Turnstone - Arinaria Interpres

Ruddy turnstones can survive in a wide range of habitats and climatic conditions from Arctic to tropical. The typical breeding habitat is open tundra with water nearby. Outside the breeding season, it is found along coasts, particularly on rocky or stony shores. It is often found on man-made structures such as breakwaters and jetties. It may venture onto open grassy areas near the coast. Small numbers sometimes turn up on inland wetlands, especially during the spring and autumn migrations.

In terms of wintering sites, ruddy turnstones are particularly faithful to specific locations. A study published in 2009 examined turnstones wintering along a stretch of coastline in the Firth of Clyde. It found that 95% of birds resident to the area at the end of winter returned the following autumn. The same study also confirmed ruddy turnstones as one of the longest lived wader species, with annual adult mortality rates of under 15%. Their average lifespan is 9 years with 19 years and 2 months being the longest recorded.

Population:

UK wintering:

48,000 birds

Not liked by the average person but some species of blow fly can help forensic scientise pin down the time of death of a body by looking at the size of the maggots. Some species can live for several months or even a year if overwintering. Here you can see the extended mouth part called the pseudo trachea and at the end what looks a bit like a mop is a device that consist of many tubes. Through these tubes the fly will gulp its stomach contents over the food to help digest and turn the food into a liquid to be swallowed up. Which reminds me where did I put my last large slice of Victoria Sponge as I'm very hungry now !

ID: gilsum_stone_arch_bridge_9198_DSC09198_hdr

Built in 1862–63, it is one of the highest stone arch bridges in the state. It has a span of 47 feet 8 inches (14.53 m), and an average height over the river of 36 feet 6 inches (11.13 m). The roadway is 43 feet 6 inches (13.26 m) above the riverbed. It stands on the site of four previous bridges, where the river passes through a deep gorge. (source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilsum_Stone_Arch_Bridge)

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

➣ The Îles-de-la-Madeleine are filled with these beautiful natural sculptures. The spectacular cliffs are composed of red or gray sandstone. Unfortunately, the walls are very friable and the erosion tears on average 0.73 m per year. Location: From Étang-du-Nord (North-Pound) to Fatima - Îles-de-la-Madeleine archipelago in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in Quebec, Canada.

➣ Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine sont remplies de ces belles sculptures naturelles. Les falaises spectaculaires sont composées de grès rouge ou gris. Malheureusement, les parois sont très friables et l’érosion leur arrache en moyenne 0,73 m par an. Lieu: De L'Étang-du-Nord à Fatima - Archipel des Îles-de-la-Madeleine dans le Golfe du St-Laurent, au Québec.

➣ Las Îles-de-la-Madeleine están llenas de estas bellas esculturas naturales. Los espectaculares acantilados están compuestos de arenisca roja o gris. Desafortunadamente, las paredes son muy friables y la erosión se rasga en promedio 0.73 m por año. Ubicación: De Étang-du-Nord (Estanque del Norte) a Fátima - Archipiélago Îles-de-la-Madeleine, en el Golfo de San Lorenzo, en Quebec, Canadá.

From 1840 Cononley produced an average of 470 tons of lead ore per year until 1870, when output fell rapidly as the available ore was exhausted and new reserves were not found. The mine closed briefly in the slump of 1872, but reopened with a much smaller workforce before finally closing in 1881. www.nmrs.org.uk/mines-map/metal/mid-pennine-mines/fsouth/...

(Actinodura strigula)

Mandal

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 Leiothrichidae (Leiotriquídeos) (71)

- All the photos for this species Actinodura strigula (1)

- All the photos taken this day 2023/03/08 (16)

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

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

Blog / Credits

White Rock is an oceanfront city in British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of Metro Vancouver.

White Rock has a moderate climate, with average daily high temperatures of 23 degrees Celsius in summer and 6 degrees Celsius in winter.

