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For those that have followed my photostream... you may very well recognize this large mule deer buck. He has become affectionately known as "Too Tall" over the last five years of photographing him as his antlers always appear to be "too tall" for his head. I managed to find him a couple of times this past weekend which was my first serious weekend of trying to find him during the rut this year. He has added some tines to his antlers but it still seems that most of it has gone into height instead of tines.
As per usual... he seems to wait until all the other bucks have battled it out and then comes in and scoops up all the does. There were two other bucks that are getting to be his size but they were still no match for him and one ended up with bloody haunches as a result of a tangle with him. I have photos of him as well and will upload a number of photos from the mule deer rut over the next little while.
To me... he is just one of the most regal animals in Waterton National Park and it will be interesting to see how long his stronghold on his turf lasts in the next few years with some large bucks moving in... one of which I am pretty sure is one of his offspring.
I have uploaded this one a little larger than most and I think he's always worth a look Large
Hardly recognizable as one of the holiday boats in the downtown Frederick, Maryland winter exhibition, still this seriously tricked out, dragon-themed canal boat was a visual stunner to be sure. I had the pleasure of hanging around all nine boats during the winter solstice festival and, when the "Best Boat" judging takes place in February,
I'm guessing that this specimen will get a lot of attention, especially from the kids. In fact, the kids might just put this one
over the top.
The smart phones were clicking away at this end-of-the-line design each time that I made my way over to the Historic District display. Well. Not clicking, exactly. That term really dates me.
The tortoise beetles are an artificial grouping of tribes within the leaf beetle subfamily Hispinae. In past classifications, they have been variously placed as a family ("Cassidae") or a subfamily (Cassidinae); when it was recognized that this group was not monophyletic, it was split and the resulting tribes were incorporated into the Hispinae. Some of the tribes that are considered "tortoise beetles" in the historic sense are the Cassidini, Dorynotini, Hemisphaerotini, Ischyrosonychini, and Mesomphaliini. Their common name arose from the superficial resemblance some species bear to tortoises, the elytra being analogised with the aforementioned reptile's.
best viewed LARGE:
Nationally Recognized Important Historical Building Preservation Area
The Town Village still stands on the east side of the Miyagawa River flowing through Takayama, and in the middle of it is Sanmachi, where Edo period houses remain. The rich atmosphere of Takayama castle town still lingers, and you can see sake breweries and merchants’ houses with latticed bay windows standing in a row. This district was designated an area of important traditional buildings
A beach-goer honors Labor Day.
St. Augustine Beach (Crescent Beach ), Florida, USA.
5 September 2022.
***************
▶ "Observed on the first Monday in September, Labor Day is an annual celebration in the United States of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being."
▶ Photographer's note:
If there were no Labor Day holiday but one was proposed today, would many Americans disparage the attempt to honor American workers as 'Marxist' and' woke'? One wonders.
***************
▶ Photo by Yours For Good Fermentables.com.
▶ For a larger image, type 'L' (without the quotation marks).
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▶ Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10 II.
— Lens: Olympus M.40-150mm F4.0-5.6 R.
— Edit: Photoshop Elements 15, Nik Collection (2016).
▶ Commercial use requires explicit permission, as per Creative Commons.
It been a long day. you have spent most of it gutting your kitchen ready for a new one to be fitted. your teenage kids are in the garden burning the wood you have removed in a brazier, its got to that time when you have had enough so after taking a shower you look out of your bedroom window to check on the kids and while glancing at the neighbours garden you notice a woman sitting on a bench who you don't recognize yet she seems behave like she owns the place.
You take a closer look and start to realise the woman is in fact your neighbours husband! how would you react?.
This was my Sunday excitement after coming home and finding the neighbours kids in their garden with a direct view of me and the car I had to run the gauntlet and walk up my path in full view of them. once indoors and after having dinner I changed outfits to take a few photos and decided the front garden would make a nice change and while sitting for this photo I noticed my neighbours husband looking at me from his bedroom window. Oh shhhh bugger I thought. well I continued posing as it was too late to hide.
Now the lady next door and her kids already know of Helen as I had to walk past her when I arrived home a few months ago and she is fine with Helen but the family on the otherside of the fence were yet to find out although I had been thinking of letting then know.
Anyway this morning I bumped into my unknowing neighbour so I took the opportunity to tell I am a T girl and she was more than fine about and said her family would have no problems at all with it :-)
So yeah I am a happy bunny! no more hiding in the shadows or running indoors when I hear them approach.
Just my parents left to find out now
The instantly recognizable Sword-billed Hummingbird is the only hummingbird whose bill is longer than its body. Its very long bill is clearly an adaption that allows it to feed on the deepest tubular flowers, although it was quite agreeable to feed on smaller flowers and nectar feeders.
These acrobatic birds are also good photographic subjects, because they tend to hover in the vicinity of the feeder or flower they are interested in. They are found in the higher elevations of the Andes, from Venezuela to the north to Bolivia to the south.
The instantly recognizable Sword-billed Hummingbird is the only hummingbird whose bill is longer than its body. Its very long bill is clearly an adaption that allows it to feed on the deepest tubular flowers, although it was quite agreeable to feed on smaller flowers and nectar feeders.
These acrobatic birds are also good photographic subjects, because they tend to hover in the vicinity of the feeder or flower they are interested in. They are found in the higher elevations of the Andes, from Venezuela to the north to Bolivia to the south.
The common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) also known as the Eurasian kingfisher, and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but migrates from areas where rivers freeze in winter.
This sparrow-sized bird has the typical short-tailed, large-headed kingfisher profile; it has blue upperparts, orange underparts and a long bill. It feeds mainly on fish, caught by diving, and has special visual adaptations to enable it to see prey under water. The glossy white eggs are laid in a nest at the end of a burrow in a riverbank.
