View allAll Photos Tagged gargle."
The De Chambeau Ranch was one of the largest ranches in the Mono Basin. It raised cattle, sheep, chickens, alfalfa, and vegetables to be sold in Bodie, Aurora, Lundy, and Lee Vining.
The 320-acre ranch contains the original buildings, some of the original barbed wire, ditches, roadways, fence lines, and wells.
Drawn to California by gold, Louis W. De Chambeau's father moved to Bodie from Ontario, Canada in 1878. Louis W. followed two years later when he was 18. In 1906 he purchased the ranch from Italian immigrant Nicholas Dondero, who sold it to fund exploration in Alaska.
The De Chambeau family was self-sufficient except for a few staples, such as sugar and salt. Their beds were stuffed with feathers frm Mono Lake ducks and if they had sore throats, they gargled with Mono Lake water.
Ranchers could handle many tasks: stack hay, shape horseshoes and nails from iron, grow vegetables in the sandy soil, butcher hogs and sheep. They also traded skills for goods. Louis W. De Chambeau crafted skis, for example, which he sold in Body, Lundy, and throughout the Mono Basin.
Norm De Chambeau:
“So my grandfather decided that when he moved here to the ranch that he would, uh, make skis from then on, (And, uh, he sold them, the men’s skis for $8 a pair plus 50 cents or a dollar for the pole. And that was huge money in them days. And he ended up estimating between 500 to 1000 skis that he’d built in Mono Basin, (and) sold to the different people in here.”
A pair of De Chambeau’s hand-carved skis is on display at the Mammoth Ski Museum and at Bodie State Historic Park.
Gargled
Had a sore throat when I woke up this morning, and one of mum's traditional get-rid-of-a-sore-throat remedies was to gargle warm, salty water. Sometimes it works!
Hundreds of birds flew overhead again early this morning - the yodel/gargle calls are a treat to hear!
Ref. IS 10bis_22
Iceland 2003
Fotografías tomadas a las 12 de la noche, bajo una ténue luz solar reflejada. Llegar a la explanada de Namaskard en plena noche, sin nadie alrededor, sobrepone, se oye respirar la Tierra. Ritmicamente los diversos pozuelos humeantes lanzan ruidos gorgogeantes, como de respiración pesada y lenta mientras se forman bulbos de agua que se hinchan y explotan para soltar los gases que salen de las entrañas. Cada expiración fotografiada ofrece formas distintas como en una danza ininterrumpida. Es la respiración de la tierra.
© Manel Armengol
Contact: armengol.manel@gmail.com
This was quite amusing as the cock had crowed so much his voice was going. Sounded like he had been gargling with gravel.
On November 26th, I asked Facebook to give me some nouns. They were not informed of what the nouns were for. One noun per person, in order of arrival.
Welcome to a new edition of Old School Things I Can't Draw.
Introduction:
The black currant shrub is native to Europe and parts of Asia and is particularly popular in Eastern Europe and Russia. Traditional herbalists uphold that black currant has diuretic (increases urine flow), diaphoretic (promotes sweating), and antipyretic (fever reducer) properties. In Europe, it has been used topically (applied to the skin) to treat skin disorders, such as atopic dermatitis, and as part of gargles to treat sore throats. Black currant juice has been boiled down into a sugary extract, called Rob, to treat sore throat inflammation, colds, the flu and febrile (fever) illness. A mixture made from black currant bark has been used to treat calculus (hardened plaque), edema (swelling) and hemorrhoids.
With a vitamin C content estimated to be five times that of oranges (2,000 milligrams/kilogram), black currant has potential dietary benefits. Black currant is also rich in rutin and other flavonoids, which are known as antioxidants. Because of black currant's high essential fatty acid content, researchers believe that it may be effective in the treatment of inflammatory conditions and pain management, as well as in regulating the circulatory system and increasing immunity.
yuensunshine.com/fruit-extract/blackcurrant-juice-powder....
Meet Adger, a soldier of His Royal Army, he has finally found the way to true power. After successfully killing his opponent in His jousting tounament, he won the love of a magnificent maiden. Little did Adger know that she was previously engaged to the jouster he had killed, whom was really Prince Caldell. So as he sleeps, the maiden retrieves a small knife from a sheath strapped to her leg, and brutally slits Adger's throat. Before Adger dies, he utters. . . "I will. . .return. . .*Gargle, gargle*. . ."
