View allAll Photos Tagged THROUGHOUT
" Widespread and common throughout Britain and Ireland...The eyespots have single white pupils unlike Gatekeeper which has two and is smaller and more orange with row of tiny white dots on hind underwings... The Meadow Brown is the most abundant butterfly species in many habitats....Hundreds may be seen together at some sites, flying low over the vegetation. Adults fly even in dull weather when most other butterflies are inactive...."
*
*
*
Copyright ©
All Of My Photographic Images Are Subject To Copyright ! Each Of My Photographs Remain My Intellectual Property ! All Rights Are Reserved And As Such, Do Not Use, Modify, Copy, Edit, Distribute Or Publish Any Of My Photographs ! If You Wish To Use Any Of My Photographs For Any Reproductive Purposes, Or Other Uses, My Written Permission Is Specifically Required, Contact Me Via Flickr Mail !
Pied Currawongs are found throughout eastern Australia, from northern Queensland to Victoria, but is absent from Tasmania.
The Pied Currawong prefers forests and woodlands, and has become well adapted to suburban areas.
Pied Currawongs feed on a variety of foods including small lizards, insects, caterpillars and berries. They also take a large number of small and young birds, especially around urban areas where suitable cover is scarce.
Photographed Maleny, Queensland, Australia.
Steve Hitchcock © All rights reserved
Here are a few of my collections on my caribou photos throughout the years that I have been in the park and Alaska.
One handsome dude just posing for the camera - THANK YOU!!!
Click HERE for more info about Alaska Caribou.
Long summer days allow many other angles throughout downtown Norman to shoot northbound traffic in evening light. During most of the school year, northbound trains are unshootable unless it's cloudy. In the first two months of school, if a northbound train comes north between the last two hours of sun in the evening, it makes for a good shot. Here, we see BNSF SD70ACe leading a northbound freight to Tulsa.
Throughout the day in Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park, I'd been searching for any sign of ravens. On my last trip, a few had seemingly followed me as I made my way from overlook to overlook. It was as I was getting ready to leave the Shafer Canyon Overlook area that I noticed one. Time to pull out the big lens! Here I got as close as I was able to before it flew off with my Tamron 150-600mm one, getting a quick meter off the darker feathers of the raven and composing with it more or less in the image center.
Throughout the winter the Waverley is moored on the Clyde adjacent to the Glasgow Science park. It is seen here on the left of the image whilst across on the far bank berthed alongside the Glasgow Transport Museum is the former tea clipper, the Glenlee.
Throughout the valley are huge cast steel parts of various mining operations. This wheel was 15 feet across.
Throughout winter, Great tits will feed mainly on seeds, and will relish whole peanuts and other supplementary garden bird food. Interestingly, during particularly harsh and cold winter periods, Great tits can eat up to 44% their body weight in sunflower hearts and seeds.
The brightest stars embedded in nebulae throughout our galaxy pour out a torrent of radiation that eats into vast clouds of hydrogen gas – the raw material for building new stars. This etching process sculpts a fantasy landscape where human imagination can see all kinds of shapes and figures. This nebula in the constellation of Cassiopeia has flowing veils of gas and dust that have earned it the nickname "Ghost Nebula."
Officially known as IC 63, this nebula is located 550 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen.
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and STScI/Acknowledgment: H. Arab (University of Strasbourg)
#NASA #MarshallSpaceFlightCenter #MSFC #Marshall #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #astronomy #space #astrophysics #solarsystemandbeyond #gsfc #Goddard #GoddardSpaceFlightCenter #ESA #EuropeanSpaceAgency #galaxy
Tétouan is famed for its fine craftsmanship and musical delicacy and has been part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the area of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017. Its cultural heritage is the product of the interaction between different cultural influences throughout centuries. It is mainly characterized by its Andalusian style and way of living but both Berber, Jewish and Colonial Spanish influences are present too.
The streets are fairly wide and straight, and many of the houses belonging to aristocratic families, descendants of those expelled from Al-Andalus by the Spanish Reconquista, possess marble fountains and have groves planted with orange trees. Within the houses and riads the ceilings are often exquisitely carved and painted in Hispano-Moresque designs, such as are found in the Alhambra of Granada, and the tile-work for which Tetuan is known may be seen on floors, pillars and dados. The city has seven gates which were closed at night up until early 20th century. Many Sufi Zawiyas are scattered inside the walled old city.
One of two more photos taken of the Humber Bay Butterfly Habitat on my walk with Shauna on Sunday. Notice the new shoots coming up:)
"The Humber Bay Butterfly Habitat (HBBH) is an ecological restoration project that provides critical habitat for a variety of native butterfly species. Located along the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto’s west end, HBBH incorporates a diversity of native wildflowers, shrubs, trees, grasses, sedges and a variety of physical features known to support butterflies throughout all life cycles. The goal of HBBH is to establish a self-sustaining native plant community which will support a variety of butterfly species, while engaging and educating park users about the value of urban wildlife habitat."
