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Greengrove Nature Reserve, Harare, Zimbabwe
Not sure if this female is in love with her own image or if I have finally found a bird that is interested in Landrovers? She made more than ten trips to the wing mirrors on either side of the vehicle.
I suspect that the reddish colouration around the throat/chin is some kind of pollen staining ?
Taken at Carara NP, Costa Rica, 1st Jan 2016. Taken quite deep into forest and not in an open area normally associated with seedeaters
Variable Checkerspot Caterpillar (Euphydryas chalcedona) feeding on Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica). Windy Hill Open Space Preserve. Portola Valley, San Mateo Co., Calif.
The Dutch leg of the World Superbike Championship has seen as a protagonist uncertain and variable weather. Race one started with the track damp from the night rain, but just variable sky, so much that riders occurred on the grid with slick tires. Very good start for Baz (Kawasaki) from the first grid position, but already at the first corner Guintoli (Aprilia) joins him and attain the head of the race, followed by Rea (Honda) and Sykes (Kawasaki). Giugliano (Ducati) falls on the first lap, while Melandri (Aprilia) is struggling with Davies (Ducati) and Elias (Aprilia) for the fifth position
These PTP-1 F-Type variable spring assemblies fabricated from A-36 carbon steel, were custom designed to accommodate a height of 11-11/16" while keeping the same spring rate. The F-Type variable is used to support the pipe from below and are typically mounted to concrete pads via anchor bolts or welded to structural steel. The variables are designed for loads up to 6,500 lb. and a total upward travel of 5/16".
Color of Life: Concealment by camouflage. The Warty frogfish has a bumpy surface with variable colors typical of corals.
TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Orders: Lophiiformes (Anglerfishes)
Family: Antennaridae (frogfishes)
Genus/species: Antennarius maculatus
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: A. maculatus has numerous wart-like protuberances resembling rock or coral. Coloration is highly variable, ranging from cream to yellow, brown, or black with scattered dark circular spots and saddles or blotches ranging from white to pink, rust-red, or red. It may change to white with color bleaching.
The first dorsal spine, the illicium is modified and is used as a fishing rod. Its extremity is endowed with a characteristic esca (lure), which looks like a small fish with a pinkish to brownish coloration.The pectoral fins are angled and help, with the pelvic fins, to move the fish on the bottom and to keep a stable position for ambush.
Length up to 15 cm (6 inches).
DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Indian and Western Pacific Oceans among sheltered rocky reefs, algae, sponges and soft corals to 15 meters (49 feet). It is a reef dweller, perching on coral ledges.
DIET IN THE WILD: The Warty Frogfish has its own lure (esca) to catch and consume shrimp and fishes in less the 6 ms-one of the fastest feeding times for vertebrates.
REPRODUCTION: Oviparous. Eggs are bound in ribbon-like sheath or mass of gelatinous mucus called 'egg raft' or 'veil’.
During mating they do not tolerate each other except for the act of fertilization. The female can kill or eat the male if he stays close.
LIFESPAN: 3-5 years.
CONSERVATION: IUCN Red List Not Evaluated
REMARKS: The warty frogfish exhibits biofluorescence, that is, when illuminated by blue or ultraviolet light, it re-emits it as red, which may assist intraspecific communication and camouflage.
References
California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium Color on the Reef 2015 AQA14
EOL eol.org/pages/205404/details
fishbase fishbase.org/summary/Antennarius-maculatus.html
Reef sites (color changes) www.readcube.com/articles/10.1007/s00338-016-1500-6?autho...
Ron's Wordpress shortlink wp.me/p1DZ4b-jX
Ron's flickr www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/8296644088/in/album-721...
2-1-13, 10-1-15, 4-14-16, 12-8-16, 1-10-17
The 29th Annual AXA Raheny 5 Mile Road Race 2013 took place in Raheny Village, Dublin, Ireland on Sunday January 27th 2013 at 15:00. There was also an earlier set of junior/childrens races at 14:00 and the walkers' race at 14:40. The 'Raheny 5' has become one of the most famous road races in Ireland. The race has continued to grow year-on-year and this year was no exception. Almost 3,000 participants took part in the various events of the day. The incredible voluntary organisational work carried out by Raheny Shamrocks and the local community in staging the race every year must be acknowledged.
