You can only reach this view of the reservoir by negotiating the inhumane 'Devil’s Staircase' road (!) with 21% ramps and completely blind summits. It is a series of hairpin turns, reaching a maximum gradient of 20.1% It is an old drover's track stretching for about 20 miles between the small hamlet of Abergwesyn and the town of Tregaron. It is a single-track metalled road, extremely narrow and twisty. The road surface deteriorates considerably at times, with the center section covered in gravel. If you are scared to drive on narrow mountain roads impassable for two average cars at the same time, it's better to avoid it! It was pretty hairy I have to say but the view was pretty spectacular despite the grey, drizzly day!!

Another late evening shot from Ivinghoe Beacon. Loads about at the moment including more small coppers than I have seen there in a long time.

Please view large.

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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.

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.

Joychandi Pahar reaches an average height of about 155 m (≈ 509 ft) above sea level, part of the Chota Nagpur Plateau landscape

To reach the summit, visitors must ascend roughly 500–520 stone steps. At the top, you'll find the Chandi Mata Temple and a Hanuman shrine, both maintained with ongoing local rituals

A curious feature at the summit is a miniature water reserve carved in rock, said to be filled with "tears of Sita" and believed to be eternally replenishing and medicinal. There's also a rocky outcrop known locally as the “Bagher Dera” (tiger’s den)

Pharaoh Khufu began the first Giza pyramid project, circa 2550 B.C. His Great Pyramid is the largest in Giza and towers some 481 feet (147 meters) above the plateau. Its estimated 2.3 million stone blocks each weigh an average of 2.5 to 15 tons. I photographed the pyramids from different angles and perspectives, but this long shot is one of my favorites.

Men Say Brown

On the radio this morning: The average woman knows

275 colors-and men know eight. Women say coffee,

mocha, copper, cinnamon, taupe. Men say brown........

Henry M. Seiden

Source: Poetry ( January 1999 )

(Pomatorhinus schisticeps)

Di Linh

Vietname

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This is a 2.9-mile out-and-back trail near Bend, Oregon. Generally considered an easy route, it takes an average of 1 h 30 min to complete. This is a popular trail for birding, cross-country skiing, and fishing, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. The trail is mostly along the river, but at points heads further inland and passes a small pond. We started at Dillon Falls trailhead and went down to Slough Use Day area and back. We found all sorts of fall color along the river.

Lonely girl standing alone on her house

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.

(Calicalicus rufocarpalis)

This species, first described in 1997, was the last, from her list of over 8000 species, observed by Phoebe Snetsinger before the car accident that claimed her life.

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Horseshoe Falls night photo atop the Skylon Tower. Hand-held shot - no tripod.

Visit: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_Falls

Info from Wikipedia:

Niagara Falls (/naɪˈæɡrə/, Cayuga: Gahnawehtaˀ or Tgahnawęhtaˀ is the collective name for three waterfalls that straddle the international border between Canada and the United States; more specifically, between the province of Ontario and the state of New York. They form the southern end of the Niagara Gorge.

From largest to smallest, the three waterfalls are the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls. The Horseshoe Falls lie mostly on the Canadian side and the American Falls entirely on the American side, separated by Goat Island. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls are also located on the American side, separated from the other waterfalls by Luna Island. The international boundary line was originally drawn through Horseshoe Falls in 1819, but the boundary has long been in dispute due to natural erosion and construction.

Located on the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, the combined falls form the highest flow rate of any waterfall in the world, with a vertical drop of more than 165 feet (50 m). Horseshoe Falls is the most powerful waterfall in North America, as measured by vertical height and also by flow rate. The falls are located 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York and 75 miles (121 km) south-southeast of Toronto, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.

Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. More than six million cubic feet (168,000 m3) of water falls over the crest line every minute in high flow, and almost four million cubic feet (110,000 m3) on average.

The Niagara Falls are renowned both for their beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Managing the balance between recreational, commercial, and industrial uses has been a challenge for the stewards of the falls since the 19th century. (Wikipedia)

© Copyright

This photo and all those in my Photostream are protected by copyright. No one may reproduce, copy, transmit or manipulate them without my written permission.