Thanks for visiting it is a cold and slippery day in Toronto.
It is suggested that there may have been up to about 3000 castles throughout Scotland. There are fortified strongholds almost everywhere, some still standing, some reduced to almost invisible traces in the landscape. So many are tourist magnets: Edinburgh, Stalker, Eilean Donan to mention a few. But what about the one in the picture? Name? Dumbarton, it may look insignificant, but.................
Dumbarton Castle has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland. It overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton and guards the point where the River Leven joins the River Clyde. Its recorded history reaches back 1,500 years. At that time the place was known as Alt Clut, ‘Rock of the Clyde’. Later it became known by the Gaelic name Dun Breatann, ‘Fortress of the Britons’, from which the name Dumbarton is derived.
From the 5th century AD until 1018, Dumbarton Rock was the capital of the British kingdom of Strathclyde. Legend tells of Merlin the magician staying at King Riderch’s court there in the 6th century. The Rock was besieged several times, but the Viking assault in 870 was by far the worst. After a four-month siege, Kings Olaf and Ivar of Dublin carried off the slaves and looted treasure in 200 longships.
In the Middle Ages, Dumbarton Rock became an important royal castle. The medieval castle was built by Alexander II of Scotland around 1220 as a bulwark against the threat from Norway, whose kings ruled the Hebrides and the islands in the Clyde. When it was first built, the Norwegian frontier lay just 16km downriver, and Dumbarton served as a Border stronghold. The Battle of Largs in 1263 effectively removed the threat from Norway, but it was soon replaced by an even greater menace from England.
In 1305, during the Wars of Independence with England, William Wallace may have been held prisoner here for a short time, before being taken to London for execution. The Wallace Tower is thought to be named in his honour.
The castle’s geographical position, distanced from the political heartland of the country, reduced its importance somewhat, but it also made it a good postern, or back gate, through which her rulers could come and go with comparative ease. David II (in 1333–4) and Mary Queen of Scots (in 1548) both sheltered here until ships could take them to France and safety.
When Mary returned to Scotland in 1561 to begin her personal reign, she landed at Leith, near Edinburgh on the east coast. Dumbarton’s long and distinguished role as ‘gateway’ was over. However, its role as a garrison fortress continued. Substantial new artillery fortifications were built in the 17th and early 18th centuries. These are what the visitor sees today, for nothing survives from the Dark-Age fortress, and precious little from the medieval castle.
In later centuries, the rock became a formidable garrison fortress, its defences bristling with guns. It last saw military action as recently as the Second World War.
I like to visit zoos, both to see the resident animals, and to see "visiting" animals (namely, birds that fly into the zoo). Boat-tailed Grackles were seen throughout the Naples Zoo in Naples Florida. They were very aggressive and noisy, but they allowed me to get fairly close to them, until I raised my camera.
As with many bird species, the males and females are distinctively different in their colors, which are clearly shown in this picture and the next (in the first comment below). The male is clearly a glossy black, but in strong sunlight it appears an iridescent blue.
Throughout the course of the day and Christmas activities, someone in my house (pets as well as persons) is always napping.
Covershot of "Soviet Union", the English-language magazine published for many years throughout the World.
This one features Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space in Vostok 1, April 12 1961
Yellow Swamp Brittlegill / russula claroflava. Derbyshire. 28/08/17.
There were many Yellow Swamp Brittlegills scattered throughout the wood and always in groups. Despite their frequency it was impossible to find any in fresh, bright or good condition. It seemed that they were an attractive food source for squirrels, small mammals, slugs and snails. I could always tell the ones that had been eaten by squirrels because the whole fruiting body was pulled out of the ground or the cap yanked off.
This was one of the better YSBs I came across believe it or not!
I think mice or voles had nibbled the edge and below, some gills had been rasped by snails too. Beyond being eaten, the fungus itself had passed its prime. The once bright lemon-yellow cap had faded and was drying out which created a wrinkled surface. BEST VIEWED LARGE.
The large expansive magnificent Registry Room or Great Hall as it is now called in the main building of the Immigration Museum at Ellis Island is completely lit with natural light because of its large semi-circular windows. When this edifice opened in 1900, it was touted as fire-proof which was a requirement of the United States government after the original station that opened 1892 had burned down, thus the use of bricks, concrete and ceramic tile is found throughout; the attention to detail is discernable in both this lovely open room as well as the exterior [ see image of exterior posted on my photostream flic.kr/p/eX6LEQ ].
