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The Mighty Pico Paraná
I'm from São Paulo, in southeastern Brazil. Pico Paraná, Brazil's 41st tallest mountain, is a 6-hour and 41-minute drive or about 471 kilometers south of where I live.
Having scaled the 3rd to 7th highest mountains in Brazil, I can say that Pico Paraná, the 41st tallest, was by far the most challenging climb I've done so far.
I've scaled numerous mountains, from the snow-capped peaks of Africa to the technical climbs of the Andes, but nothing could have prepared me for the raw, primal challenge of Pico Paraná. Standing at a towering 1,877 meters (6,158 feet), it's the highest point in southern Brazil.
A Night to Remember I began my ascent at 11 PM on a Saturday night, aiming to catch the sunrise at 6:34 AM. Armed with nothing but determination and a headlamp, I plunged into the dense, primordial forest. The initial three hours were a relentless battle against the unforgiving terrain, as I leaped over massive, exposed tree roots and slogged through muddy trails.
A Vertical Dance As I gained altitude, the challenge intensified. The trail transformed into a series of vertical dance floors, where I navigated sheer rock faces using metal rungs and ropes. I climbed one peak after another, each offering breathtaking panoramas but demanding every ounce of my strength.
The Final Push The final ascent was the most grueling. Without a natural water source, I carried a heavy pack, and the lack of sleep was starting to take its toll. Yet, the allure of witnessing the sunrise from the summit kept me going.
Image: A close-up of the climber's hands gripping a rock face, with a backdrop of lush vegetation.
A Celestial Reward Finally, I reached the summit just in time to witness the sunrise. As the first rays of dawn painted the sky in hues of pink and orange, I stood on top of the world, overwhelmed by a sense of accomplishment. The panoramic view was nothing short of spectacular, stretching as far as the eye could see.
The descent was equally demanding, but the euphoria of reaching the summit carried me through. After 18 grueling hours, I finally made it back to the trailhead. Exhausted but elated, I knew I had conquered one of the most challenging climbs of my life.
Key Points About Pico Paraná:
*Highest point in southern Brazil: 1,877 meters (6,158 feet)
*Part of the Ibitiraquire mountain range: Known for its rugged beauty
*Demanding climb: Requires a high level of physical fitness and technical climbing skills
*Multiple summits: Including Pico Paraná, União, and Ibitirati
*Unique ecosystem: Home to a diverse range of flora and fauna
If you're seeking a truly unforgettable adventure, I highly recommend tackling Pico Paraná. Just be prepared for a challenging and rewarding experience.
PS. The photo I shared captures the moment of descending or returning from the peak, bathed in the warm glow of daylight. In contrast, the ascent of Pico Paraná was an adventure undertaken in complete darkness, guided only by the beams of our headlamps. I'll be sharing breathtaking sunrise photos from the summit very soon.
A common bird around the numerous lakes dotting the countryside. This Kingfisher is an active bird and the current season is good for it - most of the lakes are full and there is ample amount of small fish - we can see them literally jumping out of water.
We sighted the rare Black Bellied Tern which was circling around the lake, but then there was thick fog in the morning which prevented us from getting a decent shot. The Kingfisher landed on a nearby perch and waited for some action while grabbed some shots of it. This one seemed like a adult that it was quite taller than most other Common Kingfishers I had seen before. There were two of them - this male and a female which continued hunting at a distance.
Thanks in advance for your views, likes and faves. Much appreciated.
Excerpt from uwaterloo.ca:
Description of the District
The Cross-Melville Heritage Conservation District is bounded by Sydenham, Melville, Cross and Victoria Streets in the former Town of Dundas, now the City of Hamilton. The district consists of 49 properties. These properties are predominantly single family dwellings with the exception of three churches.
Cultural Heritage Value of the District
According to the Cross-Melville Heritage Conservation District Study - Background Report the cultural heritage value of the district lies in its historical and associative value, design or physical value as well as the contextual value. The Background Report concludes:
“The Cross-Melville area constitutes a superb collection of buildings with particularly fine architectural attributes. Tree planted along the streets enhance the surroundings of individual buildings and provide expansive canopies over adjacent streets. Developed in the 1840s and 1850s as the first exclusively residential area distinct from the commercial and industrial locales of Dundas, this neighbourhood is associated with numerous prominent citizens, mayors and councillors, including George Rolph, William Notman, Alexis Begue and the Grafton family”.
