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One of the more fascinating aspects of Green Heron (Butorides virescens) behaviour is their occasionally use of feathers, insects, earthworms, or small floating objects, as bait to attract small fish. The heron will place the object on the surface of the water and wait for the fish to arrive, where it can snag them easily. Copyright © Kim Toews/All Rights Reserved.
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Explore position # 52 . Thank you very much for your support and nice comments
It's raining all day here and I'm doing home office too lol :-). There was a break for a couple of hours but very few people came outside unless it's really needed.
When I tried to shoot this Car Adda nearby I noticed only the Bird is flying accross but anyway it's not going to buy a car lol :-). Weather.com tells me that weekend would be good....hopefully you guys have good time...have a great week friends...
Tech Note: DRI blending of 2 exposures using 10.5mm Nikkor Fisheye. Bird is 15% zoomed with additional layer masking to make it more prominent....my challenge was low light and i didn't have tripod as I rushing to my home before the cloud makes me wet :-). But Nikkor 1.5mm is awesome is damn good in low light too due it's high range of f/stop values...
I’ve been in California with Scotch for nearly 10 months now and in that time—including the 10 day drive from Washington, DC—I’ve filled up 9 32GB memory cards and have taken roughly 10,000 photos. I’d also estimate that 75% of those shots came in the first 3 months. As was the case back home before leaving, a lot of my trips were either exploring new places or shooting in bulk, hoping I’d eventually be able to post all the photos I wanted even as they’d get pushed further back with each trip.
I knew there was a drought and I knew Southern California was supposed to be a place with consistently perfect weather, but you’d never have known that in the early days of my trip that turned into a move. Sunny clear days and evenings were an anomaly and my biggest challenge was trying to deal with the Santa Ana winds when shooting long exposures. I know…sounds really tough haha.
As March and April came, I realized that while the winter here was incredible to shoot, the spring and summer brought the weather everyone (but me) desired. Gone were the clouds and rain, gone were the colorful skies and a golden haze crept over the area for months. A couple times each month, clouds would come back or overnight rain would push away the haze but for the most part, every day felt the same.
The weather here has cooled considerably and with it, some cloudy days have returned. It even rained a bit late Sunday night into the early morning but the early evenings are still generally cloudless. I’ve set out with Venice in mind 6 times in the last month, but only actually went 3 times. Of the voided trips, once was due to terrible traffic that would’ve had me arriving after dark and the others because the clouds I was promised from weather forecasts vanished half way there. From home, I drive straight towards Venice so I end up with 55 minutes of skyline in front of me and it’s usually pretty easy to tell if there will be a great sunset or if the trip will be a dud.
Really the only positives from those long breaks from shooting outdoors have been the ability to spend more time photographing and hanging out with Scotch, time to both go through my archives and work on my editing skills and upload some of the shots I never got a chance to show. I’ve been trying very hard to streamline my editing process the last few months and come up with a more consistent way to color correct images and reduce the amount of steps needed to get the photo right.
One of the first places I visited here back in January was Manhattan Beach and it also ended up being one of the more interesting trips I took. I arrived late afternoon to a golden, hazy sky which was initially disappointing until I got down to the pier and starting shooting. It was really crowded on the beach and after trying to wait out the people hovering by me or walking by, I finally switched to the 10 stop filter and kept it on for the rest of the visit. I essentially spent the time until dark in 2 places: directly beneath the pier and then just to the right of the pier. I posted a handful of shots from here many many months ago but always wanted to go back when I had a chance to edit some of the remaining images using the methods I use today. My hope was to get a significantly more accurate image that matched what my eyes saw as closely as possible. I really lucked out with the position of the sun and was able to shoot long exposures as the sun dipped and then hid behind the pier until it was gone. I took a few dozen images from here ranging from a few seconds to several minutes and while similar, the changing position of the sun and varying exposure times created different shadows and reflections which was amazing to see. Manhattan Beach is another place I expect to return to quite a bit once the cloudy fall and winter days return but in the interim, I do love looking back on many of the trips that helped to convince me not to return to Maryland :)
▪️ WHERE & WHEN ▪️
• Manhattan Beach Pier
• Manhattan Beach, California
• January 15th, 2016
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
▪️ SETTINGS ▪️
• Canon T4i
• EF-S 18-135mm IS STM
• @18mm
• ISO 100
• f/20
• 76 seconds
• ND1000
• CPL
Cute rascals. In 2013 the zoo of Copenhagen celebrated the first successful breeding of the endangered animals outside Australia when two female devils gave birth to a total of seven joeys.
