voyage from Copenhagen on July 5.

In April and May, the ship operates in the Mediterranean and in Western Europe. From May to August, the ship visits the Baltic, Norway and the British Isles before embarking to Canada and New England in September and October. From late October to early April the ship travels on alternating western and eastern Caribbean cruises.

Read more at :

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Eurodam

© All rights reserved

The new Alvra articulated train of the Rhaetian Railway in its present full length. In the future, a first-class control car (Ait) will be added to the rear. However, these wagons have not yet been put into service. For operational reasons, the train will always be on the track in exactly the same way in the future. The track is steeper in the direction of St. Moritz, so that only pulling and not pushing is allowed here. That is why the locomotive or the three-car Allegra multiple unit will always be on this side in the commuting future.

After the locomotive follows the high-floor photo compartment with the panorama windows in the roof and the three retractable windows on each side, the only six windows that can still be opened.

It's a pity to take pictures from the train, especially here, because the whole train can be photographed from the end of the train with the spectacular situation and the tunnel entrance.

But there was no other way. The first reason is: The low-floor compartment for unobstructed access follows. The catering trolley can't get through here. But of course the pleasant employees ask themselves through to the front every time and bring the food in this tourist train to the place.

Then follow the other standard compartments, including family and bike/ski compartments. Finally, the first class with the yellow stripes above the windows. Of course, the catering trolley has to get through here. The second reason for the sequence follows: The first class control car with a view over the driver.

After the tunnel, the line reaches Filisur railway station, from where the line also flows into the Albula line via the equally spectacular Wiesener viaduct.

Schmitten/Filisur, Canton Graubünden, Switzerland

*****

Der neue Zug

Der neue Alvra Gliederzug der Rhätischen Bahn in seiner heutigen vollen Länge. In Zukunft wird ganz hinten noch ein Erstklass-Steuerwagen (Ait) dazukommen. Diese Wagen wurden jedoch noch nicht in Betrieb genommen. Der Zug wird aus betrieblichen Gründen in Zukunft immer genau so auf der Strecke stehen. Die Strecke ist in Richtung St. Moritz steiler, so dass hier nur gezogen und nicht geschoben werden darf. Deshalb steht die Lok oder der dreiteilige Allegra-Triebzug auch in der verpendelten Zukunft immer auf dieser Seite.

Nach der Lok folgt das hochflurige Fotoabteil mit den Panormafenstern im Dach und den drei Senkfenstern je Seite, die einzigen sechs Fenter die noch geöffnet werden können.

Zum Fotografieren aus dem Zug ist das jammerschade,, besonders an dieser Stelle, weil vom Zugsende aus der ganze Zug mit der Spektakulären Situation und dem Tunneleingang fotografiert werden kann.

Doch anders ging es nicht. Der erste Grund ist: Es folgt das Niederflurabteil für den hindernislosen Einstieg. Hier kommt der Verpflegungswagen nicht durch. Selbsterständlich fragen sich die netten Angestellten aber jedes Mal bis vorne durch und bringen die Speisen in diesem Touristenzug zum Platz.

Dann folgen die weiteren Standardabteile, inklusive Familien- und Velo-/Skiabteile. Zum Schluss mit den gelben Streifen über den Fenstern die erste Klasse. Hier muss natürlich der Verpflegunswagen durchkommen. Der zweite Grund für die Reihenfolge folgt dann noch: Der Steuerwagen erster Klasse mit Sicht über den Lokführer.

Nach dem Tunnel erreicht die Linie den Bahnhof Filisur, von wo auch die Strecke über den ebenfalls spektakulären Wiesener-Viadukt in die Albula-Strecke einmündet.

Schmitten/Filisur, Kanton Graubünden, Schweiz

Romulan P'lum-class Warbird

Length: 230 m

Wingspan: 255 m

A 25th century Romulan design borrowing many design cues from the very successful Valdore-type. At less than a third of the wingspan and with a much smaller crew than the Valdore-type, the P'lum was fielded in relatively large numbers in patrol and reconnaissance roles. In fleet level engagements, P'lums were typically thrown forward as skirmishers, decloaking and engaging to disrupt enemy formations as they approached the main Romulan forces.

The osprey or more specifically the western osprey (Pandion haliaetus) — also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk — is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than 60 cm (24 in) in length and 180 cm (71 in) across the wings. It is brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts.

The osprey tolerates a wide variety of habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply. It is found on all continents except Antarctica, although in South America it occurs only as a non-breeding migrant.

As its other common names suggest, the osprey's diet consists almost exclusively of fish. It possesses specialised physical characteristics and exhibits unique behaviour to assist in hunting and catching prey. As a result of these unique characteristics, it has been given its own taxonomic genus, Pandion and family, Pandionidae. Three subspecies are usually recognized; one of the former subspecies, cristatus, has recently been given full species status and is referred to as the eastern osprey.

The osprey is unusual in that it is a single living species that occurs nearly worldwide. Even the few subspecies are not unequivocally separable. There are four generally recognised subspecies, although differences are small, and ITIS lists only the first two.

The osprey is 0.9–2.1 kg (2.0–4.6 lb) in weight and 50–66 cm (20–26 in) in length with a 127–180 cm (50–71 in) wingspan. It is, thus, of similar size to the largest members of the Buteo or Falco genera. The subspecies are fairly close in size, with the nominate subspecies averaging 1.53 kg (3.4 lb), P. h. carolinensis averaging 1.7 kg (3.7 lb) and P. h. cristatus averaging 1.25 kg (2.8 lb). The wing chord measures 38 to 52 cm (15 to 20 in), the tail measures 16.5 to 24 cm (6.5 to 9.4 in) and the tarsus is 5.2–6.6 cm (2.0–2.6 in).

The upperparts are a deep, glossy brown, while the breast is white and sometimes streaked with brown, and the underparts are pure white. The head is white with a dark mask across the eyes, reaching to the sides of the neck. The irises of the eyes are golden to brown, and the transparent nictitating membrane is pale blue. The bill is black, with a blue cere, and the feet are white with black talons. A short tail and long, narrow wings with four long, finger-like feathers, and a shorter fifth, give it a very distinctive appearance.

In flight, Northern Territory, Australia

The sexes appear fairly similar, but the adult male can be distinguished from the female by its slimmer body and narrower wings. The breast band of the male is also weaker than that of the female, or is non-existent, and the underwing coverts of the male are more uniformly pale. It is straightforward to determine the sex in a breeding pair, but harder with individual birds.

The juvenile osprey may be identified by buff fringes to the plumage of the upperparts, a buff tone to the underparts, and streaked feathers on the head. During spring, barring on the underwings and flight feathers is a better indicator of a young bird, due to wear on the upperparts.

In flight, the osprey has arched wings and drooping "hands", giving it a gull-like appearance. The call is a series of sharp whistles, described as cheep, cheep or yewk, yewk. If disturbed by activity near the nest, the call is a frenzied cheereek

he osprey is piscivorous, with fish making up 99% of its diet. It typically takes fish weighing 150–300 g (5.3–10.6 oz) and about 25–35 cm (9.8–13.8 in) in length, but the weight can range from 50 g (1.8 oz) to 2 kg (4.4 lb). Virtually any type of fish in that size range are taken.

Ospreys have vision that is well adapted to detecting underwater objects from the air. Prey is first sighted when the osprey is 10–40 m (33–131 ft) above the water, after which the bird hovers momentarily then plunges feet first into the water.

Occasionally, the osprey may prey on rodents, rabbits, hares, other birds, and small reptiles.

The osprey has several adaptations that suit its piscivorous lifestyle:

reversible outer toes

sharp spicules on the underside of the toes

closable nostrils to keep out water during dives

backwards-facing scales on the talons which act as barbs to help hold its catch

dense plumage which is oily and prevents its feathers from getting waterlogged.

The osprey breeds near freshwater lakes and rivers, and sometimes on coastal brackish waters. Rocky outcrops just offshore are used in Rottnest Island off the coast of Western Australia, where there are 14 or so similar nesting sites of which five to seven are used in any one year. Many are renovated each season, and some have been used for 70 years. The nest is a large heap of sticks, driftwood, turf or seaweed built in forks of trees, rocky outcrops, utility poles, artificial platforms or offshore islets. As wide as 2 meters and weighing about 135 kg, large nests on utility poles may be fire hazards and have caused power outages.

