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'On sentry duties'. A solitary Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo looking out and keeping watch at the edge of Loch Spelve, Isle of Mull, Argyll and Bute, Scotland.
Many thanks for visiting my Flickr pages...Your visits, interest, comments and kindness to 'fave' my photos is very much appreciated, Steve.
The Cormorant is a large, black, fish-eating bird with a long, hook-tipped bill. They can be seen on both coastal and inland waters. When on water they swim low with their bill raised, and often dive with a leap from the water's surface. Their plumage is not waterproof but this has the advantage of allowing them to dive deep, as buoyancy is reduced. (BTO)
Large cuttlebone at 35 cm
Coonarr Beach Bundaberg
Australia
Cuttlefish or cuttles are marine molluscs of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda, which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses. Cuttlefish have a unique internal shell, the cuttlebone, which is used for control of buoyancy.
Cuttlefish possess an internal structure called the cuttlebone, which is porous and is made of aragonite. The pores provide it with buoyancy, which the cuttlefish regulates by changing the gas-to-liquid ratio in the chambered cuttlebone via the ventral siphuncle. Each species' cuttlebone has a distinct shape, size, and pattern of ridges or texture. The cuttlebone is unique to cuttlefish, and is one of the features that distinguish them from their squid relatives.
They are found on the deep slopes of coral reefs. Nautiluses usually inhabit depths of about 300 metres, rising to around 100 metres at night to feed, mate and to lay eggs.
The Chambered Nautilus (Nautilus pompilius) is the best known species of nautilus.
Nautiluses are slow-moving predators that feed mainly on shrimp, small fish and crustaceans, which are captured using their tentacles. They only need to eat once a month because they use very little energy to swim. To swim the nautilus draws water into and out of the shell with its funnel, this produces jet propulsion.
Unlike the other Cephalopods, they have an external shell which provides protection and spaces that can be filled with air to adjust their buoyancy. They can withdraw completely into their shells and close the opening with a leathery hood formed from two specially folded tentacles.
Unlike most cephalopods, they do not have good vision although their eye structure is highly developed. Instead of a lens they have a simple "pinhole" eye. Instead they use two special tentacles for the sense of smell to hunt and find mates.
They have up to ninety tentacles many more than other cephalopods. These tentacles are arranged into two circles, they have no suckers and can be pulled back into their shell.
Most Nautilus species grow up to 20 cm in length. They may live for over 20 years, which is very long for a cephalopod. A mature female (aged 5 to 10 years) will lay around twelve eggs on rocks after being fertilised by a male's four special tentacles used to transfer sperm into the female's mantle. The eggs take eight to twelve months to develop until the 3 cm juveniles hatch.
Many Nautiluses have been killed due to the beauty of their shell and they are protected in some countries.
Sometimes you just have to allow yourself a morning off. The question of whether we were going to take on the ring road and circumnavigate the whole of Iceland had been one of much debate in the months beforehand as we pored over maps and Flickr posts. Maybe we should just stick to the south with its seemingly endless sequence of highlights instead? Or perhaps we could make a decision whether to carry on going or double back when we got as far as Eystrahorn? But we wanted the Black Church and Kirkjufell too, so Snaefellsnes was definitely on the agenda.
In the end, Mads Peter-Iversen's YouTube post at Aldeyjarfoss sealed it. A gorgeous waterfall pouring into a basalt ringed saucepan 25 miles south of the ring road in the north of the country seemed to good to miss in what we knew might be a once in a lifetime opportunity. We would start on the peninsula of Snaefellsnes and then head north.
Here's Aldeyjarfoss. I think it was worth seeing. It's a faff to get there, but then aren't the best places often like that?
www.flickr.com/photos/126574513@N04/48358828342/in/album-...
I'm not sure at what point the idea occurred to us that we might go whale watching. Maybe there was a pamphlet at the apartment in Reykjavik where we stayed on the first night after arriving at 1am. Perhaps we spotted something in the guidebook to the ring road - I really don't remember. But somehow once the idea was planted in our heads it germinated and grew, so that by the time we returned to the campervan after the midnight adventure at Aldeyjarfoss we found ourselves sipping on cans of Viking lager at 2am and booking our tickets aboard the good ship Salka. A few hours later we were bound for Husavik on the north coast.