Had another fantastic adventure with Sammie today.
We decided to go to the Injebreck Reservoir for a little wander. It was good to get out and get some fresh air and to 'escape' the hassles of school and home.
This location is actually where I have been training to become an Assistant Instructor at an outdoor centre in the Isle of Man. It has been a non-stop exciting experience and I can't wait to look back at the end of this year and see what I will have achieved from it.
Văn Miếu - Quốc Tử Giám ,sometimes incorrectly called "Temple of Literature" is a Temple of Confucius in Hanoi, northern Vietnam.
The temple hosts the "Imperial Academy" (Quốc Tử Giám, 國子監), Vietnam's first national university. The temple was built in 1070 at the time of Emperor Lý Thánh Tông. It is one of several temples in Vietnam which is dedicated to Confucius, sages and scholars. The temple is located to the south of the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long.
The various pavilions, halls, statues and stelae of doctors are places where offering ceremonies, study sessions and the strict exams of the Đại Việt took place. The temple is featured on the back of the 100,000 Vietnamese đồng banknote. Just before the Vietnamese New Year celebration Tết, calligraphists will assemble outside the temple and write wishes in Hán characters. The art works are given away as gifts or are used as home decorations for special occasions.
The temple was built in 1070 and was reconstructed during the Trần dynasty (1225–1400) and in the subsequent dynasties. For nearly two centuries, despite wars and disasters, the temple has preserved ancient architectural styles of many dynasties as well as precious relics. Major restorations have taken place in 1920, 1954 and 2000.
"In the autumn of the year Canh Tuat, the second year of Than Vu (1070), in the 8th lunar month, during the reign of King Lý Thánh Tông, the Văn Miếu was built. The statues of Confucius, his four best disciples: Yan Hui (Nhan Uyên), Zengzi (Tăng Sâm), Zisi (Tử Tư), and Mencius (Mạnh Tử), as well as the Duke of Zhou (Chu Công), were carved and 72 other statues of Confucian scholars were painted. Ceremonies were dedicated to them in each of the four seasons. The Crown Princes studied here."
In 1076, Vietnam's first university, the "Quốc Tử Giám" or Imperial Academy, was established within the temple to educate Vietnam's bureaucrats, nobles, royalty and other members of the elite. The university remained open from 1076 to 1779. In 1802, the Nguyễn dynasty's monarchs founded the Huế capital where they established a new imperial academy. The academy at the Hanoi temple lost its prominence and became a school of the Hoài Đức District.
Under the French protectorate, the Văn Miếu - Quốc Tử Giám was registered as Monument historique in 1906. Campaigns of restoration were pursued in 1920 and 1947 under the responsibility of École française d'Extrême-Orient (French School of the Far East) and again after World War II.
The Emperor Lý Thánh Tông built the school. It was built in 1076 AD at the time of Emperor Lý Thánh Tông. It was built as a school for the rich and royals to study because education is very important. After that, it was used as university for everyone because there weren't enough universities for everyone in Hanoi. They wanted that a lot of people would go to the school so they expanded to make more space for more people and since it was expanded for more people wanted to go to the school to study well. It was rebuilt because the wood that the Emperor used in the olden days had been so old that it started to break and fall apart. As the days went by, the kings kept replacing the wood and now we have replaced the wood with concrete or metal,stone and new wood. When the French ruled Vietnam at around 1945- 1954, they destroyed some parts of the temple to make room for the sick and wounded since the hospitals were full.