Generally, ospreys reach sexual maturity and begin breeding around the age of three to four, though in some regions with high osprey densities, such as Chesapeake Bay in the U.S., they may not start breeding until five to seven years old, and there may be a shortage of suitable tall structures. If there are no nesting sites available, young ospreys may be forced to delay breeding. To ease this problem, posts are sometimes erected to provide more sites suitable for nest building. In some regions ospreys prefer transmission towers as nesting sites, e.g. in East Germany.

Egg, Collection Museum Wiesbaden

The platform design developed by one organization, Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries, Inc. has become the official design of the State of New Jersey, U.S. The platform plans and materials list, available online, have been utilized by people from a number of different geographical regions. Osprey-watch.org is the global site for mapping osprey nest locations and logging observations on reproductive success.

Ospreys usually mate for life. Rarely, polyandry has been recorded. The breeding season varies according to latitude; spring (September–October) in southern Australia, April to July in northern Australia and winter (June–August) in southern Queensland. In spring the pair begins a five-month period of partnership to raise their young. The female lays two to four eggs within a month, and relies on the size of the nest to conserve heat. The eggs are whitish with bold splotches of reddish-brown and are about 6.2 cm × 4.5 cm (2.4 in × 1.8 in) and weigh about 65 g (2.3 oz). The eggs are incubated for about 35–43 days to hatching.

The newly hatched chicks weigh only 50–60 g (1.8–2.1 oz), but fledge in 8–10 weeks. A study on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, had an average time between hatching and fledging of 69 days. The same study found an average of 0.66 young fledged per year per occupied territory, and 0.92 young fledged per year per active nest. Some 22% of surviving young either remained on the island or returned at maturity to join the breeding population. When food is scarce, the first chicks to hatch are most likely to survive. The typical lifespan is 7–10 years, though rarely individuals can grow to as old as 20–25 years.

The oldest European wild osprey on record lived to be over thirty years of age. In North America, great horned owls (Bubo virginianus), golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), and bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are the only major predators of ospreys, capable of taking both nestlings and adults. However, kleptoparasitism by bald eagles, where the larger raptor steals the osprey's catch, is more common than predation. The white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), which is very similar to the bald eagle, may harass or prey on the osprey in Eurasia. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) can be a serious threat to nestlings or eggs if they can access the nest. Endoparasitic trematodes (Scaphanocephalus expansus and Neodiplostomum spp.) have been recorded in wild ospreys.

from Wikipedia

Exif info:

Exposure: 1/80

Aperture: f/3.5

Focal Length: 75 mm

ISO Speed: 100

Olympus OM-D E M-10

Olympus 14-42mm EZ

Aperture ƒ/6.7

Focal length 14.0 mm

Shutter 1/250

ISO 400

Taken in Dec 2011 in Germany.

Oppenheimer-class battlecruiser

Length: 686ft

Displacement: 44,160t

Speed: .32au/h

Jump range: 8.5ly

Crew: 410

Armament:

___9 x 386mm(aperture) fusion-pumped lasers (3x3)

___1 x keel-mounted antimatter beam weapon

Proximity defense system:

___8 x 60mm flak turret (quadmount)

___8 x APD-5 missile tube (paired)

___2 x EMP projector

Drive:

___1 x antimatter reactor

___5 x AMF torchdrive

___4 x tripartite fusion reactor

Culprit: Minus Ten and Counting - The Phoenix

LXF: IUN_Asagiri

Location: Highland of Perak, Malaysia

Toxicity: Non-venomous

Length: 6 inches

Also known as white-headed reed snake, or red headed reed snake.

Distribution: It is native to Southeast Asia, where it occurs in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Habitat: Lowland to highland forest (e.g., Mt. Kinabalu)

Etymology: Named after Hermann Schlegel (1804-1884), German herpetologist.

Behavior: Shy and docile (but some specimens especially from Singapore are known to bite).

Length: 5--5-6 inches

Diet: Feeds on small invertebrates such as worms, sometimes insects.

Reproduction: Oviparous (eggs layer).

Distribution: It is native to Southeast Asia, where it occurs in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Rix Explorer at Ipswich after arriving from Cork, Ireland.

Name: Rix Explorer

Vessel type: Cargo vessel

Design: Combi Freighter 4200

Home port: Limassol

Flag: Cyprus

IMO: 9167356

MMSI: 209681000

Call sign: 5BHH5

Crew: 10

Length overall: 89.69 m

Beam: 13.17 m

Draught: 5.72 m

Depth: 7.15 m

Gross tonnage: 2,810 ton

Net tonnage: 1,452 ton

Max deadweight: 4,150 ton

Number of holds: 1

Hold dimensions: 62 x 11 x 8.43 m, narrowing over last 6 m forward to 7.15 m

Hold capacity: 5,718 m3

Fuel capacity: 296.19 m3

Engine: 1 x Deutz TBD645L6

Engine output: 1 x 2,950 hp (2,200 kW) at 600 rpm

Bow thruster: 1 x 2,95 hp (220 kW)

Speed: 11 knots

Builder, hull: Santierul Naval Galati S A, Galati, Romania

Yard number: 920

Builder, outfitting: Damen Shipyard, Hoogezand, Netherlands

Yard number: 729

Keel laid: 19th. December 1996

Launch date: 29th. September 1997

Delivery date: 23rd. March 1998

Owner: Rix-Explorer Shipping Ltd, Riga, Latvia

Operator: Baltic Shipping, Hillerød, Denmark

Previous names:

Rover until February 2020

Hagen until December 2015

Kopenhagen until August 2001

COLLISION IN ROSTOCK

At around 8:00 a.m. on 20th December 2024, Rix Explorer, enroute from Odense, Denmark collided with the quay in Rostock, Germany during the docking manoeuvre. There was minor damage to the wall of the quay, and the ship's bulbous bow was damaged. Human error by the Latvian captain in connection with unfavourable wind conditions were the probably cause of the accident.

GROUNDING OFF KOLDING.

Rix Explorer, enroute from Kalmar, Sweden, ran aground in the Kolding Fjord near Drejens while approaching the port of Kolding, Denmark at 6 p.m. on 29th. August 2020. The ship towed off by tugs and surveyed by divers on 30th. August. It arrived at the South Quay in Kolding at 8.30 p.m.

ENGINE BREAKDOWN OF CAPE GRIS-NEU.

At 06:00 a.m. on 23rd. July 2017, Rover notified the CROSS Gris-Nez about a total power loss and inability to manoeuvre 7 miles southeast of Cape Gris-Nez, in the upstream channel of the Pas-de-Calais vessel separation zone. The ship was underway from Nador, Morocco to Rotterdam, Holland with a cargo of clay. While the crew were trying to identify the cause of the breakdown, the CROSS detoured ship traffic in the vicinity and issued navigational warnings to ensure safety.

As a precaution, at 7.15 a.m. the Maritime Operations Centre (COM) in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin ordered the emergency tug Abeille Languedoc a, to proceed to the ship. At approximately 08:50 a.m. the CROSS Gris-Nez gave permission for Rover to drop anchor 6 miles from Cap Gris-Nez to carry out the repair work. The Abeille Languedoc arrived on scene at 09:15 a.m., ready to intervene if necessary.

Shortly after 2 p.m. the crew managed to finish the repairs, and the ship resumed her journey, but 4 miles off Cape Gris-Nez, it had to stop again. The CROSS Gris-Nez immediately authorized it to anchor and the COM Cherbourg sent an evaluation and intervention team on board made up of the chief engineer of the Abeille Languedoc and one inspector of the Ship Safety Center (CSN) of Boulogne. At 3.40 p.m. they were winched down by a Navy Dauphin helicopter base at Le Touquet. Very quickly, the chief engineer of the Abeille Languedoc determined the origin of the breakdown was the quality of the fuel used. After a complete inspection of the ship, the helicopter winched the evaluation team off at 6:30 p.m and Rover resumed her voyage to Rotterdam around 7 p.m. Rover arrived in Rotterdam on 24th. July.

