The Neighborhood Ecologist
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Learning To Fly
Pink Floyd - A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987)
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Aeroplane
Red Hot Chili Peppers - One Hot Minute (1995)
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Paper Aeroplane
Angus & Julia Stone - Memories Of An Old Friend (2011)
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Learn To Fly
Foo Fighters - There is Nothing Left to Lose (1999)
The two drug dealers who appear at the beginning of this video clip of Foo Fighters, trying to camouflage drugs on the plane, are Jack Black and Kyle Gass, two musicians who make up the rock group Tenacious D. This song will never be the best song of the rock history, even if the lyrics say so. Nor will they be remembered as one of the best rock bands. But something if they have both: they are two very funny guys. And his music videos and concerts, more. A good group. And "Tribute" a fun video clip.
Tribute - Tenacious D / Tenacious D (2001)
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American Beauty (final scene). Director: Sam Mendes
A film to think and reflect on. A highly recommended film.
Y entonces fluye a través de mi como la lluvia. Y no siento otra cosa que gratitud por cada instante de mi estúpida e insignicante vida.
No tienen ni idea de lo que le hablo, seguro. Pero no se preocupen... algún día la tendrán.
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American Beauty (final scene bag). Director: Sam Mendes - B.S.O Anerica Beauty (1999): Thomas Newman
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"Life fits in a 'click', in the blink of an eye, in any flake of oatmeal. It is about distinguishing what is worth from what is not"
...Squeeze every second of your life. Learn to fly, even if only as a simple plastic bag blown by the wind blowing in the streets. Otherwise, you will have flown through life... without having understood your own life.
PS: There is one thing I don't like about this photo... the use of pesticides. I prefer organic, ecological and sustainable crops. Pesticides kill insects. If the insects die, the birds have no food. And every day that passes, there are fewer birds... simply because there are no insects. The only species that is a plague on Earth... is humans.
PS: And as explained in ecology and ecosystems or the same words of the best ecologist, oceanographer and limnologist, Ramón Margalef... no plague can survive. Sooner or later... all the plagues, they finish and they are extinguished.
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World Citizen - I Won't Be Disappointed (Long Version)
David Sylvian / Ryuichi Sakamoto - World Citizen (2003)
¿Que pasó aquí? La mariposa ha perdido sus alas. el aire es demasiado denso para respirar y hay algo en el agua potable.
Sale el sol y estás solo. Tu sentido de propósito se deshace. El tráfico vuelve al laberinto de la 101 y las noticias del cielo, se ven mejor por hoy, en todos los sentidos, pero no para ti, ciudadano del mundo. No es seguro.
Todos los pájaros amarillos están durmiendo porque el aire no es apto para respirar. No es seguro.
Happy summer.
Well he came, I took two pictures and went outside to chase him away!First time he came!
The coyote (Canis latrans) is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological niche as the golden jackal does in Eurasia. The coyote is larger and more predatory and was once referred to as the American jackal by a behavioral ecologist. Other historical names for the species include the prairie wolf and the brush wolf.
Coyote males average 8 to 20 kg (18 to 44 lb) in weight, while females average 7 to 18 kg (15 to 40 lb), though size varies geographically. Northern subspecies, which average 18 kg (40 lb), tend to grow larger than the southern subspecies of Mexico, which average 11.5 kg (25 lb). Body length ranges on average from 1.0 to 1.35 m (3 ft 3 in to 4 ft 5 in), and tail length 40 cm (16 in), with females being shorter in both body length and height. The largest coyote on record was a male killed near Afton, Wyoming, on November 19, 1937, which measured 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) from nose to tail, and weighed 34 kg (75 lb).Scent glands are located at the upper side of the base of the tail and are a bluish-black color.
Los Angeles. California.
Páramo can refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A more narrow term classifies the páramo according to its regional placement in the northern Andes of South America and adjacent southern Central America. The páramo is the ecosystem of the regions above the continuous forest line, yet below the permanent snowline. It is a "Neotropical high mountain biome with a vegetation composed mainly of giant rosette plants, shrubs and grasses". According to scientists, páramos may be "evolutionary hot spots" and among the fastest evolving regions on Earth.
Streuobstwiese (pl. Streuobstwiesen) is a German word that means a meadow with scattered fruit trees or fruit trees that are planted in a field. In contrast to an orchard, a Streuobstwiese consists of high-trunked fruit trees, mostly of different ages and different species and varieties. Modern, intensive fruit cultivation, on the other hand, is characterized by low-stemmed fruit varieties in monoculture.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Streuobstwiesen were a kind of a rural community orchard that were intended for the productive cultivation of stone fruit. In recent years, ecologists have successfully lobbied for state subsidies to valuable habitats, biodiversity and natural landscapes, which are also used to preserve old meadow orchards. Both conventional and meadow orchards provide a suitable habitat for many animal species that live in a cultured landscape.
A notable example is the hoopoe that nests in tree hollows of old fruit trees and, in the absence of alternative nesting sites, is threatened in many parts of Europe because of the destruction of old orchards.
This Streubobstwiese is located near Bieberbach in the Fränkische Schweiz.
Franconian Switzerland (German: Fränkische Schweiz) is located between the River Pegnitz in the east and the south, the River Regnitz in the west and the River Main in the north. Like several other mountainous landscapes in the German-speaking lands, e.g. Holstein Switzerland, Märkische Schweiz, or Pommersche Schweiz, Franconian Switzerland was given its name by Romantic artists and poets in the 19th century who compared the landscape to Switzerland.
Franconian Switzerland is famous for its high density of traditional breweries, scenic valleys and natural landscapes.