We were the first pair on board the Salka, where we were greeted by a charming young lady who instructed us to don all manner of bright orange waterproof garments and buoyancy aids that were guaranteed to save us in the event that either of us went overboard - unless the cold killed us of course. She recommended trying not to fall in - we nodded earnestly that it might be a good idea to stay on board until we returned to Husavik. And then we headed out across the bay, snow capped mountains on either side of us through a shroud of unending drizzle towards a place just below the beginning of the Arctic Circle, more than 66 degrees north of the Equator. Sometimes I like to look at a map of the world to see just how far we'd travelled, and how many (or how few) people in the world were further north than us at that moment. Groups of puffins raced low across the water towards the distant mountains, while lone terns and fulmars plotted their own courses around us. The rain cleared, replaced by warm sunshine. Even now, that morning feels as if it happened in a dream.
Whale sightings can never be guaranteed, but we were told that it would be an unfortunate day if we were to see none at all. The lucky four percent will get to witness a Blue Whale, the size of which still seems almost impossible to comprehend, despite having been told the exact dimensions by Sir David Attenborough enough times on television before. We saw four humpback whales, regular visitors to this place where the currents converge and bring the feeding bonanza that makes their presence here certain enough to draw a number of small vessels full of hopeful visitors each day.
It was a morning quite like no other I can recall, and a reminder that photography adventures can be interrupted by stuff that wasn't on the drawing board when the adventure was being pulled into shape. It's about as close as I can get to a Chistmassy type of image because we get snow about once every ten years where I live and it's usually in February if it happens at all.
So with that, and for those of you who celebrate it, I wish you a happy and peaceful Christmas. Hopefully that new camera / lens / tripod /filter kit or whatever is lying there under the tree waiting for you to open it tomorrow morning. For a while, let's forget all the madness and dream of those future adventures to come.
Though as always, Muad'dib's fanatic Fremen legions provided the hand-to-hand killing power, on such watery planets as this, the expertise of House Atreides troops in sea power was also essential. The Atreides brought naval technology perfected in their ancient wars on Caladan, including the prototype for the Halleck-Class hovercraft, a light patrol and transport vessel. The Halleck-Class was a surface-effect ship with rigid twin hulls and an air cushion. At low speeds, the vessel was supported by the buoyancy of its two hulls, like a catamaran. At high speeds, the rear propeller pods were lowered into the water and the air cushion was inflated between the hulls, trapped by skirts across the prow and stern. The air cushion reduced drag, allowing high rates of speed, while the rigid hulls provided a higher degree of lateral stability than a traditional hovercraft.
—from Tools of War: A Study of Atreides Military Technology
It's always exciting for transport enthusiasts to come face to face with something new and I felt a certain buoyancy as 802 came towards Telford's Dean Bridge for this photograph. In situations like this you have to concentrate and hope nothing gets in the way - they build up quite a bit of speed here and sometimes it just doesn't come off. I'd have liked a blue sky but I guess we can't do anything about the weather - nevertheless this livery will look great in the sunshine under blue skies.
Enthusiasts can feel rightly proud that as well as Edinburgh's buses returning to their true identity in the 'classic' livery again the artistic design department is to be congratulated for doing a brilliant job I feel with several new and appropriate graphics for the routes the buses operate on.
So why the name The Pen-Y-Cog? From their press release, Lothian's Publicity Manager David Cook explains:
"The 37/47 route is our main service to and from Penicuik, and we wanted the new identity to have an historical tie in with the area. We chose the name The Pen-Y-Cog as it's the original name for Penicuik. The new turquoise roof compliments the new livery and makes the bus easily visible from a distance.
Pen-Y-Cog is in fact the Old Brythonic (that's the old Welsh language that covered most of Britain to you and I) term which means "Hill of the Cuckoo", and the name Penicuik derives from this phrase. This is why there are images of a cuckoo and an hill on the repainted buses".
"The static buoyancy of a body in a medium is just as great as the weight of the body displaced by the medium."
I recently read this story about balloons where each one had a message tucked inside of it. That we all carry them with us, and in time let them go, up in the blue where they eventually loose their buoyancy with age. I had never thought of the idea of a balloon in this way before and was instantly inspired to do a picture about it.
