This beautiful Neotropical hummingbird has been reclassified since I saw it nectaring at a feeder in Panama. The Blue-chested Hummingbird (Polyerata amabilis) was formerly placed in the genus Amazilia. It is also found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Nicaragua, but its numbers are sadly decreasing. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and heavily degraded former forest.

Males – like this one – form leks to try to gain the attention of females during the breeding season.

A walk along the oceans shore. The late afternoon world is full of colors, mostly shades of red and gold. The ocean is loud,intense and the power is unmistakable. The wildlife hunts and gains power from the sounds and sights. It is entertainment only nature can provide.`125

This double crested cormorant did a few circles of the lake to gain altitude before it finally left the area. Gave me a few passes at it. Didn't nail the focus, but I liked the dynamic pose enough to post it.

Blog

...

'll seek you out

Flay you alive

One more word and you won't survive

And I'm not scared

Of your stolen power

I see right through you any hour

Suddenly I will play my ace

The Pinilla Reservoir is located on the upper Lozoya River, in the north of the Community of Madrid (Spain). Located in the Sierra de Guadarrama, it is the headwater basin of the basin from the moment it was opened in 1967. It is part of the Canal de Isabel II network, a company that supplies drinking water to the capital of Spain and much of it of the Community of Madrid.

After the 1964 drought that forced the imposition of water restrictions on Madrid, the government decided to take the issue of water supply to the capital as a matter of state. Returning to a previous project, a dam was designed next to the town of Pinilla del Valle that retained the waters of the Lozoya River in the upper part of the valley, where rainfall is more abundant and regular.

The execution of this head dam, which by the conditions of the terrain and relative closed valley advised the type of gravity dam, did not present any difficulty and put its regulated flow immediately available to the driving channels, when entering the knot from Torrelaguna, where you could drive on any of the three channels (Alto, Bajo and El Atazar), ensuring an increase in regulated flow of the order of 1 m³ / s.

This dam could also be an important part of a hydroelectric use, deriving its flow, instead of the Lozoya River, by a lateral channel to the Canencia stream, where a waterfall could be established to take advantage of the level gained by the channel in relation to the river, and pour it for its later entry into the reservoir of Riosequillo. (Source Wikipedia)

El embalse de Pinilla está situado en el curso alto del río Lozoya, en el norte de la Comunidad de Madrid (España). Enclavado en plena Sierra de Guadarrama, es el embalse de cabecera de la cuenca desde el momento en que fue inaugurado en 1967. Forma parte de la red del Canal de Isabel II, compañía que suministra el agua potable a la capital de España y a buena parte de la Comunidad de Madrid.

Tras la sequía de 1964 que obligó a imponer restricciones de agua a Madrid, el Gobierno decidió tomar el asunto del suministro de agua a la capital como una cuestión de estado. Retomando un proyecto anterior, se diseñó una presa junto al pueblo de Pinilla del Valle que retuviese las aguas del río Lozoya en la parte alta del valle, donde las precipitaciones son más abundantes y regulares.

La ejecución de esta presa de cabecera, que por las condiciones del terreno y relativa cerrada del valle aconsejaba el tipo de presa de gravedad, no presentaba ninguna dificultad y ponía su caudal regulado a disposición inmediata de los canales de conducción, al ingresar en el nudo de Torrelaguna, donde se podía conducir por cualquiera de los tres canales (Alto, Bajo y de El Atazar), asegurando un incremento de caudal regulado del orden de 1 m³/s.

Esta presa podía ser además, una pieza importante de un aprovechamiento hidroeléctrico, derivando su caudal, en lugar de por el río Lozoya, por un canal lateral hasta el arroyo de Canencia, donde podía establecerse un salto de agua para aprovechar el nivel ganado por el canal en relación al río, y verter a éste para su posterior ingreso en el embalse de Riosequillo.( Fuente Wikipedia)

Hours drift away

Change of season

New life ahead

Through the year there are rare events that take place that really capture my imagination, fall leaves, spring bloom, thunderstorms... Fireworks though, that's one I truly enjoy. In essence it is a simple idea, a quick composition, easy to gain focus quickly even when shooting manual lenses. The joy is palpable, the crowd is paying attention to one thing only, everyone solely focused on this transformative art. Oohs, Ahhhs ring out through the night under the percussive sounds of the fireworks. Beauty unfolds, a flower blooms and vanishes just as quickly into the night, and for a fleeting moment you, as a photographer have to find your composition, address the focal length you're using, adjust on the fly. And before you really know what's going on, it's all over and the crowd disperses and you're left all alone packing your gear back up, hoping you managed to capture a small slice of the night.

