MYANMAR,burma - zum Sonnenuntergang auf dem Mandalay -HillDie meisten Besucher kommen zum 236 m hohen Mandalay Hill, um von der Terrasse der Wunscherfüllungspagode den Sonnenuntergang zu genießen. Von hier oben hat man einen atemberaubenden Blick auf die Stadt mit ihren vielen Klöstern, den Fluss Ayeyarwady, der die Lebensader des Landes ist, sowie in der Ferne die Shan Berge.

Viele Touristen werden auf den Berg hinaufgefahren. Schöner ist es jedoch, die 1700 Stufen vom Südeingang des Berges hinaufzulaufen. Vorbei geht’s an Souvenirläden und Essenständen. Auf halber Höhe erreicht man eine große goldene Buddhafigur, die mit ausgestrecktem Arm auf die Stadt Mandalay zeigt. Der Legende nach sagte Buddha, dass am Fuße dieses Berges, im Jahr 2400 des buddhistischen Kalenders, hier eine große Stadt entstehen werde. König Mingon verlegte aus diesem Grunde im Jahr 1857 die Königsstadt von Amarapura hier an den Fuß des Berges. Immer wieder kommt man bei der Besteigung des Berges an Opferstellen und Buddhafiguren vorbei.

Die Pagode auf dem Gipfel ist eine architektonische Meisterleistung. Sie besteht aus vielen kleinen offenen Räumen, die durch große Rundbögen voneinander getrennt sind. Die Wände sind über und über mit Glas- und Spiegelmosaiken bedeckt. Eine besondere Stimmung entsteht, wenn sich die rote, untergehende Sonne in den Mosaiken spiegelt.

MYANMAR, Burma - Sunset on Mandalay Hill

Most visitors come to the 236 m high Mandalay Hill to enjoy the sunset from the terrace of the Wish Fulfillment Pagoda. From up here you have a breathtaking view of the city with its many monasteries, the Ayeyarwady River, which is the country's lifeline, and the Shan Mountains in the distance.

Many tourists are driven up the mountain. However, it is nicer to walk up the 1700 steps from the south entrance of the mountain. We pass souvenir shops and food stands. Halfway up there is a large golden Buddha figure, pointing at the city of Mandalay with an outstretched arm. According to legend, Buddha said that at the foot of this mountain, in the year 2400 of the Buddhist calendar, a great city would arise here. For this reason, in 1857, King Mingon moved the royal city of Amarapura here to the foot of the mountain. Again and again you come across sacrificial sites and Buddha figures when climbing the mountain.

The pagoda at the top is an architectural feat. It consists of many small open rooms, which are separated from each other by large round arches. The walls are covered all over with glass and mirror mosaics. A special atmosphere is created when the red, setting sun is reflected in the mosaics.

Spent the night by the lake in a lowland, got out an hour before dawn from the tent. The fog is so dense that even the fingers on an outstretched hand are not visible, just gray nothing. Condensate flows down from the tent in a stream, the cold is terrible. I made tea and sat down to wait for dawn, hoping that the sun would disperse the fog. How wrong I was ... The fog was there almost until 11 o'clock in the afternoon.

Nothing special in the photo, just the fog

Bittern - Botaurus Stellaris

Norfolk

The bittern is a thickset heron with all-over bright, pale, buffy-brown plumage covered with dark streaks and bars. It flies on broad, rounded, bowed wings. A secretive bird, very difficult to see, as it moves silently through reeds at water's edge, looking for fish. The males make a remarkable far-carrying, booming sound in spring. It's very small, reedbed-dependent population make it an Amber List species.

It is also a Schedule 1 species.

Unlike the similar storks, ibises, and spoonbills, herons, egrets, pelicans, and bitterns fly with their necks retracted, not outstretched.

Eurasian bitterns feed on fish, small mammals, amphibians and invertebrates, hunting along the reed margins in shallow water. British records include eels up to 35 cm (14 in) and other fish, mice and voles, small birds and fledglings, frogs, newts, crabs, shrimps, molluscs, spiders and insects. In continental Europe, members of over twenty families of beetle are eaten, as well as dragonflies, bees, grasshoppers and earwigs. Some vegetable matter such as aquatic plants is also consumed.

Males are polygamous, mating with up to five females. The nest is built in the previous year's standing reeds and consists of an untidy platform some 30 cm (12 in) across. It may be on a tussock surrounded by water or on matted roots close to water and is built by the female using bits of reed, sedges and grass stalks, with a lining of finer fragments. Four to six eggs are laid in late March and April and incubated by the female for about twenty-six days. After hatching, the chicks spend about two weeks in the nest before leaving to swim amongst the reeds. The female rears them without help from the male, regurgitating food into the nest from her crop, the young seizing her bill and pulling it down. They become fully fledged at about eight weeks.

