Cascadia
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Waren (Müritz) (also Waren an der Müritz) is a town and climatic spa in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany.
Waren lies on Lake Müritz, the largest inland lake lying entirely within Germany, which has an area of 117 square kilometres (45 square miles).
Breeds mainly in Australia and due to climatic conditions this nomadic swan has erratic migration patterns. Most Black Swans seen in the UK are mostly escapes from captivity and with the occasional successful breeding attempts are yet to become fully established in the wild.
Turnstone - Arinaria Interpres
Ruddy turnstones can survive in a wide range of habitats and climatic conditions from Arctic to tropical. The typical breeding habitat is open tundra with water nearby. Outside the breeding season, it is found along coasts, particularly on rocky or stony shores. It is often found on man-made structures such as breakwaters and jetties. It may venture onto open grassy areas near the coast. Small numbers sometimes turn up on inland wetlands, especially during the spring and autumn migrations.
In terms of wintering sites, ruddy turnstones are particularly faithful to specific locations. A study published in 2009 examined turnstones wintering along a stretch of coastline in the Firth of Clyde. It found that 95% of birds resident to the area at the end of winter returned the following autumn. The same study also confirmed ruddy turnstones as one of the longest lived wader species, with annual adult mortality rates of under 15%. Their average lifespan is 9 years with 19 years and 2 months being the longest recorded.
Population:
UK wintering:
48,000 birds
Turnstone - Arinaria Interpres
Ruddy turnstones can survive in a wide range of habitats and climatic conditions from Arctic to tropical. The typical breeding habitat is open tundra with water nearby. Outside the breeding season, it is found along coasts, particularly on rocky or stony shores. It is often found on man-made structures such as breakwaters and jetties. It may venture onto open grassy areas near the coast. Small numbers sometimes turn up on inland wetlands, especially during the spring and autumn migrations.
In terms of wintering sites, ruddy turnstones are particularly faithful to specific locations. A study published in 2009 examined turnstones wintering along a stretch of coastline in the Firth of Clyde. It found that 95% of birds resident to the area at the end of winter returned the following autumn. The same study also confirmed ruddy turnstones as one of the longest lived wader species, with annual adult mortality rates of under 15%. Their average lifespan is 9 years with 19 years and 2 months being the longest recorded.
Population:
UK wintering:
48,000 birds
Turnstone - Arinaria Interpres
Ruddy turnstones can survive in a wide range of habitats and climatic conditions from Arctic to tropical. The typical breeding habitat is open tundra with water nearby. Outside the breeding season, it is found along coasts, particularly on rocky or stony shores. It is often found on man-made structures such as breakwaters and jetties. It may venture onto open grassy areas near the coast. Small numbers sometimes turn up on inland wetlands, especially during the spring and autumn migrations.
In terms of wintering sites, ruddy turnstones are particularly faithful to specific locations. A study published in 2009 examined turnstones wintering along a stretch of coastline in the Firth of Clyde. It found that 95% of birds resident to the area at the end of winter returned the following autumn. The same study also confirmed ruddy turnstones as one of the longest lived wader species, with annual adult mortality rates of under 15%. Their average lifespan is 9 years with 19 years and 2 months being the longest recorded.
Population:
UK wintering:
48,000 birds
Turnstone - Arinaria Interpres
Ruddy turnstones can survive in a wide range of habitats and climatic conditions from Arctic to tropical. The typical breeding habitat is open tundra with water nearby. Outside the breeding season, it is found along coasts, particularly on rocky or stony shores. It is often found on man-made structures such as breakwaters and jetties. It may venture onto open grassy areas near the coast. Small numbers sometimes turn up on inland wetlands, especially during the spring and autumn migrations.
In terms of wintering sites, ruddy turnstones are particularly faithful to specific locations. A study published in 2009 examined turnstones wintering along a stretch of coastline in the Firth of Clyde. It found that 95% of birds resident to the area at the end of winter returned the following autumn. The same study also confirmed ruddy turnstones as one of the longest lived wader species, with annual adult mortality rates of under 15%. Their average lifespan is 9 years with 19 years and 2 months being the longest recorded.
Population:
UK wintering:
48,000 birds
The black swan (Cygnus atratus) is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia they are nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon climatic conditions. Black swans have one of the longest necks of all swan species relative to their size. They have a wingspan of 6 feet or more, and a maximum weight of 20 pounds. These graceful birds commonly use their long wings in territorial or aggressive displays. . Black swans were introduced to various countries as an ornamental bird in the 1800s, but have escaped and formed stable populations. A small population of black swans exists on the River Thames at Marlow, on the Brook running through the small town of Dawlish in Devon (they have become the symbol of the town), near the River Itchen, Hampshire, and the River Tees near Stockton on Tees.
Turnstone - Arinaria Interpres
Ruddy turnstones can survive in a wide range of habitats and climatic conditions from Arctic to tropical. The typical breeding habitat is open tundra with water nearby. Outside the breeding season, it is found along coasts, particularly on rocky or stony shores. It is often found on man-made structures such as breakwaters and jetties. It may venture onto open grassy areas near the coast. Small numbers sometimes turn up on inland wetlands, especially during the spring and autumn migrations.
In terms of wintering sites, ruddy turnstones are particularly faithful to specific locations. A study published in 2009 examined turnstones wintering along a stretch of coastline in the Firth of Clyde. It found that 95% of birds resident to the area at the end of winter returned the following autumn. The same study also confirmed ruddy turnstones as one of the longest lived wader species, with annual adult mortality rates of under 15%. Their average lifespan is 9 years with 19 years and 2 months being the longest recorded.
Population:
UK wintering:
48,000 birds
Turnstone - Arinaria Interpres
Ruddy turnstones can survive in a wide range of habitats and climatic conditions from Arctic to tropical. The typical breeding habitat is open tundra with water nearby. Outside the breeding season, it is found along coasts, particularly on rocky or stony shores. It is often found on man-made structures such as breakwaters and jetties. It may venture onto open grassy areas near the coast. Small numbers sometimes turn up on inland wetlands, especially during the spring and autumn migrations.
In terms of wintering sites, ruddy turnstones are particularly faithful to specific locations. A study published in 2009 examined turnstones wintering along a stretch of coastline in the Firth of Clyde. It found that 95% of birds resident to the area at the end of winter returned the following autumn. The same study also confirmed ruddy turnstones as one of the longest lived wader species, with annual adult mortality rates of under 15%. Their average lifespan is 9 years with 19 years and 2 months being the longest recorded.
Population:
UK wintering:
48,000 birds
27/03/2021, at 8.30 pm Earth Hour starts: in the dark for an hour against the climatic and biological crisis.
I agree. And you?
The Pellinec Garden is a heaven for garden lovers and photographers alike. The remarkable garden is a series of interlinked gardens, each filled with a range of rare and beautiful plants from different climatic regions of the globe.