ISO: 160

Aperture: f11

SS: 3 secs

Focal: 27mm

Visit www.blackthornephoto.com to read the rest of the story.

A northern pintail takes off from the Big Salt Marsh at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Stafford County, KS.

It must be so satisfying to 'drive' a traction engine.

Thank you all for visiting - it is really appreciated. Have a good week.

as he enters the water and begins his pursuit with laser focus

Hefty hefty hefty!!!!

This little guy has been using the birdbath to gain access to the little swing feeder.

First, he comes to the window and looks in to see if anyone is watching. He sneaks around a bit then he hops on over to the birdbath and jumps to the feeder.

He doesn't stay long, he just grabs a few quick bites and off he goes to get into some sort of mischief.

Have a fabulous Friday, happy snapping.

A faschinating little shop by this name, found along George Street, along my driving route to work.

I haven't actually been inside yet, just stopped to shoot its title mural along the side of the building.

Helicopter gaining altitude, having taken off from Battersea heliport.

Pentax K-3 mk lll

Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG OS

A Rio Grande SD40T-2 and SD45 combo pull D&RGW train No. 152 along the Mapleton Bench in Springville, Utah on May 25, 1989. 5371 went on to gain notoriety as Union Pacific’s last Rio Grande lettered and numbered locomotive. It would be retired as DRGW 5371 in 2008 and donated to the Utah State Railroad Museum in 2009.

Taken @ sunnys studio

Pose used Gains

butterfly from last year processed with new method

This farm building has lost a large part of itself, maybe to a storm or some other trauma. If you live long enough, the words "torn asunder" gain personal meaning as the loss of family, relatives and friends means a large part of your life is no longer.

I've always been deeply impacted by the loss of rock stars...not those that have tragically taken their own lives through drugs...but those that have now more frequently begun to show the natural evolution of human mortality. Yesterday a case in point. I reckon it's because they have been friends for what is now a very long time...and in some ways better friends than most in that they have always been there in time of need at the spin of a turntable or the push of a button. And as Led Zeppelin said, "Good times, bad times, you know I've had my share." And we, who Steve Miller called "Children of the Future," growing up in the '60s and '70s took our music seriously. And we have been loyal to it throughout the decades. In our minds, nothing has nor will ever compare.

In recent years, the passing of rock icons through natural causes has brought the somewhat astonishing recognition that the future has arrived...and with it all the annoying symptoms of human frailty and seniority. They are losses of consequence, and, for me, cause for much reflection and thought as to a life lived.

And yet, just a few weeks ago, my Grandson entered the world...and today word that a valued contact named Marilyn was overjoyed at the arrival of a Grandaughter. These of course are the gains some of us are fortunate enough to experience. These remind of the hopes and dreams and expectations that we had for ourselves so many years ago -- some fulfilled, some denied. We now pass these on to others, still perhaps best expressed by another rock icon -- always best in his Jeff Beck and Faces days...;-))) Life, for now, goes on...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T9apksOv6k

After gaining the upper plateau of Cairn Gorm, we can look down through the rocks of the coire as we refuel with some light snacks. A small lochan lies below us called Coire an Lochan with our starting point to the right and the town of Aviemore just visible beyond Loch Morlich in the distance.

Cairn Gorm, the mountain from which the Cairngorm mountain range gets its name, stands at 1245 meters (4085 feet) and is my 4th Munro of the season, my 27th in total. The hike (no bike this time) sees me covering a circuit of just over 7 miles and making an elevation gain of around 762 meters (2500 feet).