A Blackthorn shrub near Clapperbrook lane by the River Exe in Exeter. === Blackthorn, also known as 'sloe', is a small deciduous tree native to the UK and most of Europe. It is spiny and densely branched, mature trees can grow to a height of around 6-7m, and live for up to 100 years. The dark brown bark is smooth, and twigs form straight side shoots, which develop into thorns. The twigs are black and spiny with leaf buds along the spines. The leaves are slightly wrinkled, oval, toothed, pointed at the tip and tapered at the base. Blackthorn is a hermaphrodite, meaning both male and female reproductive parts are found in one flower. White flowers appear on short stalks before the leaves in March and April, either singularly or in pairs. Once pollinated by insects, the flowers develop into blue-black fruits measuring 1cm across. Blackthorn is native to Europe and western Asia. It can also be found in New Zealand and eastern North America. It grows best in moist, well drained soil and thrives in full sunlight. It grows naturally in scrub, copses and woodlands, but is commonly used as a hedging plant. Early flowering, blackthorn provides a valuable source of nectar and pollen for bees in spring. Its foliage is a food plant for the caterpillars of many moths, including the lackey, magpie, common emerald, small eggar, swallow-tailed and yellow-tailed. It is also used by the black and brown hairstreak butterflies. Birds nest among the dense, thorny thickets, eat caterpillars and other insects from the leaves, and feast on the berries in autumn. === The expression "sloe-eyed" for a person with dark eyes comes from the fruit, and is first attested in A. J. Wilson's 1867 novel Vashti. Blackthorn was long associated with witchcraft, and it is said that witches' wands and staffs were made using blackthorn wood. The shrub, with its savage thorns, is traditionally used in Britain and other parts of Northern Europe to make a cattle-proof hedge. The timber is hardwearing and tough, light yellow with a brown heartwood. It was traditionally used for making walking sticks and tool parts. It burns well, and is often used as firewood. Blackthorn is used as a hedging shrub, particularly in wildlife gardens. The sloes are used for wine making and preserves, and, most commonly, flavouring gin. In the British Army, blackthorn sticks are carried by commissioned officers of the Royal Irish Regiment; the tradition also occurs in Irish regiments in some Commonwealth countries. Some people apply blackthorn flower directly to the skin for rashes, “skin impurities,” and “blood purification.” In foods, blackthorn flower is used in herbal teas as a colouring agent. A marmalade made from the berry is used for upset stomach. Blackthorn berry is used as a mouth rinse (gargle) for mild sore throat and mouth Wine made from fermented sloes is made in Britain, and in Germany and other central European countries. Sloes can also be made into jam and, used in fruit pies, and if preserved in vinegar are similar in taste to Japanese umeboshi. The juice of the fruits dyes linen a reddish colour that washes out to a durable pale blue. === Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Rosids Order: Rosales Family: Rosaceae Genus: Prunus Subgenus: Prunus Section: Prunus Species: P. spinosa Binomial name Prunus spinosa
Dulce et Decorum est (1917)
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And floundering like a man in fire or lime.
Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in.