The weather was postively wintery today. There was an icy wind blowing into the face of the runners at various points in the course. This made for some very variable mile-splits. Overall the weather was favourable in that the rain stayed away and there was some helpful 'wind at the back' for the runners in places.
This is a large set of photographs where images are captured from the ONE MILE Mark and at the finish straight with about 300 Meters remaining (up to an overall finish time of 55 minutes). The overall winners where Joe Sweeney and Mary Cullen.
How can I get a full resolution copy of these photographs?
All of the photographs here on this Flickr set have a visible watermark embedded in them. All of the photographs posted here on this Flickr set are available, free, at no cost, at full resolution WITHOUT watermark. We take these photographs as a hobby and as a contribution to the running community in Ireland. We do not know of any other photographers who operate such a policy. Our only "cost" is our request that if you are using these images: (1) on social media sites such as Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Twitter,LinkedIn, Google+, Google Orkut etc or (2) other websites, web multimedia, commercial/promotional material that you provide a link back to our Flickr page to attribute us. This also means the use of these images for Facebook profile pictures. In these cases please make a wall post with a link to our Flickr page. If you do not know how this should be done for Facebook or other media please email us and we will be happy to help suggest how to link to us.
Please email petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com with the links to the photographs you would like to obtain a full resolution copy of. We also ask race organisers, media, etc to ask for permission before use of our images for flyers, posters, etc. We reserve the right to refuse a request.
I ran the race - but my photograph doesn't appear here in your Flickr set!
As mentioned above we take these photographs as a hobby and as a voluntary contribution to the running community in Ireland. Very often we have actually ran in the same race and then switched to photographer mode after we finished the race. Consequently, we have no obligations to capture a photograph of every participant in the race. However, we do try our very best to capture as many participants as possible. But this is sometimes not possible for a variety of reasons:
You were hidden behind another participant as you passed our camera
Weather or lighting conditions meant that we had some photographs with blurry content which we did not upload to our Flickr set
There were too many people - some races attract thousands of participants and as amateur photographs we cannot hope to capture photographs of everyone
We simply missed you - sorry about that - we did our best!
You can email us petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com to enquire if we have a photograph of you which didn't make the final Flickr selection for the race. But we cannot promise that there will be photograph there. As alternatives we advise you to contact the race organisers to enquire if there were (1) other photographs taking photographs at the race event or if (2) there were professional commercial sports photographers taking photographs which might have some photographs of you available for purchase. You might find some links for further information below.
If you want to contribute something for these images?
We do not charge for these images. We take these photographs as our contribution to the running community in Ireland. If you feel that they are good enough that you would ordinarily pay for their purchase we would suggest that you can provide a donation to any of the great charities in Ireland who do work for Cancer Care or Cancer Research in Ireland.
Don't like your photograph here?
That's OK! We understand!
If, for any reason, you are not happy or comfortable with your picture appearing here in this photoset on Flickr then please email us at petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com and we will remove it as soon as possible.
Please note: that we cannot be responsible for the content of any external links (outside of our Flickr account) as we have no control over them. Links are provided for your information only. Responsibility lies solely with the operators of these websites.
Some links, related to this race, which you might find useful:
The Raheny Shamrocks Club Internet Homepage: www.rahenyshamrock.ie/ or www.rahenyshamrock.ie/news/axa-raheny-5-2013
Raheny Shamrocks Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/rahenyshamrock?sk=wall&filter=2
Our Flickr Set from the Raheny 5 Mile Road Race 2012: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157629086163673/
Our Flickr Set from the Raheny 5 Mile Road Race 2011:http://www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157625939674838/
Our Flickr Set from the Raheny 5 Mile Road Race 2010: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157623196555201/
The Boards.ie Athletics Discussion Thread for the Race: www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056776031
You will find photographs from many other photographs for the race at: www.racepix.com/Raheny-AC-5-Mile/pictures/832/
The European herring gull (Larus argentatus) is a large gull, up to 66 cm (26 in) long. Common in coastal regions of Western Europe, it was historically more abundant. It breeds across Northern Europe, Western Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and the Baltic states. Some European herring gulls, especially those resident in colder areas, migrate further south in winter, but many are permanent residents, such as in Ireland, Britain, Iceland, or on the North Sea shores. They have a varied diet, including fish, crustaceans, as well as some plants, and are also scavengers, consuming carrion and food left by or stolen from humans.
