Seasonal differences
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There 's nothing like cool temperatures and fresh air to raise the spirits. during my forays to the Alabama Hills the temperature can get up into the 100's and when they do, this is where I seek refuge. At around 9000 ft in elevation the difference in temperature is about 15 degrees and there nothing better the a fine mist that floats away from the falls right onto your weary soul.
Thanks for taking the time to take a look at my photos, and as always, your views, comments, faves, and support are greatly appreciated!! Have a great Weekend!! :)
If you have any questions about this photo or about photography in general, I will do my best to help, just post a comment or send me a Flickr mail and I will respond as quickly as possible.
For those of you new to photography, I would like to provide you with some very helpful videos that will help you get more from your photography. They where very useful to me while I was learning and I hope that they will help you out as well. Just click the link below and there are pre-made playlists on everything you could ever want to know about photography. I hope you enjoy them and as always my friends "Happy Shooting"
www.youtube.com/user/EricGaildot21Studios/playlists?sort=...
Lézard Vert
My best photos are here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/ticino-best-photos-of-southern-...
Western green lizard | Lacerta bilineata | adult male | Ticino (Switzerland) | 05-2022
More TICINO/TESSIN Wildlife Photos (all taken in my garden in Monteggio/Ti, Switzerland): it.lacerta-bilineata.com/ramarro-occidentale-lacerta-bili... (the website exists in ESPAÑOL, FRANÇAIS, ITALIANO, ENGLISH, DEUTSCH)
My latest ANIMAL VIDEO (warning, it's a bit shocking): www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T2-Xszz7FI
In case you're interested, you'll find a less cropped version of the photo above: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/western-green-lizard-lacerta-bi...
The story behind the photo:
For the most part, I try to show photos here that come with an entertaining anecdote that my fellow Flickerites can identify with and enjoy; the world offers enough misery as it is, so my goal is to cheer you up, not to drag you down. But here for once I feel I have a responsibility to share with you what I see as a cautionary tale - and I don't blame you if you turn away now, because what follows is not a pleasant read.
But before I get into that I want to say that the year 2022 was - at least as far as my photographic endeavors were concerned - an amazing one, and I'm very grateful. It was a year of many firsts for me; I managed to produce my first acceptable bird photo; I was for the first time able to capture a roe deer as well as a swallowtail, a mantis and even a fox (which I can't wait to show you): all from within my tiny garden in Ticino.
But while there were many wonderful encounters with the fascinating creatures that share "my" vacation home and its adjacent garden with me that I was only too happy to show here, you might have noticed that the lizard species whose Latin name is my alias on Flickr and that - still - "kinda" serves as the main focus of my gallery, has been absent for a long while.
One of the reasons for holding back on new Lacerta bilineata photos is obviously that I decided to widen my focus a bit and that I now concentrate on all the species I manage to capture in my garden and its immediate surroundings.
But there is another reason I haven't uploaded any western greens this summer. Even though I shot dozens of photos of some of the most gorgeous individuals of the species I've ever seen (many of which you can also find here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/western-green-lizard-lacerta-bi... ), those were all taken on the other side of the village, and not in my garden.
The beautiful male above was in fact one of only 3 western greens I found (alive) in the vicinity of my garden between May and October in 2022 - and out of those he's the only one I was able to photograph.
So what happened? Well, a year ago the neighbor to my immediate left got a young cat, and at the same time, the neighbor to my right also adopted two kittens. Before I continue, it is important to me that you know that I myself am very much a cat person: I adore felines of any kind, and in our own household (though not at our vacation home) we've always had generations of cats, and they were and are as dear to us as our human family members.
So I have no interest in pushing any sort of "anti-cat agenda"; I'm just telling you what happened. By the time spring 2022 came around, my neighbors' cats were almost fully grown and had developed their hunting skills. Between the three of them, they killed up to a dozen western green lizards every day once the reptiles started re-emerging from their winter hiding places which is when they generally are at their most slow and vulnerable.
It was easy to count the dead lizards, because the cats didn't eat them, and whenever I was outside rarely an hour passed without one of the cats showing up with a lizard or some other animal in its mouth. They also killed most of the snakes, even the slightly longer ones at 50-70cm.
Within only a few weeks, the entire Lacerta bilineata population in and around my garden was gone, and the same was true for the population of green whip snakes, while even the number of common wall lizards, which were extremely abundant before, markedly went down during that same time period.
