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Muscari botryoides is a bulbous perennial plant of the genus Muscari and one of a number of species and genera known as grape hyacinth. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant.
The flowers are close together, and are almost totally round. The lower fertile flowers point downwards, while upper ones, usually paler and sterile, point upwards. The flowers are bright blue with white lobes at the end in the wild species, but other colours are available, including white. M. botryoides is originally from central and south-eastern Europe, growing in open woodland and mountain meadows.
The name botryoides is derived from the appearance of a miniature cluster of grapes.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscari_botryoides?wprov=sfla1
Utrecht Domkwartier [Cathédrale Saint-Martin d'Utrecht] [St. Martin's Cathedral , Utrecht]:
Gedenk uw dooden die den goeden strijd
gestreden hebben in gerechtigheid.
Draagt voort hun vlam, zij zijn gebleven,
maar in dien gloed wordt ons nieuw leven.
Great Pollet Sea Arch, County Donegal, Ireland
Great Pollet Sea Arch is Ireland’s largest sea arch and was formed as a result of thousands of years of erosion from the wild Atlantic Ocean. It’s located on the eastern side of the Fanad Peninsula.
Please, no invitations to award groups or to those with large/animated comment codes.
Tiny brownish sandpiper. At all ages, most easily distinguished from other small sandpipers by darker, more brownish coloration. Juveniles are particularly bright with rusty tones on the upperparts. Also note fine-tipped bill and yellowish legs, but beware legs can be covered with dark mud and other peeps (like Semipalmated Sandpiper) can rarely show slightly greenish legs. Habitat and behavior are helpful supporting clues, too. Typically forages in a crouched posture with bent legs, picking for invertebrates in the mud. Often in small loose groups, but not in large, tight flocks like Semipalmated or Western Sandpipers. Prefers drier mud, often on the higher edges of mudflats or small patches of water in marshes. Widespread and common, especially inland. Breeds in various wetland habitats throughout Alaska and Canada. Winters from the southern U.S. to South America. Listen for high-pitched, rolling “greeep!” calls. (eBird)
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One of the few peeps that I can regularly identify, this little sandpiper was foraging along the river shore with a mixed flock of shorebirds.
Constance Bay, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. August 2024.
Eastern Ontario Birding.
Chunky tree-dweller with blood-red eyes. Spectacular male is decked out in midnight black and electric blue. Female is dark turquoise with dark wingtips. Gathers at fruiting and flowering trees. A species of lowland and foothill evergreen forests, though will occasionally venture into gardens and plantations. Song includes various notes, often paired, such as “wit!” and “wi’wit!” Gives “tik” calls when flying overhead. (eBird)
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Mr. Fairy-Bluebird was very shy and refused to come out into the open. His spectacular colouring let us see him quite well though. Given their name, I had expected to see a small bird, but they are about the size of a thrush.
Dairy Farm Nature Park, Singapore. March 2024.
Birding Singapore.
The chalk-fronted corporal (Ladona julia) is a skimmer dragonfly found in the northern United States and southern Canada. Chalk-fronted corporals often perch horizontally on the ground or on floating objects in the water, flying up to take prey from the air. They are gregarious for dragonflies, and are commonly seen perching in groups. They readily approach humans to feed on the mosquitoes and biting flies that humans attract. (Wikipedia)
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I usually see these large dragonflies sitting on the ground, or in this case, the boardwalk. He must have been well fed because he did not come to eat the mosquitoes that were eating me that morning.
Spruce Bog Boardwalk, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. July 2023.
The largest living rail in the world, endemic to New Zealand. Considered extinct until it was famously rediscovered in the Murchison Mountains in 1948. The wild population remains in the Murchison Mountains; the species has been translocated to predator-free offshore islands and mainland sanctuaries, and recently reintroduced to northwest Kahurangi National Park. Note distinct iridescent plumage, white undertail, and huge bright red conical bill that extends onto the forehead. Often heard giving a quiet hooting contact call, or a muted boom. Australasian Swamphen (Pukeko) can look similar, but Takahe are much larger, can’t fly, and have no black on wings or back. (Ebird)
63 cm; stands c. 50 cm tall; male 2250–3250 (2673) g, female 1850–2600 (2268) g. (Birds of the World)
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This juvenile Takahe ventured out of the undergrowth to enjoy some lunch with his parents. Wonderful to see this endangered species is growing its population, but sad to think that its North Island cousin went extinct in 1894.
Tiritiri Matangi, New Zealand. February 2024.
Roadrunner Birding Tours.
Stocky and large-headed with a shaggy crest. Bill is long, straight, thick, and pointed. Powder blue above with white underparts and blue breast band. Females have additional rusty band across belly. Almost always solitary, perched along edges of streams, lakes, and estuaries. Flies along rivers and shorelines giving loud rattling calls. Hunts for fish by plunging headfirst into the water, either directly from a perch or hovering. (eBird)
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Finally! A decent photo of a kingfisher. This immature bird did not know that it should disappear the moment a camera was even thought about, and so I got some decent shots as it fished on the opposite side of the raceway.
Britannia Conservation Area, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. august 2023.
