Blue creek point, Eufaula lake. Pittsburg County, Oklahoma... Decided to post something a little bit different than the stuff I have been putting out lately. The comp is maybe a bit too busy, I don't know, I still like it though. Hate to post and run but I have to go to work. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.

Duisburg Innenhafen

ocean reflections

Just viewing the pond this morning and this guy popped up - made each other jump and then we had the stand off!!

First time I think seeing one of these, thanks to Donald and Charlene for pointing it out.

Bee-flies are fascinating insects that have mastered the art of mimicry. These agile, fluffy, flying creatures look similar to bees, but they are in fact flies. They have only one pair of wings, whereas bees have two, and their most unmistakable feature is a long, straight, straw-like tongue, known as a proboscis.

One of the first bee-fly species seen in spring is the dark-edged bee-fly (Bombylius major), common across Britain and a frequent garden visitor. It has yellowy-brown hair, a long tongue, and darkened wing edges that extend halfway across each wing.

Bee-fly behaviours

One peculiar behaviour displayed by the bee-fly is its slow-moving hover where it lightly touches the ground. It keeps its legs slightly grounded, while slowly and gently brushing the surface with its abdomen – if you look closely, you can see the abdomen creates movements in the sandy surface. This is because the bee-fly is scooping up sand and mud to coat its eggs for camouflage.

This camouflage is important, as bee-flies will lay their eggs in unsuspecting solitary bee burrows, hovering over the burrow entrances before catapulting their eggs inside. As the eggs hatch, the bee-fly larvae spend their time maturing in the nest, eating up the pollen stores that the solitary bees have left for their own young. Although this sounds like bad news for the bees, a healthy population of bee-flies means that you have a good population of bees.

A broch butterfly lit from the left. The golden underside reflected in the surface.

For MacroMondays theme sidelit.

The Image Journey I Tumblr I Twitter I Instagram

This week's theme for Mosaic Montage Monday was Mineral Surfaces. A former decorative waterfall seems to indicate a rocky road ahead. HMMM!

Hej, da bin ich wieder! Nach unserem verregneten Sommerurlaub wollten wir doch noch einen kleinen besonderen Urlaub machen. Auf unserer To-Do -Liste steht schon seit Jahren Ägypten und so entschieden wir, uns in dieses Abenteuer zu werfen. Diese Reise entfaltete sich als unvergessliche Erfahrung. Nach drei Tagen in Hurghada brachen wir nach Luxor auf. Von dort aus setzten wir unsere Reise auf einem Schiff fort, das gemächlich den Nil entlang nach Assuan tuckerte. In Assuan erwartete uns ein ganz besonderes Erlebnis: die Fahrt auf einer traditionellen Feluke. Als der Kapitän meinem Mann das Steuer überreichte, leuchteten seine Augen vor Freude. Unter der strahlenden Sonne glitten wir sanft über den majestätischen Nil, während die Welt um uns herum still zu stehen schien. Die Sonne brach sich in glitzernden Reflexionen auf der Wasseroberfläche, während wir uns langsam der Insel Elephantine näherten. Vogelrufe erfüllten die Luft, Reiher, Kormorane und kleine Wasserhühner ließen ihr Gefieder in der Sonne trocknen.

Im Hintergrund seht ihr das Mausoleum des Aga Khan. Es ist ein architektonisches Juwel, das auf einem Hügel in der Nähe von Assuan thront. Es ist die letzte Ruhestätte des Aga Khan III. Dieses Mausoleum, das oft als "Taj Mahal des Nahen Ostens" bezeichnet wird, fasziniert mit seiner eleganten Architektur und seiner friedvollen Lage.

"Hey, I'm back again! After our rainy summer vacation, we wanted to have another special little getaway. Egypt has been on our to-do list for years, so we decided to embark on this adventure. This journey unfolded as an unforgettable experience. After three days in Hurghada, we set off for Luxor. From there, our journey continued on a leisurely boat along the Nile to Aswan. In Aswan, a very special experience awaited us: a ride on a traditional felucca. When the captain handed the steering wheel to my husband, his eyes lit up with joy. Under the radiant sun, we glided gently along the majestic Nile, while the world around us seemed to stand still. The sun sparkled in shimmering reflections on the water's surface as we slowly approached Elephantine Island. Bird calls filled the air, herons, cormorants, and small waterfowl basked in the sun, drying their feathers.

In the background, you can see the Mausoleum of Aga Khan. It's an architectural gem perched on a hill near Aswan. It's the final resting place of Aga Khan III. This mausoleum, often referred to as the 'Taj Mahal of the Middle East,' captivates with its elegant architecture and peaceful location."

Lake Hövern, Sweden

Villaudemard, France

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below the surface

the flatiron building, new york city

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Surfacing

Pigeons in city park

I've got hundreds of these little wheels in my basement. How do i get rid of them?

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www.thousandpics.com

Nikon 14-24/2.8G

Harbor Seal briefly stops chasing fish to take some deep breaths before diving again.

ABZÛ

- SRWE Hotsampling

- Reshade Framework

- Duncan Harris CE Table

ID: 003571

This picture is (c) Copyright Frank Titze, all rights reserved.

It may NOT be reproduced, copied, edited, published, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my permission.

See more pictures on frank-titze.art.

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Exposure: 05/2015

Processing: 05/2015

Published: 09/2015

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Irgendeine Idee, was das sein könnte?

exhibition by Beverly Barkat at the Museo di Palazzo Grimani - Venice - Italy.

The exhibition includes a cycle of the artist’s works in the medium of painting and drawing, alongside a series of large-scale painted PVC sheets produced especially for the site of the Museum.

Nikon F3, Nikkor 85/2, B+W circular polarizer, Kodak Portra 400.

While waiting at the Metro station I took a shot of the platform.

There is no way to penetrate the surface of life but by attacking it earnestly at a particular point. -Charles Horton Cooley

Collembola under a drop of water.

The Collembola's (aka Dicyrtomina minuta forma ornata) feet make use of surface tension that allow it to walk upside down on a drop of water.

Long-tailed duck Clangula hyemalis surfacing after a dive

Falmouth MA

A jumper surfaces and gasps as she comes up in the icy lake water during the Penguin Plunge held at City Beach in Whitefish Montana as part of the City’s annual Winter Carnival. The plunge is held to benefit Special Olympics and is sponsored by Local Law Enforcement agencies and businesses. Over 130 people jumped and raised more than $40,000!

(pictures from the archives)

DSC01016

Visit this location at ^UNISON^ in Second Life

Water Rail on ice

aaaaaaaaaaAaAaAaAaAAaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

This shot got the first prize NIKON D80

Yeah i nailed it !

Expect some quality improvements soon!

www.fotomotywy.pl/konkurs/2

A day out photographing Kingfishers. It was likely to be the last chance of 2021. The light was dull to start with but improved during the afternoon.

This Kingfisher breaks the Surface with a fish before flying away.