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This is usually quite a busy lock with with lots of walkers and cyclists but I managed to visit at a quiet time so could get a nice wide shot of the lock keepers cottage and the Wey Navigation
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When putting together a modular model, I always make a small test to see how the units, usually with different colors, have to be connected to form a corner.
This is how it looks like and this shape gave me the idea to use the striped paper for this model of which I showed you the single flat units all together yesterday, (See first comment box)
It reminds me of a kind of spaceship ;-))
Have a nice Thursday!
Model: origami X-Cube
Design: Jeff Beynon
Diagrams in the BOS booklet #31: 'More 'igami' by Jeff Beynon
Paper: 3 rectangle (1:2) pieces of kami paper, 7,5x15cm
While I was at the beach with my sisters, I watched a pair of Osprey fly up and down the shore each day.
They were usually a bit far for me to get a shot, but once in a while, they came a bit closer.
Color not adjusted.
(Pandion haliaetus)
Hope everyone has a great weekend! :)
Usually I scare them away as soon as I'm anywhere near one. However I was able to witness a preening before the light faded and the heron took flight.
I usually let Vas'ka out only after he had a good breakfast and hope he is watching birds only for artistic reasons :-)
Thank you for visits, faves and comments!
Amsterdam - Eerste Constantijn Huygensstraat - Van Baerlestraat
Copyright - All images are copyright © protected. All Rights Reserved. Copying, altering, displaying or redistribution of any of these images without written permission from the artist is strictly prohibited.
Usually I'm not a friend of uploading pictures from the same place over and over again....
The lights on the hill in the background are the restaurant at Johannisberg. Together with the bathinghouses (shown here) and the trainstation it forms the central axis of the city.
Usually very secretive birds this one was fairly happy to pose for us, unfortunately the background was not ideal.
Image taken from a photo boat in the Danube Delta, Romania. Up at 4am every day on this trip but well worth it.
Many thanks to everyone that views and comments on my images - very much appreciated.
Usually if someone's face is either purple or green, I figure they are either choking or really sick. 😆
Not one of my best, but anytime that you get a close shot to one of these, well, here it is. :)
Taken at Centennial Park in Irving, Texas.
Bufflehead
Scientific name: Bucephala albeola
Thanks to all that Fave! :)
Dunham Massey Hall, usually known simply as Dunham Massey, is an English country house in the parish of Dunham Massey in the district of Trafford, near Altrincham, Greater Manchester. It is now a National Trust property, open to the public. During World War I it was the Stamford Military Hospital.
The stately home was designated a Grade One listed-building on 5 March 1959. It has been owned by the National Trust since the death of the 10th and last Earl of Stamford in 1976. Over 340,000 people visited the house in 2014/15, placing it in the ten most popular National Trust houses.
Dunham Massey was built in the early 17th century by the Earls of Warrington, passing to the Earls of Stamford by inheritance; the family still live in part of the house. There were significant alterations, especially internally, at the start of the 20th century. It has historic formal gardens and a deer park. It was formerly in the ancient parish of Bowdon, Cheshire. Wikipedia
Dunham Massey Hall, usually known simply as Dunham Massey, is an English country house in the parish of Dunham Massey in the district of Trafford, near Altrincham, Greater Manchester. It is now a National Trust property, open to the public. During World War I it was the Stamford Military Hospital.
The stately home was designated a Grade One listed-building on 5 March 1959. It has been owned by the National Trust since the death of the 10th and last Earl of Stamford in 1976. Over 340,000 people visited the house in 2014/15, placing it in the ten most popular National Trust houses.
Dunham Massey was built in the early 17th century by the Earls of Warrington, passing to the Earls of Stamford by inheritance; the family still live in part of the house. There were significant alterations, especially internally, at the start of the 20th century. It has historic formal gardens and a deer park. It was formerly in the ancient parish of Bowdon, Cheshire. Wikipedia
Usually the late Missabe and early CN ran the daily limestone loads north out of Proctor in the afternoon, despite the last picture I posted. Here the Minntac limestone loads are ready to leave Proctor for Minntac behind the regular DMIR 8000 hp set of 2 400s and an SD38-type. Before the DMIR 410 North can move out of the yard, DMIR 411 and 409 must get out of the way with their Utac loads. This is late Missabe in March 2004, with only a couple of months until the CN takeover.