Text adapted from Wikipedia
without pollen on your back ;-)
Sam's lads' quad bikes were roaring and their happy adrenalin-rushed riders—with the buzz of it—were shouting through their helmets on Rob's wood chip track... whilst I took a brief visit to the woods...
where this tiny flower offered its sweet treasure.
It's a fair exchange, this barter, of new life for whatever this woodland flower offers in its heart. I guess that tiny globe promises stuff I cannot smell or taste... I'll lick it next time I'm down there to find out what I can, But you never know till you ask an expert. I'll ask Tom, the botanist and ecologist at Babbinswood.
This Pampas grass on the shore of the Rappahannock River in Virginia has every reason to be pompous. It is taller than other marsh grasses (it can grow to ten feet), it’s feathery plumes are full and flowing and it blooms in late August, but the plumes last for months. It also reseeds itself, which causes some ecologists to believe it is harmful to the ecosystems in marshy areas. It can be easily dried and brought into the house as a decorative arrangement.
The construction above, called a bower, is something of a short-term “love nest” for the great bowerbird, a species native to the eucalyptus woodlands of northern Australia.
“You can think of bowers as a teenager’s car,” says John Endler, an evolutionary ecologist and Alfred Deakin Professor at Deakin University in Australia. Built by males, “their only function is to attract females for mating.” After the deed is done, “the female goes off and builds a nest by herself in a tree and raises the young by herself.”
Each individual’s bower is unique to its creator and varies in size and arrangement, depending on the species that built it. For instance, the bowers of the great bowerbird include densely thatched structures about a yard tall and wide, called “avenues.”
While the thatch-work—assembled with sticks and twigs—is impressive, the bower’s ornamentation seems to be most important to the birds, says Endler. A male great bowerbird carefully lays down pale-colored objects such as stones, bones, and sun-bleached snail shells outside of the avenue on either end in areas called courts, and sometimes inside. Then he displays brightly colored objects—great bowerbirds like reds and greens, though other bowerbirds prefer blues and yellows—around the avenue. The birds are true scavengers, picking up most anything, even man-made objects like Coca-Cola bottle caps, to adorn their bowers, says Endler.
Great bowerbirds in particular seem to have a sense of scale when executing their designs: They tend to place the smaller rocks and bones closer to the avenue’s entrance and bigger ones farther out. The layout creates a sort of forced perspective, according to Endler. As a result, a female looking out from the entrance sees an area adorned with objects that appear similar in size, even if they aren’t in reality.
The birds can apparently distinguish when things are out of place, Endler says. He and colleagues have experimented with moving around pieces of a great bowerbird’s bower, even changing the gradient of the materials so bigger items were closer to the opening. “And we just filmed them putting [the pieces] back, and almost immediately they restored their original gradient,” he says.
The amount of time and detail spent on creating these bowers is excruciating, Endler says. He’s witnessed great bowerbirds spending days just walking in and out of the avenues, checking on the perspective from inside, then rearranging objects and checking again until they’re satisfied with the layout.
After the bower is finally completed, it’s time for a female to step inside. If the female likes what she sees, the two mate in the avenue, and then she flies off to handle the rest. (ScienceFriday.com)
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This newly built bower was in a park near a camp gound and was built in the centre of some disused train tracks. This particular Bowerbird likes green and white decorations. Apparently, males will often visit and steal their neighbour's decorations, with some prized pieces being found in almost all the local bowers at some time during the courting season.
Pine Creek, Northern Territory, Australia. October 2022.
Eagle-Eye Tours - Tropical Australia.
East Beckwith Mountain provides the backdrop in this view across an active beaver pond ringed with aspen in their brilliant fall colors. American beaver (Castor canadensis) are probably the best example of what ecologists call “keystone engineers,” a term used to describe an organism that impacts its environment disproportionately relative to its abundance. In other words, there aren’t a lot of beavers, but those few beavers have a huge impact on the landscape through their construction of dams. These dams alter the shape of valleys, increase the amount of standing water, and impact the abundance plants (such as the aspen) and animals that rely on greater water availability. The beaver dam and lodge for this pond are out of view to the right.
East Beckwith Mountain is part of the West Elk Range, formed principally by volcanic intrusions into sedimentary rock. A bit of fresh snow is visible on the north slopes, hinting that the beautiful fall weather and colors will soon be over.
Another desert denizen in my series.
From Wikipedia:
"The desert bighorn has become well adapted to living in the desert heat and cold and, unlike most mammals, their body temperature can safely fluctuate several degrees. During the heat of the day, they often rest in the shade of trees and caves.
Southern desert bighorn sheep are adapted to a desert mountain environment with little or no permanent water. Some may go without visiting water for weeks or months, sustaining their body moisture from food and from rainwater collected in temporary rock pools. They may have the ability to lose up to 30% of their body weight and still survive. After drinking water, they quickly recover from their dehydrated condition. Wildlife ecologists are just beginning to study the importance of this adaptive strategy, which has allowed small bands of desert bighorns to survive in areas too dry for many of their predators."
This ram was spotted in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Nevada.
"Life in harmony with nature
Hundertwasser
Friedensreich Hundertwasser
Life in harmony with nature – this was the vision of the Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser (*15.12.1928, †19.2.2000). Rogner Bad Blumau was one of the places where he realised this vision in architecture.
Born Friedrich Stowasser, he changed his surname to Hundertwasser in 1950, and 10 years later his first name to Friedensreich.
Friedensreich Hundertwasser began his career as a painter and later also became an ecologist and building designer. On his numerous travels around the world he collected many ideas, experiences and insights which he used to redesign buildings and design new houses. Friedensreich Hundertwasser did not think of himself as an architect, rather as a healer of ailing architecture.