This species has the typical short-tailed, dumpy-bodied large-headed and long-billed kingfisher shape. The adult male of the western European subspecies, A. a. ispida has green-blue upperparts with pale azure-blue back and rump, a rufous patch by the bill base, and a rufous ear-patch. It has a green-blue neck stripe, white neck blaze and throat, rufous underparts, and a black bill with some red at the base. The legs and feet are bright red. It is about 16 centimetres (6.3 in) long with a wingspan of 25 cm (9.8 in), and weighs 34–46 grams (1.2–1.6 oz). The female is identical in appearance to the male except that her lower mandible is orange-red with a black tip. The juvenile is similar to the adult, but with duller and greener upperparts and paler underparts. Its bill is black, and the legs are also initially black. Feathers are moulted gradually between July and November with the main flight feathers taking 90–100 days to moult and regrow. Some that moult late may suspend their moult during cold winter weather.
The flight of the kingfisher is fast, direct and usually low over water. The short rounded wings whirr rapidly, and a bird flying away shows an electric-blue "flash" down its back.
In North Africa, Europe and Asia north of the Himalayas this is the only small blue kingfisher. In south and southeast Asia it can be confused with six other small blue-and-rufous kingfishers, but the rufous ear patches distinguish it from all but juvenile blue-eared kingfisher; details of the head pattern may be necessary to differentiate the two species where both occur.
The common kingfisher has no song. The flight call is a short sharp whistle, chee, repeated two or three times. Anxious birds emit a harsh, shrit-it-it and nestlings call for food with a churring noise.
The common kingfisher is widely distributed over Europe, Asia, and North Africa, mainly south of 60°N. It is a common breeding species over much of its vast Eurasian range, but in North Africa it is mainly a winter visitor, although it is a scarce breeding resident in coastal Morocco and Tunisia. In temperate regions, this kingfisher inhabits clear, slow-flowing streams and rivers, and lakes with well-vegetated banks. It frequents scrubs and bushes with overhanging branches close to shallow open water in which it hunts. In winter it is more coastal, often feeding in estuaries or harbors and along rocky seashores. Tropical populations are found by slow-flowing rivers, in mangrove creeks and in swamps.
Common kingfishers are important members of ecosystems and good indicators of freshwater community health. The highest densities of breeding birds are found in habitats with clear water, which permits optimal prey visibility, and trees or shrubs on the banks. These habitats have also the highest quality of water, so the presence of this bird confirms the standard of the water. Measures to improve water flow can disrupt this habitat, and in particular, the replacement of natural banks by artificial confinement greatly reduces the populations of fish, amphibians and aquatic reptiles, and waterside birds are lost. It can tolerate a certain degree of urbanisation, provided the water remains clean.
This species is resident in areas where the climate is mild year-round, but must migrate after breeding from regions with prolonged freezing conditions in winter. Most birds winter within the southern parts of the breeding range, but smaller numbers cross the Mediterranean into Africa or travel over the mountains of Malaysia into Southeast Asia. Kingfishers migrate mainly at night, and some Siberian breeders must travel at least 3,000 km (1,900 mi) between the breeding sites and the wintering areas.
Like all kingfishers, the common kingfisher is highly territorial; since it must eat around 60% of its body weight each day, it is essential to have control of a suitable stretch of river. It is solitary for most of the year, roosting alone in heavy cover. If another kingfisher enters its territory, both birds display from perches, and fights may occur, in which a bird will grab the other's beak and try to hold it under water. Pairs form in the autumn but each bird retains a separate territory, generally at least 1 km (0.62 mi) long, but up to 3.5 km (2.2 mi) and territories are not merged until the spring.
The courtship is initiated by the male chasing the female while calling continually, and later by ritual feeding, with copulation usually following.
The nest is in a burrow excavated by both birds of the pair in a low vertical riverbank, or sometimes a quarry or other cutting. The straight, gently inclining burrow is normally 60–90 cm (24–35 in) long and ends in an enlarged chamber. The nest cavity is unlined but soon accumulates a litter of fish remains and cast pellets.
The common kingfisher typically lays two to ten glossy white eggs, which average 1.9 cm (0.75 in) in breadth, 2.2 cm (0.87 in) in length, and weigh about 4.3 g (0.15 oz), of which 5% is shell. One or two eggs in most clutches fail to hatch because the parent cannot cover them. Both sexes incubate by day, but only the female at night. An incubating bird sits trance-like, facing the tunnel; it invariably casts a pellet, breaking it up with the bill. The eggs hatch in 19–20 days, and the altricial young are in the nest for a further 24–25 days, often more. Once large enough, young birds will come to the burrow entrance to be fed. Two broods, sometimes three, may be reared in a season.
The common kingfisher hunts from a perch 1–2 m (3.3–6.6 ft) above the water, on a branch, post or riverbank, bill pointing down as it searches for prey. It bobs its head when food is detected to gauge the distance, and plunges steeply down to seize its prey usually no deeper than 25 cm (9.8 in) below the surface. The wings are opened under water and the open eyes are protected by the transparent third eyelid. The bird rises beak-first from the surface and flies back to its perch. At the perch the fish is adjusted until it is held near its tail and beaten against the perch several times. Once dead, the fish is positioned lengthways and swallowed head-first. A few times each day, a small greyish pellet of fish bones and other indigestible remains is regurgitated.
The food is mainly fish up to 12.5 cm (4.9 in) long, but the average size is 2.3 cm (0.91 in). In Central Europe, 97% of the diet was found to be composed of fish ranging in size from 2 to 10 cm with an average of 6.5 cm (body mass range from 10 g, average 3 g).[18][19] Minnows, sticklebacks, small roach and trout are typical prey. About 60% of food items are fish, but this kingfisher also catches aquatic insects such as dragonfly larvae and water beetles, and, in winter, crustaceans including freshwater shrimps. In Central Europe, however, fish represented 99.9% of the diet (data from rivers, streams and reservoirs from years 1999-2013). Common kingfishers have also been observed to catch lamprey. One study found that food provisioning rate increased with brood size, from 1498 g (505 fishes for four nestlings) to 2968 g (894 fishes for eight nestlings). During the fledging period each chick consumed on average 334 g of fish, which resulted in an estimated daily food intake of 37% of the chick's body mass (average over the entire nestling period). The average daily energy intake was 73.5 kJ per chick (i.e. 1837 kJ per 25 days of the fledging period).
