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Another member of the vanga family - - the Sickle-Billed Vanga - - I actually managed to find a nest in the spiny forest - - I'll get to that picture some day - - this is a Sickle-Bill outside of the Andringitra park (If my memory serves me correctly )
Sickle-Billed Vanga - Madagascar
This member of the finch family is the only one that goes through any changes in plumage during the year and becomes less colourful during the fall and winter months.
They strongly prefer wide open country where they can forage on the many weed seeds available but like a few trees nearby for shelter and nesting. Being heavy seed foragers they nest later in the season in hopes that there will be a good seed crop available to feed their chicks. The juveniles mature very quickly being ready to leave the nest from 11 - 17 days after hatching.
Being very active and acrobatic little songbirds we often see them clinging to weed seed heads, often upside down while harvesting the seeds.
They are often seen visiting backyard feeders and share their space with many other species.
Of the three Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe's at the 74th Members Meeting, two appeared to be new/newly restored examples, this one shown here in the grey finish, and another running in a bare metal condition.
Both, by the end of the weekend, appeared to be suffering some chicane damage, having brushed the wall a little too closely and creating some slight front end scrapes and creases to show for it.
It does show how close to the edge these drivers are when racing, and how every millimetre advantage is used.
This shot was taken at the run in to the start-finish chicane, somewhere that you don't get access to during the Goodwood Revival, so it was nice to try a little bit of panning from here, and to be doing so in a left to right direction for a change.
I've no history on this car, some may come to light over the coming weeks but for now I'll leave it at that.
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The Martin Stretton and Tony Wood piloted GT40 at the 74th Members Meeting.
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The season opened for me this last weekend with the Goodwood 74th Members Meeting. Its perhaps underselling it to say that this opener to the season once again proved to be a knockout event, with 8 Porsche 917's and 6 Ferrari 512's being on show alongside some regular attendees.
Although the Sunday was dampened by a number of serious accidents that re-enforced the message that motorsport can and will be dangerous, the Members Meeting managed to provide a number of opportunities to get up close and personal with some real racing legends that I hope will continue in the future.
My opening shot from the event is of the magnificent 1970 Ferrari 512M owned by Paul Knapfield. It was difficult with so many great cars in attendance to know where to begin, so I thought I'd start with a type of shot that proved popular last year.
I'll try and post some details regarding this particular car in future uploads.
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(Flickr Friday: #321 Adage)
According to the current theme, group members were supposed to represent an adage in a photo. I chose "You've got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette", which means that if you want to achieve something, you often have to destroy something or make difficult sacrifices. I used an egg cup, a chocolate egg filled with colourful sweets and a teaspoon for the photo.
De acuerdo con el tema propuesto, los miembros del grupo teníamos que representar un dicho en una foto. Escogí aquel que dice que “no se puede hacer tortilla sin romper los huevos”, el cual significa que se tienen que destruir algo o hacer sacrificios difíciles para lograr algo. Para la foto, utilicé una huevera, un huevo de chocolate relleno con dulces coloridos y una cucharilla.
A member of the beautiful sunbird family with an extra long beak and often confusing in the wrong angle since it looks like the very common Purple Sunbird. However, the beak is visibly longer with a slight curve that helps it suck nectar from flowers that require a deep beak. The breast area also sports a maroon band which is visible in this shot, but easily missed otherwise.
The bird prefers habitats around this Lion's tail flowering plant in winters and love that plant nectar. This is endemic to India and found in thick forest and woodland areas with good amount of wild flowers.
A burst of sunlight on a cloudy day gave me this nice clean shot.
Many thanks in advance for your views and feedback.
Macro Mondays - Member’s Choice: Abstract Macro
The gauntlet was thrown down and happily accepted... :-))
"Create a bit of a mystery, leaving viewers wondering
what the subject is..."
So here we have it. Any ideas?
No trickery on my part, straight from camera to screen.
So now over to you, dear Flickrite. What could it be ... :-)
Buy this photo on Getty Images : Getty Images
There are several Sufi orders in Senegal.