Until his death on February 19th, 2000, Friedensreich Hundertwasser spent most of his time in his adopted home country New Zealand where he was buried in his Garden of the Happy Dead under a tulip tree – in harmony with nature. "
A devastating fire hit Mt. Washington, Oregon, 13-years ago.
Forest ecologists claim: '... this is a good thing....'
Whaddya think?
Gothic Mountain looms over Gothic Valley, the site of Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, a famous site for ecological and evolutionary research. About 70 academics had met here for the annual meeting of the Guild of Rocky Mountain Ecologists and Evolutionary Biologists.
On a photo journey, I crossed 5 national forests.
Forest ecologists pointed out that fire was natural.
The forests are massive, and some have large fires.
One info board claimed annually 2million square acres would burn. Some trees have 18 burn scares, over a 300 year period.
Ва́точник сирийский, или Эскулапова трава, или Млечная трава, или Ласточкина трава (лат. Asclepias syriaca) — многолетнее травянистое растение; типовой вид рода Ваточник.
Warning: Poisonous parts include milky sap from leaves, stems. Toxic only in large quantities.
The Common Milkweed is the plant that most people associate with the word “milkweed”. This is a tall and conspicuous species that sometimes forms large clones. The umbels bear large balls of pink to purplish flowers that have an attractive odor. This species is known to form hybrids with both A. exaltata (in the east) and A. speciosa (in the west). Follicles split open in the fall and early winter dispensing wind borne seeds. Among the milkweeds, this species is the best at colonizing in disturbed sites. Within its range it can be found in a broad array of habitats from croplands, to pastures, roadsides, ditches and old fields. It is surprisingly rare in prairies in the Midwest being found mostly in disturbed sites within these habitats. As an indigenous species of the southern Great Plains, it has all the attributes of what some ecologists call a “fugitive species”. That is, one whose appearance and persistence is dependent on disturbance due to its inability to compete with other vegetation. In the northern parts of its range it seems to be a more permanent member of the floral communities.
The plant contains cardiac glycosides, allied to digitalins used in treating some heart disease. These glycosides, when absorbed by monarch butterfly larvae whose sole source of food is milkweed foliage, make the larvae and adult butterflies toxic to birds and other predators.
Several studies report a substantial decline in insect populations. Most commonly, the declines involve reductions in abundance, though in some cases entire species are going extinct. The declines are far from uniform. In some localities, there have been reports of increases in overall insect population, and some types of insects appear to be increasing in abundance across the world.
Some of the insects most affected include bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, dragonflies and damselflies. Anecdotal evidence has been offered of much greater apparent abundance of insects in the 20th century; recollections of the windscreen phenomenon are an example.[2]
Possible causes of the decline have been identified as habitat destruction, including intensive agriculture, the use of pesticides (particularly insecticides), urbanization, and industrialization; introduced species; and climate change.[3] Not all insect orders are affected in the same way; many groups are the subject of limited research, and comparative figures from earlier decades are often not available.
In response to the reported declines, increased insect related conservation measures have been launched. In 2018 the German government initiated an "Action Programme for Insect Protection",[4][5] and in 2019 a group of 27 British entomologists and ecologists wrote an open letter calling on the research establishment in the UK "to enable intensive investigation of the real threat of ecological disruption caused by insect declines without delay".
Antananarivo (Madagascar) - La mécanique rudimentaire des
« vieilles françaises » permet aux mécaniciens-bricoleurs de fabriquer certaines pièces défectueuses. Le voitures sont ainsi maintenues en vie indéfiniment. Le Malgache est le roi du recyclage. Comme tous les peuples déshérités. Des écologistes qui s'ignorent. Ils n’ont pas de pognon, mais ils ont le système D.
Cette photo a été prise sur la route qui longe le "marché de la digue », à Antatanarivo. Je précise qu'elle ne souffre pas d’une mise au point défaillante. L'effet (créé à la prise de vue) est voulu pour donner du mouvement à la deudeuche.
And yet, it rolls
Antananarivo (Madagascar) - The rudimentary mechanics of the "old French women" allow mechanic-do-it-yourselfers to manufacture certain defective parts. The cars are thus kept alive indefinitely. The Malagasy is the king of recycling. Like all deprived peoples. Ecologists who ignore each other. They don't have money, but they have the D system.
This photo was taken on the road along the "dike market" in Antatanarivo. I specify that it does not suffer from a faulty focus. The effect is intended to give movement to the deudeuche.
"Devil's Playground" by The Rigs
Entry for the Artistic Manipulation Group
CHEF studiodobs challenges us to take “a journey to somewhere, everywhere, nowhere, neverland, wonderland, outer space, black holes, antimatter, Heaven or Hell, or wherever you like.”
➤ Your image must include a means of transportation – but since we are all environmentalists, ecologists, animal activists and rescuers, the vehicle must be activated only by clean energy, such as sunlight, wind, water, geothermal heat, gravity, magnetic force, warp drive, teleportation and so on.
➤ People (of any number) must also be included (aliens and fantasy/sci-fi creatures welcome).
➤ Same for animals (of any number, aliens and fantasy/sci-fi creatures welcome).
➤ Use only soft or natural shades of color
➤ No abstractions: your subjects must be recognizable.
BiG THANKS to EVERYONE for your personal comments and also your support from selected groups.
Awards are always encouraging and especially appreciated from those add my work to their collection of 'faves'.
Cheerz G
Not on Koh Lanta but Koh Phi Phi as we visited for the day by speedboat.
