View allAll Photos Tagged decimate
July 2014 In my garden Stafford UK
Frog populations have been decimated by a virus, at least one species has been made extinct by it. The virus has travelled the world and Frogs don't go on holiday. Our Frogs became infected and it was horrible to see. Some made it through. There are many less than we once had.
Our frogs change colour depending on the colour they are sat in, they are often much darker than this.
Shenandoah National Park, VA.
Genetic analysis reveals that the Blackburnian Warbler is most closely related to the Bay-breasted Warbler. The two species overlap throughout much of their range, share approximately 97 percent of their genetic information, and may occasionally hybridize.
Because the birds prefer fully forested habitat, their numbers often decline when forests are fragmented by development, logging, or disease. For example, the species has largely disappeared from regions where woolly adelgids — invasive insect pests — have decimated fir and hemlock. These areas include the southern Appalachians as well as some New Jersey, New York, and New England forests.
Shadows along the Sol Duc River trail give this rainforest a dappled look. The trunk of the monster Douglas Fir on the right is perfectly split by shadow from a nearby monster, giving the trunk a creased look, which is what first drew my eye. These big firs are tantamount to the Redwoods, simply awe-inspiring. Loggers came out here years ago after they decimated original-growth trees in my home state of Michigan. I'm not anti-logging, but we've been challenged by the proper balance throughout our history. In a Dark Wood, by Alston Chase, is a good read in this regards.
Much malighned as an invasive species they invade sensitive habitats, outcompete local birds for nest sites and food, and decimate crops. The great composder Amadeus Mozart had a starling as a pet. It's been written that his pet starling influenced his work and served as his companion, distraction, consolation, and muse.
Happy, happy update. All the neighbors who had been feeding Lucky worked together and found a wonderful family who want to adopt him. The day after I posted his story, Lucky lived up to his name. Thank you all for the concern and suggestions.
Being a cat lover and working at a cat-only veterinary hospital is not always easy. Lucky is a case in point. He's about a year old and is a darling stray who has been hanging out around a neighborhood where several people have been feeding him. They all agreed that he was a love bug and one neighbor was potentially interested in adopting him. Another neighbor is a client of ours - in fact she adopted one of her cats from us - and decided to bring Lucky in to be neutered and vaccinated and to see if either we could adopt Lucky out through our clinic or if among all the neighbors they could find a home for him.
It turns out that Lucky was sweet until we needed to scruff him to give him his vaccines and then he got quite aggressive which is understandable for a stray cat who hasn't been constrained before. In the next two days he went from being friendly and wanting attention while we cleaned his cage to threatening us. Again, being in a cage can be unsettling for a cat who has only ever lived outside. He did much better when we let him run around loose while we cleaned his cage.
On the third day, one of the original neighbors who was potentially interested in adopting Lucky came to visit him and he bit her so she is no longer interested. Because he was vaccinated for rabies only three days earlier, the animal control officer said Lucky had to be quarantined for 10 days before making any further decisions. Adopting him out through our clinic is no longer an option - he's too much of a liability. None of the neighbors can (have too many cats already) or want (the neighbor who was bitten) to adopt him.
Being a stray cat in New Jersey isn't great so just releasing him back into his old neighborhood or relocating him may be complicated. Winters can be very cold, food can be hard to find and there are other territorial, unneutered males out there. New Jersey is also part of a major migratory pattern for many bird species and many of those use this immediate area for nesting so birders hate stray and feral cats - they are truly decimating bird populations. Finally, stray cats can carry disease. There is at least one colony in the area where two cats have tested positive for rabies.
So, it's not clear to anyone what Lucky's fate will be. He may turn out to be a wonderful pet but who will take ownership of him until a future home is found. How long do you keep a cat in a cage or otherwise confined who is used to living outside and being free?
Explored January 9, 2016
Last year the birds decimated our crocus. With plenty of birdseed in the feeders, these beauties have unfurled their royal petals to reveal pollen-laden anthers and stigmas worthy of the itinerant hungry bee. I had to post a second shot to remind me to plant more of these cheery spring harbingers for next year.