The Eurasian bittern has a very wide range and a large total population, estimated to be 110,000 to 340,000 individuals. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its overall conservation status as being of "least concern because although the population trend is downward, the rate of decline is insufficient to justify rating it in a more threatened category. The chief threat the bird faces is destruction of reed beds and drainage and disturbance of its wetland habitats. It is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. The southern race has suffered catastrophic decline during the 20th century due to wetland degradation and, unlike the northern race, is of high conservation concern.

In the United Kingdom, the main areas in which the Eurasian bittern breeds have been Lancashire and East Anglia with an estimated 44 breeding pairs in total in 2007. However, the Lancashire population at Leighton Moss RSPB reserve has declined in recent decades, while bitterns have been attracted to new reed beds in the West Country. In Ireland, it died out as a breeding species in the mid-19th century, but in 2011 a single bird was spotted in County Wexford and there have been a number of subsequent sightings. In the 21st century, bitterns are regular winter visitors to the London Wetland Centre, enabling city dwellers to view these scarce birds.

Population:

UK breeding:

80 males

UK wintering:

600 birds

Europe:

21 - 29,000 pairs

It is always a blessing to be in the presence of lekking threatened Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse. The sounds, the dance… it is all so magical to be a witness to it. Grassland birds are suffering steep declines across their range and are impacted by agriculture, development, pesticides, climate change and fires. 60% of grassland birds in Canada have disappeared since the 1970’s. We must do all we can to conserve and save our grassland habitats so that grassland birds and these grouse in particular can dance on and thrive.

These photos were taken from a blind to prevent any disturbance. The lek was approached before the grouse arrived (an hour before sunrise) and I left after the last grouse departed. It is tiring and your body aches but it is worth it to share in the magic. The beautiful chevrons on their feathers, the yellow eye-combs, the purple air sacs are all splendid and awe inspiring. The boldness of the sounds and dances they make with their stamping feet, outstretched wings and pointed upright tails of a normally secretive species is something to behold. An older photo is attached to see the bird in full display illustrating this flic.kr/p/GeCgHD

Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) is a large, long-legged bird resembles much like a heron. Gray body, sometimes with intense rusty staining. Adults have red crown. Often in large flocks at migration and wintering concentration points. Favors marshes and agricultural fields where they eat primarily grains. In flight, neck is outstretched, unlike herons with tucked necks. Snappy wingbeats. Listen for far-carrying bugling call.

The Red Wattle bird (Anthochaera carunculata) is a passerine bird found in southeast Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and southwest Western Australia. They live in open forest and woodlands, and are a common visitor to urban gardens, parks and Keith's backyard. This particular bird is very friendly, it will catch food thrown to it, but prefers to take food from my outstretched hand. I have a pair of these birds visiting at present, they have a nest close to my home and I look forward to meeting their babies in due course.

Kayaks on Lavender Bay.

This is the start of the dusk kayak expedition.

Occurring daily on Sydney harbour.

On this occasion the expedition was delayed whilst the kayak trek commander decided to take photographs of a Cormorant with its wings outstretched. Bizarre.

My Canon EOS 5D Mk IV with the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L lens.

Processed in Adobe Lightroom and PhotoPad Pro by NCH software.

This image has had AI noise reduction applied via Adobe Lightroom's new AI tool.

A Smooth 'Chestnut' filter from the Flickrh

Anhinga -

From the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Appearance:

The male anhinga is inky black with a cluster of silver/white feathers on his wings. During breeding season, the male's blood-red eyes are surrounded by a bright blue patch of skin. Females are distinguishable by their buff-tan neck.

Habitat:

Also known as the snake bird or water turkey, the anhinga is a year-round resident of Florida. It is also found from coastal sections of South Carolina westward to Texas and Mexico, and even south to Argentina.

Behavior:

You can often spot the anhinga perched on a branch with wings outstretched, drying feathers. They feed on small fish, shrimp, amphibians, crayfish and young alligators and snakes. The fact that their feathers are less water resistant than other birds helps them to swim underwater, where they often spear fish with their long neck and sharp beak. They surface in order to flip their catch into their mouth for consumption.

Mating generally occurs in February with egg-laying occurring throughout the spring and early summer. Nests are built in shoreline trees 15 to 20 feet high.

...and if you can’t help them at least don’t hurt them.

- Dalai Lama

__________________________

The Wood Stork

Large, white Wood Storks wade through southeastern swamps and wetlands. Although this stork doesn't bring babies, it is a good flier, soaring on thermals with neck and legs outstretched. This bald-headed wading bird stands just over 3 feet tall, towering above almost all other wetland birds. It slowly walks through wetlands with its long, hefty bill down in the water feeling for fish and crustaceans. This ungainly looking stork roosts and nests in colonies in trees above standing water.

Storks, mainly the White Stork of Europe, figure prominently in mythology. They are revered in Greek, Chinese, and European mythologies as good luck and harbingers of spring and birth. The association between storks and babies was popularized by Hans Christian Andersen's fable "The Storks," written in the nineteenth century featuring the White Stork of Europe.

The oldest recorded Wood Stork was at least 20 years, 2 months old. It had been banded in Georgia in 1994 and was identified by its band in the wild in South Carolina in 2014.