Naples Botanical Gardens
Southeaster Florida
USA
The Pied-billed Grebe is common across much of North America. These small brown birds have unusually thick bills that turn silver and black in summer. These expert divers inhabit sluggish rivers, freshwater marshes, lakes, and estuaries.
They use their chunky bills to kill and eat large crustaceans along with a great variety of fish, amphibians, insects, and other invertebrates. Rarely seen in flight and often hidden amid vegetation, Pied-billed Grebes announce their presence with loud, far-reaching calls.
Their feet are located near their rear ends. This body plan, a common feature of many diving birds, helps grebes propel themselves through water. Lobed (not webbed) toes further assist with swimming. Pied-billed Grebes pay for their aquatic prowess on land, where they walk awkwardly.
Pied-billed Grebes are fairly poor fliers and typically stay on the water—although rare individuals have managed to fly as far as the Hawaiian Islands, Europe, the Azores, and the Canary Islands.
Pied-billed Grebes can trap water in their feathers, giving them great control over their buoyancy. They can sink deeply or stay just at or below the surface, exposing as much or as little of the body as they wish. The water-trapping ability may also aid in the pursuit of prey by reducing drag in turbulent water.
When in danger, Pied-billed Grebes sometimes make a dramatic “crash-dive” to get away. A crash-diving grebe pushes its body down with its wings thrust outward. Its tail and head disappears last, while the bird kicks water several feet into the air.
'Hold your Head High'. a late shot in the golden hour ...Cormorant swimming and diving for its supper in Swillington Ings on a late summer evening, West Yorkshire.
Many thanks for visiting my Flickr pages ...Your visits, interest, comments and kindness to 'fave' my photos is very much appreciated, Steve.
The Cormorant is a large, black, fish-eating bird with a long, hook-tipped bill. They can be seen on both coastal and inland waters. When on water they swim low with their bill raised, and often dive with a leap from the water's surface. Their plumage is not waterproof but this has the advantage of allowing them to dive deep, as buoyancy is reduced. (BTO)
Cormorants have less preen oil, which allow their feathers to get wet. This wettable feather adaption is advantageous for diving as it reduces buoyancy, enabling them to dive deeper and swim more effectively underwater to catch prey. Since their feathers become waterlogged, cormorants need to spread their wings to dry after diving
A long-necked, long-tailed swimmer of southeastern swamps. Often seen perched on a snag above the water, with its wings half-spread to dry. Can vary its buoyancy in water, sometimes swimming with only head and neck above water (earning it the nickname of "Snakebird"). Often solitary when feeding, it roosts in groups and nests in colonies. Looks rather like a cormorant when perched, but not in flight, when the long tail may be spread wide as the Anhinga soars high on outstretched wings. Anhingas are silent at most times, but around nesting colonies they make various croaking and clicking sounds.
Spirula spirula is a type of cephalopod related to squid and cuttlefish. It is not closely related to Nautilus or extinct ammonites. The structure is an internal and stores gas and acts as a buoyancy compensation device.
Live Spirula live in deepwater in the tropics. When they die their shells float to the surface. Ocean currents distribute them widely. This one was found at Jervis Bay on southeastern coast of Australia.
For more information see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirula
Sand tiger shark - Requin taureau (Carcharias taurus), Umkomass, Indian ocean, South Africa. 🇿🇦🐠 🌊 🌏 👉 linktr.ee/vincent_pommeyrol
👉 Getty Video footage of Shark www.gettyimages.fr/vidéos/vincent-pommeyrol-sharks-?asse...
The Sand tiger shark or Spotted ragged-tooth shark (Carcharias taurus) belongs to the family of «Odontaspididae». He is present in three big oceans, Red Sea and in the Mediterranean Sea. He can live more than 20 years for a maximum size of 2,80m, sometimes more of 3m. We distinguish him by a massive and lengthened body, the sides are grey-brown and the white stomach. His snout and of conical shape. He has two wide dorsal fins with almost equal size. His mouth is furnished with three rows of functional teeth disentangled in the shape of canine. Wide spots can cover the whole body and disappear when it reaches its sexual maturity. He possesses the peculiarity than to gulp down of the on-surface air to compensate its buoyancy because he has no swim bladder. The shark-bull is an ovoviviparous species. One of its peculiarities is also called intra-uterine cannibalism «oophagie». The gestation is of 9 months for one small only one.The Sand tiger shark is put in danger by its intensive, commercial and sports fishing. He is classified "Vulnerable" by the red list of the UICN.