Taxonomy
Their scientific name is from Latin. Larus appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird and argentatus means decorated with silver.
The taxonomy of the herring gull/lesser black-backed gull is contentious, with different authorities recognising between two and eight species
This group has a ring distribution around the Northern Hemisphere. Most adjacent populations interbreed; however, adjacent terminal populations do not.
The Association of European Rarities Committees recognises six species:
European herring gull, L. argentatus
American herring gull, L. smithsonianus
Caspian gull, L. cachinnans
Yellow-legged gull, L. michahellis
Vega gull, L. vegae
Armenian gull, L. armenicus
Subspecies
L. a. argentatus – Pontoppidan, 1763, the nominate form, sometimes known as the Scandinavian herring gull, breeds in Scandinavia and northwestern Russia. Northern and eastern populations migrate southwest in winter. It is a large, bulky gull with extensive white in the wingtips. The outermost primary, p10 often has a large white spot (called a mirror) that extends to the wingtip. The bill is longer and forehead flatter than argenteus.
L. a. argenteus – Brehm & Schilling, 1822, sometimes known as the Western European herring gull breeds in Western Europe in Iceland, the Faroes, Britain, Ireland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Many birds are resident while others make short-distance migratory journeys. It is smaller than L. a. argentatus with more black and less white in the wingtips (p10 mirror is distinct from the white wingtip spot) and paler upper parts.
These taxa are classified as subspecies of Larus argentatus by some authorities such as the American Ornithologists' Union and Handbook of the Birds of the World. Others such as the Association of European Rarities Committees, British Ornithologists' Union, and the International Ornithological Union now regard them as one or two separate species.
L. (a.) smithsonianus, the American herring gull, breeds in Alaska, Canada, and the Northeast United States. Many birds migrate southwards in winter, reaching as far as Central America and the West Indies. Immature birds tend to be darker and more uniformly brown than European herring gulls and have a dark tail.
L. (a.) vegae, the Vega gull, breeds in northeastern Siberia. It winters in Japan, Korea, eastern China, and Taiwan.
Several other gulls have been included in this species in the past, but are now normally considered separate, e.g. the yellow-legged gull (L. michahellis), the Caspian gull (L. cachinnans), the Armenian gull (L. armenicus) and Heuglin's gull (L. heuglini).
Description
The male European herring gull is 60–67 cm (24–26 in) long and weighs 1,050–1,525 g (2.315–3.362 lb), while the female is 55–62 cm (22–24 in) and weighs 710–1,100 g (1.57–2.43 lb). The wingspan can range from 125 to 155 cm (49 to 61 in). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 38 to 48 cm (15 to 19 in), the bill is 4.4 to 6.5 cm (1.7 to 2.6 in) and the tarsus is 5.3 to 7.5 cm (2.1 to 3.0 in). Adults in breeding plumage have a light grey back and upper wings and white head and underparts. The wingtips are black with white spots known as "mirrors". The bill is yellow with a red spot and a ring of bare yellow skin is seen around the pale eye. The legs are normally pink at all ages, but can be yellowish, particularly in the Baltic population, which was formerly regarded as a separate subspecies "L. a. omissus". Non-breeding adults have brown streaks on their heads and necks. Male and female plumage are identical at all stages of development, but adult males are often larger.
Juvenile and first-winter birds are mainly brown with darker streaks and have a dark bill and eyes. Second-winter birds have a whiter head and underparts with less streaking and the back is grey. Third-winter individuals are similar to adults, but retain some of the features of immature birds such as brown feathers in the wings and dark markings on the bill. The European herring gull attains adult plumage and reaches sexual maturity at an average age of four years.