First let’s make this clear that first and second class passengers on ships were inspected on the ships and allowed to go directly ashore. In this now open space on the second level back starting 1900 were bench after bench and enclosures for medical examinations. All steerage class passenger immigrants until 1924 believed that they started their process in this Registry Room and at its peak it is estimated that 10,000 immigrants were processed in 24 hour periods, 10,000….wow. However, the process actually started on the long flight of stairs to the second story registry room. There were doctors strategically posted at the top of the staircase who’s only purpose was to screen the immigrants as they went up the stairs, looking for signs like shortness of breath, limping and excessive gazing which allowed them to classify people with conditions like asthma, physical disability and mental illness respectively. If the doctors at the top of the stairs suspected one of the conditions based on his observation, he would mark that individual with chalk denoting what he suspected on their shoulder, for example the ‘L’ denoted lameness. If you had a chalk marking you were taken to special screening rooms away from the registry for a more in depth medical/mental evaluation. The truth is that only 1-2% of the eager immigrants were turned away, that number though totals a quarter of a million, 250,000 that were turned around, left the Registry Room, grabbed their belongings and re-boarded a steam ship returning as steerage passengers taking them back to their native country. Many were given a reprieve and shuttled to the infirmary on the south end of the island with hopes that whatever was ailing them would heal and allow their passage to America. In this hall, if you stop and think about it were so many anxiously awaiting, questioned, examined and given a yea or nay after being on a crowded, pungent sea vessel as the steerage area was nothing to write home about for 2 at least weeks with as much of their belongings that they could carry. The recurring theme through the immigration museum was “Island of hope, island of tears”. It is estimated even with all the immigration that’s occurred after Ellis Island 30 years of processing that stopped in 1924 that almost 40% of the current American population can trace its origin to Ellis Island.
Where does the island get its name? From its first proprietor, Samuel Ellis who opened a tavern for sea faring people in the latter part of the 1700’s, though the island Ellis owned was a much smaller plot of land barely visible during high tide. When Samuel passed, the Ellis family sold the island to New York State who in turn sold it the US government to build a fort for the war of 1812. When the excavation began for the New York City Subway, little Ellis Island initially doubled in size and as they city of New York continued to dig underground, the island continued to increase in size, they had to put the dirt & rocks somewhere. When the United States altered its policies to control and monitor immigration in the USA, New York City was the principal port for Trans-Atlantic sea travel from Europe, the small island just off the Jersey City shore already the property of the federal government, close to the Central New Jersey Railroad Terminal was a perfect way to keep in incoming immigrants isolated from the populations of New York and New Jersey until they could be properly processed and screened. This all stopped in 1924 when the immigration laws changed, but the facilities on the island continued to operate mainly as a detention facility for illegal aliens until 1954. It sat abandoned and neglected until 1965 when President Lyndon B Johnson declared it part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument which fell under the auspices of the National Park Service. However, it would not be until almost 20 years later in 1983 that actual work was done and the main building was restored to state it was in 1918-1920 and opened as the immigration museum in 1990. The southern part of the island, where the hospital and other medical buildings are have only been worked on in the past decade, mainly structurally fortifying them so they don’t collapse. I attended a lecture by Stephen Wilkes given by B&H Photo and Lexar, a professional photographer that was given the opportunity to shoot the buildings before they started clear them out. A New York photographer, he worked for 5 years until 2003 and captured the almost eerie deserted hospital buildings beautifully using only natural light. The work is in a book called ‘Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom’. I can’t imagine the emotion Stephen felt because I remember as I snapped this image, standing on the second floor balcony, I could almost see and feel the many people below with their hearts in their hands, with hope and anxiety. It is hard not feel like that in this place; I’m the offspring of immigrant parents as are my children as my ex-wife was an immigrant as well. Immigration is very much part of the fabric of America.
Captured with Olympus Evolt E-510 with an Olympus Zuiko 14-42MM F3.5-5.6 lens, processed in Photomatix and cleaned up in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.
Here in Norway it dosin't metter how far you walk into the woods. you will always, and i mean always meet someone there. Norwegian people are the most outdoor people i have gotten to know yet, throughout my life. Altough i did take this Norwegian with me ;)
this is taken on a beautiful walk through the woods in Sørumsand. it is a path that goes on the side of the biggest river in Norway called Glomma. We wore only going out to take some test shots, it was a bit cold so we didint stay for long. my lenses struggeld to get anything in focus so i had to go manual for most of the photos. any toughts or critic is welcomed.
Some early shots to complete the set -
Went on a trip throughout the "Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada", where we summited Pico Humboldt at 4940 meters (16,207 feet), the second highest peak in Venezuela.
This is the first day of the trip, in which we went through some jungle forest, which was quite humid.
Also, check out the sierra nevada set - these pictures are best seen in chronological order.
Tired of knowing everything without ever being sure.
~Story people
I want to wish you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year!!! Best to all of you for a wonderful 2010 filled with joy, happiness and year long surprises!!!