Penvénan, Cotes d'Armor, Brittany
Thank you all for visiting and your kind comments, awards and faves - I appreciate them all.
Turnstone - Arinaria Interpres
Ruddy turnstones can survive in a wide range of habitats and climatic conditions from Arctic to tropical. The typical breeding habitat is open tundra with water nearby. Outside the breeding season, it is found along coasts, particularly on rocky or stony shores. It is often found on man-made structures such as breakwaters and jetties. It may venture onto open grassy areas near the coast. Small numbers sometimes turn up on inland wetlands, especially during the spring and autumn migrations.
In terms of wintering sites, ruddy turnstones are particularly faithful to specific locations. A study published in 2009 examined turnstones wintering along a stretch of coastline in the Firth of Clyde. It found that 95% of birds resident to the area at the end of winter returned the following autumn. The same study also confirmed ruddy turnstones as one of the longest lived wader species, with annual adult mortality rates of under 15%. Their average lifespan is 9 years with 19 years and 2 months being the longest recorded.
Population:
UK wintering:
48,000 birds
La chèvre bottée est une chèvre de montagne particulièrement fiable et résistante même dans des conditions climatiques et topographiques extrêmes. Elle a frôlé l’extinction au début des années 1980.
The booted goat is a particularly reliable and resistant mountain goat even in extreme climatic and topographical conditions. It came close to extinction in the early 1980s
Black Swan taken at Southbank, Yarra River, Melbourne.
The black swan is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia.
Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon climatic conditions. It is a large bird with mostly black plumage and a red bill.
Wikipedia
What is the symbolism of black Swan ?
The black swan is also highly symbolic of a high level of personal power.
When things get tough, the black swan is more likely to persist than the white swan, which is why it's become the symbol of personal power.
In this case, personal power means our courage and determination to overcome hard times.
Many thanks for your visit, comments, invites and faves...it is always appreciated..
Happy Sunday
November lilies are known in different common names in different parts of the world. They are also called as Christmas lilies, Easter lilies, white trumpet lily, etc.
The scientific name of the plant is Lilium longiflorum and it is a native to Southern Japan and Taiwan, where they grow in meadows and woodlands.
In cooler climatic areas the plant is called Christmas lily and in warmer climate areas they are known as November lily.
Have a fabulous day
Polyommatus icarus is the most common and widespread member of the family Lycaenidae and is found throughout Europe, North Africa and Asia. Its habitat includes various environments like flowery meadows, heathland, woodland clearings, grassland and even along railroad tracks. There may be 2 or 3 generations depending on climatic conditions.
(english follow)
La mémoire des terres anciennes
« Souviens-toi, que toutes les terres anciennes que tu vas fouler, les plus belles comme les plus isolées et arides, racontent une histoire vitale. » (Un sage)
Carnet de voyage*
Les premiers explorateurs ont donné le nom de Badlands à ces immenses territoires rocailleux et chaotiques, impropres à l’agriculture et à l’occupation humaine.
D’autres sont venus, géologues, archéologues, paléontologues pour fouiller les secrets de ces terres innommables. Un siècle plus tard, plus de 150 squelettes complets de dinosaures provenant de 50 espèces et, plus de 450 fossiles d’organismes divers de la même période, ont été trouvés, ici sur ces terres anciennes.
La disparition des dinosaures et de plusieurs autres espèces animales et végétales de l’ère du Crétacé, serait survenue il y a environ 66 millions d’années, à la suite d’un brusque refroidissement climatique résultant de l’impact d’un astéroïde avec laTerre (Yucatan, Mexique).
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À la fin de la journée, l’explorateur fit une pause devant la grande Rivière du temps qui s’écoulait devant lui. Les mots du Sage lui revinrent alors à l’esprit, insistants. Puis, il comprit qu’il vivait, lui aussi, une histoire vitale.
Patrice photographiste
*Parc provincial des Dinosaures, Alberta, Canada ( whc.unesco.org/fr/list/71)
—————————-
The Memory of Ancient Lands
“Remember that all the ancient lands you walk on, the most beautiful as well as the most isolated and arid, tell a vital/pivotal story. " (A Wiseman)
Travelogue*
The first explorers gave the name of Badlands to these immense rocky and chaotic territories, unfit for agriculture and human occupation.
Others have come, geologists, archaeologists, paleontologists to dig into the secrets of these unimaginable lands. A century later, more than 150 complete dinosaur skeletons from 50 species and more than 450 fossils of various organisms from the same period have been found here in these ancient lands.
The disappearance of the dinosaurs and several other animal and plant species of the Cretaceous era, would have occurred approximately 66 million years ago, following a sudden climatic cooling resulting from the impact of an asteroid with Earth (Yucatan, Mexico).
_____________
At the end of the day, the explorer paused in front of the great River of Time flowing below. The words of the Wiseman came back to him then, urging. Then he realized that he, too, was living a vital story.
Patrice photographer, Chronicles of the Land of Poësia
* Dinosaur Provincial park, Alberta, Canada ( whc.unesco.org/en/list/71)
La grive, véritable boussole climatique...
On n'a plus d'hiver...
Dans des régions il n'a pas plu depuis des mois...!!!
C'est inquiétant le réchauffement climatique.
Cette année encore, je n'aurai pas vu d'oiseaux migrateurs dans ma région... et dommage.
J'ai donc cherché dans mes archives cette photo de grive litorne.
De grandes bandes de grives litornes arrivent en France le flot principal n'arrive généralement qu'en octobre et en novembre.
Des troupes de plusieurs centaines d'individus déferlent alors sur le pays par le nord et l'est, en provenance de Scandinavie et d'Europe de l'Est.
Lorsque les conditions climatiques sont mauvaises, de nombreuses grives arrivent épuisées et deviennent alors des proies faciles pour les prédateurs comme les rapaces.
En hiver, la litorne forme de grandes bandes mêlées d'autres grives, notamment des mauvis.
Ces troupes bruyantes parcourent la campagne en quête de nourriture.
A terre, la litorne se comporte typiquement comme les autres membres de la famille, adoptant souvent une posture rectiligne et progressant par bonds un peu lourdauds.
Alarmée, elle se tient presque verticale et scrute de tous les côtés. A l'approche d'un prédateur, toute la bande se réfugie dans un arbre voisin où elle se pose généralement face au vent.
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The thrush, a real climatic compass...
There is no more winter...
In some regions it has not rained for months.
Global warming is worrying.
This year again, I will not have seen migratory birds in my region... and a pity.
So I searched my archives for this fieldfare photo.
Large flocks of Fieldfares arrive in France the main flow usually only arrives in October and November.
Troops of several hundred individuals then swept over the country from the north and east, coming from Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.
When the climatic conditions are bad, many thrushes arrive exhausted and then become easy prey for predators such as raptors. In winter, the litorne forms large flocks mixed with other thrushes, notably redwings.
These noisy troops roam the countryside in search of food.
On land, the litorne typically behaves like the other members of the family, often adopting a straight posture and progressing in somewhat clumsy leaps.