After all these years, it's nice that these Minntac limestone trains and Utac pellet trains still move out of Proctor. CN now assigns 12,000 horsepower trios of Dash 8s on the stone trains and usually assigns 9000 hp EMD trios on the Utac pellet trains.
This lovely boat is usually moored at Pt Ruston, is often photographed, and lovely at all times. She is used as a business office and takes prospective clients out for cruises I think. The high rise apartments and condos there are filling up fast.
It was a fun one to shoot in the calm conditions with the long lens (which I had on there for the moon, which didn't happen), so I backed up as far as I could and managed to get it in the frame. I had to shoot quite a few to get a critically sharp shot at 2 seconds. I had the Tiffen Glimmerglass (strength of 1) on there which adds a bit of glow to the highlights and pumps up the midrange shadows. It's a really fun filter that I have been using on dahlia and rose portraits as well.
Thank you, my flickr friends, for your warm and kind visits as always. You are very much appreciated! 💙
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ernie.misner
Usually you see one, or maybe two. We saw four yesterday and the majestic twin rotor helicopters sounded amazing.
Usually I shoot the Eastern Meadowlark when they fly onto a fence post - makes for a pleasing photograph and isolates the bird.
On this occasion, I watched them at work in the field. They spend most of their time bent down to the ground hunting for bugs, and out of site in low areas in-between the grass. Every once in a while they run over to the top of mound of grass, stretch out and look around. If they don't see any danger they call out to see if they are answered by any other Meadowlarks in the area. If not, they go back to work hunting insects.
I posted in the comments this same bird above looking around before calling.
Other past poses in the comments.
PS - they are very loud and you will easily be able to tell it is a Meadowlark.
More on their audio from Cornell:
Songs
The male Eastern Meadowlark’s primary song consists of 3 to 5 (sometimes up to 8) pure and plaintive flutelike whistles all slurred together and gradually dropping in pitch, up to 2 seconds long. Male have a repertoire of songs, singing one song repeatedly for a time and then switching to a different version. They typically sing from an exposed perch, but occasionally sing in flight as well.
Calls
Eastern Meadowlarks give a single, sharp dzert note when humans or other meadowlarks intrude on their territory. Another distinctive sound is a harsh chatter that lasts 1.5 seconds and is given by both males and females. Both sexes have a series of weet calls that they give while in flight.
These birds are usually the last of the southbound migrants in the fall, although this year we had a bit more variety. These birds have greater digestive flexibility and can process late berry crops, making them less vulnerable to a cold snap that suddenly reduces insect activity. Their relentless hawking of insects - pulling them out of the air in flight - makes them a bit of a challenge for photographers, but in small flocks they are often less skittish than other Warblers. This bird, helpfully displaying the yellow rump that gives it its name, looked at me briefly before charging off to feed. Though they can turn to berries they are clearly pretty aggressive in consuming insects, especially immediately before continuing their migration.
Blackcap - Sylvia Atrcapilla (M)
The Eurasian blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) usually known simply as the blackcap, is a common and widespread typical warbler. It has mainly olive-grey upperparts and pale grey underparts, and differences between the five subspecies are small. Both sexes have a neat coloured cap to the head, black in the male and reddish-brown in the female. The male's typical song is a rich musical warbling, often ending in a loud high-pitched crescendo, but a simpler song is given in some isolated areas, such as valleys in the Alps. The blackcap's closest relative is the garden warbler, which looks quite different but has a similar song.