A special thank you to all my friends for all your kind words and support throughout the year 2009.
Throughout most of the 19th century, the wealthy Dent family who were glove makers from Worcester, rebuilt parts of the completely ruined castle and made it into a very comfortable family home. It was done in a remarkably restrained way for its day, in a late medieval style that blended perfectly with the picturesque ruins that they maintained as a wonderful and much admired backdrop to the gardens created by Emma Dent.
This is the Queen's Garden, the main centrepiece of the gardens, although looking rather sad in parts during my visit. The low, presumably box hedging appeared dead (box blight or that vicious pre-Christmas freeze? ) and some of the planting seemed lack lustre. I suspect a major overall is imminent.
The hazy grey cloud that had blighted the afternoon finally beginning to break up, so another dash around the garden with my camera whilst my friend made himself at home in the cafe again. Probably on his third piece of carrot cake by now; risking Type 2 diabetes but has wonderful eyesight!
Holding my ground perched atop a ridge alongside Route F-360, a spectacular view of the narrowing Aconcagua River basin paralleling the coastal mountain range would keep me company throughout the morning. Despite the arid climate, pastures and villages line the banks of the dry riverbed all the way to the Pacific Ocean, a fine co-existence of man and nature. From Carolmo and Concón, the Seventh Subdivision hugs the slopes of the mountains along the northern rims of the valley, snaking between fields, hills, and many front doorsteps. Much of the line is dotted with picturesque scenes such as this, and that’s not including the beachside sector to the west… [wink-wink, nudge-nudge]
An unanticipated two-hour wait would be stomached while waiting for the next expected train through El Manzanar. As for why it took so long for Train 50.951 to appear, I don’t exactly know why. 50.951 and counterpart train 50.950 do execute a crew swap along the Seventh Subdivision, typically at Colmo—maybe there was a delay with 50.951? What if the swap was done further west at Ritoque? Not having access to the road channel frequencies definitely didn’t help ease the anxiety, but it is what it is. I had the views of the valley to keep me company.
Regardless of why they were delayed, FEPASA Train 50.951 finally rounded the corner by the PK12 kilometerpost up the road at 12:15, dragging their feet the whole way past my location. FEPASA SD40-2M D-3304 does the honors powering the morning eastbound “Tortolas” service through El Manzanar, comprised of 37 pairs of empty concentrate tubs. The train originates out of the Port of Las Ventanas, transporting the aforementioned empty tubs east towards the Las Blancas transload facility, where the empties are swapped for loads set for export out of Ventanas. The engineer would throw his motor into notch 8 once they were past the cameras, speeding off towards San Pedro.
Some of y’all might be thinking that D-3304 looks distinctly North American, despite it residing in a completely different continent; if you don’t know already, the reach of EMD knows no bounds. The unit began its life in June 1980, built as SD40-2 #7212 as part of Order No° C423 for the Burlington Northern. It survived through the BNSF merger until 2003, bouncing around in lease service under First Union Rail [FURX] and National Rail Equipment [NREX]. FEPASA would purchase the unit, along with two sister ex-BN EMDs [7237, 7275] in 2013 as part of their second batch of SD40-2 acquisitions. All three were shipped together to Chile, rebuilt at Casagrande Motori in Santiago, and reclassified as SD40-2M’s—thus completing the roster of six “new” EMDs for the railroad.
•
El Manzanar, Región V, Chile
EFE Subdivisión 7
Date: 06/10/2022 | 12:15
ID: FEPASA 50.951
Type: Empty Copper Concentrate
Direction: Eastbound
Car Count: 37
1. FEPASA SD40-2M D-3304
•
© Vicente Alonso 2022
Throughout reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, I keep reading the term 'heavy boots' and felt so deeply attached to that term that I just needed to photograph what I felt.
The Pantheon is a former Roman temple, now a Catholic church (Basilica di Santa Maria ad Martyres or Basilica of St. Mary and the Martyrs), in Rome, Italy, on the site of an earlier temple commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD). It was rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian and probably dedicated around 126AD.
The building is cylindrical with a portico of large granite Corinthian columns (eight in the first rank and two groups of four behind) under a pediment. A rectangular vestibule links the porch to the rotunda, which is under a coffered concrete dome, with a central opening (oculus) to the sky. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.[3] The height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are the same, 43 metres (142 ft).
It is one of the best-preserved of all Ancient Roman buildings, in large part because it has been in continuous use throughout its history.
Throughout the Somerset Levels are lines of hills and ridges that punctuate the open landscape.
One of the most striking, for me, is the finger of land that pushes out between Glastonbury and Burrow Mump on which you find Aller and Beer Woods.
This shot shows 2 of the reintroduced Common Cranes moving from a spot on Aller Moor towards Southlake, near Burrow Mump with the ancient, and resting, Aller Wood in the background.