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

I've finally made it to Grey Refuge, my last stop in this park! I'll be here for two nights. There are tons of adventures to be had around here. Today, my fourth day, I hiked a total of 13.5 miles (21.82 km) on two different trails. I still have two more days of hiking ahead. So, what am I going to do now that I'm here? The highest temperature today was 42.8 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius) and the lowest was 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius). First, a hot shower! Then, I'm going to unpack everything and hang up all my clothes. With my 50-liter (13.20-gallon) backpack now empty, I can head to the bar for a few pisco sours and catch up with the other hikers. After dinner, I'll warm up by the fireplace with a glass of cognac. And then, it's off to bed. The glacier and Grey Lake are only 2,362 feet (720 meters) away. I can hear the ice walls crashing into the lake. It's part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the second largest extra-polar ice cap in the world. It's 17.4 miles (28 km) long and covers an area of over 105 square miles (270 square kilometers). It starts on the western side of the Patagonian Andes and ends at the shores of Grey Lake. On average, it's 98 feet (30 meters) high and about 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) wide.

Hiking summary:

Day 1: 18.6 miles (30 km).

Day 2: 10.6 miles (17 km).

Day 3: 14.3 miles (23 km).

Day 4: 13.7 miles (22 km).

Total for the first four days: 57.2 miles (92 km).

(Grallina cyanoleuca)

Trin Warren Tam-Boore Bellbird Waterhole - Melbourne

Austrália

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(Geothlypis aequinoctialis)

Campos do Jordão

Brasil

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This is part of the Ring of Brodgar.

The Ring Of Brodgar is on the largest of the Orkney islands, Mainland. It was built around 2500 - 2000 BC and is the third largest stone circle in the British Isles. It originally had something in the region of 60 stones. There are fewer than 30 there now. The larger stones are taller than an average person, maybe double the height. This place has World Heritage status as part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney.

Ο Γαλαξίας φωτογραφήθηκε με ISO 3200 και χρόνο έκθεσης 10sec σε 8 συνεχόμενες φωτογραφίες με την μέθοδο του Image Averaging

Sometimes an average photo in nature’s hands can create quite a nice image.

Shelduck at WWT Martin Mere

The average porcupine has about 30,000 quills and as I watched it forage my parent’s yard I remembered that dogs and porcupines don’t mix well. Lucky for me, they don’t have any dogs now so the presence of a porcupine no longer requires an expensive painful trip to the vet, and I enjoyed watching this fella for a few minutes one early morning.

Deep in the caverns of the DC Metro, a set of Kawasaki built 7000 series cars makes a stop at the Metro Center on the red line. Metro Center station is the central hub station of the Washington Metro. The station is located in downtown, centered on the intersection of 12th Street NW and G Street NW and is the busiest station in the system, with an average of 7,600 passengers per weekday as of 2022.

Kangra valley (average altitude 2000 feet) is my favourite destination in Himachal Pradesh.Thankfully it is not as popular with tourists as Shimla and Kullu- Manali but I think in the springtime few places in India can rival its sublime beauty. With its picturesque villages with their houses of slate covered roofs, wheatfields of soothing green,orchards in blossom,gushing mountain streams and the glistening white peaks of the Dhauladhars as a stunning backdrop it is no less than a paradise on earth

The Dhauladhar range is one of the ranges of the Middle Himalayas,.They lie entirely in the state of Himachal Pradesh in India.They are distinctive in their typical dark granite rocky formations with a remarkably steep rise culminationg in streaks of snow and ice at the top of their crested peaks.The elevation of the Dhauladhars ranges from around 3500 metres to nearly 6000 metres avove sea level.They are best seen from the beautiful Kangra valley from where they appear to shoot up almost vertically.

Source -: Wikipedia

(Chlorophonia callophrys)

San Gerardo de Dota

Costa Rica

... of the American sycophant and spittle licker is precisely 6.5 cm. Spittle lickers are a universal phenomenon, but in Washington DC they are congregating in huge numbers, particularly in the Government where they lick the shoe soles (and other unmentionables) of GNOTUS (Great Narcissist of the US). The world is watching with disgust. Fuji X-Pro1.