White Rock is named for a distinctive large white boulder on its beach near the promenade, a glacial erratic that migrated south during the last glaciation. The 486-ton granite boulder was kept white by shellfish-eating seabirds whose guano covered the rock, so much so that 19th-century sailors used it as a beacon. However, it is now kept white through monthly applications of white paint by the city parks department, and has been a popular graffiti target for over thirty years.

Legend.

The large, white rock is mentioned in the legends of the local Coast Salish peoples. One legend says that the white rock marks the landing spot of a stone that was hurled across the Strait of Georgia by a young chief It was said that he and his bride would move from Vancouver Island to wherever the rock landed to make a home together.

Information complied from Wikipedia

I truly appreciate your kind words and would like to thank-you all, for your overwhelming support.

~Christie

**Best experience in full screen

one day a Dear Friend of mine asked me "a rose a day"...

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The Marbled Godwit is a shorebird that is speckled in browns with a cinnamon wash that is especially noticeable when it spreads its long and pointed wings to take flight. On average it is the largest of the four godwit species.

This was taken at Frank Lake, Alberta, Canada

-Limosa fedoa

barge marbrée- agachadiza jaspeada- marmorierte Uferschnepfe - 大理石のオグロシギ

Pieris brassicae, the large white, also called cabbage butterfly, cabbage white, cabbage moth (erroneously), or in India the large cabbage white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is a close relative of the small white, Pieris rapae.

The large white is common throughout Europe, north Africa, and Asia to the Himalayas often in agricultural areas, meadows and parkland. It has managed to establish a population in South Africa and in 1995 it was predicted to spread to Australia and New Zealand.[1][2]

The large white is a strong flier and the British population is reinforced in most years by migrations from the continent

The large white ova are pale yellow, turning darker yellow within twenty-four hours of being oviposited. A few hours prior to hatching, they become black, the shell more transparent, and the larvae visible within.

For both males and females, the wings are white with black tips on the forewings. The female also has two black spots on each forewing. The underside of each wing is a pale greenish and serves as excellent camouflage when at rest. The black markings are generally darker in the summer brood. The large white butterfly's wingspan reaches 5 to 6.5 cm on average.

Months of lockdown., restricted or no access, (e.g. Rutland Water is still closed)

but nonetheless we wanted to find and photograph an Osprey

(Well why make it easy!?!)

And somehow we did!

Light wasn't the best., no fish or aerobatics., We know this shot isn't going to 'wow' you

(And we hope they'll be better ones to come)

But none of that really matters

What does matter (to us) it's our first Osprey the year

I learned why Rainforests are so prevalent in Costa Rica… it rains a lot :-)

Average rainfall in Costa Rica is 100 inches, but the more mountainous rainforest regions can get up to 25 feet of rainfall annually.

Costa Rica is a rugged, rain forested Central American country with coastlines on the Caribbean and Pacific. Costa Rica is known for its beaches, volcanoes, and biodiversity. Roughly a quarter of its area is made up of protected jungle, teeming with wildlife including spider monkeys and quetzal birds.

Costa Rica was inhabited by indigenous peoples before coming under Spanish rule in the 16th century. It remained a peripheral colony of the empire until independence as part of the First Mexican Empire, followed by membership in the Federal Republic of Central America, from which it formally declared independence in 1847. Following the brief Costa Rican Civil War in 1948, it permanently abolished its army in 1949, becoming one of only a few sovereign nations without a standing army.

(Nikon Z6, 24-200/f4.0, 1/80 @ f/22, ISO 220, processed to taste)

Taken a few weeks back at Wilstone Reservoir, Tring, this sparrowhawk scared off everything. A short while later a peregrine did similar. The gathered prey never really settled after that. We also had visits from Hobby, Buzzard, Kestrel and Red Kites.

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...

