Red Squirrel - Sciurus Vulgaris

Highlands, Scotland.

The red squirrel is found in both coniferous forest and temperate broadleaf woodlands. The squirrel makes a drey (nest) out of twigs in a branch-fork, forming a domed structure about 25 to 30 cm in diameter. This is lined with moss, leaves, grass and bark. Tree hollows and woodpecker holes are also used. The red squirrel is a solitary animal and is shy and reluctant to share food with others. However, outside the breeding season and particularly in winter, several red squirrels may share a drey to keep warm. Social organization is based on dominance hierarchies within and between sexes; although males are not necessarily dominant to females, the dominant animals tend to be larger and older than subordinate animals, and dominant males tend to have larger home ranges than subordinate males or females.

Red squirrels that survive their first winter have a life expectancy of 3 years. Individuals may reach 7 years of age, and 10 in captivity. Survival is positively related to availability of autumn–winter tree seeds; on average, 75–85% of juveniles die during their first winter, and mortality is approximately 50% for winters following the first.

Although not thought to be under any threat worldwide, the red squirrel has nevertheless drastically reduced in number in the United Kingdom; especially after the grey squirrels were introduced from North America in the 1870s. Fewer than 140,000 individuals are thought to be left in 2013; approximately 85% of which are in Scotland, with the Isle of Wight being the largest haven in England. A local charity, the Wight Squirrel Project,[26] supports red squirrel conservation on the island, and islanders are actively recommended to report any invasive greys. The population decrease in Britain is often ascribed to the introduction of the eastern grey squirrel from North America, but the loss and fragmentation of its native woodland habitat has also played a role.

In January 1998, eradication of the non-native North American grey squirrel began on the North Wales island of Anglesey. This facilitated the natural recovery of the small remnant red squirrel population. It was followed by the successful reintroduction of the red squirrel into the pine stands of Newborough Forest. Subsequent reintroductions into broadleaved woodland followed and today the island has the single largest red squirrel population in Wales. Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour is also populated exclusively by red rather than grey squirrels (approximately 200 individuals).

The name of this species could be misleading: it is 'short-billed' only by comparison to the Long-billed Dowitcher, and longer-billed than the average shorebird. Flocks of Short-billed Dowitchers wade in shallow water over coastal mudflats. They often seem rather tame, allowing a close approach when they are busy feeding. ~ Audubon.org

The Tonnara di Scopello dates back to 1200 and is one of the oldest in Sicily. The activity continued until 1984 and every year, on average, about 500 tuna were caught.

The tonnara rises in a magical inlet, framed by steep cliffs and bathed by clear waters. The stacks emerge from the sea a few meters from the shore and make this small gulf even more fascinating.

The tonnara is located in Sicily, in the western part, in the locality of Scopello.

Scopello is a small fraction of the Municipality of Castellammare del Golfo, in the province of Trapani, which has about 400 inhabitants.

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La Tonnara di Scopello risale al 1200 ed è una delle più antiche di Sicilia. L’attività è proseguita fino al 1984 e ogni anno, in media, venivano catturati circa 500 tonni.

La tonnara sorge in un’insenatura magica, incorniciata da ripide scogliere e bagnata da acque limpide. I faraglioni sbucano dal mare a pochi metri da riva e rendono ancora più affascinante questo piccolo golfo.

La tonnara si trova in Sicilia, nella parte occidentale, in località Scopello.

Scopello è una piccola frazione del Comune di Castellammare del Golfo, in provincia di Trapani, che conta circa 400 abitanti.

Photomontage created from five photos of ice formations in the frozen surface of Lime Lake. The lake is frozen to an average depth of 7 inches.

Image designed by and intended for viewing with ChromaDepth 3D glasses.

This male Common Goldeneye was defending his mate, and aggressively chased other goldeneyes, including this female, away from his courtship ground.

Nikon D500 w/ 500mmf4G; F7.1, 1/3000; -2/3EV; ISO800

Centre weighted average 8mm

Lightroom 6.0

Thank you very much for the visit and comment.

At 9 am, the sky had partly cleared up and the sun had melted most of the fresh snow covering the red mountains bordering Laguna Lejia's northwestern shores.

The highest red mountains are Cerro Lámpara (in the center, 5198 m) and Cerro Corona (behind it to the left, 5291 m).

Laguna Lejía (Bleach Lagoon) is a salt lake in the Atacama desert.

It is located in the Chilean Altiplano of the Antofagasta Region,

100 km (62 mi) south-east of San Pedro de Atacama,

at an altitude of 4325 m (14,200 ft).

It is shallow and has no outlet, currently covering an area of

nearly 2 km² (0.77 sq mi) with an average depth of 1.2 m (4 ft).

#308 in Explore on Apr 22, 2023.

© 2021 Jacques de Selliers. All rights reserved.

For reproduction rights, see www.deselliers.info/en/copyright.htm.