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
Wilfred Owen, Dulce et Decorum est (1917)
A Blackthorn shrub in the Hill Barton business park of Exeter, UK. There is also Common hawthorn, Holly, Spindle and Guelder-rose planted within these hedgerows. === Blackthorn, also known as 'sloe', is a small deciduous tree native to the UK and most of Europe. It is spiny and densely branched, mature trees can grow to a height of around 6-7m, and live for up to 100 years. The dark brown bark is smooth, and twigs form straight side shoots, which develop into thorns. The twigs are black and spiny with leaf buds along the spines. The leaves are slightly wrinkled, oval, toothed, pointed at the tip and tapered at the base. Blackthorn is a hermaphrodite, meaning both male and female reproductive parts are found in one flower. White flowers appear on short stalks before the leaves in March and April, either singularly or in pairs. Once pollinated by insects, the flowers develop into blue-black fruits measuring 1cm across. Blackthorn is native to Europe and western Asia. It can also be found in New Zealand and eastern North America. It grows best in moist, well drained soil and thrives in full sunlight. It grows naturally in scrub, copses and woodlands, but is commonly used as a hedging plant. Early flowering, blackthorn provides a valuable source of nectar and pollen for bees in spring. Its foliage is a food plant for the caterpillars of many moths, including the lackey, magpie, common emerald, small eggar, swallow-tailed and yellow-tailed. It is also used by the black and brown hairstreak butterflies. Birds nest among the dense, thorny thickets, eat caterpillars and other insects from the leaves, and feast on the berries in autumn. === The expression "sloe-eyed" for a person with dark eyes comes from the fruit, and is first attested in A. J. Wilson's 1867 novel Vashti. Blackthorn was long associated with witchcraft, and it is said that witches' wands and staffs were made using blackthorn wood. The shrub, with its savage thorns, is traditionally used in Britain and other parts of Northern Europe to make a cattle-proof hedge. The timber is hardwearing and tough, light yellow with a brown heartwood. It was traditionally used for making walking sticks and tool parts. It burns well, and is often used as firewood. Blackthorn is used as a hedging shrub, particularly in wildlife gardens. The sloes are used for wine making and preserves, and, most commonly, flavouring gin. In the British Army, blackthorn sticks are carried by commissioned officers of the Royal Irish Regiment; the tradition also occurs in Irish regiments in some Commonwealth countries. Some people apply blackthorn flower directly to the skin for rashes, “skin impurities,” and “blood purification.” In foods, blackthorn flower is used in herbal teas as a colouring agent. A marmalade made from the berry is used for upset stomach. Blackthorn berry is used as a mouth rinse (gargle) for mild sore throat and mouth Wine made from fermented sloes is made in Britain, and in Germany and other central European countries. Sloes can also be made into jam and, used in fruit pies, and if preserved in vinegar are similar in taste to Japanese umeboshi. The juice of the fruits dyes linen a reddish colour that washes out to a durable pale blue. === Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Rosids Order: Rosales Family: Rosaceae Genus: Prunus Subgenus: Prunus Section: Prunus Species: P. spinosa Binomial name Prunus spinosa
Anyway, to Sunday. And something quite exciting, in that we were going to leave Kent for the first time together since, I have no idea, maybe December, and only the second time I have since March 13th. Jools has become a member of the RHS, and she found out that came with free entry to all their gardens, so she said how nice it would go to Wisley, so we picked what looked like it would be a good day, booked tickets as numbers are very limited, and Sunday was the day.
The alarm went off at six, it was just getting light in the east, cats and kittens fed, made coffee and breakfast, so all ready to leave the house at half seven to the gardens, planning on arriving just after nine when it opened.
It was an uneventful trip, up the M20, through the Operation Brock work between Ashford and Maidstone, which I guess will come as a permanent thing after Christmas.
Along the M25, quite quiet and the weather was glorious. Was going to be perfect for snapping, he said with a boot-full of cameras and lenses.
We turned off onto the A3, then half a mile down there, turned into the lane leading to Wisely, a few dozen cars were already there, it was five past nine.
We wait in line, me wrapped in cameras. We are allowed in after Jools flashed her membership card, and the morning was ours!
RHS Wisley I wanted to get round as much as possible, get shots before too many people arrived and got in the way. So, it was supposed to be a trip for Jools to look at borders and plants for ideas, and of course it turned into a photographic trip.
No real surprise, there.
We walk past the large ornamental lake, where the refelctions were perfect, but a week or three to early for really nice autumn colours. Don't stop me snapping, mind.
From there we walk to the glass house, which did not open until ten, so we walk round the beds surround the reflection pool, no lake, which surrouned the building.
Most of the plants were in seed or had withered, but there was enough to keep us interested, and give us ideas for our little slice of botanical heaven.
The glass house opened, so we go round in our winter coat in tropical heat and humidity. My Nana would have said we'd catch our death of cold. As expected, I fnd the orchid display, and snap them.
We walk back outside and the coolness of the autumn morning hit like a pan galactic gargle-blaster.
We go for a coffee, but there was no food on, so we make do with sesame seeded honey covered peanuts. They were good, but at £2.50 for a small bag, they should have been.
We go to the rock garden, which went on for quite a while, really well done with a couple of fake streams tinkling down.