Kousa Dogwood berries are small fruits, averaging 2 to 4 centimeters in diameter, and have a uniform, globular, to slightly oval shape. The fruits are a type of drupe, comprised of 20 to 40 individual carpels that fuse to form a spherical appearance and are connected to slender, elongated, and fibrous light brown-green stems averaging 7 to 10 centimeters in length. The fruit's skin is semi-thick, rough, and taut, covered in small bumps, creating a pointed, ridged appearance. The surface also ripens from green to orange-red or red-purple and has a gritty and grainy feel with a bitter, astringent taste, making it somewhat unpleasant to consume. Underneath the skin, the bright orange-yellow flesh has a slippery, lightly mealy, sticky, custard-like consistency. The solid, pulpy flesh also encases a few to many small seeds that should be discarded when eaten.

Select Kousa Dogwood berries that are bright red and feel soft to the touch. The fruits should be slightly squishy, which signifies that the flesh has converted most of its starch into sugars for a sweeter eating experience. Ripe Kousa Dogwood berries are consumed for their flesh, discarding the skin and seeds. The flesh has a sweet, tropical, and earthy taste with a unique blend of pumpkin, mango, and persimmon-like nuances. Kousa Dogwood berries are available in the late summer through fall.

Kousa Dogwood berries, botanically classified as Cornus kousa, are the fruits of a deciduous flowering tree belonging to the Cornaceae family. [...]. Kousa is derived from the Hakone dialect on Honshu Island in Japan, where the fruiting dogwood tree was once called "Kusa," eventually being altered to "Kousa." The Asian varieties are also known as Japanese dogwood, Chinese dogwood, Korean dogwood, and Japanese Flowering dogwood. [...].

Kousa Dogwood berries are a source of calcium to build strong bones and teeth and carotene to produce vitamin A in the body.[...]. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the fruits are used as an anti-inflammatory, an aid to cleanse the liver, and as an ingredient to help improve energy levels.

specialtyproduce.com/produce/Kousa_Dogwood_Berries_18370.php

One source says the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains range is about 1,000 km (620 mi) in length. Its highest point is 7,090 m (23,260 ft) located 100 km (62 mi) to the northwest of Lhasa. The range is parallel to the Himalayas in the Transhimalayas, and north of the Brahmaputra River. [3] Another source says the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains extend 460 miles (740 km) from Nyêmo County in the west to Ranwu County (the southwestern part of Baxoi County) in the east.

Its highest peak is Mount Nyenchen Tanglha (Nyainqêntanglha Feng) at 7,162 metres (23,497 ft).[4]

The southern side of the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains is precipitous, and falls by around 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), while the northern side is fairly level and descends about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). Most of the mountains are below 6,500 metres (21,300 ft).[5] They contain 7080 glaciers covering an area of 10,700 square kilometres (4,100 sq mi).[4]

The Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains have an average latitude of 30°30'N and a longitude between 90°E and 97°E. Together with the Gangdise Shan located further west, it forms the Transhimalaya [a] which runs parallel to the Himalayas north of the Yarlung Tsangpo River.

The Drukla Chu river rises in the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains, where it is called the Song Chu river, and joins the Gyamda Chu river. The combined rivers run about 100 kilometres (62 mi) southeast to the Yarlung Tsangpo river.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyenchen_Tanglha_Mountains

Winter is coming and Colorado has already had its first snow. 2020 was a very snowy winter, and right now forecasts are predicting above average snow for our area in Colorado. Good for skiing, but it can make it challenging for wildlife.

This photo taken Feb 21, 2020

100x photos taken on a 1500 mile walk #87 and for Sliders Sunday

Not your average high street! Photographed from Dubrovnik's ancient walls and processed with way too much HDR and sharpening... HSS everybody! :)

According to lore, this one seems to be predicting an average winter. Haehnle Sanctuary - Grass Lake, Michigan

Moon canyon, Kazakhstan

Please view large.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR FAVS AND LOVELY COMMENTS. THEY ARE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED

Chesil Beach is 18 miles (28 kilometres) long and, on average, 160 metres wide and rises to 12 metres in height. It is a pebble and shingle tombolo connecting Portland to Abbotsbury and then continuing north-westwards to West Bay near Bridport. It is the largest tombolo in the UK.