♫Timmy is an average kid

That no one understands

Mom and Dad and Vicky

always giving him commands

Doom and Gloom up in his room,

Is broken instantly,

By his magic little fish

who grant his every wish,

Cuz in reality they are his Odd

Parents, Fairly Odd Parents,

Wanda: Wands and wings,

Comso: Floaty Crowny things,♫

Song: www.youtube.com/watch?v=no8vgXg_rlw&list=RDno8vgXg_rl...

Just an average country girl trying to make it on her own....on the upside, a not so single life is finally in the works!!

Your comments and faves are greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

Eastern Spinebill

Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris

The Eastern Spinebill sometimes hovers like a hummingbird when feeding on the nectar from flowers. Most Australian honeyeaters feed on flowers from a perched position.

Description: The Eastern Spinebill is most easily recognised by its very long, fine, down-curved beak and energetic flight, during which its white outer tail feathers are prominent. Males have a grey-black crown which extends in a black line on either site of the breast. The breast and throat are white, with a rufous patch in the centre of the throat. The wings and lower back are dark grey and the underparts and upper back are buff. Females are similar to males but have less distinct markings.

Similar species: Crescent Honeyeater, Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, Western Spinebill (in Western Australia)

Distribution: The Eastern Spinebill's range is generally east of the Great Dividing Range from Cooktown in Queensland to the Flinders Ranges in South Australia

Habitat: The Eastern Spinebill prefers heath, forest and woodland.

Seasonal movements: Largely sedentary, but undergoes some local movements, especially away from higher elevations in autumn/winter.

Feeding: The Eastern Spinebill feeds on insects and nectar while perched or while hovering. Nectar is obtained from a wide array of flowers, including grevilleas, but its beak is particularly well-suited to extracting nectar from tubular flowers such as epacrids.

Breeding: The Eastern Spinebill's nest is a small cup of twigs, grass and bark, combined with hair and spider's web, built in a tree fork, generally between 1 and 5 metres from the ground. Only the female builds the nest and incubates the eggs, but both parents feed the young when they hatch.

Calls: Short, repeated, high-pitched piping.

Minimum Size: 15cm

Maximum Size: 16cm

Average size: 16cm

Average weight: 11g

Breeding season: August to January

Clutch Size: 2

Incubation: 14 days

Nestling Period: 14 days

(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Acanthorhynchus-tenuiros...)

__________________________________________

© Chris Burns 2025

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.

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Top and pants: .Malediction. Toki Set Anatomy Update

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Other:

Hairs: *barberyumyum*B20(neon)

Septum: Fewness - Thick Sphere Septum

Earings: [//REBIRTH/]-croissant

Nose band aid: kotte - band aid

Phone: MAJESTY - !Phone Crystal

Smart watch: MAJESTY - !Watch Charm

Icecream: Junk Food - Ice Cream Bouquet

Tattoo: .: CORAZON :. Belle Ame

Body piercing: Fewness - Bow Pelvis Piercing

Socks: [ VERSOV ] OMNI SOCKS

Shoes: -FLUID- Bun Sneaka

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I've got the pen

You cannot find the vape in your hand

It's offensive you want to be friends

Do not mention me ever again

You're disposable I'm undeniable

Let's not pretend

I am a legend already

Right now I am being mentioned

In therapy sessions

Across the state of Connecticut

They talk about me incessantly

Whispering "cunt"

🎵"CVNT" Sophie Hunter🎵

(Lanius humeralis)

Ngorongoro Crater

Tanzânia

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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.

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

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Superb Fairy-wren

Scientific Name: Malurus cyaneus

Description: Adult male Superb Fairy-wrens are among the most brightly coloured of the species, especially during the breeding season. They have rich blue and black plumage above and on the throat. The belly is grey-white and the bill is black. Females and young birds are mostly brown above with a dull red-orange area around the eye and a brown bill. Females have a pale greenish gloss, absent in young birds, on the otherwise brown tail. The legs are brown in both sexes. Males from further inland and in the south-west of the range have more blue on the back and underparts.