Alarmed, she stands almost vertically and peers from all sides. At the approach of a predator, the whole flock takes refuge in a nearby tree where it generally lands facing the wind.
Source: Oiseaux.net
I spotted these grasses at Bedgebury National Pinetum at Bedgebury, Kent, which is a recreational and conservational arboretum and, with the National Arboretum at Westonbirt, comprises the UK National Arboreta. It was established as the National Conifer Collection in 1925 and is now recognised as the most complete collection of conifers on one site anywhere in the world. The collection has over 10,000 trees growing across 320 acres (1.3 km2), including rare, endangered and historically important specimens. Bedgebury National Pinetum conducts conservation work and is home to some 56 vulnerable or critically endangered species and houses five NCCPG National Plant Collections.
Bedgebury is first mentioned in an Anglo-Saxon charter in AD 841, the name deriving from the Old English bycgan, meaning "buy", and the Kentish vecge, meaning "to bend or turn", possibly in reference to a stream.
John de Bedgebury is listed as the earliest resident of Bedgebury, in the time of Edward II. In the 15th century Agnes de Bedgebury, sister and heir of John (died 1424) married John Colepeper, whose Colepeper heirs, financed by mining clay-ironstone on the estate, were resident until at the time of the restoration of Charles II, and who created an ornamental park on the Bedgebury estate. Elizabeth I visited in August 1573.
The current house was built in 1688 for Sir James Hayes, a little apart from the old house. The estate later passed to the Stephenson family, who retained it until it was left to a Miss Peach, who sold it in 1789 to John Cartier, Governor of Bengal and High Sheriff of Kent, who improved the plantings and the house.
In the 1840s Viscount William Beresford developed the estate by creating the village of Kilndown and three lodges, one of which – Keepers Lodge, now known as Park House – became the centre of the Pinetum. Beresford initiated the pinetum in the 1850s and his successor, his stepson Alexander Beresford Hope, developed Lady Mildred's Drive to enable visitors in carriages to view the trees. The estate was sold in 1899 to Isaac Lewis, who allowed the collection to fall into neglect, and it was purchased by the Crown Estate in 1918 for its marshy land and drier ridges, as well as its streams, lakes and valleys. In 1919, the house was bought by the Church Education Corporation to operate as a school. The school closed in 2006.
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and the Forestry Commission established the site as The National Pinetum in a joint venture in 1924, as the National Conifer Collection, because air pollution was rendering London unsuitable for growing conifers. A site at the southern end of Bedgebury Park was chosen, centred on Marshall's Lake and a stream-filled valley.
The first plants for the pinetum were raised at Kew Gardens in 1921 and transferred to Bedgebury in 1925 and 1926, alongside Viscount Beresford's existing plantings. Development of the collection was managed by the Kew botanist William Dallimore, a world-renowned expert on conifers.
In 1969 management of the pinetum reverted solely to the Forestry Commission, who extended it in 1977 and created two new lakes. In the Great Storm of 1987 almost a quarter of the trees were brought down. The aim of Bedgebury National Pinetum is "to grow as many species of conifers as the climatic conditions will allow, planted in generic groupings, using geographically associated plantings where possible." (W. Dallimore, 1923)
The pinetum holds 10,000 specimens of conifers and other species that grow in temperate zones, including 7,000 trees, as living gene banks and as a genetic resource for future restoration programmes. It holds 2,300 different species of conifer, specimens of which include the tallest tree in Kent (Abies grandis) and the three tallest Leyland Cypresses in the UK. The plan is for the pinetum to provide a mix of 70% conifers to 30% broadleaves, and to leave 40% of the site open to provide vistas and allow the trees to be appreciated.
Bedgebury National Pinetum is home to six NCCPG National Plant Collections: Yew, Juniper, Thuja, Lawson's Cypress, Leyland Cypress and Cryptomeria japonica. The collection contains 56 species that have been officially declared vulnerable or critically endangered. The scale and quality of Bedgebury National Pinetum's conifer collection have made it an ideal site to take part in the International Conifer Conservation Programme (ICCP), run by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The ICCP aims to promote the conservation of conifers through conservation work, research and education, and work carried out at Bedgebury makes up part of the effort to conserve the genetic diversity of conifers, particularly those from temperate forests.
The Bedgebury Conifer Conservation Project, initiated in 2007, is designed to use redundant forest plots to grow large numbers – up to 500 – of endangered conifers to provide an ex-situ genetic resource. The first plots were planted with Chilean plum yew by Boy Scouts celebrating their centenary in 2007, and future plantings will include samples from Europe, Asia, North America and Australasia.
Bedgebury nursery was the first to germinate Vietnamese golden cypress (Xanthocyparis vietnamensis) and chichibu birch (Betula chichibuensis) seeds in cultivation.
For further information please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedgebury_National_Pinetum and www.forestryengland.uk/bedgebury
Black Swan taken at Southbank, Yarra River, Melbourne.
The black swan is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia.
Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon climatic conditions. It is a large bird with mostly black plumage and a red bill.
Wikipedia
What is the symbolism of black Swan ?
The black swan is also highly symbolic of a high level of personal power.
When things get tough, the black swan is more likely to persist than the white swan, which is why it's become the symbol of personal power.
In this case, personal power means our courage and determination to overcome hard times.
Many thanks for your visit, comments, invites and faves...it is always appreciated..
Peaceful Sunday
Crocothemis erythraea belongs to the family Libellulidae and originally occurred in Southern Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Due to climatic change it is spreading to the north. Meanwhile it can be found in many parts of Germany near sunny ponds and lakes. The flight period lasts from June through August.
Bedgebury National Pinetum at Bedgebury, Kent, in the United Kingdom, is a recreational and conservational arboretum and, with the National Arboretum at Westonbirt, comprises the UK National Arboreta. It was established as the National Conifer Collection in 1925 and is now recognised as the most complete collection of conifers on one site anywhere in the world. The collection has over 10,000 trees growing across 320 acres (1.3 km2), including rare, endangered and historically important specimens. Bedgebury National Pinetum conducts conservation work and is home to some 56 vulnerable or critically endangered species and houses five NCCPG National Plant Collections.
Bedgebury is first mentioned in an Anglo-Saxon charter in AD 841, the name deriving from the Old English bycgan, meaning "buy", and the Kentish vecge, meaning "to bend or turn", possibly in reference to a stream.
John de Bedgebury is listed as the earliest resident of Bedgebury, in the time of Edward II. In the 15th century Agnes de Bedgebury, sister and heir of John (died 1424) married John Colepeper, whose Colepeper heirs, financed by mining clay-ironstone on the estate, were resident until at the time of the restoration of Charles II, and who created an ornamental park on the Bedgebury estate. Elizabeth I visited in August 1573.
The current house was built in 1688 for Sir James Hayes, a little apart from the old house. The estate later passed to the Stephenson family, who retained it until it was left to a Miss Peach, who sold it in 1789 to John Cartier, Governor of Bengal and High Sheriff of Kent, who improved the plantings and the house.