The Xaadir (Qādiriyya) is the oldest and founded in Baghdad by the Sufi mystic Abdul Qādir al-Jilānī in the 12th century, now pan-Islamic, spread to Senegal in the 18th Century.
His portrait is at the far left, with his name in Arabic :
عبدالقادر الجيلاني
The members of this family probably belong to this Muslim brotherhood.
The most important brotherhoods in Senegal are:
- The Xaadir (Qādiriyya), the oldest, founded in Baghdad by the Sufi mystic Abdul Qādir al-Jilānī in the 12th century, spread to Senegal in the 18th Century.
- The Tijaniyyah, the largest in membership, founded in Fez, Morocco by the Algerian born Cheikh Sīdī 'Aḥmad at-Tijānī.
- The Mourides, the richest and most active, founded by the Islamic leader Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba (1850–1927) of French West Africa, now Senegal.
- The Layene are a smaller Sufi order, centered at Yoff, north of Dakar.
I will try to found out about the other portraits, but I had understood that they were Gilani's son and grandson. ( no, I don't think so)
If you know, let me know!
searching, but: Cheikh Hadramé est né en 1910, sept ans avant la disparition de Cheikhna Cheikh Saadbou. Son père est Cheikh Sidibouya le premier fils de Cheikhna Cheikh Saadbouh.
www.boromansar.com/cheikhna-cheikh-saad-bouh/
Submitted: 25/01/2018
Accepted: 25/01/2018
Usually found on the way into the woods good old brambles, nuisance for many months of the year, but come the autumn the blackberries make for a lovely pudding! HMM all. Taken late one evening last week just as we entered the golden hour.
Thanks for the faves & comments
This years Members Meeting saw demonstration runs of the Ground Effect F1 cars that raced between 1978 and 1983.
These Ground Effect cars were developed to take advantage of the Bernoulli principle, whereby the gap between the ground and the cross sectional underside of the car is reduced to maximise downforce. By minimising that gap between ground and car, the air underneath accelerates faster than the air above and creates that pressure system that sucks the car to the ground, increasing grip and cornering speed.
In 1983, the whole Ground Effect system was banned due to the ever increasing cornering speeds that these cars could achieve. Concerns were raised that if the force was suddenly removed, the cars would lose all grip and have an accident (similar to what can happen today if an F1 car loses a rear wing suddenly).
In 1979, Arrows ran their A2 design, a car that had huge downforce but no wings, leading to some handling problems. In 1980, designers Tony Southgate and David Wass developed the A3 model, based around an aluminium monocoque chassis and the Cosworth DFV engine. In-board suspension was used to provide the largest possible ground-effect tunnels and the front and rear wings were used to provide a better handling balance.
Overall Arrows took 7th place in the 1980 F1 season with drivers Jochen Mass and Riccardo Patrese, with a best finish of 2nd at Long Beach.
This shot of the Arrows Cosworth A3 was taken after the demonstration run as the cars were filing back into the paddock.
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Cuckoo - Cuculus Canorus
Norfolk
The common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, Cuculiformes, which includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals.
This species is a widespread summer migrant to Europe and Asia, and winters in Africa. It is a brood parasite, which means it lays eggs in the nests of other bird species, particularly of dunnocks, meadow pipits, and reed warblers. Although its eggs are larger than those of its hosts, the eggs in each type of host nest resemble the host's eggs. The adult too is a mimic, e that species is a predator, the mimicry gives the female time to lay her eggs without being seen to do so.
The English word "cuckoo" comes from the Old French cucu and it first appears about 1240 in the poem Sumer Is Icumen In - "Summer has come in / Loudly sing, Cuckoo!" in modern English.
The scientific name is from Latin. Cuculus is "cuckoo" and canorus, "melodious ".
A study using stuffed bird models found that small birds are less likely to approach common cuckoos that have barred underparts similar to the Eurasian sparrowhawk, a predatory bird. Eurasian reed warblers were found more aggressive to cuckoos that looked less hawk-like, meaning that the resemblance to the hawk helps the cuckoo to access the nests of potential hosts. Other small birds, great tits and blue tits, showed alarm and avoided attending feeders on seeing either (mounted) sparrowhawks or cuckoos; this implies that the cuckoo's hawklike appearance functions as protective mimicry, whether to reduce attacks by hawks or to make brood parasitism easier.