The Sacred Ibis, as its name implies, was a bird once held in high esteem. In Egyptian culture it was representative of the god Thoth, god of wisdom, knowledge, and writing. These birds were interred by the millions in the company of human remains. Over millennia, they became locally extinct in Egypt, due predominantly to the gradual aridification of the regions swamps and marshes. Introduced into areas of Europe, Asia, and the United States, some of these birds are now seen as a curse rather than a blessing. Extremely adaptable, they are now seen as responsible for decimating populations of breeding birds, such as terns. These strangely beautiful feathered fauna are still fairly common throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, where a world's population can hopefully learn to revere less, and respect more before all of nature's gifts disappear forever. At the rate that some species are declining we had best learn the meaning of respect in double-time. #SacredIbis #WildlifeConservation #DrDADBooks
The bird that came back from the dead. The takahe is endemic to New Zealand and in isolation from predators over aeons, it lost the ability to fly, as it no longer made sense to "invest" in flight muscles. However, the introduction of alien mammalian predators by human settlers decimated it. Numbers were already low when Europeans reached New Zealand and by 1898 it was considered extinct. It was dramatically rediscovered in 1948 in the grasslands of the remote Murchison Mountains, forced from its natural swamp habitat by human activities. After birds were translocated to predator-free islands like Tiritiri Matangi, the population of this magnificent bird began to grow and now stands at around 500 individuals. The takahe is the largest member of the rail family (about 63 cm long), which includes our more familiar moorhens, coots and purple gallinules. Picture from a slide.
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Whose mother seems to have abdicated all responsibility.
From it's looks and colour, it seems to have a jungle cat as an ancestor. The difference from earlier broods is that this one is very friendly, and a huge hit with the kids around here.
I have no love for feral cats. They have decimated the bird population around our home, I haven't seen a squirrel for ages, even the hardy piegons have moved away. But its hard to ignore when this one circles you, rubbing against your legs, mewoing for attention...
For a boy raised in the Mountains of Wyoming, a hot desolate plain with lots of dry grass in the San Joaquin Valley of California hardly seems a likely place to find one of the 3 varieties of elk native to the United States. It is certainly not one of the most scenic areas in California. I visited the small viewing area on the Tule Elk State Natural Reserve twice before without seeing one elk (Cervus elaphus nannodes) up close. But on this visit my luck changed. I could hear bull elk bugling as I left my vehicle but could only see shadowy shapes behind the tules (native reeds) that blocked most of the view at the so called viewing area. But with some patience; and waiting; I finally got some shots of these beautiful animals including this one of a bull elk. The high ridge behind him is the Elk Hills.
The Tule Elk State Natural Reserve located at the south end of the San Joaquin Valley, protects a small herd of tule (toó-lee) elk. Three subspecies of elk (Cervus elaphus also known as Cervus canadensis) still survive in the United States, Roosevelt elk, Rocky Mountain elk and tule elk. Most of the elk familiar to westerners in the US are Rocky Mountain elk. The smaller Tule elk are an endemic California subspecies that was once hunted nearly to extinction. Before the California Gold Rush in 1849 an estimated half a million tule elk ranged the length of the Central Valley of California which includes to San Joaquin Valley. Depending on the availability and quality of vegetation, each tule elk needs several acres of forage to thrive. California’s lush Central Valley originally provided ideal grazing range for the tule elk.
Even so, the elk subspecies began its California decline in the 1700s with the arrival of European settlers. They imported grasses and grazing animals that competed with both native vegetation and native animals. Hunters and traders further decimated the state’s elk population when they began killing them for hide, tallow, and later meat to feed the 49ers (as the Gold Rushers were called). By the time elk hunting was banned by the State Legislature in 1873, the tule elk was believed to be extinct.
As ranchers worked their land they found a few survivors. Cattle rancher Henry Miller led a movement to protect any remaining tule elk by providing 600 acres of open range (near today’s preserve) and protecting the elk from hunters and others. In 1874, one lone pair of elk were found hiding in the tules near Buena Vista Lake. An 1895 count showed 28 surviving tule elk the herd began to increase on Millers 600 acre reserve. In 1932 the State Park Commission purchased 953 acres for a preserve near the town of Tupman. This Tupman Zoological Reserve would become the modern State Reserve.. About 140 elk were finally enclosed. In the 1950s, with new dams on the Kern River, the habitat shrank and so did the elk population. In 1954 just 41 surviving elk lived on the refuge. The Department devised a feeding program to keep the elk in good health; they also built artificial ponds, so the animals could drink and cool off during summer heat by wallowing in mud and water. It worked. The elk numbers increased. Elk from the reserve have been successfully transplanted to other areas in California. Today nearly 4000 tule elk are again free roaming the foothills and grasslands of California.