In the 1840s Viscount William Beresford developed the estate by creating the village of Kilndown and three lodges, one of which – Keepers Lodge, now known as Park House – became the centre of the Pinetum. Beresford initiated the pinetum in the 1850s and his successor, his stepson Alexander Beresford Hope, developed Lady Mildred's Drive to enable visitors in carriages to view the trees. The estate was sold in 1899 to Isaac Lewis, who allowed the collection to fall into neglect, and it was purchased by the Crown Estate in 1918 for its marshy land and drier ridges, as well as its streams, lakes and valleys. In 1919, the house was bought by the Church Education Corporation to operate as a school. The school closed in 2006.
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and the Forestry Commission established the site as The National Pinetum in a joint venture in 1924, as the National Conifer Collection, because air pollution was rendering London unsuitable for growing conifers. A site at the southern end of Bedgebury Park was chosen, centred on Marshall's Lake and a stream-filled valley.
The first plants for the pinetum were raised at Kew Gardens in 1921 and transferred to Bedgebury in 1925 and 1926, alongside Viscount Beresford's existing plantings. Development of the collection was managed by the Kew botanist William Dallimore, a world-renowned expert on conifers.
In 1969 management of the pinetum reverted solely to the Forestry Commission, who extended it in 1977 and created two new lakes. In the Great Storm of 1987 almost a quarter of the trees were brought down. The aim of Bedgebury National Pinetum is "to grow as many species of conifers as the climatic conditions will allow, planted in generic groupings, using geographically associated plantings where possible." (W. Dallimore, 1923)
The pinetum holds 10,000 specimens of conifers and other species that grow in temperate zones, including 7,000 trees, as living gene banks and as a genetic resource for future restoration programmes. It holds 2,300 different species of conifer, specimens of which include the tallest tree in Kent (Abies grandis) and the three tallest Leyland Cypresses in the UK. The plan is for the pinetum to provide a mix of 70% conifers to 30% broadleaves, and to leave 40% of the site open to provide vistas and allow the trees to be appreciated.
Bedgebury National Pinetum is home to six NCCPG National Plant Collections: Yew, Juniper, Thuja, Lawson's Cypress, Leyland Cypress and Cryptomeria japonica. The collection contains 56 species that have been officially declared vulnerable or critically endangered. The scale and quality of Bedgebury National Pinetum's conifer collection have made it an ideal site to take part in the International Conifer Conservation Programme (ICCP), run by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The ICCP aims to promote the conservation of conifers through conservation work, research and education, and work carried out at Bedgebury makes up part of the effort to conserve the genetic diversity of conifers, particularly those from temperate forests.
The Bedgebury Conifer Conservation Project, initiated in 2007, is designed to use redundant forest plots to grow large numbers – up to 500 – of endangered conifers to provide an ex-situ genetic resource. The first plots were planted with Chilean plum yew by Boy Scouts celebrating their centenary in 2007, and future plantings will include samples from Europe, Asia, North America and Australasia.
Bedgebury nursery was the first to germinate Vietnamese golden cypress (Xanthocyparis vietnamensis) and chichibu birch (Betula chichibuensis) seeds in cultivation.
For further information please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedgebury_National_Pinetum and www.forestryengland.uk/bedgebury
Melanargia galathea is a medium-sized butterfly and belongs to the family Nymphalidae (Sub-family Satyrinae). It occurs in most of Europe and can be found in forest clearings, meadows and grasslands. There is one generation per year flying from June to August depending on climatic conditions.
hoarfrost
Hoar frost is a type of feathery frost that forms as a result of specific climatic conditions. The word 'hoar' comes from old English and refers to the old age appearance of the frost: the way the ice crystals form makes it look like white hair or a beard.
Thanks to everyone that views and comments on my images - very much appreciated.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. On all my images, Use without permission is illegal.
Dartford Warbler - Sylvia Undata
Norfolk
The Dartford warbler (Sylvia undata) iDs a typical warbler from the warmer parts of western Europe and northwestern Africa. It is a small warbler with a long thin tail and a thin pointed bill. The adult male has grey-brown upperparts and is dull reddish-brown below except for the centre of the belly which has a dirty white patch. It has light speckles on the throat and a red eye-ring. The sexes are similar but the adult female is usually less grey above and paler below.
Its breeding range lies west of a line from southern England to the heel of Italy (southern Apulia). The Dartford warbler is usually resident all year in its breeding range, but there is some limited migration.
The Dartford warbler was first described by the Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant from two specimens that were shot in April 1773 on Bexley Heath near Dartford in Kent.
The species is naturally rare. The largest European populations of Sylvia undata are in the Iberian peninsula, others in much of France, in Italy and southern England and south Wales. In Africa it can be found only in small areas in the north, wintering in northern Morocco and northern Algeria.
In southern England the birds breed on heathlands, sometimes near the coast, and nest in either common gorse (Ulex europaeus) or common heather (Calluna
Dartford warblers are named for Dartford Heath in north west Kent, where the population became extinct in the early twentieth century. They almost died out in the United Kingdom in the severe winter of 1962/1963 when the national population dropped to just ten pairs. Sylvia undata is also sensitive to drought affecting breeding success or producing heath fires, as occurred during 1975 and 1976 in England when virtually all juveniles failed to survive their first year.
However, this species can recover well in good quality habitat with favourable temperatures and rainfall, thanks to repeated nesting and a high survival rate for the young. Indeed, they recovered in some areas of the UK, but numbers are once again on the decline in other regions of their natural range.
The range of the Dartford warbler is restricted to western and southern Europe. The total population in 2012 was estimated at 1.1–2.5 million breeding pairs. The largest numbers occur in Spain where there were believed to be 983,000–1,750,000 pairs. For reasons that probably include loss of suitable habitat, the Spanish population appears to be declining. The species is therefore classed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being Near threatened.
A period of climatic warming since 1963 has seen the UK population increase to "more than 2,500 pairs in 2006 (Wotton et al. 2009). Expansion into patches of structurally suitable habitat (up to an altitude of 400m), more northerly areas and away from the core of the range, from Dorset and Hampshire to Derbyshire and Suffolk, is likely to have been facilitated by milder winter weather (Wotton et al. 2009, Bradbury et al. 2011)... The Dartford warbler population in the UK is expected to continue to increase. However, future climate-based projections for the European range indicate that by 2080, more than 60% of the current European range may no longer be suitable (Huntley et al 2007). There is evidence that this is happening already, with severe declines in Spain and France (Green 2017). For this reason, the species is classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Global Red List. If the declines in southern Europe continue, the UK will become increasingly important for global conservation of this species".
Population:
UK breeding:
3,200 pairs
Βαθύ Μουζί. Vathi Mouzi. Unfortunately I could not photograph it from above. It is very impressive.