基隆市大武崙外木山Keelung City

Camera Model : Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Shooting Mode : Bulb

Tv( Shutter Speed ) : 50

Av( Aperture Value ) : 18

Metering Mode : Spot Metering

ISO Speed : 200

Lens : EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM

Focal Length : 16.0mm

White Balance Mode : Color Temperature(5600K)

AF Mode : Manual focusing

Picture Style : Landscape

Sharpness : 7

Contrast : 2

Saturation : 3

Color tone : -2

影像品質 : RAW(Adobe Photoshop Lightroom)轉JPEG檔

影像後製軟體 : Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5

版權所有不得轉載 © All rights reserved

Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media

without my explicit permission.

Length about 4 cm.

Impact of aperture, focal length and focus distance on DOF. The values were calculated using DOFMaster.

NOTE

In the upper section, the three resulting images will have the same content. In the middle and lower section, the images will differ. The dog gets smaller or larger in the shot.

DATA

Full-Frame Sensor (Circle of confusion = 0,03 mm in diameter),

>>> Aperture, on 5 m, and with 50 mm focal length,

f/2,8: 4,3 ... 6,0 m

f/8: 3,4 ... 9,5 m

f/16: 2,6 ... 100 m

>>> Focal distance, f, on 5 m and f/8

35 mm: 2,5 ... infinity

50 mm: 3,4 ...9,5 m

135 mm: 4,7 ... 5,3 m

>>> Image distance, g, with f = 50 mm, and aperture = f/8

1 m: 0,9 ... 1,1 m

5 m: 3,4 ... 9,5 m

10 m: 5.0 ....infinity

--

Man: (c) studiostoks at Fotolia

Dog: Wikipedia / Creative Commons

Length (leg to leg): 3.1 cm

Another specimen

Location: Peninsular Malaysia

Type Supply vessel

Flag of United Kingdom

IMO 9395458

MMSI 232014340

Callsign MCSP5

Year Built 2008

Length 74 m

Width 16 m

Draught Avg 3.9 m / ...

Speed Avg/Max 7.3 kn / 13.2 kn

The two new vessels are both UT 755 LN medium size PSV’s, built in Aukra Yard Norway in 2008 and 2009 respectively. The sister ships were purchased by Northern PSV AS, a newly incorporated company with investors including S.D Standard Drilling Plc. After a period of maintenance and re-flagging to the British Flag, both vessels will be ready to join the market .

The addition of the FS Crathes (ex ER Trondheim) and FS Carrick (ex ER Narvik) to the Fletcher Fleet will bring our vessel count to 15, with 13 of our vessels operating either term or spot contracts accross the North Sea.

2016 Wayne County 4-H Fair, Richmond, Indiana

The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from 12–16 m (39–52 ft) and weigh about 36,000 kg (79,000 lb). The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviors, making it popular with whale watchers. Males produce a complex song lasting 10 to 20 minutes, which they repeat for hours at a time. Its purpose is not clear, though it may have a role in mating.

Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate up to 25,000 km (16,000 mi) each year. Humpbacks feed only in summer, in polar waters, and migrate to tropical or subtropical waters to breed and give birth in the winter when they fast and live off their fat reserves. Their diet consists mostly of krill and small fish. Humpbacks have a diverse repertoire of feeding methods, including the bubble net technique.

Fully grown males average 13–14 m (43–46 ft). Females are slightly larger at 15–16 m (49–52 ft); one large recorded specimen was 19 m (62 ft) long and had pectoral fins measuring 6 m (20 ft) each. The largest humpback on record, according to whaling records, was a female killed in the Caribbean; she was 27 m (89 ft) long with a weight of 90 metric tons (99 short tons), although the reliability of this information is unconfirmed due to illogicality of the record. Body mass typically is in the range of 25–30 metric tons (28–33 short tons), with large specimens weighing over 40 metric tons (44 short tons)

A humpback whale can easily be identified by its stocky body, obvious hump, black dorsal colouring, and elongated pectoral fins. The head and lower jaw are covered with knobs called tubercles, which are hair follicles, and are characteristic of the species. The fluked tail, which it typically lifts above the surface when diving, has wavy trailing edges.

Humpbacks have 270 to 400 darkly coloured baleen plates on each side of their mouths.[18] The plates measure from 18 in (46 cm) in the front to about 3 ft (0.91 m) in the back, behind the hinge.

Ventral grooves run from the lower jaw to the umbilicus about halfway along the underside of the whale. These grooves are less numerous (usually 14–22) than in other rorquals, but are fairly wide.[

This image was taken in Port Frederik Bay near Hoonah and Icy Strait Point

Tea Length Organza Ball Gown 2012 Wedding Dress

Here's another from my time out following the Mass Bay RRE's Narragansett Bay Special which made a round trip over the entire thirteen mile length of the Newport Secondary. The train consisted of two GE centercabs, Newport and Narragansett Bay Railroad numbers 14 and 66 and the five car regular dinner train consist.

The latter is freshly repainted into the very attractive paint scheme featuring colors that pay homage to the state of Rhode Island and the omnipresent sea. It wears a newly applied logo for the Grand Bellevue Dinner Train for which it is the regular power. A GE 65-tonner, it was built in 1943 and was most recently numbered USN 65-00566 where it served with a sister unit at the Portsmouth Navy Yard until being replaced with a trackmobile several years ago. In 2024 she and sister unit USN 65-00308, two years her junior, were purchased by Eric Moffett and turcked to Rhode Island with the the 65-00308 being assigned to the Seaview Railroad freight operations at Quonset Business Park.

She is coupled to diner lounge BC-30 which a Budd RDC-3 built in 1956 for the Pacific Great East Railway. The self propelled car was one of seven the railroad bought which passed to BC Rail and remained in daily scheduled passenger service until discontinued by the province of British Columbia in 2002. It and sister BC-15 spent a couple years on the short lived Wilton Scenic Railroad in New Hampshire before coming to the island in 2007. The car is in the process of being remodeled into a dining car and bar with the headlights and horn operational and used as a shoving platform from the cab.

Pretty little number 66 brings up the rear crossing Willow Lane at the intersection with Depot Street so names because this is where the Portsmouth depot once stood here at about MP 9.2 which would have been about MP 20.8 as measured from Myricks and the junction with the New Bedford mainline back in PC and early CR days.

This was once named 'Coal Mine' station for the deep underground anthracite mines once located here. Anthracite coal was mined for more than a century from 1808 to 1913. Between 1867 and 1883 the coal fed the Taunton Copper works which operated a smelter adjacent the mine on Arnold's point off to the right. In latter years the mine site was the home of Kaiser Aluminum which operated from 1967 to 1987 and was the last major rail customer on the island. Today all the land which is still zoned heavy industrial has been redeveloped into luxury condominiums. The centerpiece of that development is The Tower at Carnegie Abbey rising in the background. The 22 story tower opened in 2009, and at 242 ft it is far taller than any other structure anywhere on the island. It is built exactly on the footprint of the former Kaiser Aluminum plant's extrusion tower where coated aluminum wire was produced and hence fell under the zoning variance for the former manufacturing facility. You can learn more about the site and development here:

portsmouthabbeymonastery.org/kaiser-to-carnegie

www.hoganassociatesre.com/blog/carnegie-abbey-and-the-kai...

Portsmouth, Rhode Island

Saturday May 17, 2025

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humpback_whale

The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from 12–16 metres (39–52 ft) and weigh approximately 36,000 kilograms (79,000 lb). The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. An acrobatic animal known for breaching and slapping the water with its tail and pectorals, it is popular with whale watchers off Australia, New Zealand, South America, Canada, and the United States.

Males produce a complex song lasting 10 to 20 minutes, which they repeat for hours at a time. Its purpose is not clear, though it may have a role in mating.

Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate up to 25,000 kilometres (16,000 mi) each year. Humpbacks feed only in summer, in polar waters, and migrate to tropical or subtropical waters to breed and give birth in the winter. During the winter, humpbacks fast and live off their fat reserves. Their diet consists mostly of krill and small fish. Humpbacks have a diverse repertoire of feeding methods, including the bubble net feeding technique.