Further development and change of perspective, in life and in creativity is always a gain for yourself and also for the people with whom you are in communication. The photo is a small project in which new ideas were implemented. Thank you for the support and implementation by my friend.

"In solitude the mind gains strength and learns to lean upon itself."

Still waiting for the weather to be a bit better such that I can finally try my vintage lenses on my Sony A7II, but until then, I'll look through my library to find some shots like this one which I think is worth sharing. Hope you like it!

Common merganser hen

As we traverse further along the cliffs at the edge of the Cairn Gorm plateau we can clearly the way ahead and the final climb up to the prominent rocky summit of Cairn Gorm itself.

Cairn Gorm, the mountain from which the Cairngorm mountain range gets its name, stands at 1245 meters (4085 feet) and is my 4th Munro of the season, my 27th in total. The hike (no bike this time) sees me covering a circuit of just over 7 miles and making an elevation gain of around 762 meters (2500 feet).

So, let's continue with what I started at the end of last year. Maybe you remember. I showed you a photo of this landscape from Děčín in Bohemian Switzerland and promised to go into the details again later.

The next element in this series would be this impressive building, which can be seen down there under a dramatic winter sky, the Tetschner Castle.

As early as 1128, a fortification was mentioned at this point that served to control shipping traffic on the Elbe (that was almost 1000 years ago, unimaginable). In the 16th century, after various other building projects, the Baroque palace that can be visited today was built.

In the 19th century, the castle gained some fame when the then well-known composer Frédéric Chopin stayed here for five days and even composed a waltz here, which is still known today as the "Tetschner Waltz".

Even though the building looks more like a fortress from a distance, the baroque influence inside is unmistakable. For example, the inner courtyard houses a quite impressive rose garden.

So, dann fahren wir mal damit fort, was ich am Ende des letzten Jahres begonnen hatte. Vielleicht erinnert Ihr Euch. Ich hatte Euch eine Aufnahme dieser Landschaft von Děčín in der Böhmischen Schweiz gezeigt und versprochen, auf die Details später noch einmal einzugehen.

Das nächste Element in dieser Reihe währe dann dieses beeindruckende Gebäude, welches dort unten, unter einem dramatischen Winterhimmel zu sehen ist, das Tetschner Schloss.

Bereits 1128 wird an dieser Stelle eine Befestigung erwähnt die dazu diente den Schiffsverkehr auf der Elbe zu kontrollieren (das ist fast 1000 Jahr her, unvorstellbar). Im 16. Jahrundert entstand dann, nach verschiedenen anderen Baumaßahmen das heute zu besichtigende Barockschloß.

Im 19. Jahrundert erlangte das Schlöß einige Berühmtheit, als der damals schon recht bekannte Komponist Frédéric Chopin für fünf Tage hier verweilte und hier sogar einen Walzer Komponierte, der noch heute als der "Tetschner Walzer" bekannt ist.

Auch wenn das Gebäude von weitem eher wie eine Festung aussieht, so ist der barocke Einfluß im Inneren unverkennbar. So beherbergt der Innehof zum Beispiel einen recht beeindruckenden Rosengarten.

more of this on my website at: www.shoot-to-catch.de

Sure hope we all soon can comfortably see aerial views like this again! :)

Have a terrific day, everyone...

The Mallard bursts into flight, showcasing the exceptional raw power needed to launch directly from the water. Unlike many birds that require a running start to gain momentum, Mallards rely on a perfectly synchronized thrust of their webbed feet and powerful wings, executing a swift and dynamic takeoff.

Notice that the bill is almost completely black. The bill of a Mallard chick is almost entirely black at birth and remains dark as they grow. However, after they can fly, usually around three to four months, the bill changes color. Males develop bright yellow bills, while females have a mix of black spots on an orange bill.