Night was falling quickly, but on this beautiful evening in early Spring I couldn't stop taking pictures. I didn't have a tripod with me so I was leaning the camera along the bridge where I was standing. All of a sudden a bateau mouche - an open-air tour boat with very bright floodlights - passed by and lit up the Quai d'Orsay for a few short seconds, adding a magical golden glow to this entire scene. I shot it at f/5 at 1/25 second and ISO 1600. I was pleased at how well it turned out!
The church spire on the left is the American Church in Paris. Here is some information about it:
The American Church in Paris is the first American church established outside the United States. It started in 1814, when it was officially chartered and the first sanctuary was built in 1857. The present site located on 65 Quai d'Orsay 75007, Paris, France, dates back to 1930. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Church_in_Paris
[Je n'avais jamais traverse' cette partie de Paris a pied, et j'etais enchantee par cette belle nuit de pleine lune. Meme que je n'avais pas de trepieds, j'ai fait de mon mieux pour capturer cette scene allumee comme dans une conte de fee - pour quelques secondes bien trop courtes - par la lumiere doree des bateaux mouches qui passaient.]
FIRST THING TO DO IS FOR YOU TO ENRICH YOUR KNOWLEDGE
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This Is What We Do ....We Take The Children Along .....And Pass On Knowledge And Wisdom Gained Over These Years... This Is The Way We Put Our Children In Fast Track.....
Youngsters Are Quick Learners And Much More Proficient In Handling Modern Gadgets And Net knowers....Nevertheless,,,A Bottle Of Water Will Be of Help..since lots of Questions and Elucidation is the norm .That Is Another Matter.
We Need Their Car And Drive....To Reach High Places ..Especially In A Foreign Land......That Is A Different Matter....Altogether
(In This Image Shot Outside The Lick Observatory situate on A Cliff....Overlooking Silicon Valley, Me And My Son..At Sun Set Time)
En attendant les Lavandes, il y a toujours les coquelicots.
//
In waiting the Lavenders , there is always the poppies .
You can find me on Facebook
This one is for Munich.
For all the fantastic architecture whether the old or the new one.
For all the breweries and the most delicious beer in the world.
For all the rollercoasters at the Oktoberfest which make so many people happy every year.
This is to the people.
To all those people sitting outside in the sun even though it is freezingly cold.
To all those surfers who are surfing no matter the season.
To all those drunken strangers at the Munich beer festival which are friends for one night.
I love you guys, you are my inspiration, you are my life.
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Feel free to mark buildings or places on the picture you know :)
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Check out my store: society6.com/tooobi
Burj Khalifa (Arabic: برج خليفة "Khalifa Tower"),[8] formerly known as Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and the tallest man-made structure ever built, at 828 m (2,717 ft).[8] Construction began on 21 September 2004, with the exterior of the structure completed on 1 October 2009. The building officially opened on 4 January 2010.[1][9] The building is part of the 2 km2 (490-acre) flagship development called Downtown Burj Khalifa at the "First Interchange" along Sheikh Zayed Road, near Dubai's main business district.
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Camera: Nikon D3X
Lens: Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8G
Focal Length: 17mm
Aperture: f/16
Shutter Speed : 30 seconds
ISO: 50
Exposure: Manual
("Stakkars, store naturen
på en iskald vinterkveld.
Når vi sitter inne i varmen
må den være ute i seg selv.")
~Dag Evjenth~
Explored Feb 17, 2013 Best position #435
A popular motif in Hafrsfjord, Norway, which I finally got to photograph too ツ
I have more boathouse photos here: www.flickr.com/photos/ranveig/sets/72157630009849213/
Its raining again outside, so I fear there won't be the opportunity to catch a proper wintry scene this year . But hopefully next year might bring cold bright frosty days like this.
Not sure why the auto-tagging thinks I was at the seaside!
Riddagshausen Abbey (Kloster Riddagshausen) was a Cistercian monastery just outside the city of Brunswick in Germany.
It was founded as Marienzelle by Ludolf the Wend, a ministerialis of Henry the Lion and steward of Brunswick, and settled in 1145 by monks from Amelungsborn Abbey. Henry endowed the new foundation in 1146 with the neighbouring village of Riddagshausen, from which it took its name.
The abbey early acquired it's status as an Imperial abbey.