Like other large whales, the humpback was and is a target for the whaling industry. Once hunted to the brink of extinction, its population fell by an estimated 90% before a moratorium was introduced in 1966. While stocks have since partially recovered, entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships, and noise pollution continue to impact the 80,000 humpbacks worldwide.

Taxonomy

Humpback whales are rorquals (family Balaenopteridae), a family that includes the blue whale, the fin whale, the Bryde's whale, the sei whale and the minke whale. The rorquals are believed to have diverged from the other families of the suborder Mysticeti as long ago as the middle Miocene.[3] However, it is not known when the members of these families diverged from each other.

Though clearly related to the giant whales of the genus Balaenoptera, the humpback has been the sole member of its genus since Gray's work in 1846. More recently, though, DNA sequencing analysis has indicated the humpback is more closely related to certain rorquals, particularly the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), and possibly to the gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), than it is to rorquals such as the minke whales.[4][5] If further research confirms these relationships, it will be necessary to reclassify the rorquals.

The humpback whale was first identified as baleine de la Nouvelle Angleterre by Mathurin Jacques Brisson in his Regnum Animale of 1756. In 1781, Georg Heinrich Borowski described the species, converting Brisson's name to its Latin equivalent, Balaena novaeangliae. In 1804, Lacépède shifted the humpback from the Balaenidae family, renaming it Balaenoptera jubartes. In 1846, John Edward Gray created the genus Megaptera, classifying the humpback as Megaptera longipinna, but in 1932, Remington Kellogg reverted the species names to use Borowski's novaeangliae.[6] The common name is derived from the curving of their backs when diving. The generic name Megaptera from the Greek mega-/μεγα- "giant" and ptera/πτερα "wing",[7] refers to their large front flippers. The specific name means "New Englander" and was probably given by Brisson due the regular sightings of humpbacks off the coast of New England.

Description

A humpback whale can easily be identified by its stocky body with an obvious hump and black dorsal coloring. The head and lower jaw are covered with knobs called tubercles, which are hair follicles, and are characteristic of the species. The fluked tail, which it lifts above the surface in some dive sequences, has wavy trailing edges.[8] The four global populations, all under study, are: North Pacific, Atlantic, and Southern Ocean humpbacks, which have distinct populations which complete a migratory round-trip each year, and the Indian Ocean population, which does not migrate, prevented by that ocean's northern coastline.

The long black and white tail fin, which can be up to a third of body length, and the pectoral fins have unique patterns, which make individual whales identifiable.[9][10] Several hypotheses attempt to explain the humpback's pectoral fins, which are proportionally the longest fins of any cetacean. The two most enduring mention the higher maneuverability afforded by long fins, and the usefulness of the increased surface area for temperature control when migrating between warm and cold climates.

Humpbacks have 270 to 400 darkly coloured baleen plates on each side of their mouths.[11] The plates measure from a mere 18 inches (46 cm) in the front to approximately 3 feet (0.91 m) long in the back, behind the hinge. Ventral grooves run from the lower jaw to the umbilicus about halfway along the underside of the whale. These grooves are less numerous (usually 14–22) than in other rorquals but are fairly wide.[11]

The stubby dorsal fin is visible soon after the blow when the whale surfaces, but disappears by the time the flukes emerge. Humpbacks have a 3 metres (9.8 ft), heart-shaped to bushy blow, or exhalation of water through the blowholes. Because humpback whales breathe voluntarily, the whales possibly shut off only half of their brains when sleeping.[12] Early whalers also noted blows from humpback adults to be 10–20 feet (3.0–6.1 m) high.

Newborn calves are roughly the length of their mother's head. At birth, calves measure 20 feet (6.1 m) at 2 short tons (1.8 t) The mother, by comparison, is about 50 feet (15 m). They nurse for approximately six months, then mix nursing and independent feeding for possibly six months more. Humpback milk is 50% fat and pink in color.

Females reach sexual maturity at the age of five, achieving full adult size a little later. Males reach sexual maturity at approximately seven years of age. Humpback whale lifespans range from 45–100 years.[13] Fully grown, the males average 13–14 m (43–46 ft). Females are slightly larger at 15–16 m (49–52 ft); the largest recorded specimen was 19 metres (62 ft) long and had pectoral fins measuring 6 metres (20 ft) each.[14] Body mass typically is in the range of 25–30 metric tons (28–33 short tons), with large specimens weighing over 40 metric tons (44 short tons).[15] The female has a hemispherical lobe about 15 centimetres (5.9 in) in diameter in its genital region. This visually distinguishes males and females.[11] The male's penis usually remains hidden in the genital slit.

Identifying individuals

The varying patterns on the tail flukes are sufficient to identify individuals. A study using data from 1973 to 1998 on whales in the North Atlantic gave researchers detailed information on gestation times, growth rates, and calving periods, as well as allowing more accurate population predictions by simulating the mark-release-recapture technique (Katona and Beard 1982). A photographic catalogue of all known North Atlantic whales was developed over this period and is currently maintained by College of the Atlantic.[16] Similar photographic identification projects have begun in the North Pacific by Structure of Populations, Levels of Abundance and Status of Humpbacks, and around the world.

Life history

Social structure

The humpback social structure is loose-knit. Typically, individuals live alone or in small, transient groups that disband after a few hours. These whales are not excessively social in most cases. Groups may stay together a little longer in summer to forage and feed cooperatively. Longer-term relationships between pairs or small groups, lasting months or even years, have rarely been observed. Some females possibly retain bonds created via cooperative feeding for a lifetime. The humpback's range overlaps considerably with other whale and dolphin species—for instance, the minke whale. However, humpbacks rarely interact socially with them, though one individual was observed playing with a bottlenose dolphin in Hawaiian waters.[17]

Courtship and reproduction

Courtship rituals take place during the winter months, following migration toward the equator from summer feeding grounds closer to the poles. Competition is usually fierce, and unrelated males, dubbed escorts by researcher Louis Herman, frequently trail females, as well as mother-calf dyads. Male gather into "competitive groups" and fight for females.[18] Group size ebbs and flows as unsuccessful males retreat and others arrive to try their luck. Behaviors include breaching, spyhopping, lob-tailing, tail-slapping, fin-slapping, peduncle throws, charging and parrying. Whale songs are assumed to have an important role in mate selection; however, they may also be used between males to establish dominance.[19]

Females typically breed every two or three years. The gestation period is 11.5 months, yet some individuals have been known to breed in two consecutive years. The peak months for birth are January, February, July, and August, with usually a one- to two–year period between humpback births. They can live up to 48 years. Recent research on humpback mitochondrial DNA reveals groups living in proximity to each other may represent distinct breeding pools.[20]

Song

Both male and female humpback whales vocalize, but only males produce the long, loud, complex "songs" for which the species is famous. Each song consists of several sounds in a low register, varying in amplitude and frequency, and typically lasting from 10 to 20 minutes.[21] Humpbacks may sing continuously for more than 24 hours. Cetaceans have no vocal cords, so whales generate their songs by forcing air through their massive nasal cavities.

Whales within a large area sing the same song. All North Atlantic humpbacks sing the same song, and those of the North Pacific sing a different song. Each population's song changes slowly over a period of years without repeating.[21]

Scientists are unsure of the purpose of whale songs. Only males sing, suggesting one purpose is to attract females. However, many of the whales observed to approach a singer are other males, often resulting in conflict. Singing may, therefore, be a challenge to other males.[22] Some scientists have hypothesized the song may serve an echolocative function.[23] During the feeding season, humpbacks make altogether different vocalizations for herding fish into their bubble nets.[24]

Humpback whales have also been found to make a range of other social sounds to communicate, such as "grunts", "groans", "thwops", "snorts" and "barks".[

Ecology

Feeding and predation

Humpbacks feed primarily in summer and live off fat reserves during winter.[26] They feed only rarely and opportunistically in their wintering waters. The humpback is an energetic hunter, taking krill and small schooling fish such as Atlantic herring, Atlantic salmon, capelin, and American sand lance, as well as Atlantic mackerel, pollock, and haddock in the North Atlantic.[27][28][29] Krill and copepods have been recorded as prey species in Australian and Antarctic waters.[30] Humpbacks hunt by direct attack or by stunning prey by hitting the water with pectoral fins or flukes.