Object: SH2-284 in Monoceros in SHO (February 2024)

This is a widefield capture in Monoceros (the Unicorn) showing the primary target: SH2-284 which is a HII star forming region about 15,000 light years distant. The image was shot with narrowband filters and combined in the SHO palette which is also know as the Hubble Space Telescope palette (HST)

Some of the objects in the field:

- SH2-284 – center-left- Sometimes referred to as the Little Rosette

- NGC2282- HII Ionized region in Monoceros – upper center right

- Lynd’s Bright Nebulae- LBN983-LBN984-LBN987

- Acquisition Date: 02/06/2024 to 02/09/2024

- Location: Western Massachusetts, USA

- Imaging Camera: QHY600PH-M -10°C - Mode 1(High Gain) Offset:15 Gain:56

- Telescope: Takahashi FSQ106EDXIII @ f/5 (530mm focal length - 106mm aperture)

- Mount: Astro-Physics AP1100 w/GTO4

- Guide scope: Celestron Off Axis Guider

- Guide Camera: ASI174m mini

- Software: Adobe Photoshop CS5, Sequence Generator Pro, PixInsight 1.8 Ripley, Aries Astro Pixel Processor

Filters:

- Chroma Ha 3nm 50mm

- Chroma OIII 3nm 50mm

- Astrodon SII 3nm 50mm

Exposure Times:

- Hydrogen Alpha (Ha): 27 x 10min. (270min) bin 1x1

- Oxygen III (OIII):34 x 10min. (340min) bin 1x1

- Sulfur II (SII) 29 x 10min. (290min) bin 1x1

Total Exposure:900 min. (15.0hrs)

Sky Quality:

-Magnitude: 19.71

-Bortle Class 5

-1.41 mcd/m^2 Brightness

-1234.6 ucd/m^2 Artificial Brightness

Navajo Bridge.

Marble Canyon, AZ.

3-20-22.

Photo by: Ned Harris

Note: Sunning posture, aka" Horaltic Pose" with the wings spread with the back facing the sun. This behavior likely has several functions in different situations – allowing for heat loss when the bird is too warm, heat gain on cool early mornings and wing drying when the feathers are wet. I’ve also heard it suggested that they may sometimes be using ultraviolet light from the sun to kill bacteria on their plumage from their last decaying meal. Another possible explanation is warming up their feathers prior to aligning them properly.

Jazz

www.youtube.com/watch?v=weJEgBs6FGQ

Or in this case kittens. The kittens come running now at feeding times and I can now pet them. It will be so much easier to pick them up rather than use the cat traps to take them to the vets to have them spayed/neutered.

The brown one.

Patience certainly gains the day.

Pacific white-fronted geese after taking off from the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge on their spring migration to the northern reaches of Alaska and Canada. Currently two populations of white-fronted geese are recognized: the Pacific Population and the Mid-Continent Population. Numbers of Pacific Population white-fronted geese have increased steadily over the last decade.

Thanks, as always, for stopping by and for all of your kind comments -- I appreciate them all.

© Melissa Post 2018

Au XIIIe siècle, le château de Selles est une véritable forteresse de grès de 15 mètres de haut, de forme polygonale et flanquée de 6 tours dont une géminée. Il a alors une double fonction : assurer la surveillance de la porte de Selles et de l’Escaut et asseoir l’autorité du comte-évêque sur les Cambrésiens. Il est en partie remblayé au XVIe siècle. A l’intérieur des tours subsistent deux niveaux de salles voûtées d’ogives. Elles sont reliées entre elles par un système original de gaines, couloirs aménagés dans l’épaisseur des murailles et utilisés comme prisons dès le XIVe siècle. D’émouvants graffiti gravés dans les murs reflètent les engagements politiques et religieux des détenus.

L'ancien hôpital militaire du XVIIIe siècle qui le surmonte, abrite aujourd'hui le tribunal.

Rolling into the nice super elevated curve just south of Gaines, Michigan is Grand Trunk Western train #410 running from Durand to Lang Yd. in Toledo, Ohio. Normally a pair of SD40's this day you found no complaints from me with GP9 4544 leading SD40 5929 - December 18, 1976.

Rolling thru Gaines, Michigan having just left the home terminal in Durand a couple miles back is GTW train #450 a turn to east yard in Detroit with former boiler GP9 4930 leading 2 sisters on February 26, 1983.