There had always been cats in our village, and I was aware or at least suspected that the ebb and flow of the bilineata population in the past was somewhat tied to how many cats were permanently present at any given time, but my immediate neighbors had never had cats before (which is probably why a tiny population of this protected reptile species had managed to survive around my house).
Now experiencing up close what an impact only 3 cats can have on an isolated, small reptile population was absolutely shocking. What I witnessed made me sad, but I'm not angry at the cats - nor do I hold a grudge towards my neighbors, who are kind, generous and all around lovely people.
And while I don't want to lecture anybody, what I would like to do is offer a few ideas how we as cat-lovers can help mitigate the averse effects our beloved pets' predatory nature (which is nobody's fault: least of all the cats') has on the ecosystems around our homes.
If we live in areas where there's threatened/protected species close to our homes that our cats will prey upon, the time when we let our pets out of the house can already make a huge difference. For example, western green lizards are at their most active between 8am and 11am, and not letting our cats out during that period can already increase the lizards' chance of survival.
If you're a cat lover like me but you also want to protect your local fauna, knowing when during the day birds and reptiles are the most active as well as knowing their breeding/nesting cycles is crucial, and by adjusting the times or time periods when you let your cat out of the house (or not) accordingly will make a vital difference.
But there are also simpler approaches: most reptiles and birds (which are by far the most vulnerable to hunting cats) are not active during the night. Rodents like rats and mice on the other hand very much are, so if you mostly let your cat out after sunset, it will predominantly hunt mice and rats, which are usually abundant enough that their populations aren't threatened (this at least is true for western Europe - other regions might have threatened wildlife that is active during the night, so if you do care, try to educate yourself about the creatures that will fall prey to your pet).
Cats are perfectly adapted to night activity, but they switch to more daytime activity in order to better fit the routine of "their" humans. So while our cats probably won't like it at first to have to stay indoors during the day, they will quickly adapt and accept it, as long as they know they will be able to leave the house once the sun has gone down.
Naturally, there might be practical issues involved that make it impossible to try some of the above (like the presence of coyotes who will eat your cats if they are out at night), but who knows, maybe one person or other will find some of these suggestions useful. And while it may be too late for "my" lizards, I just feel an obligation to at least try to help raise awareness on the issue (although I realize this is a touchy subject and people have strong opinions about it).
In any case, thank you so much for taking the time to read this not very pleasant text. And as always, let me know what you think of the photo in the comments below - but please refrain from making any "heated" statements regarding the issue at hand out of respect for other commenters whose feelings you might hurt (if you feel very strongly about this subject and want to "vent", you may always reach me via my Flickr Mail).
Many greetings from Switzerland and a belated HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you!!! 🎉 😊 ❤!
The difference between a "Burg" and a "Schloss" (castle) is that a Burg is more like a fortress, built for protection from the enemies, and a Schloss was for the nobility to reside in, and very lavishly decorated.
Over time, some of the Burgs were also turned into castles.
Burg Eltz is somewhat unusual, in that it's been in the same family that had it built over 850 years ago, and Count and Countess Eltz still live there today.
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Thank you all so much for your views, faves and comments.
I appreciate each one!
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Gluggafoss aka Merkjafoss in the South of Iceland and close to Eyjafjallajoekull. It comes thundering down through a cleft onto a large rockpool and then continues after another small fall as river Merkja which meanders through the nearby meadows. At difference to the large and well-known waterfalls which all featured rows of rental cars queuing up, these smaller falls often offer solitude and precious moments, whether you are into photography or not.
Yellowhammer - Emberiza Citrinella
The yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) is a passerine bird in the bunting family that is native to Eurasia and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia. Most European birds remain in the breeding range year-round, but the eastern subspecies is partially migratory, with much of the population wintering further south. The male yellowhammer has a bright yellow head, streaked brown back, chestnut rump and yellow underparts. Other plumages are duller versions of the same pattern. The yellowhammer is common in open areas with some shrubs or trees, and forms small flocks in winter. Its song has a rhythm like "A little bit of bread and no cheese". The song is very similar to that of its closest relative, the pine bunting, with which it interbreeds.
