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In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays."
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id
www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...
On 18 June 2016, I went for a drive SW of the city, checking out a few of my usual roads. Almost straight away, I spotted a beautiful Wilson's Snipe perched on a fence rail in a different area than I usually photograph Snipe.
I had pulled over on the other side of the road and managed to get just three shots when a car came along in the opposite direction. The lady slowed down and asked if I was a birdwatcher. She told me that she had just passed an enormous Bald Eagle - bigger than any she had ever seen - perched on a fence post. Well, of course the Snipe flew off and I definitely wasn't expecting a Bald Eagle to still be sitting where it had been seen. I thanked the thoughtful lady and continued my drive, eventually spotting 'something' big in the distance. I couldn't believe it when I saw it was the Eagle. Expecting it to take off as soon as it saw my car, it surprised me by remaining right where it was. Wrong side of the road and with its back to me, but I was in awe! I think this was the first time I had ever seen a Bald Eagle perched on a fence post.
I was even more grateful to have seen this majestic bird of prey when I went to check on a nearby Mountain Bluebird pair and there was nothing to be seen. I then stopped at a different pair and, though I did see the female high up on the wire, there was no activity at all. When I eventually reached a third box - where I had recently photographed the male with a beautiful moth in its beak - I saw a Tree Swallow's face peeping out of the hole. When I was there two days earlier, I just knew that the babies were going to fledge any moment and I was so disappointed that I wasn't able to visit them in their last two days.
After driving further to see if I could see either of the Great Gray Owls or the Bobolinks, I was out of luck with both. This made the Bald Eagle sighting more special than ever! Then, driving down a road that I don't normally drive, I spotted a 'new' pair of Mountain Bluebirds. Both Mom and Dad were kept so busy, collecting caterpillars, moths and other insects to feed to their babies. These were definitely 'Bluebirds of Happiness' that evening. Soon, the grey sky and low light finally took a toll on my camera or, should I say, my knowledge of how to use it? It was time to call it quits and head for home.
Behind the facade. Macau, China
The Ruins of St. Paul's (Chinese: 大三巴牌坊; Cantonese Yale: daaih sāam bā pàaihfōng) are the ruins of a 17th-century complex in Santo António, Macau, China. It includes what was originally St. Paul's College and the Church of St. Paul also known as "Mater Dei", a 17th-century Portuguese church dedicated to Saint Paul the Apostle. Today, the ruins are one of Macau's best known landmarks. They are often, but incorrectly, mentioned as a former cathedral (see Macau Cathedral), a status they never had. In 2005, they were officially listed as part of the Historic Centre of Macau, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Built from 1602 to 1640[1] by the Jesuits, the church is one of the largest Catholic churches in Asia at the time. With the decline in importance of Macau, which was overtaken as the main port for the Pearl River Delta by Hong Kong, the building's fortunes similarly ebbed, and it was destroyed by a fire during a typhoon on 26 January 1835.[1] The Fortaleza do Monte overlooks the ruin. This could have been due to Francesco Melzi showing the codex to Carlo Spinola in Milan[2] or by the architect Giacomo della Porta (connected to Leonardo's Codex, formerly Codex Leicester, now owned by Bill Gates) who designed the façade of the Church of the Gesù in Rome. Source:
... my little geisha finally found a comrade.
he's folded from a similar base but to get a hat on top i used a rectangle (1:1.5) instead of the square.
Yesterday, 11 July 2015, I had a wonderful day out with friend Sandy, driving westwards from Calgary and eventually reaching the next province, British Columbia (B.C.). Sandy had two destinations in mind - a stop at the Spiral Tunnels and then to explore the forest around Emerald Lake. I had only been to B.C. a handful of times in 37 years, so this was an absolute treat.
"The lake is enclosed by mountains of the President Range, as well as Mount Burgess and Wapta Mountain. This basin traps storms, causing frequent rain in summer and heavy snowfalls in winter. This influx of moisture works with the lake's low elevation to produce a unique selection of flora. Trees found here are more typical of B.C.'s wet interior forests, such as western red cedar, western yew, western hemlock and western white pine. The alluvial fan on the northeast shore produces wildflowers in abundance during late June and early July.
Due to its high altitude, the lake is frozen from November until June. The vivid turquoise color of the water, caused by powdered limestone, is most spectacular in July as the snow melts from the surrounding mountains.