The blackcap feeds mainly on insects during the breeding season, then switches to fruit in late summer, the change being triggered by an internal biological rhythm. When migrants arrive on their territories they initially take berries, pollen and nectar if there are insufficient insects available, then soon switch to their preferred diet. They mainly pick prey off foliage and twigs, but may occasionally hover, flycatch or feed on the ground. Blackcaps eat a wide range of invertebrate prey, although aphids are particularly important early in the season, and flies, beetles and caterpillars are also taken in large numbers. Small snails are swallowed whole, since the shell is a source of calcium for the bird's eggs. Chicks are mainly fed soft-bodied insects, fruit only being provided if invertebrates are scarce.
In July, the diet switches increasingly to fruit. The protein needed for egg-laying and for the chicks to grow is replaced by fruit sugar which helps the birds to fatten for migration. Aphids are still taken while they are available, since they often contain sugars from the plant sap on which they feed. Blackcaps eat a wide range of small fruit, and squeeze out any seeds on a branch before consuming the pulp. This technique makes them an important propagator of mistletoe. The mistle thrush, which also favours that plant, is less beneficial since it tends to crush the seeds. Although any suitable fruit may be eaten, some have seasonal or local importance; elder makes up a large proportion of the diet of northern birds preparing for migration, and energy-rich olives and lentisc are favoured by blackcaps wintering in the Mediterranean.
The German birds wintering in British gardens rely on provided food, and the major items are bread and fat, each making up around 20% of the diet; one bird survived the whole winter eating only Christmas cake. Fruit is also eaten, notably cotoneaster (41% of the fruit consumed), ivy and honeysuckle, and apple if available. Some birds have learned to take peanuts from feeders. Blackcaps defend good winter food sources in the wild, and at garden feeding stations they repel competitors as large as starlings and blackbirds. Birds occasionally become tame enough to feed from the hand.
Aristotle, in his History of Animals, considered that the garden warbler eventually metamorphosed into a blackcap. The blackcap's song has led to it being described as the mock nightingale or country nightingale. Verga's 1871 novel Storia di una capinera, according to its author, was inspired by a story of a blackcap trapped and caged by children. The bird, silent and pining for its lost freedom, eventually dies. In the book, a nun evacuated from her convent by cholera falls in love with a family friend, only to have to return to her confinement when the disease wanes. The novel was adapted as films of the same name in 1917, 1943 and 1993. The last version was directed by Franco Zeffirelli, and its English-language version was retitled as Sparrow. In Saint François d'Assise, an opera by Messiaen, the orchestration is based on bird song. St Francis himself is represented by the blackcap.
Folk names for the blackcap often refer to its most obvious plumage feature (black-headed peggy, King Harry black cap and coal hoodie) or to its song, as in the nightingale names above. Other old names are based on its choice of nesting material (Jack Straw, hay bird, hay chat and hay Jack). There is a tradition of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm bases being named for birds. A former base near Stretton in Cheshire was called HMS Blackcap.
Population:
UK breeding:
1,200,000 territories
UK wintering:
3,000 birds
The adult 24-spot is a small ladybird, usually 3 to 4 mm long. It has the quintessential ladybird shape, quite domed with the sides forming a smooth curve from head to pronotum to wing-cases. The wing-cases are covered with short pale hairs, and though these are hard to see without a hand lens, they give the ladybird a distinctive matt appearance. The ladybird is dark orange, including legs and antennae. There are black spots on the wing cases. These vary in number and size but there are often about 20 to 24 and usually no more than 26. Sometimes spots are joined together or they can be absent completely. Dark (melanic) forms are very rare. Another extremely rare form has yellow spots.
Larvae are 4 to 6mm long and pale grey-green with darker speckles. They are covered with branched spines. These spines are also present in the pupa, enabling the pupa to secrete noxious alkaloids as a defence against predators.
There are five European species in the subfamily Epilachninae, all herbivorous and somewhat hairy. The 24-spot Ladybird can be distinguished from the similarly patterned Bryony Ladybird - Henosepilachna argus (6 to 8 mm) by its small size (3 to 4 mm). Cynegetis impunctata, another small ladybird, is browner and has no spots. It also has a black head and this separates it from the form of the 24-spot Ladybird without spots.