After three and a half years of closure in order to restore the marine ecosystem, Maya Bay in Krabi is once again open to tourists. The bay falls under the supervision of Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park.
From Jan 1, Maya Bay has started welcoming visitors from 10am to 4pm. The number of tourists is limited to 375 per round and the one-hour tour must be booked in advance.
The reopening of Maya Bay comes with certain rules and regulations. Visitors are required to get off at Loh Sama (Sama Bay) at the back of the island and walk five minutes on a wooden trail to Maya Bay. They are only allowed to walk around the area and take photographs and are not allowed to enter the water.
After a long closure, Maya Bay has seen improvement in terms of environment and natural resources. However, according to veteran ecologist Thon Thamrongnawasawat's Facebook post last month, Maya Bay is only at 14% of its previous condition.
Researchers have found that male grizzly bears are the top salmon eaters in BC, while male bears of both grizzlies and black bear eat more salmon than females. Black bears can eat about 15 salmon a day. Studies have recently shown that black bears need access to different species of salmon rather than huge numbers of a single variety in order to be healthy.
By visualizing where bears are eating the most salmon, the hope is to help conservationists better understand which regions need more attention. It turns out it’s not just coastal bears that are getting their fill of salmon. The study found bears eating a salmon-rich diet more than 1,000 kms (621 miles) inland, some close to the Alberta border.
Researchers collected the hair samples by stringing up barbed wire in forests across BC around the time of the bears’ annual molt. “If you grab the hair right before that happens, it’s got the whole chemical signature of their diet in the previous year. So we can estimate from the hair, the percentage of salmon in their diet,” Ecologist Megan Adams
Last post of the bears for a bit, time to get into some other places :)
I found out something today. Asparagus fern, universally detested and loathed by environmental biologists and ecologists when it takes hold in bush habitats, is a prolific flowering plant. Also, the flowers smell sweet and fruity…like warm apricots. These bees were totally engrossed in nectar collection. The lens of my camera was almost touching this bee and it didn’t even care.
The Way’ gates are designed by artist blacksmith Joshua De Lisle and were added to the park in 2011 to mark the tercentenary of St Paul’s Cathedral.
Located on the edge of Sidmouth Woods, you can see the gates through the King Henry's Mound telescope and enjoy the protected 10-mile view to St Paul’s Cathedral.
Look out for the concave oak branches which reflect the cathedral’s dome. The small wren low down in the leaves is a reference to cathedral architect Sir Christopher Wren. A robin sings from the opposite branch.
The gates are inscribed with the 'The Way' which is also an epitaph to Edward Goldsmith, author of the book by the same name.
The bark texture has been created to promote algae and lichen growth towards the bottom of the gates to echo the park landscape.
The gates were kindly donated by the family of renowned environmentalist and The Ecologist magazine founder, the late Edward Goldsmith.
www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond-park/things-to-see-a...
The name of Dragonera comes from Dragon that was associated to the shape that the island has from a specific perspective, and from the large number of endemic Lilford's wall lizards.[3]
There is an Ancient Roman necropolis in the Es Lladó area, but there are no other signs of historical permanent settling.
During the 18th century two defensive watchtowers were built on the island in order to watch for the numerous Barbary pirates operating in the area.
In 1910 the lighthouses of Tramuntana (north) and Llebeig (southwest) began to operate, replacing the Faro Viejo or old lighthouse, which was built in a lower part of the island, in an area often surrounded by mist.
In 1941 Juan Flexas bought the islet and started farming activities in the Es Lladó area.
By the mid 20th century, the islet was often used by estraperlo smugglers for their illegal activities.
Between 1960 and 1975 the lighthouses were improved and became automatic, which meant that the only permanent and tiny population (that of the lighthouse keeper and family) left the islet.
In 1974 the islet was bought by a Spanish company in order to build a touristic resort. The original plan included a luxury residential, an hotel, a casino and, to serve all these, a manmade port. These plans were heavily contested by the ecologist movements and a harsh and long legal battle followed. The ecologists managed to get all the plans on hold until the legal controversy was cleared. It only finished ten years after, in 1984, when the Audiencia Nacional finally barred any building activities on the uninhabited islet.
Part of the 1982 film adapting Agatha Christie's mystery Evil Under the Sun was shot in Sa Dragonera, presented as an island of the fictional Tyrania by the Adriatic.
Then, in 1987, the Consell Insular de Mallorca bought the islet. In 1995 the Balearic regional Government declared the islet natural park status along with the nearby islets of Pantaleu and Isla Mediana.
Between Gaillac and Montauban. In 2015 a violent fight between ecologists and police did 1 death, Remi Fraisse
Erodium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Geraniaceae. Erodium cheilantihifolium is native to limestone, rocky areas of southern Spain and NW Africa. Cheilanthifolium refers to the similarity of its leaves with the fronds of the ferns of the genus Cheilantes. A peculiar feature of this flower is that it has 6 petals and stamens whereas the usual is five. As the species depends on the wind for its pollination, it can be found on summits and ridges. Since North-Africa and southern Andalusia were once connected, these two areas still have many flora and fauna species in common. The Baetic System in southern Spain, together with the Rif Mountains of Morocco, is one of the Mediterranean basin's ten biodiversity hotspots, known to ecologists as the Baetic-Rifan complex. Interestingly I could see the mountains and coast of Morocco across the Mediterranean from the heights of the Sierra de las Nieves where I took this photo.
This is my little doglet Trish.
World Animal Day is an international day of action for animal rights and welfare celebrated annually on October 4, the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.
It started in 1931 at a convention of ecologists in Florence, Italy who wished to highlight the plight of endangered species.
