2018 NJ BALD EAGLE PROJECT REPORT

by: Larissa Smith, CWF Wildlife Biologist

 

The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ in partnership with the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, Endangered and Nongame Species Program, has released the 2018 NJ Bald Eagle Project Report.

 

“Two hundred-four nest sites were monitored during the nesting season, of which 185 were documented to be active (with eggs) and 19 were territorial or housekeeping pairs. Thirty new eagle pairs were found this season, 20 in the south, nine in central and one in the north. One hundred-twenty-one nests (66%) of the 182 known-outcome nests produced 172 young, for a productivity rate of 0.94 young per active/known-outcome nest. The failure rate was well above average with 61 nests (33%) failing to produce. The Delaware Bay region remained the state’s eagle stronghold, with roughly half of nests located in Cumberland and Salem counties and the bayside of Cape May County.”

 

The number of active nests has increased while the number of young eagles fledged has decreased since a high of 216 young fledged in 2016. During the 2018 eagle nesting season there was an abundance of cold, wet, windy and snowy weather which was the cause for a portion of the nest failures. As the eagle population increases, there are more eagles competing for territories. This can also be a contributing factor in nest failures. NJ is still in the range of 0.9 to 1.1 young per nest which is needed for population maintenance with a productivity rate of 0.94 young per known-outcome/active nest in 2018. The 2018 NJ Eagle Project Report has all the details on the project including telemetry, re-sightings and recoveries.

 

The success of the eagle project is due to the tremendous dedication of the NJ Eagle Project Volunteers. They monitor the nests in all types of conditions and education people about the eagles with enthusiasm.

 

Link to the 2018 NJ Bald Eagle Project Report: www.conservewildlifenj.org/downloads/cwnj_852.pdf

Le temple de la Concorde est, avec l'Héphaïstéion (Théséion) d'Athènes et le temple de Poséidon à Paestum, l'un des temples les mieux conservés de l'antiquité grecque. Son appellation arbitraire n'est due qu'à une inscription romaine trouvée à proximité, où figurait le mot latin concordia. Il a été construit dans les années -440 à -430.

Les inégalités du terrain sur lequel il est édifié sont compensées par un soubassement (krépis) important. Son plan correspond à la forme la plus classique des temples d'Agrigente : pronaos, naos, opisthodome et péristyle de 6 × 13 colonnes.

Le temple de la Concorde est de tous ceux d'Agrigente celui qui a été réalisé avec le plus de précision. Le problème des extrémités propre aux temples doriques (conflit entre la régularité des métopes et des triglyphes d'une part, et l'espacement régulier des colonnes d'autre part) a été résolu d'une manière inhabituelle : il a été procédé tout à la fois au rétrécissement de l'espace entre les deux dernières colonnes et à l'allongement de la métope extrême, pour un meilleur effet visuel.

Les recherches ont également montré que les parties inférieures du temple étaient ornées de stucs blancs, tandis que les frises, métopes et parties hautes étaient peintes de couleurs vives. Le toit était couvert de tuiles de marbre.

En 597, l'évêque Grégoire d'Agrigente a fait du temple une basilique chrétienne consacrée aux apôtres Pierre et Paul, après en avoir chassé les démons païens Eber et Raps qui y demeuraient11. Chacun des murs de la cella fut alors percé de douze arcatures, et les entrecolonnements furent murés, tout comme on peut encore le voir de nos jours à la cathédrale de Syracuse. L'entrée fut reportée sur le côté ouest, ce qui entraîna la suppression de la cloison entre le naos et l'opisthodome, tandis que la sacristie trouvait sa place dans l'ancien pronaos.

La découverte dans le temple de deux figures de dieux puniques mises de côté a fait déduire que déjà les Grecs y honoraient deux divinités, peut-être les Dioscures.

Après l'abandon de la cité, l'église fut à nouveau remise en usage, jusqu'au XVIIe siècle. Elle est désaffectée en 1748. En 1788, les dernières structures appartenant à l'église chrétienne sont enlevées par ordre du prince de Torremuzza. Depuis lors, le temple a été restauré dans son état initial.

 

The Temple of Concord is, along with the Hephaestion (Thesion) of Athens and the Temple of Poseidon at Paestum, one of the best-preserved temples of Greek antiquity. Its arbitrary name is only due to a Roman inscription found nearby, where the Latin word concordia appeared. It was built in the years -440 to -430.

The unevenness of the land on which it is built is compensated by a significant base (krépis). Its plan corresponds to the most classic form of the temples of Agrigento: pronaos, naos, opisthodome and peristyle of 6 × 13 columns.

The temple of Concord is of all those of Agrigento the one that was created with the most precision. The problem of extremities proper to Doric temples (conflict between the regularity of the metopes and triglyphs on the one hand, and the regular spacing of the columns on the other hand) has been solved in an unusual way: both by narrowing the space between the last two columns and by lengthening the extreme metope, for a better visual effect.

Research has also shown that the lower parts of the temple were decorated with white stucco, while the friezes, metopes and upper parts were painted in bright colors. The roof was covered with marble tiles.

In 597, Bishop Gregory of Agrigento made the temple a Christian basilica dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul, after having driven out the pagan demons Eber and Raps who lived there11. Each of the cella's walls was then pierced with twelve arches, and the intersections were walled, just as we can still see today in the cathedral of Syracuse. The entrance was moved to the west side, which led to the removal of the partition between the naos and the opisthodome, while the sacristy found its place in the old pronaos.

The discovery in the temple of two figures of Punic gods put aside made it deduce that already the Greeks honored two deities there, perhaps the Dioscuri.

After the abandonment of the city, the church was again put back into use, until the 17th century. It was abandoned in 1748. In 1788, the last structures belonging to the Christian church were removed by order of the prince of Torremuzza. Since then, the temple has been restored to its original state.

You can read more about this pair of American Bald Eagles at Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey www.conservewildlifenj.org/blog/2017/11/20/w34-a-ny-bande...

 

SPOTLIGHT ON THE BALD EAGLE’S ALL-AMERICAN COMEBACK IN NEW JERSEY

 

by Lindsay McNamara, Communications Manager

June 20th 2016

 

In 1985 — just 31 years ago — a single bald eagle nest remained in the state of New Jersey. In 2015, CWF and partners monitored 161 nests throughout the Garden State. Just this year (as of June 20, 2016), over 50 young eagles have already fledged from their nests! What sparked this All-American comeback of the United States’ National Bird?

 

DDT use was banned in the United States in 1972. That ban combined with restoration efforts by biologists within the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program (ENSP) resulted in 25 bald eagle pairs by 2000.

 

In 2017 the number of New Jersey active bald eagle pairs was 170.

 

For more info: www.conservewildlifenj.org/blog/tag/new-jersey-bald-eagle...

  

New Jersey Bald Eagle Project Report | 2016

 

New Jersey Bald Eagle Project Report | 2016 may be downloaded here: docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYX...

 

For more info: www.conservewildlifenj.org/blog/tag/new-jersey-bald-eagle...

The earliest building was erected around 1175. The original Norman nave had a north aisle added 30 years later, in the new Gothic style.

 

Inside the church the corbel table and doorway exhibit fantastic examples of Romanesque carvings, including that Yorkshire speciality - the ‘beakhead’. The windows have had polycarbonate panels inserted, whose opaque qualities mirror the original horn windows when the building was erected.

 

St Peter’s Church Old Edlington was the first church to be vested into the care of The Churches Conservation Trust. Declared redundant in the mid 1960’s the roof, windows and the interior furnishings were removed prior to demolition. Rescued in the nick of time, this Grade I building has been carefully conserved for the benefit of future generations.

 

Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission.

© rogerperriss@aol.com All rights reserved.

davebowles.smugmug.com/Animals/Birds/Hooded-Vulture/

Meet Fagin, a Male Hooded Vulture photographed at the Andover Hawk Conservency. Click on the picture for more pictures of this intereresting bird.

Wikipedia,

Sintra

Municipality

UNESCO

 

Clockwise: Pena National Palace; Azenhas do Mar; Quinta da Regaleira; Seteais Palace; Praia da Ursa; Monserrate Palace.

Flag of Sintra

Flag

Coat of arms of Sintra

Coat of arms

 

Coordinates: 38°47′57″N 9°23′18″W

Country Portugal

RegionLisbon

Metropolitan areaLisbon

DistrictLisbon

Parishes11 (list)

Government

• PresidentBasílio Horta (PS)

Area

• Total

319.23 km2 (123.26 sq mi)

Elevation175 m (574 ft)

Lowest elevation0 m (0 ft)

Population (2011)

• Total

377,835

• Density1,200/km2 (3,100/sq mi)

Time zoneUTC+00:00 (WET)

• Summer (DST)UTC+01:00 (WEST)

Postal code

2714

Area code219

PatronSão Pedro

Websitehttp://www.cm-sintra.pt

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Official nameCultural Landscape of Sintra

CriteriaCultural: ii, iv, v

Reference723

Inscription1995 (19th Session)

Area946 ha

Sintra (/ˈsɪntrə, ˈsiːntrə/,[1][2][3] Portuguese: [ˈsĩtɾɐ] ⓘ) is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2021 was 385,654,[4] in an area of 319.23 square kilometres (123.26 sq mi).[5] Sintra is one of the most urbanized and densely populated municipalities of Portugal. A major tourist destination famed for its picturesqueness, the municipality has several historic palaces, castles, scenic beaches, parks and gardens.

 

The area includes the Sintra-Cascais Nature Park through which the Sintra Mountains run. The historic center of the Vila de Sintra is famous for its 19th-century Romanticist architecture, historic estates and villas, gardens, and royal palaces and castles, which resulted in the classification of the town as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sintra's landmarks include the medieval Castle of the Moors, the romanticist Pena National Palace and the Portuguese Renaissance Sintra National Palace.

 

Sintra is one of the wealthiest municipalities in both Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula as a whole.[6][7][8][9] It is home to one of the largest foreign expatriate communities along the Portuguese Riviera,[10][11][12][13][14] and consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Portugal.[15][16] The ECB Forum on Central Banking, an annual event organised by the European Central Bank, is held in Sintra.[17]

 

History

Prehistory to Moorish era

 

Anta de Adrenunes.

 

Anta do Monte Abraão.

The earliest remnants of human occupation were discovered in Penha Verde: these vestiges testify to an occupation dating to the early Paleolithic.[18] Comparable remnants were discovered in an open-air site in São Pedro de Canaferrim, alongside the chapel of the Castelo dos Mouros (Moorish Castle), dating back to the Neolithic, and include decorated ceramics and microlithic flint utensils from the 5th millennium BC.[19]

 

Ceramic fragments found locally including many late Chalcolithic vases from the Sintra mountains suggest that between the fourth and third millennia B.C. the region (adjacent to the present village of Sintra) was occupied by a Neolithic/Chalcolithic settlement, with characteristics comparable to fortified settlements in Lisbon and Setúbal.[18] The evidence discovered in Quinta das Sequoias and São Pedro de Canaferrim contrasts dramatically with those remnants discovered in the walled town of Penha Verde and the funerary monument of Bella Vista.[18] Traces of several Bronze Age remains were also discovered in many places in the Sintra Mountains, including alongside the town, in the Monte do Sereno area, and a late Bronze Age settlement within the Moorish Castle dating to the 9th–6th centuries B.C.