Kinderdijk is well known for its numerous windmills. In the Netherlands, the drainage system is an important matter. The Dutch need a large drainage system in order to keep the inhabitants from drowning, because some parts of the Netherlands are below sea level. In the Alblasserwaard, problems with water became more and more apparent in the 13th century. The Dutch dug large canals to get rid of the excess water in the polders. These canals are called "weteringen", and they can still be found all over the country. However, this method was sufficient only for a short period of time. The ground started to lower again because of its structure and the level of the river began to rise at the same time. An additional way of maintaining the level of the water in the polders was required. The Dutch decided to build a series of windmills. The windmills would pump water into a reservoir until the level of the river had reached a certain level, in which pumping water into the river was made possible again. Gaining full control over the water was never possible. In the past, the residents of the Netherlands suffered from many severe floods.
© / 37268 Beeldrecht
Here is a link to the site 'The Mysterious Dutch light' where you can view and order photo's created by me. The Mysterious Dutch Light
Having walked past The Prison feature in the Quiraing on numerous occasions, I thought it might be interesting to get onto it somehow. So off we went, with a favourable forecast for the north of Skye, only to find the Quiraing obscured by thick mist. But off we went anyway starting from below the main tourist path, figuring it wouldn't be too difficult to find The Prison once we got closer. But the mist magnified every small boulder in the rocky mess of the landscape, using the map was useless. After wandering about for some while, we gave in and checked the GPS - using the grid reference and my map we discovered we were exactly where I wanted to be, possibly more by luck than by my skill as a navigator in these conditions. I scrambled up to the edge and could look down on the main path below, just able to make it out to confirm our location - would have been a nice view of the Needle. Might need to try this again when it would be possible to see where you are going!
Smartphone to the rescue, once again! Of course, I had a long lens on my camera when this spectacular scene unfolded right before me! So this is "just" a smartphone snap! Hahaha!
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Klassisch für die Donau-Achse sind die zahlreichen Getreidezüge von und nach Osteuropa. Am 03. September 2021 begegnete mir eine solche Leistung bei Langenisarhofen. Es führte die an die ČD Cargo vermietete 187 003 von Railpool.
Classic for the Danube axis are the numerous grain trains to and from Eastern Europe. On 03 September 2021, I saw such a service near Langenisarhofen. It was led by Railpool's 187 003 leased to ČD Cargo.
Kaum zu glauben - nach einem Vierteljahrhundert im Dienste der DB AG ist der Stern der Baureihe 101 bereits stark im Sinken begriffen. Zahlreiche Exemplare wurden inzwischen bei dem bekannten Verwerter in Opladen verschrottet. Daher fotografiere ich gepflegte Exemplare der Schnellzuglok - von denen es glücklicherweise auch noch eine größere Anzahl gibt - inzwischen regelmäßig. So z.B. am 22. Dezember 2021, als mir die 101 037 mit dem EC 115 "Wörthersee" auf der Fahrt nach Klagenfurt am ehemaligen Block Hilperting vor die Linse fuhr.
Hard to believe - after a quarter of a century in the service of DB AG, the star of the class 101 is already sinking fast. In the meantime, numerous locomotives have been scrapped by the well-known recycler in Opladen. Therefore, I now regularly photograph well-maintained examples of the express locomotive - of which there are fortunately still a large number. For example on 22 December 2021, when 101 037 with EC 115 "Wörthersee" passed the former Hilperting block on its way to Klagenfurt.
Italia, Emilia-Romagna, Ferrara, Primavera 2023
Ferrara è una città dell'Emilia-Romagna, nel nord Italia. Il paese presenta strade larghe e numerosi palazzi risalenti al Rinascimento, quando ospitò la corte degli Estensi. Per la sua bellezza e importanza culturale, è stato designato dall'UNESCO come Patrimonio dell'Umanità. Il pittoresco cortile noto come La Rotonda Foschini è parte integrante dello storico Teatro Comunale di Ferrara. Questa ripresa della Rotonda Foschini, rivolta verso l'alto, mostra con grande effetto la sua strana forma ellittica e chiarisce perché questa parte del Teatro ha fornito ispirazione ai fotografi nel corso dei decenni. Fu costruita nel 1797.
Ferrara is a city in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. The town has broad streets and numerous palaces dating from the Renaissance, when it hosted the court of the House of Este. For its beauty and cultural importance, it has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The picturesque courtyard known as La Rotonda Foschini is an integral part of Ferrara’s historic Teatro Comunale. This upward-looking shot of the Rotonda Foschini shows off its strange, elliptical shape to great effect and makes it clear why this part of the Teatro has provided inspiration for photographers through the decades. It was built in 1797.
"Look for this widespread and numerous sea duck in winter along both Atlantic and Pacific coastlines. They're often in large flocks, and may be with with all-dark Black Scoters and larger White-winged Scoters, so it’s worth looking carefully through groups, especially if you have or can borrow a spotting scope. Despite their seagoing habits, they do occur inland on lakes and reservoirs during migration, especially during storms as they wait for better weather. Surf Scoters are 'molt migrants,' meaning that after nesting, adults fly to an area where they can molt their flight feathers. They briefly become flightless before continuing to their wintering range, and molting areas provide some protection from weather and predators. These spots include sheltered waters from southeastern Alaska to Washington’s Puget Sound, and Quebec and New Brunswick. Surf Scoters breed on freshwater lakes, where the male defends a moving area around the female. The female with a brood is not territorial.