Castilleja is commonly known as paintbrush or Indian paintbrush. The genus has about 200 species of annual and perennial plants native to the west of the Americas from Alaska south to the Andes, and northern Asia. These plants are classified in the broomrape family Orobanchaceae. They are hemiparasitic on the roots of grasses and other herbs. Raup's Indian paintbrush has a native range from central Alaska to Hudson Bay, and south to the northern parts of western Canadian provinces. It grows primarily in the subalpine or subarctic biome. The plant is named after Hugh Miller Raup (1901 – 1995), an American botanist and plant ecologist. A 1925 trip to Glacier National Park started 17 summers of studying Arctic and boreal vegetation in Canada, Alaska and Greenland. I took the photo on a pingo in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories.
This American Crow is seen as it lands with a food item at xwesam (Roberts Creek) Jetty on the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia, Canada. A shape-shifter indeed (as recognized by First Nations people, ecologists, birdwatchers, and many others).
Entry for the Artistic Manipulation Group
CHEF studiodobs challenges us to take “a journey to somewhere, everywhere, nowhere, neverland, wonderland, outer space, black holes, antimatter, Heaven or Hell, or wherever you like.”
➤ Your image must include a means of transportation – but since we are all environmentalists, ecologists, animal activists and rescuers, the vehicle must be activated only by clean energy, such as sunlight, wind, water, geothermal heat, gravity, magnetic force, warp drive, teleportation and so on.
➤ People (of any number) must also be included (aliens and fantasy/sci-fi creatures welcome).
➤ Same for animals (of any number, aliens and fantasy/sci-fi creatures welcome).
➤ Use only soft or natural shades of color
➤ No abstractions: your subjects must be recognizable.
BiG THANKS to EVERYONE for your personal comments and also your support from selected groups.
Awards are always encouraging and especially appreciated from those add my work to their collection of 'faves'.
Cheerz G
this is a wee water mite of some sort, borrowed from an ecologist who samples these things regularly
I don't mean she eats them (although she mite), I mean she collects and identifies them to check water quality in rivers
Twitter: twitter.com/Elliot_Montieth
Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012548442484
Site: elliotsbirdingdiaries.wordpress.com/
The Eurasian curlew (Numenius arquata) has the widest range of any Curlew species which remains common in many parts of its range despite being on a worrying decline which is expected to only get worse with a rapid global decline being estimated by conservationists. As a result, the majestic Eurasian Curlew has been uplifted to Near Threatened and almost qualifies for Threatened. In the UK alone it's a Red Listed species with it classed as a Vulnerable species in Europe.
Figures from the BTO & RSPB show that there are an estimated 66,000 pairs breeding in the UK and 150,000 wintering birds with at 46% decline being noted.
In June this year English ecologists James Common & Sacha Elliott will be rising funds for the BTO's by completing the Yorkshire "3 Peaks Challenge" to add extra income to the BTO's efforts to understand the story of the Curlew and help to create a bigger and clear picture to enable conservationists to do what they can to bring the Curlew back from the brink - commonbynature.co.uk/2016/12/19/40kmforcurlewconservation/
In the heart of Villa Verde, a community dedicated to conservation at the gateway to Celaque National Park, I encountered the White-eared Hummingbird (Basilinna leucotis). This image captures the essence of avian life in Gracias, Lempira, Honduras—a testament to the region's rich biodiversity. With the sunlight accentuating the hummingbird's vibrant green plumage and the intricate feather details, the photograph is a study in the balance of light and shadow, showcasing the bird in a moment of stillness against the dynamic backdrop of its natural habitat.
From a technical standpoint, this shot was a pursuit of precision. It required patience and a deep understanding of the bird's behaviors. The challenge was to align the bird within the frame to highlight its interaction with the environment without compromising on sharpness and exposure. It’s a piece that speaks to fellow photographers about the interplay between subject and environment, and the relentless pursuit of that perfect moment. As we share these glimpses into the natural world, may we also share the responsibility to protect it.
© 2022 Adam Rainoff
I have to admit I have been neglecting my camera recently as I have been busy establishing myself as a Freelance Ecologist. I took this on a trip to Blyth last month and it is the best of a bad bunch. It has its charms though so I hope you like it.
La Coulée verte ou Promenade plantée ou Coulée René Dumont, ingénieur agronome et premier écologiste à s'être présenté à la présidence de la République française en 1974, est une ancienne voie ferrée désaffectée et réaménagée en promenade arborée, qui va de la rue de Lyon à Paris jusqu'au périphérique au niveau de Saint-Mandé. Pendant 2kms environ, elle surplombe les chaussées alentour et donne une autre vision de Paris. C'est évidemment un rendez-vous connu des joggeurs.
The Coulée verte or Promenade plantée or Coulée René Dumont, agricultural engineer and first ecologist to have submitted to the presidency of the French Republic in 1974, is a former railroad disused and converted into tree-lined promenade, which goes from rue de Lyon in Paris up to the ring road at the level of Saint-Mandé. During 2kms approximately, it overhangs roads surrounding and gives another vision of Paris. It is obviously a appointment known for joggers.
Blue eyed coyote. Female. Southwest Arizona, USA.
The first ever blue-eyed coyote sightings were reported in the winter of 2019, and since then reports have come from Point Reyes, Santa Cruz, and Sacramento, California. The first photos of the blue-eyed animals were made public by wildlife photographer Dan Dietrich. Since that first photograph was taken, five blue-eyed coyotes have been documented by National Geographic in Northern California.
According to Dan Dietrich, my blue eyed coyote, is the only other photographic evidence depicting a blue eyed coyote at the only other place in the United States besides the SF bay area. There has been no reports of sightings elsewhere.