It was mediatised in 1569 by Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, when it became a Protestant establishment. From 1690 it was also the home of a prestigious Lutheran seminary for training of preachers, the first in Germany. The religious community and the seminary were dissolved in 1809.
The site, now included within the city of Brunswick, in the district of Wabe-Schunter-Beberbach, is now mostly a nature reserve and arboretum.
The surviving buildings include the abbey church and the gate house, now home of the Cistercian Museum.
Das Kloster Riddagshausen ist ein ehemaliges Kloster in Braunschweig, zwischen Nußberg und Buchhorst. Hier ließen sich im Jahre 1145 Zisterzienser des Konvents aus Amelungsborn nieder. Das neu gegründete Tochterkloster Marienzelle nahm kurz darauf den Namen des benachbarten Dorfes Riddagshausen an. Die Gründung eines Klosters war seit 1143/44 durch Ludolf von Wenden vorbereitet worden, der in Personalunion Ministerialer Heinrichs des Löwen und Vogt von Braunschweig und Amelungsborn war. Riddagshausen ist heute ein Stadtteil Braunschweigs. Weitere Sehenswürdigkeiten der Umgebung sind das Wildgehege und ein Arboretum, sowie ein Zisterziensermuseum (im ehemaligen Torhaus untergebracht).
Finished off Memorial Day weekend with a trip to Newport to visit the aquarium with the family and was hoping for some nice weather and beach relaxation (and of course capture a sunset and sunrise combo) before heading back to work. Once we made it to the coast it was raining and cloudy and looked bleak for any sunset hopes. So as I was pouting and we were getting ready to head to the indoor pool, we looked outside and saw a very small clearing that was opening up right by the hotel and Newport’s marina. Still I thought no-way, it’s raining and ugly outside and had given up photography for the night like a two-year old. Well of course I was wrong, and very lucky, I was with in a minute from a vantage point and as I took one last peek out the hotel window noticed the sky really coloring up in a very small area right by the bridge, so my daughter and I grabbed my gear and were able to witness a very special and unexpected sunset! The colors went from a rich deep red to a soft pink and blue pastels and then quickly vanished into dark grey… gotta love getting lucky!
Happy Friday!
**Please view large**
Manufacturer: Citroën S.A., Groupe PSA Peugeot Citroën, Saint-Ouen - France
Type: Acadiane
Engine: 602cc, flat-twin boxer, air cooled (M28 / 1 Type AM2 /AM2A)
Power: 31 bhp / 5.750 rpm
Speed: 103 km/h
Production time: 1978 – 1984 in France, until 1987 in Portugal (Dyane 400) and Spain (Dyane 400)
Production outlet: 253,393
Curb weight: 665 kg
Load capacity: 490 kg
Special:
- The Dyane (1967-1983), in base designed by Louis Bionier (Bureau d'études de Panhard et Levassor) because there own design department was too busy, and re-designed it "in house" by Jacques Charreton (outside) and Henry Dargent (inside), is the base model of this Acadiane.
- This two-seater commercial vehicle was based on the 2CV with the more powerful Ami engine.
- The name comes from the archives of Panhard. That was in addition to the brand Dyna, and Dynamic Dynavia also deposited Dyane. And since Citroën owned Panhard, yet that was settled quickly ☺☺!
- The Dyane was included in the Citroën program as "the 2CV of the future", but hasn't been able to "perform" this. The 2CV survived its "beautiful" brother.
- It has a four-speed manual gearbox, a Solex carburettor, a 25 liter fuel tank, ashtray and front wheel drive.
- The chassis with steel body (the roof of the rear bodywork was corrugated to add extra rigidity) has a 100 inch wheelbase, rack & pinion steering, two-spoke steering wheel of the 2CV Spécial, dual mirrors, rear windows, coil spring front and rear suspension, spare wheel stowed under the hood on top of the motor, disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear.
- The were also available as a "Mixte", with sliding rear windows, a passenger sun visor (not on the commercial model) and a removable rear bench seat.
- A retractable passenger seat was optional at the commercial version.
- They were built in Levallois-Perret, Rennes-La Janais (France), Vigo (Spain), Forest (Belgium) and Mangualde (Portugal).