The common cuckoo is an obligate brood parasite; it lays its eggs in the nests of other birds. At the appropriate moment, the hen cuckoo flies down to the host's nest, pushes one egg out of the nest, lays an egg and flies off. The whole process takes about 10 seconds. A female may visit up to 50 nests during a breeding season. Common cuckoos first breed at the age of two years.
More than 100 host species have been recorded: meadow pipit, dunnock and Eurasian reed warbler are the most common hosts in northern Europe; garden warbler, meadow pipit, pied wagtail and European robin in central Europe; brambling and common redstart in Finland; and great reed warbler in Hungary.
Studies were made of 90 great reed warbler nests in central Hungary. There was an "unusually high" frequency of common cuckoo parasitism, with 64% of the nests parasitised. Of the nests targeted by cuckoos, 64% contained one cuckoo egg, 23% had two, 10% had three and 3% had four common cuckoo eggs. In total, 58% of the common cuckoo eggs were laid in nests that were multiply parasitised. When laying eggs in nests already parasitised, the female cuckoos removed one egg at random, showing no discrimination between the great reed warbler eggs and those of other cuckoos.
It was found that nests close to cuckoo perches were most vulnerable: multiple parasitised nests were closest to the vantage points, and unparasitised nests were farthest away. Nearly all the nests "in close vicinity" to the vantage points were parasitised. More visible nests were more likely to be selected by the common cuckoos. Female cuckoos use their vantage points to watch for potential hosts and find it easier to locate the more visible nests while they are egg-laying.
Members that live in the UK may have heard about the resent storms (January 2026)that have devastated the beautiful South Hams village of Torcross ...most of these buildings (cottages,pub and restaurant)have been badly damaged so has the main road (A397)that runs behind the buildings here and up past the beach in the distance big parts have been washed away and there is some debate now about should it be repaired ...it is costing millions of pounds and is happening more frequently....for members from the USA please Google Operation/Exersise Tiger and you will see that 749 of you country men died here in 1944 when a D-Day landing rehearsal went tragically wrong ....photagraph taken on our last stay here 20-01-2025.
Garage shot of the red with black roof AC Cobra owned and raced by John and Jack Young.
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Bare metal bodywork is always a winner in my book, and this 1958 Lister Chevrolet Knobbly is right up there in my eyes. Another low down point of view shot along the flank, highlighting those beautiful curves.
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5552 - North of A6 Bridge 09-07-1994 R2528
Olympus OM40 (film)
Fujichrome colour slide scanned to digital
5593 "Kolhapur" in disguise
Great Central Railway
GCR Members' Day
fungus (plural: fungi or funguses is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from the other eukaryotic kingdoms, which by one traditional classification include Plantae, Animalia, Protozoa, and Chromista.
A characteristic that places fungi in a different kingdom from plants, bacteria, and some protists is chitin in their cell walls. Fungi, like animals, are heterotrophs; they acquire their food by absorbing dissolved molecules, typically by secreting digestive enzymes into their environment. Fungi do not photosynthesize. Growth is their means of mobility, except for spores (a few of which are flagellated), which may travel through the air or water. Fungi are the principal decomposers in ecological systems. These and other differences place fungi in a single group of related organisms, named the Eumycota (true fungi or Eumycetes), that share a common ancestor (i.e. they form a monophyletic group), an interpretation that is also strongly supported by molecular phylogenetics. This fungal group is distinct from the structurally similar myxomycetes (slime molds) and oomycetes (water molds). The discipline of biology devoted to the study of fungi is known as mycology (from the Greek μύκης mykes, mushroom). In the past, mycology was regarded as a branch of botany, although it is now known fungi are genetically more closely related to animals than to plants.