I love to see the Cranes, especially in flight, however to hear their "bugling" call is just magical.
Details best viewed in Original Size.
According to Wikipedia, the Caracaras are birds of prey in the falcon family, but unlike the Falco falcons in the same family, the Caracaras are not fast-flying aerial hunters, but are comparatively slow and are often scavengers (a notable exception being the Red-throated Caracara). Caracaras are found throughout much of the Americas. The range of the Northern Caracara extends as far north as the states of Arizona, Texas, and Florida in the United States. In the Southern Hemisphere, the Striated Caracara inhabits the Falkland Islands and Tierra del Fuego, just off the coast of the southernmost tip of South America.
Throughout the sunset, the gold of the sun's rays provided a haze over the peaceful scene on Port Phillip Bay. The clouds had been building, presaging more rain for the evening and through yesterday. But tonight was fine and hazy. For the Through the Lens Week 44 theme of "Misty, Foggy or Hazy
Throughout my twenty year effort to climb the Munros I rarely ventured out onto lower hills. One particular day Mark was feeling under the weather so rather than climb the planned munro hike I left him with the car keys and took myself off up the lovely mountain that is Ben Venue. The Trossocks really did look at their best on this winters day.
In this summit view the distant hills are An Caisteal and Cruach Adrain whilst also visible is a corner of Loch Katrine.
Here are a few of my collections on my caribou photos throughout the years that I have been in the park and Alaska.
Way up on the ridgeline I spotted this single caribou - must have to look for the rest of its herd, or just out for a snack by itself
Click HERE for more info about Alaska Caribou.
Throughout the afternoon I watched them there,
Snow-fairies falling, falling from the sky,
Whirling fantastic in the misty air,
Contending fierce for space supremacy.
And they flew down a mightier force at night,
As though in heaven there was revolt and riot,
And they, frail things had taken panic flight
Down to the calm earth seeking peace and quiet.
I went to bed and rose at early dawn
To see them huddled together in a heap,
Each merged into the other upon the lawn,
Worn out by the sharp struggle, fast asleep.
The sun shone brightly on them half the day,
By night they stealthily had stol'n away.
-Claude McKay
Was blessed with the opportunity to shoot for Alternative Press Magazine at this past years Bamboozle festival! It was quite the trip, had some fantastic shots from throughout the weekend and met some amazing artists, photographers, and friends!
Excerpt from culturedays.ca/en/hubs/52a9b0a9-b483-4bd7-88bd-7f8bce8b94bc:
Celebrate Culture Days in Burlington! Join local artists, cultural professionals and creative organizations to attend free, interactive in-person and online events and activities during the 14th annual Culture Days celebration from Sept. 22 to Oct. 15. Experience activities and events at the Art Gallery of Burlington, the Burlington Performing Arts Centre, Burlington Public Library, and Museums of Burlington. Arts, heritage and cultural activities in Burlington make a difference in the lives of our residents by enriching experiences and improving quality of life. See what's happening around the city and take part in our thriving cultural community.
The City of Burlington’s public art program is also launching a temporary art project. Throughout the Culture Days celebration, the public art program will be installing temporary artworks on signs along the Waterfront Trail, near Beachway Park. The signs will feature the work of twenty local visual artists and writers. This project will provide trail users with a safe and accessible way to enjoy art and to learn more about the amazing creators in our community.
I think this is a great field to explore. Spread throughout the frame, you can see many galaxies. Almost all of those small brown funky-shaped smudges are galaxies. There are hundreds, how cool is that? The galaxy in the centre is NGC 7431. A barred spiral galaxy some 65 million years away near the Virgo supercluster. The colours come through fairly well showing the lovely blues where young stars are present in the arms. This galaxy is similar in size, but just a little smaller than our own galaxy, The Milky Way.
This galaxy shares a characteristic of many in the Virgo cluster. The tugging of gravitational forces with nearby galaxies has resulted in the distorted arms seen here. These forces can result in magnificently shaped galaxies, to some peculiarly shaped objects.
Instruments:
Telescope: 10" Ritchey-Chrétien RCOS
Camera: SBIG STL-11000 Mono
Mount: Astro-Physics AP-900
Focal Length: 2310.00 mm
Pixel size: 9.00 um
Resolution: 0.82 arcsec/pix
Exposure Details:
Red 20X600 Bin1
Green 12X600 Bin1
Blue 18X600 Bin1
Lum 48X600 Bin1
Total Exposure: 16.33 Hours
Thanks for looking…
Link to higher resolution: live.staticflickr.com/65535/53023373156_776f33abac_o.jpg
Getting lucky
This photo was taken after a morning run. The forecast had indicated that it would rain… it didn’t.
In fact, throughout my run (more of a jog/fast walk/saunter) the light was amazing. So, when I finished (and not before!), I grabbed this shot with my phone.