At least in the south-west part of the Baltic Sea and surrounding areas, the European herring gull (L. argentatus) actually can be seen with yellow legs. They are not considered as a subspecies, since they regularly breed with grey/flesh-coloured legged herring gulls. The offspring may get yellow or normal-coloured legs. They must not be confused with the in general yellow-legged gull (L. michahellis), which are more common in the Mediterranean area, but single birds may reach more northern seas.
Similar species
Adult European herring gulls are similar to ring-billed gulls, but are much larger, have pinkish legs, and a much thicker yellow bill with more pronounced gonys. First-winter European herring gulls are much browner, but second- and third-winter birds can be confusing since soft part colours are variable and third-year herring gull often show a ring around the bill. Such birds are most easily distinguished by the larger size and larger bill of European herring gull.
The European herring gull can be differentiated from the closely related, slightly smaller lesser black-backed gull by the latter's dark grey (not actually black) back and upper wing plumage and its yellow legs and feet.
The smaller silver gull is largely confined to Australia.
Voice
Herring gulls are noisy, gregarious birds with distinctive vocalisations. Their loud, laughing call is particularly well known, and is often seen as a symbol of the seaside in countries such as the United Kingdom. The European herring gull also has a yelping alarm call and a low, barking anxiety call. The most distinct and best known call produced by European herring gulls – which is shared with their American relative – is the raucous territorial 'long call', used to signal boundaries to other birds; it is performed by the gull initially with its head bowed, then raised as the call continues.
European herring gull chicks and fledglings emit a distinctive, repetitive, high-pitched 'peep', accompanied by a head-flicking gesture when begging for food from or calling to their parents. Adult gulls in urban areas also exhibit this behaviour when fed by humans.
Behaviour
European herring gull flocks have a loose pecking order, based on size, aggressiveness, and physical strength. Adult males are usually dominant over females and juveniles in feeding and boundary disputes, while adult females are typically dominant when selecting their nesting sites.
The European herring gull has long been believed to have extremely keen vision in daylight and night vision equal or superior to that of humans; however, this species is also capable of seeing ultraviolet light. This gull also appears to have excellent hearing and a sense of taste that is particularly responsive to salt and acidity.
Parasites of European herring gulls include the fluke Microphallus piriformes.
Distribution
Ireland: Copeland Bird Observatory, Co Down.
Britain: Since 2009, herring gulls in the United Kingdom have been on the red list of birds of conservation concern, including County Durham.
Europe: Recorded from all the coasts of Europe including the Mediterranean and occasionally inland.
North America: A permanent resident in the Carolinas.
Diet
These are omnivores and opportunists like most Larus gulls, and scavenge from garbage dumps, landfill sites, and sewage outflows, with refuse comprising up to half of the bird's diet. It also steals the eggs and young of other birds (including those of other gulls), as well as seeking suitable small prey in fields, on the coast or in urban areas, or robbing plovers or lapwings of their catches. European herring gulls may also dive from the surface of the water or engage in plunge diving in the pursuit of aquatic prey, though they are typically unable to reach depths greater than 1–2 m (3.3–6.6 ft) due to their natural buoyancy. Despite their name, they have no special preference for herrings — in fact, examinations have shown that echinoderms and crustaceans comprised a greater portion of these gulls' stomach contents than fish, although fish is the principal element of regurgitations for nestlings. European herring gulls can frequently be seen to drop shelled prey from a height to break the shell. In addition, the European herring gull has been observed using pieces of bread as bait with which to catch goldfish. Vegetable matter, such as roots, tubers, seeds, grains, nuts, and fruit, is also taken to an extent. Captive European herring gulls typically show aversion to spoiled meat or heavily salted food, unless they are very hungry. The gulls may also rinse food items in water in an attempt to clean them or render them more palatable before swallowing.
European herring gulls may be observed rhythmically drumming their feet upon the ground for prolonged periods of time in a behaviour that superficially resembles Irish stepdancing, for the purpose of creating vibrations in the soil, driving earthworms to the surface, which are then consumed by the gull. These vibrations are thought to mimic those of digging moles, eliciting a surface-escape behaviour from the earthworm, beneficial in encounters with this particular predator, which the European herring gull then exploits to its own benefit in a similar manner to human worm charmers.