Abundant worldwide, most fungi are inconspicuous because of the small size of their structures, and their cryptic lifestyles in soil or on dead matter. Fungi include symbionts of plants, animals, or other fungi and also parasites. They may become noticeable when fruiting, either as mushrooms or as molds. Fungi perform an essential role in the decomposition of organic matter and have fundamental roles in nutrient cycling and exchange in the environment. They have long been used as a direct source of human food, in the form of mushrooms and truffles; as a leavening agent for bread; and in the fermentation of various food products, such as wine, beer, and soy sauce. Since the 1940s, fungi have been used for the production of antibiotics, and, more recently, various enzymes produced by fungi are used industrially and in detergents. Fungi are also used as biological pesticides to control weeds, plant diseases and insect pests. Many species produce bioactive compounds called mycotoxins, such as alkaloids and polyketides, that are toxic to animals including humans. The fruiting structures of a few species contain psychotropic compounds and are consumed recreationally or in traditional spiritual ceremonies. Fungi can break down manufactured materials and buildings, and become significant pathogens of humans and other animals. Losses of crops due to fungal diseases (e.g., rice blast disease) or food spoilage can have a large impact on human food supplies and local economies.
The fungus kingdom encompasses an enormous diversity of taxa with varied ecologies, life cycle strategies, and morphologies ranging from unicellular aquatic chytrids to large mushrooms. However, little is known of the true biodiversity of Kingdom Fungi, which has been estimated at 2.2 million to 3.8 million species.[5] Of these, only about 148,000 have been described,[6] with over 8,000 species known to be detrimental to plants and at least 300 that can be pathogenic to humans.[7] Ever since the pioneering 18th and 19th century taxonomical works of Carl Linnaeus, Christiaan Hendrik Persoon, and Elias Magnus Fries, fungi have been classified according to their morphology (e.g., characteristics such as spore color or microscopic features) or physiology. Advances in molecular genetics have opened the way for DNA analysis to be incorporated into taxonomy, which has sometimes challenged the historical groupings based on morphology and other traits. Phylogenetic studies published in the first decade of the 21st century have helped reshape the classification within Kingdom Fungi, which is divided into one subkingdom, seven phyla, and ten subphyla.
I love the patina on this Bugatti (perhaps 'holes' would be a better description). The front emblem/mascot above the radiator reads "Boyce Motometer Paris" and then a trademark reference - "Marque Deposee Bravet 456-192 31 Mars 1913".
The Boyce Motometer is a thermometer that read the temperature of the radiator's vapor, allowing the driver to assess the coolant temperature as required.
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196 is not far from exiting the Calumet River Line for the SC&S. About as exciting as things get in Hegewisch nowadays. Daylight appearances from the South Chicago job happen 5 days a week for this Burnham-based crew.
First time seeing this particular Bizzarrini 5300GT, and what a stunning and loud car it is. Bright red and with an exhaust note to make ears bleed, it was great to see this car being worked on over the weekend, even if the chief mechanic spent most of it chain smoking cigarettes (health and safety rules do not apply if you are Italian).
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Members of our local photo club attended the Michigan Orchid show today in Madison Heights, Michigan. Our club had a photo challenge, one of the categories was Focusing Through a Flower. The goal is to focus on a flower in the distance with another flower in-between the lens and the main subject. The goal is to get a colorful blur. Thank You to a club member, Glenn, who directed me to this spot to get this shot.
As previously mentioned, the 74th members Meeting at Goodwood this year featured a number of Porsche 917's both on display and doing demonstration laps round the circuit. Quite possibly the most iconic of these is the Gulf liveried 917 that featured in the Steve McQueen film Le Mans. At the 74MM there were 3 917's that were shown in the Gulf livery, including this car, chassis 917-031, which forms part of the Rofgo Collection of Gulf Liveried cars.
The Porsche 917 was designed by Hans Mezger, chief engineer at Porsche. The car was built using a light spaceframe chassis that was pressurised with gas to detect cracks in the welding. Hans Mezger designed the original 4.5ltr V12 engine, which used two Porsche 2.25ltr flat-6 engines mated together. The gearbox, mounted longitudinally, was designed to take a set of four or five gears as dictated by the circuit and conditions. To ensure that the size of the car remained compact, the driver actually sits with feet positioned ahead of the front axle.