On crowded lakes, young Surf Scoters often switch from one brood to another. Because the mother provides no parental care other than guarding the chicks, evolutionary selection against such mix-ups may not be very strong." Source: allaboutbirds.org
Beaver Moon aka Blood Moon: I bet you have seen lots of photos of the full moon eclipse today, but I am adding mine to the collection anyway. I ventured as far as my driveway...hence some trees in the scene. It was windy and a chilly 5 C, and I was just rolling out of bed at 6 AM to haul on some warm clothes and take a look to see what I could see. The partial eclipse was underway, and the total eclipse was beginning at 6:15 AM. As the eclipse progressed the sky got brighter, the moon sank towards the horizon and was obscured by some low clouds and the trees. I took a series of photos and merged about 20 of them and then only kept the ones that didn't overlap too much. I am sure there is a better way to stack these in photoshop than having to make numerous layers and masks so one of these days I may try again.
The golden silk orb-weavers (Nephila) are a genus of araneomorph spiders noted for the impressive webs they weave. Nephila consists of numerous species found in warmer regions around the world. They are also commonly called golden orb-weavers, giant wood spiders, or banana spiders.
The web can run from the top of a tree 6m high and up to 2m wide. Unlike other spider webs, the Golden Orb Web Spider's web is not dismantled often and can last several years.
Designed to catch large flying insects, the web is slightly angled. It is not a perfect wheel and is usually off-centre. To make its web, the spider releases a thin thread into the wind. When it catches on something, the spider walks along it trailing a stronger non-sticky thread. It repeats the process in the centre of the line to form a strong Y-frame. Around this, it spins the rest of the web out of sticky capture silk.
The silk is so strong that it can trap small birds, which the spider doesn't eat. These trapped creatures often destroy the web by thrashing around. To avoid such damage, the spider often leaves a line of insect husks on its web (like the safety strip across glass doors!); or builds smaller barrier webs around the main web.
The male is many times smaller than the female, some are 1,000 smaller! There are suggestions that it is not a case of the males being dwarves, but the females being giants! The male is so tiny that he can live on the female's web, stealing her food, often without her even noticing him. She may not even notice that he has crept up and inseminated her! Nevertheless, just to be sure, he usually does the deed when she is feeding. In some, mating can take up to 15 hours! The female lives only slightly longer than the male.
Spider from Spider Pavilion Natural History Museum. Los Angeles. California.
The lake is home to numerous native species of trout, and other game fish. Catchable species include, but are not limited to - westslope cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, bull trout, lake trout, Lake Superior whitefish, mountain whitefish, kokanee salmon, and suckers. However, the lake is nutrient-poor and is not considered a prime fishing destination. Grizzly bears, black bear, moose, and mule deer are found in many places near the lake but are most common on the north shore. The lake is surrounded by a dense coniferous forest dominated by various species of spruce, fir, and larch.
There are numerous walking tracks on the Springbrook Plateau. Many celebrate the rainforest biology, the volcanic basalt and granite rock remnants and the nuances of light throughout. This image is taken on the path that leads past the Gondwanaland Antarctic Beeches to the 'Best of All Lookout'. The golden glow from a gap in the canopy is typical.
The Gstaad Palace
is a renowned hotel located in Gstaad, Switzerland.
It’s built in a Swiss chalet style on a hill overlooking the town of Gstaad.
The hotel offers guest rooms and suites, restaurants, a basement nightclub (GreenGo), a spa, a traditional alpine hut (Walig Hut), indoor and outdoor pools, and numerous other amenities.
Kojori Fortress was built atop Azeuli Mountain, at a height of 1,250 metres above sea level. According to historians, the fortress was constructed sometime during the 11th century. Built in multiple layers atop the cliffs, this fortress once protected the caravan road connecting Tbilisi to Armenia, and was of immense strategic importance during the Middle Ages.
Korjoli Fortress was built of crushed stone and brick, and was plastered with thick mortar. Today, only the ruins of the walls and two of its towers remain, but these ruins speak to numerous battles and sieges over the centuries. The ruins afford visitors a beautiful view of Kartli’s wide-open spaces.
The last battle to take place at Kojori Fortress took place in 1921, when the 11th Army of the Russian Red Army faced Georgian cadets. A memorial in honour of these fallen cadets stands there today.
In addition to its historical value, Kojori is also a spectacular place for relaxing in nature, having a picnic, and doing a little light hiking in the nearby forest. This region, once the summer residence of kings, is today open to the public to enjoy.
for #MacroMondays "WHITE"
Picture for SIZE VERIFICATION in the first commentbox.