References:
www.parks.ca.gov/pages/584/files/TuleElkSNRWebBrochure201...
Red Wolves of Alligator River
The Red Wolf is the world’s most endangered Wolf. Once common throughout the Eastern and South-Central United States, Red Wolf populations were decimated by the early 20th century as a result of intensive predator control programs, as well as the degradation and alteration of the habitat that the species depends upon. When the Red Wolf was first designated as a species that was threatened with extinction under the Endangered Species Preservation Act in 1967, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiated efforts to conserve and recover the species. Today, about 15 to 17 red wolves roam their native habitats in eastern North Carolina as a nonessential experimental population, and approximately 241 Red Wolves are maintained in 45 captive breeding facilities throughout the United States.
For more Info: www.fws.gov/species/red-wolf-canis-rufus
The Red Wolf (Canis rufus) is a canine native to the Southeastern United States. Its size is intermediate between the coyote (Canis latrans) and Gray Wolf (Canis lupus).
The Red Wolf's taxonomic classification as being a separate species, a subspecies of the Gray Wolf Canis lupus rufus, or a Coywolf (a genetic admixture of Wolf and Coyote) has been contentious for nearly a century. Because of this, it is sometimes excluded from endangered species lists, despite its critically low numbers. Under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service currently recognizes the Red Wolf as an endangered species and grants protected status. Since 1996, the IUCN has listed the Red Wolf as a Critically Endangered Species; however, it is not listed in the CITES Appendices of Endangered Species.
For more Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_wolf
I often remark how I have a real attraction to bald eagles. Growing up on our farm in the southwest corner of Minnesota I did not have much time to gaze upward except at church and my gruff, hard-working German father was not a card-carrying member of the Audubon Society so my bird watching career was far off in the future. I did not see a bald eagle until much later in life.
Many others my age did not either. In 1963 when I still had another year of school to sleep through, the bald eagle population in the lower 48 states had dropped to an estimated 417 nesting pairs.
There were several reasons for this decimation of bald eagles. For many years, bald eagles were hunted and killed as they were thought to be a threat to both farm animals as well as salmon in the fishing industry. There were even years when there was a bounty on the carcass of an eagle.
The government stepped in and by 1940 the Bald Eagle Protection Act was passed which helped but in the middle of that decade onward, the use of the insecticide DDT caused a dramatic drop in the eagle population as DDT was thought to cause a drastic thinning of the shell of an eagle egg causing new birth difficulties
When DDT was banned in 1972 it became possible for extensive recovery programs to become successful.
Today there is an estimated 316,000+ eagles along with some 71,400 nesting pairs. Fortunately for those of us in Minnesota, our state is second only to Alaska in eagle population.
Having grown up with few eagles in our state, my appreciation for this majestic national symbol has only grown in my later years. This particular eagle stood high on a dead tree looking over the landscape for meals on wheels and I suspect he might have been looking for signs of spring as well.
(Photographed near Cambridge, MN)
BIRD FLU OUTBREAK DECIMATING BRITISH SEABIRD COLONIES, A DEADLY STRAIN OF AVIAN INFLUENZA IS SPREADING RAPIDLY in seabird populations around the UK, with reports of thousands of birds dying, at a time of the year they should be busy raising chicks..
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT IT
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VIRAL infections spread quickly, death within 12 hours, spreads through direct contact with nasal discharge and feces of an infected bird, also it is believed can remain live in the seawater for hours.
RARELY affects humans.
DO NOT touch dead or sick birds.
REPORT to DEFRA helpline 03459335577
FARNE ISLANDS are stopping landings, others are to follow.
HAVE witnessed this even in our quiet area of Kent, so very sad.
VERY LITTLE is known !!!!!!
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Tomx
Joel 1:17 “The grains of seed have shriveled beneath their shovels. Storehouses have been decimated and granaries have been torn down, for the grain has dried up.”
Last year, at Waterton Lakes National Park, raging fires decimated large sections of forest on the mountains. Periodic wildfires are part of the natural life cycle of a forest, and the beginnings of new growth can already be seen here.