(Nikon D500, 80-400 f/5.6, 160mm, 1/1600 @ f/6.3, ISO 4000)

(Edited to Taste)

Die meisten Besucher kommen zum 236 m hohen Mandalay Hill, um von der Terrasse der Wunscherfüllungspagode den Sonnenuntergang zu genießen. Von hier oben hat man einen atemberaubenden Blick auf die Stadt mit ihren vielen Klöstern, den Fluss Ayeyarwady, der die Lebensader des Landes ist, sowie in der Ferne die Shan Berge.

Viele Touristen werden auf den Berg hinaufgefahren. Schöner ist es jedoch,MYANMAR,burma - zum Sonnenuntergang auf dem Mandalay -Hill

die 1700 Stufen vom Südeingang des Berges hinaufzulaufen. Vorbei geht’s an Souvenirläden und Essenständen. Auf halber Höhe erreicht man eine große goldene Buddhafigur, die mit ausgestrecktem Arm auf die Stadt Mandalay zeigt. Der Legende nach sagte Buddha, dass am Fuße dieses Berges, im Jahr 2400 des buddhistischen Kalenders, hier eine große Stadt entstehen werde. König Mingon verlegte aus diesem Grunde im Jahr 1857 die Königsstadt von Amarapura hier an den Fuß des Berges. Immer wieder kommt man bei der Besteigung des Berges an Opferstellen und Buddhafiguren vorbei.

Die Pagode auf dem Gipfel ist eine architektonische Meisterleistung. Sie besteht aus vielen kleinen offenen Räumen, die durch große Rundbögen voneinander getrennt sind. Die Wände sind über und über mit Glas- und Spiegelmosaiken bedeckt. Eine besondere Stimmung entsteht, wenn sich die rote, untergehende Sonne in den Mosaiken spiegelt.

MYANMAR, Burma - Sunset on Mandalay Hill

Most visitors come to the 236 m high Mandalay Hill to enjoy the sunset from the terrace of the Wish Fulfillment Pagoda. From up here you have a breathtaking view of the city with its many monasteries, the Ayeyarwady River, which is the country's lifeline, and the Shan Mountains in the distance.

Many tourists are driven up the mountain. However, it is nicer to walk up the 1700 steps from the south entrance of the mountain. We pass souvenir shops and food stands. Halfway up there is a large golden Buddha figure, pointing at the city of Mandalay with an outstretched arm. According to legend, Buddha said that at the foot of this mountain, in the year 2400 of the Buddhist calendar, a great city would arise here. For this reason, in 1857, King Mingon moved the royal city of Amarapura here to the foot of the mountain. Again and again you come across sacrificial sites and Buddha figures when climbing the mountain.

The pagoda at the top is an architectural feat. It consists of many small open rooms, which are separated from each other by large round arches. The walls are covered all over with glass and mirror mosaics. A special atmosphere is created when the red, setting sun is reflected in the mosaics.

CHIEF STANDING BEAR OF NEBRASKA

U.S. CAPITOL BUILDING

STATUARY HALL

HE WATCHED THE SICKENING INSURRECTION OF JAN.6, 2021 UNFOLD BENEATH HIS OUTSTRETCHED HAND.

Pied Shags at Zealandia Ecosanctuary, Wellington New Zealand (named Karuhiruhi in New Zealand or otherwise known as the Pied Cormorant - Phalacrocorax).

Shags have evolved from a family of birds who are considered primitive because they do not produce feather oils like ducks and other water fowl. They must dry their feathers periodically in order to fly or even remain buoyant, so they remain perched for significant periods of time with wings outstretched.

It is always a blessing to be in the presence of lekking threatened Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse. The sounds, the dance… it is all so magical to be a witness to it. Grassland birds are suffering steep declines across their range and are impacted by agriculture, development, pesticides, climate change and fires. 60% of grassland birds in Canada have disappeared since the 1970’s. We must do all we can to conserve and save our grassland habitats so that grassland birds and these grouse in particular can dance on and thrive.

These photos were taken from a blind to prevent any disturbance. The lek was approached before the grouse arrived (an hour before sunrise) and I left after the last grouse departed. It is tiring and your body aches but it is worth it to share in the magic. The beautiful chevrons on their feathers, the yellow eye-combs, the purple air sacs are all splendid and awe inspiring. The boldness of the sounds and dances they make with their stamping feet, outstretched wings and pointed upright tails of a normally secretive species is something to behold. An older photo is attached to see the bird in full display illustrating this flic.kr/p/GeCgHD

This Great Blue Heron was fishing on a lake during a beautiful morning in Alberta, Canada.

He was well hidden in the cattails but took a few steps out to have his photo taken.

The great blue heron is the largest heron in Canada. Adults stand over 1 m high with their necks outstretched, and they weigh around 2.5 kg.