 

The most famous object from this period is the so-called Sintra Collar, a middle Bronze Age gold neck-ring found near the city at the end of the 19th century, which since 1900 has been part of the British Museum's collection. Relatively close by, in Santa Eufémia da Serra, is an Iron Age settlement where artifacts from indigenous tribes and peoples of Mediterranean origins (principally from the Punic period) were also discovered.[18]

 

These date from the early 4th century B.C., prior to the Romanization of the peninsula, which in the area of Foz do Tejo took place in the middle of the 2nd century B.C.[18] Close proximity to a large commercial centre (Olisipo) founded by the Turduli Oppidani people in the first half of the first millennium B.C., meant that the region of Sintra was influenced by human settlement throughout various epochs, cultures that have left remains in the area to this day. The toponym Sintra derives from the medieval Suntria, and points to an association with radical Indo-European cultures; the word translates as 'bright star' or 'sun', commonly significant in those cultures.[18] Marcus Terentius Varro and Cadizian Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella designated the place "the sacred mountain" and Ptolemy referred to it as the "mountains of the moon".[18]

  

Part of the Roman Dam of Belas complex, showing the ventilation structures (foreground) and the remaining dam segment (background).

During the Roman occupation of the peninsula, the region of Sintra was part of the vast Civitas Olisiponense which Caesar (around 49 B.C.) or more likely Octavius (around 30 B.C.) granted the status of Municipium Civium Romanorum. The various residents of the region were considered part of the Roman Galeria and in the present village of Sintra there are Roman remains testifying to a Roman presence from the 1st–2nd centuries B.C. to the 5th century A.D. A roadway along the southeast part of the Sintra Mountains and connected to the main road to Olisipo dates from this period.[18]

  

Roman Bridge of Catribana.

This via followed the route of the current Rua da Ferraria, the Calçada dos Clérigos and the Calçada da Trindade.[18] Following the Roman custom of siting tombs along their roads and near their homes, there is also evidence of inscriptions pertaining to Roman funeral monuments, dating mainly to the 2nd century. The area around the modern town of Sintra, due to its proximity to Olisipo, the ancient name of Lisbon, was always profoundly interconnected with the major settlement, to the point that the Fountain of Armés, a 1st-century fountain in the village of Armés, Terrugem, in Sintra, has been built by Lucius Iulius Maelo Caudicus, an Olisipo flamen, to honour the Roman Emperor Augustus.

  

The Castle of the Moors, on the hilltops of Sintra

It was during the Moorish occupation of Sintra (Arabic: Xintara) that Greco-Latin writers wrote of the explicit occupation of the area of the town centre. A description by the geographer Al-Bacr, described Sintra as "one of the towns that [are] dependent on Lisbon in Al-Andalus, in proximity to the sea", characterizing it as "permanently submersed in a fog that never dissipates".[18]

 

During the Reconquista (around the 9th century), its principal centre and castle were isolated by Christian armies. Following the fall of the Caliphate of Córdoba, the King of León, Alfonso VI received in the spring of 1093, the cities of Santarém, Lisbon and the Castle of Sintra.[18] This followed a period of internal instability within the Muslim taifas of the peninsula, and in particular the decision by the ruler of Taifa of Badajoz, Umar ibn Muhammad al-Mutawakkil who, after hesitating from 1090 to 1091, placed his territory under the suzerainty of Alfonso VI when faced with the threat of the Almoravids. Afonso took the cities and the castle of Sintra between 30 April and 8 May 1093, but shortly after their transfer Sintra and Lisbon were conquered by the Almoravids.[18] Santarém was saved by Henry, who Alfonso had nominated Count of Portugal in 1096, to replace Raymond of Burgundy.[18]

 

Kingdom

 

The remnants of the chapel of São Pedro de Canaferrim, constructed by Afonso Henriques following the surrender of Moors in Sintra

In July 1109, Count Henry reconquered the Castle of Sintra.[18] This was preceded a year before by an attempt by Prince Sigurd the Crusader, son of Magnus III of Norway, to capture the castle from the Moors in the course of his trek to the Holy Land. Sigurd's forces disembarked at the mouth of the Colares River but failed to take the castle. But it was only after the conquest of Lisbon, in October 1147, by Afonso Henriques (supported by Crusaders), that the castle surrendered definitively to the Christians, in November.[18] It was integrated into Christian dominions along with Almada and Palmela after their surrender. Afonso Henriques established the Church of São Pedro de Canaferrim within the walls of the Moorish Castle to mark his success.[18]

  

The municipal building of Sintra, constructed after 1154 to house the local administration

On 9 January 1154, Afonso Henriques signed a foral ("charter") for the town of Sintra, with all its respective regalia. The charter established the municipality of Sintra, whose territory encompassed a large area, eventually divided into four great parishes: São Pedro de Canaferrim (in the castle), São Martinho (in the town of Sintra), Santa Maria and São Miguel (in the ecclesiastical seat of Arrabalde).[18] The early municipal seat, the town of Sintra, was the centre of a significant Sephardic community, with a synagogue and quarter. This community was not limited to Sintra town: enclaves are mentioned during the reign of King Denis in Colares, but were heavily pressured by the influx of Christian serfs.[18] Throughout the 12th and 13th centuries, owing to the fertility of the land, various convents, monasteries and military orders constructed residences, estates, water-mills and vineyards. There are municipal records from this period of a number of donations and grants; between 1157 and 1158, Afonso Henriques donated to the master of the Knights Templar, Gualdim Pais, various houses and estates in the centre of Sintra.[18]

 

In 1210, the Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra acquired four houses in Pocilgais, releasing them in 1230, while in 1264 it controlled homes and vineyards in Almargem.[18] In 1216 the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora (Lisbon) also held a vineyard in Colares and, in 1218, estates in Queluz and Barota. At some time between 1223 and 1245, the Monastery of Santa Maria de Alcobaça held various privileges in the territory. The military Order of Santiago owned an estate in Arrifana in 1260.[18] Many of Afonso Henriques' donations in the 12th century, including privileges assigned to these institutions, were confirmed in 1189 by his son, Sancho I (1185–1211), corresponding to a social, political and economic strategy during the post-Reconquista era.[18] Consequently, after 1261, Sintra had a local administration consisting of an alcalde representing the Crown, and two local judges elected by the public. During the political conflict between King Sancho II (1223–1248) and the Church, the churches of São Pedro and São Martinho, which belonged to the King, were ceded to the Bishop of Lisbon and Sé.[18] Yet the Crown's patrimony was defined early: in 1287, King Denis donated to Queen Elizabeth of Portugal the town, the signeurial holdings and all their associated benefits. Later, these lands were transferred to the young Infante Afonso (later King Afonso IV), and remained in his possession until 1334, before reverting to the ownership of the queen (Portuguese: Casa da Rainha).[18]

 

The Black Death arrived in Sintra in the 14th century; in 1350, the disease is known to have caused the death of five municipal scribes. Far greater numbers of deaths probably resulted, perhaps owing to the cool climate and humidity, conditions that favoured the rapid spread of the disease.[18]

  

The Palace of Sintra, for a long time the residence of royal family during the summer

During the reign of King Ferdinand (1367–1383), Sintra played a part in the controversial marriage of the monarch to Dona Leonor Telles de Menezes. In 1374, the King donated Sintra to the Lady Telles, whom he eventually married in secret in the north of the country.[18] Along with Sintra the King conceded the municipalities of Vila Viçosa, Abrantes and Almada, to the consternation of his private council; following a confrontation the King abandoned his duties and travelled to Sintra, where he remained for a month on the pretext of hunting.[18] As Sintra was located relatively close to Lisbon, many of its people were called to work on projects for the Crown in the capital: in 1373, King Ferdinand decided to wall the city, and requested funds or workers from coastal lands in Almada, Sesimbra, Palmela, Setúbal, Coina, Benavente and Samora Correia, as well as all of Ribatejo, and from the inland areas of Sintra, Cascais, Torres Vedras, Alenquer, Arruda, Atouguia, Lourinhã, Telheiros and Mafra. During the Dynastic Crisis between 1383 and 1385, Sintra joined Leonor Telles in supporting the proclamation of her daughter, Beatrice, who married John I of Castile, as Queen of Portugal and Castile. After the defeat of the Castilian army at Aljubarrota (August 1385) by Portuguese and English troops, commanded by Nuno Álvares Pereira, Sintra became one of the last places to surrender to the Master of Aviz, later King of Portugal (after 1383).

 

Joanine and Philippine era

John I (1385–1433), first King of the second dynasty, broke the tradition of transferring Sintra to the Casa da Rainha (Queen's property). Probably around 1383, John I granted the lands of Sintra to Count Henrique Manuel de Vilhena, quickly revoking the decision after Henrique took the Infanta's side during the dynastic quarrel. Sintra, therefore, continued as a possession of the King, who expanded the local estate. Until the end of the 17th century, the royal palace constituted one of the principal residences and summer estates of the court: it was from here that John decided to conquer Ceuta (1415); King Afonso V was born and died at the palace (1433–1481); and here King John II (1481–1495) was acclaimed sovereign.[18]

 

In a document issued in 1435 by King Edward (1433–1438), the region was described as: "A land of good air and water and of the Comarcas with an abundance in the sea and land [...] our most loyal city of Lisbon being so near, and being in it sufficient diversions, and the distractions of the mountains and hunting...".[18]

 

During the Portuguese Age of Discovery, several people born in Sintra were written into history. In 1443 Gonçalo de Sintra, squire in the House of the Infante Henry, was sent by the prince as captain of a caravel to the coast of Africa. He explored the region near the Ouro River and eventually died there in 1444.[18] Pedro de Sintra and Soeiro da Costa later mapped most of the Atlantic coast of Africa, around the time of Henry's death in 1460.[18]

 

At the end of the 15th century the importance of Sintra on official itineraries led Queen Eleanor of Viseu (wife of King John II), then principal benefactor of the Portuguese Misericóridas, to expand her principal institutions in Sintra.[18] The Hospital e Gafaria do Espírito Santo, the only remnant of which left standing is a chapel to São Lázaro, was constructed to provide assistance and support to lepers in the region (the chapel still includes the signets of King John, the pelican, and Queen Leonor, the shrimp). In 1545, the hospital was transferred to the administration of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Sintra which was set up by Queen Catherine of Austria, wife of John III.

 

King Manuel I (1495–1521) enjoyed spending his summers in Sintra, due to its cool climate and abundance of game; as Damião de Góis, his chronicler noted: "because it is one of the places in Europe that is cooler, and cheerful for whichever King, Prince or Master to pass their time, because, in addition to its good airs, that cross its mountains, called by the older peoples the promontory of the moon, there is here much hunting of deer and other animals, and overall many and many good trout of many type, and in which in all of Hispania there can be found, and many springs of water...".[18] Between the 15th and 16th century, after travelling to the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon when being considered as heir to the Kingdoms in 1498, the King transformed and enriched the town and its region with several public works. These included the reconstruction of the old Gothic Church of São Martinho and in 1511 the construction of the Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Pena on the highest peak of the Sintra Mountains, which he then transferred to the Order of Saint Jerome. In the second half of the 16th century, Sintra was a centre for courtesans and members of the aristocracy began building estates and farms within the region.[18] In this rural environment, from 1542, the Viceroy of India, D. João de Castro (1500–1548) began residing at Quinta da Penha Verde, where he collected examples of Portuguese culture of the time, including works by celebrated artist Francisco de Holanda.[18] It was during this cultural Renaissance that the marble chancel sculpted between 1529 and 1532 by Nicolau Chanterene for the chapel of the Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Pena was completed, as was the portico of the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Ulgueira (1560).[18]

  

The Convent of the Capuchos, the monastic retreat established during the primordial history of the municipality (16th century)

Luís de Camões (1524–1580) referred to the mountains of Sintra in his Os Lusíadas chronicle, as a mythic land ruled by water nymphs. The Renaissance poet Luisa Sigea—Syntrae Aloisiae Sygeae in Paris (1566) and Madrid (1781) referred to Sintra as a "pleasant valley, between cliffs that rise into the heavens...curved in graceful hills among which one can feel the murmur of the waters...[where] everything, in fact, will enchant and perfume the environment with its fragrance and fruit."[18]

 

With the death of the Cardinal-King Henry (1578–1580), Philip II of Spain inherited the Kingdom of Portugal, initiating a personal union of the crowns that would last until 1640. During this period, Portuguese political power moved from Sintra to Vila Viçosa, principal centre of the House of Braganza, whose dukes, descendants of John of Portugal, were heirs to the throne of Portugal. Following the decision of the Cortes of Tomar in 1581, Phillip as King of Portugal accepted an administration composed of the Portuguese aristocracy. He passed through Sintra around October 1581, visiting the monasteries and churches.[18] It was during this period that cult of Sebastianism, the hope for the return of King Sebastian, came to an end, when several fake "Sebastians" were denounced.[18] In 1585 Mateus Alvares, born on the island of Terceira in the Azores and guardian of the hermitage of São Julio, passed himself off as King Sebastian and created conflict in Sintra, Madra, Rio de Mouro and Ericeira. The Sebastian adventure ended with the hanging of thirty people and the suffering of many more. It was not surprising, therefore, that the visit in 1619 by King Philip IV of Spain (Philip III of Portugal) resulted in many families escaping to the hills. During this union (1580–1640), Sintra was a privileged place for Portuguese "exiles" from the Castilian court; nobles who wished to distance themselves from Spanish nobility would purchase lands in the region, away from court intrigue.[18] At the time of the Restoration, in 1640, the municipality had approximately 4000 residents.