A challenge for any diving bird is the change in refraction between air and water. The eyes of many birds have two foveae (the fovea is the area of the retina the greatest density of light receptors), and a kingfisher is able to switch from the main central fovea to the auxiliary fovea when it enters water; a retinal streak of high receptor density which connects the two foveae allows the image to swing temporally as the bird drops onto the prey. The egg-shaped lens of the eye points towards the auxiliary fovea, enabling the bird to maintain visual acuity underwater. Because of the positions of the foveae, the kingfisher has monocular vision in air, and binocular vision in water. The underwater vision is not as a sharp as in air, but the ability to judge the distance of moving prey is more important than the sharpness of the image.
Each cone cell of a bird's retina contains an oil droplet which may contain carotenoid pigments. These droplets enhance colour vision and reduce glare. Aquatic kingfishers have high numbers of red pigments in their oil droplets; the reason red droplets predominate is not understood, but the droplets may help with the glare or the dispersion of light from particulate matter in the water.
For more information, please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_kingfisher
Y'all might recognize this from the last two Bratz Trends webisodes (hanging on the wall at MGA), well I found an HQ version of it! Cute seeing how she started out, and even cuter to see how little she changed from her very first design to production ;)
Brilliant orange-and-black monarchs are among the most easily recognizable of the butterfly species that call the Americas home. Their migration takes them as far north as Canada and, during the winter months, as far south as Mexico City. A single monarch can travel hundreds to thousands of miles. The monarch migration is one of the greatest natural phenomena in the insect world. Monarchs are truly spectacular migrants because the butterflies know the correct direction to migrate, even though they have never made the journey before. They follow an internal "compass" that points them in the right direction each spring and fall.
Over-wintering monarch butterflies in Mexico begin to make the journey north to the United States in early spring. Soon after they leave Mexico, pairs of monarchs mate. As they reach the southern United States, females will look for available milkweed plants to lay eggs. The eggs hatch after approximately four days. The caterpillars feed on the available milkweed plant. When they get big enough, each caterpillar forms a chrysalis and goes through metamorphosis. After another two-week period, an adult butterfly will emerge from the chrysalis.
The adult monarchs continue the journey north that was left unfinished by their parents. Each year, about three to five generations will be born to continue migrating north. Most monarch butterflies do not live more than a few weeks. It is only the last generation, born in late summer that will live for several months and migrate back to Mexico to start the cycle over again.
The last generation of each year is the over-wintering generation. Rather than breeding immediately, the over-wintering monarchs stay in Mexico until the following spring. In the early spring, they fly north to the southern United States and breed. Over-wintering monarch butterflies can live upwards of eight months. (National Wildlife Federation)
Nikon D7100
Tokina 100mm f/2.8 AT-X AF Pro D Macro
100mm - f7.1- 1/250 - ISO 100
Recognized as an architectural masterpiece among Catholic churches in the south, it is today the spiritual home of a vibrant Catholic community who welcomes visitors from near and far away. The construction of this place of worship was begun in 1842 as a Cathedral in the newly established Diocese of Natchez, and St. Mary retained this status until 1977
...on Wingstem.
The Monarch is probably the most well-known and beloved of North American butterflies. Its wings when open feature an easily recognizable orange and black pattern, with a wingspan of 3.3 - 4.9 inches (8.5 - 12.5 cm) . The females have darker and thicker veins on their wings while the males have a spot in the center of each hindwing from which pheromones are released, and which also helps to easily distinguish them from females.
In North America, the Monarch ranges from southern Canada to northern South America. It rarely strays to western Europe (sometimes as far as Greece) from being transported by U. S. ships or by flying there if weather and wind conditions are right. It has also been found in Bermuda, Hawaii, the Solomons, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Australia, New Guinea, Ceylon, India, the Azores, and the Canary Islands.
Monarchs are especially noted for their lengthy annual migration. In North America they make massive southward migrations starting in August until the first frost. A northward migration takes place in the spring. The Monarch is the only butterfly that migrates BOTH north and south as birds do on a regular basis. But no single individual makes the entire round trip. Female monarchs deposit eggs for the next generation to complete the journey during these migrations. How the offspring know where to go remains one of nature's unsolved mysteries.
In eastern North American the Monarch population begins the southward migration late summer - early autumn and can cover thousands of mile from the United States and southern Canada to Mexico. The western North American population, west of the Rocky Mountains, most often migrates to sites in California, but have been found overwintering in Mexico.
Besides Mexico and California, overwintering populations of Monarchs are also found along the Gulf Coast, year-round in Florida, and in Arizona where the habitat provides the specific conditions necessary for their survival. The overwintering habitat typically provides access to streams, plenty of sunlight (for body temperatures that allows flight), appropriate vegetation on which to roost, and is relatively free of predators. Overwintering, roosting butterflies have been seen on sumacs, locusts, basswood elm, oak, osage orange, mulberry, pecan, willow, cottonwood, and mesquite.
ISO400, aperture f/8, exposure .003 seconds (1/400) focal length 420mm
The common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), also known as the Eurasian kingfisher and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but migrates from areas where rivers freeze in winter.
This sparrow-sized bird has the typical short-tailed, large-headed kingfisher profile; it has blue upperparts, orange underparts and a long bill. It feeds mainly on fish, caught by diving, and has special visual adaptations to enable it to see prey under water. The glossy white eggs are laid in a nest at the end of a burrow in a riverbank.
This species has the typical short-tailed, dumpy-bodied, large-headed, and long-billed kingfisher shape. The adult male of the western European subspecies, A. a. ispida has green-blue upperparts with pale azure-blue back and rump, a rufous patch by the bill base, and a rufous ear-patch. It has a green-blue neck stripe, white neck blaze and throat, rufous underparts, and a black bill with some red at the base. The legs and feet are bright red. It is about 16 centimetres (6.3 in) long with a wingspan of 25 cm (9.8 in), and weighs 34–46 grams (1.2–1.6 oz). The female is identical in appearance to the male except that her lower mandible is orange-red with a black tip. The juvenile is similar to the adult, but with duller and greener upperparts and paler underparts. Its bill is black, and the legs are also initially black. Feathers are moulted gradually between July and November with the main flight feathers taking 90–100 days to moult and regrow. Some that moult late may suspend their moult during cold winter weather.