This ladybird usually has no wings under the elytra (wing cases) and these individuals are unable to fly. A study found no winged specimens in a UK sample whereas 40% of those from Hungary and Romania had wings. However, as even the winged specimens carried the gene that causes atrophy, it is thought that winglessness is a trend that will increase.
Usually your best chance of seeing moose in Algonquin Park is in the month of May, but according to some locals that wasn't true this year. As luck would have it they were quite visible in June when we were able to visit as restrictions eased and camprgrounds opened in Ontario Parks. This bull has a good sized rack already.
As shown in this picture the weather in the Grand Canyon varies according to the elevation it falls on, snow in Arizona usually occurs at 6000 feet or higher with rain taking over below this elevation.
The South rim of the park can get up to 60 inches of snow annually while the northern rim can get upwards of 144 inches of snow, below the rims and along the river you would be lucky to get 8 inches of rain a year with snow being unheard of normally.
The Canyon is its own micro climate temperatures can vary from 100+ degrees in summers to -20 in winter but summer is the most deadly to tourists, they are unprepared for the heat so many cases of dehydration/sunstroke are common.
I took this with my D750 and Tamron SP 24-70mmmm 2.8 G2 Lens at 70mm 1/80s, f/11 ISO 100 processed in LR, PS +Lumenzia,
Disclaimer: My style is a study of romantic realism as well as a work in progress.
I hoped for a sunrise but unfortunately I got thick cloud and haze. I couldn't even see Thelwall viaduct which is usually visible in the distance. So it had to be a blue hour shot instead.
Shot from the swing bridge at Stockton Heath.
Please, no invitations to award/forced comment groups or to those with large/animated comment codes.
A chunky, large-headed bird of open areas, usually found perched on wires or flying around in search of insects. Soft gunmetal gray with white underparts. Often found pressed together in pairs or tight groups when at rest. Sometimes flies in the same areas as swallows and swifts, but has a much thicker build, with triangular, somewhat starling-like wings. The only woodswallow throughout most of its range. Song is a somewhat myna-like series of sweet warbling and harsh chattering. Also gives nasal scolding “nyeh”, comparable to a jay or treepie. (eBird)
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Frequently seen but not photographed. I finally found a pair on the power lines, then this one came a little closer and I could get a better look. The only angle I had was into the sun so he was pretty shadowed in the final image. A little editing brought out his subtle colours.
Despite the name and appearance, this bird is not a swallow. It is actually in the same family as the Australian Magpie!
Here's a link to our Thailand bird trip list: ebird.org/tripreport/328567
Animal Research and Nutrition Centre, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. February 2025.
Rockjumper Birding Tours.
Usually there's a giant rat placed at these non-union construction sites but this one had a big inflated pig.
I noticed that over the past weeks, there have been fewer and fewer birds in the backyard, just a handful of Great and Blue Tits and sometimes House Sparrows and ... that's all :-( However, the feeders are full of what is usually appreciated.
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J’ai remarqué que depuis quelques semaines, il y avait de moins en moins d'oiseaux dans le jardin, juste une poignée de Mésanges charbonnières et bleues et, quelquefois, des Moineaux et ... c’est tout :-( Pourtant, les mangeoires sont pleines de ce qui est habituellement apprécié.
I usually curse the fact that there are streetlights to interfere with my photos at the edge of the water, but in the twilight, I could see that the lights lit up the waves as they broke, with a slightly longer exposure, I found this nice pale pink colour appearing on the waves.... Lockdown 2020 we have to amuse ourselves....
PS: to +/- achieve the desired abstractions for a subject i usually choose the camera and (expired) film of batches i somehow know what to expect from. But i have to confess, that i have know idea what happened here. ^.^
[Agfa Iso Rapid I with reversed lens / ORWO NP 22 / Adonal stand dev. / February 2017]
He knows if we have been Naughty or Nice ...
Hope you get or got what you want(ed),but we usually take back what we have given ...
Here is wishing you & your families a wonderful year ahead.