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

Madagascar

Tenrecs are endemic to Madagascar. Average length 5.5 inches

A fully terrestrial species of the forest floor, the lowland streaked tenrec is a specialist feeder on soft-bodied leaf litter invertebrates, including earthworms. The species is active both by day and night, and nest in fixed burrows which are commonly located near water. Latrine sites are situated near the nest entrance, which may be covered by leaves. Social groups may excavate complex interconnected burrow systems.

Social behaviour is complex, with groups consisting of over 20 related individuals, mostly the year's young accompanying four or fewer adults. Animals may forage alone or in small subgroups. When the quills are rubbed together they emit a high-pitched sound which is hypothesized to be a source of communication to other individuals.

Lowland streaked tenrecs do not go into true hibernation, but lower their body temperature and become inactive in response to adverse conditions; typically this coincides with the dry season, when temperature and food availability are at their lowest.

Not your average Hudson....

Better than the average salad.

Good Old "Sol." On average only 93 million miles from Brooklyn, and still warming our hearts. Good morning to all!!

(Pellorneum tickelli)

Cat Tien

Vietname

Captured in a hunting pose, with a freshly caught mealworm gripped tightly in its sharp, pointed beak, this Babbler perches on a fallen trunk in the forest understory. The bird's posture is alert and ready, illustrating the swift and precise movements it uses to catch its prey. It is a remarkable sight to see these birds in action in their natural habitat, showcasing their unique adaptations for survival.

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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 Pellorneidae (Pelorneídeos) (22)

- All the photos for this species Pellorneum tickelli (4)

- All the photos taken this day 2022/12/16 (17)

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I suspect this is a combination of two broods, as I counted 20 goslings. On average, broods do not exceed 10 individuals. Two adult geese were tending this group, as they foraged in a pond that had dried up because of the low water year.

Lonely girl standing alone on her house

I noticed this pigeon with unusual colours and markings the other day. We’ve had quite a few of them around recently!

Many thanks for the visits, faves and comments. Cheers

Scarlet Honeyeater

Scientific Name: Myzomela sanguinolenta

Description: The adult male Scarlet Honeyeater is a vivid scarlet red and black bird with whitish underparts. The females and immature birds are dull brown with dull white underparts and a reddish wash on the chin. In both sexes the tail is relatively short, the bill strongly curved and the eye is dark. This species is a small honeyeater, usually seen alone or in pairs, but occasionally in flocks, high in trees.

Similar species: The male Scarlet Honeyeater can be confused with the male Red-headed Honeyeater, M. erythrocephala, where their ranges overlap (east coast of Cape York Peninsula). It can be distinguished by having more extensive red colouring over the back and down the breast. Female and immature Scarlet Honeyeaters may be confused with similarly coloured honeyeaters, including females and immatures of the Red-headed and the Dusky Honeyeater, M. obscura, as well as the Brown Honeyeater, Lichmera indistincta. They differ from the Red-headed in being more olive-brown and lack red on the forehead. They are smaller and more compact than the Dusky, with a shorter bill and tail, as well as having different calls. They are smaller than the Brown Honeyeater and lack this species' eyespot.

Distribution: The Scarlet Honeyeater is found along the east coast of Australia, from Cooktown, Queensland to Gippsland, Victoria, but it is less common south of Sydney, being a summer migrant in the south. It is also found in Sulawesi, the Moluccas and Lesser Sundas, Indonesia and in New Caledonia.

Habitat: The Scarlet Honeyeater lives in open forests and woodlands with a sparse understorey, especially round wetlands, and sometimes in rainforests. It can be seen in urban areas in flowering plants of streets, parks and gardens.