 

Brigantine era

 

Royal Palace of Queluz.

The war with Spain (1640–1668), the affirmation of Mafra during the reign of John V of Portugal (1706–1750) through the construction of the Palace-Convent, and later the construction of Royal Palace of Queluz in 1747 during the reigns of Joseph I (1750–1777) and Maria I (1777–1816), helped diminish royal visits to the region.[18] During this time there were only two documented visits: in 1652 and 1654, respectively the visit of Queen Luísa de Gusmão and King John IV (1640–1656), and the final burial of King Afonso VI.[18]

  

Ill-fated king Afonso VI imprisoned in the Palace of Sintra, by painter Alfredo Roque Gameiro.

Alleging the insanity of the King and the incapacity of the heir, the Duke of Cadaval and the Infante Peter led a coup d'état in 1667 which resulted in the resignation of the Count of Castelo Melhor, Minister of King Afonso VI (1656–1683) and the imprisonment of the monarch.[18] In 1668 the Cortes of Lisbon confirmed the Infante Peter, the king's brother, as regent and heir. Afonso VI lived the rest of his life imprisoned, in the Paço da Ribeira (1667–1669), in the Fortress of Saint John the Baptist in Angra, in the Azores (1669–1674) and in the end, with the discovery of a conspiracy to kill the regent, in the Paço da Vila in Sintra (1674–1683).[18]

 

From the 17th to the 18th centuries, the region was centre of contemplative religious orders who established convents in Sintra. But it remained a place of myths, with a large, mysterious forest and macabre, gloomy spaces. Father Baião, in his Portugal Cuidadoso (1724) noted: "Next to the Palace of Sintra was a forest, so thick, that during the day, it cast fear in him who entered it. And [King] D. Sebastian was free from these fears, that he would walk at night, through it, many times for two or three hours."[18] Starting in the second half of the 18th century and lasting through the 19th century Sintra became known as a nostalgic and mysterious location described by many foreigners.

  

Lord Byron (1788–1824) particularly enjoyed his stay in Sintra that is described in Childe Harold's Pilgrimage as "glorious Eden".

It was the Romantic Lord Byron's "glorious Eden"; Almeida Garrett's "pleasant resort"; Eça de Queirós's "nest of lovers [where, in] the romantic foliage, the nobles abandoned themselves in the hands of the poets"; or the place where Richard Strauss saw a garden "comparable to Italy, Sicily, Greece or Egypt, a true garden of Klingsor, and there in the heights, a castle of the Holy Grail".[18]

 

The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, meanwhile, caused the destruction of the centre of Sintra as well as a number of deaths, resulting in building and restoration in the second half of the 18th century. Also in the 18th century, the first industrial building was established in the town: the Fábrica de Estamparia de Rio de Mouro (Mouro River Stamping Factory) in 1778.

  

The front façade of Seteais Palace, expanded for the visits of the royal family, by the Marquess of Marialva

The visit of Queen Maria I in 1787 brought about the restoration and redecoration of a few salons and chambers in the municipal buildings. The great festivities of 1795 to celebrate the baptism of the Infante António, son of John VI, resulted in grand balls at the Palace of Queluz. In 1838 the King-Consort, Ferdinand II bought the Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Pena and a vast adjacent area, commissioning the architect José de Costa e Silva to construct an arch joining the two quarters of the Seteais Palace (owned by the Marquis of Marialva), to commemorate the 1802 visit of the Prince and Princess of Brazil, John and Carlota Joaquina, and the subsequent visit of their son, the absolutist King Miguel, in 1830.[18]

  

The arabesque Monserrate Estate on another hilltop near the town of Sintra

During the third quarter of the 18th century and practically all of the 19th century, foreign travellers and Portuguese aristocrats, fired by Romanticism, rediscovered the magic of Sintra, especially in its exotic landscapes and climate. Their visits led to the establishment of several hotels, one of which, Lawrence's, opened in 1764, was still functioning in 2018. In the summer of 1787, William Beckford stayed with the Marquis of Marialva, master of the horse for the kingdom, at his residence of Seteais. At the beginning of the 19th century Princess Carlota Joaquina, wife of Prince Regent John, bought the estate and Ramalhão Palace. Between 1791 and 1793, Gerard Devisme constructed a Neo-Gothic mansion on his extensive estate in the Quinta de Monserrate (later known as the Monserrate Palace). Beckford, who remained in Sintra, rented the property from Devisme in 1794. The landscape, covered in fog, also attracted another Englishman, Sir Francis Cook, who occupied the estate, constructing an oriental pavilion.[18]

  

The Pena National Palace: summer residence of the monarchs of Portugal during the 19th century

 

Quinta da Regaleira, an integral landmark of Sintra's UNESCO Cultural Landscape

The Palace of Pena, Sintra's exemplary Portuguese Romantic symbol, was initiated by the King-Consort Ferdinand, husband of Queen Maria II (1834–1853), a German-born member of the House of Saxe-Cobourg-Gotha. The palace was built over the remains of the 16th-century monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome, conserving many fundamental aspects, including the church, cloister and a few dependencies. The architecture is eclectic, influenced by many architectural styles, evidence of an era of Romanticism.

 

The intentional mixture of eclectic styles includes the Neo-Gothic, Neo-Manueline, Neo-Islamic, Neo-Renaissance neo-Islamic, and neo-Manueline styles. Much of this has been evident since a major restoration that was completed prior to 1900.[20]

 

The design was a project of the Baron von Eschwege and Ferdinand II, to substitute the Sintra National Palace as an alternative to the summer residence in Cascais. After Sintra, the monarchs Louis of Portugal (1861–1889) and Carlos of Portugal (1863–1908) ended their summers with visits to Cascais in the months of September and October.

 

In 1854, the first contract was signed to construct a rail link between Sintra and Lisbon. A decree signed on 26 June 1855 regulated the contract between the government and Count Claranges Lucotte but was later rescinded in 1861. The connection was finally inaugurated on 2 April 1887.

 

By the beginning of the 20th century, Sintra was recognized as a summer resort visited by aristocrats and millionaires. Among these, Carvalho Monteiro, owner of a considerable fortune (known as "Monteiro dos Milhões") constructed near the main town, on an estate he bought from the Baroness of Regaleira, a luxurious revivalist palacette, based on a Neo-Manueline architecture.

 

From the second half of the 19th century into the first decades of the 20th century, Sintra also became a privileged place for artists: musicians such as Viana da Mota; composers such as Alfredo Keil, painters like João Cristino da Silva (author of one of the most celebrated canvases of Portuguese Romantic art, "Five Artists in Sintra [pt]"), writers such as Eça de Queirós or Ramalho Ortigão, all these people lived, worked or got inspiration from Sintra's landscapes.[18]

 

Republic

 

Part of the historic centre

The proclamation of a Portuguese Republic in 1910 transformed the bohemian climate of Sintra. Economic development was now promoted; the potential benefits to the region of growth in agriculture, industry and commerce were promoted to foster development. In 1908 a wine growing zone had been demarcated in Colares. Now a commission was established to monitor the quality of wines and promote their exportation, and in 1914 a commercial association (Portuguese: Associação Comercial e Industrial de Sintra) was set up to manage their concession. Meanwhile, in the name of secular and popular progress, parts of the cultural heritage were destroyed, including the annexes of the medieval village bordering the palace in 1911, while the nave of the Church of the Misericórdia was reduced to the presbytery to allow the road to be widened. The first decades of the 20th century were the time of the fastest urbanization of the town, supported by its rail link to Lisbon and the influx of summer travellers.

 

During the 1920s damage to culturally important sites led to the creation of institutions to study and protect the vast artistic heritage. The Instituto Histórico de Sintra (Historic Institute of Sintra), under the direction of Afonso de Ornelas, played an important part in this period.[18] Archaeological studies resulted in considerable development: in 1927, Félix Alves Pereira rediscovered the Neolithic settlements of Santa Eufémia, and the first publication of the discoveries at the prehistoric monuments of Praia das Maçãs were completed in 1929.[18] From this time until the 1970s, coastal Sintra was becoming a summer destination, resulting in the building of Portuguese summer residences.[18] Many important Portuguese architects developed projects in the area in the first half of the 20th century, including Raul Lino, Norte Júnior and Tertuliano de Lacerda Marques.

 

These projects benefited town and region, increased tourism and attracted as residents many notable Portuguese: historian Francisco Costa; writer Ferreira de Castro; sculptor Anjos Teixeira; architects Norte Júnior and Raul Lino; painters Eduardo Viana, Mily Possoz and Vieira da Silva; poet Oliva Guerra; composer and maestro Frederico de Freitas; historians Felix Alves Pereira and João Martins da Silva Marques.[18]

 

In 1944, prior to his arrest, Vichy France Prime Minister Pierre Laval had planned to move to an estate in Sintra, where a house had been leased for him.[21]

 

The 1949 municipal plan by De Groer was devised to protect the town and its neighbourhood from uncontrolled urbanization, and resulted in the maintenance of an environment comparable to 19th century Sintra.[18] Urban anarchy predominated until the middle of the 1980s in the areas adjacent to the main town of Sintra, resulting in the development of new neighbourhoods.[18]

 

Geography

Physical geography

 

The town of Sintra sitting atop the Sintra Mountains, the exposed granite formation of igneous rock extending to the Atlantic Ocean

The Sintra Mountains, a granite massif ten kilometres long – considered the Monte da Lua (Mountain of the Moon), or Promontorium Lunae by the strong local tradition of astral cults – emerge abruptly between a vast plain to the north and the northern margin of the Tagus River estuary, winding in a serpentine cordillera towards the Atlantic Ocean and Cabo da Roca, the most westerly point of continental Europe.