- Ardea herodias

Female Barn Owls in general have more spots on their underside, are more colorful, larger, stronger, but unlike humans, not necessarily smarter than their sexual counterparts. I liked the vertical position that this lovely female displayed with those lovely wings fully outstretched. (Tyto alba)

An all black ducklike waterbird with a distinctive flattish head and a bill that is sharply hooked at the tip. Smallest of the cormorants found in the region. Breeding adults have white plumes on the sides of the head. Like all cormorants, frequently seen swimming with its body low in the water, head and neck pointing upward, and suddenly disappearing underwater to catch fish. Often perches upright on a rock, drying itself with outstretched wings. Seen singly or in small groups in inland water bodies. Similar to Indian Cormorant, but note smaller size, stouter bill, and shape of the head, flat on Little Cormorant and rounded on Indian Cormorant.

source ebird

The large condor sculpture with outstretched wings can be seen from the streets of Puno, Peru atop Condor Hill. The lookout point offers sweeping views of the city and Lake Titicaca. Condor Hill is 13,180 ft (4,017 m) above sea level.

Bittern - Botaurus Stellaris

Norfolk

The bittern is a thickset heron with all-over bright, pale, buffy-brown plumage covered with dark streaks and bars. It flies on broad, rounded, bowed wings. A secretive bird, very difficult to see, as it moves silently through reeds at water's edge, looking for fish. The males make a remarkable far-carrying, booming sound in spring. It's very small, reedbed-dependent population make it an Amber List species.

It is also a Schedule 1 species.

Unlike the similar storks, ibises, and spoonbills, herons, egrets, pelicans, and bitterns fly with their necks retracted, not outstretched.

Eurasian bitterns feed on fish, small mammals, amphibians and invertebrates, hunting along the reed margins in shallow water. British records include eels up to 35 cm (14 in) and other fish, mice and voles, small birds and fledglings, frogs, newts, crabs, shrimps, molluscs, spiders and insects. In continental Europe, members of over twenty families of beetle are eaten, as well as dragonflies, bees, grasshoppers and earwigs. Some vegetable matter such as aquatic plants is also consumed.

Males are polygamous, mating with up to five females. The nest is built in the previous year's standing reeds and consists of an untidy platform some 30 cm (12 in) across. It may be on a tussock surrounded by water or on matted roots close to water and is built by the female using bits of reed, sedges and grass stalks, with a lining of finer fragments. Four to six eggs are laid in late March and April and incubated by the female for about twenty-six days. After hatching, the chicks spend about two weeks in the nest before leaving to swim amongst the reeds. The female rears them without help from the male, regurgitating food into the nest from her crop, the young seizing her bill and pulling it down. They become fully fledged at about eight weeks.

The Eurasian bittern has a very wide range and a large total population, estimated to be 110,000 to 340,000 individuals. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its overall conservation status as being of "least concern because although the population trend is downward, the rate of decline is insufficient to justify rating it in a more threatened category. The chief threat the bird faces is destruction of reed beds and drainage and disturbance of its wetland habitats. It is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. The southern race has suffered catastrophic decline during the 20th century due to wetland degradation and, unlike the northern race, is of high conservation concern.

In the United Kingdom, the main areas in which the Eurasian bittern breeds have been Lancashire and East Anglia with an estimated 44 breeding pairs in total in 2007. However, the Lancashire population at Leighton Moss RSPB reserve has declined in recent decades, while bitterns have been attracted to new reed beds in the West Country. In Ireland, it died out as a breeding species in the mid-19th century, but in 2011 a single bird was spotted in County Wexford and there have been a number of subsequent sightings. In the 21st century, bitterns are regular winter visitors to the London Wetland Centre, enabling city dwellers to view these scarce birds.

Population:

UK breeding:

80 males

UK wintering:

600 birds

Europe:

21 - 29,000 pairs

Quand la proie est détectée, il plonge à pic et capture le poisson sous l’eau, pouvant aller jusqu’à un mètre de profondeur. Ensuite, utilisant ses ailes, il se propulse vers la surface et s’élève, le bec tendu vers le ciel, et retourne sur son perchoir.

When the prey is detected, it dives steeply and captures the fish underwater, which can go up to a meter deep. Then, using its wings, it propels itself to the surface and rises, its beak outstretched to the sky, and returns to its perch.

"JUST HAD TO DO IT!" show a second image of the same bird, but that shows how much it meant, to go from zero images of a cuckoo to seventy two keepers, is mind blowing, and this may never happen again.

This beauty at 34cm in length, visits in the summer only, and as you can see its not really suited to the ground, my camera was treated like a machine gun, firing from ground level, as you just don't know if its going to be seconds or minutes that is stayed, in the end it graced me for twenty mins, was shaking with adrenalin, which does not help the sharpness of the image. and got up thanking my god, with arms outstretched, and with clenched fists saying....."YES" ......"YES...."YES!" and yes I an mad!.........lol.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

THANK YOU, for your visit, love receiving your comments, every single one off them, will return the visit as S.A.P.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Can I ask you all to consider showing your camera details and settings, it costs nothing, and will help many a new photographer, the way to possible improvements to their images, we all can learn, and that is a definite for me.