★ * ˚°。°* Happy New Year 2016 。°*˚★*˚° my friends ★ * Make New Dreams,don't throw in the towel ... ˚°。°*。°*˚★*˚°
PS:He is now on his way down to Greece ...
No,he has not forgotten us,he simply respects our tradition ...
Christmas in Greece is celebrated on December 25th,but presents are usually given on January 1st,St. Basil's Day (Agios Vassilis or Father Christmas from the UK.
St. Basil's (Agios Vassilis) name has been given to Father Christmas. He is celebrated on January 1st and he is associated with New Year's Day,the day we get our presents.
Hogmanay Scotland ... Similarities ...?
PS: ♥ Still away on my hols,I'll visit you in return for your kindness,your comments & your wishes ... ♥
Lake Lucerne (German: Vierwaldstättersee, literally 'Lake of the four forested settlements' (in English usually translated as forest cantons), French: lac des Quatre-Cantons, Italian: lago dei Quattro Cantoni) is a lake in central Switzerland and the fourth largest in the country.
The name of Vierwaldstättersee is first used in the 16th century. Before the 16th century, the entire lake was known as Luzerner See "Lake Lucerne", as remains the English (and partly Italian, as Lago di Lucerna) usage. The (three) "Waldstätte(n)" (lit.: "forested sites/settlements", in English usually translated as forest cantons) since the 14th century were the confederate allies of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden. The notion of "Four Waldstätten" (Vier Waldstätten), with the addition of the canton of Lucerne, is first recorded in the 1450s, in an addition to the "Silver Book" of Egloff Etterlin of Lucerne.
The entire lake has a total area of 114 km² (44 sq mi) at an elevation of 434 m (1,424 ft) a.s.l., and a maximum depth of 214 m (702 ft). Its volume is 11.8 km³. Much of the shoreline rises steeply into mountains up to 1,500 m above the lake, resulting in many picturesque views including those of the mountains Rigi and Pilatus.
usually I make my own crust, but making crust from scratch can take a couple of hours or more. I decided to try an experiment by buying some premade crusts (7" MIA brand). Though it wasn't as good as my home made crust, it did a pretty fine job and eliminated a couple of hours of time from the process. I've got more experiments to go in attempting to perfect my MIA experience, but things are looking good. Making this pizza took me about 45 minutes and that included making my own sauce and preparing the toppings, etc. fyi, I used uncured pepperoni, sweet red onions, and red bell peppers on this one along with three cheeses.
Usually these guys are flitting around all over the place but this one just sat there for the longest time posing nicely.
Thank you for visiting my site and taking the time to leave a comment. Truly appreciated!
Taxco de Alarcón (usually referred to as simply Taxco) (Spanish About this sound [ta'sco] (help·info)) is a small city and administrative center of a Taxco de Alarcón Municipality located in the Mexican state of Guerrero. Taxco is located in the north-central part of the state, 36 kilometres (22 miles) from the city of Iguala, 135 kilometres (84 miles) from the state capital of Chilpancingo and 170 kilometres (106 miles) southwest of Mexico City... - WikiPedia
Usually I find blackbirds by their beautiful songs but yesterday this bird wasn't singing as he sat at the end of a pier while the rain came down. Was he waiting for a friend? I don't know - he just sat there turning his head watching for something. I sure hope he found it.
Usually these grebes are far out on a lake. So it was a huge thrill for me to get a closer view of this Western Grebe. Taken at Frank Lake, Alberta.
Thank you for your visit and comments. They are very much appreciated.
Usually I don't eat cake in the evening, but my dear contact Lisa ... from America wrote me a comment and I decided to let her mouth water, ha ha ;-)! She loves sweets as much as I do. It's actually my Sunday cake.
And why not, 2020 isn't a normal year anyway, is it?
Stay healthy, stay safe!
Usually seen roosting in trees and waterside vegetation where they are not always easy to see.This one didn't stick to the rules.Many thanks for looking at my images.It is much appreciated.