Similar species: Several other species of fairy-wren are found in Australia. The males of each species are quite distinct, but the females and young birds are often difficult to separate. Of the species that overlap in range with the Superb Fairy-wren, the female White-winged Fairy-wren Malurus leucopterus and Red-backed Fairy-wren M. melanocephalus lacks the chestnut colour around the eye, while the female Variegated Fairy-wren M. lamberti has a dull grey-blue wash. Both the Superb and White-winged Fairy-wrens are similar in size. The Variegated Fairy-wren is slightly larger in size and has a longer tail.

Distribution: Superb Fairy-wrens are found south of the Tropic of Capricorn through eastern Australia and Tasmania to the south-eastern corner of South Australia.

Habitat: Seen in most habitat types where suitable dense cover and low shrubs occur. They are common in urban parks and gardens, and can be seen in small social groups. These groups normally consist of one dominant male and several females and young birds.

Feeding: Superb Fairy-wrens feed on insects and other small arthropods. These are caught mostly on the ground, but may also be taken from low bushes. Feeding takes place in small social groups.

Breeding: The nest is a dome-shaped structure of grasses and other fine material. It is usually placed in a low bush and is constructed by the female. The female incubates the eggs alone, but both sexes feed the young. Other members of the group will also help with the feeding of the young.

Male Superb Fairy-wrens have been labelled as 'the least faithful birds in the world'. Females may be courted by up to 13 males in half an hour, and 76% of young are sired by males from outside the social group.

Calls: The Superb Fairy-wren gives a series of high pitched trills, which are given by both sexes. The male often extends these trills into song.

Minimum Size: 13cm

Maximum Size: 14cm

Average size: 14cm

Average weight: 10g

Clutch Size: Three to four.

(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net)

__________________________________________

© Chris Burns 2024

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 species averages 51 cm (20 inches) in length. Its long, pointed grey and black tail with a white median band is distinctive. A white wing patch is conspicuous in flight. The bill is black in male, pea-green in the female.

I always enjoy shooting these. They are actually quite hard to nail when feeding as they constantly twitch various parts of their bodies. Been a bit of a challenge to find this year for some reason. Plenty around but finding a spot where they are easy to access has been the problem. Single frame shot handheld with the R5II/RF100 2.8

IMPORTANT: for non-pro users who read the info on a computer, just enlarge your screen to 120% (or more), then the full text will appear below the photo with a white background - which makes reading so much easier.

The color version of the photo above is here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/ticino-best-photos-of-southern-...

THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO:

So far there's only been one photo in my gallery that hasn't been taken in my garden ('The Flame Rider', captured in the Maggia Valley: www.flickr.com/photos/191055893@N07/53563448847/in/datepo... ) - which makes the image above the second time I've "strayed from the path" (although not very far, since the photo was taken only approximately 500 meters from my house).

Overall, I'll stick to my "only-garden rule", but every once in a while I'll show you a little bit of the landscape around my village, because I think it will give you a better sense of just how fascinating this region is, and also of its history.

The title I chose for the photo may seem cheesy, and it's certainly not very original, but I couldn't think of another one, because it's an honest reflection of what I felt when I took it: a profound sense of peace - although if you make it to the end of this text you'll realize my relationship with that word is a bit more complicated.

I got up early that day; it was a beautiful spring morning, and there was still a bit of mist in the valley below my village which I hoped would make for a few nice mood shots, so I quickly grabbed my camera and went down there before the rising sun could dissolve the magical layer on the scenery.

Most human activity hadn't started yet, and I was engulfed in the sounds of the forest as I was walking the narrow trail along the horse pasture; it seemed every little creature around me wanted to make its presence known to potential mates (or rivals) in a myriad of sounds and voices and noises (in case you're interested, here's a taste of what I usually wake up to in spring, but you best use headphones: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfoCTqdAVCE )

Strolling through such an idyllic landscape next to grazing horses and surrounded by birdsong and beautiful trees, I guess it's kind of obvious one would feel the way I described above and choose the title I did, but as I looked at the old stone buildings - the cattle shelter you can see in the foreground and the stable further up ahead on the right - I also realized how fortunate I was.