THANK YOU!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Be good and stay safe .......Tomx

Taken at Sandy Camp Rd Wetlands Reserve, Lytton, Queensland.

The Little Black Cormorant is mainly found in freshwater wetlands, often seen in large colonies. As their feathers are not waterproof, cormorants are regularly seen perched with their wings outstretched to dry after fishing.

A small, slim, totally black cormorant with a greenish sheen to the back and a slender grey hooked bill. In the breeding season, adults have fine white flecks on the head and neck and the green tinge becomes more bronze. This species often congregates in larger flocks than other cormorants and flies in V-shaped formations.

Birdlife Australia.

I was on my skidoo down by the river when I came upon this doe at sunset munching on grass. After this she stopped and walked towards me just staring before she took off again through the deep snow. Not very bright because if I was a hunter...pow.

I see lots of wildlife with my skidoo, it doesn't seem to deter them. I often find them using my skidoo trail to travel on for an easier journey. My favourite thing in winter is looking at all the tracks in the snow.

With an evening summer thunderstorm approaching from the West, a statue of Jesus maintains a calming presence outside Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Lombard, a western suburb of Chicago.

Nikon D7500, Sigma 18-300, ISO 200, f/9.0, 18mm, 1/800s

Preparé Te para un Jiangshi del folklor Chino… Contó que detecta a los vivos por su respiración y chupa su fuerza vital o la sangre . Me muevo de noche dando saltos con los brazos extendidos ,. Le dije , estas muy pálido …Me contestó : que esperabas, si soy un cadáver jeje.!!!..Yo como antídoto me traje un espejo, madera de melocotón y una oración de un monje Taoista. F.O.G.

English :

I made the Te for a Jiangshi of the Chinese folklor ... He said he detects the living by his breathing and sucks his life force or blood. I move around with my arms outstretched at night,. I said, you are very pale ... I answered: what do you expect, if I am a corpse hehe. !!! ... I as an antidote I brought a mirror, peach wood and a prayer of a Taoist monk. F.O.G.

Bittern - Botaurus Stellaris

Norfolk

The bittern is a thickset heron with all-over bright, pale, buffy-brown plumage covered with dark streaks and bars. It flies on broad, rounded, bowed wings. A secretive bird, very difficult to see, as it moves silently through reeds at water's edge, looking for fish. The males make a remarkable far-carrying, booming sound in spring. It's very small, reedbed-dependent population make it an Amber List species.

It is also a Schedule 1 species.

Unlike the similar storks, ibises, and spoonbills, herons, egrets, pelicans, and bitterns fly with their necks retracted, not outstretched.

Eurasian bitterns feed on fish, small mammals, amphibians and invertebrates, hunting along the reed margins in shallow water. British records include eels up to 35 cm (14 in) and other fish, mice and voles, small birds and fledglings, frogs, newts, crabs, shrimps, molluscs, spiders and insects. In continental Europe, members of over twenty families of beetle are eaten, as well as dragonflies, bees, grasshoppers and earwigs. Some vegetable matter such as aquatic plants is also consumed.

Males are polygamous, mating with up to five females. The nest is built in the previous year's standing reeds and consists of an untidy platform some 30 cm (12 in) across. It may be on a tussock surrounded by water or on matted roots close to water and is built by the female using bits of reed, sedges and grass stalks, with a lining of finer fragments. Four to six eggs are laid in late March and April and incubated by the female for about twenty-six days. After hatching, the chicks spend about two weeks in the nest before leaving to swim amongst the reeds. The female rears them without help from the male, regurgitating food into the nest from her crop, the young seizing her bill and pulling it down. They become fully fledged at about eight weeks.

The Eurasian bittern has a very wide range and a large total population, estimated to be 110,000 to 340,000 individuals. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its overall conservation status as being of "least concern because although the population trend is downward, the rate of decline is insufficient to justify rating it in a more threatened category. The chief threat the bird faces is destruction of reed beds and drainage and disturbance of its wetland habitats. It is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. The southern race has suffered catastrophic decline during the 20th century due to wetland degradation and, unlike the northern race, is of high conservation concern.

In the United Kingdom, the main areas in which the Eurasian bittern breeds have been Lancashire and East Anglia with an estimated 44 breeding pairs in total in 2007. However, the Lancashire population at Leighton Moss RSPB reserve has declined in recent decades, while bitterns have been attracted to new reed beds in the West Country. In Ireland, it died out as a breeding species in the mid-19th century, but in 2011 a single bird was spotted in County Wexford and there have been a number of subsequent sightings. In the 21st century, bitterns are regular winter visitors to the London Wetland Centre, enabling city dwellers to view these scarce birds.

Population:

UK breeding:

80 males

UK wintering:

600 birds

Europe:

21 - 29,000 pairs

You’ll most likely see Red-tailed Hawks soaring in wide circles high over a field. When flapping, their wingbeats are heavy. In high winds they may face into the wind and hover without flapping, eyes fixed on the ground. They attack in a slow, controlled dive with legs outstretched – much different from a falcon’s stoop.