IMG_5377 Taken at: North Inch, Perth, Scotland
Throughout the years I have made many panoramas from this point of view but it still fascinates me how the light and atmosphere are so different time after time.
View on Mosset, le Conflent, Valley of the Castellane, Pyrennees Orientales, Languedoc-Rousillion, France.
Panorama, 8 vertical shots.
With a little help of Lee 0,9 soft grad
_MG_7323-30
Palm warblers are migratory birds. They spend their summers throughout much of Canada into the Northwest Territories, and the northern tier of the United States, where they breed, then head south for the winter. They'll arrive here as early as September and October and will stay until April, when they make the journey northward.
Palms can be found throughout Florida, up the Atlantic Coast into the Carolina's, and along the Gulf Coast to Texas. They also winter in the Caribbean, including Cuba, the Yucatan and into Central America. We've seen them as far south as Key West.
Palms are brightly colored in the summer, with a rusty-red cap and a bright yellow belly. However, they're on the dull side during winter when we're most likely to see them. About the only bit of color on them in winter is some yellow near the tail. If you look closely at the top photograph, you'll see a hint of the palm's red cap.
They might be confused with a yellow-rumped warbler, but the yellow on the yellow-rump is mostly on the lower back, while the yellow on the palm is mostly below.
Other key markings include a dark line through the eye and a light line just above. Palm warblers have dark and light chevrons on their back when their wings are folded. They resemble an enlisted soldier's stripes. Often when you spot one palm warbler, there will be several others nearby.
Two behavioral traits also help ID Palm warblers: they tend to spend more time on the ground than other warblers, and they frequently, almost constantly, flick their tails. Palm warblers mostly eat insects, but in winter, they'll also eat seeds and fruit. They frequently forage on the ground.
There are two types, or subspecies, of palm warblers, the Western and the yellow. Both are found in Florida during the winter.
Palm warblers are members of Parulidae, the wood-warbler family.
I found this one in my backyard in Polk County, Florida.
Today's story and sketch "by me" we are at the homestead of
Wade Waamenetti and his wife Waffi, who recently arrived
from their home planet Mars, they are the first Martians to homestead one of the many new Mohave Desert Oasis created by the Wikkitikkians. When the Wikkitikkians stopped carving crop circles, and opted instead to create ponds with swaying tiki palms and decorative Wikkitikkian carved tiki's, or "Crofts"
the Wikkitikkian word for homesteads with swaying tiki palms,
tiki's and ponds. And now as the news of the Mohave Tiki Oasis
has spread throughout the Galaxy, there has been a rush by
the Galaxies Roving Gypsies to park their RV's next to the
newest Oasis to claim as home. Which will be a story for
another time, as to how Rescue Randy and JB (you see above), will handle the influx of alien Gypsy's taking the
prime spots in the Mohave, until then taa ta
the Rod Blog.
Long-tailed Tit - Aegithalos Caudatus
The long-tailed tit is globally widespread throughout temperate northern Europe and Asia, into boreal Scandinavia and south into the Mediterranean zone. It inhabits deciduous and mixed woodland with a well-developed shrub layer, favouring edge habitats. It can also be found in scrub, heathland with scattered trees, bushes and hedges, in farmland and riverine woodland, parks and gardens. The bird's year-round diet of insects and social foraging bias habitat choice in winter towards deciduous woodland, typically of oak, ash and locally sycamore species. For nesting, strong preference is shown towards scrub areas. The nest is often built in thorny bushes less than 3 metres above the ground.
The nest of the long-tailed tit is constructed from four materials - lichen, feathers, spider egg cocoons and moss, with over 6,000 pieces used for a typical nest. The nest is a flexible sac with a small, round entrance on top, suspended either low in a gorse or bramble bush or high up in the forks of tree branches. The structural stability of the nest is provided by a mesh of moss and spider silk. The tiny leaves of the moss act as hooks and the spider silk of egg cocoons provides the loops; thus forming a natural form of velcro. The tit lines the outside with hundreds of flakes of pale lichens - this provides camouflage. Inside, it lines the nest with more than 2,000 downy feathers to insulate the nest. Nests suffer a high rate of predation with only 17% success.
Outside the breeding season they form compact flocks of 6 to 17 birds, composed of family parties (parents and offspring) from the previous breeding season, together with any extra adults that helped to raise a brood. These flocks will occupy and defend territories against neighbouring flocks. The driving force behind the flocking behaviour is thought to be that of winter roosting, being susceptible to cold; huddling increases survival through cold nights.
From July to February, the non-breeding season, long-tailed tits form flocks of relatives and non-relatives, roosting communally. When the breeding season begins, the flocks break up, and the birds attempt to breed in monogamous pairs. Males remain within the winter territory, while females have a tendency to wander to neighbouring territories.