Normally, coyotes have brown/gold eyes, but scientists have hypothesized that these blue-eyed animals descend from a single coyote who carried a mutant gene which caused the blue eyes.
National Geographic called the animal "One in a Million” and said the genetic mutation likely appeared several generations ago. That’s still up for speculation, though Juan Negro, an animal eye hue expert, told National Geographic that blue irises could cause light sensitivity and interfere with camouflaging.
"Wild coyotes can sometimes acquire new traits after breeding with dogs, but that does not appear to be the case. It’s a very interesting phenomenon and there needs to be much more research before people make wide-ranging pronouncements about what’s happening,” says University of Colorado ecologist and evolutionary biologist Marc Bekoff. The consensus so far is that the blue eyes are likely the result of a natural, if rare, genetic mutation.
Full frame. No crop. No post processing.
Created for Mixmaster Challenge # 30 by studiobobs
Recipe:
➤ Your image must include a means of transportation – but since we are all environmentalists, ecologists, animal activists and rescuers, the vehicle must be activated only by clean energy, such as sunlight, wind, water, geothermal heat, gravity, magnetic force, warp drive, teleportation and so on.
➤ People (of any number) must also be included (aliens and fantasy/sci-fi creatures welcome).
➤ Same for animals (of any number, aliens and fantasy/sci-fi creatures welcome).
➤ Use only soft or natural shades of color
➤ No abstractions: your subjects must be recognizable.
Thanks to Catness Grace for extra hadidahs.
Warning: Poisonous parts include milky sap from leaves, stems. Toxic only in large quantities.
The Common Milkweed is the plant that most people associate with the word “milkweed”. This is a tall and conspicuous species that sometimes forms large clones. The umbels bear large balls of pink to purplish flowers that have an attractive odor. This species is known to form hybrids with both A. exaltata (in the east) and A. speciosa (in the west). Follicles split open in the fall and early winter dispensing wind borne seeds. Among the milkweeds, this species is the best at colonizing in disturbed sites. Within its range it can be found in a broad array of habitats from croplands, to pastures, roadsides, ditches and old fields. It is surprisingly rare in prairies in the Midwest being found mostly in disturbed sites within these habitats. As an indigenous species of the southern Great Plains, it has all the attributes of what some ecologists call a “fugitive species”. That is, one whose appearance and persistence is dependent on disturbance due to its inability to compete with other vegetation. In the northern parts of its range it seems to be a more permanent member of the floral communities.
The plant contains cardiac glycosides, allied to digitalins used in treating some heart disease. These glycosides, when absorbed by monarch butterfly larvae whose sole source of food is milkweed foliage, make the larvae and adult butterflies toxic to birds and other predators.
Excerpt from webapp.driftscape.com/map/0e5a2a4e-e9ed-11eb-8000-bc1c5a8...:
Wildflowers (Bell Box)
Inverleigh Dr. and The Queensway
This organic mural transforms a plain rectangular Bell box into a natural scene complete with blooming wildflowers. A soft turquoise meets teal gradient acts as the backdrop for large dark green, heart-shaped leaves. Thin bright yellow grasses and pale blue flowers are layered on top in a very loose, drawing-like style. Painted in the fall, these flowers demonstrate the act of providing seeds and pollen to insects and birds before winter.
Stacey Kinder, the artist who painted this Bell Box, is an artist, ecologist and conservationist from Toronto with a background in Fine Arts and Ecosystem Management. She hopes to share her passion through her artwork and highlight the natural wildlife in Canadian neighbourhoods.
This mural was inspired by the plants that were growing around the box itself. Stacey’s aim was to celebrate the beings that live in the South Etobicoke neighbourhood and their unique individuality. As different as they are, each plant thrives here and co-exists in the same ecosystem - much like us, the plants and animals are connected and dependent on one another. If one component of an ecosystem is missing, the entire network is at risk of poor health and collapse. This really brings home the idea of neighbourhood love.
For 121 Pictures in 2021 #116 "World of science", entomology is the study of insects, with Monarchs and other butterflies being true insects. Monarchs are also studied by ecologists and climatologists in relation to their being an indication of climate change. This one is part of the fall migration south to Mexico, some of which passes through Corpus Christi and the Texas Coastal Bend area. This is the first year we've had milkweed planted for them, though we only got a few visitors over about a week.
This juvenile female Brown-headed Cowbird is foraging along the Gros Ventre River in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Cowbirds don't win any popularity contests as they are brood parasites, who lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, which then raise the cowbirds' young as their own. What's worse, studies indicate that cowbirds may actually monitor, ransack and destroy the nests of warblers that don't buy into this ruse and raise their young. This retaliatory behavior is thought to "encourage" the warblers to raise the cowbirds' offspring.
Bird identified by Dr. Dave Steadman, Curator of Ornithology at the Florida Museum of Natural History. The lead author of the 2007 study on cowbird retaliatory behavior is avian ecologist Jeff Hoover, also of the Florida Museum of Natural History, in collaboration with Scott Robinson.
Brown Acres – Jackson County – Oregon – USA
“One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds. Much of the damage inflicted on land is quite invisible to laymen. An ecologist must either harden his shell and make believe that the consequences of science are none of his business, or he must be the doctor who sees the marks of death in a community that believes itself well and does not want to be told otherwise.” - Aldo Leopold
The Paracas peninsula located 240 kilometers south of the City of Lima, is the most important coastal formation in Peru. An unspoiled natural paradise where the desert sands reveal treasures of ancient civilizations. The Paracas National Reserve is the first marine conservation center of the country and one of the most important in the world. Established in 1975, it covers a total area of 335,00 ha. from which 117,406 are on land and 217,594 are in the ocean. With beautiful beaches, ideal weather an impressive scenery it is a place that can be visited all year round.