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Well everyone else is on the preening cycle , one cormorant is still stuck on the dry cycle airing his wings dry . Thing is , within an hour I saw both the cormorants back out on the lake and diving for their lunch . I must say though , once the cormorant dives it is down there under the water and will surface some time later and a long way from where it dived in the first place !!

Shot taken at the Earlswood Lakes on New Pond and the cormorant with the outstretched wings has caught the light just right to show off the plumage !!

“The difference between a helping hand and an outstretched palm is a twist of the wrist.”

Laurence Leamer

Mr. Gingi

DSCN9037-002

I want to hold your hand

A song dedicated from my dear friend from the East Jolie Candy ☆

En tension

MYANMAR,burma - zum Sonnenuntergang auf dem Mandalay -Hill

Die meisten Besucher kommen zum 236 m hohen Mandalay Hill, um von der Terrasse der Wunscherfüllungspagode den Sonnenuntergang zu genießen. Von hier oben hat man einen atemberaubenden Blick auf die Stadt mit ihren vielen Klöstern, den Fluss Ayeyarwady, der die Lebensader des Landes ist, sowie in der Ferne die Shan Berge.

Viele Touristen werden auf den Berg hinaufgefahren. Schöner ist es jedoch,MYANMAR,burma - zum Sonnenuntergang auf dem Mandalay -Hill

die 1700 Stufen vom Südeingang des Berges hinaufzulaufen. Vorbei geht’s an Souvenirläden und Essenständen. Auf halber Höhe erreicht man eine große goldene Buddhafigur, die mit ausgestrecktem Arm auf die Stadt Mandalay zeigt. Der Legende nach sagte Buddha, dass am Fuße dieses Berges, im Jahr 2400 des buddhistischen Kalenders, hier eine große Stadt entstehen werde. König Mingon verlegte aus diesem Grunde im Jahr 1857 die Königsstadt von Amarapura hier an den Fuß des Berges. Immer wieder kommt man bei der Besteigung des Berges an Opferstellen und Buddhafiguren vorbei.

Die Pagode auf dem Gipfel ist eine architektonische Meisterleistung. Sie besteht aus vielen kleinen offenen Räumen, die durch große Rundbögen voneinander getrennt sind. Die Wände sind über und über mit Glas- und Spiegelmosaiken bedeckt. Eine besondere Stimmung entsteht, wenn sich die rote, untergehende Sonne in den Mosaiken spiegelt.

MYANMAR, Burma - Sunset on Mandalay Hill

Most visitors come to the 236 m high Mandalay Hill to enjoy the sunset from the terrace of the Wish Fulfillment Pagoda. From up here you have a breathtaking view of the city with its many monasteries, the Ayeyarwady River, which is the country's lifeline, and the Shan Mountains in the distance.

Many tourists are driven up the mountain. However, it is nicer to walk up the 1700 steps from the south entrance of the mountain. We pass souvenir shops and food stands. Halfway up there is a large golden Buddha figure, pointing at the city of Mandalay with an outstretched arm. According to legend, Buddha said that at the foot of this mountain, in the year 2400 of the Buddhist calendar, a great city would arise here. For this reason, in 1857, King Mingon moved the royal city of Amarapura here to the foot of the mountain. Again and again you come across sacrificial sites and Buddha figures when climbing the mountain.

The pagoda at the top is an architectural feat. It consists of many small open rooms, which are separated from each other by large round arches. The walls are covered all over with glass and mirror mosaics. A special atmosphere is created when the red, setting sun is reflected in the mosaics.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

This is a pair of almost fully grown youngsters. The parents occasionally will drop a fish during a fly by. For the most part they are on their own. They take turns flying for about 10 minutes before returning to the nest.

Emigrant Lake - Jackson County - Oregon - USA

Habitat : Lakes and Ponds

Food : Fish

Nesting : Tree

Behavior : Aerial Dive

Conservation : Low Concern

"Unique among North American raptors for its diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them, Ospreys are common sights soaring over shorelines, patrolling waterways, and standing on their huge stick nests, white heads gleaming. These large, rangy hawks do well around humans and have rebounded in numbers following the ban on the pesticide DDT. Hunting Ospreys are a picture of concentration, diving with feet outstretched and yellow eyes sighting straight along their talons." - Cornell University Lab of Ornithology

Song Sparrow interesting fact: in courtship, male may chase female; may perform fluttering flight among the bushes with neck outstretched and head held high. Sounds tiring. :)

This enormous Irish Oak { Quercus Petrea } which only grows in the western and northern areas of England and all over Ireland, as it likes the damp boggy conditions as long as its feet are dry, stands alone in its Autumn colours in a field at Derrybawn Co. Wicklow. This tree was once part of a vast forest that covered this area but which were felled to build "The Fleet" during the days of the great sailing ships in England.

The reason why it survived is because of its odd shape. The trunk is too short for the timber to be of any commercial use so it was spared from the woodsman axe. In England it would have been chopped down to make charcoal.