Photo ref: j8e_29280-ps2-Atacama

We have been fortunate to have seen the Burrowing Owls in Davis Ca. Unfortunately their previous burrows had been turned over by large farming equipment which means that these darling little owls will need to move. The Borrowing Owls are the most interesting of the owls as they are out in the day and stare back at you when you are taking there photo. The burrowing owl isn't your average owl: It doesn't live in trees, and it's not nocturnal. It makes its nest underground — usually in abandoned rodent burrows — and is active both day and night. But human population explosion has reduced the charismatic western burrowing owl's breeding populations by more than 60 percent, and counting.

HWW!!

This is the Austonian at 200 Congress Ave. here in Austin. This place is amazing. It has 56 floors and the average price is 800 dollars a square foot. Which means, the smallest unit goes for about a million dollars.

'Small, average, large...' On White

.

Uhu (Bubo bubo) - Eurasian eagle-owl

The terraces were dug following the natural curves of the landscape. The thickness of the walls stores heat during the day and diffuses it at night. Thanks to this method it has been possible to obtain a different microclimate as one goes down and gets closer to the centre. An average temperature difference of 5°C was observed, whereas the difference is only 0.5°C over comparable height differences at the same location. Due to its sheltered position, each of the terraces represents approximately one thousand metres of altitude under normal growing conditions.

Red Squirrel - Sciurus Vulgaris

Highlands, Scotland.

The red squirrel is found in both coniferous forest and temperate broadleaf woodlands. The squirrel makes a drey (nest) out of twigs in a branch-fork, forming a domed structure about 25 to 30 cm in diameter. This is lined with moss, leaves, grass and bark. Tree hollows and woodpecker holes are also used. The red squirrel is a solitary animal and is shy and reluctant to share food with others. However, outside the breeding season and particularly in winter, several red squirrels may share a drey to keep warm. Social organization is based on dominance hierarchies within and between sexes; although males are not necessarily dominant to females, the dominant animals tend to be larger and older than subordinate animals, and dominant males tend to have larger home ranges than subordinate males or females.

Red squirrels that survive their first winter have a life expectancy of 3 years. Individuals may reach 7 years of age, and 10 in captivity. Survival is positively related to availability of autumn–winter tree seeds; on average, 75–85% of juveniles die during their first winter, and mortality is approximately 50% for winters following the first.

Although not thought to be under any threat worldwide, the red squirrel has nevertheless drastically reduced in number in the United Kingdom; especially after the grey squirrels were introduced from North America in the 1870s. Fewer than 140,000 individuals are thought to be left in 2013; approximately 85% of which are in Scotland, with the Isle of Wight being the largest haven in England. A local charity, the Wight Squirrel Project,[26] supports red squirrel conservation on the island, and islanders are actively recommended to report any invasive greys. The population decrease in Britain is often ascribed to the introduction of the eastern grey squirrel from North America, but the loss and fragmentation of its native woodland habitat has also played a role.

In January 1998, eradication of the non-native North American grey squirrel began on the North Wales island of Anglesey. This facilitated the natural recovery of the small remnant red squirrel population. It was followed by the successful reintroduction of the red squirrel into the pine stands of Newborough Forest. Subsequent reintroductions into broadleaved woodland followed and today the island has the single largest red squirrel population in Wales. Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour is also populated exclusively by red rather than grey squirrels (approximately 200 individuals).

The Coast Mountains are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia south to the Fraser River. The mountain range's name derives from its proximity to the sea coast, and it is often referred to as the Coast Range. The range includes volcanic and non-volcanic mountains and the extensive ice fields of the Pacific and Boundary Ranges, and the northern end of the volcanic system known as the Cascade Volcanoes. The Coast Mountains are part of a larger mountain system called the Pacific Coast Ranges or the Pacific Mountain System, which includes the Cascade Range, the Insular Mountains, the Olympic Mountains, the Oregon Coast Range, the California Coast Ranges, the Saint Elias Mountains and the Chugach Mountains. The Coast Mountains are also part of the American Cordillera—a Spanish term for an extensive chain of mountain ranges—that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that form the western backbone of North America, Central America, South America and Antarctica.

The Coast Mountains are approximately 1,600 kilometres (1,000 mi) long and average 300 kilometres (190 mi) in width. The range's southern and southeastern boundaries are surrounded by the Fraser River and the Interior Plateau while its far northwestern edge is delimited by the Kelsall and Tatshenshini Rivers at the north end of the Alaska Panhandle, beyond which are the Saint Elias Mountains, and by Champagne Pass in the Yukon Territory. Covered in dense temperate rainforest on its western exposures, the range rises to heavily glaciated peaks, including the largest temperate-latitude ice fields in the world. On its eastern flanks, the range tapers to the dry Interior Plateau and the subarctic boreal forests of the Skeena Mountains and Stikine Plateau.

The Coast Mountains are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire—the ring of volcanoes and associated mountains around the Pacific Ocean—and contain some of British Columbia's highest mountains. Mount Waddington is the highest mountain of the Coast Mountains and the highest that lies entirely within British Columbia, located northeast of the head of Knight Inlet with an elevation of 4,019 metres (13,186 ft). (Wikipedia)

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Our best view of these majestic mountains was from the ferry as we traveled from Victoria, on Vancouver Island, back to the mainland.

Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada. June 2022.

Eagle-Eye Tours - Ultimate British Columbia.

How big is the average fence?

Around a yard.....

^_^

#35/52, theme Fence, 52 weeks in 2020

The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau (/ˈdʒuːnoʊ/ JOO-noh; Tlingit: Dzánti K'ihéeni [ˈtsʌ́ntʰɪ̀ kʼɪ̀ˈhíːnɪ̀]), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the second-largest city in the United States by area. Juneau was named the capital of Alaska in 1906, when the government of what was then the District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900. The municipality unified on July 1, 1970, when the city of Juneau merged with the city of Douglas and the surrounding Greater Juneau Borough to form the current municipality, which is larger by area than both Rhode Island and Delaware.

Downtown Juneau (58°18′00″N 134°24′58″W) is nestled at the base of Mount Juneau and across the channel from Douglas Island. As of the 2020 census, the City and Borough had a population of 32,255,[2] making it the third-most populous city in Alaska after Anchorage and Fairbanks. Juneau experiences a daily influx of roughly 6,000 people from visiting cruise ships between the months of May and September.[citation needed]

The city is named after a gold prospector from Quebec, Joe Juneau, though the place was once called Rockwell and then Harrisburg (after Juneau's co-prospector, Richard Harris). The Tlingit name of the town is Dzántik'i Héeni ("Base of the Flounder's River," dzánti 'flounder,' –kʼi 'base,' héen 'river'), and Auke Bay just north of Juneau proper is called Áak'w ("Little lake," áa 'lake,' -kʼ 'diminutive') in Tlingit. The Taku River, just south of Juneau, was named after the cold t'aakh wind, which occasionally blows down from the mountains.

Juneau is unique among the 49 U.S. capitals on mainland North America in that there are no roads connecting the city to the rest of the state or North America. Honolulu, Hawaii, is the only other state capital not connected by road to the rest of North America. The absence of a road network is due to the extremely rugged terrain surrounding the city. This in turn makes Juneau a de facto island city in terms of transportation, since all goods coming in and out must go by plane or boat, in spite of the city's location on the Alaskan mainland. Downtown Juneau sits at sea level, with tides averaging 16 feet (5 m), below steep mountains about 3,500 to 4,000 feet (1,100 to 1,200 m) high. Atop these mountains is the Juneau Icefield, a large ice mass from which about 30 glaciers flow; two of these, the Mendenhall Glacier and the Lemon Creek Glacier, are visible from the local road system. The Mendenhall glacier has been gradually retreating; its front face is declining in width and height.

The Alaska State Capitol in downtown Juneau was built as the Federal and Territorial Building in 1931. Prior to statehood, it housed federal government offices, the federal courthouse and a post office. It also housed the territorial legislature and many other territorial offices, including that of the governor. Today, Juneau remains the home of the state legislature and the offices of the governor and lieutenant governor. Some other executive branch offices have moved elsewhere in the state. WIKIPEDIA

I heard it before I saw it. This mint looking, classic 1967 Chevelle SS rumbled the streets of Juneau Alaska.

The front plate's bragging rights: 'SS 454'

The rear customized Alaskan plate read 'WAYBAK'

One sweet ride !!!

Artistic impression

Thank-you for all the overwhelming support and many friendships.

Stay Healthy

~Christie

*Best experienced in full screen

Located in Devonport, building architecture is impressive. Devonport is a city in northern Tasmania, Australia. It is situated at the mouth of the Mersey River. Devonport had an urban population of 23,046 at the 2016 Australian census. A larger urban area, including Latrobe has a population of 30,297 at June 2018, having grown at an average annual rate of 0.17% year-on-year over the preceding five years. The main CBD is on the west side of the Mersey River and includes a pedestrian mall, cinema, speciality stores, chain stores such as IGA and hotels. There are several local restaurants and cafes. 29419

(Actinodura sodangorum)

Ngoc Linh

Vietnam

If you do a search here on Flickr for "Black-crowned Barwing," you'll only find 38 photos, which shows how difficult it is to see/photograph this species classified as Near Threatened. It only occur in Vietnam and Laos, in small pockets of dense forest, isolated from each other, at high altitudes.

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All my photos are now organized into sets by the country where they were taken, by taxonomic order, by family, by species (often with just one photo for the rarer ones), and by the date they were taken.

So, you may find:

- All the photos for this trip Vietname (2022) (206)

- All the photos for this order PASSERIFORMES (3553)

- All the photos for this family Leiothrichidae (Leiotriquídeos) (71)

- All the photos for this species Actinodura sodangorum (4)

- All the photos taken this day 2022/12/05 (13)

==================***==================

Wigeon - Anas Penelope

Length: 43-48cm

Wingspan: 80cm

Weight: 650-800g

Average lifespan: 3 years

Conservation status

Classified in the UK as Amber under the Birds of Conservation Concern 4: the Red List for Birds (2015). Protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981.