The flight of the kingfisher is fast, direct and usually low over water. The short, rounded wings whirr rapidly, and a bird flying away shows an electric-blue "flash" down its back.
In North Africa, Europe and Asia north of the Himalayas, this is the only small blue kingfisher. In south and southeast Asia, it can be confused with six other small blue-and-rufous kingfishers, but the rufous ear patches distinguish it from all but juvenile blue-eared kingfishers; details of the head pattern may be necessary to differentiate the two species where both occur.
The common kingfisher has no song. The flight call is a short, sharp whistle chee repeated two or three times. Anxious birds emit a harsh, shrit-it-it and nestlings call for food with a churring noise.
The common kingfisher is widely distributed over Europe, Asia, and North Africa, mainly south of 60°N. It is a common breeding species over much of its vast Eurasian range, but in North Africa it is mainly a winter visitor, although it is a scarce breeding resident in coastal Morocco and Tunisia. In temperate regions, this kingfisher inhabits clear, slow-flowing streams and rivers, and lakes with well-vegetated banks. It frequents scrubs and bushes with overhanging branches close to shallow open water in which it hunts. In winter it is more coastal, often feeding in estuaries or harbors and along rocky seashores. Tropical populations are found by slow-flowing rivers, in mangrove creeks and in swamps.
Common kingfishers are important members of ecosystems and good indicators of freshwater community health. The highest densities of breeding birds are found in habitats with clear water, which permits optimal prey visibility, and trees or shrubs on the banks. These habitats have also the highest quality of water, so the presence of this bird confirms the standard of the water. Measures to improve water flow can disrupt this habitat, and in particular, the replacement of natural banks by artificial confinement greatly reduces the populations of fish, amphibians and aquatic reptiles, and waterside birds are lost. It can tolerate a certain degree of urbanization, provided the water remains clean.
This species is resident in areas where the climate is mild year-round, but must migrate after breeding from regions with prolonged freezing conditions in winter. Most birds winter within the southern parts of the breeding range, but smaller numbers cross the Mediterranean into Africa or travel over the mountains of Malaysia into Southeast Asia. Kingfishers migrate mainly at night, and some Siberian breeders must travel at least 3,000 km (1,900 mi) between the breeding sites and the wintering areas.
The common kingfisher hunts from a perch 1–2 m (3.3–6.6 ft) above the water, on a branch, post or riverbank, bill pointing down as it searches for prey. It bobs its head when food is detected to gauge the distance and plunges steeply down to seize its prey usually no deeper than 25 cm (9.8 in) below the surface. The wings are opened underwater and the open eyes are protected by the transparent third eyelid. The bird rises beak-first from the surface and flies back to its perch. At the perch the fish is adjusted until it is held near its tail and beaten against the perch several times. Once dead, the fish is positioned lengthways and swallowed head-first. A few times each day, a small greyish pellet of fish bones and other indigestible remains is regurgitated.
The food is mainly fish up to 12.5 cm (4.9 in) long, but the average size is 2.3 cm (0.91 in). In Central Europe, 97% of the diet was found to be composed of fish ranging in size from 2 to 10 cm with an average of 6.5 cm (body mass range from 10 g, average 3 g). Minnows, sticklebacks, small roach and trout are typical prey. About 60% of food items are fish, but this kingfisher also catches aquatic insects such as dragonfly larvae and water beetles, and, in winter, crustaceans including freshwater shrimps. In Central Europe, however, fish represented 99.9% of the diet (data from rivers, streams, and reservoirs from years 1999 to 2013). Common kingfishers have also been observed to catch lamprey. One study found that food provisioning rate increased with brood size, from 1498 g (505 fishes for four nestlings) to 2968 g (894 fishes for eight nestlings). During the fledging period each chick consumed on average 334 g of fish, which resulted in an estimated daily food intake of 37% of the chick's body mass (average over the entire nestling period). The average daily energy intake was 73.5 kJ per chick (i.e., 1837 kJ per 25 days of the fledging period).
A challenge for any diving bird is the change in refraction between air and water. The eyes of many birds have two foveae (the fovea is the area of the retina with the greatest density of light receptors), and a kingfisher can switch from the main central fovea to the auxiliary fovea when it enters water; a retinal streak of high receptor density which connects the two foveae allows the image to swing temporally as the bird drops onto the prey. The egg-shaped lens of the eye points towards the auxiliary fovea, enabling the bird to maintain visual acuity underwater. Because of the positions of the foveae, the kingfisher has monocular vision in air, and binocular vision in water. The underwater vision is not as a sharp as in air, but the ability to judge the distance of moving prey is more important than the sharpness of the image.
Each cone cell of a bird's retina contains an oil droplet that may contain carotenoid pigments. These droplets enhance color vision and reduce glare. Aquatic kingfishers have high numbers of red pigments in their oil droplets; the reason red droplets predominate is not understood, but the droplets may help with the glare or the dispersion of light from particulate matter in the water.
For more information, please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_kingfisher
Meet Edison
A hermit crab using a incandescent light bulb screw end as a protective home. I find many light bulbs washed ashore. This is a good example of adaptive behavior. I found five crabs with beach trash homes tonight.
* All Coenobita species in Okinawa are recognized as a Living Natural Monument.
Photography by Shawn M Miller
Crabs with beach trash homes by Shawn Miller
TEDX OIST talk on this subject by Shawn Miller www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6FWCyVQcNA
Read more about this project
okinawanaturephotography.com/crabs-with-beach-trash-homes...
My series has been featured on-
abcnews.go.com/US/national-geographic-launches-effort-red...
www.businessinsider.com/hermit-crabs-using-trash-as-homes...www.nationalgeographic.nl/galerij/10x-krabben-in-huisjes-...
petapixel.com/2016/08/30/photos-hermit-crabs-beach-trash-...
www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-trash-homes-of-hermit-c...
www.news.com.au/technology/science/animals/crabs-are-reso...
www.thedodo.com/hermit-crabs-trash-shells-2001062931.html
www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/oceans-so-polluted-crabs...
www.plethorist.com/crabs-adapt-and-uses-plastic-caps-as-h...
www.dailytelegraph.com.au/technology/science/crabs-living...
www.hypedojo.com/you-wont-believe-what-these-hermit-crabs...