Crazy Bones was inspired by a children's game played in Ancient Greece and Rome called 'Astragal' (Knucklebones), where children played a similar game using sheep's knucklebones. This ancient pastime is also known as Tabas. Games played are reminiscent of marbles and jacks. Crazy Bones is a modern version of this game, played with characters molded from plastic. There are hundreds of individual characters, each character having a unique face and name. Each series has a number of 'rare' pieces that are sought after by collectors and are sold on numerous websites for many times their original value.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gogo%27s_Crazy_Bones
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Gogo's Crazy Bones (kortweg Gogo's genoemd) zijn kleine, kleurrijke figuurtjes. Ze bestaan in verschillende soorten en kleuren.Dit speelgoed kende zijn oorsprong in het Oude Griekenland. De kinderen gebruikten daar sprongbeentjes van schapen om te bikkelen. In de 21e eeuw worden ze nog steeds gebruikt. Kinderen kunnen met deze figuurtjes eigen verhalen uitvinden.
Excerpt from uwaterloo.ca:
Description of the District
The Cross-Melville Heritage Conservation District is bounded by Sydenham, Melville, Cross and Victoria Streets in the former Town of Dundas, now the City of Hamilton. The district consists of 49 properties. These properties are predominantly single family dwellings with the exception of three churches.
Cultural Heritage Value of the District
According to the Cross-Melville Heritage Conservation District Study - Background Report the cultural heritage value of the district lies in its historical and associative value, design or physical value as well as the contextual value. The Background Report concludes:
“The Cross-Melville area constitutes a superb collection of buildings with particularly fine architectural attributes. Tree planted along the streets enhance the surroundings of individual buildings and provide expansive canopies over adjacent streets. Developed in the 1840s and 1850s as the first exclusively residential area distinct from the commercial and industrial locales of Dundas, this neighbourhood is associated with numerous prominent citizens, mayors and councillors, including George Rolph, William Notman, Alexis Begue and the Grafton family”.
photo rights reserved by B℮n
Procida is the smallest island of the Gulf of Naples; it is rich in attractions and archaeology. From the ground floor of Napoli Centro train station, you can take the metro to station Pozzuoli then get off and take the ferry at the port of Pozzuoli. The architecture of Procida has a Greek origin. In fact, the history of Procida is concentrated first of all on the medieval village “Terra Murata” and on “Corricella”, the fishing settlement. The island has served as the set for numerous films, such as The “Postman”, and some scenes in “The Talented Mr. Ripley” were shot on Corricella. The landmarks of Procida reflect typical Mediterranean pastel colours. Procida offers simply cooking and at least 10 excellent restaurants with plain cooking based on fresh fish. This simple style never fails, thanks to the 20 local fishing boats. The specialties of the cooking are: stewed rabbit (which goes back to the Borbonen who came on Procida to hunt the wild rabbit) and spaghetti with sea-urchin. Procida has 6 beaches with crystal-clear waters. Spent some relaxing days on this wonderful island. Experience the real Italy, lovely people, great views, great sand and great food.
The best way to get to procida is travelling to Pozzuoli first ,beautiful as well as other districts of Naples, by train where you will find marina with ferries. Before reaching the Island, you'll enjoy wonderful views of Faro Capo Miseno and its lighthouse. From the lighthouse you have Incredible views of Capri, Procida, Ischia, Pocinda, Baia, Pozzouli, Sorrento, Pompeii and Mt Vesuvius. Bout a 20 minute hike to the top. Paved with stone steps all the way. Photo of Capo Miseno looking over the mussel beds in the approaches to Porto Miseno.
Met de veerboot naar Procida passeren het schierieland Miseno met de prachtige vuurtoren. Capo Miseno kijkt uit over de mosselbanken bij het naderen van Porto Miseno. Procida is het kleinste eiland van de Golf van Napels; het is rijk aan attracties en archeologie. Vanaf de begane grond van treinstation Napoli Centro kunt u de metro naar station Pozzuoli nemen, uitstappen en de veerboot nemen in de haven van Pozzuoli. De architectuur van Procida heeft een Griekse oorsprong. In feite is de geschiedenis van Procida allereerst geconcentreerd op het middeleeuwse dorp "Terra Murata" en op "Corricella", de vissersnederzetting. Het eiland heeft gediend als decor voor tal van films, zoals The "Postman", en sommige scènes in "The Talented Mr. Ripley" zijn opgenomen op Corricella. De herkenningspunten van Procida weerspiegelen typische mediterrane pastelkleuren. Procida biedt eenvoudig koken en minstens 10 uitstekende restaurants met eenvoudig koken op basis van verse vis. Deze eenvoudige stijl faalt nooit dankzij de 20 lokale vissersboten. De specialiteiten van het koken zijn: gestoofd konijn (dat teruggaat op de Borbonen die op Procida kwamen om op het wilde konijn te jagen) en spaghetti met zee-egels. Procida heeft 6 stranden met kristalhelder water. Verblijf een paar ontspannen dagen op dit prachtige eiland. Ervaar het echte Italië, lieve mensen, geweldig uitzicht, heerlijk zand en heerlijk eten.