The first European to set sight on Emerald Lake was guide Tom Wilson, who stumbled upon it by accident in 1882. A string of his horses had gotten away, and it was while tracking them that he first entered the valley. The lake had an impression on even the most seasoned of explorers: "For a few moments I sat [on] my horse and enjoyed the rare, peaceful beauty of the scene." It was Wilson who gave the lake its name because of its remarkable colour, caused by fine particles of glacial sediment, also referred to as rock flour, suspended in the water. However, this was not the first time Wilson had dubbed a lake 'Emerald'. Earlier that same year he had discovered another lake which he had given the same moniker, and the name even appeared briefly on the official map. This first lake however, was shortly renamed Lake Louise." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_Lake_(British_Columbia)
Our trip started just after 7:00 am, to get a good, early start, especially before the temperature soared. The drive from Calgary to Emerald Lake takes about 2 and a half hours and is a 218.5 km drive via Trans-Canada Hwy/AB-1 W. We took a quieter route home at the end of the day. Rain arrived just in time for this drive home and, by the time I got back to my car in Calgary, the rain was really heavy and a few of the roads were beginning to flood very quickly. It was raining again this morning. I was kind of hoping for a few rainy days, as I suddenly have a build-up of quite a few very major, very urgent things to deal with and I didn't want to be tempted to go out with my camera.
Shortly after we began our walk though the forest along the right hand side of the lake, we heard a commotion coming from the water. When we found a place to see through the trees, we could see two beautiful Common Loons and a female duck with several babies, possibly Common Mergansers. My guess would be that the Merganser mother kept chasing away the Loons, creating a lot of splashing. This distant photo of one of the Loons was taken a bit later - just managed a quick shot when it spread its beautiful wings. This photo also shows why this lake is named Emerald Lake : )
Also, at the beginning and the end of our "hike", we watched a family of Violet-green Swallows that were nesting. Not sure how many young ones there were, but I saw three. Though we do get these birds in Calgary, I've never seen one properly - just when a mass of Swallows swarms over the Bow River and someone calls out "Violet-green!" Though the adult in my next photo is very blurry, it does at least show the beautiful green colour on the back. The adults flew to feed their babies at top speed and barely stayed a second at the nest hole. I was just thrilled to see one of these birds - thanks, Sandy, for your patience, allowing me to try and get a few photos! Thanks, too, for such a great day, as usual!
Two black female refugees in the Netherlands watching the festivities on King's Day
Twee buitenlandse vrouwen kijken hun ogen uit op Koningsdag in Breda
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Things starting to get back to normal at home after 6 months of builders in my house... the results are terrific but its been time consuming and as it all came to an end it was my turn to put a lot into it, making soft furnishings etc. and my sewing machine has had its first outing for many years. I still have another piece to make but I'm waiting for fabric so I have a little breather.
We've had a little bit of an Indian summer after the worst actual summer for several years, so I was out yesterday with my camera for the first time in ages. I saw this couple hand in hand....
BTW, thanks for the touching messages some of you have sent while I've been absent, I did read them, even if I didn't reply. I really was touched that anyone should care.
IMG_5736
Many thanks for your comments, faves, and follows :)
Juan Carlos
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©Juan Carlos Vindas, All Rights Reserved.This image is protected by Copyright, and is not available for use on websites, blogs, videos, or any other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.
When Edvard Munch painted full-length portraits, he did exactly that, and no mistake! There were plenty of them on view at the recent Munch exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Thinking about dear friend, Pam J, today. All being well, she is in hospital having a Cranial Angiogramme for her traumatic brain injury. Hoping so much that things went well, unlike at her previous appointment, and hoping that she will be able to go ahead with surgery once preparations and plans have been made. Such a tough year for you, Pam! You have so many people thinking of you.
Update on 27 November: Pam had a successful day yesterday! Definitely a step in the right direction.
www.flickr.com/photos/30349867@N05/
No further ahead with sorting out all my Windows 10 problems. I suspect I am going to have to accept the loss of so many years' worth of records and emails (from 2002) and hundreds of important map locations on Google Earth. Not happy, to say the least : (
26 November 2019 - it's snowing AGAIN! Another couple of days and it will have been two months of "winter" for us here. How I long for days where there is no snow to be seen anywhere. Temperature today is -4C (windchill -10C). Sunset is at 4:36 pm.
The afternoon of 3 September 2019 was spent surrounded by colourful garden flowers. Knowing that it is not that unusual for us to get snow in September, I knew I just had to go and capture some cheery colour before fall arrived and it was too late.
