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Despite the fact that there are around 20,000 species of this large family of Longhorn beetles there a few to be found living in the UK. Just proves that you don't have to always take a trip to a tropical rainforest to find some amazing looking bugs. Fond of damp grassland areas and chalky soils where the larvae of this beetle develop in the stem tissues of herbaceous plants such as hogweed. Can be seen from May to June and found widespread in the UK but local in eastern England.
Some Facts-
1. Inexperienced young woodpeckers frequently crash into windows: this is a major cause of death of juvenile birds.
2. An unpaired male may drum as many as 600 times a day; a paired male just 200 times.
3. Drumming has been recorded on many objects other than trees, ranging from weather vanes to metal poles.
There are three male African lions at Zoo Atlanta: Azizi, Hondo and Hatari. They are brothers, and you will often find them inseparable. In fact, the lions are usually only separated from each other when they eat and when they are training.
A few fun facts:
1-The Marble House has over 500,000 cubic feet of marble.
2-Alva Vanderbilt fought for women's rights & suffrage. (right to vote).
3- She is quoted as saying "Pray to God, She will help you."
4-She ( Alva) held a "coming out" party, with 400 guests, for her only daughter Consuelo.
5-At the party, 300 live hummingbirds were released, to hover around the indoor fountain.
6-She later moved to France permanently, to the Chateau d'Augerville, to be near her daughter.
Thank you, in advance, for any likes or comments. Peace, light, and blessings
reading fingers have left almost invisible traces on the letters. the story is very old.
what is readable, what can we know...just some shades and hints of the forgotten lives.
In fact, he wants me to stop with this stupid PC work and go to bed with him :-)
Timmy has no interest in toys at all, he wants to go out and spank Sammy ;-) And when he comes in, he wants to get on the table and cuddle with me. Ok, maybe I am his toy :-)))
I hope this stretching of the definition of 'toy' is acceptable.
Happy Caturday 4.6.2022 "Toys"
A colourful kerfuffle
Common NameCaribbean flamingo, American flamingoKingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassAvesOrderCiconiiformesFamilyPhoenicopteridaeGenus SpeciesPhoenicopterus (crimson winged) ruber ruber (red)
Fast Facts
DescriptionCaribbean flamingos are tall, large bodied birds with long necks and small heads. Most flamingos have bright pink or crimson plumage, legs, and bills. The Caribbean flamingo is by far the brightest and one of the largest of all the flamingos.SizeApproximately 80–145 cm (31–57 in.) long
Females tend to be smaller than malesWeightApproximately 1.9–3 kg (4.2–6.6 lbs.)DietIncludes algae, diatoms, aquatic invertebrates such as crustaceans and mollusksIncubation26–31 daysClutch SizeTypically 1 large eggFledging DurationApproximately 11 weeks
……. We can certainly vouch for the fact that Derwent water (pictured) & Bassenthwaite lake were both well up on previous years! Must Google 'How to build an Ark'!....... Alan:-)
For the interested I’m growing my Shutterstock catalogue regularly here, now sold 132 images :- www.shutterstock.com/g/Alan+Foster?rid=223484589&utm_...
©Alan Foster.
©Alan Foster. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission.……
Northern Map Turtle interesting fact: this turtle gets its name from the markings on its shell, which resemble contour lines on a map. I took this on Little Clear Lake on a backcountry camping trip this week. It's a very tiny young turtle, and it looked so happy to be soaking up the sun. The northern map turtle is currently listed as Special Concern under the Ontario Endangered Species Act. :(
Interesting fact: House Wrens are fiercely territorial, they have been known to destroy bluebird and other cavity nester's eggs by piercing them, and then often removing the eggs from the nest.
If you like this and some of my other images, I invite you to take a look at my wildlife/birding blog, which I try to update every few days. ... grenfell.weebly.com and my web page at www.tekfx.ca
I appreciate your feedback and comments! so feel free to contact me for any reason. I can be reached at billm@tekfx.ca or on Flickrmail
All images are copyright. Please don't use this, or any other of my, images, on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission © All rights reserved
Once in a winter had those in the garden and still admiring the fact that they were captured. They were like nice silent friends.