The Falls Road departs east out of Lockport, New York crossing the Erie Canal on the locally famous "upside-down bridge" with the twice-weekly local to Brockport. In the background, Lock #34 is open for a tugboat loaded with a single excavator that will climb the Niagara Escarpment on the double locks and head west on the canal.
The unique deck truss bridge was built in 1902 to carry the NYC Falls Road over the Erie Canal. According to legend, the bridge was built this way as an attempt to decimate barge traffic on the canal by preventing taller loads from passing through. Nonetheless, despite fierce competition from the railroads, the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the evolution of the Interstate highway system, and not to mention the significant loss of traffic over the last century, the Erie Canal has miraculously remained open for commercial traffic almost 200 years after it was originally built.
Silberreieher im Lower Zambezi Nationalpark (Sambia)
Im südöstlichen Teil Sambias an der Grenze zu Simbabwe befindet der Lower Zambezi Nationalpark. Für Vogelfreunde ist dies ein wahres Paradies, denn über 350 verschiedene Vogelarten sind hier zu Hause (Fischadler und Nashornvogel). Der Park hat noch eine recht junge Geschichte und wurde in den 1980er Jahren überhaupt erst für Touristen erschlossen.
Davor war das Gebiet freie Zone und ideal für Wilderer, was zu einer enormen Dezimierung des Tierbestands geführt hat und die Vielfalt heute noch nicht so hoch entwickelt ist. Heute gehört der Park zu den weniger touristisch entwickelten Orten, aber gerade die ungezähmte Schönheit ist für viele Besucher ein Alleinstellungsmerkmal. Die Möglichkeiten eines Pirschfußmarsches sind umso vielfältiger.
Great Egret in Lower Zambezi National Park (Zambia)
The Lower Zambezi National Park is located in the southeastern part of Zambia on the border with Zimbabwe. This is a real paradise for bird lovers, as more than 350 different species of birds make their home here (osprey and hornbill). The park still has a relatively young history and was only opened to tourists in the 1980s.
Before that, the area was a free zone and ideal for poachers, which led to an enormous decimation of the animal population and the diversity is not as well developed today. Today, the park is one of the less touristically developed places, but the untamed beauty is a unique selling point for many visitors. The possibilities of a game walk are all the more varied.
On August 28th we gathered together to remember the birthday of my sister Providence. She would have been 28 years old. On the middle of a busy beach at sunset, we lit her memory candle and took turns laying a rose down with a memory to share in her honor. Liat isn't old enough to understand obviously but she was thrilled to participate and lay her rose down among the other ones. Such sweet innocence. My intention was to let the waves gentle carry away the roses as the waves came in. I thought it would feel significant, like closure, going through the motion of "letting go"... but the first wave hit and decimated the roses so gently laid there and drug them through the watery sand. I reacted without thinking with an emotional cry and picked up the bedraggled roses. I could not let the roses go... :(
Not the reaction I thought would happen. I carefully cleaned the roses and brought them on the five hour drive back home where they will sit in a glass vase until I take the next step forward...
My sister's passing was sudden, abrupt and terribly unexpected. Like the ripping of book. It's the end someone said and there I was staring at a middle of a book that I thought I still had time to read. The last time I saw my sweet sister was last August as we left Colorado to move here to Texas. I will always remember us chiding each other, "No goodbyes! Don't say that word." We knew it would make us emotional, so we decided we'd hug and say, "See you later! See you soon!" I see her headed down the steps of my condo and at the last step she turned, brushed a tear and waved one last time.
May 3rd, my sister put her two children to bed, then turned off the lights to get some rest out on the living room sofa. What happened after that nobody will ever know. My brother in law came home from his night shift to find her gone. That's it. No explanation. No health issues. No answers. Just peacefully gone... The autopsy results would prove to be frustrating. Expecting answers that will never be found. Much like my reaction to the roses being dragged away in the rough waves, I still find myself reacting that way. There's the internal cry, I want to grab her back from the waves and bring her back home with me...
Ah such is not to be.
I hope the transparency of my grief doesn't offend anyone. I am struggling this time with keeping my grief private. Should grief be private?
Sometimes I believe it is beneficial. Other times it helps to describe and share the pain with others. If there is anyone else out there struggling with grief today, with missing someone, know you're not alone.