Seasonal movements: Resident in the north of its range, seasonally migratory in south, with movements associated with flowering of food plants. It is considered nomadic around Sydney, following autumn- and winter-flowering plants.

Feeding: The Scarlet Honeyeater feeds mainly on nectar and sometimes on fruit and insects. It tends to feed in the upper levels of the canopy, foraging in flowers and foliage, usually singly, in pairs or small flocks. Often evicted by larger, more aggressive honeyeaters such as friarbirds.

Breeding:

The Scarlet Honeyeater breeds in pairs, with the more conspicuous male calling and displaying to the quieter females. The small cup nest is suspended from a horizontal branch or in a fork, and is made from fine bark and grass bound with spider web and lined with fine plant materials. The female incubates the eggs alone, but both sexes feed the young. Up to three broods may be produced per season.

Calls: Males have a silvery tinkling song, which is sung from a prominent perch. Also, 'chiew chiew' contact calls made by both sexes.

Minimum Size: 9cm

Maximum Size: 11cm

Average size: 10cm

Average weight: 8g

Breeding season: July to January

Clutch Size: Usually 2

Incubation: 12 days

Nestling Period: 12 days

(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net)

© Chris Burns 2023

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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.

Remember when Average Joe Railfan's only hope of catching something worthwhile was just by virtue of showing up? I recently lucked into just such a morning of "old-school" railfanning.

With nary a "Heritage Units dot com" report, Facebook sighting, nor other railfan-network-inside-scoop-heads-up, I stumbled across NS 20T running under the abandoned C&NW bridge at Curran, IL, led by Reading heritage SD70ACe 1067. Better to be lucky than good I guess...at first glance, I thought it was a UP leader.

That paint surely needs some touching up, but I figure this unit's next trip to the paint booth will result in a new coat of the black and white...or the scrapper's torch.

Figures from Pixabay ,background room is in Bodie Ghost Town which is my image.All texture and tints done in Nik Efex and Perfect Effects.Thank you.

Managed to get this panning while standing under a tree. Weather was extreme.

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

While sat on the bank of a small fishing pooL, trying to photograph dragons, I noticed this reed bunting regularly landing on the path to collect grubs.

Average daylight, darktime (colortime)

As long as I'm on big birds, our African guide referred to this bird as the 747 of the bird world. This one got a nice bite for breakfast as we watched.

From the web: The kori bustard (Ardeotis kori) is arguably the largest flying bird native to Africa. It is a member of the bustard family, which all belong to the order Otidiformes and are restricted in distribution to the Old World. ... Large males exceed a weight of 20 kg (44 lb), weigh around 13.5 kg (30 lb) on average and can attain a total length of 150 cm (59 in).

Putting size into perspective, I'm only almost 63 inches tall. :-)

Oreo in 2014 - Not your average cat. Uniquely marked, Oreo Robin William has a complex IQ. He learned the names of the other cats on his own, addresses them by name or attribute. Calls Lil Bear the same squeaky annoying sound LB makes to gain attention. Orie asks ?'s by repeating nouns, even when I'm talking to another cat. Showed up last winter, pleading for food, yet took a snow storm to finally trust me and come inside. He didn't understand why would anyone abandon him. Neither do I. He's a keeper.

Originally seen in My National Geographic Your Shot Gallery and submitted to the Assignment, "Animals We Love."

Wikipedia: The purple roller is the largest of the rollers, growing to a length of 35 to 40 cm (14 to 16 in). Adults weigh from 145 to 200 g (5.1 to 7.1 oz) with an average weight of 168 g (5.9 oz).[6] From a distance it appears a dull brownish bird with a white stripe over the eye, a patch of white on the nape and a dark tail. Northern populations tend to have a rufus crown while southern populations have a more olive-green crown. The underparts are purplish-pink streaked with white. The wings are long and rounded while the tail is square-cut.