Whilst the European herring gull is fully capable (unlike humans) of consuming seawater without becoming ill, using specialized glands located above the eyes to remove excess salt from the body (which is then excreted in solution through the nostrils and drips from the end of the bill), it drinks fresh water in preference, if available.
The opportunistic diet of the herring gull has consequences for egg traits. A study found that larger eggs were laid in colonies where females consumed either a higher proportion of marine resources or terrestrial resources; smaller eggs were laid in colonies where females had an intermediate diet. In colonies where females consumed more marine items, they also laid eggs with higher maculation (intensity and size of spots) compared with colonies where females mainly consumed terrestrial food.
Courtship and reproduction
When forming a pair bond, the hen approaches the cock on his territory with a hunched, submissive posture, while making begging calls (similar to those emitted by young gulls). If the cock chooses not to attack her and drive her away, he responds by assuming an upright posture and making a mewing call. This is followed by a period of synchronised head-tossing movements, after which the cock then regurgitates some food for his prospective mate. If this is accepted, copulation follows. A nesting site is then chosen by both birds which is returned to in successive years. European herring gulls are almost exclusively sexually monogamous and may pair up for life, provided the couple is successful in hatching their eggs.
Two to four eggs, usually three, are laid on the ground or cliff ledges in colonies, and are defended vigorously by this large gull. The eggs are usually olive-brown in colour with dark speckles or blotches. They are incubated by both parents for 28–30 days. The chicks hatch with their eyes open, covered with fluffy down, and they are able to walk around within hours. Breeding colonies are preyed upon by great black-backed gulls, harriers, corvids and herons.
Juveniles use their beaks to peck at the red spot on the beaks of adults to indicate hunger. Parents then typically disgorge food for their offspring. The young birds are able to fly 35–40 days after hatching and fledge at five or six weeks of age. Chicks are generally fed by their parents until they are 11–12 weeks old, but the feeding may continue for more than six months of age if the young gulls continue to beg. The male feeds the chick more often than the female before fledging, with the female more often feeding after fledging.
Like most gulls, European herring gulls are long-lived, with a maximum age of 49 years recorded. Raptors (especially owls, peregrine falcons, and gyrfalcons) and seals (especially grey seals) occasionally prey on the non-nesting adults.
In the UK, the species, when taken as a whole, is declining significantly across the country, despite an increase in urban areas. The UK European herring gull population has decreased by 50% in 25 years and it is protected by law: since January 2010, Natural England has allowed lethal control only with a specific individual licence that is available only in limited circumstances. Natural England made the change following a public consultation in response to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in 2009 placing the species on its 'Red List' of threatened bird species, affording it the highest possible conservation status. (Previously, killing the species was allowed under a general licence obtainable by authorised persons (e.g. landowners or occupiers) under certain circumstances (e.g. to prevent serious damage to crops or livestock, to prevent disease, or to preserve public health or safety) without requiring additional permission beyond the general licence.)
The European herring gull is an increasingly common roof-nesting bird in urban areas of the UK, and many individual birds show little fear of humans. The Clean Air Act 1956 forbade the burning of refuse at landfill sites, providing the European herring gull with a regular and plentiful source of food. As a direct result, European herring gull populations in Britain skyrocketed. Faced with a lack of space at their traditional colonies, the gulls ventured inland in search of new breeding grounds. Dwindling fish stocks in the seas around Britain may also have been a significant factor in the gulls' move inland.
The gulls are found all year round in the streets and gardens of Britain, due to the presence of street lighting (which allows the gulls to forage at night), discarded food in streets, food waste contained in easy-to-tear plastic bin bags, food intentionally left out for other birds (or the gulls themselves), the relative lack of predators, and readily available, convenient, warm and undisturbed rooftop nesting space in towns and cities. Particularly large urban gull colonies (composed primarily of European herring gulls and lesser black-backed gulls) are now present in Cardiff, Bristol, Gloucester, Swindon, London, and Aberdeen.