  

The imposing cliffs which delimit the Sintra range and the Atlantic

The São João platform, along the northern flank of the Sintra Mountains, has altitudes between 100 metres (110 yd) and 150 metres (160 yd), while the southern part of the mountains, the Cascais platform, is lower: sloping from 150 metres (160 yd) to the sea, terminating along the coast, around 30 metres (33 yd) above sea level.[22][23] The spectacular relief results from the east–west orientation of the massif's axis, its terminus at the coast, and the nature of igneous rocks, which are resistant to erosion.[23] The Eruptive Massif of Sintra (MES) is a dome structure, formed by layers of sedimentary rocks (limestones and sandstones) from the Upper Jurassic and early Cretaceous periods.[23] A metamorphosed igneous intrusion resulted in a narrow halo of metamorphic rocks, but also strongly deformed these sedimentary layers causing a vertical exposure.[23] While in the south there are enclosed sedimentary layers, to the north (around Praia Grande) the massif is steep. The sedimentary formations, until the beginning of the Upper Cretaceous, are deformed by the intrusion which limits the MES to the end the Cretaceous.[23] Radiometric aging of different rocks from the massif has indicated an age between 80 and 75 million years (confirming the installation of the massive Upper Cretaceous).[23]

  

Beach in Azenhas do Mar, Sintra

The geodynamic conditions that controlled the formation of the MES (correlated with the development of the Sines and Monchique Eruptive Massifs) are associated with the progressive northern expansion of the Atlantic Ocean and the consequent opening of the Bay of Biscay.[23] The Bay of Biscay's expansion resulted in complex tensions responsible for profound fractures in the Earth's crust that were conduits for the ascension of magma.[23] Around 80 million years ago this magma spread across the surface as a superficial crust with a depth of 5 kilometres between sedimentary layers (160 to 9 million years old) that were chemically metamorphosed.[23] Over time the magma chamber cooled and crystallized, resulting in conditions that caused the granular textures that characterize the MES.[23] The weaker sedimentary layers were susceptible to erosion, and their products were deposited around their base. Consequently, the massif likely became exposed during the Paleogenic epoch (30 million years ago), known as the Benfica Complex.[23]

 

Climate and biome

 

High humidity and cooler temperatures are rather frequent in the mountains of Sintra

The Mediterranean climate, influenced by the Atlantic and characterized by moderate temperatures and wet winters, is typical of mainland Portugal. Although the climate in the area of Cabo da Roca is close to semi-arid, the Sintra Mountains are considered moderately humid: precipitation in the mountains is higher than in the surrounding areas. The position of the town in the natural landscape of the Sintra Mountains (consisting of an exuberant natural patrimony), is influenced by the existence of a micro-climate.[22][24] For different reasons (the climate here has been moderated by the Sintra Mountains; the fertility of the soils; and its relative proximity to the Tagus estuary) the region attracted considerable early settlement. Due to its micro-climate, a huge park has developed full of dense foliage with a rich botanical diversity.

 

The temperate climate and humidity resulting from proximity to the coast favour the growth of a rich mat of forest including Atlantic and Mediterranean species, marking the transition in Portugal from northern to southern vegetation. The Pyrenean oak (Quercus pyrenaica) predominates over great expanses of the rocky heights and sheltered slopes. On moist shady slopes, normally facing north, or in sheltered places, the common oak (Quercus robur) is widespread. In lowland areas and warm places the cork oak (Quercus suber) is common and in limestone areas the Portuguese oak (Quercus faginea) is found. Other species scattered throughout the mountains of Sintra include: maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), common hazel (Corylus avellana), common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), European holly (Ilex aquifolium), Portuguese laurel (Prunus lusitanica), Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), laurestine (Viburnum tinus), Kermes oak (Quercus coccifera), and Italian buckthorn (Rhamnus alaternus). In the valleys, near watercourses, grow narrow-leaf ash (Fraxinus angustifolia), Grey willow (Salix atrocinerea), European alder (Alnus glutinosa), alder buckthorn (Frangula alnus) and black elderberry (Sambucus nigra).

 

Since 1966, the Sintra Mountains have been affected by fires that have destroyed a major part of the original forest, which has been substituted by acacia and other fast-growing exotic species. The forested area of the Sintra mountains is about 5,000 hectares (50 km2), of which 26% (1,300 hectares (13 km2)) is maintained by the State through the Direcção Geral de Florestas – Núcleo Florestal de Sintra (General Directorate of Forests – Sintra Forestry Service).

 

Climate data for Sintra (Sintra Air Base) 1971–2000

MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear

Record high °C (°F)21.6

(70.9)23.4

(74.1)27.2

(81.0)28.0

(82.4)33.6

(92.5)41.4

(106.5)39.8

(103.6)38.5

(101.3)37.8

(100.0)31.8

(89.2)27.0

(80.6)22.5

(72.5)41.4

(106.5)

Mean daily maximum °C (°F)14.3

(57.7)14.9

(58.8)16.8

(62.2)17.4

(63.3)19.2

(66.6)22.3

(72.1)24.7

(76.5)25.3

(77.5)24.5

(76.1)21.1

(70.0)17.5

(63.5)15.1

(59.2)19.4

(66.9)

Daily mean °C (°F)9.7

(49.5)10.6

(51.1)12.0

(53.6)13.0

(55.4)14.9

(58.8)17.8

(64.0)20.0

(68.0)20.4

(68.7)19.4

(66.9)16.4

(61.5)13.0

(55.4)10.9

(51.6)14.9

(58.8)

Mean daily minimum °C (°F)5.2

(41.4)6.2

(43.2)7.3

(45.1)8.5

(47.3)10.6

(51.1)13.3

(55.9)15.2

(59.4)15.6

(60.1)14.3

(57.7)11.6

(52.9)8.6

(47.5)6.8

(44.2)10.3

(50.5)

Record low °C (°F)−3.5

(25.7)−3.5

(25.7)−2.0

(28.4)−0.1

(31.8)3.2

(37.8)6.0

(42.8)8.6

(47.5)8.4

(47.1)4.8

(40.6)−1.0

(30.2)−3.5

(25.7)−4.0

(24.8)−4.0

(24.8)

Average precipitation mm (inches)100.7

(3.96)90.7

(3.57)57.2

(2.25)72.3

(2.85)56.8

(2.24)18.2

(0.72)6.2

(0.24)6.9

(0.27)28.4

(1.12)91.0

(3.58)111.5

(4.39)127.8

(5.03)767.7

(30.22)

Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)14.314.511.213.110.56.13.63.16.811.913.916.0125.0

Average relative humidity (%)87858077757574747782848680

Mean monthly sunshine hours152.2149.5205.0224.0255.4269.7309.0307.3244.2203.5158.7128.52,607

Source: Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera[25][26]

Climate data for Sintra (Granja), altitude: 134 m (440 ft), 1961–1984 normals, 1953–2003 sun hours

Human geography

Historical population

YearPop.±%

186420,766—

187821,990+5.9%

189022,918+4.2%

190026,074+13.8%

191130,694+17.7%

192029,762−3.0%

193037,986+27.6%

194045,171+18.9%

195060,423+33.8%

196079,964+32.3%

1970124,893+56.2%

1981226,428+81.3%

1991260,951+15.2%

2001363,749+39.4%

2011377,835+3.9%

2021385,606+2.1%

Source: INE[27]

The municipality is administered by 11 civil parish (Portuguese: freguesias) councils, with local authority to administer services and provide local governance, which are:[28]

 

Agualva e Mira-Sintra

Algueirão–Mem Martins

Almargem do Bispo, Pêro Pinheiro e Montelavar

Cacém e São Marcos

Casal de Cambra

Colares

Massamá e Monte Abraão

Queluz e Belas

Rio de Mouro

São João das Lampas e Terrugem

Sintra (Santa Maria e São Miguel, São Martinho e São Pedro de Penaferrim)

Sintra also has numerous hamlets and villages, including the affluent village of Linhó, Sintra.

 

Sintra's population grew considerably in the late 20th century, rising from about 14% of the Lisbon region to 19%, with the main concentration of resident population found in the important Queluz-Portela corridor, along the southeast corner of the municipality.[29] In this area were concentrated approximately 82% of the municipality's population, the most attractive parishes to live in being São Pedro de Penaferrim, Rio de Mouro, Belas and Algueirão-Mem Martins.[29][30]

  

The buildings in the central square of São Martinho, across from the Sintra National Palace

With the decrease in mortality rates, the region has undergone a general increase in infant births, primarily associated with late births, but also an increase in seniors in the community (56.5% in 2001).[29] Yet Sintra is still considered to have a structurally young population, the youngest in the Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon.[29] Young adults (30- to 39-year-olds) dominate Sintra's communities, with the parishes of Pêro Pinheiro, Terrugem, São Martinho, São João das Lampas, Santa Maria e São Miguel, Montelavar, Colares, Queluz and Almargem do Bispo all having higher rates of seniors in the population.[29] Approximately 80% of the population are born outside the town, 21% of these being foreign born residents. While the resident population in Lisbon has seen a gentle decrease since the mid-1960s, Sintra has grown comparably.[29]

 

Urban areas represent 55.4 square kilometres (5,540 ha) of the municipality, or approximately 17.4% of Sintra's territory; 35% of the population reside in places of between 50,000 and 100,000 inhabitants.[29] Many of these areas are anchored to lines of access, in particular, the Sintra Line and the IC19 motorway which connects the principal towns of Queluz, Agualva-Cacém, Algueirão/Mem Martins, Rio de Mouro and Belas).[29] Many of these urban areas are composed of a fabric of building projects that have historically resulted in dense buildings of concrete, normally seven or more floors in height.[29] The greatest growth in residential homes has occurred in the south of the municipality, in the triangle of São Pedro de Penaferrim, Santa Maria e São Miguel and Casal de Cambra.[29] In addition, there is a major concentration and growth in family dwellings of a seasonal nature, or second homes, in this region, and a proliferation of illegal construction in the parishes of São João das Lampas, São Pedro de Penaferrim, Belas, Agualva-Cacém and Casal de Cambra.[29]

 

Economy

 

The iconic Pena National Palace originally built on the Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Pena, and renovated extensively through the initiative of Ferdinand II of Portugal

The growth in tertiary activities has played an important part in the pattern of employment in the region, with commercial, retail and support services predominating.[29] This has been to the detriment of industry, although continuing industrial activities include the transport of materials, mineral processing, the manufacture of machinery and equipment, food-processing, beverage and tobacco companies as well as publishing and printing services.[29] There has also been a dramatic growth in the civil construction industry.[29]

 

EuroAtlantic Airways has its head office in Sintra.[31]

 

Tourism is also significant, with the parks and monuments operated by the Parques de Sintra accounting for 3.2 million visitors in 2017, for example.[32]

 

Transport

 

Sintra commuter railway station

Lisbon's commuter railway network (CP Urban Services) provides direct services to Sintra Station. The journey to Lisbon takes 35–45 minutes.[33] There is alternative transport, taxis, car-sharing services and buses, covering a large area of the district.

 

The Sintra tramway links Sintra with the Atlantic coast at Praia das Maçãs, providing a beautiful scenic ride along the way and covering a distance of some 11.5 kilometres (7.1 mi). As of 2016, the heritage line runs Wednesday to Sunday in summer months.

 

Tourist bus 434 takes visitors between attractions in Sintra. The bus follows a one-way route and stops at Sintra Station, São Pedro de Sintra, the Castle of the Moors, Pena National Palace, Sintra Old Town and returns to Sintra Station.[34]

 

Landmarks

Cultural Landscape of Sintra

UNESCO World Heritage Site

CriteriaCultural: ii, iv, v

Reference723

Inscription1995 (19th Session)

Area946 ha

Sintra has a great number of preserved or classified architectural buildings:

 

Prehistoric

Barreira Megalithic Complex

Dolmen of Adrenunes (Portuguese: Anta de Adrenunes)

Dolmen of Agualva (Portuguese: Anta de Agualva/Anta do Carrascal)

Dolmen of Estria (Portuguese: Anta da Estria)

Dolmen of Monte Abraão (Portuguese: Anta do Monte Abraão)

Praia das Maçãs Prehistoric Monument (Portuguese: Monumento Pré-Histórico de Praia das Maçãs)

Tholos tomb of Monge (Portuguese: Tholos do Monge)

Schloss Benrath (Benrath Palace) is a Baroque-style maison de plaisance (pleasure palace) in Benrath, which is now a borough of Düsseldorf. It was erected for the Elector Palatine Charles Theodor and his wife, Countess Palatine Elisabeth Auguste of Sulzbach, by his garden and building director Nicolas de Pigage. Construction began in 1755 and was completed in 1770. The ensemble at Benrath has been proposed for designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The main building, the central corps de logis, for the Elector Palatine and his wife is flanked by two arched symmetrical wings, the maisons de cavalière, which originally housed the servants. They partially surround a circular pond, the Schlossweiher (palace pond), in the north. On the southside lies a long rectangular pond, the Spiegelweiher (mirror pond). From the predescant castle, which stood formerly in the mid of the long rectangular pond on the southside of the palace, is conserved only one of the servant wings, the so-called Alte Orangerie (Old Orangery).

he main building corps de logis is a museum with guided tours. Sometimes music concerts are also performed. The two wings house two museums since 2002: the Museum for European Garden Art in the east wing and the Museum of Natural History in the west wing.