The abundance of marine fauna - birds, fish and sea mammals - found in the Reserve attracts visitors and ecologist who are amazed by the profusion of sea life. Peculiar rocky formations and geological stratus have made the are the object of many studies of origin of the Planet.
In the ocean floor, on a straight line from the Paracas peninsula another wonder has been found, the Peruvian marine fault, formed millions of year ago when the coastal mountain range fell into the ocean.
This fault is now the merging point for two currents, "El Nino" - warm waters coming from the north-, and "Humbolt -cold waters coming from the south -which originates a unique climactic condition for proliferation of plankton and fitophankton, main food source of innumerable fish species resulting in the extraordinary chain of richness of marine life.
The sea of Paracas is considered the lungs of the Pacific ocean because of the pureness and oxygenation originated in its waters. Another peculiarity of the area are the strong wind called "Paracas" reaching speeds of up to 21 miles per hour. Added to tits natural beauty, Paracas is a very important archaeological and historical site, home to the advanced cultures that flourished in Peru 1,000B.C., know worldwide by the exquisite textiles with combination of many colors and stylized deign, and by the practice of brain surgery and cranial trepanation. The Paracas coast was also the place where libertador San Martin disembarked to initiate the liberation from Spain.
Coyote of the Canadian Rockies
The Coyote (Canis latrans) is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the Wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related Eastern Wolf and Red Rolf. It fills much of the same ecological niche as the Golden Jackal does in Eurasia. The Coyote is larger and more predatory and was once referred to as the American Jackal by a behavioral ecologist. Other historical names for the species include the Prairie Wolf and the Brush Wolf.
For more info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyote
Catharanthus roseus
Species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae
Catharanthus roseus, commonly known as bright eyes, Cape periwinkle, graveyard plant, Madagascar periwinkle, old maid, pink periwinkle, rose periwinkle, is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is native and endemic to Madagascar, but is grown elsewhere as an ornamental and medicinal plant, and now has a pantropical distribution. It is a source of the drugs vincristine and vinblastine, used to treat cancer. It was formerly included in the genus Vinca as Vinca rosea.
Quick Facts Scientific classification, Binomial name ...
White flower with yellow center
It has many vernacular names among which are arivotaombelona or rivotambelona, tonga, tongatse or trongatse, tsimatiririnina, and vonenina.
Taxonomy
Two varieties are recognized
Catharanthus roseus var. roseus
Synonymy for this variety
Catharanthus roseus var. angustus Steenis ex Bakhuizen f.
Catharanthus roseus var. albus G.Don
Catharanthus roseus var. occellatus G.Don
Catharanthus roseus var. nanus Markgr.
Lochnera rosea f. alba (G.Don) Woodson
Lochnera rosea var. ocellata (G.Don) Woodson
Catharanthus roseus var. angustus (Steenis) Bakh. f.
Synonymy for this variety
Catharanthus roseus var. nanus Markgr.
Lochnera rosea var. angusta Steenis
Description
Close-up view of flower in morning
In morning
Catharanthus roseus is an evergreen subshrub or herbaceous plant growing 1 m (39 in) tall. The leaves are oval to oblong, 2.5–9 cm (1.0–3.5 in) long and 1–3.5 cm (0.4–1.4 in) wide, glossy green, hairless, with a pale midrib and a short petiole 1–1.8 cm (0.4–0.7 in) long; they are arranged in opposite pairs. The flowers range from white with a yellow or red center to dark pink with a darker red center, with a basal tube 2.5–3 cm (1.0–1.2 in) long and a corolla 2–5 cm (0.8–2.0 in) diameter with five petal-like lobes. The fruit is a pair of follicles 2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) long and 3 mm (0.1 in) wide. [
Ecology
In its natural range along the dry coasts of southern Madagascar, Catharanthus roseus is considered weedy and invasive, often self-seeding prolifically in disturbed areas along roadsides and in fallow fields. It is also, however, widely cultivated and is naturalized in subtropical and tropical areas of the world such as Australia, Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, and the United States. It is so well adapted to growth in Australia that it is listed as a noxious weed in Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory, and also in parts of eastern Queensland.
Pale Pink with Red Centre Cultivar
Cultivation
As an ornamental plant, it is appreciated for its hardiness in dry and nutritionally deficient conditions, popular in subtropical gardens where temperatures never fall below 5–7 °C (41–45 °F), and as a warm-season bedding plant in temperate gardens. It is noted for its long flowering period, throughout the year in tropical conditions, and from spring to late autumn, in warm temperate climates. Full sun and well-drained soil are preferred. Numerous cultivars have been selected, for variation in flower colour (white, mauve, peach, scarlet, and reddish-orange), and also for tolerance of cooler growing conditions in temperate regions.
Notable cultivars include 'Albus' (white flowers), 'Grape Cooler' (rose-pink; cool-tolerant), the Ocellatus Group (various colours), and 'Peppermint Cooler' (white with a red centre; cool-tolerant).
In the U.S. it often remains identified as "Vinca" although botanists have shifted its identification and it often can be seen growing along roadsides in the south.
In the United Kingdom it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (confirmed 2017).
