Africa
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Serengeti, Tanzania
I take pictures because I like it, not because I am good at it.
The world is like a book and those, who do not travel, only read the first page.
If you only visit 2 continents in your lifetime, visit Africa, twice.
All rights reserved. © Thomas Retterath 2023
McDonald Creek flowing heavy with rain and snow melt in June is an impressive sight.
I visited Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park about a week before the Going-to-the-Sun Road was cleared for passenger vehicles in 2018. It was a bit disappointing, as the weather was wet, with heavy cloud cover, and the only way to get from West Glacier (where I initially stayed) to East Glacier is to drive US 2 about half-a-day around the southern part of the park.
I am intent on getting back to Glacier National Park in the near future to better experience the "Crown of the Continent" - If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise...
My brother is coming to visit next week, He lives near Yosemite and this is one of many photos from a trip to visit him in 2014 and our little day trip to Yosemite National Park. I sure wish it was not on the opposite side of the continent!
Steenbok in the thickets.
Ndutu NCA , Tanzania
Better be watched by an animal than a nosy man.
The world is like a book and those, who do not travel, only read the first page.
If you only visit 2 continents in your lifeteime, visit Africa, twice.
All rights reserved. © Thomas Retterath 2023
As an aforementioned peak geek it was a primary objective to see and admire the tallest peak on the continent. Took 6 days of anxious waiting and anticipation before the clouds finally cleared and I saw it in all it's glory. Yes, there was some ugly dancing...
Denali has two significant summits: the South Summit is the higher one at 20,310 feet (6,190 m), while the North Summit has an elevation of 19,470 ft (5,934 m). The North Summit slightly in view here.
Happy 4th of July to my American friends! Wishing everyone a wonderful week.
Perched on a rugged cliff at our continent's most easterly point lies Cape Spear Lighthouse – the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland.
The Cape Buffalo is the largest sub-species of the African Buffalo. The adult African buffalo's horns are its characteristic feature: they have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield across the top of the head referred to as a "boss". It is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous animals on the African continent, and according to some estimates it gores, tramples, and kills over 200 people every year.
The African Buffalo is not an ancestor of domestic cattle and is only distantly related to other larger bovines. Its unpredictable temperament may have been part of the reason that the African buffalo has never been domesticated, unlike its Asian counterpart, the water buffalo. Natural predators of adult African buffaloes include lions, hyenas, large crocodiles and humans. (Wikipedia)
The Yellow-billed Oxpecker sitting on the buffalo's head is a bulbul-sized olive-brown bird that sports a diagnostic red-tipped yellow bill, a red eye without an eye-wattle, and a pale buff rump. Small groups occur in savanna and farmland, where they require large wild ungulates and domestic stock to forage on; they clamber agilely over host mammals, gleaning ticks, mites and other ectoparasites, and occasionally drinking host blood. As they fly between large mammals, they give a distinctive sizzling-crackle call. (eBird)
Queen Elizabeth II National Park, Uganda. February 2017.
The mosque at Ortakoy Istanbul and the Bosphorus bridge. A very sunny January evening water on the paving from waves splashing up.
Neear Nesañ - Al laouelanig youtu.be/Gul74SP-3Eg
Voici la vue que l'on découvre en suivant donc le chemin qui descend vers la mer, au départ du parking de la Croix des Veuves Située sur la commune de Ploubazlanec...
La Pointe de la Trinité, à Porz-Even, est un site magnifique dominant l'île Saint-Riom.
Construite à quelques mètres de la grève, sur la rive faisant face à la cale de Pors-Even en 1868, la chapelle porte le même nom que la Pointe sur laquelle elle fut édifiée.