The humpback has the most diverse feeding repertoire of all baleen whales.[31] Its most inventive technique is known as bubble net feeding; a group of whales swims in a shrinking circle blowing bubbles below a school of prey. The shrinking ring of bubbles encircles the school and confines it in an ever-smaller cylinder. This ring can begin at up to 30 metres (98 ft) in diameter and involve the cooperation of a dozen animals. Using a crittercam attached to a whale's back, some whales were found to blow the bubbles, some dive deeper to drive fish toward the surface, and others herd prey into the net by vocalizing.[32] The whales then suddenly swim upward through the "net", mouths agape, swallowing thousands of fish in one gulp. Plated grooves in the whale's mouth allow the creature to easily drain all the water initially taken in.

Given scarring records, killer whales are thought to prey upon juvenile humpbacks, though this has never been witnessed. The result of these attacks is generally nothing more serious than some scarring of the skin, but young calves likely are sometimes killed.

Range and habitat

Humpbacks inhabit all major oceans, in a wide band running from the Antarctic ice edge to 77° N latitude, though not in the eastern Mediterranean or the Baltic Sea.They are migratory, spending summers in cooler, high-latitude waters and mating and calving in tropical and subtropical waters.[21] An exception to this rule is a population in the Arabian Sea, which remains in these tropical waters year-round.[21] Annual migrations of up to 25,000 kilometres (16,000 mi) are typical, making it one of the mammals' best-traveled species.

A large population spreads across the Hawaiian Islands every winter, ranging from the island of Hawaii in the south to Kure Atoll in the north.[34] A 2007 study identified seven individuals wintering off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica as having traveled from the Antarctic—around 8,300 kilometres (5,200 mi). Identified by their unique tail patterns, these animals made the longest documented mammalian migration.[35] In Australia, two main migratory populations have been identified, off the west and east coasts, respectively. These two populations are distinct, with only a few females in each generation crossing between the two groups

Whaling

Humpback whales were hunted as early as the 18th century, but distinguished by whalers as early as the first decades of the 17th century. By the 19th century, many nations (the United States in particular), were hunting the animal heavily in the Atlantic Ocean, and to a lesser extent in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The late-19th-century introduction of the explosive harpoon, though, allowed whalers to accelerate their take. This, along with hunting in the Antarctic Ocean beginning in 1904, sharply reduced whale populations. During the 20th century, over 200,000 humpbacks were estimated to have been taken, reducing the global population by over 90%, with North Atlantic populations estimated to have dropped to as low as 700 individuals.[37] In 1946, the International Whaling Commission was founded to oversee the whaling industry. They imposed rules and regulations for hunting whales and set open and closed hunting seasons. To prevent extinction, the International Whaling Commission banned commercial humpback whaling in 1966. By then, the population had been reduced to around 5,000.[38] That ban is still in force.

Prior to commercial whaling, populations could have reached 125,000. North Pacific kills alone are estimated at 28,000.[8] The full toll is much higher. It is now known that the Soviet Union was deliberately under-recording its catches; the Soviet catch was reported at 2,820, whereas the true number is now believed to be over 48,000.[39]

As of 2004, hunting of humpback whales was restricted to a few animals each year off the Caribbean island Bequia in the nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.[31] The take is not believed to threaten the local population. Japan had planned to kill 50 humpbacks in the 2007/08 season under its JARPA II research program, starting in November 2007. The announcement sparked global protests.[40] After a visit to Tokyo by the chairman of the IWC, asking the Japanese for their co-operation in sorting out the differences between pro- and antiwhaling nations on the Commission, the Japanese whaling fleet agreed no humpback whales would be caught for the two years it would take for the IWC to reach a formal agreement.[41]

In 2010, the International Whaling Commission authorized Greenland’s native population to hunt a few humpback whales for the next three years.[

Conservation

The worldwide population is at least 80,000 humpback whales, with 18,000-20,000 in the North Pacific,[43] about 12,000 in the North Atlantic,[44] and over 50,000 in the Southern Hemisphere,[45] down from a prewhaling population of 125,000.[8]

This species is considered "least concern" from a conservation standpoint, as of 2008. This is an improvement from vulnerable in the prior assessment. Most monitored stocks of humpback whales have rebounded well since the end of commercial whaling,[2][46] such as the North Atlantic, where stocks are now believed to be approaching levels similar to those before hunting began. However, the species is considered endangered in some countries, including the United States.[47][48] The United States initiated a status review of the species on August 12, 2009, and is seeking public comment on potential changes to the species listing under the Endangered Species Act.[49] Areas where population data are limited and the species may be at higher risk include the Arabian Sea, the western North Pacific Ocean, the west coast of Africa and parts of Oceania.[2]

Today, individuals are vulnerable to collisions with ships, entanglement in fishing gear, and noise pollution.[2] Like other cetaceans, humpbacks can be injured by excessive noise. In the 19th century, two humpback whales were found dead near sites of repeated oceanic sub-bottom blasting, with traumatic injuries and fractures in the ears.[50]

Once hunted to the brink of extinction, the humpback has made a dramatic comeback in the North Pacific. A 2008 study estimated the humpback population, which hit a low of 1,500 whales before hunting was banned worldwide, has made a comeback to a population of between 18,000 and 20,000.[51] Saxitoxin, a paralytic shellfish poisoning from contaminated mackerel has been implicated in humpback whale deaths.[52]

The United Kingdom, among other countries, designated the humpback as a priority species under the national Biodiversity Action Plan. The sanctuary provided by US National Parks, such as Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and Cape Hatteras National Seashore, among others, have also become major factors in sustaining populations.[53]

Although much was learned about humpbacks from whaling, migratory patterns and social interactions were not well understood until two studies by R. Chittleborough and W. H. Dawbin in the 1960s.[54] Roger Payne and Scott McVay made further studies of the species in 1971.[55] Their analysis of whale songs led to worldwide media interest and convinced the public that whales were highly intelligent, aiding the antiwhaling advocates.

In August 2008, the IUCN changed humpback's status from Vulnerable to Least Concern, although two subpopulations remain endangered.[56] The United States is considering listing separate humpback populations, so smaller groups, such as North Pacific humpbacks, which are estimated to number 18,000-20,000 animals, might be delisted. This is made difficult by humpback's extraordinary migrations, which can extend the 5,157 miles (8,299 km) from Antarctica to Costa Rica.[

Whale-watching

Humpback whales are generally curious about objects in their environments. Some individuals, referred to as "friendlies", approach whale-watching boats closely, often staying under or near the boat for many minutes. Because humpbacks are often easily approachable, curious, easily identifiable as individuals, and display many behaviors, they have become the mainstay of whale-watching tourism in many locations around the world. Hawaii has used the concept of "ecotourism" to use the species without killing them. This whale-watching business brings in a revenue of $20 million per year for the state's economy.[57]

North AtlanticNorth PacificSouthern Hemisphere

SummerNew England, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, the northern St. Lawrence River, the Snaefellsnes peninsula in the west of Iceland

California, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia

Antarctica, Bahía Solano and Nuquí in Colombia

WinterSamaná Province of the Dominican Republic, the Bay of Biscay France,

Hawaii, Baja, the Bahía de Banderas off Puerto Vallarta

Sydney, Byron Bay north of Sydney, Hervey Bay north of Brisbane, North and East of Cape Town, New Zealand, the Tongan islands,

Famous humpbacks

In December 1883, a male humpback swam up the Firth of Tay in Scotland, past what was then the whaling port of Dundee. The whale was exhibited to the public by a local entrepreneur, John Woods, both locally and then as a touring exhibition which travelled to Edinburgh and London. The whale was dissected by professor John Struthers, who wrote seven papers on its anatomy, and then in 1889, a monograph on the humpback.[58][59][60][61]

Migaloo

A presumably albino humpback whale that travels up and down the east coast of Australia became famous in the local media on account of its extremely rare, all-white appearance. Migaloo is the only known all-white humpback whale.[62] First sighted in 1991, and believed to be three to five years old at that time, Migaloo was named for an indigenous Australian word for "white fella". Migaloo was shown to be male in 2004 by analysis of sloughed skin samples. Because of the intense interest, environmentalists feared he was becoming distressed by the number of boats following him each day. In response, the Queensland and New South Wales governments introduce legislation each year to create a 500-m (1600-ft) exclusion zone around the whale. Recent closeup pictures have shown Migaloo to have skin cancer and/or skin cysts as a result of his lack of protection from the sun.[63]