Well, 2024 is ending. Is it with a sense of relief, like Thank Fv%£ for that? Didn't so many of us just struggle to exist through the year. I know we worked very hard through the summer months but gained so much in warmth, happiness in smiles with people from all around the world. And we finished on a high with a large family gathering at Christmas. But the year was mainly a washout in terms of weather. We were grateful for a splash of glorious springlike weather early on and a late hoorah of sunshine in September. But a shadow covered the world thoughout the year, and hangs over us still. The future seems bleak in many ways and yet we are supposed to go into 2025 with hope and optimism: politically, geo-politically, economically, racially and culturally. For me, 2024 will end on a high if our 10 week old granddaughter is able to return her West Highland home from a dash visit to see a paediatrician specialist in hospital, a three hour journey away over what are likely to be snowy mountain roads within the coming hours. I just hope and pray 2025 makes us all, friends and family, happier with a healthy and prosperous New Year

Here I was, looking north at the viewpoint a mile past the peak of Mount Pisgah with an amazing view of Lake Willoughby and into southern Quebec.

We were so close to the border that our phones thought we were in Canada! 😁

This 4.1-mile with an elevation gain of 1,653 ft trail is one of the best hikes in Vermont.

The views on top were beautiful and worth the strenuous hike. The elevation gain in the short distance made this rocky trail a hard one.

If you zoom in you will see two hikers on top of the outcrop (on the right) .

The boat looks like a silverfish to me, and I have a deep fear on silverfish! 😉

Hiking downhill never bothered me, so I thought after all the huffing and puffing going up on this steep trail, coming down would be a breeze. Not so in this one. Besides the steepness, the trail was covered by leaves, compounded by the heat, exposed roots, rocks, and occasional mud really made it slow going.

Yes, it always feels good AFTER a demanding hike, but NOT during! 😊🌞

Thank you for your visit!!! 💕

This summer has seen a big uptick in tourism here in Alaska. I thought that we would see a slight increase over the past two years - but I have been amazed at the number of bikers and recreational vehicles seen jamming our roadways.

When I say "recreational vehicles" - I'm not talking about small campers - I'm talking about huge motorhomes towing cars, and most of them are a part of so called "caravans", (which in itself is costly).

On the other side of the coin - I have never seen so many motorcycles. While it is a much cheaper way to see our great state - it is not the most comfortable way to travel, especially when mother nature decides to dish out cloudy and rainy weather every other day, like she has this year.

In this photo you see two bikers who passed us at a high rate of speed - only to be stopped by road construction, thereby negating any time they may have gained in racing over the rugged road surface.

Snuck in an early afternoon workout at The ReNew Fitness Center at The Vistas and about to have my shake, (it's seriously delicious and my fav thing to have after a high intensity workout.)

You guys are going to LOVE this place.

Serenity Studios...

Here we will cater to all of your needs. Mind. Body. Soul

Xo

Recomece hoje e sempre...

Roaming around Christmas in the Park a few years ago. I think I gained a couple of pounds just getting the shot. Downtown San José, California.

On a cold fall day, a bighorn sheep chose to rest on a natural rock bench that had been heated by the sun. It was so content it was chewing its cud while soaking up the sunshine.

You may want to enlarge to see more detail of the sheep but I purposely shot for distance to get a better idea of the setting.

Photographed in the Colorado National Monument, Grand Junction, Colorado.

I guess that's why Pierre LaCroix created this hot new workout tank by TRIVIUM for Kario

Here are the links to the TRIVIUM MAINSTORE and MARKET PLACE

The Fat Pack comes in 6 solid colours with 6 additional designs including the one I'm wearing called, 'BadAss'

This tank is available at the INITHIUM SECOND BIRTHDAY BASH that opens on the 13th of October and runs until the 30th

___________________________________________________

Naturally, the tattoo I'm wearing is by the inimitable Marco Moda who just opened a new store adjacent to the MEN ONLY MONTHLY (MOM) event

Here's a link to Marco's new store:

MARCO MODA SUNSET AMBIANCE FLAGSHIP STORE

Nikon 14-24/2.8G