Cet édifice n'est pas le premier à avoir pris place à cet endroit. Il est le successeur d'une série de chapelles dont la première fut construite, paraît-il, à la suite d'un vœu émis au 12ème siècle déjà ! En ce temps-là, la communauté monastique installée sur l'île de Saint-Riom faisait régulièrement la traversée afin de se ravitailler sur le continent. Une tempête d'une rare violence leur fit craindre une fin prochaine ; se recommandant à la protection de la Sainte Trinité, leur embarcation fut finalement drossée à la côte, à cet endroit. C'est ainsi qu'une première chapelle fut construite, sous l'égide du protecteur des moines, Alain comte de Goëlo et de Penthièvre. Beg ar C'hastell (Pointe du Château, en vieux breton) ne changera toutefois de nom que bien plus tard, devenant Pointe de la Trinité au début du 18ème siècle.
Bien avant cela, déjà, Saint Pébrel aborda l'endroit après une traversée l'amenant de sa Cornouaille anglaise. Afin de marquer son passage il édifia un oratoire, au même endroit, à la gloire de la Saint Trinité, déjà.
Il n'y eu pas moins de cinq chapelles de ce nom ! Successivement ruinées puis reconstruites, l'une d'elles, édifiée en 1744, au sommet de la Pointe plutôt qu'à l'endroit de son érection originelle, fut frappée à plusieurs reprises par la foudre ! Les superstitieux y virent un signe de l'au-delà et les trois édifices qui lui succédèrent, y compris l'actuel, redescendirent au pied de la falaise.
L'actuelle chapelle de la Sainte-Trinité est un édifice de style néogothique à vaisseau unique construit en granite. Les murs-pignon est et ouest sont édifiés en grand appareil de granite. Les murs nord et sud sont couverts d'enduit et sont épaulés de contreforts droits construits en pierre de taille. Elle est couverte d'un toit à longs pans et pignon découvert à rampants à crossettes. Le pignon ouest est couronné d'un clocher à baie unique sommé d'une petite flèche en maçonnerie. Datant du 3ème quart du 19ème siècle, sa bénédiction a eu lieu le 26 octobre 1868.
Ploubazlanec est une ville au nord du département des Côtes-d'Armor. Située sur la côte du Goëlo, elle est bordée par la Manche, sur environ 19 kilomètres de côtes.
www.petit-patrimoine.com/fiche-petit-patrimoine.php?id_pp...
A different experience in every season: Oisterwijk's Forests & Fens are exquisite, tranquil and inspiring all year round. Different footpaths, cycle routes and horse trails will lead you – with or without the aid of a forest ranger – through the beauty of one of the Netherlands' most unique areas of nature. There are no less than 80 fens in this stunning green expanse – pretty impressive, right?
Four seasons
Whether it’s the frozen fairy-tale fens of the winter, the dynamics of nature coming to life in spring, the musical croaking of frogs in the summer, or the explosion of colours in the autumn: Oisterwijk's Forests & Fens are a feast for all the senses.
Spot kingfishers, deer and roe deer, or bear witness to the wide variety of insects and water creatures in the fens and ditches. And after an exhilarating day of activity or sport, head to one of the large terraces to enjoy the peace and quiet and a tasty snack, lunch or dinner.Oisterwijk's Forests & Fens Groot Speijck Visitor Centre has a great terrace, as does Boshuis Venkraai. And both are ideal places to relax and soak up the surroundings.
Dawn breaking on the Anatolian side of Istanbul seen from the European side. The mosque, one third from the left, is The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Mosque) constructed 1609-1616.
Gaztelugatxe es un islote ubicado en la localidad bizkaina de Bermeo, está unido al continente con un puente de dos arcos. Sobre la isla hay una ermita que data del siglo IX o X, dedicada a San Juan.
Es uno de los lugares míticos del País Basko y lugar de peregrinación de muchos de sus habitantes; yo particularmente la primera vez que lo visite con mis padres, tenía la edad de once años.
Hoy en día y teniendo en cuenta que en este lugar se rodaron unas escenas de la película "Juego de Tronos" se acercan grandes multitudes de visitantes de todas las nacionalidades del mundo.