The 917 made use of components made of titanium and magnesium to provide strength and lightness, while the the gear knob was made from balsa wood. One of the clever techniques used to save weight was to put the oil through to the front cooler via the tubular spaceframe chassis itself rather than adding independent pipework that would add weight and complexity.
The Porsche 917 ran in the 1969, 1970 and 1971 World Sportscar Championship. Initially it was described as being incredibly unstable, using all the road at speed by factory driver Brian Redman. When suspension modifications did not resolve the issue, it was found that the long tail was creating an amount of lift not seen in sports racing before. As the 917 was significantly faster than anything that had run at Le Mans before, the aerodynamic lift was a new experience for the teams involved in this kind of racing.
Interestingly, the works racers at the time preferred the Porsche 908 due to its stability, especially on the more complex and technical tracks. This however caused a problem for Porsche who had a surplus of 917's to sell and so wanted to continue promoting the car. To do this they initially approached BMW and asked for their drivers Hubert Hahne and Dieter Quester to compete in the 917 at the 1000km Nurburgring, but after initial testing BMW refused. This led Porsche to turn to Englishman David Piper and Australian Frank Gardner, but they struggled to finish in 8th place whereas the Porsche Team entry of six 908's finished in the top 5 places.
At the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans, the inexperienced privateer and British gentleman-driver John Woolfe crashed and was killed when his Porsche 917 came off the track at Maison Blanche on the opening lap.
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Macro Mondays - Member's Choice - Found in the Kitchen
52 Weeks of Pix 2017 - Something sweet
Sugar candy caramelized on a stick.
Length 2' inches, width ~ 1 inche
The largest crystal has a size of 4x5 mm
I found a box of sugar candy caramelized on a sticks in the drawer and that was a big surprise for me. I do not sweeten tea or coffee and just forgot about them. This is probably even a gift from somebody. HMM
Member of protest group meditating to in crease awareness of Chinese government oppression of minority groups
The Great Western Society, the Charity that runs Didcot Railway Centre. The Centre is run by the Great Western Society – Charity No. 272616.
There are around 4,000 members including over 250 active volunteers who help run the Centre.
Didcot Railway Centre is a railway museum and preservation engineering site in Didcot, Oxfordshire, England. The site was formerly a Great Western Railway engine shed and locomotive stabling point.
A living Museum of the Great Western Railway. The Centre was developed around the original 1930s Engine Shed and is home to a large collection of Great Western Railway steam locomotives, carriages, wagons, buildings and memorabilia.
Young crew members posing on the fore-yard of Gustaf Erikson´s (Åland, Finland) four-masted barque Herzogin Cecilie. The Maritime museum of Finland does not give a date, only a time frame 1921 - 1936, when Erikson owned her. Most of these crew members were probably from the Åland islands.
My restoration and digital hand colorization of the original B&W image in the finna.fi archive. The photographer is unkonwn.
Sons of Confederate Veterans Beirne Chapman Camp 148 members pose for a photo at a group social, Union, Monroe County, WV.
Shortly after Horsehead released "Bounce Back" / "Procrastinator" in June 2000, Michael James Vallance quit the band, stating that he was "disillusioned with the music business and most of the people connected with it". The band considered continuing with a replacement but broke up shortly after Vallance's exit and each member turned to various projects. As of April 2005 Vallance was working in sound and confirmed there "won't be a 'reunion' anytime soon as far as [he's] concerned". -- Wikipedia
A member of the leaf warbler family, the beautiful olive and yellow Willow Warbler is also one of our most widespread.
A summer visitor to the Britain & Ireland, the Willow Warbler’s cascading, liquid song can be heard from mid-April and is arguably one of the most beautiful sounds of the spring. Willow Warblers can be found breeding across Britain & Ireland.
The Willow Warbler population has experienced mixed fortunes in the UK, where it is Amber-listed. It is declining across England and Wales but increasing in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is thought that the northern populations winter in a slightly different area from the southern birds and that this difference might contribute to the overall UK trend.