Yellowhammer males learn their songs from their fathers, and over the course of time regional dialects have developed, with minor differences to the conclusion of the basic song; all are mutually recognised by birds from different areas. Each male has an individual repertoire of song variants within its regional dialect; females tend to mate with males that share their dialect, and prefer those with the largest repertoires.
The pine bunting and yellowhammer are so closely related that each responds to the other's song. The male yellowhammer's song is more attractive to females, and is one reason for the dominance of that species where the ranges overlap.
Yellowhammers of the British and Irish race, E. c. caliginosa were introduced to New Zealand by local acclimatisation societies in 1862, and soon spread over the main islands. They sometimes visit New Zealand's subantarctic islands, although rarely staying to breed, and have reached Australia's Lord Howe Island on a number of occasions. At the beginning of the 20th century, this bunting was seen as a serious agricultural pest in its adopted country.
Populations of yellowhammer have also been introduced to the Falkland Islands, and South Africa.
The yellowhammer is a bird of dry open country, preferably with a range of vegetation types and some trees from which to sing. It is absent from urban areas, forests and wetlands. Probably originally found at forest edges and large clearing, it has benefited from traditional agriculture, which created extensive open areas with hedges and clumps of trees.
Populations have declined in recent decades in western Europe, including the British Isles, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and Italy. The yellowhammer is a red-list (severely declining) species in Ireland and the UK In eastern Europe, numbers appear to be stable, although the trend in Russia is unknown. Changes to agricultural practices are thought to be responsible for reduced breeding densities. The introduced population in New Zealand has been very successful, with breeding densities much higher than in the UK.
Looking directly south at sunset near Harrow, Ontario.
The indistinct islands are distorted due to distance and differences in air temperatures.
Kuznetsky Most is one of the most beautiful pedestrian streets in the historical center of Moscow.
The street got its modern - and at the same time historical - name thanks to the Kuznetsky Bridge across the Neglinnaya River. Today, Kuznetsky Most Street attracts citizens with its high-quality landscaping, an abundance of architectural monuments and an unusual relief: due to the significant difference in heights between Petrovka and Rozhdestvenka, the city landscape looks especially picturesque.
Kuznetskaya Sloboda on the high bank of the Neglinnaya River - Neglinnaya Upper - appeared in the 12th century, but its heyday came only at the end of the 15th, when the Cannon Yard was built in the vicinity, and the Moscow prince Ivan III ordered to settle in it blacksmiths and grooms who served new production. At the turn of the 15th-16th centuries, Novgorod and Pskov were annexed to the Moscow principality, and craftsmen of various professions from these cities were moved to the Neglinny Upper.
In 1737, the street burned out during the Trinity fire, but rather quickly new buildings were built on it, in which foreign shops began to be located. Gradually, the street turned into the abode of foreign trade: the French showed particular zeal, opening fashion and haberdashery shops here, thanks to which Kuznetsky Most became the main shopping street in Moscow. During World War II and the fire of 1812, it practically did not suffer from the fire, since the French guard took over the protection of the business of compatriots. After the war, trade flourished again, and many fashionable shops were opened on it (almost all of them were foreign, most of them were French). The abundance of foreign shops made Kuznetsky Most the most fashionable and aristocratic street in Moscow, which it remained until the 1917 Revolution.
During the Soviet era, the street lost part of the historical buildings, many buildings were rebuilt, and the street gradually took on a modern look.
After the reconstruction carried out in 2012, the Kuznetsky Most section from Bolshaya Dmitrovka to Rozhdestvenka became pedestrian.
Today Kuznetsky Most Street is a well-maintained pedestrian zone, where city holidays and festivals are often held.
Despite the losses of the Soviet years, a large number of architectural monuments have been preserved on it: tenement houses, partially preserved city estates and passages. Among them are famous Moscow sights: the building of the Moscow International Trade Bank, Khomyakov's trading house and others.
Close eyes on differences and open hearts&minds.
Inspired by Prince Ea - I Am NOT Black, You are NOT White.
The Lauterbrunnen valley is one of the deepest in the Alps, comparing the height difference of the adjacent mountains and the valley floor. In some places the cliff walls are 1000 m high. Streams flowing down the mountains, at the edge of the rocky valley walls, form high waterfalls. The most famous of these are the Staubbach Falls (visible on the right) and the Trummelbach Falls. The 297 m high Staubbach Falls is the tallest free-fall waterfall in Switzerland.