One of the places that impresses is the eerie "black hole" of Mani, measuring about 50 x 30 meters, near the village of Erimos in Western Mani. In an area full of stones and low vegetation there is a "Black Hole", a place that is not seen by the hot sun of Mani and is called Vathi Mouzi according to the minimal information that exists about it.
Its vertical "walls" awe and thanks to them and the great depth it has, the ideal conditions are created for a small forest inside. The forest was created in the cave background due to the climatic conditions that favor humidity, while the minimal sun that penetrates into the rocks contributes to the growth of vegetation.
Turnstone - Arinaria Interpres
Norfolk
Ruddy turnstones can survive in a wide range of habitats and climatic conditions from Arctic to tropical. The typical breeding habitat is open tundra with water nearby. Outside the breeding season, it is found along coasts, particularly on rocky or stony shores. It is often found on man-made structures such as breakwaters and jetties. It may venture onto open grassy areas near the coast. Small numbers sometimes turn up on inland wetlands, especially during the spring and autumn migrations.
In terms of wintering sites, ruddy turnstones are particularly faithful to specific locations. A study published in 2009 examined turnstones wintering along a stretch of coastline in the Firth of Clyde. It found that 95% of birds resident to the area at the end of winter returned the following autumn. The same study also confirmed ruddy turnstones as one of the longest lived wader species, with annual adult mortality rates of under 15%. Their average lifespan is 9 years with 19 years and 2 months being the longest recorded.
Population:
UK wintering:
48,000 birds
The fog phenomenon
During autumn and winter, parts of the northern Alpine valleys, as well as the villages and cities of the low areas of the Mittelland, experience a climatic phenomenon in the form of a lowland fog. This occurs when the stable, high-pressure weather conditions prevail over central Europe and the Alps and create cold air masses. This results in a blanket of fog that can cover the areas for days or even weeks.
Meanwhile, towns perched high up in the Alps get to enjoy warm weather due to an inversion. This occurs when the air above the fog line is warmer than the air below. For this reason, Switzerland’s high-altitude resorts are extremely popular destinations come wintertime. (this info was copied from EXPATICA )
The first plan to build a road in the Hohe Tauern crossing the main ridge of the Alps near Austria's highest peak was submitted in 1924 by the court councilor Ing. Franz Wallack. The construction itself began on August 30, 1930 on the north side of the ridge in Ferleiten. Almost exactly 5 years later - on August 3, 1935 - it was ceremoniously opened. Given the climatic conditions prevailing in this corner of the Alps, the construction was handled very quickly.
The average snowfall here is up to 5 meters, a stormy wind blows 100 days a year and precipitation is reported in 250 days. The average annual temperature in the highest parts of the road is -3 ° C, which corresponds to the temperature conditions in Siberia or Greenland.
Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse is 48 km long (Ferleiten - Heiligenblut), we find 26 numbered bends and overcomes 1748 meters of elevation gain. The largest climb is 12%, on the turn to the Edelweissspitze even 14%. This peak is also the highest point of the road - 2571 m above sea level. From the top plateau we can overlook 37 peaks higher than 3000 meters and 19 glaciers at once! The second turn takes us directly to the Pasterze Glacier. The highest point of the road itself is the entrance portal to the 2.3 km long Hochtor tunnel - 2505 m above sea level. The lowest point is Bruck - 755 m above sea level.
As of July 2020, I have lived in Seattle for more than 13 years, by far the longest time I've lived in one city, followed by Stavanger, Norway and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Like so many cities, Seattle continues to develop, grow, rise, and evolve. Because I am a resident, I have the advantage of observing the evolution of the Emerald City, thus keeping my Seattle cityscapes up to date via photography, compared to so many cities that I will soon need to revisit to update my portfolios -- which may not be for a while given the multiple crises America faces today (health, economic, climatic, racial, political, etc.).
As more buildings alter Seattle's skyline, different areas within the city evolve into new vantage points. Part of the enthusiasm I have as a photographer is deliberately seeking those new vantages. Enjoy a somewhat atypical view of the Seattle skyline from Lake Union, adorned by yachts and boats docked at a marina in the Queen Anne neighborhood.
One thing has remained consistent among all the change, however: Seattle has erected more cranes for construction than any other city in the United States since 2016. I wrote about this briefly in my blog, "Where the Cranes Reign." The cranes have been, essentially, a prominent feature of the Seattle skyline for the last decade.
TIA OFFICIAL WEBSITE / TIA PHOTO INVENTORY / TIA MASTODON / LA VUE ATYPIQUE (BLOG) / VIMEO
Dartford Warbler - Sylvia Undata
The Dartford warbler (Sylvia undata) iDs a typical warbler from the warmer parts of western Europe and northwestern Africa. It is a small warbler with a long thin tail and a thin pointed bill. The adult male has grey-brown upperparts and is dull reddish-brown below except for the centre of the belly which has a dirty white patch. It has light speckles on the throat and a red eye-ring. The sexes are similar but the adult female is usually less grey above and paler below.
Its breeding range lies west of a line from southern England to the heel of Italy (southern Apulia). The Dartford warbler is usually resident all year in its breeding range, but there is some limited migration.
The Dartford warbler was first described by the Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant from two specimens that were shot in April 1773 on Bexley Heath near Dartford in Kent.
The species is naturally rare. The largest European populations of Sylvia undata are in the Iberian peninsula, others in much of France, in Italy and southern England and south Wales. In Africa it can be found only in small areas in the north, wintering in northern Morocco and northern Algeria.
In southern England the birds breed on heathlands, sometimes near the coast, and nest in either common gorse (Ulex europaeus) or common heather (Calluna
Dartford warblers are named for Dartford Heath in north west Kent, where the population became extinct in the early twentieth century. They almost died out in the United Kingdom in the severe winter of 1962/1963 when the national population dropped to just ten pairs. Sylvia undata is also sensitive to drought affecting breeding success or producing heath fires, as occurred during 1975 and 1976 in England when virtually all juveniles failed to survive their first year.
However, this species can recover well in good quality habitat with favourable temperatures and rainfall, thanks to repeated nesting and a high survival rate for the young. Indeed, they recovered in some areas of the UK, but numbers are once again on the decline in other regions of their natural range.
The range of the Dartford warbler is restricted to western and southern Europe. The total population in 2012 was estimated at 1.1–2.5 million breeding pairs. The largest numbers occur in Spain where there were believed to be 983,000–1,750,000 pairs. For reasons that probably include loss of suitable habitat, the Spanish population appears to be declining. The species is therefore classed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being Near threatened.
A period of climatic warming since 1963 has seen the UK population increase to "more than 2,500 pairs in 2006 (Wotton et al. 2009). Expansion into patches of structurally suitable habitat (up to an altitude of 400m), more northerly areas and away from the core of the range, from Dorset and Hampshire to Derbyshire and Suffolk, is likely to have been facilitated by milder winter weather (Wotton et al. 2009, Bradbury et al. 2011)... The Dartford warbler population in the UK is expected to continue to increase. However, future climate-based projections for the European range indicate that by 2080, more than 60% of the current European range may no longer be suitable (Huntley et al 2007). There is evidence that this is happening already, with severe declines in Spain and France (Green 2017). For this reason, the species is classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Global Red List. If the declines in southern Europe continue, the UK will become increasingly important for global conservation of this species".