Esto ha obligado a la Diputación Foral de Bizkaia a determinar la acción de una inscripción previa para efectuar la visita a este lugar. "https//www.tiketa.eus" de todos modos en el Google aparece como "san juan de gaztelugtxe reserva"
Seguiré colocando fotos de estos lugares y de otros del entorno, para dar a conocer, como siempre a quien le interese, estos lugares tan míticos de Bizkaia.
Muy cerca de Gaztelugatxe se encuentra este peñón o isla de una belleza singular, de difícil acceso ya que no está conectada con tierra nada más que por mar.
En algunos momentos se le ha llamado la isla de los conejos, por la gran habitabilidad de estos pequeños animalitos en el peñón; se dice que los habitantes de la zona venían a este lugar con escopetas para cazarlos.
Seguiré colocando fotos de estos lugares y de otros del entorno, para dar a conocer, como siempre a quien le interese, de estos lugares tan míticos de Bizkaia.
Our continent is burning out of control in the south and catastrophically submerged in the north, with yet another cyclone about to hit the coast.
In the news one hears about human suffering, people losing lives and homes, destroyed infrastructure, dead livestock...It makes me realise just how lucky I am to not be threatened with any of these horrors...At least not yet. And my heart goes out to my fellow Australians who are not so lucky.
What you don't hear mentioned in the news is all the wildlife destruction and suffering that is also taking place. Many of our wild animals can't escape from these events. It really hurts to think about them.
Eucalyptus is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including Corymbia, they are commonly known as eucalypts. Plants in the genus Eucalyptus have bark that is either smooth, fibrous, hard or stringy, leaves with oil glands, and sepals and petals that are fused to form a cap or operculum over the stamens. The fruit is a woody capsule commonly referred to as a gumnut. Most species of Eucalyptus are native to Australia, and every state and territory has representative species. About three-quarters of Australian forests are eucalypt forests. Wildfire is a feature of the Australian landscape and many eucalypt species are adapted to fire, and resprout after fire or have seeds which survive fire. A few species are native to islands north of Australia and a smaller number are only found outside the continent. Eucalypts have been grown in plantations in many other countries because they are fast growing and have valuable timber, or can be used for pulpwood, for honey production or essential oils. In some countries, however, they have been removed because they are highly flammable. 29926
Italia, Toscana, Marina Di Pisa, Inverno 2018
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3D1zWC1hs0
Io ricordo questo … questo
Deboli tramonti, alta marea
Il tramonto più debole e la marea più alta
Immagino che la cavalchiamo
Immagino che è solo un simbolo
Alla fine del continente
Al limite del continente
I remember this...this
Low ebb, high tide
The lowest ebb and highest tide
I guess we took us for a ride
I guess its just a gesture.
At the end of the continent
At the edge of the continent
Regno Unito, Essex, Leigh-on-Sea, Inverno 2011
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaziBE2UKSQ
Mi ricordo di questo ... questo
Bassa marea, alta marea
Il punto più basso e più alta marea
Credo che ci ha portato a fare un giro
Credo che il suo solo un gesto.
Alla fine del continente
Al limite del continente
I remember this...this
Low ebb, high tide
The lowest ebb and highest tide
I guess we took us for a ride
I guess its just a gesture.
At the end of the continent
At the edge of the continent
Giant Kingfisher Megaceryle maxima
The Giant Kingfisher is the largest kingfisher in Africa, where it is a resident breeding bird over most of the continent south of the Sahara Desert, other than the arid southwest.
This image was captured at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens, Johannesburg, South Africa
©2022 Duncan Blackburn
Amsterdam - Amsterdamse Bos
Copyright - All images are copyright © protected. All Rights Reserved. Copying, altering, displaying or redistribution of any of these images without written permission from the artist is strictly prohibited.
Red-billed Oxpecker calling for a taxi ride.
KwaZulu-Natal; South Africa
I take pictures because I like it, not because I am good at it.
The world is like a book and those, who do not travel, only read the first page.
If you only visit 2 continents in your lifetime, visit Africa, twice.