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Dolina Lauterbrunnen jest jedną z najgłębszych w Alpach, porównując różnicę wysokości przyległych gór i dno doliny. W niektórych miejscach ściany klifu mają wysokość sięgającą 1000 m. Strumienie spływające z gór, na skraju skalistych ścian doliny, tworzą wysokie wodospady. Najbardziej znanym z nich jest wodospad Staubbach (widoczny po prawej) oraz wodospad Trummelbach . Wodospad Staubbach o wysokości 297 m jest najwyższym wodospadem swobodnie spadającym w Szwajcarii.
”When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are, anything your heart desires, will come to you ”. 👱♀️🎧🎶 When You Wish Upon a Star ( from the movie Pinocchio, Cliff Edwards ). The image shows part of an icy candle lantern. When we have a really hard frost I make these lanterns as garden decorations in the winter. I freeze also flowers like tulips inside the lantern, as it is here.
about the extent of their differences. It is more profitable to think of points of agreement :-)
John Henry Joshua Ellison, c.1907
HBW!!
japanese camellia, 'Rosea Supreme', sarah p duke gardens, duke university, durham, north carolina
What a difference a year can make.
This morning Facebook asked if I wanted to share a memory from one year ago. The photo was of a Reddish egret taken in January of 2022 at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, Florida.
A year ago, at this time Sanibel was swamped with both tourists and resident and seasonal birds, an estimated 247 different species. If you looked for it, you could find evidence of past hurricanes and tropical storms that had visited, mainly in the live oaks, but you had to look closely. Then 28 September of 2022 arrived with Hurricane Ian, a direct hit by a category four hurricane.
I sat and staired at the photo for quite some time, wondering if this beautiful creature survived. Wildlife doesn’t have many options when nature is at its worst. In the case of birds, they have two basic options. Some use the winds of the initial bands to propel them out of harms way. Others ride it out, taking shelter where they can.
While researching what wildlife does in hurricanes, a sad scenario was presented. It is well documented that birds often become trapped in the eye of hurricanes, taking flight possibly thinking it is over, then flying in a panic unable to escape the storms walls.
Here is an unreleased archive shot of the beautiful creature I was blessed to photograph, as I hope and pray it is well.
What is the difference between "I like you" and "I love you"?
Buddha replies: when you like a flower, you take it. When you love a flower you water it all day.
Whoever understands this understands life.
(Buddha)
[Topaz Studio 2]
~~~ Thank you all for viewing, kind comments, favs and awards - much appreciated! ~~~
*Working Towards a Better World
Global Issues
www.globalissues.org/issue/168/environmental-issues
A wealth of important information can be found on the link above, one can really understand better our predicament and how important it is for the WHOLE WORLD to pay attention and MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!!!
Thank you for your kind visit. Have a wonderful and beautiful day! xo💜💜
used the flickr k6 slider to remove the hint of blue background and added clarity and reduced the green color. Was trying to get a poster effect like the bird posters in the doctors office. I think looking at this and my previous post of this photo will show a big difference.
Satsuki (Rhododendron indicum) in the left is an evergreen flowering plant. Doudan Tsutsuji (Enkianthus perulatus) in the right is a deciduous flowering plant. Both belong to the Ericaceae family, are native to Japan, and popular ornamental plants for Japanese gardens.
Yasuda Garden is next door to the Sumou tournament hall. Both are located in Yokoami (横網) community of Sumida Ward (墨田区).
Each Sumou wrestler is given a rank title based on the past tournament record, and the highest rank title is called Yokozuna (横綱). Then, please try to spot the difference between ”横網" and "横綱". Even the Japanese would overlook the difference.
It is rumoured that the Japan Sumou Association seriously negotiated with Sumida Ward to modify "slightly" the community name to 横”綱” when the new hall opened in Yokoami in 1985, although it was not successful in the end. Official name of the current Sumou hall is Ryougoku Sumou Hall (両国国技館) after the name of a railway station nearby. The Sumou Association probably wanted to name it Yokozuna Sumou Hall.
Wishing all my WTBW friends Congratulations for our Third Anniversary! Thanks to you all for your wonderful artistic contributions for a better world over the past 3 years. Hopefully, in a small way we make a difference.