When to see

January to December

A common dabbling duck, the wigeon is a winter visitor that gathers in large numbers, particularly on wet grasslands, floodplain meadows, flooded gravel pits and reservoirs with gently sloping edges where they can easily get out onto the grassy banks. Wigeon can be spotted dabbling in close-knit groups or flying in tight formations over wetlands.

The wigeon is a medium-sized duck with a round head and short bill. Males are grey with a pink breast, orange head, yellow forehead and obvious white wing patches that can be seen when they fly. Females are similar to Mallard females, but with rusty brown plumage and a pointed tail.

Found throughout the country in winter, with large numbers congregating in coastal areas. It breeds in Scotland and Northern England in very small numbers.

Habitats

FreshwaterFarmlandCoastalWetlands

Did you know?

The large numbers of wigeon that visit our wetlands in winter help to place this bird on the Amber list of the UK's Red List for Birds - a national measure of the state of, and threats to, our bird populations.

This hoary marmot trio really liked each other, snuggling close and tight. Was rather endearing watching them.

"The word "hoary" refers to the silver-gray fur on their shoulders and upper back; the remainder of the upper parts have drab- or reddish-brown fur.

The marmots hibernate seven to eight months a year in burrows they excavate in the soil, often among or under boulders. Each colony typically maintains a single hibernaculum and a number of smaller burrows, used for sleeping and refuge from predators. Each colony digs an average of five such burrows a year, and a mature colony may have over a hundred. Sleeping burrows and hibernacula are larger and more complex, with multiple entrances, deep chambers lined with plant material, and stretching to a depth of about 3.5 metres (11 ft). A colony may have up to 9 regular sleeping burrows, in addition to the larger hibernaculum." Wikipedia

Enjoy a wonderful weekend,

Erythrina Mulungu and its "customers"

July and August are months rich in beauty and color here.

Crossing the mountains that separate Rio de Janeiro from São Paulo, with a halfway detour to Minas Gerais, this is the time when the green is punctuated by many trees with red flowers, others in coral tones.

Erythrina mulungu, known by the common names of Murungu, Mulungu-coral, is an endemic tree in Brazil, found in several national ecosystem including the Amazon and Atlantic Forest.

The species is used as an ornamental tree in tropical and subtropical regions and as a medicinal plant in traditional South American medicine, especially in Brazil. The tree is 10 to 25 m tall, blooms from mid-August with the tree completely leafless, lasting until the end of September. Its flowers are much sought after by hummingbirds and other birds to suck their nectar.

The fruits ripen in October-November with the plant still without leaves, but they are not edible.

Studies show that the plant has sedative, anxiolytic and anticonvulsant properties.

In my hometown I saw specimens of this beautiful and exuberant flowering being attacked by flocks of Maritacas, and I ended up feeling a small shower of flowers on my head, as the clumsy creatures lose a lot of food on these wild visits to the trees where they feed on.

Maritaca is a popular term to refer to the various species of birds in the parrot family. Depending on the region, Maritaca is the name used for medium-sized birds, which are smaller than parrots.

In the first photo you can see the Psittacara leucophthalma (Periquitão Maracanã) which has an “oval” shaped head, general green coloration with the sides of the head and neck with some red feathers. The average size is 32cm. In juveniles, the red feathers on the head and under the wings are absent, being entirely green in color.

The species flyes in flocks of 5 to 40 individuals, sleeping collectively in different places.

Found from the east of the Andes, from Colombia and Venezuela to the north of Argentina and Uruguay, including part of the Amazon and almost all of Brazil.

In the second photo another species, the Brotogeris chiriri (Yellow-winged Parakeet or Star Parakeet).

It is found in Central and Eastern Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Eastern Paraguay, Uruguay and Peru. In the national territory, it occurs from the South to the extreme of Pará, Ceará, Maranhão, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Pantanal, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

Both species were feeding from the same tree when I took these photos.

J'ai hésité à poster cette photo de qualité moyenne (photo prise entre 40 et 50m et fortement croppée), mais la situation : un Guêpier et une femelle de Loriot côte à côte, tellement surprenante m'a incité à la publier.

I hesitated to post this photo of average quality (photo taken between 40 and 50m and strongly cropped), but the situation: a Bee-eater and a Golden Oriole female side by side, being so surprising incited me to publish it.

Vallon de Marcillac - Aveyron - Occitanie - France

Plateau des Glières, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.

La meseta de Glières es una meseta de piedra caliza situada en el macizo de Bornes, en el departamento de Alta Saboya, en la región de Auvernia-Ródano-Alpes. Situada respectivamente a 29 y 15 kilómetros de La Roche-sur-Foron y Thorens-Glières, la meseta se extiende sobre los municipios de Glières-Val-de-Borne y Fillière. Alberga el monumento nacional de la Resistencia.

La meseta de Glières es un valle encaramado enmarcado por la montaña de Auges (1.822 metros), la cresta de Ovines (punta Québlette, 1.915 metros) y la montaña de Frêtes (1.910 metros). La altitud media es de 1.450 metros. La meseta limita al este con el valle del Borne, al noroeste con el valle de Fillière y al suroeste con el valle de Fier. Los principales puntos de acceso son la carretera de Glières desde Thorens-Glières o el valle del Borne.