All rights reserved. © Thomas Retterath 2024
Es un parque situado en el centro de la ciudad. El diseño corresponde a un jardín mediterráneo con numerosas especies tropicales y subtropicales lo que le convierte en uno de los más importantes parques públicos de Europa en lo que a flora exótica se refiere.
En este paseo con jardines a ambos lados, de carácter renacentista y barroco, existen especies botánicas de los cinco continentes. Se realizó a finales del siglo XIX en terrenos ganados al mar, para la ampliación del puerto, en una costosa operación.
I spent 5 days in the Park and never saw the primary reason I came to Alaska: Denali. Peaks are my primary objective (with their beautiful ecosystems).
The day I took the bus to the Eielson Center it was completed shrouded in clouds.
The rule is only 30% of visitors do get to see all of this highest mountain on the continent. I was bummed but knew I'd have a few more opportunities.
Fortunately as I headed S on the George Parks Highway for Anchorage and the Kenai there she was, tall and majestic. 😍 Pulled the camper over and did indeed dance. I did see Denali several more times while here.
A couple more scenic road shots ahead before moving on to something else.
Happy Easter weekend!
The lava-scarred Reykjanes peninsula lies on one of the world's major plate boundaries, the Mid Atlantic Ridge. According to the continental drift theory the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates are continuously drifting apart with great forces under the gaping rifts. As the plates diverge, linear fractures, known as fissures form due to stresses created by the tension that builds up as the plates move away from each other.
One can cross the continental divide on the Bridge between two continents at Sandvík, a small footbridge over a major fissure which provides clear evidence of the presence of a diverging plate margin. The bridge was built as a symbol for the connection between Europe and North America.
La penisola di Reykjanes, segnata dalla lava, si trova su uno dei principali confini delle placche del mondo, la dorsale medio-atlantica. Secondo la teoria della deriva dei continenti, le placche tettoniche eurasiatica e nordamericana si allontanano continuamente con grandi forze sotto le spaccature profonde. Quando le placche divergono, si formano delle fratture lineari, note come fessure, a causa delle sollecitazioni create dalla tensione che si accumula quando le placche si allontanano l'una dall'altra.
È possibile attraversare lo spartiacque continentale attraverso il ponte tra due continenti a Sandvík, una piccola passerella sopra una grande fessura che fornisce una chiara prova della presenza di un margine di placca divergente. Il ponte è stato costruito come simbolo del collegamento tra Europa e Nord America.
fonte: visitreykjanes.is
Le Cabo da Roca (le cap de Roca) est le point le plus occidental du continent européen. Il est situé au Portugal, dans le district de Lisbonne dans la municipalité de Sintra, à 42 km à l'ouest de la capitale portugaise. Ses falaises s'élèvent à environ 140 mètres au-dessus de l'océan Atlantique.
Cabo da Roca (Cape Roca) is the westernmost point of the European continent. It is located in Portugal, in the Lisbon district within the municipality of Sintra, 42 km west of the Portuguese capital. Its cliffs rise to a height of around 140 metres above the Atlantic Ocean.
In 1758, the Marquis of Pombal authorised the construction of six lighthouses along the coast near Lisbon. The Cabo da Roca lighthouse came into service in 1772
Masai Mara National Park
Kenya
East Africa
The common duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia), also known as the gray duiker or bush duiker, is a small antelope and the only member of the genus Sylvicapra.
This species is found everywhere in Africa south of the Sahara, excluding the Horn of Africa and the rainforests of the central and western parts of the continent. Generally, they are found in habitats with sufficient vegetation cover to allow them to hide—savannah and hilly areas, including the fringes of human settlements.
Colouration of this species varies widely over its vast geographic range. There are 14 subspecies described, ranging from chestnut in forested areas of Angola to grizzled gray in northern savannas and light brown shades in arid regions.
It grows to about 50 cm (20 in) in height and generally weighs 12 to 25 kg (26 to 55 lb); females are generally larger and heavier than the males. Only the male has horns and these can grow to 11 cm (4.3 in) long.