Everything is this compact town is so perfect – the Market Square, the Cathedral, the numerous parks all look as if they were crafted by artists of note, which they were!
The city is very well preserved and clean to boot. It is almost like a stage set, nay, make that a movie set, perhaps a Disney flick?
Every window has lace curtains and flower boxes with geraniums, all the buildings are in good repair, and the architecture is infinitely interesting. Low-country designs of the Middle Ages were a matter of pride; every detail down to the outline of a window frame is beautifully proportioned.
In the heart of the downtown, motor vehicles are prohibited, except for deliveries during restricted hours, making it one of the easiest walking cities of the world, safe and well-signed. The winding cobbled streets, adjacent to the canals, are shared by pedestrians and the occasional horse-drawn carriage. Sweepers follow the horses and keep the streets litter free.
Restaurants serve authentic Belgian cooking, a strong rival to French cuisine, as well as numerous international style dishes. Fresh fish, cooked a thousand different ways, is plentiful, as are beautiful homegrown vegetables. Of course, this country is famous for its chocolate, a worthy choice for dessert. My own personal favorite Belgian meal is carpes frites plus pommes frites, which would be called ‘fish and chips’ anywhere else, but is in fact a perfect delicacy here in Bruges.
As well as being known for its many country estates and beautiful old churches, Northamptonshire has numerous stables and riding schools. I came across half a dozen horses with their riders on this country road within the space of around five minutes.
The thatched cottage on the left, which is on the outskirts of Cottesbrooke, dates from the mid-late 1700s.
Numerous quad tracks can be seen running over the hill here that vanish in the morning cloud. This is rough sheep faming country near Fruid. A lovely morning in the hills.
The Pantanal
Brazil
South America
Formerly widespread in gallery forest or woodland, now most numerous in the Pantanal. Elsewhere very rare or absent. They are the longest in length of the macaws. Flocks can be as large as 40-50 birds. Many landowners offer protection to these birds helping to stabilize the population.
Of the 145 species of parrot in Central and South America, 45 are in danger of extinction. All 18 species of macaws are threatened. The primary causes are habitat loss and heavy exploitation for the pet trade.
Hyacinth macaws brought $5,000 to $10,000 each in the pet trade as of 1988. This high price fosters a dangerous level of poaching and smuggling. Data and anecdotal evidence suggests that as many as 10,000 Hyacinth macaws were taken from the wild during the 1980s.
There are numerous small streams that flow into the rivers on Dartmoor and this stream is one of four that are all known as Walla Brook. It can be confusing! This one rises in the centre of Dartmoor near the Warren House Inn, a mile or so north-east of Postbridge and then flows south for some four miles to join the lower East Dart River to the north of Dartmeet. It is pictured here about one mile to the east of Bellever.
"Wella" is an Old English word for "stream". Rather like "Avon" means "river" (and there are five of these in England). It also reminds me that one of London's old rivers - covered over long ago - is called the Walbrook.
This bamboo bush is the roosting place for lots of Spot billed pelicans, fruit bats and other numerous birds. From my archives.
Many thanks to all those who view, fav or comment my pictures. I very much appreciate it.
Although Tavistock has numerous buildings dating from the Georgian era these ones right in the heart of the town centre are Victorian. On the left is one side of the Pannier Market, which is undoubtedly a major attraction. In front of us is the rear of the Town Hall and on the right is one of my favourite cafes, Dukes. Whenever we visit Tavistock we invariably have lunch at one of their outside tables. Very good it is, too.
Tavistock was once part of the Duke of Bedford's estate, and these improvements in the Victorian era were undertaken by them. However, Tavistock traces its recorded history back to at least 961 when Tavistock Abbey, whose ruins lie in the centre of the town, was founded. Its most famous son is Sir Francis Drake. In 1911 the Bedford influence on the town came to an end after over 450 years, when the family sold most of their holdings in the area to meet death duties.
The church incorporates in its chancel arch masonry dating from c.1200. To this early building a south aisle and south chapel were added in the earlier 13th century; the chancel may also have been lengthened at this time. By the early 19th century a south porch and west tower, constructed of timber, had been added. Restoration of the church took place in 1854-5 under the direction of T.H. Wyatt, when the external walls were rebuilt. In 1933 the south chapel was extended eastwards and an aisle was added to the northern side of the church.