There is a large branch, 20 feet long lying on the right and its just visible. It would have been a match to the one on the left and would have balanced the tree.When this happens the tree reacts by strengthening and lengthening the root system on the affected side in order to prevent itself from becoming top heavy and falling over.

Ive taken some measurements and the age of it is approaching 900 years of age.It is getting the end of its natural life. I think that is is stunning with its wild tentacled octopus like branches spreading out and tapering gradually to very fine terminal ends which are like small delicate outstretched hands. There are many different oak species through out the World and they are all instantly recognisable because of this unique growth habit. most famous is the English oak { Q.robur } which can grow up to 20ft taller. It also grows here and doesnt have the short stems that attach the leaves to the branches that the Irish oak, has which makes for a more refined appearance.

A translation of Derrybawn where this tree goes is " The White Oaks " which obviously refers to the great forest which is long gone.

I will go back here shortly to get a Winter photo of it. I do have a Summer one up on Flickr.

I hope you do like this lovely tree as much as I do and it was lucky find as its not widely known about.It should be kept that way too.

Have a great weekend and fingers crossed for some decent weather! Im going to do some tree hugging, well anybody and anything hugging really as Im getting a bit desperate!!! Lol!

Pat.

My photos are also easily viewed on Flickriver, on the attached link. Hopefully you may find a pic that you may like.

Cheers!

flickriver.com/photos/137473925@N08/

The colours of the evening light lend a subtle translucence to this Little Egret's outstretched wings.

Thank you all for your kind responses.

Cormorants or shags are one of the most common birds I see around the local wetlands. I don't photograph them very often yet they make a fine subject. I was really drawn to this scene with the wings outstretched, drying in the breeze and the beautiful reflections of the long grasses fringing the wetland.

I had not long before photographed the Kingfisher on the thistle near by. I said to my friend-how cool would it be if the Kingfisher landed on one of these sticks?

Well guess what?!

A little beech sapling hides behind a mature sibling but holds its arms out wide. Taken at Barnes's Grove, Buckinghamshire.

witness.theguardian.com/assignment/53184e57e4b06f4e7db99a...

An artistic interpretation of the outstretched wings of a swan. Processed for a dreamy feel with hues of pastel blues and pinks and contrasting elements of focus and details. Not my normal type of work and I expect not to everyone taste but had to try something unknown and thought provoking as this was a course project task with the subject "Dreams" . I found this a very hard task!

Please, no invitations to award/forced comment groups or to those with large/animated comment codes.

Large, long-legged bird shaped much like a heron. Gray body, sometimes with intense rusty staining. Adults have red crown. Often in large flocks at migration and wintering concentration points. Favors marshes and agricultural fields where they eat primarily grains. In flight, neck is outstretched, unlike herons with tucked necks. Snappy wingbeats. Listen for far-carrying bugling call. (eBird)

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We attended a birding convention in northern Ontario a couple of years ago. One of the many highlights was finding over 750 cranes gathered in the fields around Timmins. I particularly liked this image of the adult with its offspring. They were likely gathering in preparation for migration to the USA, with a stopover near Ottawa where they would meet up with many more of their kind.

Timmins, Ontario, Canada. September 2023.

The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 64 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera Botaurus and Ixobrychus are referred to as bitterns, and, together with the zigzag heron, or zigzag bittern, in the monotypic genus Zebrilus, form a monophyletic group within the Ardeidae. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from the herons, and tend to be named differently because they are mainly white or have decorative plumes in breeding plumage. Herons, by evolutionary adaptation, have long beaks. Although herons resemble birds in some other families, such as the storks, ibises, spoonbills, and cranes, they differ from these in flying with their necks retracted, not outstretched. They are also one of the bird groups that have powder down. Some members of this group nest colonially in trees, while others, notably the bitterns, use reed beds.The herons are medium- to large-sized birds with long legs and necks. The herons are a widespread family with a cosmopolitan distribution. They exist on all continents. 16003

I liked what my friend Elliot Margolies commented about a photo of some tree stumps I posted a while ago. He said, "....love the old trunks with stretched out 'fingers' still claiming their place on the beach." Well said, Elliot!

Here's another shot from that same beach that Chrissy and I visited.

To view photos of this year's overlanding journey in chronological order, click www.flickr.com/photos/stevefrazier/albums/72177720328383895

_DSC9649

© Stephen L. Frazier - All Rights Reserved. Reproduction, printing, publication, or any other use of this image without written permission is prohibited.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

Emigrant Lake - Jackson County - Oregon - USA

Habitat : Lakes and Ponds

Food : Fish

Nesting : Tree

Behavior : Aerial Dive

Conservation : Low Concern

"Unique among North American raptors for its diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them, Ospreys are common sights soaring over shorelines, patrolling waterways, and standing on their huge stick nests, white heads gleaming. These large, rangy hawks do well around humans and have rebounded in numbers following the ban on the pesticide DDT. Hunting Ospreys are a picture of concentration, diving with feet outstretched and yellow eyes sighting straight along their talons."