That included Sunflowers, which are always a favourite. Just one orange one among the many yellow, and I could only see it from the back. A little gang of American Goldfinches was making the most of the Sunflower seeds.
Sure enough, our first snowfall arrived on 28 September!
Ein Eisvogel sitzt ruhig auf einem feinen Ast und zeigt sein leuchtend blaues Gefieder in der warmen Abendsonne. Die weiche Unschärfe im Hintergrund lenkt den Blick ganz auf den Vogel und den feinen Detailreichtum der Federn. Ein stiller Moment an einem Gewässer, in dem man fast hören kann, wie der Eisvogel jeden Augenblick zum Sturzflug bereit ist.
A kingfisher rests quietly on a thin branch, showing off its vibrant blue plumage in the warm evening light. The soft background blur draws the eye entirely to the bird and the fine feather details. A calm moment by the water where you can almost feel the kingfisher getting ready to dive.
Spent a night on top of the Sealy Mountain Range!
Waiting for sun to rise after a freezing night
More on my blog:
Yesterday afternoon, 13 January 2015, I spent time with friends again, down in Fish Creek Park. As usual, for most of the time, this tiny, popcan-sized owl sat very high up in very tall trees. Patience is definitely needed when hoping to get photos of this beautiful little bird - it tends to sit in the same place for an hour or even two. If it wasn't for other people to chat with, I know I could never stand there, watching and waiting for so long if I was by myself!
THANK YOU TO ALL MY FRIENDS FOR HELPING TO MAKE THE LOSS OF MY OLDEST DAUGHTER, FIONA, EASIER TO BEAR! YOU HAVE ALL MADE SO MUCH DIFFERENCE THE LAST 10 DAYS! I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH.
This photo was taken when the ferocious hunter flew down to the path, caught a Meadow Vole, and then flew up into a much smaller Spruce tree.
"The Northern Pygmy-Owl may be tiny, but it’s a ferocious hunter with a taste for songbirds. These owls are mostly dark brown and white, with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eyes. They hunt during the day by sitting quietly and surprising their prey. As a defensive measure, songbirds often gather to mob sitting owls until they fly away. Mobbing songbirds can help you find these unobtrusive owls, as can listening for their call, a high-pitched series of toots." From AllAboutBirds.
This photo was taken on 25 August 2017, when I at last did a long-overdue drive east of the city. This is my least favourite direction in which to drive from the city and I have to say it stresses me out so much. Once I reach the back roads, I can relax a little, but I am always worried about getting lost.
I saw this Swainson's Hawk early on in my drive, a fair distance away. For me, it made a good start to the day. If I remember correctly, it was a juvenile. Little did I know that later on, I would come across a young Swainson's Hawk perched on a fence post the far side of the back road I was on. Those were the best few minutes in my day, as it was content to sit there. Amazingly, not one single vehicle came along while I was there. It felt so good to get a few photos of a hawk in the wild, unlike the ones I had photographed fairly recently at the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre. I had really hoped I would see a perched hawk this day and that's all I needed to make me happy and feel that the drive was worthwhile.
For the first time ever, and after having driven past the location other times, I stopped at Weed Lake (south end). Lots of birds, but most were really too far to photograph. Still, I was glad to see a Killdeer and a little Semipalmated Plover close enough to get a few shots.
Most of the Tree Swallows that I see, and certainly photograph, are males. Happened to photograph this female recently and thought it was more than time to add this beautiful lady to my photostream. Females are duller with more brown in their upperparts than the males.
This photo was taken on 24 May 2016, when I went for just a short drive SW of the city. After a couple of days of rain, the sun came out and I reckoned I had better make the most of it. On the way, I called in at a wetland in SW Calgary and was glad to see the Red-necked Grebe. Just drove my usual back roads, seeing some of the usual birds - Mountain Bluebirds, Wilson's Snipe, Red-winged Blackbirds and Tree Swallows.
“Handsome aerialists with deep-blue iridescent backs and clean white fronts, Tree Swallows are a familiar sight in summer fields and wetlands across northern North America. They chase after flying insects with acrobatic twists and turns, their steely blue-green feathers flashing in the sunlight. Tree Swallows nest in tree cavities; they also readily take up residence in nest boxes. This habit has allowed scientists to study their breeding biology in detail, and makes them a great addition to many a homeowner’s yard or field.” From AllABout Birds.