We sit on a bench at the bottom of the rock garden, and look at the familes complete with screaming and hyper kids running about. We look at each other and say, "have you had enough?" We agreed.
So we walked back to the shop, looked round and bought nothing. Jools went into the plant shop to look round and again bought nothing.
We went back to the car and drove off, 90 minutes from home, if the traffic would be kind.
The wind had got up and it was clouding up, but I had dozens of shots in the can, or on the memory card.
The years have made me bitter, the gargle dims my brain
'Cause Dublin keeps on changing and nothing stays the same
The Pillar and the Met have gone, the Royal long since pulled down
As the grey unyielding concrete, makes a city of my town
December 2011
Original by The Dubliners
The De Chambeau Ranch was one of the largest ranches in the Mono Basin. It raised cattle, sheep, chickens, alfalfa, and vegetables to be sold in Bodie, Aurora, Lundy, and Lee Vining.
The 320-acre ranch contains the original buildings, some of the original barbed wire, ditches, roadways, fence lines, and wells.
Drawn to California by gold, Louis W. De Chambeau's father moved to Bodie from Ontario, Canada in 1878. Louis W. followed two years later when he was 18. In 1906 he purchased the ranch from Italian immigrant Nicholas Dondero, who sold it to fund exploration in Alaska.
The De Chambeau family was self-sufficient except for a few staples, such as sugar and salt. Their beds were stuffed with feathers frm Mono Lake ducks and if they had sore throats, they gargled with Mono Lake water.
Ranchers could handle many tasks: stack hay, shape horseshoes and nails from iron, grow vegetables in the sandy soil, butcher hogs and sheep. They also traded skills for goods. Louis W. De Chambeau crafted skis, for example, which he sold in Body, Lundy, and throughout the Mono Basin.
Norm De Chambeau:
“So my grandfather decided that when he moved here to the ranch that he would, uh, make skis from then on, (And, uh, he sold them, the men’s skis for $8 a pair plus 50 cents or a dollar for the pole. And that was huge money in them days. And he ended up estimating between 500 to 1000 skis that he’d built in Mono Basin, (and) sold to the different people in here.”
A pair of De Chambeau’s hand-carved skis is on display at the Mammoth Ski Museum and at Bodie State Historic Park.
65 years old and I think I have tonsilitis--at least on one side, hard to swallow, lots of pain, slight fever; doing all the standard home remedies, gargling with hydrogen pyroxide solution, sipping hot tea with lemon and honey, will wait to see if I need an antibiotic. all yucky...and bored, no energy to make up projects, outings, sun bothers my eyes so shades, very clean, just out of the shower but couldn't bring myself to shave! White heap behind me is my Chevy truck under about 6-12 inches of hard ice and snow.
This year's migration has been spread out over time. The calls of migrating birds are a bit different from the gargling/yodeling of winter residents calling to each other.
Growth: figwort is met by woods, clearings of forests, meadows, along fences, bushes humid swamps and creeks edge, from the plain to the mountains.
Body plant used: rhizome and aerial parts of the plant.
Harvest time: figwort, can be harvested in July-August.
Internal use.
In internal use figwort, is used to treat angina diphtheria, helminiatiazei tonsillitis inflamed adenitei, hemorrhoidal inflammation.
External use.
In external use medicinal herb is used to treat hemorrhoids, wounds, scrofulous lymph, skin diseases.
Figwort Tea (infusion):
A teaspoon of herb, crushed or ground leaves make 100 ml boiling water.
Cover for 10 minutes, then strain.
You can drink three servings of these a day in small sips.
The tea can be used in the treatment of tonsillitis, in the form of a gargle several times per day, the latter of which at bedtime. …read more…
[order] Ciconiiformes | [family] Ardeidae | [latin] Egretta garzetta | [UK] Little Egret | [FR] Aigrette garzette | [DE] Seidenreiher | [ES] Garceta Común | [IT] Garzetta comune | [NL] Kleine Zilverreiger | [IRL] Éigrit bheag
spanwidth min.: 88 cm
spanwidth max.: 106 cm
size min.: 55 cm
size max.: 65 cm
Breeding
incubation min.: 21 days
incubation max.: 22 days
fledging min.: 40 days
fledging max.: 45 days
broods 1
eggs min.: 3
eggs max.: 5
Status: Resident along coasts and rivers throughout Ireland, but still scarce in the Midlands and north-west of the country. Little Egret was considered rare in Ireland until it first started breeding here in 1997. It has since expanded and now occurs in almost every coastal county, as well as at a number of inland sites.