Where not persecuted, herring gulls can become tame in the presence of humans, and may live in proximity to certain humans they learn to trust, and may occasionally enter buildings to receive or steal food.
The survival rate for urban gulls is much higher than their counterparts in coastal areas, with an annual adult mortality rate less than 5%. Also, each European herring gull pair commonly rears three chicks per year. This, when combined with their long-lived nature, has resulted in a massive increase in numbers over a relatively short period of time and has brought urban-dwelling members of the species into conflict with humans.
Once familiar with humans, urban European herring gulls show little hesitation in swooping down to steal food from the hands of humans, although a study conducted in 2019 demonstrated that some gulls are more averse to snatching food in proximity to humans if the experimenter made eye contact with the bird. During the breeding season, the gulls also aggressively 'dive bomb' and attempt to strike with claws and wings (sometimes spraying faeces or vomit at the same time) at humans that they perceive to be a threat to their eggs and chicks—often innocent passers-by or residents of the buildings on which they have constructed their nests. Large amounts of gull excrement deposited on property and the noise from courting pairs and begging chicks in the summer is also considered to be a nuisance by humans living alongside the European herring gull.
Nonlethal attempts to deter the gulls from nesting in urban areas have been largely unsuccessful. The European herring gull is intelligent and will completely ignore most bird-scaring technology after determining that it poses no threat. Rooftop spikes, tensioned wires, netting, and similar are also generally ineffective against this species, as it has large, wide feet with thick, leathery skin, which affords the seagull excellent weight distribution and protection from sharp objects (the bird may simply balance itself on top of these obstacles with little apparent concern). If nests are removed and eggs are taken, broken, or oiled, the gulls simply rebuild and/or relay, or choose another nest site in the same area and start again.
Man-made models of birds of prey placed on top of buildings are generally ignored by the gulls once they realise they are not real, and attempts to scare the gulls away using raptors are similarly ineffective. Although they are intimidated by birds of prey, European herring gulls, in addition to being social birds with strength in numbers, are large, powerful, and aggressive as individuals and are more than capable of fighting back against the potential predator, particularly if they consider their chicks to be at risk; in fact, the gulls may actually pose a greater threat to a raptor than vice versa. European herring gulls are also naturally accustomed to predators (such as skuas and great black-backed gulls) living in the vicinity of their nest sites in the wild and are not particularly discouraged from breeding by their presence.
(Crepidotus variabilis) Found and photographed in my local woodland. Focus stacked image - 12 shots.
Widespread in Central America and truly variable. This is probably the hoffmannii subspecies. Provided a momentary distraction while looking for the Veraguan Mango near the Playa Blanca coast. Panama, August 2013.
Ryan Gander, On the subject of horizontals and verticals a ‘Bird-walk’ is added (The remnants of Theo and Piet’s fall from 1924 through Frank’s living room window at Taliesin, during a struggle brought on by an argument over the dynamic aspect of the diagonal line again), 2010 (detail). Stunt glass and antique window leading, dimensions variable. Courtesy Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York, and Lisson Gallery, London.
Installation views of Intervals: Ryan Gander
New York, NY
October 1, 2010-January 9, 2011
Photo: Kris McKay
Intervals: Ryan Gander is the third installment of this contemporary art series designed to reflect the spirit of today’s most innovative practices. For his Intervals project, Ryan Gander (b. 1976, Chester, United Kingdom) has created a new, site-specific installation for the museum’s Aye Simon Reading Room.
The Variable Wheatear (Oenanthe picata) is a slim, pied or buffy brown colored bird with distinctive tail patterns when spread. It is found in Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Russia, State of Israel, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan. Its natural habitat is hot deserts & open arid regions. It usually perches on rocks, low walls & bushes watching out for insects, beetles and other small prey.
There are three races of Variable Wheatear - capistrata, picata & opistholeuca. The males are pied with the black band extending onto upper breast and sides of breast as opposed to Hume's Wheatear.
Source: Wikipedia, A field guide to the birds of the Indian subcontinent by Krys Kazmierczak