A stand of virgin white pine I found along the Arrowhead Trail. This was on my slow drive out of the BWCAW after two nights camping in the wilderness. I paddled in with a 90 year old wood canvas canoe.
I have some loquat trees in my back yard in Central Florida, USA. During late winter and early spring, the Cedar Waxwings come in large numbers to eat the fruit. I have seen over 200 in my yard in the past few weeks. The waxy red tips on the wings identify this bird as an adult.
This was taken out an open bedroom window from about 15 feet away.
Canon Rebel XSi and Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
Explore Front Page (#3) on May 27th. Thank you!
Sunset over rice fields outside of Surin.
Surin, Thailand, is capital of Surin province. It is the site of the annual Surin Elephant Round-up. The town is also an access point for the Khmer temples of Phanom Rung historical park, Prasat Preah Vihear and potentially Angkor Wat.
The town is located approximately 450 kilometres North East of Bangkok, about half way between Nakorn Ratchasima (Khorat) and Ubon Ratchathani (Lat 14.90, Long 103.50). The population of the town is in the region of 150,000, the majority being of Khmer and Laos decent. Thai is the main language of the area but many, particularly older residents, speak Khmer, Lao, and/or Suway. Surin has a substantial population of expatriate westerners married to local women.
At this time, there is an estimated population of foreigners (known as farangs in Thai)of 6,000 living in Surin or surrounding villages. There are three "farang" restaurants located in Surin, where one could meet local expats having a beer and a chat. They are Brad's Cafe American and the Farang Connection located behind the bus terminal and Norbie's German Beer Bar located in the heart of the nightlife area known as Soi Cola.
It's so rainy outside.......I would say today is a good day for pics like this...
Khao Sok national park, Thailand.
#50
taken in Co. Cork, Ireland.
the vast majority of people preferred the left hand side picture in this picture and so here it is in its full glory.
many thx for everyone's input :-)
taken 2.5 minutes before this shot which explains some of the colour differences:-)
Alexanders Band : Occasionally, a second, dimmer secondary rainbow is seen outside the primary bow. Secondary rainbows are caused by a double reflection of sunlight inside the raindrops, and appear at an angle of 50°–53°. As a result of the second reflection, the colours of a secondary rainbow are inverted compared to the primary bow, with blue on the outside and red on the inside. The dark area of unlit sky lying between the primary and secondary bows is called Alexander's band, after Alexander of Aphrodisias who first described it.
Supernumerary Rainbow: Occasionally, another beautiful and striking rainbow phenomenon can be observed, consisting of several faint rainbows on the inner side of the primary rainbow, and very rarely also outside the secondary rainbow. They are slightly detached and have pastel colour bands that do not fit the usual pattern. They are known as supernumerary rainbows, and it is not possible to explain their existence using classical geometric optics. The alternating faint rainbows are caused by interference between rays of light following slightly different paths with slightly varying lengths within the raindrops. Some rays are in phase, reinforcing each other through constructive interference, creating a bright band; others are out of phase by up to half a wavelength, cancelling each other out through destructive interference, and creating a gap. Given the different angles of refraction for rays of different colours, the patterns of interference are slightly different for rays of different colours, so each bright band is differentiated in colour, creating a miniature rainbow. Supernumerary rainbows are clearest when raindrops are small and of similar size. The very existence of supernumerary rainbows was historically a first indication of the wave nature of light, and the first explanation was provided by Thomas Young in 1804.
Oh and there are truly superb rainbow definitions and supernumerary formation explanations for why you see supernumerary bows and double bows here.
The spokes of the rainbow wheel are explained here nicely too.
Dorbandt House just outside Marble Falls, known as the “Bluebonnet House,” belonged to Christian Dorbandt, a Danish immigrant who arrived in the U.S. in 1834 and built the two-story limestone house in 1853 after a storied career in the military and with the Texas Rangers.