One day at a time. One step at a time. You will make it. And so will I.
I love you friends.
136 cruises along the French Broad river through the decimated town of Marshall, NC en route to Asheville.
Lowland Gorilla
Los Angeles Zoo
Like most nature and animal lovers I have extremely mixed feelings about zoos. However, at the rate we are decimating the planet and its species, zoos may be the last place to actually see some of our most wonderful animals. This gorilla, eleven years old recently gave birth to a youngster. This photo was taken when the infant was 4 days old. It was heartwarming to see the new mom and her baby.
Nahum 2:10 “Desolation, decimation, devastation! Hearts melt, knees tremble, loins shake, every face grows pale!”
One of my favourite spring migrants but also a bird that is not doing so well. It's hard to believe that something so small can fly such a distance from Africa but they do it, and it's all because of our beautiful ancient woodland, full of spring flying insects and lots of natural nest holes. The only problem we have is, ancient woodland is also in serious decline and our use of pesticides has all be decimated our inverts, so there's no telling what's in-stall for their future.
A Norfolk Southern SD60 leads a westbound on the Chicago Line near sunset just east of Gary.
Reminders of the long-gone New York Central were still found in abundance back then. Today it is all gone as NS has decimated the property of the older signals with the newer Safetrans replacements.
The boats were hiding. Sand castles had been decimated. Hot dog stands were boarded up and the park, once filled with the delights of children, echoed moans of chilling wind gusts as it pushed empty swings back and forth. Summer was over.
Philip, Jager and I literally had 3,784 km. all to ourselves and we embraced every turn, every step, every new landscape spread out before us! A treasure trove of incredulous beauty everywhere!
Fire completely decimated the eastern slopes of Glacier National Park a few years back leaving nothing behind but scorched trees and soil that could only allow growth for very little. The landscape looked forsaken and forgotten as the evening storms passed through. The landscape looked harsh and unforgiving. However, I saw something a bit different. I saw beauty in the ashes. Even in such a scorched and desolate landscape as this, I found peace and calm. There was still evidence of life trying to find its way through the burned landscape. There is still promise that something beautiful could come out of this. In fact, I saw beauty in its scars. The fingerprints of its Creator were still to be found, that is one thing the fire could not strip away.
This is a Wolf Spider. She is the only spider in the world to carry her Spiderlings on her back.
She is chewing open the sac of eggs. Sadly over night after she had opened her sac, I suspect one of my cats ate half of her. I found her decimated the next morning.
The Spiderlings hatched over the coarse of the day, and I put them in a pot plant.
NATIONAL BISON DAY
National Bison Day, on the first Saturday in November, the country honors one of the most majestic beasts to roam the land.
The official National Mammal of the United States, the iconic North American Bison, has played a cultural, economic, and environmental role in the history of the country. Central to the livelihood of Native Americans, they are also a healthy food source and vital to religious ceremonies.
The bison is the largest land mammal in North America, with males weighing up to 2,000 pounds and standing up to 6 feet tall. While cows may be smaller at 1,000 pounds and up to 5 feet tall, they’re still might powerful. Bison live up to 20 years.
Full-grown bison have a dark brown to black, thick shaggy coat. However, when they’re born, calves have a reddish coat. Their fur insulates them during even the coldest winters.
While giant herds once covered the plains, they were nearly decimated by the 1800s. Now, bison populate all 50 states living in national parks, refuges, tribal, and private lands.
This shot is from our trip to South Dakota and this is at Custer State Park.
IMG_6509 • This time lapse video was taken by my daughter, Rizza who raises the Monarch butterflies from the egg to a butterfly before she releases them back in her garden.
The Monarch butterflies is a very endangered species. It’s population has been decimated horrendously by snowstorms & insecticides like Roundup that kills the milkweeds a primary source of food, glyphosate & neonicotinoids.
For a while now, my daughter Rizza plants milkweeds in her garden. Because of the milkweeds, the migrating Monarchs are attracted & lay eggs on them. Rizza then collects the leaves with the eggs & places them on a special netting made container. The eggs hatch in 5-10 days to become larva (caterpillar stage). I believe she also gathers the caterpillars on the milkweeds & also places them in this netting container. The caterpillar becomes a pupa (the chrysalis phase in the butterfly development). The larva (caterpillar stage) & pupa (chrysalis stage) takes about 10-14 days (each stage) depending on how warm is the climate. After a period of 10-14 days, the pupa turns into a butterfly.