El tablero consta de varios conjuntos. El extremo suroeste corresponde a la gran pradera de montaña de la llanura del Dran, que se transforma en un valle que conduce a Balme-de-Thuy. Limita al norte con el arroyo Paccot que drena la meseta perpendicularmente, hacia el valle de Fillière. Más allá, la meseta se ensancha en el sector del paso que marca el centro de Glières. Los bosques que cubren las laderas de las montañas de Auges y Frêtes dan paso en las partes más bajas a pastos de montaña y humedales que dan origen a numerosos ríos. Aquí termina la carretera de Glières desde Thorens-Glières y donde la Casa del Plateau y el Monumento Nacional de la Resistencia atraen a la mayoría de los visitantes. Hacia el noreste, una vez pasado el chalet alpino de Chez la Jode, la parte norte de la meseta queda excavada por el Nant du Talavé, vía de acceso natural desde el valle del Borne, mientras que un pequeño valle se abre hacia el sur. al noreste hasta el chalet Frêchet y termina en el puerto de Spée.

The Glières plateau is a limestone plateau located in the Borne massif, in the Haute-Savoie department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Located respectively 29 and 15 kilometres from La Roche-sur-Foron and Thorens-Glières, the plateau extends over the municipalities of Glières-Val-de-Borne and Fillière. It is home to the national monument of the Resistance.

The Glières plateau is a perched valley framed by the Auges mountain (1,822 metres), the Ovines ridge (Queblette point, 1,915 metres) and the Frêtes mountain (1,910 metres). The average altitude is 1,450 metres. The plateau is bordered to the east by the Borne valley, to the north-west by the Fillière valley and to the south-west by the Fier valley. The main access points are the Glières road from Thorens-Glières or the Borne valley.

The board consists of several sets. The south-west end corresponds to the large mountain meadow of the Dran plain, which turns into a valley leading to Balme-de-Thuy. It is bordered to the north by the Paccot stream which drains the plateau perpendicularly, towards the Fillière valley. Beyond, the plateau widens in the sector of the pass which marks the centre of Glières. The forests that cover the slopes of the Auges and Frêtes mountains give way in the lower parts to mountain pastures and wetlands which give rise to numerous rivers. This is where the Glières road from Thorens-Glières ends and where the Maison du Plateau and the National Monument of the Resistance attract most visitors. To the north-east, once past the Chez la Jode alpine chalet, the northern part of the plateau is carved out by the Nant du Talavé, a natural access route from the Borne valley, while a small valley opens out to the south, north-east to the Frêchet chalet and ends at the Col de Spée.

20 shots @ 8s averaged .

✔ no match: NO MESSAGE , rigged mesh , 2 styles Store / Marketplace

✔ FashionNatic : Reagan Set – Maitreya- Lara Petite- Legacy – Kupra Marketplace

Blog / Credits

With an average body height of four feet and wing length of nine feet, the American White Pelican gives off a dino vibe.

While gangly on land, their soaring abilities are amazing and they know how to use the air currents both in their migrations as well as in daily flight.

This one passed directly over me as I fired off several shots.

Here's a link to 10 Fun Facts About Pelicans :)

www.mentalfloss.com/article/515654/10-fun-facts-about-pel...

18-march-2022: the perpetual alternation between low and high tide, more marked precisely in this area where the tidal masses are channeled along the entire narrow Adriatic Sea, has greater variation in conjunction with the days around the full moon and the new moon.

It is therefore an astronomical phenomenon, but that Weather Patterns can alter, even massively.

In "my area", for most of the winter and with a peak in March, there were numerous extreme low tides and minimal high tides, this due to the over 1040hpas of adiabatic pressure and the continuous currents prevailing from the East or North-East.

So, every +1hpas over the terrestrial average pressure (gravity) value of 1013hpas corresponds to 1cm less in the level of that sea placed under the adiabatic pressure of the anticyclone and obviously vice versa in case of decreasing pressure.

The north-eastern currents tend to move the water masses towards the West and then towards the South following the anti-clockwise current that goes up the Adriatic along the Dalmatian coast and descends it from the Italian side.

All these factors "empty" the Gulf of Trieste which is also the Northernmost Spot of the entire Mediterranean Sea!

The exact opposite occurs with Low Pressure and the activation of persistent "long currents" from the South or South/East, in which cases not only Venice ends up under the surface of the Northern Adriatic Sea.

The oligotrophic, circumneutral body of water called Mirror Lake is in the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York in the United States. The lake is approximately 124 acres (0.50 km2), with a watershed area of 741 acres (3.00 km2). 27% of the watershed area is developed, 51% is forested, 2% is wetlands, and 20% is surface water.[2] The lake has a maximum depth of 65 feet (20 m) and an average depth of 14 feet (4.3 m).[3] It is located in the village of Lake Placid, near the center of the town of North Elba in Essex County. 392

Just doing what they do at this time of year, feeding up on fish for the next stage of their ongoing journey.