Pairs whose nests fail have three choices: try again, abandon nesting for the season or help at a neighbouring nest. It has been shown that failed pairs split and help at the nests of male relatives, recognition being established vocally. The helped nests have greater success due to higher provisioning rates and better nest defence. At the end of the breeding season, in June–July, the birds reform the winter flocks in their winter territory.
Population:
UK breeding:
340,000 territories
Throughout the ages, stories with certain basic themes have recurred over and over, in widely disparate cultures; emerging like the goddess Venus from the sea of our unconscious.
- Joan D. Vinge
Throughout history the monuments in Istanbul have exerted considerable influence on the development of architecture, monumental arts and the organization of space, both in Europe and the Near East. The 6,650 meter terrestrial wall of Theodosius II with its second line of defence, created in 447, is one special example and was one of the leading references for military architecture across Europe in the subsequent centuries.
The historic areas of central Istanbul including this Theodosian Wall are World Heritage listed by UNESCO.
One of the choices we made while in Istanbul was to walk the length of the wall from the Sea of Marmara cost to the Golden Horn, photographing as we went. It was a memorable day.
After hours chasing and waiting trackside throughout the day, the last shot of the day on the BIP I wanted was of the train coming down the steep bridge into the Parkersburg High Yard. The way the bridge comes down while the road angles downwards the opposite way makes for a dramatic effect!
But of course, right as the train rounded the bend on the bridge, a single, small cloud eclipsed the sun. And followed the train all the way until the first few cars had passed me.
Clouds are not my friend, man. Second time of the day, and on the last shot, too! Not the end of the world by any means but still less than ideal to say the least... But it just gives me more reasons to return to the Belpre Industrial Parkersburg Railroad, if I didn't need more already. A very neat shortline to shoot that I will absolutely come back for!
Common throughout much of North America, the White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) does most of its breeding in Canadian forests, where it will nest on the ground. It is a seed eater, devouring morsels of weeds and grasses, and supplementing these with the occasional insect. Interestingly, it will sometimes mate with a the closely-related dark-eyed junco, creating a hybrid that looks similar to a white-throated sparrow, but darker.
This little one is the first of the season for me. Flocks of warblers mustn't be far behind!
The Black-necked Stilt is found throughout the tropics and subtropics of North, Central and South America. Though it will only breed at freshwater sites, it occurs in a wide variety of shallow wetlands including marshes, swamps, lake edges, river courses, sewage ponds, salt-pans and coastal salt marshes where it feeds on aquatic invertebrates with a variety of visual and tactile methods. The Black-necked Stilt is highly distinctive, being white below, black above with very long, thin bright red legs. Two subspecies occur in the Americas, differing only in the presence of a white-cap and collar in the southern subspecies. The two subspecies grade into one another fairly rapidly and in general the northern subspecies occurs from the central Peruvian Coast north, including the Andes, to North America and across northern South America and the southern subspecies occurs throughout the Amazon south to edge of the southern Temperate zone and along the southern Pacific coast but their breeding and non-breeding distributions are poorly known and require further study.
Found almost throughout North America and much of South America is this big owl. Aggressive and powerful in its hunting (sometimes known by nicknames such as "tiger owl"), it takes prey as varied as rabbits, hawks, snakes, and even skunks, and will even attack porcupines, often with fatal results for both prey and predator. Great Horned Owls begin nesting very early in the north, and their deep hoots may be heard rolling across the forest on mid-winter nights.Both parents take part in providing food for young owls. Young may leave nest and climb on nearby branches at 5 weeks, can fly at about 9-10 weeks; tended and fed by parents for up to several months.
Throughout the journey of my life, I am a collector. Some might even
call me a hoarder. It’s all a matter of perspective.
I’ve collected many things. Some are still with me, some
are no longer, and there are still more that I continue to collect.
Books, for instance.
And friends.
Because along the way, I meet interesting people I like,
and then I collect companions and friends.
And I always find a good book that interests me and accompanies me.
To both, I enjoy returning: to a good friend and a good book.
And perhaps, after all – books and friends are one and the same?
Collection
Tout au long de mon parcours de vie, je suis un collectionneur. Certains pourraient même
me qualifier d’accumulateur. Tout est une question de perspective.
J’ai collecté beaucoup de choses. Certaines sont encore avec moi, d’autres
ne le sont plus, et il y en a encore que je continue de collectionner.
Des livres, par exemple.
Et des amis.
Car au fil du chemin, je rencontre des personnes intéressantes que j’apprécie,
et alors je collectionne des compagnons et des amis.
Et je trouve toujours un bon livre qui m’intéresse et m’accompagne.
Et aux deux, j’aime revenir : à un bon ami et à un bon livre.
Et peut-être qu’en fin de compte – les livres et les amis, c’est la même chose ?