Let's all reach out beyond the divide and come together in kindness, tolerance, understanding, love, help, respect, positive thinking and actions, compassion and embrace our differences, my friends!
Thank you for your kind visit. Have a wonderful and beautiful day! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Small grayish flycatcher, very similar to other flycatchers, especially Dusky and Gray. Subtle differences include smaller bill with limited pale base, slightly more peaked crown, and longer wingtips. Also note habitat during breeding season: Hammond's prefers mature conifers, often seen higher up in trees than Dusky. Habitat overlaps more with other flycatchers during migration and winter; found in a variety of brushy wooded habitats. Back is greenish with a yellow wash to belly; fall birds in fresh plumage are brighter than spring and summer birds. Voice is key to identification, especially call notes: high-pitched "peek" and whistled "peer." Without an excellent view, silent birds often best left unidentified. (eBird)
A Canadian lifer! Nice to find a bird that we had only seen in the US until now.
Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada. May 2022.
Eagle-Eye Tours Ultimate British Columbia.
Europe, The Netherlands, Zuid Holland, Rotterdam Zuid, Rijnhaven, Terraforming, Sand dispenser (slightly cut from all sides)
During high tide, the results of the filling of the Rijnhaven get somewhat camouflaged. In this part of Rotterdam, the difference between high and low tide is some 1,5 m. On the left (bottom) are the New Luxor theatre's characteristic protruding parking deck and InHolland (top). On the right is Bayhouse.
Shot from the 20th floor of 'De Rotterdam'.
As I wrote earlier, Rijnhaven is being redeveloped. This harbour was created in 1895 to offer shelter for Rhine vessels ('rijnaken'), which could not operate during the winter due to the freezing of the rivers.
After the creation of the harbour, the transit freight traffic to Rotterdam continued to increase, and the new Rijnhaven was made suitable for large sea-going vessels by deepening it. As planned, the Rijnhaven became an essential port for the transhipment of bulk goods 'on stream' - the sea-going vessels were moored on buoys, separate from the quay, and their cargo was directly moved to rhine ships. In de 70/80s of the last century, the Rijnhaven lost its transhipment function and was brought back to its old function. In 2015, the rhine ship berths were moved to, among others, the Maashaven. Enabling the redevelopment of the old harbour.
It will be partly (30%) filled up (pure terraforming) to enable the realization of, amongst others, an office/apartment building strip with up to 200m high edifices, called the 'Skyline Posthumalaan' with an adjacent park and city beach. And there will be the floating Rijnhavenpark, too.
This is number 10 of Rijnhaven - the redevelopment, 348 of Rotterdam harbour and industry and 43 of De Rotterdam.
Yesterday evening at Sunset....Temp: 13C.
The second image was a day earlier and 23C.
Song: Dinah Washington ~ What Difference A Day Makes
Noordpolderzijl: Pearl in the Waddenzee
EXPLORE #19 - November 14, 2023
This image is the composition of two shots taking in rapid sequence with the HDR technique and using an exposure difference of 3eV.
“The only difference between an extraordinary life and an ordinary one is the extraordinary pleasures you find in ordinary things. “ - Veronique Vienne. Although this sunflower pales by comparison the vibrant hello ones we saw, it has it’s own extraordinary beauty. For Sliders Sunday, I kept the tones light with a warm edit and created a bit more blur in the background. Celebrate the simple pleasures.
We the people are sick and tired of our politicians trying to put fear into us, separating us into groups, not working with us for a better, more diverse country. Putting money above everything else and generally not working very hard for change for the good. It is time that you started joining us in our uphill battle for a fairer country, less selfish and more embracing of everyone. We have to stop judging and start living together!
Thank you for your kind visit. Have a wonderful and beautiful day! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
World desperately is in need of cutting out the differences and work towards peace, be it race, religion, region, politics, caste and opinion; it needs to be more healthy in the interest of humanity.
With heartfelt thanks for your kind visit. Have a wonderful day, stay healthy, stay alert, appreciate the beauty around you, enjoy being creative, stay safe, 😊😊😍
Note the difference from a Mormon Fritillary that I had photographed a week earlier in the Sierra Nevada Region near Donner Pass & Lake Tahoe. This an example of why there are so many sub-species associated with western butterfly species. In comparison, the eastern portion of the US has very few species split below the species level. See below. Clear Creek County, CO.