This was taken on the banks of Marsworth Reservoir,Tring where one corner seems more prised territory. This tern will chase of any interlopers, and it regularly needed to.

A local kingfisher waits on the footbridge for a fish to reveal itself. This juvenile male has become a bit of a star locally as it seemingly has no fear of people.

Today however, another male has appeared and seems to have chased this one off. The new adult seems to be doing very little fishing and lots of territory patrolling.

The adder is the UK's only venomous snake, but its poison is generally of little danger to humans: an adder bite can be painful and cause a inflammation, but is really only dangerous to the very young, ill or old. If bitten, medical attention should be sought immediately, however. Adders are secretive animals and prefer to slither off into the undergrowth rather than confront and bite humans and domestic animals; most attacks happen when they are trodden on or picked up. Instead, they use their venom to immobilise and kill their prey of small mammals, nestlings and lizards.

Statistics

Length: 60-80cm

Weight: 50-100g

Average lifespan: up to 15 years

Conservation status

Protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework.

When to see

March to October

Welcome to Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.

Garrison Keillor

Landscape of Tibet

Tibet is the highest country on earth with an average elevation of over 4000m. The lowest regions of Tibet are still over 2000m above sea level with Jomo Langma (Everest,Sagarmatha) ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ being the highest point at 8848m. Tibet is covered in grasslands, mountains and valleys.

Many of Asia’s largest rivers have their headwaters in Tibet such as the Ma chu རྨ་ཆུ་ ( Yellow River), Dri chu འབྲི་ཆུ་ (Yangtze), Nag chu ནག་ཆུ་ - རྒྱ་མོ་རྔུལ་ཆུ (Salween), Yarlung Tsangpo ཡར་ཀླུངས་གཙང་པོ་ (Brahmaputra) and Dza chu རྫ་ཆུ་ (Mekong). Western Tibet (Ngari) is a high, arid region with few people, while southeast Tibet (Kham) is forested and suitable for farming. Northern Tibet (Amdo) is covered in vast grasslands filled with yaks and sheep and central Tibet (U-Tsang) is the most densely populated area of Tibet lying along the fertile Yarlung Valley.

www.landofsnows.com/los/Landscape.html

(Enicurus maculatus)

Chopta

Uttarakhand

Índia

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All my photos are now organized into sets by the country where they were taken, by taxonomic order, by family, by species (often with just one photo for the rarer ones), and by the date they were taken.

So, you may find:

- All the photos for this trip Índia (2023) (213)

- All the photos for this order PASSERIFORMES (3553)

- All the photos for this family Muscicapidae (Muscicapídeos) (454)

- All the photos for this species Enicurus maculatus (2)

- All the photos taken this day 2023/03/05 (15)

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I return to my Summer photos. Here is the beach in Stegna (Poland) and view on The Gdańsk Bay :)

Gdańsk Bay or the Gulf of Gdańsk is a southeastern bay of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the adjacent port city of Gdańsk in Poland. The average depth is about 50 m, and the maximum depth is 118 m. The bay is enclosed by a large curve of the shores of Gdańsk Pomerania in Poland (Cape Rozewie, Hel Peninsula) and the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia (Sambian Peninsula).

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Wracam do zdjęć z wakacji. Na fotce plaża w Stegnie, z widokiem na Zatokę Gdańską :)

Zatoka Gdańska - zatoka w południowo-wschodniej części Morza Bałtyckiego, pomiędzy Polską i Rosją. Średnia głębokość wynosi około 50 m, a maksymalna 118 m. Nad Zatoką Gdańską znajdują się największe polskie porty: Gdańsk i Gdynia. Jeszcze w drugiej połowie XX w. ważnym zajęciem części zamieszkałej nad nią ludności było rybołówstwo przybrzeżne, uprawiane nawet przy plażach Gdańska, Sopotu i Gdyni, które dziś zanikło m.in. z powodu znacznego zanieczyszczenia wód zatoki i zmniejszenia ilości ryb.

Thanks to George Pitarys who reminds me today with his uploads, the fact that Action Red once ruled the Baie des Chaleurs part of Gaspésie.

We are located, on this cold Saturday morning, on the old timber bridge supporting the 5e Rand Ouest, a narrow path cut straight thru the deep forest north of New-Richmond and waiting for the first ever windmill blades train over the Société du Chemin de Fer de la Gaspésie trackage.

The average solitude and tranquility of the forest were quickly interrupted by three ALCo 251 prime movers, working full blast against gravity and the 1.4% grade with 6400 foot of train on the drawbar. The old timber bridge was shaken by the deafening exhaust of 3600 horsepower as the head end slowly top off the grade half a mile from it.

From now, the 60 or so mile-long chase have just began.

Windmill blade trains are no longer operating on the SCFG since a shifting in the size of the the blades build LM Windpower plant near Gaspé was now too long to be put on railcars.

SCFG 1819 will become the first of the small RS18u fleet to be painted in the SP Black Widow-inspired paint scheme a few weeks after this picture.