🇫🇷 suite Bref historique :
• 1348 : la peste Noire décime la population de Najac et ralentit considérablement l’économie dans le Rouergue. Entre 1362 et 1368, et conformément au traité de Brétigny, la ville est occupée par l’armée royale anglaise, jusqu’à ce que la population ne massacre la garnison qui stationnait dans le château.
• 1589 : les Huguenots occupent Najac et se livrent au pillage. Poussés par la faim, ils sont finalement chassés du château par la population.
🇬🇧 more Brief history :
- 1348: The Black Death decimated the population of Najac and considerably slowed down the economy in Rouergue. Between 1362 and 1368, and in accordance with the Treaty of Brétigny, the town is occupied by the English royal army, until the population massacres the garrison stationed in the castle.
- 1589: The Huguenots occupy Najac and pillage the town. Driven by hunger, they were finally chased out of the castle by the local population.
🇩🇪 Fortsetzung Kurze Geschichte :
- 1348: Der Schwarze Tod dezimiert die Bevölkerung von Najac und verlangsamt die Wirtschaft im Rouergue erheblich. Zwischen 1362 und 1368 wird die Stadt gemäß dem Vertrag von Brétigny von der königlich-englischen Armee besetzt, bis die Bevölkerung die in der Burg stationierte Garnison massakriert.
- 1589: Die Hugenotten besetzten Najac und plünderten. Vom Hunger getrieben, werden sie schließlich von der Bevölkerung aus der Burg vertrieben.
🇪🇸 más Breve historia :
- 1348: La peste negra diezma la población de Najac y frena considerablemente la economía de Rouergue. Entre 1362 y 1368, y de acuerdo con el Tratado de Brétigny, la ciudad es ocupada por el ejército real inglés, hasta que la población masacra a la guarnición estacionada en el castillo.
- 1589: Los hugonotes ocupan Najac y saquean la ciudad. Empujados por el hambre, son finalmente expulsados del castillo por la población local.
The purpose of my cruise, to return to my town of birth for the first time in 31 years.
This is the volcano that has caused a lot of anguish and decimation.
Tavurvur is an active stratovolcano that lies near Rabaul, on the island of New Britain, in Papua New Guinea. It is a sub-vent of the Rabaul caldera[1] and lies on the eastern rim of the larger feature. An eruption of the volcano largely destroyed the nearby town of Rabaul in 1994.
Mount Tavurvur is the most active volcano in Rabaul caldera, and erupted most recently on Friday, 12 September 2014.
2:52 Flip the Script - Groomzilla
I too found this theme challenging and had pre-concieved ideas about the shot I intended to post....but it was not to be. Rather than not post at all, I decided that this image might (hopefully) fit the theme, although at first glance you will probably wonder why....
This is the wedding set up for my partners son....and as we all know grooms generally just show up for the occasion don't they? Not this groom....he arranged everything, even down to the flowers!!. The wedding took place in Vanuatu, an island in the Coral Sea, which was virtually decimated 10 months ago by a Category 5 Cyclone. (A side note here, Vanuatu is essentially a 3rd world country about to have an election to replace the politicians that are now in gaol for stealing the cyclone relief funds that the world donated to help them rebuild!!)
Being young and naive the groom believed that his chosen venue would be rebuilt in time for the big day. It was not, hence the venue and accommodation for all guests had to be changed about 8 weeks prior to the event. And of course Vanuatu is again in the midst of cyclone season AND one was forming prior to and during our stay. The day of the wedding we awoke to heavy, squally rain and strong, gusting winds. The venue operators pleaded with the groom to move the event inside. He refused, firm in his belief that despite all the odds the weather would co-operate...and miraculously it did.
I took this picture about 3/4 hour prior to the ceremony when it finally cleared. The ceremony and reception took place on this deck and all guests sported that wonderful "windswept" hair look, including his 86 and 84 year old grand parents who made the long trek to attend.
Fortunately, the cyclone by-passed the Southern Islands of Vanuatu with no major damage.
My apologies for not keeping up over the past week, shall do my best to catch up over the next few days.
The Red Fox. A beautiful but unwelcome guest in Australia. Introduced in the 1880's and now there are aprox 7 million here decimating our native wildlife and threatening livestock.