Population:
UK breeding:
3,200 pairs
Salt workers are seasonal workers with marginal source of income. There is lack of social and health securities for salt workers. They are exposed to hazardous work-environmental factors and work in extreme climatic conditions.
Harran Archaeological Site is located at Harran Township, 44 km to the south of Şanlıurfa Province. Located at the center of the plain, called with the same name, Harran is at the junction of the roads stretching from south – to north and from east – to west. Having been settled by numerous civilisations, i.e. Old Assyrians, New Assyrians, Hittites, New Babilonians, Meds, Persians, Helens, Romans, East Romans, Emevis, Abbasids, Hamdanis, Numeyris (1059), Seldjuks (1086), Zengis and Ayyubids (1182), Harran was destroyed by Mongolians in 1272, and their people and wealth were carried to Mosul and Mardin. Harran has become the capital city of New Assyrian Kingdom and Umayyad State along the history and is the central city of Diyar-I Mudar at Cezire region. It is indicated that Harran is named such because that it was built by “Haran”, uncle of Prophet Abraham. Harran means “road” in Chaldean language. [1]
Harran is famous for its traditional "beehive" adobe houses, constructed entirely without wood. The design of these makes them cool inside, suiting the climatic needs of the region, and is thought to have been unchanged for at least 3,000 years. Some were still in use as dwellings until the 1980s. However, those remaining today are strictly tourist exhibits, while most of Harran's population lives in a newly built small village about 2 kilometres away from the main site. [2]
Text Refs:
[1] muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?SectionId=HAR01&DistId=MRK
[2] Wikipedia
Dartford Warbler - Sylvia Undata
The Dartford warbler (Sylvia undata) iDs a typical warbler from the warmer parts of western Europe and northwestern Africa. It is a small warbler with a long thin tail and a thin pointed bill. The adult male has grey-brown upperparts and is dull reddish-brown below except for the centre of the belly which has a dirty white patch. It has light speckles on the throat and a red eye-ring. The sexes are similar but the adult female is usually less grey above and paler below.
Its breeding range lies west of a line from southern England to the heel of Italy (southern Apulia). The Dartford warbler is usually resident all year in its breeding range, but there is some limited migration.
The Dartford warbler was first described by the Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant from two specimens that were shot in April 1773 on Bexley Heath near Dartford in Kent.
The species is naturally rare. The largest European populations of Sylvia undata are in the Iberian peninsula, others in much of France, in Italy and southern England and south Wales. In Africa it can be found only in small areas in the north, wintering in northern Morocco and northern Algeria.
In southern England the birds breed on heathlands, sometimes near the coast, and nest in either common gorse (Ulex europaeus) or common heather (Calluna
Dartford warblers are named for Dartford Heath in north west Kent, where the population became extinct in the early twentieth century. They almost died out in the United Kingdom in the severe winter of 1962/1963 when the national population dropped to just ten pairs. Sylvia undata is also sensitive to drought affecting breeding success or producing heath fires, as occurred during 1975 and 1976 in England when virtually all juveniles failed to survive their first year.
However, this species can recover well in good quality habitat with favourable temperatures and rainfall, thanks to repeated nesting and a high survival rate for the young. Indeed, they recovered in some areas of the UK, but numbers are once again on the decline in other regions of their natural range.
The range of the Dartford warbler is restricted to western and southern Europe. The total population in 2012 was estimated at 1.1–2.5 million breeding pairs. The largest numbers occur in Spain where there were believed to be 983,000–1,750,000 pairs. For reasons that probably include loss of suitable habitat, the Spanish population appears to be declining. The species is therefore classed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being Near threatened.
A period of climatic warming since 1963 has seen the UK population increase to "more than 2,500 pairs in 2006 (Wotton et al. 2009). Expansion into patches of structurally suitable habitat (up to an altitude of 400m), more northerly areas and away from the core of the range, from Dorset and Hampshire to Derbyshire and Suffolk, is likely to have been facilitated by milder winter weather (Wotton et al. 2009, Bradbury et al. 2011)... The Dartford warbler population in the UK is expected to continue to increase. However, future climate-based projections for the European range indicate that by 2080, more than 60% of the current European range may no longer be suitable (Huntley et al 2007). There is evidence that this is happening already, with severe declines in Spain and France (Green 2017). For this reason, the species is classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Global Red List. If the declines in southern Europe continue, the UK will become increasingly important for global conservation of this species".
Population:
UK breeding:
3,200 pairs
Sa technique de pêche repose sur l'affût, perché sur une branche au-dessus de l'eau. Il repère ses proies en agitant la tête de droite à gauche, puis soit pique directement, la tête la première, depuis son perchoir, soit effectue un bref vol stationnaire avant de plonger. Il revient souvent se poser sur son perchoir dont il se servira pour assommer sa proie avant de la lancer en l'air pour la gober tête la première.
Le succès de ses pêches est très sensible aux conditions climatiques, la pluie troublant la surface, ou la turbidité de l'eau rendant le repérage des proies plus difficile.
Le martin-pêcheur régurgite des pelotes de réjection, dont une partie constitue la couche sur laquelle les œufs seront déposés au fond du terrier.
**********************************************************
His fishing technique is based on the lookout, perched on a branch above the water. He spots his prey by waving his head from right to left, then either spades directly, head first, from his perch, or performs a brief hovering before diving. He often comes back on his perch which he will use to knock out his prey before throwing it in the air to swallow head first.
The success of its fisheries is very sensitive to the climatic conditions, the rain disturbing the surface, or the turbidity of the water making the identification of the preys more difficult.
The kingfisher regurgitates balls of rejection, part of which is the layer on which the eggs will be deposited at the bottom of the burrow.
28-May-2022
I honestly do not think we are so far from the "End of the World" understood as the "End of Humanity" on this poor Planet Earth.
Between deep and irreversible climatic damage, the spread of epidemics/pandemics for the first time in a century and men less and less empathetic, increasingly devoid of feelings and belligerent, it seems to me that the bases are all there for the beginning of human extinction.
Patience, I will make a reason for it.
Siskin - Carduelis Spinus
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 Asia. It is found in forested areas, both coniferous and mixed woodland where it feeds on seeds of all kinds, especially of alder and conifers.
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.
These birds can be found throughout the year in Central Europe and some mountain ranges in the south of the continent. They are present in the north of Scandinavia and in Russia and they over-winter in the Mediterranean basin and the area around the Black Sea. In China they breed in the Khingan Mountains of Inner Mongolia and in Jiangsu province; they spend summer in Tibet, Taiwan, the valleys of the lower Yangtse River and the south east coast.