Minor activity of Aurora Borealis is easily recognized at left side of Earth's limb in this 24-mm image photographed by one of the Expedition 30 crew members aboard the International Space station from approximately 240 miles above Earth. Clouds obscure what would be any recognizable points on the planet. A section of one of the solar array panels on the orbital outpost is seen in upper left.
Image credit: NASA
Original image:
spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-30/html/...
More about space station research:
www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/index.html
There's a Flickr group about Space Station Research. Please feel welcome to join! www.flickr.com/groups/stationscience/
View more than 400 photos like this in the "NASA Earth Images" Flickr photoset:
www.flickr.com/photos/28634332@N05/
_____________________________________________
These official NASA photographs are being made available for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photographs. The photographs may not be used in materials, advertisements, products, or promotions that in any way suggest approval or endorsement by NASA. All Images used must be credited. For information on usage rights please visit: www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelin...
Mature bull (male) elk are recognizable by their very large set of antlers, colloquially called a "rack." A lot of biological energy goes into creating those antlers, which are shed late each winter and immediately start to re-grow in time to achieve maximum impressiveness (to cow - female - elk) and function (to warn competition for those cows) in time for September breeding season, known as "rut." During rut the bulls barely eat but they burn a ton of calories herding the cows around and threatening and sometimes coming to fisticuffs with other bulls. This individual was saving a lot of winter energy by walking down the plowed road but as I crept up to him in my car he ultimately decided to deal with traversing the deep snow along the side of the road instead of allowing me to pass him.
Note two things: 1. he's very thin, he most likely had a very rowdy rut in September and was not able to regain much weight afterwards, and 2. I suspect at some point he slept on his right side and his hair stuck to the ice and he lost a lot of it when he stood up.
Hope he makes it through winter in spite of a very poor start to the lean season.
Castle Dyck (German: Schloss Dyck) is a moated castle in the Rhineland region of Germany. It is located in the municipality of Jüchen in Rhein-Kreis Neuss, North Rhine-Westphalia, between Grevenbroich and Mönchengladbach.
The history of the castle began in 1094 when the knight Hermannus de Disco was mentioned in a record of the Archbishop of Cologne as the lord of a simple fortification. Over time the site was converted into a fortified moated castle. In 1383 the castle was besieged by the cities of Aachen and Cologne, as well as by the archbishop Friedrich III von Saarwerden and Duke William I of Guelders and Jülich. They accused Lord Gerard van Dyck of being a robber knight. When Gerard van Dyck died without male offspring, the castle was inherited by Johann V von Reifferscheidt, the ancestor of the counts and princes of Salm-Reifferscheid. This family owned the castle for more than 900 years until it became the Centre for Garden Art and Landscape Design in 1999. The last heiress of the family, Countess Marie Christine Wolff Metternich, turned it over to a foundation to secure the future of the castle.
The castle is the center of Salm-Reifferscheid-Dyck, a former independent territory located between the Electorate of Cologne, Guelders and Jülich. The small territory was called "Dycker Ländchen" and is still recognizable for its unique cultural landscape.
One of North America's smallest birds, this male RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET can be recognized by its constant wing-flicking. The male shows its red crown only infrequently...(All About BIrds)
Interesting facts: Avg size only 4.25' (11cm);This tiny bird lays a very large clutch of eggs. Although the eggs themselves weigh only 0.65 g (0.02 oz), an entire clutch can weigh as much as the female herself.....(AAB)
Does anyone recognize this church? I think it's somewhere in Yorkshire, but I can't remember for certain. Possibly near Castleton.
The Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) is a small passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae. It is easily recognizable by its blue and yellow plumage and small size.
Eurasian blue tits, usually resident and non-migratory birds, are widespread and a common resident breeder throughout temperate and subarctic Europe and western Asia in deciduous or mixed woodlands with a high proportion of oak. They usually nest in tree holes, although they easily adapt to nest boxes where necessary. Their main rival for nests and in the search for food is the larger and more common great tit.
The Eurasian blue tit prefers insects and spiders for its diet. Outside the breeding season, they also eat seeds and other vegetable-based foods. The birds are famed for their skill, as they can cling to the outermost branches and hang upside down when looking for food.
The Eurasian blue tit is usually 12 cm (4.7 in), long with a wingspan of 18 cm (7.1 in) for both sexes, and weighs about 11 g (0.39 oz). A typical Eurasian blue tit has an azure-blue crown and dark blue line passing through the eye, and encircling the white cheeks to the chin, giving the bird a very distinctive appearance. The forehead and a bar on the wing are white. The nape, wings and tail are blue and the back is yellowish green. The underparts is mostly sulphur-yellow with a dark line down the abdomen—the yellowness is indicative of the number of yellowy-green caterpillars eaten, due to high levels of carotene pigments in the diet. The bill is black, the legs bluish grey, and the irides dark brown. The sexes are similar, but under ultraviolet light, males have a brighter blue crown. Young blue tits are noticeably more yellow.
There are currently around 20–44 million pairs in Europe.
The Eurasian blue tit and the related hybrids are considered native species in areas of the European continent with a mainly temperate or Mediterranean climate, and in parts of the Middle East. These areas include Ireland, the United Kingdom and most of the European Union and EFTA (except Malta, where they are considered vagrant, and Iceland, where they are absent), plus: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Libya, the Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Vatican City and Ukraine.
In Great Britain the Eurasian blue tit is typically found in deciduous woodland, parks, gardens and even in the center of towns.
Eurasian blue and great tits form mixed winter flocks, and the former are perhaps the better gymnasts in the slender twigs. A Eurasian blue tit will often ascend a trunk in short jerky hops, imitating a treecreeper. As a rule the bird roosts in ivy or evergreens, but in harsh winters will nest wherever there is a suitable small hole, be it in a tree or nesting box. They are very agile and can hang from almost anywhere.