It is surrounded by a baroque square hunting park with two crossing diagonal alleys and a circular alley.

 

Golden Lion Tamarin at the New Orleans Zoo

 

From the New Orleans Audubon Zoo website: Animal's Behavior

Golden Lion Tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia) live in family groups with the father as the primary caregiver. They sleep in tree hollows and vines in a family unit for protection against predators and to conserve body heat.

 

Eating Habits

They’ll eat almost anything – some fruit, vegetation, eggs, and some small reptiles.

 

Range

They live in coastal rainforests of southeastern Brazil, which have been reduced to about 2% of their former original size.

 

Conservation Efforts

Their range is a series of protected rainforests, reserves and preserves. Reintroduction efforts are hampered by disappearing habitat.

 

Animal Facts

These monkeys are distinguished by a bright orange or red mane around the face that gives them a lion-like appearance. They weigh less than two pounds and can live up to 20 years in zoos – although their life span in the wild is 10 – 12 years.

Un groupe " folklorique" vendéen , maraîchin plutôt, qui s' appelle le Bouquet Salaïe ( une petite fleur du marais ). Des amateurs qui essaient de faire revivre le " temps d' avant" . Beaucoup de " vieux" bien sûr . Les jeunes recrues ne se bousculent pas. Cette jeune fille m' a "tapé dans l' oeil " - d' un point de vue tout photographique bien sûr - et je n' ai eu de cesse d' essayer de capter son visage empreint de grâce sereine et de douceur. L' habit du dimanche que portaient les jeunes maraîchines au 19e siècle , lui allait à ravir.

 

A "folk" group from the Vendée, from the Marais, called the Bouquet Salaïe (a little flower from the marsh). Amateurs who try to revive the "old days". A lot of "old-timers" of course. The young recruits do not jostle each other. This young girl caught my eye - from a photographic point of view of course - and I kept trying to capture her face, full of serene grace and softness. The Sunday suit worn by young market gardeners in the 19th century was a perfect fit;

  

NEW JERSEY 2017 BALD EAGLE PROJECT REPORT

 

ANOTHER PRODUCTIVE YEAR FOR NJ’S EAGLES

by Larissa Smith, CWF Wildlife Biologist

 

The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ in partnership with the NJ Endangered and Nongame Species Program has released the 2017 NJ Bald Eagle Project Report. In 2017, 178 eagle nests were monitored during the nesting season. Of these nests 153 were active (with eggs) and 25 were territorial or housekeeping pairs. One hundred and ninety young were fledged.

 

In 2017 the number of active nests was three more than in 2016, but the number young fledged decreased by 27 from a record high of 216 fledged in 2016. The productivity rate this season of 1.25 young/active nest is still above the required range of 0.0 to 1.1 for population maintenance. Productivity could be lower this season for many reasons including weather, predation and disturbance to the nesting area. In 2017 nest monitors reported several instances of “intruder” eagles at nests which did disrupt the nesting attempts of several pairs. One of these “eagle dramas” unfolded at the Duke Farms eagle cam watched by millions of people. An intruder female attempted to replace the current female. This harassment interrupted the pairs bonding and copulation and no eggs were laid.

 

This year’s report includes a section on Resightings of banded eagles. Resightings of NJ (green) banded eagles have increased over the years, as well as eagles seen in NJ that were banded in other states. These resightings are important, as they help us to understand eagle movements during the years between fledging and settling into a territory, as well as adult birds at a nest site.

 

For more info: www.conservewildlifenj.org/blog/2017/12/06/new-jersey-201...

 

New Jersey Bald Eagle Project Report | 2017 may be downloaded here: www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/eglrpt17.pdf

🇫🇷 ¤ Le trésor de la cathédrale

Le trésor de la cathédrale de Brixen fait partie des biens conservés au fil des siècles, par traditon, dans la sacristie. Des textiles médiévaux, comme la chasuble millénaire d'Albuin (soie pourpre bysantine avec un dessin d'aigle) ou les vêtements de Hartmann ont été révérés comme reliques et conservés en tant que telles. La majorité des travaux d'orfèvrerie gothiques et du début du baroque n'ont pas été fabriquée à Brixen mais ont été importée de centres culturels européens tels Limoges, Venise, Constance et Augsbourg.

 

La pièce la plus ancienne est le calice funéraire de l'évêque Altwin datant de la fin du XIe siècle.

 

¤ La collection d'objets d'art présente

de précieuses sculptures et de tableaux médiévaux, ainsi que d'œuvres modernes de l'époque baroque, du classicisme et du romantisme.

Les pièces essentielles de la collection sont les Vièrges et les crucifix de la fin de l'art roman, les sculptures et les peintures d'artistes tyroliens du Moyen Åge.

A l'époque du baroque, des statues d'autel d'Adam Baldauf, des peintures à l'huile de Stefan Kessler, Ulrich Glantschnigg, Franz Sebald Unterberger et Paul Troger passent au premier plan. etc …..

 

🇩🇪 ¤ Der Domschatz

Der Domschatz von Brixen gehört zu den Gütern, die über die Jahrhunderte hinweg traditionsgemäß in der Sakristei aufbewahrt wurden. Mittelalterliche Textilien wie die tausendjährige Kasel von Albuin (purpurne bysantinische Seide mit Adlermuster) oder die Gewänder von Hartmann wurden als Reliquien verehrt und als solche aufbewahrt. Die meisten Goldschmiedearbeiten der Gotik und des Frühbarocks wurden nicht in Brixen hergestellt, sondern aus europäischen Kulturzentren wie Limoges, Venedig, Konstanz und Augsburg importiert. Das älteste Stück ist der Grabkelch des Bischofs Altwin vom Ende des 11. Jahrhunderts.

 

¤ Die Kunstsammlung zeigt wertvolle mittelalterliche Skulpturen und Gemälde sowie moderne Werke aus der Zeit des Barock, des Klassizismus und der Romantik.

Die wichtigsten Stücke der Sammlung sind spätromanische Vièrgen und Kruzifixe, Skulpturen und Gemälde von Tiroler Künstlern des Mittelalters.

In der Barockzeit treten Altarfiguren von Adam Baldauf, Ölgemälde von Stefan Kessler, Ulrich Glantschnigg, Franz Sebald Unterberger und Paul Troger in den Vordergrund. usw.

 

🇮🇹 ¤ Il tesoro della cattedrale

Il tesoro della cattedrale di Bressanone è uno degli oggetti conservati da secoli, per tradizione, nella sacrestia. Tessuti medievali come la casula millenaria di Albuin (seta viola bissantina con disegno di aquila) o i paramenti di Hartmann sono stati venerati come reliquie e conservati come tali. La maggior parte dell'argenteria gotica e del primo barocco non è stata prodotta a Bressanone, ma importata da centri culturali europei come Limoges, Venezia, Costanza e Augusta. Il pezzo più antico è il calice funerario del vescovo Altwin, risalente alla fine dell'XI secolo.

 

La collezione d'arte comprende preziose sculture e dipinti medievali, oltre a opere moderne del periodo barocco, classicista e romantico.

I pezzi forti della collezione sono la Vergine e il Crocifisso tardo-romanici, nonché sculture e dipinti di artisti tirolesi del Medioevo.

Nel periodo barocco sono protagoniste le statue d'altare di Adam Baldauf e i dipinti a olio di Stefan Kessler, Ulrich Glantschnigg, Franz Sebald Unterberger e Paul Troger. etc .....

 

🇬🇧 ¤ The treasure of the cathedral

The treasure of Brixen Cathedral is one of the items that have been preserved over the centuries, by tradition, in the sacristy. Medieval textiles such as Albuin's thousand-year-old chasuble (Bysantine purple silk with an eagle design) or Hartmann's vestments were revered as relics and preserved as such. The majority of Gothic and early Baroque silverware was not made in Brixen, but was imported from European cultural centres such as Limoges, Venice, Constance and Augsburg. The oldest piece is the funerary chalice of Bishop Altwin, dating from the end of the 11th century.

 

¤ The art collection features precious medieval sculptures and paintings, as well as modern works from the Baroque, Classicist and Romantic periods.

The highlights of the collection are the late Romanesque Virgin and Crucifixes, and sculptures and paintings by Tyrolean artists from the Middle Ages.

In the Baroque period, altar statues by Adam Baldauf and oil paintings by Stefan Kessler, Ulrich Glantschnigg, Franz Sebald Unterberger and Paul Troger take centre stage. etc .....

 

🇪🇸 ¤ El tesoro de la catedral

El tesoro de la catedral de Brixen es uno de los objetos que se han conservado a lo largo de los siglos, por tradición, en la sacristía. Tejidos medievales como la casulla milenaria de Albuin (seda púrpura bizantina con diseño de águila) o los ornamentos de Hartmann fueron venerados como reliquias y conservados como tales. La mayor parte de la platería gótica y barroca temprana no se fabricó en Brixen, sino que se importó de centros culturales europeos como Limoges, Venecia, Constanza y Augsburgo. La pieza más antigua es el cáliz funerario del obispo Altwin, de finales del siglo XI.

 

La colección de arte incluye valiosas esculturas y pinturas medievales, así como obras modernas de los periodos barroco, clasicista y romántico.

Lo más destacado de la colección son la Virgen y los Crucifijos del Románico tardío, así como esculturas y pinturas de artistas tiroleses de la Edad Media.

En el periodo barroco, destacan las estatuas de altar de Adam Baldauf y los óleos de Stefan Kessler, Ulrich Glantschnigg, Franz Sebald Unterberger y Paul Troger. etc .....

Founded in 1906, Mesa Verde National Park was created to conserve and protect the Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites and cliff dwellings within the present-day park on the sides and top of a large tree-covered cuesta, known as Mesa Verde, that rises approximately 1,500 feet (785 meters) above the surrounding canyons and valleys, with rugged canyons cutting through the cuesta, lined with sandstone cliffs and ledges.

 

The area was inhabited by indigenous people for thousands of years prior to the rise of the Ancestral Puebloan culture, whom developed villages and farmsteads within what is today Mesa Verde National Park beginning around the year 750, with the structures built by the Ancestral Puebloans growing in complexity and durability, especially due to contact with the nearby culture centered around Chaco Canyon. The famous cliff dwellings for which the area is famous, however, were built between approximately 1020 and 1260, especially after a major drought in the region between 1130 and 1180, which led to a major migration of people from Chaco Canyon to Mesa Verde. The people of Chaco Canyon brought their culture, construction techniques, and goods with them, which is evident at archaeological sites on the cuesta.

 

The area began to depopulate between 1260 and 1285 due to environmental conditions becoming less favorable, with the people of Mesa Verde moving to the lowlands of what is today New Mexico and Arizona, with many founding or joining Pueblo settlements in these regions that still exist today. The stone houses were left to the elements, and were left uninhabited, only remembered by the descendants of the Ancestral Puebloans and the other indigenous groups who called the area home, most notably the Utes.

 

The ancient ruins were discovered by European-Americans in 1873, and were documented between 1875 and 1888, with various cliff dwellings and archaeological sites being relatively well-preserved and recognizable to explorers, archaeologists, and scientists whom visited the modern-day park. However, the removal of artifacts from the cuesta became a major concern, and efforts began in 1889 to protect the area as a National Park.

 

The park covers an area of 82 square miles (212 square kilometers), and features multiple Ancestral Puebloan and other indigenous archaeological sites, and was taken from the Ute people, with land being taken from the Utes after the establishment of the park to expand its borders. The park long struggled with proper interpretation and inclusion of the voices of the Puebloan people, whose ancestors built the ancient dwellings and lived at what are today archaeological sites, with work presently ongoing to redress these issues.