The old bridge over 5e Rang, closed to thru trafic since a few years, was torn down somewhere back in 2021.

But the show remain the same on the Gaspésie railway.

SCFG 565-03

1819 1856 1865

Milepost 63.6 Cascapedia subdivision

New-Richmond,QC

December 3rd, 2016

"Serra da Bocaina" National Park.

It has an area of 100,000 ha. It is located in the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, in the municipalities of São José do Barreiro, Cunha, Ubatuba and Areias in São Paulo and Paraty and Angra dos Reis in Rio de Janeiro.

Hot, sub-hot and super humid, rainfall ranging from 1,500 to 3,000 mm per year, average annual temperature of 23ºC, reaching 0ºC in the coldest months (June and July).

It is represented by a set of elevated surfaces forming well-defined mountains. The altitudes are on average between 800 m and 950 m.

The dominant plant formation is the Tropical Rainforest Atlantic Perenifolia, very rich in species, followed by Forests of Latitude. On the plateau we find native species such as araucaria and maritime pine. Several epiphytes occur in the area, especially on the banks of rivers, such as micro-orchids.

Blunt nose, small eyes, and small hairy ears in contrast to other British species of mice and also much smaller; prehensile tail the same length as the head and body; russet orange fur with a white underside.

Size: 50-70mm.

Weight: 4-6g.

Lifespan: 18 months on average.

Origin & Distribution: The harvest mouse is a native species. The harvest mouse is mainly found from central Yorkshire southwards. Isolated records from Scotland and Wales probably result from the release of captive animals. Areas of tall grass provide favourable habitats, such as cereals, road side verges, hedgerows, reed beds, dykes and salt mashes where nests can be built.

Diet: They eat a mixture of seeds, berries and insects, although moss, roots and fungi may also be taken. Harvest mice sometimes take grain from cereal heads, leaving characteristic sickle-shaped remains. Noticeable damage to cereal crops is extremely rare.

General Ecology: Harvest mice are extremely active climbers and feed in the stalk zone of long grasses and reeds, particularly around dusk and dawn. Their hearing is acute and they will react sharply; they either freeze or drop into cover in response to rustling sounds up to 7m away. Harvest mice have high energy requirements; the cost of being warm blooded and coping with a high surface to volume ratio.

Breeding nests are the most obvious sign indicating the presence of harvest mice. The harvest mouse is the only British mammal to build nests of woven grass well above ground. Nests tend to be found in dense vegetation such as grasses, rushes, cereals, grassy hedgerows, ditches and brambles. They are generally located on the stalk zone of grasses, at least 30cm above ground in short grasses and up to a metre in tall reeds. The size of the nest can vary from only 5cm in diameter for non-breeding nests to 10cm in diameter for breeding nests.

Harvest mice have many predators: weasels, stoats, foxes, cats, owls, hawks, crows, even pheasants.

Breeding: Harvest mice usually have two or three litters a year in the wild, between late May and October, but even into December if the weather is mild. Most litters are born in August. Cold wet weather is a major cause of mortality. There are usually around six young in a litter. The young are born blind and hairless but grow extremely quickly and start to explore outside the nest by the 11th day. The young are abandoned after about 16 days, but continue using the nest which may at then start to look rather dilapidated. A fresh nest is built for each litter.

Conservation Status: Harvest mice are listed as a BAP (Biodiversity Action Plan) Species because they are thought to have become much scarcer in recent years and they require conservation plans to reverse the decline. Changes in habitat management and agricultural methods are thought to be the main cause for the loss of populations from certain areas, although there have been no reliable studies to quantify this change.

Many thanks for your visits, faves and comments. Cheers.

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike

Scientific Name: Coracina novaehollandiae

Description: Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes have a black face and throat, blue-grey back, wings and tail, and white underparts. They are slender, attractive birds. They have a curious habit of shuffling their wings upon landing, a practice that gave rise to the name "Shufflewing", which is often used for this species. This shuffling is also carried out by most other species in this family. Young birds resemble the adults, except the black facial mask is reduced to an eye stripe.

Similar species: Young Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes may be confused with the White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Coracina papuenis, which also has a black eye stripe. However, this species is much smaller (26 - 28 cm).

Distribution: The Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike is widespread and common. Outside the breeding season, large family groups and flocks of up to a hundred birds form.

Habitat: The Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike is found in almost any wooded habitat, with the exception of rainforests. It is also familiar in many suburbs, where birds are often seen perched on overhead wires or television aerials.

Seasonal movements: Partially nomadic; some northwards migrations.

Feeding: Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes feed on insects and other invertebrates. These may be caught in the air, taken from foliage or caught on the ground. In addition to insects, some fruits and seeds are also eaten.

Breeding: Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes may mate with the same partner each year, and may use the same territories year after year. The nest is remarkably small for the size of the bird. It is a shallow saucer of sticks and bark, bound together with cobwebs. Both partners construct the nest and care for the young birds.

Cuckoo-shrikes are neither cuckoos nor shrikes, but are so called because their feathers have similar patterns to those of cuckoos and their beak shape resembles that of shrikes.