This is a common and popular European garden bird, due to its perky acrobatic performances when feeding on nuts or suet. It swings beneath the holder, calling "tee, tee, tee" or a scolding "churr".
The Eurasian blue tit will nest in any suitable hole in a tree, wall, or stump, or an artificial nest box, often competing with house sparrows or great tits for the site. Few birds more readily accept the shelter of a nesting box; the same hole is returned to year after year, and when one pair dies another takes possession. It is estimated by the RSPB that there are 3,535,000 breeding pairs in the UK.
The Eurasian blue tit is a valuable destroyer of pests, though it is fond of young buds of various trees, especially when insect prey is scarce, and may pull them to bits in the hope of finding insects. It is a well-known predator of many Lepidoptera species including the Wood Tiger moth. No species, however, destroys more coccids and aphids, the worst foes of many plants. It takes leaf miner grubs and green tortrix moths (Tortricidae). Seeds are eaten, as with all this family, and blue tits in British urban areas have evolved the ability to digest milk and cream.
Voice
Eurasian blue tits are able to culturally transmit learning to other tit species. An example of this, dating from the 1920s, is the ability to open milk bottles with foil tops, to get at the cream underneath. Such behaviour has been suppressed recently by the gradual change of human dietary habits (low-fat or skimmed milk instead of full-fat), and the way of getting them (from a supermarket in plastic containers with hard plastic lids, instead of the milkman). In addition, the instinct to strip bark from trees in search of insects has developed into a tendency to peel building materials such as thatch, wallpaper, stucco and window putty.
For more information, please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_blue_tit
The land that is Denver was part of Arapaho and Cheyenne territory recognized by the Treaty of Fort Laramie, but the discovery of gold in the Rockies led to encroachment by settlers as they moved West in the Gold Rush. The railroad came, Denver began to develop, and the first residential neighborhood was Curtis Park. It was an affluent place, with brick homes built in many architectural styles, but it was also a place where those of different economic status and religions (Christians and Jews) lived together. But it wasn't long before other neighborhoods were built, and residents migrated to newer and "nicer" places, and Curtis Park went into decline, African Americans, who were kept out of other neighborhoods by redlining moved here, and during WWII, Japanese-Americans facing relocation to internment camps came, and the area became more and more Mexican American as well. Neal Cassady, the beat writer (born in 1926), grew up in a boarding house here with his alcoholic father, and later, Jack Kerouac ("On the Road"), Neal Cassady and their gang made the area one of the layovers and temporary residences between restless wanderings to the coasts and Mexico City to the South. The area continued its decline until "gentrification" by young Whites started, initially in the 1990s, only to falter after 2008 Great Recession. More recently, gentrification has taken deep root and houses going for millions are not uncommon. The building above, in a transitional area, is certain to be renovated once the current real estate market drawback is over, if not before.
The recognizable profile of the Pelican Nebula soars nearly 2,000 light-years away in the high flying constellation Cygnus, the Swan. Also known as IC 5070, this interstellar cloud of gas and dust is appropriately found just off the "east coast" of the North America Nebula (NGC 7000), another surprisingly familiar looking emission nebula in Cygnus. Both Pelican and North America nebulae are part of the same large and complex star forming region, almost as nearby as the better-known Orion Nebula. From our vantage point, dark dust clouds (upper left) help define the Pelican's eye and long bill, while a bright front of ionized gas suggests the curved shape of the head and neck. This striking synthesized color view utilizes narrowband image data recording the emission of hydrogen and oxygen atoms in the cosmic cloud. The scene spans some 30 light-years at the estimated distance of the Pelican Nebula. via NASA
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 70 200MM F2.8 L IS
This is the famous cathedral of Köln along with the replica of Hohenzollern Bridge. The original bridge was destroyed at the time of World War II and rebuilt later.
The cathedral suffered seventy hits by aerial bombs during World War II. It did not collapse, but stood tall in an otherwise flattened city. The great twin spires are said to have been used as an easily recognizable navigational landmark by Allied aircraft raiding deeper into Germany in the later years of the war, which may be a reason that the cathedral was not destroyed.
The cathedral is fantastic from inside as well. But photography with a tripod is not allowed. I was staying very close to this place, so I went there early morning (06:30 AM) to get an inside view of this world heritage architecture. But it did not work out well for me. Three people asked me not to use the tripod while I did not even take it out of my camera bag. So I enjoyed the beauty myself and came back without a picture.
After a long time I used my heavy 70 200 lens. I took the same picture with the 24 105 as well. The pictures were taken in 76 MM, so I have managed to take more or less the same picture with both the lenses. On the spot I did not really see any differences in the picture. But while checking the same in my computer screen, I could justify the price of 70 200. The cost is really of the quality. The pricture of 70 200 is way too crispy than the 24 105. Well this is a well known fact, but I have compared it myself for the first time. Few days back I have borrowed the old 28 70 F2.8 lens from nestle photo club and it is also a fantastic lens. The picture quality in 100% crop is way better than 24 105. But once the pictures are correctly taken and processed properly, you will probably never understand the difference. The difference is visible only in 100% crop. That means, if you print the picture in A0 without sharpening the picture in post processing, you will find the difference. Otherwise at least I cannot see any differences.
So I will keep using the 24 105 over my 70 200 most of the cases because of the weight and size factor. The extra bit of sharpness and contrast will come from photoshop :)
Have a nice weekend.
Hope you will enjoy the picture.
Any suggestions or criticisms are always welcome.
The Supermarine Spitfire is probably one of the most recognizable and iconic aircraft in history, with a total production number of 20 351. As I have always been fond of it, I decided to give it a try, even though it is my very first propeller aircraft model.