The common duiker has a wide diet; beyond browsing for leaves, flowers, fruits and tubers, they will also eat insects, frogs, small birds and mammals, and even carrion. As long as they have vegetation to eat (from which they get some water), they can go without drinking for very long periods.
They are active both day and night, but become more nocturnal near human settlements, presumably due to the presence of feral dogs and humans.
Males are territorial and smear gland secretions on rocks and branches to mark their territories; their preferred resting places are generally on elevated ground, where they can observe their territory. Females, by contrast, prefer deeper cover. The overall success of this species stems from its ability to inhabit a wide variety of habitats, as well as from its adaptable, generalist diet. – Wikipedia
En esta panorámica de varias fotografías del Estrecho de Gibraltar, capturada sobre la costa de Tarífa, se pueden ver dos continentes. Marruecos al fondo sobre el horizonte (Africa) y Andalucía-España en primer plano (Europa). En el centro de la imagen, a un lado a la izquierda, el mar Mediterráneo y a la derecha, el océano Atlántico.
Esta fotografía se debe ver en grande para de esta manera, poder apreciar todos los detalles del momento y del paisaje.
English
In this panoramic view of several photographs of the Strait of Gibraltar, captured on the coast of Tarifa, two continents can be seen. Morocco in the background on the horizon (Africa) and Andalusia-Spain in the foreground (Europe). In the centre of the image, to one side on the left, the Mediterranean Sea and to the right, the Atlantic Ocean.
This photograph must be seen in large format in order to appreciate all the details of the moment and the landscape.
Cámara Nikon D850 con lente NIkkor 24-120 F4/G-VR editada con Photoshop
Captura en manual con un diafragma de f/8, una velocidad de 1/400 sg, bias de exposición de -0.33 EV, ISO 80 y una distancia focal de 34mm
Recomiendo hacer doble click sobre la imagen y ver en grande.
I recommend see in larger, clicking double on the imagen.
These American troops have loaded their equipment onto an LCT and are waiting the signal for the assault against the Continent.
The Western Allies of World War II launched the largest amphibious invasion in history when they attacked German positions at Normandy, located on the northern coast of France, on 6 June 1944. The invaders were able to establish a beachhead as part of Operation Overlord after a successful "D-Day", the first day of the invasion.
Allied casualties were documented for at least 10,000.
Allied land forces came from the United States, Britain, Canada, and Free French forces. In the weeks following the invasion, Polish forces and contingents from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece and the Netherlands participated in the ground campaign; most also provided air and naval support alongside elements of the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and the Royal Norwegian Navy.
The Normandy invasion began with overnight parachute and glider landings, massive air attacks and naval bombardments. In the early morning, amphibious landings commenced on five beaches code named Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha and Utah, with troops from the United States landing on Omaha and Utah, Britain landing on Gold and Sword, and Canada landing on Juno. During the evening the remaining elements of the airborne divisions landed. Land forces used on D-Day sailed from bases along the south coast of England, the most important of these being Portsmouth.
Info from Wikipedia Photo from National Archives
Amsterdam - Amsterdamse Bos
Copyright - All images are copyright © protected. All Rights Reserved. Copying, altering, displaying or redistribution of any of these images without written permission from the artist is strictly prohibited.
… también se conocen como bragados o patos mudos, son otros de los tipos de patos nativos del continente americano, habitando principalmente en las regiones tropicales y subtropicales, desde México hasta Argentina y Uruguay. Por lo general, prefieren vivir en zonas con abundante vegetación y cerca de masas de aguas dulces abundante, adaptándose a altitudes de hasta 1000 metros sobre el nivel del mar; se denomina pato real en América del Sur. Destaca por su buen tamaño, las plumas negras (que son brillantes en los machos y mate en las hembras) y las manchas blancas en las alas. Estos se encontraban en Elizondo , en el rio Baztan – Navarra – Spain.
European starlings chilling together on a power line on a cool windy day. As their name indicates this species is not native to North America- they were originally introduced in New York City by Shakespeare enthusiasts in the late 19th century. They now occupy most of the continent with a population of around 200 million. This group is sporting a new collection of feathers, as indicated by the prominent white tips.