It's hard to imagine now, because Switzerland is one of the wealthiest countries in the world today, but the men and women who had carried these stones and constructed the walls of these buildings were among the poorest in Europe. The hardships the people in some of the remote and little developed valleys in Ticino endured only a few generations ago are unimaginable to most folks living in my country today.

It wasn't uncommon that people had to sell their own kids as child slaves - the girls had to work in factories or in rice fields, the boys as "living chimney brushes" in northern Italy - just because there wasn't enough food to support the whole family through the harsh Ticino winters.

If you wonder why contemporary Swiss historians speak of "slaves" as opposed to child laborers, it's because that's what many of them actually were: auctioned off for a negotiable prize at the local market, once sold, these kids were not payed and in many cases not even fed by their masters (they had to beg for food in the streets or steal it).

Translated from German Wikipedia: ...The Piazza grande in Locarno, where the Locarno Film Festival is held today, was one of the places where orphans, foundlings and children from poor families were auctioned off. The boys were sold as chimney sweeps, the girls ended up in the textile industry, in tobacco processing in Brissago or in the rice fields of Novara, which was also extremely hard work: the girls had to stand bent over in the water for twelve to fourteen hours in all weathers. The last verse of the Italian folk song 'Amore mio non piangere' reads: “Mamma, papà, non piangere, se sono consumata, è stata la risaia che mi ha rovinata” (Mom, dad, don't cry when I'm used up, it was the rice field that destroyed me.)... de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaminfegerkinder

The conditions for the chimney sweeps - usually boys between the age of 8 and 12 (or younger, because they had to be small enough to be able to crawl into the chimneys) - were so catastrophic that many of them didn't survive; they died of starvation, cold or soot in their lungs - as well as of work-related accidents like breaking their necks when they fell, or suffocatig if they got stuck in inside a chimney. This practice of "child slavery" went on as late as the 1950s (there's a very short article in English on the topic here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spazzacamini and a more in depth account for German speakers in this brief clip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gda8vZp_zsc ).

Now I don't know if the people who built the old stone houses along my path had to sell any of their kids, but looking at the remnants of their (not so distant) era I felt an immense sense of gratitude that I was born at a time of prosperity - and peace - in my region, my country and my home. Because none of it was my doing: it was simple luck that decided when and where I came into this world.

It also made me think of my own family. Both of my grandparents on my father's side grew up in Ticino (they were both born in 1900), but while they eventually left Switzerland's poorest region to live in its richest, the Kanton of Zurich, my grandfather's parents relocated to northern Italy in the 1920s and unfortunately were still there when WWII broke out.

They lost everything during the war, and it was their youngest daughter - whom I only knew as "Zia" which means "aunt" in Italian - who earned a little money to support herself and my great-grandparents by giving piano lessons to high-ranking Nazi officers and their kids (this was towards the end of the war when German forces had occupied Italy).

I never knew that about her; Zia only very rarely spoke of the war, but one time when I visited her when she was already over a 100 years old (she died at close to 104), I asked her how they had managed to survive, and she told me that she went to the local prefecture nearly every day to teach piano. "And on the way there would be the dangling ones" she said, with a shudder.

I didn't get what she meant, so she explained. Visiting the city center where the high ranking military resided meant she had to walk underneath the executed men and women who were hanging from the lantern posts along the road (these executions - often of civilians - were the Germans' retaliations for attacks by the Italian partisans).

I never forgot her words - nor could I shake the look on her face as she re-lived this memory. And I still can't grasp it; my house in Ticino is only 60 meters from the Italian border, and the idea that there was a brutal war going on three houses down the road from where I live now in Zia's lifetime strikes me as completely surreal.

So, back to my title for the photo above. "Peace". It's such a simple, short word, isn't it? And we use it - or its cousin "peaceful" - quite often when we mean nice and quiet or stress-free. But if I'm honest I don't think I know what it means. My grandaunt Zia did, but I can't know. And I honestly hope I never will.

I'm sorry I led you down such a dark road; I usually intend to make people smile with the anecdotes that go with my photos, but this one demanded a different approach (I guess with this latest image I've strayed from the path in more than one sense, and I hope you'll forgive me).