Conservation Concern: Green-listed in Ireland. The European population is considered to be Secure.
Identification: Medium-sized white heron, with long black legs, yellow feet, black bill and blue-grey lores, and two elongated nape-feathers in breeding plumage.
Similar Species: Unmistakable in Ireland. Great White Egret is a rare visitor from Continental Europe, but is twice the size.
Call: Rook-like hoarse 'aaah' on alighting from the ground. At colonies, hoarse hard gargling 'gulla-gulla-gulla…' often heard.
Diet: Takes a wide variety of animals including small fish, frogs, snails and insects and forages across a range of wetland habitats from lakes to flooded grassland. Often forages alone; but maybe encountered in small groups.
Breeding: Clutch: 4-5 eggs (1 brood) Incubation: 21-22 days.Fledging: 40-45 days (Altrical). Age of first breeding: not known. Breeds in lakes, marshes, flooded fields & estuaries.
Wintering: Little Egrets use a variety of wetland habitats, including shallow lakes, riverbanks, lagoons, coastal estuaries and rocky shoreline.
Where to See: Sites in Counties Cork and Waterford regularly support most birds - Cork Harbour, Blackwater Estuary, Bantry Bay, Ballymacoda and Courtmacsherry Bay, Broadstrand Bay & Dunworley are among the best sites (up to 30 birds).
Physical characteristics
Little Egret is a small and elegant white egret, showing slender neck, fine pointed black bill and black legs with yellow feet. Adult in breeding plumage has bluish face and reddish lores. We can see two long fine white hindcrown feathers, extending from the nape to the mid-neck. It also has "aigrettes", long feathers of upper breast and recurved scapular feathers. At this time, Little Egret has greyish base of lower mandible. Feet turn bright yellow-orange, even pinkish for short time. In winter plumage, bill is black, lores are greyish, and feet are pale yellow or greenish-yellow. And it lacks long feathers on nape, and "aigrettes" in scapulars and breast. Eyes are pale yellow. Both sexes are similar. Juvenile resembles adult in winter plumage, with duller or greenish bill and legs, and grey-green feet, less contrasting.
Habitat
Little Egret is found in a wide variety of open inland and coastal wetlands, shallow water around lakes, rivers, streams and estuaries. Little Egret breeds in warm temperate parts of Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Most birds are residents. But northern populations migrate to Africa and Southern Asia. Little Egret starts to colonise the New World, breeding in Bahamas, and seen in Caribbean and Surinam.
Other details
Egretta garzetta is a widespread but patchily distributed breeder in southern Europe, which accounts for less than a quarter of its global breeding range. Its European breeding population is relatively small (<94,000 pairs), but increased between 1970- 1990. Although there were declines in a few countries during 1990-2000, populations across most of its European range-including sizeable ones in Spain, France, Italy and Azerbaijan-increased or were stable.
This bird has a wide distribution in the southern parts of Europe and Asia, in northern, eastern and southern Africa, on the Cape Verde Islands, in Indonesia and Australia. European populations winter mainly in northern Africa, but since 1950 an increasing number of individuals remain during the winter along the European coasts of the Mediterranean. The population of the European Union amounts to about 22700 breeding pairs. It is increasing in Spain, France and Italy, decreasing in Greece
Feeding
Little Egret feeds on small fishes, frogs, lizards, worms, crustaceans, molluscs and a wide part of insects.
Conservation
This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 1,000,000-10,000,000 km². It has a large global population estimated to be 640,000-3,100,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2002). Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern. [conservation status from birdlife.org]
Breeding
Little Egret nests in colonies, with other heron and wetland species. They nest in reedbeds, wetland scrubs or trees near water, up to 20 metres above the ground. Nest is a platform made with twigs or reeds. Male brings material to female which builds the nest. Female lays 3 to 5 pale greenish blue eggs, at intervals of one or two days. Incubation starts with the first egg laid, and lasts about 21 to 25 days, shared by both parents. Each adult sits 3 to 4 hours on the nest, and when it is time to change, both adults fluff their feathers and bow in front of each other, while they utter their grating elongated sound. Chicks hatch covered with white down, with pink bill and legs, turning quickly to bluish-grey. They are fed by both adults, with regurgitated food into their bills. At about three weeks, young leave the nest to move into nearly branches. They are not able to fly, but they are very agile to walk on branches. They perform their first flight with parents at about 5 weeks of age, learning to fly and to hunt in shallow water. They roost with the colony every night until they are independent.