This photo was taken by my husband.
The reason: My camera was set up wrong, which caused all my photos to fail. He took a few photos that I pointed out.
Material stainless steel and neon tube. This steel globe is shaped like a cage and tilts at the same angle as the earth.
By using red neon light, where the contours of the continents can be seen on the surface.
Materiaal roestvrij staal en neonbuis. Deze stalen wereldbol is gevormd als een kooi en kantelt onder dezelfde hoek als de aarde.
Door gebruik van rood neon licht, waar de de contouren van de continenten op de oppervlakte te zien is.
Material: Edelstahl und Neonröhre. Dieser Stahlglobus hat die Form eines Käfigs und neigt sich im gleichen Winkel wie die Erde.
Durch die Verwendung von rotem Neonlicht werden die Konturen der Kontinente auf der Oberfläche sichtbar.
Matériau : acier inoxydable et tube néon. Ce globe en acier a la forme d'une cage et s'incline au même angle que la Terre.
En utilisant une lumière néon rouge, les contours des continents peuvent être vus à la surface.
This Steller’s Jay is a young bird as revealed by the presence of a fleshy gape at the base of the bill. It was seen at Cameron Lake in Waterton Lakes National Park in the Alberta Rockies. That location is part of the international (Canada & USA) Crown of the Continent ecosystem.
Séptima Maravilla del Mundo
Nombre de la maravilla;
Continente o subcontinente
País o países donde se ubica:
Cataratas del Iguazú América del Sur Argentina Brasil
Las Cataratas del Iguazú, con sus 275 saltos en promedio según el caudal del río, y considerada "la mayor cortina de agua del mundo", fue candidateada por Argentina y Brasil.
La línea fronteriza entre ambos países pasa por la Garganta del Diablo -el mayor de sus saltos- y el cañón del Iguazú. A sus márgenes se encuentran las comunas de Puerto Iguazú, en Misiones, Argentina y Foz do Iguazú, en el estado brasileño de Paraná.
Seventh Wonder of the World
Name of the wonder;
Continent the subcontinent
Country or countries where it is located:
Iguazu Falls South America Argentina Brazil
Iguazú Falls, with its 275 jumps on average according to river flow, and considered "the world's largest water curtain", was nominated by Argentina and Brazil.
The border line between both countries passes through the Garganta del Diablo - the largest of its jumps - and the Iguazú canyon. Its margins are the municipalities of Puerto Iguazú, in Misiones, Argentina and Foz do Iguazú, in the Brazilian state of Paraná.
♥♪♥¸.•*´¨´¨*•.¸ ♥♪♥♥♪♥¸.•*´¨´¨*•.¸♥♪♥♥♪♥¸.•*´¨´¨*•
Gracias a todos por sus comentarios...
Grazie a tutti per i vostri commenti...
Thank you all for your comments...
Merci à tous pour vos commentaires...
Ich danke ihnen allen für ihre kommentar...
Dziękuję wszystkim za komentarze ...
♥♪♥¸.•*´¨´¨*•.¸ ♥♪♥♥♪♥¸.•*´¨´¨*•.¸♥♪♥♥♪♥¸.•*´¨´¨*•
It's necessary for us and our backpacks, as the African heat that is currently engulfing the old continent is unbearable.
Have a great weekend, everyone.
Un pò di riposo é necessario, per noi e per i nostri zaini, dato che l'ondata di caldo africano che sta attualmente investendo il Vecchio Continente è insopportabile.
Buon fine settimana a tutti ! Buon Ferragosto.
All rights reserved © Nick Outdoor Photography
Magpie - Pica Pica......
The Eurasian magpie or common magpie (Pica pica) is a resident breeding bird throughout northern part of Eurasian continent. It is one of several birds in the crow family designated magpies, and belongs to the Holarctic radiation of "monochrome" magpies. In Europe, "magpie" is used by English speakers as a synonym for the European magpie: the only other magpie in Europe is the Iberian magpie (Cyanopica cooki), which is limited to the Iberian Peninsula.