About the aircraft
The history of the Spitfire started in 1934, with the first flight of the famous K5054 prototype taking place on 5th March 1936. After the initial delays, the first Spitfire Mk. Is started to reach the operational units in 1938, and since then the type became a stronghold of RAF fighter forces, with a number of substantial improvements being introduced over the whole duration of WWII. Most of these improvements were directly correlated with the development of another icon, the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Consequently, 3 generations of Spitfires are commonly recognized: early Merlins (Merlins with a single-stage supercharger, Spitfires Mk. I, II, III, V, VI, and PR XIII), late Merlins (60 and 70 series Merlins with a two-stage supercharger, Spitfires Mk. VII – IX, PR X, PR XI, and Mk. XVI), and the last generation utilizing more powerful and heavier Rolls-Royce Griffon (Mk. IV, XII, XIV, XVIII, PR XIX, XX, 21-24). Among all those Marks, the Mk. IX and XVI were by far the most numerous, and their introduction was a major step in RAF’s capabilities. The idea for Mk. IX came out of necessity, as after the introduction of Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in late 1941 it became obvious that the then-standard Spitfire Mk. V was no match for the newest Luftwaffe addition. As the two-stage Merlin 61 became available, the Supermarine proposed to address this issue with an interim Mk. IX variant, which was basically Mk. V airframe fitted with the new engine. At the beginning, it was planned as just a short-term fix, with the revised Mk. VIII being the “ultimate” late-Merlin variant. However, the Mk. IX proved to be so successful that there was no point in disturbing its production lines, and it remained in production until the end of the war with constant upgrades being added (e.g. Merlin 66 engine). An interesting twist in the history of the Mk. IX is the Mk. XVI variant, which even though gained a new Mark number, differed only by the fact that instead of the British-built Merlin 66, its US licensed-built Packard Merlin 266 variant was utilized.
About the building process
The Spitfire is my very first propeller-driven aircraft, and it was basically an accident that I even started it. I was playing with some trans-clear canopy solutions and after one of the attempts I thought “Well, this looks like a Spitfire canopy”. As it turned out, it was perfectly scaled to my favorite 1:33 scale, so I had no choice but to continue. Still, the idea to make a WWII fighter was not new to me, as for years I’ve been a great fan of a number of different designs by other builders, so I’ve always wanted to have one for myself. As the Spitfire is an extremely common topic, it is impossible to mention all my inspirations. Still, by far the most prominent one was the Spitfire Mk. IX by Ed Diment, which even utilizes the same scale as mine. Another big inspiration was a much bigger Spitfire Mk. I by Lennart Cort. In fact, I had a very hard time deciding on the scale, as his 1:18 Spitfire looks so amazing it gave me second thoughts. Other, smaller designs, which were extremely useful for me, were the Spits by Dierett89, Sydag, BuildArmy, and picardbricks. As I mentioned before, the first part I got together was the canopy, followed by the engine section. Then, I got stuck a bit with the wings, as I really wanted to include the dihedral on them. Finally, I was able to slightly minimize the solution proposed by Nick Goodwin, which fitted nicely with the rest of the plane. The shape of the wings was also a bit painful to get right, but as I decided to go for the “clipped” wings, I didn’t have to make them fully elliptical, which made it much easier. The rest of the fuselage was quite easy. A big challenge overall was the very disappointing variety of dark green pieces, which I had to compensate for with the extensive amount of stickers. Here, the solution proposed by Maks in his Su-24
turned out to be very handy – I just had to use an awful lot of stickers from 76907 Lotus Evija set. I must say that the results look surprisingly good, as the colors match perfectly.
About the model
The model represents a Supermarine Spitfire LF. Mk.XVIe in a 1/33 scale. The camouflage is based on the aircraft currently stored in the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków. It was produced in 1944 and served in the 421 Squadron of the Canadian Air Force (RCAF). In 1956 it was moved to the RAF museum in Hendon, having a short episode in the 1967 Battle of Britain film. Since 1977 it has been in the possession of the Polish Aviation Museum, where currently it is presented in the camouflage of the Polish 308 Squadron as TB995 ZF-O. The original aircraft of this designation was delivered to 308 Sqn. on 15th March of 1945, and the Squadron was mainly involved in the anti-V1 and V2 operations. As the Mk. XVI was introduced in 1944, there are so misconceptions about its configuration. Similarly to what happened to P-51 Mustang, the late Spitfire variants were fitted with the teardrop “bubble” canopy. Even though it was used in a number of different Marks, including Mk. IX, it is most commonly associated with Mk. XVI, as due to the shorter production, a much higher percentage of them received this upgrade. Still, the “razorback” Mk. XVIs were also quite common, being virtually indistinguishable from the standard Mk. IXs, which is the case for the TB995 ZF-O. As the model is significantly smaller than my usual jets, I wasn’t able to include as many working features as usual. Still, it has movable flaps, a working tail, and working landing gear.
The universal beautiful Rose. Its many colors and shades are always the hit of the flower and garden show. Thanks for visiting my photo stream and leaving your generous comments. Gratitude and Kindness are also “Recognizable In Any Garden In Any Country.”
The spectacularly bizarre Andean Cock-of-the-rock is perhaps the most popularly recognized bird of the cloud forests of the Andes Mountains. The national bird of Peru, this species is readily identified by its fan-shaped crest and brilliant orange plumage, both of which are evident to a lesser degree even in the duller female. (neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/Species-Account/nb/species/...)
The Supermarine Spitfire is probably one of the most recognizable and iconic aircraft in history, with a total production number of 20 351. As I have always been fond of it, I decided to give it a try, even though it is my very first propeller aircraft model.