In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays."
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id
www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...
The day before yesterday, on 20 June 2016, I went for a drive SW of the city again. This time, I was thrilled to bits to see two male Bobolinks and a female. I had driven backwards and forwards along the road where I had seen them a few days ago, with no luck. I gave up and, instead, spent some time photographing a beautiful pair of Mountain Bluebirds. After a while, I told myself it was time to leave the Bluebirds in peace and go and see if there was any sign of a Bobolink. I had literally climbed back into my car and pulled forward maybe six feet, when a bird flew to a fence post. It looked bigger than a Savannah Sparrow, so I was curious. Turned out to be a male Bobolink, who gave me the chance for a few quick shots before flying away. Unfortunately, the sun was not in a good direction.
Time to go and photograph a Tree Swallow, female Red-winged Blackbird and a Snipe and then I returned to the pair of Bluebirds. This time, they had two brief visitors - a Brown-headed Cowbird and a tiny Savannah Sparrow, who insisted on trying to perch on the same fence post as the male Bluebird. It was kind of cute to see the two together. I always love to tsee the back view of a female Bluebird, with just little touches of blue showing in her feathers.
After a while, I decided it really was time to head for home. While crossing the road to my car, I spotted a bird perched on top of a tree way down the road and discovered it was a Bobolink again. It spent a bit of time flying around with another male and a female, eventually flying to a fence post. I had never seen a female before, but recognized it from various photos I had seen online a few days ago. Females are a lot smaller than the males and very different colouring. Three quick photos and it was gone. One of the males stayed on a fence post for a little while, but I was looking into the sun and the light was horrible. All three birds took off across the field and stayed down in the grass and I knew this would be a good time to tear myself away and head happily for home. Normally, I don't get out this often, but I know that it won't be long before all the birds I saw today will have migrated. Also, this was the first day of summer, so I really wanted to spend a few hours outdoors.
I decided to drive NW of the city yesterday, 11 February 2016, to make a second visit to see if there was any sight of the Northern Hawk Owl. It looked like the three hours of driving round trip, plus driving several of the backroads nearby a few times, were going to be in vain. Sure, the sun was shining, the sky a deep blue and some of the scenery was beautiful, but, let's be honest, it would have been disappointing to not see any owls, of any species.
After a great deal of patience, managed only because friend, Bonnie, had also decided to go there, we finally were in luck. At the time the owl was spotted by another photographer (thanks so much, Harshad!) who was further down the road from us, I had just said to Bonnie that I had spent enough time up there and really wanted to do the long drive home before it got dark, because of poor night vision. There were just the three of us when Harshad saw the owl on top of a distant tree. During the afternoon, though, various people came and went. No owl baiters turned up, thank goodness, unlike on my first visit. That day, one of the photographers who was already there got rid of them very quickly, as soon as they arrived. However, yesterday, apparently the owl was seen with a white rodent, so baiters are still getting the chance to bait with store-bought mice.
This photo was obviously not taken in the best setting, but it still gives a good idea of what this owl looks like. I don't know why owls (including Snowy Owls) like perching on top of very tall utility poles. Presumably because they get such a good, clear view from up there, making it easier to spot prey, but also because they get used to owl baiters on the roads.
Part way through my visit, I enjoyed such an interesting chat with someone who happened to be driving down one of the backroads in the opposite direction to me. Stirling Clark is a carpenter, who makes beautiful furniture (and other things) in the Finish style. He has 20+ years of experience with Finish carpentry, door and trim installation, built in custom cabinetry, hardwood floor installation, stairs and railings, outdoor decks, siding, renovations and new construction, and general carpentry. His (other) passion is photography, enjoying nature, landscapes and wildlife. He told me that he had a Northern Hawk Owl visit him at his carpentry workshop recently - quite a treat. A pleasure to meet you, Stirling!
www.stirlingclark.ca/carpentry.html
www.stirlingclark.ca/photography.html
"The type of prey the Hawk-Owl catches will determine its eating strategy. For mammalian prey the ritual is generally the same: the Northern Hawk-Owl will eviscerate its prey, eats the head first (especially for prey like the red squirrel, whose head is fairly large), and then—when tackling larger prey—it will eat the organs and cache the remains; with smaller prey, the owl will simply swallow the body whole."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Hawk-Owl
"The Northern Hawk Owl can detect prey by sight at a distance of up to 800 meters (half a mile). Though it is thought to detect prey primarily by sight, the Northern Hawk Owl can find and seize prey under 30 cm (1 foot) of snow." From AllAboutBirds.