 

The ruins at the park underwent reconstitution and stabilization between 1908 and 1922, with extensive work being done on Spruce Tree House, Cliff Palace, and Sun Temple. Further work was carried out by the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps starting in 1932 and extending through World War II, which included the construction of various park facilities for visitors and staff, and constructing roads atop the cuesta. The Wetherill Mesa ruins, meanwhile, were stabilized with work being carried out between 1958 and 1965, coinciding with the construction of the Far View accommodations atop the cuesta to the east.

 

The park today features a modern entrance road from US Highway 160, which climbs up the rugged slopes at the north end of the park to the top of the cuesta, stretching across the top of the cuesta to the south, where it connects to various roads that allow visitors to access the overlooks and trails for various cliff dwellings and archaeological sites on Chapin Mesa and Wetherill Mesa. Two areas of tourist accommodation also exist at Far View in the northern section of the park, and the administrative district at Spruce Tree Point at the southern end of the park.

 

The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. Today, the park sees over half a million visitors annually, and continues to preserve and maintain the ancient structures built by the Ancestral Puebloans.

Chapelle conservée dans l'alpage du Fond d'Aussois à 2330m. (Savoie-Parc National de la Vanoise)

 

Les documents anciens, les lieu-dits, les ruines rappellent au randonneur attentif que ces chapelles d'alpages étaient très nombreuses dans toutes les vallées alpines.

Once broken ribs and a piece of spine of a huge petrified Temnodontosaurus trigonodon, 200 - 175 000 000 years old...

Catching and conserving moments.

Sometimes I need to remember myself why I fell in love with photography. And basically, that's why.

I took this picture two years ago and always liked the moment, but not the technical quality. So I kept it hidden.

Today I told myself to stop being overcritical with myself (talking about non-commissional work here), what might lead to an upload overkill in the near future, because there are a lot of photos that have been on hold for quite a while.

A large plaque at the zoo where I volunteer. It's mounted at ground-level, outside a classroom. Baba Dioum is a forestry engineer from Senegal.

From my store cupboard; Maple Syrup, Wild Amarena Cherries, Blueberry Conserve, Creme de Framboise, Ginger Syrup and Rhapsodie de Fruits.

 

116 pictures in 2016 (68) In or from the store cupboard

L'original de ce tableau est conservé au musée du Prado à Madrid.

 

You should know that it is not the original works that are exhibited at the Jheronimus Bosch Art Center but high quality photos in the original size of the work framed optimally. You can manipulate the triptychs.

In 2016, there was a big exhibition that had a lot of success with the original works at the Noordbrabants museum which adjoins the Stedelijk museum, but you could hardly get close and the cameras were forbidden.

 

The original of this painting is kept in the museum of Prado in Madrid.

  

Il faut savoir que ce ne sont pas les oeuvres originales qui sont exposées au Jheronimus Bosch Art Center mais bien des photos de grande qualité au format original de l'oeuvre encadrées de façon optimale. Vous pouvez manipuler les triptyques.

En 2016, il y a eu une grande exposition qui a eu énormément de succès avec les oeuvres originales au Noordbrabants museum qui jouxte le Stedelijk museum, mais vous pouviez à peine approcher et les appareils photos étaient interdits.

  

Creme Brulee with a Raspberry Conserve at Napa Rose in Disney's Grand Californian Hotel.

davebowles.smugmug.com/Animals/Birds/Hooded-Vulture/

Meet Fagin, a Male Hooded Vulture photographed at the Andover Hawk Conservency. Click on the picture for more pictures of this intereresting bird.

Conserve for biodiversity

This part of the exhibition in the partially abandoned/conserved wire plant Provodņiks (later - a property of RER) was in a closed section to the public, and it sums up the 2020 just perfectly.

 

Kentmere Pan 100 reversed in PQ Universal and scanned with Plustek 7600i Ai.

La tour Anneessens est un des vestiges les mieux conservés de la première enceinte de Bruxelles construite au début du XIIIe siècle. La tour était également appelée « tour d'angle » car elle était située à un endroit où le mur d'enceinte formait un angle rentrant très marqué, au sud-est de la ville.

La tour Anneessens doit son nom à François Anneessens (1660-1719), doyen du corps de métier des Quatre Couronnés (corporation réunissant les sculpteurs, les tailleurs de pierre, les maçons, les ardoisiers et les chaisiers), qui y aurait été enfermé avant d'être décapité sur la Grand-Place de Bruxelles à l'époque des Pays-Bas autrichiens.

 

Anneessens tower is one of the best preserved remains of the first wall of Brussels built in the early thirteenth century. The tower was also called "corner tower" because it was located in a place where the boundary wall formed a very strong inside corner, southeast of the city.

The tower is named Anneessens Anneessens François (1660-1719), dean of the trades of the Four Crowned (corporation bringing together sculptors, stonecutters, masons, slate and chair makers), which would have been locked up before beheaded on the Grand Place at the time of the Austrian Netherlands.

España - Málaga - Ronda - Baños árabes

 

ENGLISH

  

This thermal building of the arab time is the best conserved of its kind at the Iberian Peninsula. It is located at the old arab quarter of the city, today called San Miguel Quarter, being the formerly outside quarter of the arab medina (city) of Ronda.

  

The bahts were built near the Arroyo de las Culebras (snakes' stream), a perfect place in order to be provided of water, which was moved by a waterwheel, in an current perfect conservation state.

  

The chronology of the Ronda arab bahts starts at the 13th-14th centuries. The bath is divided into three main zones, following the Roman model of thermal buildings:cold water, warm water and hot water bathrooms. The hydraulic system of the thermal bath has arrived to our days almost complete. The central room is the biggest and has got three parts, separated by four pairs of horseshoe arches above bricks and stone columns, which have the function of holding up barrel vaults, with nice skylights forming stars, closed with glass.

  

The building is surrounded by one wall with blind arches (no light can be seen through them) and has got at its end a tower containing the waterwheel structure. The boiler area is also conserved, where the water was heated, as well as rests of a tannery, which was the main activity of this place after the christian conquest of the city, which meant that the use of the building as thermal baths was neglected.

  

**************************************************

  

ESPAÑOL

  

Los Baños Arabes de Ronda, de época nazarí (s. XIII-XIV), están situados en la zona de la antigua judería y, a pesar de su extraordinario interés arquitectónico, fueron abandonados (la moral cristiana no permitía ciertas prácticas), y las crecidas del río Guadalevín acabaron sepultándolos. Al encargar la Duquesa de Parcent la construcción de unos jardines en esta zona, aparecieron sus primeros restos, aunque se obviaron hasta que en 1935 el yacimiento fue adquirido por el Estado. Las excavaciones realizadas hasta ahora han permitido rescatar las tres salas de baño (fría, templada y caliente) y las cubiertas con bóvedas de cañón (horadadas por tragaluces en forma de estrella), que se comunican por arcos de medio punto. Se conservan, además, parte de las calderas y de los sistemas de conducción de agua.

  

Cuentan con la singularidad de conservar completa su estructura, con las diferentes estancias e instalaciones que lo organizaban, siendo los más grandes y mejor conservados de la Península Ibérica. Curiosamente se situaban extramuros de la ciudad, en el Antiguo Arrabal Islámico de la Ciudad, actualmente denominado Barrio de San Miguel en el extraradio de lo que fue en su momento la Medina Musulmana de Ronda. Fueron construidos junto al Arroyo de las Culebras, lugar perfecto para el abastecimiento de agua, que se desplazaba a través de un sistema de noria, perfectamente conservado en la actualidad.

  

La sala central es la más grande y consta de tres cuerpos, separados mediante cuatro pares de arcos de herradura sobre columnas de ladrillo y piedra, que sostienen bóvedas de cañón (semiesféricas) con bellos tragaluces en forma de estrella cerrados con cristales. El edificio está cercado con un muro de arcos ciegos, que forman el acueducto, y tiene una torre al fondo con una caja de noria. Del mismo modo conserva el área de calderas donde se calentaba el agua, así como restos de las curtidurías, actividad principal en el lugar una vez que se abandonó el uso como baños tras la conquista cristiana de la ciudad.

 

Fondé sur l’ancienne acropole de la ville grecque d’Antipolis. Le château a été construit sur des fondations d'époque romaine. Il conserve une partie des façades de l'édifice romain sur une hauteur variant de 3 à 5 mètres. Cette construction doit dater du Ier siècle apr. J.-C.

Le château Grimaldi est occupé dès 1385 par une branche de la famille génoise des Grimaldi. Le château actuel est construit au XVe siècle. Il a été modifié au XVIIe siècle.

En 1608, le roi Henri IV acquiert ce fief au profit de la couronne de France. Les Grimaldi s'installent au château de Cagnes, voisin, et leur ancien château d'Antibes devient tour à tour la demeure du gouverneur du Roi, l'hôtel de ville et plus tard une caserne, jusqu'en 1924. L'année suivante, sous l'impulsion de Romuald Dor de la Souchère, la ville d'Antibes rachète le château délabré, qui devient le musée Grimaldi. En 1946 Pablo Picasso se voit offrir, par Dor de la Souchère, l'opportunité d'installer son atelier au château. En 1957, Picasso reçoit officiellement le titre de « Citoyen d’honneur de la ville d’Antibes ». En 1966, le Château Grimaldi devient le Musée Picasso et Romuald Dor de la Souchère devient son premier conservateur. On peut y trouver environ 245 œuvres de l’artiste mais aussi des peintures de Nicolas de Staël, Fernand Léger ou Hans Hartung, des dessins de Kostia Terechkovitch, des gravures de Paul Leuquet et des sculptures de Germaine Richier et Joan Miró.

 

Founded on the ancient acropolis of the Greek city of Antipolis. The castle was built on Romanesque foundations. It retains part of the facades of the Roman building on a height ranging from 3 to 5 meters. This construction must date from the 1st century AD AD

Grimaldi Castle was occupied in 1385 by a branch of the Grimaldi Genoese family. The current castle is built in the 15th century. It was modified in the 17th century.

In 1608, King Henry IV acquired this fief in favor of the crown of France. The Grimaldi settled in the neighboring castle of Cagnes, and their old castle of Antibes became the residence of the king's governor, the town hall and later a barracks, until 1924. The following year Under the leadership of Romuald Dor de la Souchère, the city of Antibes bought the dilapidated castle, which became the Grimaldi museum. In 1946 Pablo Picasso is offered, by Dor de la Souchère, the opportunity to install his workshop at the castle. In 1957, Picasso officially received the title of "Citizen of honor of the city of Antibes". In 1966, Château Grimaldi became the Picasso Museum and Romuald Dor de la Souchère became its first curator. There are about 245 works by the artist but also paintings by Nicolas de Staël, Fernand Léger or Hans Hartung, drawings by Kostia Terechkovitch, engravings by Paul Leuquet and sculptures by Germaine Richier and Joan Miró.

We were just little kids…all 4 of us.

Christmas was coming and as usual…we wanted to make some money to buy Mom a gift. Of course, we had to decide what the gift would be …but first things first…we needed money!

We pooled our resources and came up with only a few bucks .. that would never do … but .. we had done this before. We had a few ideas to make a few more dollars.

First, there was our regular Christmas pinecone business. Well, maybe not quite a business … but it was our usual little money making venture at this time of year. We would hike up the hills behind our streets … probably a few miles, and cut off some perfect little branches containing pine cones. We also gathered all the largest, perfect, individual cones we could find. I can’t imagine my little brother going at that time .. he was pretty small …but can’t say for sure. All of us went anywhere and everywhere … and all alone. Seemed no big deal in those days. Most kids did and most parents thought nothing of it. Not that we were stupid .. we knew to always stay together, and to never speak to strangers … and scream like a banshee if anybody tried anything … not to mention rocks, sticks, etc .. in actuality I pity anybody who tried to mess with us. We were kind of wild …..