About the aircraft
The history of the Spitfire started in 1934, with the first flight of the famous K5054 prototype taking place on 5th March 1936. After the initial delays, the first Spitfire Mk. Is started to reach the operational units in 1938, and since then the type became a stronghold of RAF fighter forces, with a number of substantial improvements being introduced over the whole duration of WWII. Most of these improvements were directly correlated with the development of another icon, the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Consequently, 3 generations of Spitfires are commonly recognized: early Merlins (Merlins with a single-stage supercharger, Spitfires Mk. I, II, III, V, VI, and PR XIII), late Merlins (60 and 70 series Merlins with a two-stage supercharger, Spitfires Mk. VII – IX, PR X, PR XI, and Mk. XVI), and the last generation utilizing more powerful and heavier Rolls-Royce Griffon (Mk. IV, XII, XIV, XVIII, PR XIX, XX, 21-24). Among all those Marks, the Mk. IX and XVI were by far the most numerous, and their introduction was a major step in RAF’s capabilities. The idea for Mk. IX came out of necessity, as after the introduction of Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in late 1941 it became obvious that the then-standard Spitfire Mk. V was no match for the newest Luftwaffe addition. As the two-stage Merlin 61 became available, the Supermarine proposed to address this issue with an interim Mk. IX variant, which was basically Mk. V airframe fitted with the new engine. At the beginning, it was planned as just a short-term fix, with the revised Mk. VIII being the “ultimate” late-Merlin variant. However, the Mk. IX proved to be so successful that there was no point in disturbing its production lines, and it remained in production until the end of the war with constant upgrades being added (e.g. Merlin 66 engine). An interesting twist in the history of the Mk. IX is the Mk. XVI variant, which even though gained a new Mark number, differed only by the fact that instead of the British-built Merlin 66, its US licensed-built Packard Merlin 266 variant was utilized.
About the building process
The Spitfire is my very first propeller-driven aircraft, and it was basically an accident that I even started it. I was playing with some trans-clear canopy solutions and after one of the attempts I thought “Well, this looks like a Spitfire canopy”. As it turned out, it was perfectly scaled to my favorite 1:33 scale, so I had no choice but to continue. Still, the idea to make a WWII fighter was not new to me, as for years I’ve been a great fan of a number of different designs by other builders, so I’ve always wanted to have one for myself. As the Spitfire is an extremely common topic, it is impossible to mention all my inspirations. Still, by far the most prominent one was the Spitfire Mk. IX by Ed Diment, which even utilizes the same scale as mine. Another big inspiration was a much bigger Spitfire Mk. I by Lennart Cort. In fact, I had a very hard time deciding on the scale, as his 1:18 Spitfire looks so amazing it gave me second thoughts. Other, smaller designs, which were extremely useful for me, were the Spits by Dierett89, Sydag, BuildArmy, and picardbricks. As I mentioned before, the first part I got together was the canopy, followed by the engine section. Then, I got stuck a bit with the wings, as I really wanted to include the dihedral on them. Finally, I was able to slightly minimize the solution proposed by Nick Goodwin, which fitted nicely with the rest of the plane. The shape of the wings was also a bit painful to get right, but as I decided to go for the “clipped” wings, I didn’t have to make them fully elliptical, which made it much easier. The rest of the fuselage was quite easy. A big challenge overall was the very disappointing variety of dark green pieces, which I had to compensate for with the extensive amount of stickers. Here, the solution proposed by Maks in his Su-24
turned out to be very handy – I just had to use an awful lot of stickers from 76907 Lotus Evija set. I must say that the results look surprisingly good, as the colors match perfectly.
About the model
The model represents a Supermarine Spitfire LF. Mk.XVIe in a 1/33 scale. The camouflage is based on the aircraft currently stored in the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków. It was produced in 1944 and served in the 421 Squadron of the Canadian Air Force (RCAF). In 1956 it was moved to the RAF museum in Hendon, having a short episode in the 1967 Battle of Britain film. Since 1977 it has been in the possession of the Polish Aviation Museum, where currently it is presented in the camouflage of the Polish 308 Squadron as TB995 ZF-O. The original aircraft of this designation was delivered to 308 Sqn. on 15th March of 1945, and the Squadron was mainly involved in the anti-V1 and V2 operations. As the Mk. XVI was introduced in 1944, there are so misconceptions about its configuration. Similarly to what happened to P-51 Mustang, the late Spitfire variants were fitted with the teardrop “bubble” canopy. Even though it was used in a number of different Marks, including Mk. IX, it is most commonly associated with Mk. XVI, as due to the shorter production, a much higher percentage of them received this upgrade. Still, the “razorback” Mk. XVIs were also quite common, being virtually indistinguishable from the standard Mk. IXs, which is the case for the TB995 ZF-O. As the model is significantly smaller than my usual jets, I wasn’t able to include as many working features as usual. Still, it has movable flaps, a working tail, and working landing gear.
The recognizable profile of the Pelican Nebula soars nearly 2,000 light-years away in the high flying constellation Cygnus, the Swan. Also known as IC 5070, this interstellar cloud of gas and dust is appropriately found just off the "east coast" of the North America Nebula (NGC 7000), another surprisingly familiar looking emission nebula in Cygnus. Both Pelican and North America nebulae are part of the same large and complex star forming region, almost as nearby as the better-known Orion Nebula. From our vantage point, dark dust clouds (upper left) help define the Pelican's eye and long bill, while a bright front of ionized gas suggests the curved shape of the head and neck. This striking synthesized color view utilizes narrowband image data recording the emission of hydrogen and oxygen atoms in the cosmic cloud. The scene spans some 30 light-years at the estimated distance of the Pelican Nebula. via NASA go.nasa.gov/2fH9sb4
I recognize the lady on the left, she has long fully transitioned… I see her on Facebook, once in a blue moon. I think her life has changed completely. Last I knew, she was actively looking for a boyfriend :-)
Easily recognizable, the pheasant is a common sight in the countryside and can be found all over the great Britain. This non native bird was introduced by the Romans over a thousand years ago so there is an argument that it is now part of the fabric of our country. The large male game bird has brown and black markings on their body , with green and red face markings. The female is slightly smaller and less colourful with mottled pale brown markings. They usually prefer hedgerows and the fringes of woodlands.
Read more at www.wildonline.blog
American robin
The American Robin is the largest, most abundant and broadly distributed thrush in North America. The presence of this songster in the backyard setting, together with its loud, musical voice, make it one of the most recognizable birds in North America.
Easily recognizable, the pheasant is a common sight in the countryside and can be found all over the great Britain. This non native bird was introduced by the Romans over a thousand years ago so there is an argument that it is now part of the fabric of our country. The large male game bird has brown and black markings on their body , with green and red face markings. The female is slightly smaller and less colourful with mottled pale brown markings. They usually prefer hedgerows and the fringes of woodlands.
Read more at www.wildonline.blog