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The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, spacecraft onboard, is seen during sunrise, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021, at Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. DART is the world’s first full-scale planetary defense test, demonstrating one method of asteroid deflection technology. The mission was built and is managed by the Johns Hopkins APL for NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The Common darter is a red, narrow-bodied dragonfly that can be seen throughout summer and autumn. It is hovers around all kinds of waterbodies, darting out to surprise its prey.
Ruddy darter pair egg laying in the grass rather than the pond surface which their common darter cousins appear to prefer. The egg is obvious at the abdominal tip of the female.
Your comments and faves are greatly appreciated. Many thanks.
Australasian Darter
Anhinga novaehollandiae
Anhingidae
Description: The Darter is a large, slim water bird with a long snake-like neck, sharp pointed bill, and long, rounded tail. Male birds are dark brownish black with glossy black upperwings, streaked and spotted white, silver-grey and brown. The strongly kinked neck has a white or pale brown stripe from the bill to where the neck kinks and the breast is chestnut brown. Females and immatures are grey-brown above, pale grey to white below, with a white neck stripe that is less distinct in young birds. The Darter is often seen swimming with only the snake-like neck visible above the water, or drying its wings while perched on a tree or stump over water. While its gait is clumsy on land, it can soar gracefully to great heights on thermals, gliding from updraft to updraft. It has a cross-shaped silhouette when flying.
Distribution: In Australia, the Darter is found from Adelaide, South Australia, to Tennant Creek, Northern Territory and then to Broome, Western Australia. it is also found in south-western Australia, from Perth to Esperance. Worldwide, it has been thought of as one of two mainAnhinga species (the other, A. anhinga, is found in North America), found in the southern half of Africa, Madagascar, Iraq, Pakistan, India, south-east Asia, Indonesia and New Guinea. However, A. melanogaster is now considered to be further divided into three species, with rufa being found in Africa, melanogaster in south Asia and novaehollandiae in New Guinea and Australia (the Australasian Darter).
Habitat: The Darter is found in wetlands and sheltered coastal waters, mainly in the Tropics and Subtropics. It prefers smooth, open waters, for feeding, with tree trunks, branches, stumps or posts fringing the water, for resting and drying its wings. Most often seen inland, around permanent and temporary water bodies at least half a metre deep, but may be seen in calm seas near shore, fishing. The Darter is not affected by salinity or murky waters, but does require waters with sparse vegetation that allow it to swim and dive easily. It builds its nests in trees standing in water, and will move to deeper waters if the waters begin to dry up.
Feeding: The Darter catches fish with its sharp bill partly open while diving in water deeper than 60 cm. The fish is pierced from underneath, flicked onto the water's surface and then swallowed head first. Smaller items are eaten underwater and large items may be carried to a convenient perch and then swallowed. Insects and other aquatic animals, including tortoises, may also be eaten, as well as some vegetable matter. In hot weather, adult birds may pour water from their bills into the gullets of their young chicks when they are still in the nest.
Breeding: The Darter is usually a solitary bird, forming pairs only while breeding. Breeding is erratic, happening whenever water levels and food supplies are suitable, but most often occurs in spring and summer. Nests are usually solitary, but Darters may nest within loose colonies with other water birds that nest in trees, such as cormorants, spoonbills and ibis. The male decorates a nest-site with green leafy twigs and displays to attract a mate, with elaborate wing-waving and twig-grasping movements. The male carries most of the nest material to the nest-site, which is normally in the fork of a tree standing in water, usually about 3.5 m above the water's surface. Both sexes complete the nest, incubate the eggs and raise the young. Chicks are kept warm by brooding continously (or cooled down by shading with spread wings) for up to a week after hatching and both adults stay in the nest with the chicks overnight. In hot weather, the adults will even shake water over the chicks after a swim. Chicks can swim after about four weeks in the nest and start to fly at about 50 days.
(Source: www.birdlife.org.au)
© Chris Burns 2017
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Finally a Dart that we can all enjoy! I remember reading something about a London Transport proposal for an 8 wheeled double decker citybus...