The Eurasian siskin is occasionally seen in North America. There is also a similar and closely related North America counterpart, the pine siskin, Spinus pinus.
heir seasonal distribution is also marked by the fact that they follow an anomalous migration pattern. Every few years they migrate southwards in larger numbers and the overwintering populations in the Iberian Peninsula are greatly augmented. This event has been the object of diverse theories, one theory suggests that it occurs in the years when Norway Spruce produces abundant fruit in the centre and north of Europe, causing populations to increase. An alternative theory is that greater migration occurs when the preferred food of alder or birch seed fails. This species will form large flocks outside the breeding season, often mixed with redpolls.
It is a bird that does not remain for long in one area but which varies the areas it used for breeding, feeding, over-wintering from one year to the next.
They are very active and restless birds. They are also very social, forming small cohesive flocks especially in autumn and winter. They are fairly trusting of humans, it being possible to observe them from a short distance. During the breeding season, however, they are much more timid, solitary and difficult to observe.
Population:
UK breeding:
410,000 pairs
Today the California rabbit breed is one of the most popular breeds in the world. Bred in the early 1920s in the USA, as a result of complex breeding experiments by crossing breeds such as large chinchilla, New Zealand white, Russian ermine, a wonderful breed of meat direction was obtained. Californian rabbits were brought to our country from Europe in the 70s of the last century. Russian rabbit breeders initially reacted with great caution, believing that the breed was too small and would not suit the local climatic conditions. Doubts were quickly dispelled by the advantages of this breed - early maturity, high fertility of females, high slaughter yield. In our country, the breeding of Californian rabbits reaches an industrial scale.
22-February-2021: maximum temperature: +10°C.
The early thaw 2021 (more than a month before, compared to the NORMAL climatic averages of the area), due to meteorological causes and coincidences, therefore it is a temporary situation, a thaw that will be interrupted several times, is given by an anomalous persistence of an African High Pressure "Bell", as already mentioned, with Geopotentials and HIGH ALTITUDE temperatures since the beginning of June (almost 2 seasons earlier).
The cold winter air that resists at an inertial level in the valleys orographically suitable for the protection of these residual masses, is also put to the test by the Sun, which (here we are at the 46th parallel north), in the last decade of February, is high on the horizon as in mid-October!
The northern slopes of the more massive reliefs keep the abundant winter snowcover almost intact, thanks to snow own albedo, which has average temperatures around -6°C (snow temperature).
It should be added that in TEMPERATE latitudes Mountain areas, frost and thaw do not respect fixed dates, they are the average of meteorological trend extremes: there were even winters without snow and without persistent frost in the alpine valleys of this area, therefore without a real thaw, and winters that lasted much longer than average, starting a noticeable thaw just in late April.
Furthermore, SINGLE mild and springly days are also possible in January, as well as winter returns (progressively shorter) are possible until May; flowers and plants have often suffered harmful frosts resulting from a ("false") thaw that started too early.
Dartford Warbler - Sylvia Undata
The Dartford warbler (Sylvia undata) iDs a typical warbler from the warmer parts of western Europe and northwestern Africa. It is a small warbler with a long thin tail and a thin pointed bill. The adult male has grey-brown upperparts and is dull reddish-brown below except for the centre of the belly which has a dirty white patch. It has light speckles on the throat and a red eye-ring. The sexes are similar but the adult female is usually less grey above and paler below.
Its breeding range lies west of a line from southern England to the heel of Italy (southern Apulia). The Dartford warbler is usually resident all year in its breeding range, but there is some limited migration.
The Dartford warbler was first described by the Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant from two specimens that were shot in April 1773 on Bexley Heath near Dartford in Kent.
The species is naturally rare. The largest European populations of Sylvia undata are in the Iberian peninsula, others in much of France, in Italy and southern England and south Wales. In Africa it can be found only in small areas in the north, wintering in northern Morocco and northern Algeria.
In southern England the birds breed on heathlands, sometimes near the coast, and nest in either common gorse (Ulex europaeus) or common heather (Calluna
Dartford warblers are named for Dartford Heath in north west Kent, where the population became extinct in the early twentieth century. They almost died out in the United Kingdom in the severe winter of 1962/1963 when the national population dropped to just ten pairs. Sylvia undata is also sensitive to drought affecting breeding success or producing heath fires, as occurred during 1975 and 1976 in England when virtually all juveniles failed to survive their first year.
However, this species can recover well in good quality habitat with favourable temperatures and rainfall, thanks to repeated nesting and a high survival rate for the young. Indeed, they recovered in some areas of the UK, but numbers are once again on the decline in other regions of their natural range.
The range of the Dartford warbler is restricted to western and southern Europe. The total population in 2012 was estimated at 1.1–2.5 million breeding pairs. The largest numbers occur in Spain where there were believed to be 983,000–1,750,000 pairs. For reasons that probably include loss of suitable habitat, the Spanish population appears to be declining. The species is therefore classed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being Near threatened.
A period of climatic warming since 1963 has seen the UK population increase to "more than 2,500 pairs in 2006 (Wotton et al. 2009). Expansion into patches of structurally suitable habitat (up to an altitude of 400m), more northerly areas and away from the core of the range, from Dorset and Hampshire to Derbyshire and Suffolk, is likely to have been facilitated by milder winter weather (Wotton et al. 2009, Bradbury et al. 2011)... The Dartford warbler population in the UK is expected to continue to increase. However, future climate-based projections for the European range indicate that by 2080, more than 60% of the current European range may no longer be suitable (Huntley et al 2007). There is evidence that this is happening already, with severe declines in Spain and France (Green 2017). For this reason, the species is classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Global Red List. If the declines in southern Europe continue, the UK will become increasingly important for global conservation of this species".
Population:
UK breeding:
3,200 pairs
Harran is famous for its traditional "beehive" adobe houses, constructed entirely without wood. The design of these makes them cool inside, suiting the climatic needs of the region, and is thought to have been unchanged for at least 3,000 years. Some were still in use as dwellings until the 1980s. However, those remaining today are strictly tourist exhibits, while most of Harran's population lives in a newly built small village about 2 kilometres away from the main site.
Text Ref: Wikipedia
The photo shows how these houses look from inside since they are now mostly used to attract tourists as cafes and souvenir shops.
Trunks of Dakekanba birch lit by the sun against the forested slope of Hakuba mountains. This photo is a close up of the previous photo taken from the Happoone ridge.
Dakekanba is a shade-intolerant tree that grows in high mountain areas of tough climatic and soil conditions as far as the areas catch the sun. It can survive under heavy snowfall in winter.
Upper centre of the photo is a snow gorge.
Yes, it was the last sunset of this summer. A different summer, an unusual summer not for the climatic effects but for the effects of man. Hello summer 2020. Despite everything, it was nice to be there. Goodbye if heaven wills.