St. Andrew's Church was a chapelry within Downton ecclesiastical parish until 1915 when it was annexed to Odstock parish. Arguments by the inhabitants of Nunton and Bodenham that the church should be detached from Downton parish had arisen since the latter half of the 16th century; at numerous points in the 17th to 19th centuries the scarcity of services was noted.
In 1553 there were three bells, which remain in the church today. Parish registers date from 1672; baptism registers from this date to 1906 are held at the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre in Chippenham, as are marriage registers from 2000, with a brief gap between 1764 and 1759. Burial registers held at the Centre date from 1672 to 1965. Later registers than those cited here remain with the church.
This is a salt lake, Lake Pelkhu Tso is 27 km (17 miles) long and 6 km (4 miles) wide at its narrowest point. Surrounded by rugged mountains on three sides that reach altitudes in excess of 5,725 meters (19,000 ft), numerous small streams drain into the lake. Streams fed by glaciers cascade to the valley floor south of Lake Paiku, but only a few streams actually reach the lake. Lake Pelkhu tso has no stream outlet.
Alt: 4,591 m
A cobalt blue lake which the glacial streams of the Da-chu and Lha-chu drain. The lake`s original name, Pelkhyung (pad khyung པད་ ཁྱུང་ ) , meaning "glorious garuda" suggest early associations with the Bon tradition.
Mallards are the most numerous wildfowl in Britain and can be found almost anywhere there is water, so it is not surprising that most people are familiar with it.
The male, or drake, is very recognisable nearly all year round by its metallic green head, brown breast that is delineated from the head by a white neck ring, grey body and black tail. During the summer months, June to September, the drake moults and looks very similar to the female - this is called "eclipse" plumage - and offers better camouflage until their flight feathers have been fully replaced.
The female, or duck, is mainly brown, with blackish mottling and has a plain buff coloured head with a dark line through the eye.
Both sexes have a purple-blue speculum. Further, they both have orange-red legs and a yellow-olive coloured bill, but the duck's bill is much duller.
Allen meinen Flickr-Freunden wünsche ich ein friedliches, schönes Weihnachtsfest !!
Ein herzliches Dankeschön für Eure zahlreichen Besuche, die vielen Sternchen und netten Kommentare !! 💝‿💝
A Peaceful and Merry Christmas to all my flickr-friends !
Thank you so much for your numerous visits, lots of little stars and your nice comments !! 💝‿💝
Trojan Chess?
#MacroMondays
#GamePieces
Royalty, politics, sports, power (stay in or get it), be the winner. People plot intrigues or cheat to achieve their goals and get what they want. Not only people, because science has found numerous examples of tricking or play-acting in the animal world, especially among birds and primates. So it's a universal behaviour pattern.
So how about this little intrigue/cheat: pawnish, lowly "Man, Don't Get Angry" (MDGA) game pieces, entering the royal playing field of the noblest games of all, ready to silently take over the place of the true king, queen, and their acolytes. Man, will they be angry once they realise what just happened. Will they? I'd say, "Power to the People" and game on ;) It's the season of the Pawns. Maybe this is also just another variant of suicide chess (in German, it's Räuberschach, "robbers' chess"), the only chess I ever played successfully.
I was ready to skip. I'm not a huge fan of board games, although I always quite enjoyed Scrabble, Monopoly, and Trivial Pursuit. And of course, we played "Mensch ärgere Dich nicht" (MDGA, which was inspired by Ludo and Pachisi) and a game called Malefiz (another descendant of Pachisi) when I was little. "I don't like board games" also means that there are none at home. Other than the very basic compendium of games I bought (you guessed it) for our last "game pieces" theme. It comes with three puzzle-like cardboard game board pieces (one sticks them together like puzzle pieces to get the whole game board – a simplistic game in itself, if you like). One side has a chess board print (used as background), the other the classic MDGA design, and game pieces for the latter and also for checkers. And chess pieces? There are none, which is a bit of a bummer.
None of the components is special in any way, which made me think of either skipping or buying a board game with interesting game pieces (a stupid idea). But then I remembered my old, truly vintage travel/pocket chess. It's a "De La Rue & Cos. Improved Pocket Chess Board With Chess Men Complete". It's foldable like a book, made of very sturdy cardboard, and the game board part has slots under each square where you can put in the cardboard "chess men" for each move. I thought I'd hide the wooden game pieces behind the cardboard chess pieces of the vintage pocket chess: "Trojan horse style". Theme participation ensured, money saved :)
Size info: The wooden MDGA pieces are 2,5 cm/0,98 inches tall, and the entire scene has a width of 6,5 cm/2,55 inches.
HMM, Everyone!