In 2006, a white calf was spotted with a normal humpback mother in Byron Bay, New South Wales.[64]

Humphrey

Humphrey the Whale was twice rescued by The Marine Mammal Center and other concerned groups in California.[65][66] In 1985, Humphrey swam into San Francisco Bay and then up the Sacramento River towards Rio Vista.[67] Five years later, Humphrey returned and became stuck on a mudflat in San Francisco Bay immediately north of Sierra Point below the view of onlookers from the upper floors of the Dakin Building. He was pulled off the mudflat with a large cargo net and the help of the Coast Guard. Both times, he was successfully guided back to the Pacific Ocean using a "sound net" in which people in a flotilla of boats made unpleasant noises behind the whale by banging on steel pipes, a Japanese fishing technique known as oikami. At the same time, the attractive sounds of humpback whales preparing to feed were broadcast from a boat headed towards the open ocean.[68] After leaving San Francisco Bay in 1990, Humphrey was seen only once, at the Farallon Islands in 1991.

The great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or white pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow lakes.

The great white pelican is a huge bird—only the Dalmatian pelican is, on average, larger among pelicans. It measures 140 to 180 cm (55 to 71 in) in length with a 28.9 to 47.1 cm (11.4 to 18.5 in) enormous pink and yellow bill, and a dull pale-yellow gular pouch. The wingspan measures 226 to 360 cm (7.41 to 11.81 ft), the latter measurement being the highest among extant flying animals outside of the great albatross. The adult male measures about 175 cm (69 in) in length; it weighs from 9 to 15 kg (20 to 33 lb) and larger races from the Palaearctic are usually around 11 kg (24 lb), with few exceeding 13 kg (29 lb). It has a bill measuring 34.7 to 47.1 cm (13.7 to 18.5 in). The female measures about 148 cm (58 in) in length, and is considerably less bulky, weighing 5.4 to 9 kg (12 to 20 lb), and has a bill that measures 28.9 to 40.0 cm (11.4 to 15.7 in) in length. In Lake Edward, Uganda, the average weight of 52 males was found to 11.45 kg (25.2 lb) and in 22 females it was 7.59 kg (16.7 lb). In South Africa, the average weight of males was 9.6 kg (21 lb) and of females was 6.9 kg (15 lb). Thus the sexual dimorphism is especially pronounced in this species (perhaps the greatest known in any extant pelican), as at times the male can average more than 30% more massive than the female. Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 60 to 73 cm (24 to 29 in), the tail 16 to 21 cm (6.3 to 8.3 in), and the tarsus 13 to 14.9 cm (5.1 to 5.9 in) long. Standard measurements from different areas indicate that pelicans from the Western Palaearctic are somewhat larger than those from Asia and Africa.

The male has a downward bend in the neck and the female has a shorter, straighter beak. The plumage is predominantly white except on remiges, with a faint pink tinge on the neck and a yellowish base on the foreneck. The primary feathers are black, with white shafts at the bases, occasionally with paler tips and narrow fringes. The secondary feathers are also black, but with a whitish fringe. The upperwing coverts, underwing coverts, and tertials are white. The forehead is swollen and pinkish skin surrounds the bare, dark eyes having brown-red to dark brown irides. It has fleshy-yellow legs and pointed forehead-feathers where meeting the culmen. In breeding season, the male has pinkish skin while the female has orangey skin on its face. The bill is mostly bluish grey, with a red tip, reddish maxilla edges, and a cream-yellow to yolk-yellow gular pouch. The white plumage becomes tinged-pink with a yellow patch on the breast, and the body is tinged yellowish-rosy. It also has a short, shaggy crest on the nape. The white covert feathers contrast with the solid black primary and secondary feathers. The legs are yellow-flesh to pinkish orange. Both male and female are similar, but the female is smaller and has brighter orange facial skin in the breeding season.

The juvenile has darker, brownish underparts that are palest at the rump, center of the belly, and uppertail coverts. The underwing coverts are mostly dull-white, but the greater coverts are dark and there is a dark brownish bar over the lesser coverts. The rear tertials upperwing coverts mostly have paler tips with a silvery-grey tinge on the greater secondary coverts and tertials. It has dark flight feathers, and brown-edged wings. The head, neck, and upperparts, including the upperwing coverts, are mostly brown—this is the darkest part of the neck. The facial skin and the bill, including its gular pouch, are greyish to dusky greyish. The forehead, rump, and abdomen are white, and its legs and feet are grey. Its blackish tail occasionally has a silvery-grey tinge. Its underparts and back are initially browner and darker than those of the Dalmatian pelican, and the underwing is strongly patterned, similar to the juvenile brown pelican.

The great white pelican is distinguished from all other pelicans by its plumage. Its face is naked and the feathering on its forehead tapers to a fine point, whereas other species are completely feathered. In flight, the white underwing with black remiges of the adult are similar only to those of the American white pelican (P. erythrorhynchos), but the latter has white inner secondary feathers. It differs from the Dalmatian pelican in its pure white – rather than greyish-white – plumage, a bare pink facial patch around the eye, and pinkish legs. The spot-billed pelican (P. philippensis) of Asia is slightly smaller than the great white pelican, with greyish tinged white plumage, and a paler, duller-colored bill.[5] Similarly, the pink-backed pelican (P. rufescens) is smaller, with brownish-grey plumage, a light pink to off-grey bill, and a pinkish wash on the back.

The bird is mostly silent but has a variety of low-pitched lowing, grunting, and growling calls. The flight call is a deep, quiet croak., while at breeding colonies, it gives deep moooo calls.

The breeding range of the great white pelican extends to Ethiopia, Tanzania, Chad, northern Cameroons, and Nigeria in Africa, and has been observed or reported breeding in Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa. In the 1990s, 6,700 to 11,000 breeding pairs in 23 to 25 breeding sites, were found in the Palearctic region. A 1991 study noted about 3,070 to 4,300 pairs were present in the Soviet Union. Only two breeding colonies are located in the Mediterranean basin, one having 250 to 400 pairs in Turkey and the other having 50 to 100 pairs in northern Greece. The breeding colony at Lake Rukwa, Tanzania is the largest known breeding colony in Africa, followed by the Lake Shala, Ethiopia colony which is probably of crucial importance to the species in Africa.

The African population of about 75,000 pairs of the great white pelican is resident. The ones breeding in the Palearctic region are migrants, although it is possible that the majority of the western Palearctic populations stop-over in Israel during their autumn migration. The migration routes are only partially known. Migratory populations are found from Eastern Europe to Kazakhstan during the breeding season. More than 50% of Eurasian great white pelicans breed in the Danube Delta in Romania. They also prefer staying in the Lakes near Burgas, Bulgaria and in Srebarna Lake in Bulgaria. The pelicans arrive in the Danube in late March or early April and depart after breeding from September to late November. Wintering locations for European pelicans are not exactly known but wintering birds may occur in northeastern Africa through Iraq to north India, with a particularly large number of breeders from Asia wintering around Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Northern populations migrate to China, India, Myanmar, with stragglers reaching Java and Bali in Indonesia. These are birds that are found mostly in lowlands, though in East Africa and Nepal may be found living at elevations of up to 1,372 m (4,501 ft).

Overall, the great white pelican is one of the most widely distributed species. Although some areas still hold quite large colonies, it ranks behind the brown pelican and possibly the Australian pelican in overall abundance. Europe now holds an estimated 7,345–10,000 breeding pairs, with over 4,000 pairs that are known to nest in Russia. During migration, more than 75,000 have been observed in Israel and, in winter, over 45,000 may stay in Pakistan. In all its colonies combined, 75,000 pairs are estimated to nest in Africa. It is possibly extinct in Serbia and Montenegro, and regionally extinct in Hungary.