Rowboat: The hull is the main, and in some cases only, structural component of a boat. It provides both capacity and buoyancy. The keel is a boat's "backbone", a lengthwise structural member to which the perpendicular frames are fixed.
'All my Years to Come'. Juvenile Cormorant in full flight on a bright summer's evening, RSPB St Aidan's, West Yorkshire.
Many thanks for visiting my Flickr pages ...Your visits, interest, comments and kindness to 'fave' my photos is very much appreciated, Steve.
Cormorant Notes:
The Cormorant is a large, black, fish-eating bird with a long, hook-tipped bill. They can be seen on both coastal and inland waters. When on water they swim low with their bill raised, and often dive with a leap from the water's surface. Their plumage is not waterproof but this has the advantage of allowing them to dive deep, as buoyancy is reduced. (BTO)
After a successful hunt, the cormorants may be seen drying their feathers on the dyke. Unlike other birds, they get wet to the skin when they dive. The air and thus the buoyancy are pressed entirely out of the springs. This allows them to dive up to 10-16 meters deep and chase the best fish from the depths of the IJsselmeer to the water surface. CHAPEAU to this spectacular evolutionary feat!
Fossils from Tanzania show cormorants have been around for 23 million years. Humans have only existed for about 3 million years. Despite its beautiful appearance, intelligent hunting method and respectable age, the bird was almost wiped out in the Netherlands. Fishermen complained that cormorants were decimating the fish population.
Size: 80 - 100cm
His flight can be up to 80kmh
I haven't been to space (yet ;D) but I experienced neutral buoyancy (at Space Camp, in the Underwater Astronaut trainer), which is the closest to microgravity it gets. It was one of the best half-hours of my life. The easiest way to describe the experience is like dreams where you're free-flying.
Comments are appreciated. I used minimal editing on this photo. I haven't done one of these in awhile and am happy with the result. Expect (lots) more space stuff cause that is my main passion and LEGO is a way to express that. Again, sorry for not being as active on here.
On another note, why does Flickr mobile have a character limit? Is it just me or does this affect everyone?
The sun is shining brightly in the sky, with the lake glistening in its light. A single duck with bright yellow eyes floats in the middle of the lake. Its webbed feet are softly paddling against the water, creating small ripples that spread out around it. The air is still and peaceful, and the sound of the ducks gentle paddling is the only thing that breaks the silence. The afternoon sun casts a beautiful golden hue over the lake.
Some birds adopt characteristic poses in which they extend and often slightly droop their wings. This behavior is commonly described as "sunbathing" or "wing-drying." Cormorants and Anhingas frequently assume these postures, which are also seen in both Brown and White Pelicans, as well as in some storks, herons, vultures, and hawks.
The structure of cormorant and Anhinga feathers decreases buoyancy and thus facilitates underwater pursuit of fishes. Hence their plumage is not water-repellent, but "wettable." It has been suggested that the function of the spread-wing postures in these birds is to dry the wings after wetting. Biologists once thought that deficient production of oils from the preen gland necessitate wing-drying behaviors. We now know, however, that the degree of waterproofing of feathers is primarily due to their microscopic structure, not to their being oiled. In addition to helping wing feathers to dry, other suggested functions for these postures include regulating body temperature ("thermoregulation"), realigning of feathers, forcing parasites into motion to ease their removal, and helping the perched bird to balance.
Spread-wing postures may serve different purposes in different species. Anhingas, for example, have unusually low metabolic rates and unusually high rates of heat loss from their bodies. Whether wet or dry, they exhibit spread-wing postures mostly under conditions of bright sunlight and cool ambient temperatures, and characteristically orient themselves with their backs to the sun. Thus, it appears that Anhingas adopt a spread-wing posture primarily for thermoregulation -- to absorb solar energy to supplement their low metabolic heat production and to offset partly their inordinately high rate of heat loss due to convection and (when wet) evaporation from their plumage.