Merry Christmas! After numerous slow speed runs through the cut east of Alden, I think the crew said F*%k-it and blasted through one last time at 30-40MPH. CDubDub and I were more than pleased. Somewhere back there are a couple of blue and yellers providing the propulsion...
Muflon
The European mouflon, called mouflon in hunter's language, is the westernmost and smallest subspecies of the mouflon. It was originally distributed only on the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia, but has since been introduced into numerous areas of Europe.
De nombreux tariers pâtres vivent par couples toute l'année, défendant ensemble leur territoire.
Numerous common Stonechat live in pairs all year round, defending their territory together.
Eagle Valley Steak Feed in Richland Oregon along the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway
Celebrating the end of Summer in Richland Oregon at the Eagle Valley Steak Feed
Hells Canyon Scenic Byway is a loop that encircles the Wallowa Mountains, intersecting with Interstate 84 at Baker City and La Grande. Small towns, scattered along the drive, offer visitor services and a chance to explore small town life in the American West.
Small towns along the byway host numerous community events and festivals throughout the year including the annual Eagle Valley Steak Feed in the small ranching community of Richland.
These community festivals offer visitors a glimpse at Small town rural America.
While a portion of the byway on USF Road 39 closes due to snow in the winter, Hwy 86 between Baker City and the Hells Canyon Dam at the bottom of the canyon is open year round providing visitors access to the deepest river gorge in North America.
To download a map of the Hells Canyon Byway and more information about this beautiful scenic drive visit www.hellscanyonbyway.com
For more information about the Hells Canyon Scenic byways or other Baker County, scenic drives, events and attractions, visit the Baker County tourism website at www.travelbakercounty.com
I've seen this building numerous times when I'm down there and never knew what is was...from the Google then...
"World Market Center Las Vegas, located at 495 Grand Central Parkway in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a 5-million-square-foot showcase for the home and hospitality contract furnishings industry in downtown Las Vegas. It is the largest showroom complex in the world for the home and hospitality furnishings industry, serving domestic and international sellers and buyers."
Now I know...now you know. The explanation isn't as cool as the photo though... :)
(Las Vegas, Nevada)
A pair of yucca sport numerous white-tipped needles that gleam in the late afternoon light; each plant is festooned with a nest of bright, tendril-like threads that separate from the margins of the leaves, Klondike Bluffs, Arches National Park, Utah.
The family spent spring break in Moab, along with what seemed like a sizable portion of the Front Range population. My mother drove from Portland to meet us, and it was the first time we'd seen her and her husband since the end of 2019. One afternoon we realized we had never visited the Klondike Bluffs section of Arches, which is far up against the northwestern border of the Park. We walked an enjoyable 3.5 mile out-and-back route to Tower Arch, past the Marching Men which are tall, fragmented pillars of sandstone fins, waiting to meet gravity's final embrace. There was an impressive queue to enter the Park, and strangely we had the trail largely to ourselves.
I have numerous pictures of Shrike tails as they fly out of the photo, finally I got one with the whole bird in it! This is a brown 1st winter bird recognized by the over brownish tone rather than gray and the distinct "scaled" look on the chest.
Edwards Place, built in 1833 and remodeled in 1857, is an historic house museum that tells the story of social and domestic life in Abraham Lincoln's Springfield, Illinois. Restored in 2015 to its antebellum glory, this Italianate mansion was one a center for social activity in Springfield. Prominent citizens and politicians such as Lincoln, Stephen A. Douglas, David Davis, and numerous governors, judges, lawyers, and politicians were entertained at lavish dinner parties and the grounds played host to many summer picnics and political rallies.
Edwards Place was the home of attorney Benjamin Edwards, youngest son of Governor Ninian Edwards and brother-in-law of Mary Lincoln’s sister Elizabeth. Although the Lincolns did not court or marry here, Edwards Place is currently home to the "courting couch" on which Lincoln and Mary Todd sat during the early days of their romance, originally the property of Ninian Edwards.
Edwards Place has been owned and operated by the Springfield Art Association, a private, non-profit visual arts organization, since 1913. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
This is the second of three images of the notable Anasazi Fallen Roof Ruin. This ruin survives numerous fallen layers of overhanging stone illustrating an impressive white marbling and dark varnish. Tell me which one you like best.
Numerous Barn Swallows were hanging out on the fence at Point Pelee.. so much fun to watch these busy little birds.
Happy Fence Friday1
#MacroMondays
#Run
Well, actually, I ran out of time ;) This is my last-minute attempt, photographed last night, no fuss handheld, after numerous attempts of photographing through the peephole of a "magic wand kaleidoscope" that comes with transparent, round plastic sticks that are filled with liquid and floating, glittery stuff that creates the typical patterns when put into the kaleidoscope. Here's a link to the Big River so you can see what it looks like:
STRG/CTRL+ www.amazon.de/Bartl-GmbH-Kaleidoskop-exklusiv-Zauberstab/...
