Okay, it's not actually within our backyard, but it's just beyond it. The yard behind our house borders a large park that is just being developed. The park was recently seeded, and the straw was put down as mulch. I took this shot while standing on our backyard deck. I think these Sandhill Cranes must have been eating the grass seed.

I know that there's not a lot going on in this image. But I rather like the repetitive poses of the birds, and I thought it was kind of cool that I could get this shot without leaving home, so I decided to go with it. The abundance of Sandhill Cranes in the area near our new home in Michigan has been one of the pleasant surprises of living here.

Red backed Shrike - Lanius collurio

The red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio) is a carnivorous passerine bird and member of the shrike family Laniidae. The breeding range stretches from Western Europe east to central Russia but it only rarely occurs in the British Isles. It is migratory and winters in the western areas of tropical Africa.

Once a common migratory visitor to Great Britain, numbers declined sharply during the 20th century. The bird's last stronghold was in Breckland but by 1988 just a single pair remained, successfully raising young at Santon Downham. The following year for the first time no nests were recorded in the UK. But since then sporadic breeding has taken place, mostly in Scotland and Wales. In September 2010 the RSPB announced that a pair had raised chicks at a secret location on Dartmoor where the bird last bred in 1970. In 2011, two pairs nested in the same locality, fledging seven young. In 2012 there was another breeding attempt, this time unsuccessful, probably due to a prolonged spell of wet weather. In 2013 breeding was again confirmed in Devon, with two young fledged at a new site.

This return to south western England has been an unexpected development and has raised speculation that a warming climate could assist the bird in re-colonising some of its former haunts, if only in small numbers.

Population:

UK breeding:

1-3 pairs

UK passage:

250 birds

About the length and diameter of the first two bones in your little finger, a tiny Snowberry Clearwing Moth backs out of a Bee Balm floret after sampling its sweet nectar. These creatures are amazing as they go about their business with stealth and precision. And... they fly FAST.

Taken Sutton Park, West Midlands.

Something a bit different. Not an old barn, but one of the nicest yards I've ever seen!

Chilliwack, B.C.

7162

Although I wasn't in Mexico with the intention of making a lot of bird photographs, I saw some nice species that I didn't know before.

And although I missed my Sony A4 camera, the A65 with a 200 mm lens and 2x converter helped me from time to time to make a decent picture of the birds around.

On one of my last days I saw this rufous-backed thrush, clearly belonging to the robin family, with a wonderful feather pattern.

Piran, Slovenia

السلاام عليييكم

مساكم الله بالخير

The Isola San Giorgio Maggiore has always intrigued me. It is definitely one of the iconic sights to see in Venice. The island has been occupied since 829 and the church, with its bell tower, was built in 1566. This was taken one morning as the sun began to rise over the beautiful historic city!!

I continue to be busy trying to lend support to a Presidential candidate here in the USA and getting ready for a new trip to India. Southern India will be my destination this time. I miss my daily contact with every one, but probably won't be back on schedule until sometime in March! I continue to appreciate your support and encouragement!!!

Taken Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands

Shot with the Olympus E-M1, Mark II and LUMIX G VARIO 35-100/F2.8 lens in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

(while taking the back roads home from yesterday's outing)

Camera: Canon EOS 50D

Exposure: 0.01 sec (1/100)

Aperture: f/7.1

Focal Length: 70 mm

ISO Speed: 3200

Exposure Bias: -4/3 EV

Flash: Off

© All rights reserved

Listen: back to black - Scary Pockets feat. Madelyn Grant

Copyright © Angelo Nori : tutti i diritti riservati - all rights reserved

The path here, loops back briefly to Piethorne Reservoir and then over the hill ahead! (Newhey, Rochdale, Lanc's.. UK)

Welcome back Mr. L. <3

Arnno's much better version .. and with mask :P :

www.flickr.com/photos/67665515@N07/35817610203

song.6arab.com/3abdelmajeed_a7ebek-ya-qatar.rm

Moeraki Boulders, South Island of New Zealand

the winter is back here in Bavaria ..... a shot of the frozen pond with an island ... morning walk...

It took so long time with this boat but now i am back!

Pic taken @ maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ambiance%20Hideaway/139/18...

Icterus chrysater

(Yellow-backed Oriole / Turpial Montañero)

The Yellow-backed Oriole is well-named, as it is one of the very few species of orioles with a yellow back. Indeed, this oriole shows only two colors, yellow and black: the wings are entirely black, the feathers lacking the white or yellow feather margins that are shown by most other species of oriole.

The Yellow-backed Oriole has an oddly discontinuous distribution: it occurs from southern Mexico south to northeastern Nicaragua, and again from Panama south to northern Colombia and Venezuela, but is absent from Costa Rica and from most of Nicaragua. This oriole has a very broad elevational range, ranging up to 2500 m in Central America and almost to 2700 m in Colombia.

neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p...

Taken in La Ceja, Colombia; 2.300 meters above sea

Back to Black

Song by Amy Winehouse:

He left no time to regret

Kept his dick wet

With his same old safe bet

Me and my head high

And my tears dry

Get on without my guy

You went back to what you knew

So far removed

From all that we went through

And I tread a troubled track

My odds are stacked

I'll go back to black

We only said goodbye with words

I died a hundred times

You go back to her

And I go back to

I go back to us

I love you much

It's not enough

You love blow and I love puff

And life is like a pipe

And I'm a tiny penny

Rolling up the walls inside

We only said goodbye with words

I died a hundred times

You go back to her

And I go back to

Black, black

Black, black

Black, black

Black

I go back to

I go back to

Shot in Kerkyra (Corfu).

AC/DC - Back In Black

youtu.be/pAgnJDJN4VA

Mealworms on the menu again for my garden visitors.

Come to visit Cailloux Bouillon

I started out with film photography many years ago. But, in spite of seeing so many awesome film images here on Flickr, I love the versatility of digital. I also love collecting old cameras.

Recent image from an amazing close encounter with this female Sparrowhawk.......

One from a few weeks back. The road into this area is one of the most dangerous in the world but the views even from the start of the road are worth it!

Have a good weekend and thanks for visiting.

Well, not back as such, I never left! Do you take play shots waiting for the light? Well, this is mine. Can you imagine how excited I was? And then the clouds rolled in snuffing out any hint of dawn colour. As the sun rose behind the wall of cloud, the inversion dissipated leaving not scrap of mist 😆

Crap, noisy high ISO shot (to keep the definition in the cloud). How I wish I'd taken an LE and blended! Ah well, you live and learn. Still an absolutely brilliant day charging around the fells.

*** Edit: Swapped noisy for smeary. The noisy version is here (not like you care but for my own records 😁):

www.flickr.com/gp/143887079@N06/R6766a

A male Eastern Bluebird with a spider in his beak, looks back to see if it safe before flying over to the Bluebird box to feed his young. The male and female take turns feeding.

better view

- Jocks "Titan Jocks" by 4BIDDEN

- Outfit "Black Cats" by FOREST FANTASY STORE

- Skin for Kario body Marsellus by SIBILLA ANTON & SKING

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[NOTE: Save an extra 10% on 4BIDDEN items (Events & Mainstore) with the promo code RASCON75 (see here for instructions).]