"Seeing Double:" The wispy cloud reflected in the water reminded me of white, feathery wings (if you turn your head to the side). I was fortunate to also capture just the tiniest bit of rainbow in between the rocks and the clouds, and if you look closely, a number of ducks and geese enjoying their buoyancy, seemingly oblivious to the beauty they also added to the scene.
SCUBA diving is sensual. To breathe underwater is one of the most fascinating and peculiar sensations imaginable. Breathing becomes a rhythmic melody of inhalations and exhalations. The cracks and pops of fish and crustaceans harmonize with the rhythmic chiming of the bubbles as you exhale. Soon, lungs act as bellows, controlling your buoyancy as you achieve weightlessness. And, as in your dreams, you are flying. Combine these otherworldly stimuli and you surrender completely to the sanctuary of the underwater world.
TEC CLARK, forward, Karen Berger's Scuba Diving
Behold, behold,
The grave of a bike.
Mourn, and weep out loud,
As there was none the like.
Since long it yearned,
For a bath and a swim.
Makes you clean and shiny,
And keeps your frame slim.
It went to the water at high speed,
And hit the surface with a huge splat!
Alas, so forceful was the start,
It rendered him helpless as his tires went flat.
Help, help, my buoyancy is gone!
But as no other bike dared to swim,
It drowned pitifully,
And ended as the victim of a whim.
Poem: Jan Elemans
2011
-----------------------------------------------
Bike, thrown in the harbour
by vandals.
Extreme low water level.
Waal river
Nijmegen
The Netherlands
Last shot - the half drowned survivor makes it ashore but its soaking wet plummage or leg injuries prevent it from standing. Its sibling has a scratch.
***
I believe I witnessed a pike attack today. Pike are carniverous fish and will sometimes take small wildfowl. A family of four Coot chicks were swimming at Connaught Water when one got detached from the other three.
I did not have the camera up but the singleton violently disappeared underwater and the parents went back and dived underwater after it. The chick bobbed to the surface and was ushered back to the others but was clearly in distress. In this sequence it can be seen swimming visibly lower in the water as its plummage had been soaked. If it was a ship I'd describe it as rapidly foundering.
The team made the bank at my feet but the soaking wet chick was clearly exhausted and collapsed at the edge. Three chicks ran off with one parent while the other parent remained behind. It was time for me to leave. Nature had to take its course. It would either survive or not.
I am guessing that a pike pulled it under and the parents got it back to the surface but it barely had any natural buoyancy.
This is a Pacific Horned Puffin, the other puffin in our waters.
The Tufted makes its nest on the top of ocean facing cliffs in borrows while the Horned makes its nest on the cliff face.
The both have solid bones that makes them heavy and hence not very good fliers but the lack of buoyancy allows them to dive to a couple of hundred feet after their prey.
The Australian pied cormorant (Phalacrocorax varius), also known as the pied cormorant, pied shag, or great pied cormorant, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family.
It is found around the coasts of Australasia. In New Zealand, it is usually known either as the pied shag or by its Māori name of kāruhiruhi. Older sources may refer to it as the "yellow-faced cormorant".
The pied cormorant is predominantly black on its back and upper surface of the wings and white on the underside with males weighing approximately 2.2 kg and females 1.7 kg. It stands between 65–85 cm tall, with a wingspan of 110–130 cm.
A small yellow patch between the bill and the eye on each side of the head is likely to have been the reason for the historical common name. It has large webbed feet which it utilises to pursue fish underwater, steering with half opened wings.
The bird has a large hooked bill, green eyes with a blue eye ring and black legs and feet. The eyes have a special nictitating membrane for underwater protection. The pied cormorant can often be seen spreading its wings after diving to help dry the feathers, as it has inadequate waterproofing. This lack of feather waterproofing may help the cormorant spend longer underwater due to decreased buoyancy effects
This image was taken from the footpath around Mount Manganui, in Tauranga, on the North Island of New Zealand on 13th February 2025.
Aquarium de La Rochelle is a family-owned public aquarium in La Rochelle, France. It has a surface area of over 8,445 m2 (90,901 sq ft) with 3 million litres of seawater. It has 73 display aquaria and 150 quarantine aquaria exhibiting more than 12,000 animals of 600 different species.