Uses
Traditional
In Ayurveda (Indian traditional medicine) the extracts of its roots and shoots, although poisonous, are used against several diseases. In traditional Chinese medicine, extracts from it have been used against numerous diseases, including diabetes, malaria, and Hodgkin's lymphoma. In the 1950s, vinca alkaloids, including vinblastine and vincristine, were isolated from Catharanthus roseus while screening for anti-diabetic drugs. This chance discovery led to increased research into the chemotherapeutic effects of vinblastine and vincristine. Conflict between historical indigenous use, and a patent from 2001 on C. roseus-derived drugs by western pharmaceutical companies, without compensation, has led to accusations of biopiracy.
Medicinal
Vinblastine and vincristine, chemotherapy medications used to treat several types of cancers, are found in the plant and are biosynthesised from the coupling of the alkaloids catharanthine and vindoline. The newer semi-synthetic chemotherapeutic agent vinorelbine, used in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer, can be prepared either from vindoline and catharanthine or from the vinca alkaloid leurosine, in both cases via anhydrovinblastine. The insulin-stimulating vincoline has been isolated from the plant.
A periwinkle shrub
Dark pink colour
Research
Despite the medical importance and wide use, the desired alkaloids (vinblastine and vincristine) are naturally produced at very low yields. Additionally, it is complex and costly to synthesize the desired products in a lab, resulting in difficulty satisfying the demand and a need for overproduction. Treatment of the plant with phytohormones, such as salicylic acid and methyl jasmonate, have been shown to trigger defense mechanisms and overproduce downstream alkaloids. Studies using this technique vary in growth conditions, choice of phytohormone, and location of treatment. Concurrently, there are various efforts to map the biosynthetic pathway producing the alkaloids to find a direct path to overproduction via genetic engineering.
C. roseus is used in plant pathology as an experimental host for phytoplasmas. This is because it is easy to infect with a large majority of phytoplasmas, and also often has very distinctive symptoms such as phyllody and significantly reduced leaf size.
In 1995 and 2006 Malagasy agronomists and American political ecologists studied the production of Catharanthus roseus around Fort Dauphin and Ambovombe and its export as a natural source of the alkaloids used to make vincristine, vinblastine and other vinca alkaloid cancer drugs. Their research focused on the wild collection of periwinkle roots and leaves from roadsides and fields and its industrial cultivation on large farms.
Biology
Rosinidin is the pink anthocyanidin pigment found in the flowers of C. roseus. Lochnericine is a major alkaloid in roots.
Toxicity
C. roseus can be extremely toxic if consumed orally by humans, and is cited (under its synonym Vinca rosea) in the Louisiana State Act 159. All parts of the plant are poisonous. On consumption, symptoms consist of mild stomach cramps, cardiac complications, hypotension, systematic paralysis eventually leading to death.
According to French botanist Pierre Boiteau, its poisonous properties are made known along generations of Malagasy people as a poison consumed in ordeal trials, even before the tangena fruit was used. This lent the flower one of its names vonenina, from Malagasy: vony enina meaning "flower of remorse".
Gallery
Created for the Artistic Manipulation Group Contest Mixmaster 30
➤ Your image must include a means of transportation – but since we are all environmentalists, ecologists, animal activists and rescuers, the vehicle must be activated only by clean energy, such as sunlight, wind, water, geothermal heat, gravity, magnetic force, warp drive, teleportation and so on.
➤ People (of any number) must also be included (aliens and fantasy/sci-fi creatures welcome).
➤ Same for animals (of any number, aliens and fantasy/sci-fi creatures welcome).
➤ Use only soft or natural shades of color
➤ No abstractions: your subjects must be recognizable.
All photos except the small fish were taken at the Paralympic Games opening ceremony in London 2012. The boat and the giant blue whale travel around the Olympic Stadium under 'people power'.
All photos are my own.
Thank you for taking the time to visit, comment, fave or invite. I really appreciate them all.
All rights reserved. This photo is not authorized for use on your blogs, pin boards, websites or use in any other way.
Under a heavy marine layer, a brisk wind in our faces, and our heavy camera equipment weighing us down as we trudged through shifting sand, we were on the hunt for the endangered Snowy Plover. Another birder had directed us to a possible area on the vast expanse of Moss Landing State Beach. We were about to give up when we met George.
Walking up the beach toward us with a spotter scope, he had to be a birder, right? Better! George is a coastal ecologist focusing on... the Snowy Plover! His work as a scientist with the non-profit Point Blue* is to research and monitor Snowy Plovers in the Monterey Bay area, working toward preserving, protecting and growing their population.
George filled us in on its habitat, breeding and status as an endangered species. Then he casually said, "there's a couple of them now," pointing off into the dunes. "Where?" We couldn't see a thing, but, with his encouragement and patience, we were able to spot this tiny bird, no bigger than a sparrow. Its white and sandy coloration is perfect camouflage for a shorebird.
Thank you, George, for giving us the thrill of the day.
*Point Blue has 160 scientists in the field. As per its website, they are working "to reduce the impacts of climate change, habitat loss, and other environmental threats while developing nature-based solutions to benefit both wildlife and people."
Their values and beliefs are summed up, again on their website, with the acronym S-C-I-E-N-C-E: Scientific Rigor, Collaboration, Innovation, Excellence, Nature is Essential, Complete Integrity, Everyone is Responsible.
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Visit my Human Family/100 Strangers album
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers: 100 Strangers Flickr Group.
For street portraits and stories from The Human Family, visit The Human Family Flickr Group.
Well, it's raining in Seattle...so here's some pink to brighten things up: a salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) flowering overhead with a nascent berry forming, and a cluster of red flowering currant blossoms (Ribes sanguineum). These were growing in the Ravenna Creek ravine in Seattle's Ravenna Park. They are increasingly popular as garden shrubs, which pleases the ecologist in me.