Happou-ike is a small pond located just beside the Happoone ridge. The area has an alpine landscape unusual at a relatively low altitude of 2,100 m due to soil and climatic conditions. It becomes a blooming grassland in spring and summer.
The shrub in front is Haimatsu or Siberian dwarf pine that is usually found above the forest limit.
Bedgebury National Pinetum at Bedgebury, Kent, in the United Kingdom, is a recreational and conservational arboretum and, with the National Arboretum at Westonbirt, comprises the UK National Arboreta. It was established as the National Conifer Collection in 1925 and is now recognised as the most complete collection of conifers on one site anywhere in the world. The collection has over 10,000 trees growing across 320 acres (1.3 km2), including rare, endangered and historically important specimens. Bedgebury National Pinetum conducts conservation work and is home to some 56 vulnerable or critically endangered species and houses five NCCPG National Plant Collections.
Bedgebury is first mentioned in an Anglo-Saxon charter in AD 841, the name deriving from the Old English bycgan, meaning "buy", and the Kentish vecge, meaning "to bend or turn", possibly in reference to a stream.
John de Bedgebury is listed as the earliest resident of Bedgebury, in the time of Edward II. In the 15th century Agnes de Bedgebury, sister and heir of John (died 1424) married John Colepeper, whose Colepeper heirs, financed by mining clay-ironstone on the estate, were resident until at the time of the restoration of Charles II, and who created an ornamental park on the Bedgebury estate. Elizabeth I visited in August 1573.
The current house was built in 1688 for Sir James Hayes, a little apart from the old house. The estate later passed to the Stephenson family, who retained it until it was left to a Miss Peach, who sold it in 1789 to John Cartier, Governor of Bengal and High Sheriff of Kent, who improved the plantings and the house.
In the 1840s Viscount William Beresford developed the estate by creating the village of Kilndown and three lodges, one of which – Keepers Lodge, now known as Park House – became the centre of the Pinetum. Beresford initiated the pinetum in the 1850s and his successor, his stepson Alexander Beresford Hope, developed Lady Mildred's Drive to enable visitors in carriages to view the trees. The estate was sold in 1899 to Isaac Lewis, who allowed the collection to fall into neglect, and it was purchased by the Crown Estate in 1918 for its marshy land and drier ridges, as well as its streams, lakes and valleys. In 1919, the house was bought by the Church Education Corporation to operate as a school. The school closed in 2006.
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and the Forestry Commission established the site as The National Pinetum in a joint venture in 1924, as the National Conifer Collection, because air pollution was rendering London unsuitable for growing conifers. A site at the southern end of Bedgebury Park was chosen, centred on Marshall's Lake and a stream-filled valley.
The first plants for the pinetum were raised at Kew Gardens in 1921 and transferred to Bedgebury in 1925 and 1926, alongside Viscount Beresford's existing plantings. Development of the collection was managed by the Kew botanist William Dallimore, a world-renowned expert on conifers.
In 1969 management of the pinetum reverted solely to the Forestry Commission, who extended it in 1977 and created two new lakes. In the Great Storm of 1987 almost a quarter of the trees were brought down. The aim of Bedgebury National Pinetum is "to grow as many species of conifers as the climatic conditions will allow, planted in generic groupings, using geographically associated plantings where possible." (W. Dallimore, 1923)
The pinetum holds 10,000 specimens of conifers and other species that grow in temperate zones, including 7,000 trees, as living gene banks and as a genetic resource for future restoration programmes. It holds 2,300 different species of conifer, specimens of which include the tallest tree in Kent (Abies grandis) and the three tallest Leyland Cypresses in the UK. The plan is for the pinetum to provide a mix of 70% conifers to 30% broadleaves, and to leave 40% of the site open to provide vistas and allow the trees to be appreciated.
Bedgebury National Pinetum is home to six NCCPG National Plant Collections: Yew, Juniper, Thuja, Lawson's Cypress, Leyland Cypress and Cryptomeria japonica. The collection contains 56 species that have been officially declared vulnerable or critically endangered. The scale and quality of Bedgebury National Pinetum's conifer collection have made it an ideal site to take part in the International Conifer Conservation Programme (ICCP), run by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The ICCP aims to promote the conservation of conifers through conservation work, research and education, and work carried out at Bedgebury makes up part of the effort to conserve the genetic diversity of conifers, particularly those from temperate forests.
The Bedgebury Conifer Conservation Project, initiated in 2007, is designed to use redundant forest plots to grow large numbers – up to 500 – of endangered conifers to provide an ex-situ genetic resource. The first plots were planted with Chilean plum yew by Boy Scouts celebrating their centenary in 2007, and future plantings will include samples from Europe, Asia, North America and Australasia.
Bedgebury nursery was the first to germinate Vietnamese golden cypress (Xanthocyparis vietnamensis) and chichibu birch (Betula chichibuensis) seeds in cultivation.
For further information please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedgebury_National_Pinetum and www.forestryengland.uk/bedgebury
The succulent Kalanchoe species, popularly known as flower-of-fortune (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana), is super easy to care for. This is because it is resistant to climatic variations, does not need constant irrigation and has excellent adaptation to indoor and outdoor environments. In addition, in the same species there are variations such as the cat's ear (Kalanchoe tomentosa), the mother of thousands (Kalanchoe laetivirens), among others.
When the flowers are simple they are called Kalanchoe.
And when the flowers are folded (multiple petals) Calandivas.
Siskin - Carduelis Spinus
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 Asia. It is found in forested areas, both coniferous and mixed woodland where it feeds on seeds of all kinds, especially of alder and conifers.
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.
These birds can be found throughout the year in Central Europe and some mountain ranges in the south of the continent. They are present in the north of Scandinavia and in Russia and they over-winter in the Mediterranean basin and the area around the Black Sea. In China they breed in the Khingan Mountains of Inner Mongolia and in Jiangsu province; they spend summer in Tibet, Taiwan, the valleys of the lower Yangtse River and the south east coast.
The Eurasian siskin is occasionally seen in North America. There is also a similar and closely related North America counterpart, the pine siskin, Spinus pinus.
heir seasonal distribution is also marked by the fact that they follow an anomalous migration pattern. Every few years they migrate southwards in larger numbers and the overwintering populations in the Iberian Peninsula are greatly augmented. This event has been the object of diverse theories, one theory suggests that it occurs in the years when Norway Spruce produces abundant fruit in the centre and north of Europe, causing populations to increase. An alternative theory is that greater migration occurs when the preferred food of alder or birch seed fails. This species will form large flocks outside the breeding season, often mixed with redpolls.
It is a bird that does not remain for long in one area but which varies the areas it used for breeding, feeding, over-wintering from one year to the next.
They are very active and restless birds. They are also very social, forming small cohesive flocks especially in autumn and winter. They are fairly trusting of humans, it being possible to observe them from a short distance. During the breeding season, however, they are much more timid, solitary and difficult to observe.
Population:
UK breeding:
410,000 pairs