Great white pelicans usually prefer shallow, (seasonally or tropical) warm fresh water. Well scattered groups of breeding pelicans occur through Eurasia from the eastern Mediterranean to Vietnam. In Eurasia, fresh or brackish waters may be inhabited and the pelicans may be found in lakes, deltas, lagoons and marshes, usually with dense reed beds nearby for nesting purposes. Additionally, sedentary populations are found year-round in Africa, south of the Sahara Desert although these are patchy. In Africa, great white pelicans occur mainly around freshwater and alkaline lakes and may also be found in coastal, estuarine areas. Beyond reed beds, African pelicans have nested on inselbergs and flat inshore islands off of Banc d'Arguin National Park.

For more information, please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_white_pelican

Exposure 0.6

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Please take a moment and view this image large, as it really does need to be viewed large to appreciate the beauty and detail!

Well, hello to all my contacts and flickr friends. I have been pretty low key lately. Mainly because of the time of year and also due to having the nasty flu over the last couple of weeks. I have been checking in and viewing all your wonderful work though. Just haven't had the time to write thoughtful comments. I hope your holiday season is joyfull and happy.

It's been intirely too long since I have excersised the shutter finger. Recently, I have been inspired to get out by some of my contacts that went to Opal Creek wilderness. I have been wanting to visit this beautiful area for a long time. The last time I ventured up here, it was impossible due to the amount of snow. Today, I ventured up here after fighting the flu and really struggled, but kept going. The weather was really ugly with rain/snow non stop. I got thoroughly soaked, but it really did feel good to get out with the camera. This is the waterfall behind the old saw mill. It's a two mile hike in to this spot on a very nice trail through old growth forrest. My gear is all over the floor drying out, as I was soaked to the bone by the time I got back to my vehicle. I hope you all had a terrific Christmas and I wish for you the best during the coming new year :)

Thanks for looking :)

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is one of the world's oldest shopping malls. Housed within a four-story double arcade in central Milan, the Galleria is named after Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of the Kingdom of Italy, who also laid the first stone on March 7th 1865. It was designed in 1861 and built by architect Giuseppe Mengoni between 1865 and 1877.

For sheer belle époque splendour, this extravagant 19th-century glass-topped, barrel-vaulted tunnel serves as a lively, noisy and most of all colourful shopping mall, swarming with life and inviting you to people-watching from the tables that spill from the Galleria's many bars and restaurants. Therefore, the Galleria is often nicknamed 'il salotto di Milano' (Milan's drawing room), due to its numerous shops and importance as a common Milanese meeting and dining place.

Nice fact: in 2012, the McDonald's restaurant in the Galleria was prevented from renewing its tenancy after 20 years of occupancy. McDonald's sued the landlord - the municipality of Milano - for €24 million in damages, alleging that the loss of the lease will deprive McDonald's of €6 million per year in sales. During its last few hours of operation, the restaurant offered free food and drinks to over 5000 customers as a kind of protest. This tactic partly worked. The McDonald's restaurant was replaced with the gallery's second Prada store. But McDonald's renounced its suit against the municipality after receiving the opportunity to open a new restaurant in building next to the Galleria.

Finally, you may wonder why Carabinieri are checking peoples bags (on the right). That’s not to check if you bought enough stuff at Prada, but this was due to the finishing of the Giro d'Italia 2017 at the Piazza Del Duomo; which is situated next to the Galleria.

Technical stuff

This panorama consists of 27 individual handheld photos, take in three horizontal rows. The photo have approximately a 45% horizontal and 60% vertical overlap to compensate for all the curvatures in the construction of The Galleria; especially its roof.

All photos were made with a Fujifilm X-T2 with a Fujifilm XF10-24mmF4 R OIS mounted. The focal length I used was 15.0 mm (although the EXIF data says different). Using 10.0 mm normally leads to too much distortion, and therefore you have to take lots more photo to compensate for this wide angle effect.

For the initial merge I used PS CC. I find that this panorama algorithm or “pano engine” is the best to work with in my workflow. After stitching I used Photoshop’ warp tool to stretch and address the remaining geometric distortions.

Post-production included colour toning, balancing the overall lighting, highlighting some aspects, enhancing the contrast using a High Pass filter (set at 10,0) and I finally add the copyright watermark. The latter is, alas, there to stay due to the frequent copying of my photos. So, don't bother commenting on that.

The final image is 1,4 GB large and is the size of wall paper. So, I resized it for Flickr to a mere 3000 pixels. Which is a actually not more than a postage stamp compared to the original image.

IMO: 9288813

MMSI: 232445000

Call Sign: MHMZ8

Flag: United Kingdom [GB]

AIS Vessel Type: Tanker

Gross Tonnage: 29335

Deadweight: 46803 t

Length Overall x Breadth Extreme: 183m × 32m

Year Built: 2005

Status: Active

Body length: approx. 11mm

Lens: Venus Optics Laowa 25mm 2.5x-5x @ 4.5x @ f3.4

Number of shots: 102 @ 25um stepsize using an MJKZZ Qool Rail 250

Illumination: 4 Ulanzi L1 powerleds + Ulanzi VL100, custom tracing paper-based diffuser

Edit: Helicon focus, Photoshop CC, Lightroom C

Scene: Staged

Program:Aperture-priority AE

Lens:AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED

F:16.0

Speed:1/30

ISO:100

Focal Length:34.0 mm (35 mm equivalent 51.0 mm)

Focus Mode:AF-S

AF Area:Single Area

Shooting Mode:IR Control

VR:Off

Metering Mode:Multi-segment

WB:Auto

Focus Distance:5.62 m

Dof:inf (2.21 m - inf)

HyperFocal:3.61 m

Carrocería/Bodywork: Castrosua CS-40 City II

Chassis: Scania N94UB

Lote/Batch info: 3/4 - 6 total (545-550)

Matricula/Plate: 9144-BYH

Longitud/Length: 12m

Servicio/Service: 2002 - 2026

Info (SP): Las 6 unidades que forman este tercer lote comenzaron a prestar servicio en 2002 y hasta la fecha siguen todos excepto uno (la 548) activos en la flota. Mayormente se ocupan de rutas sobre llano o baja demanda aun que se las puede seguir viendo de vez en cuando dando guerra en rutas de alta inclinación y/o recorrido.

Info (EN): The 6 vehicles within this third batch began service in 2002 and to this date all but one of them (bus 548) continue to do so. Mainly, they take care of low demand or flat surfaced routes, although they can be frequently seen taking care of high inclination and/or long circuits.

9:40 pm CEST ->

Focal length: 21 mm

Aperture: f/18.0

Exposure: 6 sec

ISO Speed: 100

Singh-Ray DB Reverse ND-3 Grad

Manfrotto 190CXPRO4 + 460MG

FLUIDR I flickriver I Flickr Hive Mind I Getty Images I 500px

Moulton, J. C.,, photographer.

[Helen L. Gilson, Civil War nurse and head of the Colored Hospital Service, half length portrait, seated] J.C. Moulton, Fitchburg.

[Fitchburg, Massachusetts] : [J.C. Moulton], [between 1861 and 1865]

1 photograph : daguerreotype ; plate 82 x 70 mm (sixth plate format), case 94 x 81 mm +

Notes:

Case: Leather; floral design.

Text on manuscript fragment (torn envelope): Miss Helen L. Gilson, care Sanitary Commission, Washington, D.C., Potomac Creek Hospital, 2d Division, 3d Army Corps." DLC

Text on second manuscript affixed inside case behind photograph: "Jan'y 1863, nurse Sanitary Com., nurse in this hospital." DLC

Title devised by Library staff.

Use digital images. Original served only by appointment because material requires special handling. For more information see: (www.loc.gov/rr/print/info/617_apptonly.html)

Photograph shows portrait of Helen Louise Gilson, also known as Helen Louise Gilson Osgood, who cared for wounded and dying soldiers at battles including Yorktown, Antietam, Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Petersburg and advocated for a better hospital for African American soldiers and the creation the Colored Hospital Service, of which she became the head until the end of the war.

Deposit; Tom Liljenquist; 2018; (D074)

Purchased from: Chris Foard, The Foard Collection of Civil War Nursing, July 2018.

Forms part of: Daguerreotype collection (Library of Congress).

Forms part of: Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs (Library of Congress).