This photo was taken on 10 October 2017, on a very overcast day. I decided to join friends for a three-hour walk - that included a fair bit of standing - at the east end of Fish Creek Provincial Park. I was hoping that there might still be some fall colour to be seen. Strong winds and snow had removed a lot of the leaves from the trees, but there were still enough to give a bit of a golden glow to photos.
We had a few good sightings that day, including a Great Blue Heron that seemed to have a problem with swallowing a very tiny fish it had caught. It would catch the fish, and then drop it back in the water, and repeated this several times. I don't think it ever did catch and actually eat it. Another fun thing to see was a male Downy Woodpecker that suddenly flew down to someone's hand. This doesn't happen very often and it is such an amazing feeling. I did get a photo from a better angle, but the bird was rather blurry. Chickadees and Nuthatches were also very aware that we were standing there. They are so busy searching for and collecting food to store away for the long, harsh winter months.
Great Horned Owls nest each year at the east end of the park and have done so for years. I don't know how on earth someone spotted the one we saw on this walk. It was perched far away in a wooded area and was almost impossible to see. If I moved two or three inches to the left or right, the owl was hidden from view. Even though I have seen endless owls over the years, it is always a good feeling to see one again. I guess I missed the owls in this area back in March or April of this year - too busy with preparations for my trip to Trinidad & Tobago, but also, last winter was so brutal.
Today, 5 November 2017, it is another overcast day so far, and the temperature is -12C (windchill -16C). I might join friends for an afternoon birding walk. After almost three days of hibernating because of the bitter cold and falling snow, I finally had no choice but to clear all the inches of snow off my car yesterday evening, as I was going to the annual Nature Calgary Banquet (a rather fancy name for a casual supper). The guest speaker this year was Chic Scott, who gave a very interesting talk.
"It has been over fifty years since Chic Scott discovered the magic of high places. During a lifetime of adventure he has climbed and skied around the world, organized clubs and foundations, written books and worked as a mountain guide.
His odyssey has taken him from the icefields of the Canadian Rockies to the historic climbs of the European Alps, from the grandeur of the Himalaya to the icy solitude of Mount Logan. In all seasons, on foot and on skis he has followed his passion." From Chic Scott's website.
Yesterday, 24 August 2022, turned out to be an 11-hour day, driving a total of 483 km. Fortunately, it was not an extremely hot day, thanks to the drop in temperature the last day or two, together with some much-needed rain. Luckily, I was not going to go to the mountains, as you could barely see them through the thick haze (smoke?).
My actual destination was the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge. I know some people feel that photographing birds that are not out in the wild is cheating. I kind of agree, though I think it's fine as long as someone says where a photo was taken - wild or in captivity. September 2016 was the very first time I was brave enough to do this long drive myself, but I really, really wanted to go. Since then, I have repeated the drive every year except for 2021.
This Centre is a wonderful place that rehabilitates and releases (whenever possible) various birds of prey - hawks, owls, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures, and Golden Eagles. Some of these birds act as Wildlife Ambassadors, too, including educating the public away from the Centre. Sometimes, a bird is used as a foster parent, too.
Because I knew what a long drive this would be, I drove on highways almost all the time. Just one gravel back road was the exception. As it happened, I almost immediately came across two juvenile Swainson's Hawks perched on adjacent fence posts. They were beautiful birds, showing off the attractive feather patterns on their backs. They just sat there, unconcerned by the presence of my car, and were still there when I left a short while later. You have to love Swainson's juveniles. The yellow in the background is a field in harvest colour. These were just two of several hawks I saw in the wild this day. Of course, I saw all sorts of birds of prey once I reached the Centre. Always fun to have a young Great Horned Owl or a tiny Burrowing Owl perched on ones arm. I asked if they had a Turkey Vulture and they had two, in one of the small cages/enclosures outdoors. These Vultures are so much smaller than I always think they are.
On the way home, I checked to see if I could see a Common Nighthawk and did eventually spot one, on a pole out in a field. Zoomed in and took a handful of identical photos, and have posted one just for the record.
This was definitely a rewarding - and exhausting - day, full of sightings of all kinds. My favourite kind of day! I actually managed to leave home just after 8:00 am and got back a few minutes before 7:00 pm, earlier than I was expecting.