Our trip to Ward Lake this year was pretty adventurous. The fishing was amazing and the weather was hot. A bear decided to come in and eat all our food out of our ice chest and we had a severe thunderhead come through. Just a normal two weeks in the high Sierras.
A few years ago the Creek Fire came through the campground and burned the West side of the lake. This year when we hiked around the lake, we saw a lot of fireweed. My first experience seeing fireweed was in Alaska and I've never seen it before in this area. It really does bloom after the fire and brings back beauty to an area that has been decimated.
I do admit that this thing looks REALLY good in person. We were totally surprised to see the UP 1979 parked on the Union Station display tracks Friday evening so returned on Saturday in the morning when the light allowed for photography. The 'We Are One' employee resources groups commemorative loco is an EMD SD70M originally numbered 4332 and blt. Feb. 2002. Deputed at the end of May 2021 in time for the start of Pride month (June) UP had this to say about their newest specially painted unit:
www.up.com/aboutup/community/inside_track/we-are-one-1979...
While I agree with the message and the spirit of inclusivity 100%, I really don't agree with the messenger (that would be UP leadership). This sort of corporate virtue signaling is just a smoke screen of positive PR while they continue to decimate service, shutter yards, and layoff employees all while demanding more and more from those remaining in the name of PSR driven 'efficiency' improvements to ensure that their Wall Street masters let them keep their jobs playing with trains....but I digress....
This unit is really gorgeous and I'm glad to have seen it.
Kansas City, Missouri
Saturday August 28, 2021
New Zealand endemic that has managed to adapt to the human induced changes to the ecosystem better than most native species. New Zealand is a remote isolated group of islands that has a high number of endemic species that have been decimated by man's changes to the ecosystem much like in Hawaii.
Reddish egrets live in salt flats and lagoons around barrier islands, keys, and mangrove forests. They often build nests in rookeries with other birds such as pelicans, spoonbills and Great Blue Herons. These photos were taken from a boat in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
After decimation by the plume trade in the nineteenth century, populations subsequently protected under the Lacey Act (which prohibited the feather trade) have recovered and generally stabilized. However, this species remains the rarest heron in North America, with Texas representing a large portion of its worldwide range. Globally, it is estimated that there is a breeding population of 15,000. The species is most at risk from climate change, which brings more frequent and stronger tropical storms (causing direct mortality as well as habitat destruction). As is true for many colonial waterbirds, Reddish Egret populations decline when coastal habitats are developed and destroyed as they do not live inland and are highly specific in their foraging and nesting habitat requirements.
Another shot from the old Phenix Quarry. The little town of Phenix was a ghost town by the 1970s, and this home was left behind. Only a few other buildings are left on the property now. "Production ground to a halt during the Great Depression and the railroad track that carried the material to market was abandoned. During World War II, much of the iron equipment was requisitioned and scrapped to provide raw material for the war effort. After the war, the American market was flooded by marble returning from Europe on ships that were supplying the rebuilding efforts; European industry and agriculture had been decimated, and raw materials like stone were the only products available for trade.
The Phenix Marble Quarry did reopen under the management of the Vermont Marble Company and briefly resumed quarrying and shipping stone, but it never regained its previous status. Between the end of WWII and the 1970s, Phenix material was marketed as “Carthage Stone”, because it was processed at a facility in Carthage, Missouri. By the 1970s, Phenix was largely a ghost town."
A small section, of a medium sized section, of what will eventually be a balls-to-the-wall behemoth. All I'll say is it is a battle on the Western Front, taking place somewhere between 1916 and 1918, and will involve green farmland, a few small structures, as well as decimated cratered landscape. I'll be working on this in chunks from now until next year's Brickfair Virginia, and I'll post little bits of it as I go. At the sime time, you can expect roughly one plane a month.
Red Wolves of Alligator River
The Red Wolf is the world’s most endangered Wolf. Once common throughout the Eastern and South-Central United States, Red Wolf populations were decimated by the early 20th century as a result of intensive predator control programs, as well as the degradation and alteration of the habitat that the species depends upon. When the Red Wolf was first designated as a species that was threatened with extinction under the Endangered Species Preservation Act in 1967, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiated efforts to conserve and recover the species. Today, about 15 to 17 red wolves roam their native habitats in eastern North Carolina as a nonessential experimental population, and approximately 241 Red Wolves are maintained in 45 captive breeding facilities throughout the United States.