This is one house in the Texas Hill Country, that may rise above all others in being noticed, talked about, wondered about, rumored about and photographed more than most any other in the area, perhaps even the state. It has been stated that this may be the “most photographed house in Texas” and it almost certainly the most photographed in the Hill Country, other than maybe the Alamo if you consider that “a house”
There were a dozen photographers there when we stopped to photograph it. It even has two Buzzards to top it off :-)
© Copyright SVETAN Photography™ - All rights reserved.
EXPLORED Oct 24, 2012
From our trip to Siberia.
Spaso-Preobrazhensky cathedral is situated on Sobornaya square in Abakan city.
The cathedral is a marvelous five-headed building with golden domes and 12 bells which ring on holidays.
It is built in a classical style with 7 domes, white outside. The cathedral consists of two temples: upper and low. The low temple is used for christening. The belfry includes 12 bells, the biggest of which weighs 5670 kg.
There are several sacred objects enshrined in the cathedral. They include the icons of Siberian saints such as Saint Innokenty, Moscow metropolitan, Saint Ioann, Tobolsky metropolitan, Tobolsky bishop, Vasily Mangazeisky martyr, Saint Fedor, Tomsky monk and Saint blessed Moscow Matron.
Nikon D800E + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8
My thoughts are with all those affected by yesterday's horrific killings in Paris. A sad, sad day, indeed.
This is the fourth, and I think it will be the last, photo of one of two Common Loons seen at Emerald Lake, British Columbia, on 11 July 2015. Rather a distant shot, but I didn't dare crop it any closer than I did. That day, I had a wonderful day out with friend Sandy, driving westwards from Calgary and eventually reaching the next province, British Columbia (B.C.). Sandy had two destinations in mind - a stop at the Spiral Tunnels and then to explore the forest around Emerald Lake. I had only been to B.C. a handful of times in 37 years, so this was an absolute treat.
"The lake is enclosed by mountains of the President Range, as well as Mount Burgess and Wapta Mountain. This basin traps storms, causing frequent rain in summer and heavy snowfalls in winter. This influx of moisture works with the lake's low elevation to produce a unique selection of flora. Trees found here are more typical of B.C.'s wet interior forests, such as western red cedar, western yew, western hemlock and western white pine. The alluvial fan on the northeast shore produces wildflowers in abundance during late June and early July.
Due to its high altitude, the lake is frozen from November until June. The vivid turquoise color of the water, caused by powdered limestone, is most spectacular in July as the snow melts from the surrounding mountains.
The first European to set sight on Emerald Lake was guide Tom Wilson, who stumbled upon it by accident in 1882. A string of his horses had gotten away, and it was while tracking them that he first entered the valley. The lake had an impression on even the most seasoned of explorers: "For a few moments I sat [on] my horse and enjoyed the rare, peaceful beauty of the scene." It was Wilson who gave the lake its name because of its remarkable colour, caused by fine particles of glacial sediment, also referred to as rock flour, suspended in the water. However, this was not the first time Wilson had dubbed a lake 'Emerald'. Earlier that same year he had discovered another lake which he had given the same moniker, and the name even appeared briefly on the official map. This first lake however, was shortly renamed Lake Louise." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_Lake_(British_Columbia)
Our trip started just after 7:00 am, to get a good, early start, especially before the temperature soared. The drive from Calgary to Emerald Lake takes about 2 and a half hours and is a 218.5 km drive via Trans-Canada Hwy/AB-1 W. We took a quieter route home at the end of the day. Rain arrived just in time for this drive home and, by the time I got back to my car in Calgary, the rain was really heavy and a few of the roads were beginning to flood very quickly. It was raining again this morning. I was kind of hoping for a few rainy days, as I suddenly have a build-up of quite a few very major, very urgent things to deal with and I didn't want to be tempted to go out with my camera.