Some said Monet painted Roen Cathedral at every hour of the day and went from canvas to canvas as the light changed throughout each day to finish his flat pale low contrast depictions all the way through to deep Sun rich yellows into burnt evening reds and ambers. He did paint the Cathedral again and again his pictures portraying the different light upon the same scene. The light brought out detail and it shaded sections, colour changed and it in turn changed the character of the same stone structure. Light gave an atmospheric change that altered the emotive response from the painter and from the viewer.
Artists creating their picture on site outdoors is often termed, “En plein air,” for outdoor painting, but Monet in capturing Sunlight created pictures, “plein soleil,” full Sun images giving acknowledgement to the elemental power within the creation process. Monet from a perspective of the time had in the Cathedral a constant a structure venerated and regulated that held impressions of permanence and a rock steady stone construction exhibiting the finest reverence to God the generator and creative centre of life. The Sun striking and shading, colouring and clouding on the same surface created many impressions, some of which Monet sought to reveal in his works that in turn were mirrors of God’s work. He is said to have made more than Thirty full representations of Roen Cathedral working similar scenes in the different light available over his time there. Twenty of his works from Roen were exhibited together and some of the pictures have been collected together again for exhibitions and now through art in books and online we can see his many images brought together appreciated beside one another.
The light and shadow at Megalithic Monument is a part of the structure. Beyond the flat base levelled in construction of site there is the horizon and the surrounds that determine the position of the structure. The stones chosen and carefully sited create the frame for a tapestry to be woven in light and shadow that creates a physical pattern all around and within the hallow. Several Megalithic Monuments have had their central stones destroyed as these stones created shadow conceptions from the central stone to the waiting encircled stones. The central shadow casting stones in their shadow created an alignment not unlike a sundial and the Megalithic Monuments produced a sign that it was the time for holidays and feasts that were a part of the older calendar fixed on Solar Cycle.
© PHH Sykes 2022
phhsykes@gmail.com
Calanais Standing Stones
12m west of Stornoway off the A859, Isle of Lewis
www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/calanai...
Throughout 2018 I have been busy working on a new photographic project using my miniature figurines (the 'Little People').
My main hope is that this new series of photographs will help highlight the plastic / litter epidemic our country (and planet) is suffering from. Littering in general has always sickened me, and the 'Blue Planet II effect' really made me feel like I too could help highlight the issue using my own unique approach.
Earlier this year, I spent several days collecting bags full of plastic and rubbish that had been discarded (or washed up) next to beaches and lochs on the west coast of Scotland, mostly 'beauty' spots. I kept some of this plastic to make my work (recycling the rest) and returned to the banks of Loch Lomond a couple of months ago to photograph my latest series - LIFE IN PLASTIC.
I'll upload more work later in the week. Thanks for looking.
David
Eml: hello@davidgilliver.com
Throughout the centuries, the existence of the castle was repeatedly threatened. After different successive owners, it was bought by Mister Vaïsse, the great-uncle of the present owner, in 1911. A great art lover, he contributed to the restoration and enrichment of the castle until his death when his successor and nephew, the duke of Dalmatia, opened the castle to the public in 1955. Today, his descendants take care of preserving its authenticity and family character.
Status
Resident at wetlands throughout Ireland.
Identification
A secretive and skulking species which is more often heard than seen. Can sometimes be seen when it emerges from dense wetland vegetation briefly before disappearing again. A small bird with a rounded rear to its body, which is slender and laterally compressed in order to help it slip through dense vegetation such as reeds. Has a long bill which is red on the adult bird. Legs are long with very long toes which help spread its weight on wet ground. The upperparts are dark brown with black spotting. In the adult the body and 'face' are blue-grey, the flanks and belly are barred black and white and the under-tail coverts (which are easy to see on the cocked tail) are whitish. The juvenile bird is similar to the adult but is whitish underneath (not grey), has a pale bill and a stronger patterning on the head. Has short rounded wings and when flying into cover dangles its legs.
Voice
A distinctive call like a pig squealing coming from dense vegetation is a sure sign that a Water Rail is close by.
Diet
Eats both plant and animal matter. Feeds on land or in shallow water, will some times swim and will even, though rarely, dive. Food includes fish, insects, frogs, seeds and roots.
Breeding
Breeds in emergent vegetation such as marshes and reed beds. Most nesting territories recorded in Britain have a number of common elements:- static or slow moving fresh water, often open mud and invariably tall, emergent vegetation. The vegetation is often tall reeds, sedges, reedmace or rush, but they can also be found in damp field corners. Nest is built close to the ground, near or on water, usually in thick vegetation. Widespread in both inland and coastal areas. Ireland has a great abundance of Water Rail, which is no doubt due to our great number of wetlands.
Wintering
Widespread
Monitored by
Countryside Bird Survey