Migration
Extensive post-breeding dispersal. Palearctic breeders partially migratory: West populations winter around Mediterranean, Middle East and particularly tropical Africa. East populations migrate to South of China, South East Asia and Philippines, although large numbers remain in Japan. Populations of Africa, India and Australia sedentary, with some dispersal or nomadism. Birds ringed in East Australia recovered in New Zealand and New Guinea. Races gularis/schistacea apparently resident and dispersive; accidental to Europe and USA. Race dimorpha strictly sedentary. Migratory populations prone to overshooting in spring.
Explore 109
Common name: Crape myrtle, Saoni सावनी (Hindi), Dhayti (Marathi), Chinagoranta (Telugu) Pavalakkurinji (Tamil)
Botanical name: Lagerstroemia indica Family: Lythraceae (Crape myrtle family)
Crape myrtle is the smaller version of Lagerstroemia speciosa, commonly known as Pride of India or Queen crape myrtle. The deciduous crape myrtle is among the longest blooming trees in existence with flowering periods lasting from 60-120 days. Crapes come in heights as short as 18 in (46 cm) and as tall as 40 ft (12 m) Leaves are alternate and smooth, but leaf size depends on variety. Flowers are borne in summer in big showy clusters and come in white and many shades of pink, purple, lavender and red.
Medicinal uses: Seeds are narcotic. In Manipur, flowers and leaves are used as purgatives. Bark is stimulant and febrifuge (fever removing) Roots are astringent and used as gargle.
A tea of the leaves is very valuable as an asthma remedy, croup, bronchitis, all lung afflictions, bleeding of the lungs, difficult breathing, colds, flu, dry cough and hay fever.
The tea is also good as a throat gargle and also for toothache, as well as an excellent remedy for washing open sores on the skin. How to aid sleep is asked by many day by day, so a tea made from the flowers will induce sleep, relieve pain, and in large doses will act as a laxative. So it can also be seen as a laxative herb.
What you don't know is that I had to spit and gargle with water several times after this photo was taken. Wind + sand + open mouth = sexy spitting.
Toen er nog een Sjah was: meer dan 7,5 Liter gorgelen - When there was still a Persian Sjah: more than 7,5 liters gargling.
[order] Ciconiiformes | [family] Ardeidae | [latin] Egretta garzetta | [UK] Little Egret | [FR] Aigrette garzette | [DE] Seidenreiher | [ES] Garceta Común | [IT] Garzetta comune | [NL] Kleine Zilverreiger | [IRL] Éigrit bheag
spanwidth min.: 88 cm
spanwidth max.: 106 cm
size min.: 55 cm
size max.: 65 cm
Breeding
incubation min.: 21 days
incubation max.: 22 days
fledging min.: 40 days
fledging max.: 45 days
broods 1
eggs min.: 3
eggs max.: 5
Status: Resident along coasts and rivers throughout Ireland, but still scarce in the Midlands and north-west of the country. Little Egret was considered rare in Ireland until it first started breeding here in 1997. It has since expanded and now occurs in almost every coastal county, as well as at a number of inland sites.
Conservation Concern: Green-listed in Ireland. The European population is considered to be Secure.
Identification: Medium-sized white heron, with long black legs, yellow feet, black bill and blue-grey lores, and two elongated nape-feathers in breeding plumage.
Similar Species: Unmistakable in Ireland. Great White Egret is a rare visitor from Continental Europe, but is twice the size.
Call: Rook-like hoarse 'aaah' on alighting from the ground. At colonies, hoarse hard gargling 'gulla-gulla-gulla…' often heard.
Diet: Takes a wide variety of animals including small fish, frogs, snails and insects and forages across a range of wetland habitats from lakes to flooded grassland. Often forages alone; but maybe encountered in small groups.