Usually see Waxwings eating fruit. But it seems they eat insects as well. This pair was perching on tree stumps around a pond and flying in to pick off insects from the water surface or in flight.
From AllAboutBirds.org: Cedar Waxwings feed mainly on fruits year-round. In summer Cedar Waxwings supplement their fruit diet with protein-rich insects including mayflies, dragonflies, and stoneflies, often caught on the wing.
Terra Nova Park, Richmond, BC
Etta & David at the top of the steps. David doesn't usually sit here with her so she was a little confused :))
Daily Dog Challenge: Things are looking up. (Or at least I am)
The growth and development of flowers occurs over several weeks from the germination of seeds planted in a ground or container to the time in which flowers bloom. The entire process happens in about five stages for most flowers. Although flower species have varying bloom periods, the general growth and development process is basically the same for all flowers. Moderate variations in the length of time of certain stages may differ by flower species. A Sprout Is Born
The seed begins the germination process during the first five days after being planted. During day 3 of the initial growth and development stage, imbibition begins as the dry seed takes in water from the ground. Next, the root emerges from the seed coat on or about day 4. On day 5, the root begins to extend and develops a root system at one end while a stem forms at the other end. The stem starts the process of making its way upward and eventually past the soil's surface. Hey, Bud
Stage 2 is the stage when a flower's leaves develop. Leaf development usually begins on day 6 and continues to day 26. Leaves begin as tiny rosettes (leaf buds). As the stem begins growing leaves, the development of a flower's primary root structure also culminates usually sometime after day 14. Even though leaf growth does not officially happen until stage 3, the first leaf buds may begin growing after day 18 and continue until day 26. A New Leaf on Life
Leaf growth overlaps slightly between stages 2 and 3 as buds evolve into new leaf growth. But stage 3 officially marks the entire leaf growth period at around day 19. During this stage, all of the leaf buds grow until each one reaches full maturity at about day 29. It's also possible for stage 4 to begin during the latter part (day 26) of the leaf growth stage.
Beginning of the Blossom Day 26 is the day in which most flowers experience inflorescence emergence. In other words, flower buds start appearing on the stem, signifying stage 4 of development. It often occurs toward the end of stage 3 leaf growth; however, it is treated as a separate stage because the period indicates the growth and development exclusively of flowers.
Bloom Times
Stage 5 commences the flower production phase. On approximately day 31, the first flower bud opens. Additional flower buds continue opening throughout a roughly 18-day bloom period until day 49 at which point flower production typically ends.
www.hunker.com/13426298/the-stages-of-a-flower-from-seed-...
I usually won't post pictures like this, but I felt it was a bit unusual, and really shows how close the gull was in size to the hawk. This is a Cooper's Hawk (I believe) that was trying to drown a gull after attacking it. After trying to fly off with it unsuccessfully, the gull was injured but still swimming. The Hawk came back for another try to fly off with it but again was unsuccessful and had to contend with other gulls who were trying to chase it away. I did observe the gull on the other side of the channel, either swimming or floating away and the Hawk gave up.
Just driving over a bridge in Ramsgreave, Lancashire - lots of people with cameras. Asked what was going on -Sir Nigel Gresley passing through in 5 minutes! Just had time to park the car and run back to the bridge with my point-and-shoot Canon D30! Usually use a DSLR - but isn't the best camera the one you always have with you?!!
Wikipedia: The grey peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron bicalcaratum), also known as Burmese peacock-pheasant, is a large Asian member of the order Galliformes.
It is a large pheasant, up to 76 cm long and greyish brown with finely spotted green eyespots, an elongated bushy crest, bare pink or yellow facial skin, white throat, and grey iris, bill and legs. The sexes are rather similar, but the female is smaller, darker and less ornamented than the male. The young resemble the female.
The grey peacock-pheasant is distributed in lowland and hill forests of Bangladesh, Northeast India and Southeast Asia, but excluding most of Indochina as well as the entire Malayan Peninsula. The diet consists mainly of seeds, termites, fruits and invertebrates. The female usually lays two eggs.
Conservation status: Least Concern