In Fact I Love That Fawn
In fact I love that fawn,
cutting roses in your garden—
which is why I’ve earned your wrath.
If you could see him,
the others would never find you.
“Scrape me some honey from your hive,”
he said. “I’ll have mine from your tongue,”
I replied. Then he bristled and said to me, sullen:
“And sin before the living God?”
“The sin’s on me,” I answered, “my lord.”
-Peter Cole, Dream of the Poem, 45. (The Song of Songs A BIOGRAPHY Ilana Pardes)
Recent storms have fallen several trees along the trail. Most have been removed. A branch has been cut off this tree but the remaining is not blocking the trail and is in fact, still well rooted in the ground.
A pic of Folkestone Harbour. I took this with my iphone. The rainbow was just appearing. Loved the fact that the tide was out and the gulls were circling above. The light was amazing too.
A combination of moments,
light and shadows.
Lines and dots.
All inconspicuous and at the same time quite clear.
ursus arctos
length: 1 to 2.8 m
weight: 139 kg (male), 95 kg (female)
lifespan: 20 to 30 years
predators: humans
habitat: boreal forest, mountain alpine, arctic tundra
yukon population estimate: 6,000-7,000
they breed for the first time around their 8th year and reproduce every 3 to 4 years
bears routinely distinguish between threatening and non-threatening human behaviour
bears are not mean or malicious; they are very gentle, curious, and tolerant animals
shih shòh (gwich’in)
shär cho (hän)
dlēze (kaska)
srà cho (northern tutchone)
akłaq (inuvialuit)
atsìá sho (big grandpa) (southern tutchone)
shash chō (tagish)
shüh choh (upper tanana)
xóots or xûts (tlingit)
First snow of the season fell last night and this may be the first Slate-Colored Junco of the fall/winter in my yard if in fact it is not a Cassiar Junco. I believe that some consider Cassiar Juncos to be Oregon x Slate-colored Junco intergrades. I should probably just simplify the title and call this bird a Dark-eyed Junco. Comments are welcome. IMG_6250
There is something particularly satisfactory in the fact of posting this picture. And it's a satisfaction that, I am sure, people living in this area will understand very well … Every year in the end of Fall, lakeside is covered by a sea of fog that remain unmoved for month. During the last two weeks, people living above it had perfect clear weather and warm sunny days while people living under it were experiencing the despairing boring constancy of gray light. Most of the time, people living by the lakeside (who don't climb the mountains really often) just don't realize that there's only a few dozen of meters between their depressing weather and the heaven above. And it's probably a good thing for them : knowing it would just make it harder …
Now imagine my situation : I live above the sea of fog, but I work under it (and I'd rather say INSIDE it) ! So now that the days are really short, I leave home late enough to be sure that the day is going to be perfect, but too soon to enjoy even the beginning of it. All day long I think about people above who are enjoying it (recently, my mother-in-law called: she was hesitating between spending her afternoon biking or roller skating). And when I come back home the sun is already down, and the last colors of the cloud are just telling me : “yes, you miss some very nice pictures ...”. And this every morning for the last two weeks. Of course, there's terribly worst situations. But I am sure you will agree : how frustrating it is!!
So yesterday, I decided to take half an hour before going to work to enjoy the sunrise just above the sea of fog, and here is the result. I am sure you'll understand that it is a kind of revenge ;) !
What you see is taken from "Les Hauts-Geneveys" : the "massif du Mont-Blanc", the highest peak of the Alps (4808,73m, France) about 135 km away.
The fact that the Laughing Buddha has no hair is something Tofu seems to have notived for the first time. As Tofu is very proud of his fur he can't imagine being "naked", even more so if you are outside all the time like the buddha.
Some interesting facts about the Roseate Spoonbills...
The Roseate Spoonbill is one of the newest birds to join the Birdorable family. Here are some fun facts about this unique species.