Cuttlefish or cuttles are marine molluscs of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda, which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses. Cuttlefish have a unique internal shell, the cuttlebone, which is used for control of buoyancy.
General description
Crew: 4 - pilot / commander, co-pilot, offensive systems officer and defensive systems officer
Capacity: 56,700 kg (125,000 lb) of internal and external load
Length: 44.5 m (150 ft)
Wingspan: 41.8 m (140 ft)
Reinforced wingspan: 24 m (79 ft)
Height: 10.4 m (34 ft)
Alarm area: 181.2 m² (1 950 ft²)
Empty weight: 87 100 kg (192 000 lb)
Gross weight (loaded): 148,000 kg (326,000 lb)
Take-off weight: 216 400 kg (477 000 lb)
Fuel capacity: 44,049 l (11,600 US-gal)
Motorization
Number of engines: 4x
Engine Type: Turbofan
Manufacturer / Model Name: General Electric F101-GE-102
Motor buoyancy: 13 962 kgf (30,800 lbf) (136.92 kN)
Performance
Maximum speed: 1 335 km / h (830 mph)
Total Mach Speed: 1.25 Ma
Total Node Speed: 721 kn (1 340 km / h)
Range: 11,999 km (7,460 mi)
War range: 5 544 km (3 440 mi)
Service ceiling: 18 000 m (59 100 ft)
First manned fligh.The first clearly recorded instance of a balloon carrying passengers used hot air to generate buoyancy and was built by the brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier in Annonay, France. After experimenting with unmanned balloons and flights with animals, the first tethered balloon flight with humans on board took place on October 19, 1783 with the scientist Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, the manufacture manager, Jean-Baptiste Réveillon and Giroud de Villette, at the Folie Titon in Paris. The first free flight with human passengers was on November 21, 1783. King Louis XVI had originally decreed that condemned criminals would be the first pilots, but de Rozier, along with Marquis Francois d'Arlandes, successfully petitioned for the honor. - Wikipedia
Spirula spirula is a type of cephalopod related to squid and cuttlefish. It is not closely related to Nautilus or extinct ammonites. The structure is an internal and stores gas and acts as a buoyancy compensation device.
Live Spirula live in deepwater in the tropics. When they die their shells float to the surface. Ocean currents distribute them widely. This one was found at Jervis Bay on southeastern coast of Australia.
This shell is lying on a piece of roughly beaten copper. Light is reflecting back from the copper to the shell.
For more information see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirula
Coming in on a wing and a prayer - the lucky three formate behind the injured and nearly drowned number 4.
***
I believe I witnessed a pike attack today. Pike are carniverous fish and will sometimes take small wildfowl. A family of four Coot chicks were swimming at Connaught Water when one got detached from the other three.
I did not have the camera up but the singleton violently disappeared underwater and the parents went back and dived underwater after it. The chick bobbed to the surface and was ushered back to the others but was clearly in distress. In this sequence it can be seen swimming visibly lower in the water as its plummage had been soaked. If it was a ship I'd describe it as rapidly foundering.
The team made the bank at my feet but the soaking wet chick was clearly exhausted and collapsed at the edge. Three chicks ran off with one parent while the other parent remained behind. It was time for me to leave. Nature had to take its course. It would either survive or not.
I am guessing that a pike pulled it under and the parents got it back to the surface but it barely had any natural buoyancy.
This is the low pressure hose from the first stage of my scuba regulator that connects to the buoyancy control device. The bottom rim of my regulator's second stage face can be seen in the background.