Whether this Dart would ride any better than the standard is very much open to question!
Today I walked the girls over to the nearby shooting estate the weather was fine with the sun shining and a slight breeze. This made the walk really enjoyable so butterflies by the hundred and dragonflies and just a little hint of colour.
Nothing remarkable about this picture but I uploaded it as a final signing off for 40039 which in effect 'cooked itself' on Sunday after a fire at the rear while parked empty above Bretonside bus station. From what I gather the driver got out ok and no passengers were on board thankfully.
Wonder if they will get another B7L down from Somerset as a replacement...
Anyhow so long and RIP to this well travelled Dart.
African Darter, Anhinga rufa. 12 November 2023. Chobe River, Botswana, Africa.
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Stagecoach North East (Cleveland Transit) still has a small number of Pointer Dart in service in Hartlepool.
Lunchtime today, 18/10/24, 20 year old 34611/NK04 NPX on service 7 - with very clear flip dot destination!
Seen exiting Bretonside many yonders ago now....! In fine WN livery is this fine example, I'm posting for you Will to remind you of her! hehe
The 92 First use to run up to Yealmpton then back it went out to Derriford Hospital via Bretonside bus station.
The Dart actually survived beyond First and ended up seeing service with Carter's Coaches and Simonds in Suffolk.
Australasian Darter (male)
Anhinga novaehollandiae
March 7th, 2024
Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve, Middle Point, Northern Territory, Australia
Canon EOS R5
Canon EF 600mm f4L IS III USM lens
Canon EF 1.4x III Extender
The Australasian Darter is a large, slim water bird with a long snake-like neck, which has inspired the nickname 'snake-bird'. The Darter has a long, pointed, & serrated bill, which it uses to spear fish & other aquatic prey. It swims underwater, using its webbed feet & powerful tail, & then strikes its bill into the prey. Once the bill is impaled into the prey, the Darter's serrations help to hold the prey in place, allowing the bird to swallow it whole or tear it apart.
I was really pleased with the way this male Darter presented himself for this photograph, positioned against a few long reeds, all bent at a similar angle creating an interesting & appealing series of lines.
Poison dart frog (also dart-poison frog, poison frog or formerly poison arrow frog) is the common name of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to Central and South America. Unlike most frogs, these species are active during the day and often have brightly-colored bodies. Although all wild dendrobatids are at least somewhat toxic, levels of toxicity vary considerably from one species to the next and from one population to another. Many species are critically endangered.
An Australian Darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae) captured on the Gold Coast, Queensland.
The Darter is a large, slim water bird with a long snake-like neck, sharp pointed bill, and long, rounded tail. Male birds are dark brownish black with glossy black upperwings, streaked and spotted white, silver-grey and brown. The strongly kinked neck has a white or pale brown stripe from the bill to where the neck kinks and the breast is chestnut brown.
Nikon D810 with 200-500mm f/5.6E ED lens.
Meanwhile in Torpoint...
Due to the ferry strike, First & Plymouth City Bus have implemented emergency timetables with alternate routes into Plymouth. First are offering only 6 return services to Plymouth while City Bus are offering a service every hour. Torpoint has seen unusual vehicles from both fleets making their way over the river. For Citybus, it must be the Dennis Dart SLF. Operating on the service 31 (emergency service) from Torpoint to Plymouth via Saltash is WA54 JWE, 79 seen here at sheviock this lunch time. This might be the only time we'll ever see this! I must also admit, the ride was nice too
Arriva East Herts & Essex no 3334 (L124 YVK)
Former Kentish Bus Dennis Dart / Northern Counties
Route 310
Waltham Cross bus station
28th February 2004
The bridge beyond the arrow is across the Dart River at the northern end of Laske Wakatipu. You cross the bridge to get to Kinloch and the Routeburn, Caples and Greenstone tracks. All famous tramping/trekking/hiking ways through these mountains.
The arrow is to remind those used to driving on the "wrong" side of the road that we drive on the left in NZ. :-)