Ticino today is the region with the second highest average life expectancy in Europe (85.2 years), and "The Human Development Index" of 0.961 in 2021 was one of the highest found anywhere in the world, and northern Italy isn't far behind. But my neighbors, many of whom are now in their 90s, remember well it wasn't always so.

That a region so poor it must have felt like purgatory to many of its inhabitants could turn into something as close to paradise on Earth as I can imagine in a person's lifetime should make us all very hopeful. But, and this is the sad part, it also works the other way 'round. And I believe we'd do well to remember that, too.

To all of you - with my usual tardiness but from the bottom of my heart - a happy, healthy, hopeful 2025 and beyond.

Despite the fact it was chucking it down, it was a joy to photograph this little bird. Another very confiding wader coming as close as 1m to where I was laying at times. I have only seen these from a distance before so I was quite surprised how small they are. Even a pied wagtail looked big by comparison.

Long Exposure & a girl happen to mix very well + the heavy tide blew my tripod over to smear the image enough to make it blurry! I decided to keep it because it's not your average Pier/sunset shot most people get!!!

The average winter temperature over the past 30 years has increased by 1.4-1.5 degrees compared to previous decades. The greatest warming is observed in January, where the temperature increased by 2.0-2.5 degrees.

Зима згадала, що вона Зима.

26 січня в Києві зафіксували одразу два температурні рекорди 2025 року. Середньодобова температура повітря виявилась найвищою за час проведення спостережень для цього дня і склала 4,7°С. Це перевищило попередній рекордний показник 1902 та 1999 років на 1,4°С, а кліматичну норму — на 9,7°С.

«Середня температура зимового періоду за 30 років зросла на 1,4-1,5 градусів порівняно з попередніми десятиліттями. Найбільше потепління спостерігається у січні, де температура збільшилась на 2,0-2,5 градуса.

Крім того, за останні 60 років середня температура в Україні зростала швидше, ніж у світі загалом. Швидкість зростання середньої річної температури становила 0,41 градуса протягом десяти років, тоді як у Європі цей показник дорівнює 0,34 градуса. Основне потепління відзначається насамперед взимку.

Не лише на півдні України, а й у Києві три роки поспіль не було кліматичної зими, що свідчить про тенденцію до потепління, що триває.»

/РБК-Україна, віцепрезидентка Національної аграрної академії наук Ануш Балян/.

Diet:

Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:

6 years

Size:

5.5 in (14 cm)

Weight:

Less than 0.75 oz (20 g)

Did you know?

A single, captive male Carolina wren reportedly sang some 3,000 times in one day.

Relative:

Size relative to a tea cup

Please add a "relative" entry to your dictionary.

The Carolina wren is an adaptable dweller of forestlands, swamps, farms, and tree-filled human communities.

Carolina wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus) are small but very vocal animals. Males are especially outgoing and are the only ones to produce songs. They employ one of the loudest songs per volume of birds. They are apt to sing anytime and anyplace they happen to be.

Carolina wrens are usually found in pairs, and each pair stays on its home territory all year long. Because these wrens cannot survive cold winters, they tend to live in southern climes, and are the official state bird of South Carolina. They are found as far north as the Great Lakes, and warm winters spur them to extend their range northward. However, when colder years arrive, many northern birds are unable to survive and fringe populations plummet.

These large wrens feed on insects, larvae, and spiders but also eat berries and fruit. They forage on or near the ground and hop along far more often than they fly. They use their bills to poke about and search for hidden meals and try to remain close to brush in which they can hide.

Carolina wrens are monogamous, and breeding pairs may stay together for years. They work together to construct nests—which may be found almost anywhere. Wrens nest in natural locations such as branches, tree-holes, and stumps but also frequent windowsills, mailboxes or other attractive human-made spots.

Females lay about four eggs and incubate them for two weeks while their mates bring them food. Both parents feed their chicks for an additional two weeks before they gain independence. A mating pair of Carolina wrens may have several broods each year.

Source: National Geographic

Kangra valley (average altitude 2000 feet)with the Dhauladhar ranges as a stunning backdrop is my favourite destination in Himachal Pradesh.Thankfully it is not as popular with tourists as Shimla and Kullu- Manali but I think few places in India can rival its sublime beauty. I have earlier uploaded photos of this picturesque valley in the springtime.This shot was taken on a recent trip.It is relatively early winter and since there has been no snowfall as yet, the ranges were barren.However, the valley still looked very beautiful especially with the early morning sun lighting up the magnificent peaks.