The Australian pied cormorant (Phalacrocorax varius), also known as the pied cormorant, pied shag, or great pied cormorant, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family. It is found around the coasts of Australasia. In New Zealand, it is usually known either as the pied shag or by its Māori name of kāruhiruhi. Older sources may refer to it as the "yellow-faced cormorant". The pied cormorant is predominantly black on its back and upper surface of the wings and white on the underside with males weighing approximately 2.2 kg and females 1.7 kg. It stands between 65–85 cm tall, with a wingspan of 110–130 cm. A small yellow patch between the bill and the eye on each side of the head is likely to have been the reason for the historical common name. It has large webbed feet which it utilises to pursue fish underwater, steering with half opened wings. The bird has a large hooked bill, green eyes with a blue eye ring and black legs and feet. The eyes have a special nictitating membrane for underwater protection. The pied cormorant can often be seen spreading its wings after diving to help dry the feathers, as it has inadequate waterproofing. This lack of feather waterproofing may help the cormorant spend longer underwater due to decreased buoyancy effects. 44049
The Australian pied cormorant (Phalacrocorax varius), also known as the pied cormorant, pied shag, or great pied cormorant, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family. It is found around the coasts of Australasia. In New Zealand, it is usually known either as the pied shag or by its Māori name of kāruhiruhi. Older sources may refer to it as the yellow-faced cormorant. The pied cormorant is predominantly black on its back and upper surface of the wings and white on the underside with males weighing approximately 2.2 kg and females 1.7 kg. It stands between 65–85 cm tall, with a wingspan of 110–130 cm. A small yellow patch between the bill and the eye on each side of the head is likely to have been the reason for the historical common name. It has large webbed feet which it utilises to pursue fish underwater, steering with half opened wings. The bird has a large hooked bill, green eyes with a blue eye ring and black legs and feet. The eyes have a special nictitating membrane for underwater protection. The pied cormorant can often be seen spreading its wings after diving to help dry the feathers, as it has inadequate waterproofing. This lack of feather waterproofing may help the cormorant spend longer underwater due to decreased buoyancy effects. 44139
The most widespread of all grebes, the Pied-billed Grebe could teach Michael Phelps a thing or two about swimming. Indeed, it is a master and accomplished in a range of feats that help it hunt for crustaceans and other tasty water treats. For one, it can easily hold its breath for periods of five minutes--and more--without bursting from the water ... well, out of breath. Also, it can adjust its own buoyancy. It accomplishes this by pressing extra air out from its feathers and internal air sacs, allowing it to sink below the surface of the water with only its head exposed. A useful trick when working to thwart would-be predators!
Sigh, back to the archives again!
Came across this old photo of a hungry Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) recently, when I was backing up a few more files and deleting them from my computer. Taken at Sikome, Fish Creek Park, on 17 December 2009.
■The common porcupine is a large, robust rodent. Adults weigh about 10 kilograms (22 pounds).
■Has a thick tail, and short powerful legs with long curved claws.
■Coat is composed of rows of dense, brown undercoat with yellow-tipped guard hairs.
■Guard hairs alternate with rows of loosely attached quills that vary from 25 to 65 millimetres (1 to 2.5 inches) in length.
■Quills taper to a sharp and stiff point that is covered with very small barbs.
■Quills are hollow, thus reducing their weight and providing buoyancy when the animal occasionally swims.
srd.alberta.ca/FishWildlife/WildSpecies/Mammals/RabbitsRo...
The Australian pied cormorant (Phalacrocorax varius), also known as the pied cormorant, pied shag, or great pied cormorant, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family. It is found around the coasts of Australasia. In New Zealand, it is usually known either as the pied shag or by its Māori name of kāruhiruhi. Older sources may refer to it as the yellow-faced cormorant. The pied cormorant is predominantly black on its back and upper surface of the wings and white on the underside with males weighing approximately 2.2 kg and females 1.7 kg. It stands between 65–85 cm tall, with a wingspan of 110–130 cm. A small yellow patch between the bill and the eye on each side of the head is likely to have been the reason for the historical common name. It has large webbed feet which it utilises to pursue fish underwater, steering with half opened wings. The bird has a large hooked bill, green eyes with a blue eye ring and black legs and feet. The eyes have a special nictitating membrane for underwater protection. The pied cormorant can often be seen spreading its wings after diving to help dry the feathers, as it has inadequate waterproofing. This lack of feather waterproofing may help the cormorant spend longer underwater due to decreased buoyancy effects. 41403
Allaboutbirds.org describes Pied-billed Grebes as "part submarine, part bird" which is an apt way to describe them. They can adjust their buoyancy and submerge themselves like a little submarine. They catch small fish and invertebrates by diving or simply slowly submerging. This ability plus their cute little faces makes them one of my favorite water birds ❤️
Ik mocht in september van dit jaar zelf in een luchtballon reizen, een prachtig kano voor ons 30 jarig jubileum van vrienden en familie. Een schitterende ervaring.