1. The collective noun for spoonbills is bowl. Have you ever seen a bowl of Roseate Spoonbills?
2. Roseate Spoonbills get their pink color from their food! They feed on crustaceans who in turn have fed on algae.
3. In parts of their range, especially in Florida, Roseate Spoonbills are sometimes confused with another large pink wading bird: the flamingo.
4. There are six species of spoonbill in the world; the Roseate Spoonbill is the only one with pink plumage. Roseate Spoonbill
5. The Roseate Spoonbill is also the only spoonbill species found in the Americas.
6. The beaks of chick spoonbills are straight; the spoon-shape grows as the chick develops.
7. Spoonbills use their specialized bills to feed. They sweep their open bills through the water, and when a prey item like a fish or insect comes between the mandibles, the bill snaps shut.
8. The oldest wild Roseate Spoonbill was discovered in the Florida Keys in 2006. The bird had been banded in 1990, and was an amazing 16 years old. The previous known longevity record for the species was seven years.
9. Roseate Spoonbills are highly social. They feed with each other and with other wading birds. They also nest in colonies and fly in flocks.
If you can’t have mist in a woodland rain’s a very good second. In fact in these Snowdonia rain forests the wetter the better, shame about the wind. I certainly had the rain, it bleached down most of the week, horizontal stuff changing these hillside streams changed into cascades.
I think this one wins the cute factor. Moorhen feeding it's chick. There were in fact 4 chicks around but I only caught this one being fed.
Check out these cool cardinal facts:
Cardinals are early nesters.
Both male and female cardinal birds sing.
Some people put birdseed outside to keep cardinals as “pets.”
In many cultures, bird lovers have a special place in their hearts for cardinals.
Many people associate cardinals with pleasant memories or the idea that a deceased loved one is present.
Perhaps the cardinal’s comforting, beautiful, and cheerful song invokes pleasant memories from the past.
Or maybe the bold red color speaks to us; red is the color of blood, which gives us life.
For many, cardinals symbolically represent joy and hope.
When single people encounter cardinals, they believe the bird’s presence represents an omen that new romantic relationships are on the verge of manifesting.
In the United States, when people see cardinals in winter, they feel encouraged to look forward to springtime.
Water drops. As many of you that have been Flickr friends for a while will know water and rain drops are a fascination of mine. It’s been nice today even though it’s dry but cold and overcast to pop out to the garden to catch some drops.
I toyed with the idea of zooming in on the drop, it opted for the “bigger picture”. Interesting how bare the trees become at this time of year, knowing how full of growth they were back in the summer.
Thanks for stopping
Eén kilometer westelijker en 13 minuten later zien we opnieuw de 628 518 tijdens het halt houden in het stationnetje vn Wasserburg.
Het stel is ondertussen teruggekeerd richting Lindau nadat het in Kressbronn de reizigers heeft opgepikt van de veel te laat rijdende RE uit Stuttgart - op tijd rijdt de RB 22735 echter ook niet: nog steeds staat er plus 10 op de teller.
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With the outskirts of the Pfänder in the background we can see once again the 628 518 making is scheduled stop at the station of Wasserburg whilst returning as local train to Lindau.
Due to the fact that the passengers of the delayed RE from and to Stuttgart had to exchange trains at Kressbronn, this RB still had a delay of 10 minutes.
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Wasserburg, 16/07/2019
DB 628 518
RB 22735 (Friedrichshafen Stadt) - Kressbronn - Lindau Hbf
experienced at Stink Beach, it came quickly and stayed for a while and then left everything clean and refreshed.
listening to a song I had forgotten sung by John Sebastien at Woodstock - "Darling Be Home Soon"
love the lines -" A quarter of my life is almost past
I think I've come to see myself at last"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBXL7FaPod4
about the song :
www.songfacts.com/facts/the-lovin-spoonful/darling-be-hom...
having bluebirds nesting near the house alerted me to the fact that in addition to vocalizations, birds "talk with their hands". the bluebird was looking at her mate and spreading the wings in a sequence that must mean something to him. they do that more often than all the others species nesting or feeding on our property. at present they are feeding brood two, with five chicks. three survived from brood one and are hanging out together by the mealworm feeder.
