River Dobra, Maletići, Croatia

...a perfect day for a walk!

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Wishing you all a good health and a lot of joy in 2022 !!!

Greater Flamingo at the Tagus Estuary near Lisbon, Portugal

phoenicopterus roseus

gewone flamingo

flamant rose

Rosaflamingo

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My photos may not be used on websites, blogs or in any other media without my written and explicit permission.

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India

vanellus indicus

Indische kievit

vanneau indien

Rotlappenkiebitz

Avefría India

Pavoncella indiana

abibe-do-índico

Many thanks for your views, favorites and supportive comments.

All rights reserved. Fons Buts©2023

My photos may not be used on websites, blogs or in any other media without my written and explicit permission.

I want to highlight the unfortunate situation of the elephants in Botswana at the moment...hundreds have been dying mysterious deaths and scientists, biologists and conservationists are all looking for the cause, to understand why this is occurring

please take a moment to watch the video I am sharing that was aired on one of our excellent research and investigative TV shows a few weeks ago..however there are scenes in here that may not be suitable for sensitive viewers!

youtu.be/jq8UP19ju1g

Short Eared Owl - Asio flammeus

Over much of its range, short-eared owls occurs with the similar-looking long-eared owl. At rest, the ear-tufts of long-eared owl serve to easily distinguish the two (although long-eared owls can sometimes hold its ear-tufts flat). The iris-colour differs: yellow in short-eared, and orange in long-eared, and the black surrounding the eyes is vertical on long-eared, and horizontal on short-eared. Overall the short-eared tends to be a paler, sandier bird than the long-eared.

The short-eared owl occurs on all continents except Antarctica and Australia; thus it has one of the most widespread distributions of any bird. A. flammeus breeds in Europe, Asia, North and South America, the Caribbean, Hawaii and the Galápagos Islands. It is partially migratory, moving south in winter from the northern parts of its range. The short-eared owl is known to relocate to areas of higher rodent populations. It will also wander nomadically in search of better food supplies during years when vole populations are low.

Hunting occurs mostly at night, but this owl is known to be diurnal and crepuscular as well. Its daylight hunting seems to coincide with the high-activity periods of voles, its preferred prey. It tends to fly only feet above the ground in open fields and grasslands until swooping down upon its prey feet-first. Several owls may hunt over the same open area. Its food consists mainly of rodents, especially voles, but it will eat other small mammals such as mice, ground squirrels, shrews, rats, bats, muskrats and moles. It will also occasionally predate smaller birds, especially when near sea-coasts and adjacent wetlands at which time they attack shorebirds, terns and small gulls and seabirds with semi-regularity. Avian prey is more infrequently preyed on inland and centers on passerines such as larks, icterids, starlings, tyrant flycatchers and pipits.

Ndutu sector in the southeast of the Serengeti, Tanzania

Eudorcas thomsonii

a fairly small and elegant gazelle. It is one of the fastest land animals.

These are mainly grazers and prefer cropped grasses . So they have benefitted in the Serengeti/Masai Mara area from the increase in the number of Wildebeest. When needed these gazelle will also browse.

Many thanks for your views, favorites and supportive comments.

All rights reserved. Fons Buts©2023

My photos may not be used on websites, blogs or in any other media without my written and explicit permission.

Male Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) taking of from his perch.

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The Long-eared Owl is associated with coniferous woodland and tall scrubby habitats during the breeding season, favouring sites where dense nesting cover is located close to open areas that are used for hunting. Although widely distributed across Britain and Ireland, the Long-eared Owl remains a scarce breeding species and one that is easy to overlook. The species appears to be more abundant in Ireland than it is within Britain, perhaps because of reduced competition Tawny Owl, which is absent from Ireland (Courtesy BTO).

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Kowalik

Little Owl (Athane noctau) has spotted something as he flies from his lookout perch.

in the garden

The lungs of the Earth

curious canadian goose

A beautiful Gannet cruising into a strong wind 👌

whenever I am upset , I am going to with nature because she taught me what is life?

nature is my favourite teacher

pleszka (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)

Steller’s Jay

Inner Elgsnes, Troms, Northern-Norway

The same tree in Hasliberg as in other photos before but this time I included the road. I took this shot while it was snowing and almost hailing. If you zoom in to the hut or the tree you can see the streaks of snow.

makro i mokro ... ;)

tulips are already blooming