When we got the pinecones home, we would lay them out on sheets of newspapers, paint glue on the tips with a little paintbrush and then shake some silver glitter on to each of them. Even in those days I was pretty penurious … well, we had to be … there was no money for fun stuff. Mom showed us how to conserve our glitter … shaking it off onto the paper and pouring it back into our little bowl from the fold of the paper. Waste not, want not, she always said. We learned that and plenty more from our Mom.

On the single cones we would tie a ribbon or a thread so that it could be hung as a decoration … we charged only about 10 cents apiece for those. The branches were more … but honestly, I can’t remember how much we dared to ask. We would stack them in our big red wagon and trundle off down the street to sell our festive cones and branches to neighbours. We always worried that people would think the price too high and would not want them .. but we always sold out immediately and had to go back up the hill to get more. I think some of the women looked forward to our fresh cut boughs each year. Or … it could have been that we sent our tiny little brother to the door in front of the rest of us … knee high to a grasshopper he was, and just as silent. We rarely had to go more than a few blocks to sell out repeatedly, but at those prices it took quite a while and lot of pinecones for it to add up to any amount.

Dad was our other source of income… but …. it definitely did not come easy. We would help clean the barbershop on many a Sunday, and, before Christmas … it used to get a super thorough “going over” because we were asking for the big bucks. We would each get $2.00 for the day. I think dear old Dad used to like using the opportunity to teach a lesson or two … his favourite being …….

”money doesn’t grow on trees you know”.

 

In those years … $2.00 each did become a sizeable chunk of change. But, we certainly worked very diligently for a very full day to get that amount. Standing on the barber chairs to be able to reach the overhead lights and dusting on top of them; scrubbing and wiping all three big chairs as well as scrubbing all the customer chairs, (with a nail brush as they had vinyl upholstery that was pockmarked with little holes, instead of smooth stuff) polishing and shining many mirrors, washing windows, sweeping, moving all the bottles of lovely smelling hair stuff and cleaning all the counter tops ( every last little cut hair) emptying all the little and large garbage pails … etc … it was a long, LONG day, believe me. But … it was always worth it to add the loot to our stash. Dad would buy us a pop and then we had to sit and wait while he washed and rinsed the whole floor. A grueling day.

Finally we had $20.00 … and, I had seen the gift. A locket at a little jewellery store. I took the other kids to look at it in the window. They all 'ooohed' and 'ahhhed'. That was it. We were getting it. Of course, we had no idea how much it really was yet and I was sure it would be out of our price range … but we had to find out. Wild as we were, we were still pretty shy … especially with adults. So … a few days passed and all of a sudden it was Christmas Eve and I still had not gotten up nerve to go into the store. Off we went to do our shopping for our Dad too; usually socks and soap-on-a- rope …. Old Spice. I know we did look at a few other places for something for Mom (just in case). Checked out several other possibilities …but … ended up back at the jewellery store window. It was dark already … getting near closing time … cold and snowing and we were cold and nervous, but finally, in we went. A very nice lady smiled at us and asked us if we had seen something in the window that we were interested in. I said, “the locket” …as if there was not another one in the whole window …. but, somehow she knew exactly which one I meant. The one with the pink gold rose on it …. She brought it to the display counter and I was the only one tall enough to see it .. she held it down so the other kids could get a good look too. More “oooohhhing” for sure. Three heads turned … they all looked at me. Gulp. “How much is it please”? She turned over the little tag and I could see that it said $29.95. She didn’t say the price, but instead asked me how much money we had to spend. Oh, the hot prickles of disappointment and shame. I had to tell her that we only had $20.00. When I heard, “why, that is exactly the right amount” I couldn’t believe my ears. I could hardly speak; my mouth must have been hanging open. I wanted to grab that little velvet box and run out of the store with it; forget wrapping it … in case she realized her mistake. But, she just smiled right at me, and carefully wrapped it in snow white paper with gold swirls on it….. and put a beautiful gold ribbon on it …. then placed it ever so carefully into a tiny bag engraved with the name of the store. Off we went; on top of the world. Who cared if it was cold and snowing … it was Christmas Eve … we had our precious little gift. We walked the two miles home because we didn’t even have a dime left for the bus. And, all that way I kept wondering how it happened. Had I seen the wrong amount? No. Definitely not. So, why had she done that? Was it going to cost her? In the end I just had to accept that she had done it out of the goodness of her heart. All I knew for sure was that we were the luckiest kids in the world on that particular Christmas Eve …. And that lovely lady was probably just as pleased as we were.

 

(This is the actual locket... we had her initial engraved on it after Christmas... B for Bette. Our amazing little Mom.)

The conserved steel truss railway bridge spanning Upper Bukit Timah Road and a track of the rail (1932 - 2011).

NEW JERSEY 2017 BALD EAGLE PROJECT REPORT

 

ANOTHER PRODUCTIVE YEAR FOR NJ’S EAGLES

by Larissa Smith, CWF Wildlife Biologist

 

The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ in partnership with the NJ Endangered and Nongame Species Program has released the 2017 NJ Bald Eagle Project Report. In 2017, 178 eagle nests were monitored during the nesting season. Of these nests 153 were active (with eggs) and 25 were territorial or housekeeping pairs. One hundred and ninety young were fledged.

 

In 2017 the number of active nests was three more than in 2016, but the number young fledged decreased by 27 from a record high of 216 fledged in 2016. The productivity rate this season of 1.25 young/active nest is still above the required range of 0.0 to 1.1 for population maintenance. Productivity could be lower this season for many reasons including weather, predation and disturbance to the nesting area. In 2017 nest monitors reported several instances of “intruder” eagles at nests which did disrupt the nesting attempts of several pairs. One of these “eagle dramas” unfolded at the Duke Farms eagle cam watched by millions of people. An intruder female attempted to replace the current female. This harassment interrupted the pairs bonding and copulation and no eggs were laid.

 

This year’s report includes a section on Resightings of banded eagles. Resightings of NJ (green) banded eagles have increased over the years, as well as eagles seen in NJ that were banded in other states. These resightings are important, as they help us to understand eagle movements during the years between fledging and settling into a territory, as well as adult birds at a nest site.

 

For more info: www.conservewildlifenj.org/blog/2017/12/06/new-jersey-201...

 

New Jersey Bald Eagle Project Report | 2017 may be downloaded here: www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/eglrpt17.pdf

Save the Earth, One Shower at a Time

 

There are various ways you can do to conserve water and energy when you take a shower:

 

1. use a low-flow showerhead (preferably one that is 2.2 gallons per minute or less)

2. take shorter showers

3. turn off the water when you are soaping up

 

For additional shower tips, click here

Ce vitrail représentant le prophète Jonas est l’un des cinq célèbres vitraux romans conservés dans la cathédrale d’Augsbourg. Réalisé entre la fin du XIᵉ siècle et le début du XIIᵉ siècle, il appartient à l’un des plus anciens ensembles de vitraux figuratifs d’Europe. Malgré plusieurs restaurations au fil des siècles, cette figure demeure un témoignage exceptionnel de l’art du verre au Moyen Âge.

This stained-glass window depicting the prophet Jonah is one of the five famous Romanesque windows preserved in Augsburg Cathedral. Created between the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries, it belongs to one of the oldest surviving figurative stained-glass ensembles in Europe. Despite several restorations over the centuries, the figure remains an exceptional witness to the art of stained glass in the Middle Ages.

La CLASS66246 ayant conservée son marquage EWSI sur les faces frontales, est vue en tête d'un train d'automobiles ne transportant que des Toyota Yaris, reliant Valenciennes à Calais-Féthun. La rame prendra ensuite direction du Royaume-Uni, via le tunnel sous la Manche. Le voici au passage à Les Attaques, et proche de son terminus septentrionale français...

Une des villes anciennes les mieux conservées de la région. Patrimoine Mondial de l'UNESCO.

Fondée par les Grecs, conquise par Alexandre le Grand puis par les Romains et occupée par les Byzantins. Elle a connu son apogée au II ème siècle mais a commencé à décliner avec les invasions Arabes.

Perge possédait 2 voies à Portiques : le Cardo Nord-Sud et le Décumanus Est-Ouest. Elles datent du II ème siècle (Empereur Hadrien).

Le Cardo mesure 480 m de long sur 22 m de large. Il était séparé au milieu par un canal (2 m de large sur 0,80 à 1,20 m de profondeur) qui était alimenté par une source qui se trouvait au pied de l'Acropole.

Au premier plan, le canal avec des passages pour les piétons.

Jaguar Parade is an open-air art exhibition of decorated jaguar statues. It is an art installation with a purpose: to raise funds and awareness about the urgent need to conserve jaguars and their habitats.

 

Placing the jaguar statues in key public places brings the environmental cause to the forefront of the public’s attention, reaching millions of people in a very unique way.

 

By the end of the exhibition period, the statues are auctioned and 100% of net proceeds will be donated to jaguar conservation efforts.

 

jaguarparade.com

Bruno Vansina Quartet @ La Conserve Leuven

 

3MAY2018

 

Cyrille Obermüller Double bass

Kobe Proesmans Percussion

Bruno Vansina Alt Sax

Teun Verbruggen Drums

  

Photography: © Patrick Van Vlerken 2018

This is a gorgeous bird. The same birds return to Sabino Canyon for years.

 

Here are two websites with good descriptions:

 

www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/phainopepla

 

birding.about.com/od/birdprofiles/p/Phainopepla.htm

 

Common Name:

 

Phainopepla, Black Cardinal

 

Scientific Name:

 

Phainopepla nitens

 

Scientific Family:

 

Ptilogonatidae

 

Appearance:

 

Bill: Short, straight, black, fairly sharp

Size: 7-8 inches long with 12-inch wingspan, round wings, long tail, ragged crest

Colors: Black, red, gray, white, gray-brown, blue-black, orange, brown

Markings: Dimorphic species. Males are glossy black overall and can appear blue-black in bright sunlight. A broad white patch on the primary feathers is visible in flight. The ragged, pointed crest is often raised. Legs and feet are dark, and the eyes are red. Females are an allover slate or ash gray with fine white edging on all wing feathers. Their wing patches do not contrast as prominently as those of male birds, but they share the same pointed crest and red eyes. Juvenile birds resemble females with the same white wing edging but show a gray-brown plumage and dark orange or brown eyes. As juvenile males mature, their gray-brown plumage may become mottled with black feathers.

Foods:

 

Primarily berries; also insects, flower petals (See: Frugivorous)

 

Habitat and Migration:

 

These silky-flycatchers prefer dry habitats such as desert scrub, mesquite thickets and the canyon foothills of oak and other woodlands in southwestern North America, as well as riparian corridors in the driest regions. They can be found year-round from southern California to southwestern Texas and further south throughout the Baja peninsula and into central Mexico. During the summer breeding season, the phainopepla may range slightly further north into central Arizona and Nevada, as well as north-central California. Vagrant sightings are occasionally reported further north and east than the bird's expected range, with rare sightings great distances from their traditional southwest habitat.

 

Vocalizations:

 

The phainopepla has a complex, varied song that includes rattling warbles and buzzy trills, typically with a descending tone. The common call is a light, wispy “whihp” with a rising pitch. These birds are also accomplished mimics and have been noted as reproducing the calls of more than a dozen other bird species, including red-tailed hawks and northern flickers.

 

Behavior:

 

These birds are highly nomadic and range widely in search of food, following berry crops. They will defend their feeding areas, chasing other birds out of the vicinity. Depending on the crop size and food availability, they may be solitary or could be found in pairs or small groups, with larger numbers of phainopeplas likely where food is abundant. They forage in trees and bushes, only rarely foraging on the ground, and will hawk insects in flight, particularly when feeding nestlings. These birds are frequently seen perched visibly at the tops of bare trees, and during courtship displays, male phainopeplas will spiral or zigzag above their claimed territory to advertise their availability to females.