Calls: The call most often heard is a soft churring, often being described as a warbling "creearck".

Minimum Size: 32cm

Maximum Size: 34cm

Average size: 33cm

Average weight: 112g

Breeding season: August to February; varies in more arid areas

Nestling Period: 21 days

(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net)

__________________________________________

© Chris Burns 2021

All rights reserved.

This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying and recording without my written consent.

This lovely Short-Eared Owl (Asio flammeus) was just a few feet away the other side of the hedge. I carefully found a small gap to shoot through the foliage where the owl was illuminated by the setting sun.

Before knowing the weather condition of the Himalayan region we should understand its geography. The Himalayan region covers an area of 2,250 km with an average width of 200 km.

The forest belt of the Himalayan region consists of Oak, Rhododendron, Birch, Pine, Deodar, and Fir. And the monsoon season in this region lasts for mid June till the end of September. The Himalayas influences the meteorological conditions in the Indian subcontinent to the south and in the Central Asian highlands to the north to a great extent. It acts a climatic divider circulating the air and water system to a great extent. Because of its altitude and location it blocks the passage of the cold winds coming from the north to the Indian sub continent thereby making India's climate much more moderate. It also influences the rainfall pattern in India. The combined effect of rainfall, latitude and altitude largely influences the forests belts in the Himalayan region. The rainfall is mostly recorded during the monsoon time of June to September but it decreases as you travel from east to west. The snow-capped ranges of the Himalayas stretch 2, 250 km from the Namcha Barwa to Nanga Parbat on the Indus. The range extends from east to west up to central-Nepal and then takes a southeast to northwest direction.

www.himalaya2000.com/himalayan-facts/climate-of-himalayas...

The married redstart on the left was the usual bird to visit this log. He was chased off by the bird on the right on this occasion. He returned a few seconds later this time with the misses, who then did the chasing.

These have appeared in the garden over the last few weeks - tiny things, about 4-6 mm across on average.

"These odd and fascinating little fungi look for all the world like tiny birds' nests. The fruiting bodies form little cuplike nests which contain spore-filled eggs. The nests are called "peridia" ("peridium" in the singular), and serve as splash cups; when raindrops strike the nest, the eggs (called "periodoles") are projected into the air, where they latch onto twigs, branches, leaves, and so on. What exactly happens next is not completely clear, but eventually the spores are dispersed from the egg. They then germinate and create mycelia, which eventually hook up with other mycelia and produce more fruiting bodies." - www.mushroomexpert.com/birdsnests.html

ice Storm, Ellenville, NY.

February 14th

You say you wanna see me

I'm thinking chocolate and flowers

We meet for breakfast

I'm feeling restless

Been gettin' ready for hours

Rogue Valley - Jackson County - Oregon - USA

Habitat : Open Woodlands

Food : Insects

Nesting : Tree

Behavior : Ground Forager

Conservation : Low Concern

"The quintessential early bird, American Robins are common sights on lawns across North America, where you often see them tugging earthworms out of the ground. Robins are popular birds for their warm orange breast, cheery song, and early appearance at the end of winter. Though they’re familiar town and city birds, American Robins are at home in wilder areas, too, including mountain forests and Alaskan wilderness... An American Robin can produce three successful broods in one year. On average, though, only 40 percent of nests successfully produce young. Only 25 percent of those fledged young survive to November. From that point on, about half of the robins alive in any year will make it to the next. Despite the fact that a lucky robin can live to be 14 years old, the entire population turns over on average every six years."

- Cornell University Lab of Ornithology

I've had a drone for nearly a year now and I'm still not sure if I really like it or not. Maybe I'm just slower than average but I was surprised that there was a bit of a learning curve as far as composition goes. Considering that I slaved away at the Saddledome and spent nearly every penny I made there on this contraption, you'd think I'd use more than I currently do. I thought so too, but it's just such a pain in the ass to try and set this thing up while there's an SD40 breathing down your neck. I often find myself having to decide whether to get a drone or a "normal" shot rather than both and seeing as this things camera is about on par with my phone, I almost always go with my camera.

That being said, it still manages to pull of some cool angles and I am trying to plan to use it more going into 2023.

Die Postalm ist ein Almgebiet in der Gemeinde Strobl im Bundesland Salzburg. Mit 42 Quadratkilometern ist es das größte Almengebiet in Österreich. Das Hochplateau besitzt eine mittlere Höhe von über 1300 m.

The Postalm is an alpine pasture area in the municipality of Strobl in the province of Salzburg. With 42 square kilometers it is the largest alpine pasture area in Austria. The plateau has an average altitude of over 1300 meters.

Noblex Pro 6/150 UX

Kodak TMY 400

Lithprint auf Kentmere Kentona (2007)

1) SE5 1+7, +1,5 f-stops, 2:20 min

2) Siena 25 + NH4Cl 8 + Carbonat 15 + H2O 800, 1:20 min

Lichter gebleicht

MT1 Selentonung 1+20, 1 min