Subjects:

Gilson, Helen Louise,--1835-1868.

Nurses--Union--1860-1870.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Medical aspects--Union.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Women--Union.

Format: Daguerreotypes--1860-1870.

Portrait photographs--1860-1870.

Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication.

Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Part Of: Daguerreotype collection (Library of Congress) (DLC) 95861318

Liljenquist Family collection (Library of Congress) (DLC) 2010650519

More information about this collection is available at hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.lilj

Higher resolution image is available (Persistent URL): hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.57123

Call Number: DAG no. 1526

if I could open my arms

and span the length of the isle of Manhattan,

i'd bring it to where you are

making a lake of the East River and Hudson.

A water droplet slowly moving down the length of a leaf

Thank you very much for viewing my work, and thank you VERY MUCH for coming up on 900,000 views!! WOW!!

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Please also check out my ETSY and Redbubble pages:

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For information on purchasing printed images, or for image licensing information please contact me at sales@mspix.ca

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All rights reserved. Copyright © Hans Surfer Photography. 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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Exif data auto added by theGOOD Uploadr

Camera Model : Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Exposure : 1/1000 seconds

Aperture : f/4

ISO Speed : 250

Focal Length : 192 mm

ماشاءالله *

Camera :Canon EOS 450D

Exposure :0.008 sec (1/125)

Aperture :f/10.0

Focal Length :50 mm

ISO Speed :100

www.formspring.me/Doeem

Canon EOS 50D

f/11 exp. 13s

focal length: 11mm

filter: GND4

HDR 9xp

My Photostream on Black

On the square is a column of King Sigismund III Vasa from 1644, the oldest and symbolic monument of the city (a work of Clemente Molli). On the east side of square stands reconstructed after the devastation of World War II, the Royal Castle, the residence of the dukes of Mazovia, and then Polish kings and grand dukes of Lithuania from the 16th to 18th century, bombed and blown up by the Nazis during World War II. In 1949 the square was connected to the escalator with newly formed Route W-Z. Runs under the Castle Square tunnel and the viaduct (leading to the Silesian-Dąbrowski Bridge), was built in the place of viaduct Pancer, destroyed during World War II. In 1907 the viaduct was modernized to handle electric trams that went there less than a year later.

This square was the scene of many dramatic scenes from Polish history. There were patriotic demonstrations here, the period before the outbreak of the January Uprising. On February 27, 1861 from Russian bullets fell five dead. On April 8, 1861 five rota infantry and two troop of Russian cavalry (about 1,300 people) led by General Stiepan Aleksandrowicz Chrulew brought a bloody massacre of the civilian population of Warsaw, resulting in more than 100 people were killed.

During martial law square was the scene of particularly brutal riot ZOMO rushing through demonstrations on May 3, 1982.

(wikipedia.org)

That is the way you like me - isn't it xx

Canon EOS 50D

f/14 exp. 1/50s

focal length: 240mm (150*1.6)

Cicadas are insects belonging to the family Cicadidae in the order Hemiptera. Cicadas are recognizable by their large size (body length of usually about 1 inch in length or longer) and clear wings held rooflike over the abdomen. Most cicadas are strong fliers that spend their time high in the trees, so they are rarely seen or captured. Their life cycles are long, usually involving multiple years spent underground as juveniles, followed by a brief (roughly 2 - 6 weeks) adult life above ground.

Common habitats for Tibicen canicularis are mixed and deciduous woods in Canada and the eastern United States. Geographic range includes the northern United States and southern Canada, east of the Rocky Mountains.

When mature Tibicen canicularis is recognizable by being mostly black with brown or green markings on its body. The body size is typically 1 - 1.3 inches (27-33 mm) long and the wingspan can reach 3.22 inches (82 mm). The wings are interlaced with green veins which are especially noticeable near the base. While nymphs of the species commonly feed on pine juice and the roots of pine and oak, the adults are not known to eat at all.

As adults, males produce a loud species-specific mate-attracting song using specialized sound-producing organs called tymbals. These sounds are among the loudest produced by any insects. In some species, the male calling song attracts both males and females to mating aggregations, while in other species males remain dispersed. Female cicadas do not have tymbals, but in some species the females produce clicking or snapping sounds with their wings.

Their song is often described as being a loud, high-pitched whine much like a power saw. It fades within 10 - 20 seconds, and starts again after a few seconds of silence. From my observation Tibicen canicularis tends to be the most vocal mid to late morning and then again late afternoon. It's common not to hear them during mid-day. At the peak of the season in late summer they can almost be deafening. To hear the sound of these cicadas, which was taped here in Indiana, please click on the below link...

www.cogsci.indiana.edu/farg/harry/bio/zoo/dogday.htm

After mating, females lay eggs in bark or twigs; the eggs hatch later in the season and the new nymphs burrow underground and begin feeding on roots. Tibicen canicularis spends most of it's life cycle underground as nymphs feeding on root juice. Typically 2 - 3 years. When it comes time to emerge and molt into an adult it uses its strong front legs for digging to the surface. Unlike periodical cicadas, whose swarms occur at 13 or 17 year intervals, Tibicen species can be seen every year, hence their other nickname "Annual Cicadas".

ISO800, aperture f/10, exposure .008 seconds (1/100) focal length 300mm

MPV Hirta - Built at the Remontowa Yard in Gdansk, Poland she entered service in 2008. She is 84 metres in length with a beam of 13m, and has a gross tonnage of 2,181. She has a crew of 17, a top speed of 18 knots and is used mainly for offshore enforcement tasks.

Vessel HIRTA (IMO: 9386794, MMSI: 235061329) is a fishing support vessel built in 2008 and currently sailing under the flag of United Kingdom.

Britain's sea fisheries have been protected and controlled by the authority of Parliament for nearly 200 years, but in 1882 responsibility for protecting Scottish waters was given to the Fishery Board for Scotland.

The first vessel that the Board took over was a former Royal Navy sailing cutter "Vigilant", which had worked for some years on protection tasks. Over the years, new ships were added to the fishery protection fleet and responsibility for managing the task of fishery protection was transferred at different times to various Government bodies, including the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency and now Marine Scotland Compliance.

The Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency (SFPA) was an Executive Agencyof the Scottish Government. The SFPA is responsible for both deterring illegal fishing in Scottish waters, as well as monitoring the compliance of the fisheries industry in Scotland with the relevant Scottish and European Union laws on fisheries. The Agency has 18 Fishery Offices, a fleet of 3 Fishery Protection Vessels, and 2 aircraft for the purposes of monitoring and enforcement in the waters around Scotland. The letters "SF" appearing in the Agency's ensign relate to the words "Sea Fisheries" as the agency is part of the UK Sea Fisheries Inspectorate (SFI).

On 1 April 2009, the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency and Fisheries Research Services were merged with the Scottish Government Marine Directorate to form Marine Scotland, part of the core Scottish Government. The SFPA is now known as Marine Scotland Compliance and the Fisheries Research Services are known as Marine Scotland Science.

Why do we call a blurry background Bokeh? Does that make it sound better? What not call it a short focal length? Oh, Bokeh does sound better.

The Zeeland Bridge is the longest bridge in the Netherlands at a length of 5,022 metres. It crosses the Oosterschelde estuary.

Millionaires Club, Chicago, 1973.

I was 20. I had waist-length hair in a ponytail and sideburns almost to my chin. I walked past them three times before I had the courage to ask for their picture. They looked quizzical, asked why, I don't remember what I told them, then they TOOK OFF THE GLASSES! I said, "um, I really like the sunglasses, could you leave them on?" and they looked at each other and complied.

www.flickr.com/photos/chuckp/sets/72157603907830069/

A Google translation from the Spanish from a website that "borrowed" this picture:

"Goats, has been the summer, the sun is becoming increasingly powerful and painful eyes, so to protect from the sun and throw paint, you must choose a good UV filter lenses.

Before choosing the appropriate glasses not only look out if they are to fashion or are of an exclusive brand, you must first know if you have the face shape, skin tone and hair color appropriate for certain models. For example, if you face more round John Lennon style round glasses you would be awful.

So before you buy, look in the mirror, defines the structure of your face and is what I propose below. So do not lose money and you look better than "Men in Black" and miners together."