Shortly after we began our walk though the forest along the right hand side of the lake, we heard a commotion coming from the water. When we found a place to see through the trees, we could see two beautiful Common Loons and a female duck with several babies, possibly Common Mergansers. My guess would be that the Merganser mother kept chasing away the Loons, creating a lot of splashing. This distant photo of one of the Loons was taken at the end of our walk. It was in the smaller section of the lake at Emerald Lake and we noticed it when we were walking along the boardwalk/bridge. It was swimming towards us and I managed to get one quick shot. Then it swam under the boardwalk and was disappearing into the distance by the time I took this shot. This photo also shows why this lake is named Emerald Lake : )
Also, at the beginning and the end of our "hike", we watched a family of Violet-green Swallows that were nesting. Not sure how many young ones there were, but I saw three. Though we do get these birds in Calgary, I've never seen one properly - just when a mass of Swallows swarms over the Bow River and someone calls out "Violet-green!" The adults flew to feed their babies at top speed and barely stayed a second at the nest hole. I was just thrilled to see one of these birds - thanks, Sandy, for your patience, allowing me to try and get a few photos! Thanks, too, for such a great day, as usual!
Wikipedia: During the Viking Age, Birka (Birca in medieval sources), on the island of Björkö (literally: "Birch Island") outside of Stockholm in Sweden, was an important trading center which handled goods from Scandinavia as well as Central and Eastern Europe and the Orient. The archaeological sites of Birka and Hovgården, on the neighbouring island of Adelsö, make up an archaeological complex which illustrates the elaborate trading networks of Viking Scandinavia and their influence on the subsequent history of Europe. Generally regarded as Sweden's oldest town, Birka (along with Hovgården) has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.
The rune stone has once stood by the island's quay, but no longer does so due to the elevation of the land. It was raised around 1065 by the king's bailiff and the weight is 7 tones. The kings of the then Svea Kingdom are also considered to have been buried in this area.
More about Birka and Hovgården: whc.unesco.org/en/list/555
Endemic & Critically Endangered, this is one of the rarest birds in Colombia. Populations persist in the Magdalena Valley and Santa Marta Mountains. This image of a wild bird was taken in the afternoon of November 17 (2014) at El Paujil nature reserve near Puerto Pinzón, municipality of Puerto Boyacá in the mid-Magdalena Valley, where ProAves makes important efforts to preserve the species.
Visit our web page: www.birdingtourscolombia.com
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/BirdingToursCol
Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/birdingtourscolombia
A pretty sunset taken from Irvine on Sunday, looking across the Firth of Clyde, towards snow-capped Arran. I kept clicking until I got an ideal `formation' of gulls :D
Another from my shoot with Sarah and her husband and daughter.
Taken in Eldorado, outside of Santa Fe.
A cuberdon is a cone-shaped Belgian candy. In Dutch it is known as a neus (nose), Gentse neus (Ghent nose), or neuzeke (little nose) for its likeness to a human nose. In French, cuberdons are also called chapeau-de-curé and chapeau-de-prêtre (priest's hat).
Cuberdons are made with gum arabic. They are raspberry-flavored and purple, though more recently differently colored variants have been available as well. They are traditionally about 2,5 cm wide and weigh approximately 10 to 18 grammes, although smaller version are also commercialized. The outside is relatively hard, whereas the inside is gelatinous. Cuberdons can only be preserved for about three weeks, after which period the inside begins to crystallize. This limited preservability is the reason why cuberdons are not exported outside of Belgium.
Wikipedia
tones: Isabelle Lafrance and Bärbel's PS/PSE actions
texture: PaintedWorks and SkeletalMess
Got all 11 balloons in this shot, in various stages of being blown up and ready to take off. Love all the bright cheerful colors :) More to come :)
Hope everyone is having a great Sunday! Thanks for taking a minutes to look at my photo!!! Everyone is always so kind to me! Have a wonderful evening!
www.etsy.com/shop/ReneesImagination Please visit my shop on Etsy,
We saw two kinds of gnatcatchers. Gosh. They look a lot alike so you have to listen for the distinctive voices and look for the white or lack of white tail feathers.
Guess who's back!
Its been quite the while since I last posted on here, the main reason being Uni but I'm done for the year now so yay for me! Time to come back and upload some of the thousands of picture I've taken over the last few month.
During the quiet times I still post to facebook about my days out and upload rough edits, if you'd like to see that (of course you do) then feel free to send me a friend request of follow here - www.facebook.com/max.thompson.710
Thank you all! I'll try and catch up with all the regulars on here too.