Large plain heron. Dark gray overall with a paler, more brownish neck. Lacks the black head and neck markings of the slightly smaller Gray Heron. Tends to be solitary, only rarely seen in small flocks. Typically restricted to the coast, where it inhabits mangroves, lagoons, and offshore islands, but infrequently seen inland. Rather vocal for a heron, often giving a deep, horrifically resonant roar when flushed or on the nest. (eBird)
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We saw this wonderful heron on our first day, but at such a distance that it was little more than some heat-hazy pixels. Then, a few days later, this bird landed on the river bank opposite our position. Just as well it was opposite since this is a full-frame shot of this super long-billed bird.
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Singapore. March 2024.
Birding Singapore.
For those of you who enjoy black and white photography, please visit and join my new group www.flickr.com/groups/fabworldinbw/ where a lot of very talented photographers and artists are sharing their extraordinary work.
Climb every mountain
Search high and low
Follow every byway
Every path you know…
(From The Sound of Music)
Relatively small, brown-black grebe endemic to New Zealand. Note the fine silvery back-swept feathers on the head and the distinctive yellow eyes. Adults are paler in non-breeding plumage. Sexes alike. Can sit quite high on the water; feeds either on the surface or by diving for up to 30 seconds. Frequents freshwater lakes, dams, and ponds. Found mostly across the North Island and in the northern part of the South Island. Distinguished from Hoary-headed Grebe by darker plumage and from Australasian Grebe by larger size and cinnamon neck. (eBird)
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I tried to turn this juvenile into a Hoary-headed grebe (which we did see), but no, it's a New Zealand Grebe as well. The markings remind me of our grebes in North America. Not sure why his foot is out of the water - it stayed like that through most of my photos.
Te Koko Reserve, Waikato, New Zealand. February 2024.
Roadrunner Birding Tours.
A sparrow-sized, resident pipit with brown plumage that varies in tones in different parts of its range. All birds have a bi-colored bill with a curve to the tip of the upper bill. The breast is streaked and the upperparts have variable amounts of streaking. Juveniles show distinct and dark mottling on the upperparts. It is common in open habitats such as wetlands, farms, fields, and even large parks. Very similar to Blyth’s and Richard’s Pipits, but relatively compact and has a more distinct eyebrow, fainter or no streaking on the back of the neck, a larger head, and a shorter tail than either Blyth’s or Richard’s. Calls include short “tsip” and “tissip” notes. (eBird)
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Lovely little pipit enjoying his lunch on the practice green at the golf course. We were also at the golf course for lunch. I find pipits hard to identify because we only have the one species here in Ontario so when faced with a new species on our travels, I always struggle. Lucikly, only one pipit species in Singapore.
Kranji Sanctuary Golf Course, Singapore. March 2024.
Birding Singapore.
Mottled brown dabbling duck with distinctive striped head pattern. Note purple/green metallic panel on wing and slightly domed head. Common throughout range, often found on or beside ponds, wetlands, and rivers. Hybridizes with Mallard. Similar to female Mallard but note Pacific Black Duck’s darker coloration and distinctive striped cream head with gray bill, darker legs and feet. Also look for green speculum with black border in flight. (eBird)
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This was one of the closest pure-bred Pacific Black Ducks that we saw throughout NZ. The majority appeared to be hybrids with mallards. Similar to the situation here in Ontario, the Mallards are breeding with their respective Black Duck cousins and the pure-breds are slowly disappearing.
Fiordland National Park, Southland, New Zealand. March 2024.
Roadrunner Birding Tours.
The Franzensfeste Fortress was planned and built between 1833 and 1838, it was one of the most secure fortresses in the Alps at its time – yet was never put to the test. The 65,000-square meter fortress has a gigantic maze comprising rooms, corridors and stairs on a 20-hectare site, built out of millions of bricks and granite blocks against an enemy that never came. :-)
The Racetrack was still wet in some places. We had a long trail ahead, so I didn't get much time on the lake bed. I need to come back here and spend more time.
Poulnabrone Dolmen, County Clare, Ireland 🇮🇪
Situated on the high Burren limestone plateau, Poulnabrone Dolmen is one of Ireland’s most iconic archaeological monuments and is the second most visited location in the Burren after the Cliffs of Moher. Poulnabrone is classified as a portal tomb. Excavations by archaeologist Anne Lynch in the 1980’s revealed the remains of 33 people at the site and radiocarbon dating of their bones indicates that the tomb was in continual use for a period of 600 years between 5,200 and 5,800 years ago.
Camellia japonica, known as common camellia, or Japanese camellia, is a species of Camellia, a flowering plant genus in the family Theaceae. There are thousands of cultivars of C. japonica in cultivation, with many colors and forms of flowers. In the U.S. it is sometimes called japonica. In the wild, it is found in mainland China (Shandong, east Zhejiang), Taiwan, southern Korea and southwestern Japan. It grows in forests, at altitudes of around 300–1,100 metres (980–3,600 ft).
The leaves of this species are rich in anti-inflammatory terpenoids such as lupeol and squalene.
The alternately arranged leathery leaves are dark green on the top side, paler on the underside, usually 5–11 centimetres (2.0–4.3 in) long by 2.5–6 centimetres (1.0–2.4 in) wide with a stalk (petiole) about 5–10 millimetres (0.2–0.4 in) long. The base of the leaf is pointed (cuneate), the margins are very finely toothed (serrulate) and the tip somewhat pointed.