The Eurasian magpie is one of the most intelligent birds, and it is believed to be one of the most intelligent of all non-human animals. The expansion of its nidopallium is approximately the same in its relative size as the brain of chimpanzees, orangutans and humans.
Magpies were originally known as simply "pies". This comes from a proto-Indoeuropean root meaning "pointed", in reference to either the beak or the tail. The prefix "mag" dates from the 16th century and comes from the short form of the given name Margaret, which was once used to mean women in general (as Joe or Jack is used for men today); the pie's call was considered to sound like the idle chattering of a woman, and so it came to be called the "Mag pie". "Pie" as a term for the bird dates to the 13th century, and the word "pied", first recorded in 1552, became applied to other birds that resembled the magpie in having black-and-white plumage.
The range of the magpie extends across temperate Eurasia from Spain and Ireland in the west to the Kamchatka Peninsula. The species has been introduced in Japan on the island of Kyushu.
The preferred habit is open countryside with scattered trees and magpies are normally absent from treeless areas and dense forests. They sometimes breed at high densities in suburban settings such as parks and gardens. They can often be found close to the centre of cities.
Magpies are normally sedentary and spend winters close to their nesting territories but birds living near the northern limit of their range in Sweden, Finland and Russia can move south in harsh weather.
A study conducted near Sheffield in Britain, using birds with coloured rings on their legs, found that only 22% of fledglings survived their first year. For subsequent years, the survival rate for the adult birds was 69%, implying that for those birds that survive the first year, the average total lifespan was 3.7 years. The maximum age recorded for a magpie is 21 years and 8 months for a bird from near Coventry in England that was ringed in 1925 and shot in 1947.
The Eurasian magpie is believed not only to be among the most intelligent of birds but among the most intelligent of all animals. Along with the jackdaw, the Eurasian magpie's nidopallium is approximately the same relative size as those in chimpanzees and humans, significantly larger than the gibbon's. Like other corvids, such as ravens and crows, their total brain-to-body mass ratio is equal to most great apes and cetaceans. A 2004 review suggests that the intelligence of the corvid family to which the Eurasian magpie belongs is equivalent to that of great apes (chimpanzees, orangutans, and gorillas) in terms of social cognition, causal reasoning, flexibility, imagination and prospection.
Magpies have been observed engaging in elaborate social rituals, possibly including the expression of grief. Mirror self-recognition has been demonstrated in European magpies, making them one of only a few species to possess this capability.The cognitive abilities of the Eurasian magpie are regarded as evidence that intelligence evolved independently in both corvids and primates. This is indicated by tool use, an ability to hide and store food across seasons, episodic memory, using their own experience to predict the behavior of conspecifics. Another behaviour exhibiting intelligence is cutting their food in correctly sized proportions for the size of their young. In captivity, magpies have been observed counting up to get food, imitating human voices, and regularly using tools to clean their own cages.[citation needed] In the wild, they organise themselves into gangs and use complex strategies hunting other birds and when confronted by predators.
In Europe, magpies have been historically demonized by humans, mainly as a result of superstition and myth. The bird has found itself in this situation mainly by association, says Steve Roud: Large blackbirds, like crows and ravens, are viewed as evil in British folklore and white birds are viewed as good". In European folklore, the magpie is associated with a number of superstitions surrounding its reputation as an omen of ill fortune. In the 19th century book, A Guide to the Scientific Knowledge of Things Familiar, a proverb concerning magpies is recited: A single magpie in spring, foul weather will bring The book further explains that this superstition arises from the habits of pairs of magpies to forage together only when the weather is fine. In Scotland, a magpie near the window of the house is said to foretell death. An English tradition holds that a single magpie be greeted with a salutation in order to ward off the bad luck it may bring. A greeting might take the form of saying the words ‘Good morning, Mr Magpie, how are Mrs Magpie and all the other little magpies?’
Population:
UK breeding:
600,000 territories