It almost worked, but only almost. So I grabbed the nail enamel I bought for the theme, and made a smiley but it looked a little to diffuse, so in the end, I settled for a colourful heart that I painted onto the underside of a white espresso cup (the heart is still there) and then used a toothpick to mix the colours, kind of in a clumsy "wet in wet icing" style.
Exposure metering was set to "HI". I made minimal adjustments in post to make the colours pop a little more than they already did, and slightly brightened the background in the corners where the concave shape of the cup's underside had created a slight vignetting. That's it.
The heart's size is 2x2 cm / 0,78x0,78 inches.
HMM, Everyone, and have a nice week ahead!
P.S. I'm busy today and will catch up with you tonight.
One of numerous flowers growing on a few stalks well over two meters high. There was bright evening sky all around this blossom because it was higher than my camera. These garden hollyhocks (Alcea rosea L.) are just across the way from the giant thistles I posted yesterday. Perhaps the thistles inspired them. 😉 Flower ID: plantnet.org. [DSC09115_lr_2000]
Thank you all for the clicks, comments & faves.
One the numerous overlooks in Bryce Canyon National Park. When I started my day there it was solid overcast but in the latter part of the afternoon it cleared up and with the better light I reshot some spots including this one.
The mighty force of Dettifoss. Filmed in numerous movies, most prominently Prometheus is reputed to be most powerful waterfall in all of Europe and I don't have doubts about if after experiencing its thundering sound and flow.
A juvenile rock beauty (holacanthus tricolor) in front of mountainous star coral (orbicella faveolata).
Rock beauties are teases. They are relatively numerous, obviously easy to spot and they allow for a somewhat close approach, but not as close as you would like for an underwater shot as they often turn away or duck into a crack at the last moment. This juvenile wasn't as skittish as a typical adult. Unlike many other fish, juvenile rock beauties look like what they will become as they age, but maybe more of a red accent on the dorsal and anal fins.
It is a challenge to get a clean background underwater. Here, the rock beauty is posing in front of a large mountainous star coral. Unfortunately, there is a good chance this coral is dead now. This image was taken earlier this year. We returned to this site in the summer and much to our disappointment, probably 1/3 of the hard corals, if not more, were dead.
I don't know if it was "just" coral bleaching or due to disease, such as the stony coral tissue loss disease (first identified in FL in 2014, bit.ly/3fBTIEt), but it was very deflating to see it happen at a site that had so many magnificent and massive hard corals. Mountainous star coral is listed as "endangered" by IUCN.
Looking down from The Peak, highest point on Hong Kong Island, towards the Skyline of Hong Kong Island.
As early as the 19th century, the Peak attracted prominent European residents because of its panoramic view over the city and its temperate climate compared to the sub-tropical climate in the rest of Hong Kong. The sixth Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Richard MacDonnell had a summer residence built on the Peak circa 1868. Those that built houses named them whimsically, such as The Eyrie, and the Austin Arms. These original residents reached their homes by sedan chairs, which were carried up and down the steep slope of Victoria Peak. This limited development of the Peak until the opening of the Peak Tram funicular in 1888.
The boost to accessibility caused by the opening of the Peak Tram created demand for residences on the Peak. Between 1904 and 1930, the Peak Reservation Ordinance designated the Peak as an exclusive residential area reserved for non-Chinese. They also reserved the Peak Tram for the use of such passengers during peak periods. The Peak remains an upmarket residential area, although residency today is based on wealth.
The Peak is home to many species of birds, most prominently the black kite, and numerous species of butterflies. Wild boar and porcupines are also seen, along with a variety of snakes.
With seven million visitors every year, the Peak is a major tourist attraction of Hong Kong with its views of the city and its waterfront. The viewing deck also has coin-operated telescopes that the visitors can use to enjoy the cityscape. The number of visitors led to the construction of two major leisure and shopping centres, the Peak Tower and the Peak Galleria, situated adjacent to each other.
The Peak Tower incorporates the upper station of the Peak Tram, whilst the Peak Galleria incorporates the bus station used by the Hong Kong public buses and green minibuses on the Peak. The Peak is also accessible by taxi and private car via the circuitous Peak Road, or by walking up the steep Old Peak Road from near the Zoological Botanical Gardens or the Central Green Trail from Hong Kong Park.
Victoria Peak Garden is located on the site of Mountain Lodge, the Governor's old summer residence, and is the closest publicly accessible point to the summit. It can be reached from Victoria Gap by walking up Mount Austin Road, a climb of about 150 metres. Another popular walk is the level loop along Lugard and Harlech Roads, giving good views of the entire Hong Kong Harbour and Kowloon, as well as Lantau and Lamma Islands, encircling the summit at the level of the Peak Tower.
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