For more Info: www.fws.gov/species/red-wolf-canis-rufus
The Red Wolf (Canis rufus) is a canine native to the Southeastern United States. Its size is intermediate between the coyote (Canis latrans) and Gray Wolf (Canis lupus).
The Red Wolf's taxonomic classification as being a separate species, a subspecies of the Gray Wolf Canis lupus rufus, or a Coywolf (a genetic admixture of Wolf and Coyote) has been contentious for nearly a century. Because of this, it is sometimes excluded from endangered species lists, despite its critically low numbers. Under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service currently recognizes the Red Wolf as an endangered species and grants protected status. Since 1996, the IUCN has listed the Red Wolf as a Critically Endangered Species; however, it is not listed in the CITES Appendices of Endangered Species.
For more Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_wolf
A beaver lodge sits surrounded by a banquet of Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) with East Beckwith Mountain (12,375 ft; 3,772 m) towering above swells of golden trees in the distance, Gunnison National Forest, Colorado.
As we approached the pond, it became clear that the beaver had created quite a fine situation for themselves. The views, of course, are unparalleled, should they care to stop and observe them. It’s a difficult question for humans to answer: Do our animal relatives appreciate the scenery? The place where they dammed the seeping creek to create the pond was also expertly chosen, as the shore of the pond reaches right near the leading edge of the aspen grove where the youngest, most easily manageable trees sprout from the clone. All around the pond is an effectively regenerating larder. There was ample evidence of beaver industriousness as well, with several large aspen stumps expertly gnawed and felled. Aspen are not particularly large trees, as far as trees go, but I still find it impressive that a knee-high rodent can bite one down, control where it falls, limb it, and then move the trunk in sections to where the dam needs reinforcement.
Beaver populations were decimated in the late 18th century, and throughout the 19th century, in order to feed the lucrative fur trade. The markets of London and New York were insatiable when it came to beaver felt. Losing the beaver from ecosystems in Colorado had a profound effect on hydrology, and I suspect the same is true elsewhere. I learned from a friend who is a scientist working for the USGS that beaver ponds created along every stream in the Front Range used to ensure constant, perennial flows of water into a system of wetlands on the plains that nourished countless waterfowl. Without beaver, many of these streams are prone to more episodic, less dependable flows. However, the human relationship with beaver is changing in at least some places. High Country News reported several years ago that the million-acre Winecup Gamble Ranch in Nevada no longer shoots beaver on sight, and has instead opted to leave the beaver to their own devices. A rising water table is one result of the numerous dams now found on the ranch, along with increased production of grass forage for the ranch’s cattle.
A magpie surveying the garden from the remnants of a conifer left to attract woodpeckers. The spectacular crop of holly berries behind the bird have since been decimated by blackbirds.
Red Wolves of Alligator River
The Red Wolf is the world’s most endangered Wolf. Once common throughout the Eastern and South-Central United States, Red Wolf populations were decimated by the early 20th century as a result of intensive predator control programs, as well as the degradation and alteration of the habitat that the species depends upon. When the Red Wolf was first designated as a species that was threatened with extinction under the Endangered Species Preservation Act in 1967, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiated efforts to conserve and recover the species. Today, about 15 to 17 red wolves roam their native habitats in eastern North Carolina as a nonessential experimental population, and approximately 241 Red Wolves are maintained in 45 captive breeding facilities throughout the United States.
For more Info: www.fws.gov/species/red-wolf-canis-rufus
The Red Wolf (Canis rufus) is a canine native to the Southeastern United States. Its size is intermediate between the coyote (Canis latrans) and Gray Wolf (Canis lupus).
The Red Wolf's taxonomic classification as being a separate species, a subspecies of the Gray Wolf Canis lupus rufus, or a Coywolf (a genetic admixture of Wolf and Coyote) has been contentious for nearly a century. Because of this, it is sometimes excluded from endangered species lists, despite its critically low numbers. Under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service currently recognizes the Red Wolf as an endangered species and grants protected status. Since 1996, the IUCN has listed the Red Wolf as a Critically Endangered Species; however, it is not listed in the CITES Appendices of Endangered Species.
For more Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_wolf