View allAll Photos Tagged captivity
Female Siskin by the visitors centre at RSPB Ynys-Hir.
The Eurasian siskin (Spinus spinus) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is also called the European siskin, common siskin or just siskin. Other (archaic) names include black-headed goldfinch, barley bird and aberdevine. It is very common throughout Europe and Eurosiberia. It is found in forested areas, both coniferous and mixed woodland where it feeds on seeds of all kinds, especially of alder and conifers.
It can be distinguished from other similar finches by the colour of the plumage. The upper parts are greyish green and the under parts grey-streaked white. Its wings are black with a conspicuous yellow wing bar, and the tail is black with yellow sides. The male has a mainly yellow face and breast, with a neat black cap. Female and young birds have a greyish green head and no cap. It is a trusting, sociable and active bird. The song of this bird is a pleasant mix of twitters and trills. For these reasons it is often raised in captivity.
These birds have an unusual migration pattern as every few years in winter they migrate southwards in large numbers. The reasons for this behaviour are not known but may be related to climatic factors and above all the availability of food. In this way overwintering populations can thrive where food is abundant. This small finch is an acrobatic feeder, often hanging upside-down like a tit. It will visit garden bird feeding stations.
Originally created for deer hunting, Richmond Park now has 630 red and fallow deer that roam freely within much of the park. A cull takes place each November and February to ensure numbers can be sustained about 200 deer are culled annually and the meat is sold to licensed game dealers.Some deer are also killed in road accidents, through ingesting litter such as small items of plastic, or by dogs; three deer were killed by dogs in 2012.Many of the deer in Richmond Park are infected with a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi which can be transmitted to humans through a tick bite, causing Lyme disease.
The park is an important refuge for other wildlife, including woodpeckers, squirrels, rabbits, snakes, frogs, toads, stag beetles and many other insects plus numerous ancient trees and varieties of fungi. It is particularly notable for its rare beetles.
Richmond Park supports a large population of what are believed to be ring-necked (or rose-ringed) parakeets. These bred from birds that escaped or were freed from captivity.
It is impossible to go through life without trust: that is to be imprisoned in the worst cell of all, oneself.
Graham Greene
Photo by Chet KresiakRosie died 11/9/20. She was 30 years old, 11 years beyond than the life expectancy of a black rhino in captivity.
Taken from outside a dolphin pen in the Honduras. These dolphins were communicative, playful, powerfully agile, smooth, gracious, perceptive and strong. Their entrapment in the murky water of their pen was disturbing. Free dolphins often come to check in with them when they pass by on their way to the crystal clear and endless space of the ocean.
A number of these birds were bred in captivity and then released at least 5 years ago, to help slow their decline. More releases have taken place since then.
The ACT Memorial in Garema Place, by Matthew Harding.
I took dozens of shots and narrowed them down to 2 favourites. See the other one here.