The Dhauladhar range is one of the ranges of the Middle Himalayas,.They lie entirely in the state of Himachal Pradesh in India.They are distinctive in their typical dark granite rocky formations with a remarkably steep rise culminationg in streaks of snow and ice at the top of their crested peaks.The elevation of the Dhauladhars ranges from around 3500 metres to nearly 6000 metres avove sea level.They are best seen from the beautiful Kangra valley from where they appear to shoot up almost vertically.

Source -: Wikipedia

Please look carefully in the lower left part of the picture. ...He's smarter than the average .....🐻

(Picus squamatus)

Chopta

Uttarakhand

Índia

We missed (with a single, weak exception) all the woodpeckers in Vietnam, but in contrast, here we managed to get a good number of them.

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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 PICIFORMES (198)

- All the photos for this family Picidae (Picídeos) (87)

- All the photos for this species Picus squamatus (2)

- All the photos taken this day 2023/03/04 (19)

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Going to the beach in Cartagena, Colombia.

Blessed with an average temperature of 27.7ºC and 2,500 hours of brilliant Caribbean sunshine a year, pretty much every day is a good day to go to the beach in Cartagena.

Let’s be honest, the beach isn’t the best but that doesn’t stop it being the busiest during high season and at weekends.

Facing outwards from the bay of Cartagena towards the Caribbean, Bocagrande is a convenient spot to grab some rays if you don’t feel like venturing beyond the touristic heartland.

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

New Holland Honeyeater

Phylidonyris novaehollandiae

With long, slender beaks and a tongue which can protrude well beyond the end of their beaks, New Holland Honeyeaters are able to probe for nectar in the deep flowers of Banksias and Grevilleas.

Calls: The voice comprises a loud 'chik', a fainter 'pseet' and some chattering notes. If danger, such as a bird of prey approaches, a group of honeyeaters will join together and give a loud alarm call.

Minimum Size: 18cm

Maximum Size: 18cm

Average size: 18cm

Average weight: 20g

Breeding season: any time of year; mainly summer and winter

Clutch Size: 2 to 3

Incubation: 18 days

Nestling Period: 16 days

Description: The New Holland Honeyeater is mostly black and white, with a large yellow wing patch and yellow sides on the tail. It has a small white ear patch, a thin white whisker at the base of the bill and a white eye. This honeyeater is an active bird, and rarely sits still long enough to give an extended view. Sexes are similar in looks, but females are slightly smaller in size. Young birds are browner and have a grey eye.

Similar species: One very similar species is the White-cheeked Honeyeater,Phylidonyris nigra. This species has a single large white cheek patch and a dark eye. The two species frequently occur together.

Distribution: The New Holland Honeyeater's range extends throughout southern Australia, from about Brisbane, Queensland, to just north of Perth, Western Australia.

Habitat: The New Holland Honeyeater is common in heath, forests, woodland and gardens, mainly where grevilleas and banksias are found. It is inquisitive and approaches humans. It also mixes with other types of honeyeaters.

Feeding: New Holland Honeyeaters are active feeders. They mostly eat the nectar of flowers, and busily dart from flower to flower in search of this high-energy food. Other food items include fruit, insects and spiders. Birds may feed alone, but normally gather in quite large groups. Most feeding takes place in lower areas of bushes and thickets.

Breeding: The New Holland Honeyeater's cup-shaped nest is made of bark and grasses, bound together with spider web. It is lined with soft material and is placed in a bush or tree, anywhere from ground level up to 6 m. Both sexes feed the chicks. A pair of adults may raise two or three broods in a year.

(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Phylidonyris-novaehollan...)

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© Chris Burns 2025

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.

Our average temperature for the whole month of January in this part of Northeast Ohio has been 21.6° (–5.5°C). Winter's not been here for a month yet, and it can already be called the coldest in about the last 5 years. These two northern cardinals don't seem to mind the frigid conditions. Male in foreground and female in back.