 

Reproduction:

 

These birds are monogamous, and the male builds a cup-shaped nest of twigs and plant fibers lined with down, hair and fur. He may build several nests ranging from 5-50 feet above the ground, but the female will choose which one she prefers to lay her eggs. Each brood contains 2-4 gray, splotchy eggs, and 1-2 broods may be laid each year, though a second brood is often laid far distant from the first, unlike other birds that nest in the same area when raising multiple broods.

 

Both parents incubate the eggs for 13-14 days, and both continue to feed the altricial young for 19-20 days until the chicks are ready to leave the nest.

 

Attracting Phainopeplas:

 

It can be a treat to see these silky black birds in the backyard, and birders can readily attract them in the proper habitat by providing plenty of berry bushes. Mistletoe berries are a favorite of phainopeplas, and other native plantings can help provide secure shelter and nesting areas for these birds. Unlike many birds, however, phainopeplas rarely visit bird baths, as they obtain most the water they need from the berries they consume.

 

Conservation:

 

The phainopepla is not considered endangered or threatened, though loss of mesquite brush habitat in Mexico may be responsible for slight population declines. Conserving habitat, particularly the mistletoe and other berry bushes this species prefers, is essential.

 

Similar Birds:

 

Gray Silky-Flycatcher (Ptilogonys cinereus)

Red-Whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus)

European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)

Conserve School Bog, Land O Lakes, WI

Une magnifique sortie nature dans un écosystème de paramo incroyable avec des plantes géantes d'Espeletia uribei (famille Asteraceae) grâce á Conserva con ciencia et Karol Pulido qui nous a guidé á Choachi dans le département de Cundinamarca, Magique Colombie ! C'est nécessaire d'aller avec la guide pour aider á conserver l'endroit. Bientôt plus de photos...

 

A marvelous nature walk in a paramo ecosystem with incredible gigantic plants of Espeletia uribei (family Asteraceae) thanks to Conserva con ciencia and Karol Pulido who guided us in Choachi in Cundinamarca department. Magical Colombia ! Necessary to go with the guide to help conserve this place. More pics soon...

 

Una magnífica salida en la naturaleza en un ecosistema de páramo increíble con plantas gigantes de "Frailejones" (Espeletia uribei, familia Asteraceae) gracias a Conserva con ciencia y Karol Pulido quien nos a guiado en Choachi en el département de Cundinamarca, Magica Colombia ! Es necesario ir con la guía para ayudar a conservar el lugar. Mas fotos pronto...

L'original de ce tableau est conservé au Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga à Lisbonne.

 

You should know that it is not the original works that are exhibited at the Jheronimus Bosch Art Center but high quality photos in the original size of the work framed optimally. You can manipulate the triptychs.

In 2016, there was a big exhibition that had a lot of success with the original works at the Noordbrabants museum which adjoins the Stedelijk museum, but you could hardly get close and the cameras were forbidden.

 

The original of this painting is kept in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga in Lisbonne.

  

Il faut savoir que ce ne sont pas les oeuvres originales qui sont exposées au Jheronimus Bosch Art Center mais bien des photos de grande qualité au format original de l'oeuvre encadrées de façon optimale. Vous pouvez manipuler les triptyques.

En 2016, il y a eu une grande exposition qui a eu énormément de succès avec les oeuvres originales au Noordbrabants museum qui jouxte le Stedelijk museum, mais vous pouviez à peine approcher et les appareils photos étaient interdits.

   

NEW JERSEY’S BALD EAGLE POPULATION CONTINUES TO SOAR

January 14th, 2016

 

CONSERVE WILDLIFE FOUNDATION OF NEW JERSEY RELEASES RESULTS OF 2015 STATE BALD EAGLE REPORT

 

by Lindsay McNamara, Communications Manager

 

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey today released the 2015 Bald Eagle Report, highlighting the number of nesting pairs, active nests and nest productivity for the raptors throughout New Jersey with data collected by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife biologists, CWF biologists and committed volunteers.

 

“With 161 pairs of bald eagles this past year — up from just a single nest in the early 1980’s — the dramatic ongoing recovery of bald eagles across the northeast continues to inspire so many of us,” said David Wheeler, Conserve Wildlife Foundation Executive Director. “The thrill of seeing a bald eagle fly across the sky is unparalleled. This report captures how these eagles are continuing their All-American return.”

 

The report notes that thirteen new eagle pairs were found this season, nine in the south, two in Central Jersey and two in Northern New Jersey.

 

For more info: www.conservewildlifenj.org/blog/2016/01/14/new-jerseys-ba...

Once broken ribs of a huge petrified Temnodontosaurus trigonodon, 200 - 175 000 000 years old...

This building conserves most of the decorative elements of Tulum. It has two levels, of which the lower level is comprised of two temples, one within the other, where the decoration is concentrated. The façade of the inner temple is decorated with mural paintings, while that of the outer temple boasts stucco figures in bas-relief, including masks in the corners, sculptures in three niches in the façade – the central one is a representation of the descending god – and human figures intertwined in the frieze. The temple of the upper level is very simple as its decoration consists of red-colored hand prints.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmalade

 

Marmalade generally refers to a fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water. It can be produced from kumquats, lemons, limes, grapefruits, mandarins, sweet oranges, bergamots, and other citrus fruits, or any combination of them.

 

For many decades now, the preferred citrus fruit for marmalade production in Britain has been the Spanish Seville orange, Citrus aurantium var. aurantium, prized for its high pectin content, which gives a good set.[clarification needed] The peel imparts a lively bitter taste to the marmalade.

 

The term "marmalade" is not precise, universal, nor definitive, but unless otherwise stated, marmalade is generally distinguished from jam by its fruit peel. However, it also may be distinguished from jam by the choice of fruit. Historically, the term was more often used in senses other than just citrus conserves.[1]

 

Contents [hide]

1Origins

2Etymology

2.1International usage

3Dundee Marmalade

3.1Scots legend

4In children's books

5See also

6References

7Further reading

Origins[edit]

The Romans learned from the Greeks that quinces slowly cooked with honey would "set" when cool (though they did not know about fruit pectin). Greek μελίμηλον (melimēlon, "honey fruit") transformed into Portuguese "marmelo"— from the Greek μῆλον (mēlon, "apple") stood for all globular fruits, and most quinces are too astringent to be used without honey. A Roman cookbook attributed to Apicius gives a recipe for preserving whole quinces, stems and leaves attached, in a bath of honey diluted with defrutum—Roman marmalade. Preserves of quince and lemon appear—along with rose, apple, plum and pear—in the Book of ceremonies of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos, "a book that is not only a treatise on the etiquette of imperial banquetting in the ninth century, but a catalogue of the foods available and dishes made from them."[1]

 

Medieval quince preserves, which went by the French name cotignac, produced in a clear version and a fruit pulp version, began to lose their medieval seasoning of spices in the 16th century. In the 17th century, La Varenne provided recipes for both thick and clear cotignac.[2]

 

In 1524, Henry VIII received a "box of marmalade" from Mr Hull of Exeter.[3] As it was in a box, this was probably marmelada, a solid quince paste from Portugal, still made and sold in southern Europe. Its Portuguese origins can be detected in the remarks in letters to Lord Lisle, from William Grett, 12 May 1534, "I have sent to your lordship a box of marmaladoo, and another unto my good lady your wife" and from Richard Lee, 14 December 1536, "He most heartily thanketh her Ladyship for her marmalado".[2]

 

The English recipe book of Eliza Cholmondeley, dated from 1677 and held at the Chester Record Office in the Cheshire county archivists, has one of the earliest marmalade recipes ("Marmelet of Oranges") which produced a firm, thick dark paste. The Scots are credited with developing marmalade as a spread, with Scottish recipes in the 18th century using more water to produce a less solid preserve.[4]

 

The first printed recipe for orange marmalade, though without the chunks typically used now, was in Mary Kettilby's 1714 cookery book, A Collection of above Three Hundred Receipts (pages 78–79).[5][6][7] Kettilby called for whole oranges, lemon juice and sugar, with the acid in the lemon juice helping to create the pectin set of marmalade, by boiling the lemon and orange juice with the pulp.[4][7] Kettilby then directs: "boil the whole pretty fast 'till it will jelly" – the first known use of the word "jelly" in marmalade making. Kettilby then instructs that the mixture is then poured into glasses, covered and left until set. As the acid would create a jelly, this meant that the mixture could be pulled from the heat before it had turned to a paste, keeping the marmalade much brighter and the appearance more translucent, as in modern-day marmalade.[4]

 

The Scots moved marmalade to the breakfast table, and in the 19th century the English followed the Scottish example and abandoned the eating of marmalade in the evening. Marmalade's place in British life appears in literature. James Boswell remarks that he and Samuel Johnson were offered it at breakfast in Scotland in 1773. When American writer Louisa May Alcott visited Britain in the 1800s, she described "a choice pot of marmalade and a slice of cold ham" as "essentials of English table comfort".[7]

 

Etymology[edit]

 

Antique marmalade cutter, used to cut citrus fruit peel into thin slices

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "marmalade" appeared in the English language in 1480, borrowed from French marmelade which, in turn, came from the Portuguese language marmelada. According to José Pedro Machado’s Dicionário Etimológico da Língua Portuguesa,[8] the oldest known document where this Portuguese word is to be found is Gil Vicente’s play Comédia de Rubena, written in 1521:

 

Temos tanta marmelada

Que a minha mãe vai me dar um pouco[9]

The extension of "marmalade" in the English language to refer to a preserve made from citrus fruits occurred in the 17th century, when citrus first began to be plentiful enough in England for the usage to become common.

 

In Portuguese, according to the root of the word, which is marmelo, "quince", marmelada is a preserve made from quinces, quince cheese. Marmelo in turn derives from Latin melimelum, "honey apple",[10] which in turn comes from the earlier Greek μελίμηλον (melímēlon),[11] from "μέλι" (meli), "honey"[11] + "μήλον" (mēlon), "apple".[11]

 

There is an apocryphal story that Mary, Queen of Scots, ate it when she had a headache, and that the name is derived from her maids' whisper of "Marie est malade" (Mary is ill). In reality, the word's origin has nothing to do with Mary.[12]

 

International usage[edit]

 

Marmalade spread on bread

In much of Europe, the term "marmalade" and its variations are still used as a generic term for preserves of all fruits, whereas in Britain it refers solely to a citrus preserve.[4] The name originates in Portuguese, where marmelada applies exclusively to quince jam.[13][14] In Spanish the term usually refers to what in English is called jam (and jalea — used in Mexico and Central America — is similar to the American English jelly). In Italian too, marmellata means every jam and marmalade.

 

Dundee Marmalade[edit]

 

Jars of homemade marmalade

The Scottish city of Dundee has a long association with marmalade.[15][16] James Keiller and his wife Janet ran a small sweet and preserves shop in the Seagate section of Dundee.[16] In 1797, they opened a factory to produce "Dundee Marmalade",[17] a preserve distinguished by thick chunks of bitter Seville orange rind. The business prospered, and remains a signature marmalade producer today.[18]

 

Scots legend[edit]

According to a Scottish legend, the creation of orange marmalade in Britain occurred by accident. The legend tells of a ship carrying a cargo of oranges that broke down in the port of Dundee, resulting in some ingenious locals making marmalade out of the cargo.[16][19]

 

In children's books[edit]

Paddington Bear, a fictional character in children's books, is renowned for his liking for marmalade, particularly in sandwiches, and kept it in his briefcase wherever he went.[20] He is now used on the label of Robertson's Golden Shred marmalade.

Rome - La Louve capitoline ou Louve du Capitole est une sculpture en bronze des XIIe et XIIIe siècles de notre ère, conservée au palais des Conservateurs (Musée du Capitole). Elle est un symbole associé à la légende de Romulus et Remus et à la fondation de Rome.