I always admire people who can just "do" street photography. They are up there, in my book, with those who seem to be able to waltz into a forest, snap a photo and walk away with an amazing shot. I like to dip my toes into both genres but am never really happy with the results. In fact I seem to recall making it a new year's promise a few years ago that I'd try more when it comes to both street and woodland photography.
With this in mind I headed down to Littlehampton beach front for a spot of street photography. Parked the rental car and tried to pay for my stay - 2 hours should be enough I thought - only for the pay machine to throw a fit and declare it's card reader non-operational. I fumbled in my wallet and frustratingly only had enough coppers and half pennies for one hour of parking. I'll make the most of it I thought and headed off to this location. After a few minutes of standing here, waiting and working on my composition a primary school class and teacher showed up. Not wanting to get into trouble, or get suspicious looks thrown my way I wandered 250 or so meters away to another shelter/bench like this. Set up again only for the same class to show up and sit there after a few more minutes. Frustrated I stomped back to the original location. Almost 20 minutes in and I hadn't really gotten anything. Lo and behold, a few minutes later the same class came back. The teacher grinned at me and I knew then she was doing it deliberately. So I stood my ground, pointed the camera in this direction and waited her out. She blinked first, sheepishly herding her class away to the right of this scene. Victory! But it cost me 25 minutes of my one hour of parking.
Came away with some shots that I'm really happy with though they feel a little same-y with the cool shapes that meander across the scene. I did try and get the odd cyclist but couldn't time it quite right with them being half hidden behind the structure. Guess I need to get out and practice street photography more then....
Explore #480 Well after about 45 days we finally got a sunset of any note. I looked out the window and squealed when I saw it, it was such an unfamiliar, yet comforting sight ;)
There is a series of new advertisements on the television here at the moment. They are about (un)complicating your life, (un)stressing (un)winding and generally putting more (un) into your life.
It goes on to say.... does it really matter if for one night in the week the kids have toast for dinner, or the floor does not get mopped for a few days (weeks...lol) but that is is more important to (un)wind...
I am really liking these ads for some reason, and I am not a TV ad junkie kinda gal. lol But the message there is solid and (un)deniable.... we do need more (un) in our life.
So what things do we need to (un) up in our day to day routines?? that will make our lives less (un)comfortable and more (un)deniably wonderful lol ...
see I am liking the (un)'s
Is it ok to sometimes say well I am sorry, but I am (un)able to do that.....and more importantly be (un)affected by that choice.
Can we just let ourselves be (un)armed and let go....and not have to have everything planned and in order...
I certainly do not think that that is (un)attainable :) In fact I think it is definitely not (un)relalistic to want that for ourselves sometimes.
If we have learned this behaviour of always having to DO, can it be (un)learned?
I do think this could (un)lock some of the daily stresses if we just let go sometimes and be a little more (un)neurotic lol Because are we really being the best we can when we are (un)rested, (un)happy and (un)fulfilled?
So here is to getting some more (un) in your life. I would like to be more (un) encumbered, (un)wrinked and (un)even lol just to name a few......
How about you...? What would you like to (un) ?
Think about it lol I promise it wont be to (un)comforting....
So here is to an (un)eventful Saturday , a (un)caring Sunday and a (un)Mondayitis Monday lol :) Car (ok I made unmondayitis up- sue me lol )
Today's Carsounds - www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjD29CMNux0
A couple take a load off their feet at the Lincoln Memorial, Easter 2017.
Perhaps, the fact that this is during Easter sunrise service on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the image conveys in a more chaste manner what other couples might do on Spring Break.
Congrats on Explore!
#73 ⭐ April 02, 2024
Recognition:
Accepted for Display - MAR 24, Darkroomers Photographic Club, San Diego