- Cornell University Lab of Ornithology

MYANMAR,burma - zum Sonnenuntergang auf dem Mandalay -HillDie meisten Besucher kommen zum 236 m hohen Mandalay Hill, um von der Terrasse der Wunscherfüllungspagode den Sonnenuntergang zu genießen. Von hier oben hat man einen atemberaubenden Blick auf die Stadt mit ihren vielen Klöstern, den Fluss Ayeyarwady, der die Lebensader des Landes ist, sowie in der Ferne die Shan Berge.

Viele Touristen werden auf den Berg hinaufgefahren. Schöner ist es jedoch, die 1700 Stufen vom Südeingang des Berges hinaufzulaufen. Vorbei geht’s an Souvenirläden und Essenständen. Auf halber Höhe erreicht man eine große goldene Buddhafigur, die mit ausgestrecktem Arm auf die Stadt Mandalay zeigt. Der Legende nach sagte Buddha, dass am Fuße dieses Berges, im Jahr 2400 des buddhistischen Kalenders, hier eine große Stadt entstehen werde. König Mingon verlegte aus diesem Grunde im Jahr 1857 die Königsstadt von Amarapura hier an den Fuß des Berges. Immer wieder kommt man bei der Besteigung des Berges an Opferstellen und Buddhafiguren vorbei.

Die Pagode auf dem Gipfel ist eine architektonische Meisterleistung. Sie besteht aus vielen kleinen offenen Räumen, die durch große Rundbögen voneinander getrennt sind. Die Wände sind über und über mit Glas- und Spiegelmosaiken bedeckt. Eine besondere Stimmung entsteht, wenn sich die rote, untergehende Sonne in den Mosaiken spiegelt.

MYANMAR, Burma - Sunset on Mandalay Hill

Most visitors come to the 236 m high Mandalay Hill to enjoy the sunset from the terrace of the Wish Fulfillment Pagoda. From up here you have a breathtaking view of the city with its many monasteries, the Ayeyarwady River, which is the country's lifeline, and the Shan Mountains in the distance.

Many tourists are driven up the mountain. However, it is nicer to walk up the 1700 steps from the south entrance of the mountain. We pass souvenir shops and food stands. Halfway up there is a large golden Buddha figure, pointing at the city of Mandalay with an outstretched arm. According to legend, Buddha said that at the foot of this mountain, in the year 2400 of the Buddhist calendar, a great city would arise here. For this reason, in 1857, King Mingon moved the royal city of Amarapura here to the foot of the mountain. Again and again you come across sacrificial sites and Buddha figures when climbing the mountain.

The pagoda at the top is an architectural feat. It consists of many small open rooms, which are separated from each other by large round arches. The walls are covered all over with glass and mirror mosaics. A special atmosphere is created when the red, setting sun is reflected in the mosaics.

Emigrant Lake - Jackson County - Oregon - USA

Habitat : Lakes and Ponds

Food : Fish

Nesting : Tree

Behavior : Aerial Dive

Conservation : Low Concern

"Unique among North American raptors for its diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them, Ospreys are common sights soaring over shorelines, patrolling waterways, and standing on their huge stick nests, white heads gleaming. These large, rangy hawks do well around humans and have rebounded in numbers following the ban on the pesticide DDT. Hunting Ospreys are a picture of concentration, diving with feet outstretched and yellow eyes sighting straight along their talons."

- Cornell University Lab of Ornithology

5052

Alyssa Knight, at the age of 12

At the end of the rainbow is a pot of gold apparently. Now we all know that this is not true in the literal sense, but it is in the metaphorical sense. As our life goes through a thunderstorm, with problems crashing around us making loud noises, gaining our attention and causing us to cover our ears and run for cover, we don’t see the clouds start to drift apart and the sun start to shine through. We just notice the sounds, the flashes, the rain, the hail and the darkness. We miss the start of the rainbow, the forming of it, whether that be a friend with an outstretched hand, or a stranger offering help, that rainbow is what we should look out for. Each crash of thunder that comes closer means it is also on its way to leaving. Storms do not last forever, they come in, they leave. Yes you remember them, but also you don’t think of the rainbow. You speak to your friends and say “did you hear that storm yesterday?” but you don’t say “did you see that rainbow after the storm?”

Storms do not last forever.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

Emigrant Lake - Jackson County - Oregon - USA

Habitat : Lakes and Ponds

Food : Fish

Nesting : Tree

Behavior : Aerial Dive

Conservation : Low Concern

"Unique among North American raptors for its diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them, Ospreys are common sights soaring over shorelines, patrolling waterways, and standing on their huge stick nests, white heads gleaming. These large, rangy hawks do well around humans and have rebounded in numbers following the ban on the pesticide DDT. Hunting Ospreys are a picture of concentration, diving with feet outstretched and yellow eyes sighting straight along their talons."

- Cornell University Lab of Ornithology

I heard the sandhill crane before I spotted it. You can tell I was moving the camera around searching for it. Athough, I like the blur of the wildflowers and the light on the outstretched wings.