Ik ging met een hete luchtballon.
De lucht in een heteluchtballon wordt verhit tot een temperatuur van ongeveer 100 graden. De ballon is van boven meestal bolvormig en heeft een trechtervormige opening aan de onderkant. Het omhulsel wordt voor de start op de grond uitgespreid, met de mand op zijn kant. Het doek is 30 meter lang en gemaakt door mensenhanden. Met een grote ventilator blaast men koude lucht naar binnen, waardoor het omhulsel bol gaat staan. Daarna ontsteekt men de gasbranders die de lucht in de ballon verhitten, zodat hij omhoog komt, de mand rechtop trekt en met de inmiddels ingestapte passagiers het luchtruim kiest.
I was allowed to travel in a hot air balloon last summer, a wonderful present for our anniversary from our friends and family. A beautiful experience.
A balloon is conceptually the simplest of all flying machines. The balloon is a fabric envelope filled with a gas that is lighter than the surrounding atmosphere. As the entire balloon is less dense than its surroundings, it rises, taking along with it a basket, attached underneath, which carries passengers or payload. Although a balloon has no propulsion system, a degree of directional control is possible through making the balloon rise or sink in altitude to find favorable wind directions.
I travelled in a hot air balloon
The hot air balloon or Montgolfière obtains its buoyancy by heating the air inside the balloon; it has become the most common type.
The canvas of this balloon is 30 meters long and created by human hands. I don’t know if it’s a man’s work or made by a woman, but it was certanly made by humanhands.
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The Australian pied cormorant (Phalacrocorax varius), also known as the pied cormorant, pied shag, or great pied cormorant, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family. It is found around the coasts of Australasia. In New Zealand, it is usually known either as the pied shag or by its Māori name of kāruhiruhi. Older sources may refer to it as the yellow-faced cormorant. The pied cormorant is predominantly black on its back and upper surface of the wings and white on the underside with males weighing approximately 2.2 kg and females 1.7 kg. It stands between 65–85 cm tall, with a wingspan of 110–130 cm. A small yellow patch between the bill and the eye on each side of the head is likely to have been the reason for the historical common name. It has large webbed feet which it utilises to pursue fish underwater, steering with half opened wings. The bird has a large hooked bill, green eyes with a blue eye ring and black legs and feet. The eyes have a special nictitating membrane for underwater protection. The pied cormorant can often be seen spreading its wings after diving to help dry the feathers, as it has inadequate waterproofing. This lack of feather waterproofing may help the cormorant spend longer underwater due to decreased buoyancy effects. S_952
A pied-billed Grebe at John Heinz NWR, PA
According to the info from online: The Pied-billed Grebes can adjust their buoyancy. Similar to alligators, grebes can sink down just below the surface.
Pied-billed Grebes can trap water in their feathers, giving them great control over their buoyancy. They can sink deeply or stay just at or below the surface, exposing as much or as little of the body as they wish. - Cornell Lab
The Australian pied cormorant (Phalacrocorax varius), also known as the pied cormorant, pied shag, or great pied cormorant, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family. It is found around the coasts of Australasia. In New Zealand, it is usually known either as the pied shag or by its Māori name of kāruhiruhi. Older sources may refer to it as the "yellow-faced cormorant". The pied cormorant is predominantly black on its back and upper surface of the wings and white on the underside with males weighing approximately 2.2 kg and females 1.7 kg. It stands between 65–85 cm tall, with a wingspan of 110–130 cm. A small yellow patch between the bill and the eye on each side of the head is likely to have been the reason for the historical common name. It has large webbed feet which it utilises to pursue fish underwater, steering with half opened wings. The bird has a large hooked bill, green eyes with a blue eye ring and black legs and feet. The eyes have a special nictitating membrane for underwater protection. The pied cormorant can often be seen spreading its wings after diving to help dry the feathers, as it has inadequate waterproofing. This lack of feather waterproofing may help the cormorant spend longer underwater due to decreased buoyancy effects. 44136