Breeding: Clutch: 4-5 eggs (1 brood) Incubation: 21-22 days.Fledging: 40-45 days (Altrical). Age of first breeding: not known. Breeds in lakes, marshes, flooded fields & estuaries.
Wintering: Little Egrets use a variety of wetland habitats, including shallow lakes, riverbanks, lagoons, coastal estuaries and rocky shoreline.
Where to See: Sites in Counties Cork and Waterford regularly support most birds - Cork Harbour, Blackwater Estuary, Bantry Bay, Ballymacoda and Courtmacsherry Bay, Broadstrand Bay & Dunworley are among the best sites (up to 30 birds).
Physical characteristics
Little Egret is a small and elegant white egret, showing slender neck, fine pointed black bill and black legs with yellow feet. Adult in breeding plumage has bluish face and reddish lores. We can see two long fine white hindcrown feathers, extending from the nape to the mid-neck. It also has "aigrettes", long feathers of upper breast and recurved scapular feathers. At this time, Little Egret has greyish base of lower mandible. Feet turn bright yellow-orange, even pinkish for short time. In winter plumage, bill is black, lores are greyish, and feet are pale yellow or greenish-yellow. And it lacks long feathers on nape, and "aigrettes" in scapulars and breast. Eyes are pale yellow. Both sexes are similar. Juvenile resembles adult in winter plumage, with duller or greenish bill and legs, and grey-green feet, less contrasting.
Habitat
Little Egret is found in a wide variety of open inland and coastal wetlands, shallow water around lakes, rivers, streams and estuaries. Little Egret breeds in warm temperate parts of Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Most birds are residents. But northern populations migrate to Africa and Southern Asia. Little Egret starts to colonise the New World, breeding in Bahamas, and seen in Caribbean and Surinam.
Other details
Egretta garzetta is a widespread but patchily distributed breeder in southern Europe, which accounts for less than a quarter of its global breeding range. Its European breeding population is relatively small (<94,000 pairs), but increased between 1970- 1990. Although there were declines in a few countries during 1990-2000, populations across most of its European range-including sizeable ones in Spain, France, Italy and Azerbaijan-increased or were stable.
This bird has a wide distribution in the southern parts of Europe and Asia, in northern, eastern and southern Africa, on the Cape Verde Islands, in Indonesia and Australia. European populations winter mainly in northern Africa, but since 1950 an increasing number of individuals remain during the winter along the European coasts of the Mediterranean. The population of the European Union amounts to about 22700 breeding pairs. It is increasing in Spain, France and Italy, decreasing in Greece
Feeding
Little Egret feeds on small fishes, frogs, lizards, worms, crustaceans, molluscs and a wide part of insects.
Conservation
This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 1,000,000-10,000,000 km². It has a large global population estimated to be 640,000-3,100,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2002). Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern. [conservation status from birdlife.org]
Breeding
Little Egret nests in colonies, with other heron and wetland species. They nest in reedbeds, wetland scrubs or trees near water, up to 20 metres above the ground. Nest is a platform made with twigs or reeds. Male brings material to female which builds the nest. Female lays 3 to 5 pale greenish blue eggs, at intervals of one or two days. Incubation starts with the first egg laid, and lasts about 21 to 25 days, shared by both parents. Each adult sits 3 to 4 hours on the nest, and when it is time to change, both adults fluff their feathers and bow in front of each other, while they utter their grating elongated sound. Chicks hatch covered with white down, with pink bill and legs, turning quickly to bluish-grey. They are fed by both adults, with regurgitated food into their bills. At about three weeks, young leave the nest to move into nearly branches. They are not able to fly, but they are very agile to walk on branches. They perform their first flight with parents at about 5 weeks of age, learning to fly and to hunt in shallow water. They roost with the colony every night until they are independent.
Migration
Extensive post-breeding dispersal. Palearctic breeders partially migratory: West populations winter around Mediterranean, Middle East and particularly tropical Africa. East populations migrate to South of China, South East Asia and Philippines, although large numbers remain in Japan. Populations of Africa, India and Australia sedentary, with some dispersal or nomadism. Birds ringed in East Australia recovered in New Zealand and New Guinea. Races gularis/schistacea apparently resident and dispersive; accidental to Europe and USA. Race dimorpha strictly sedentary. Migratory populations prone to overshooting in spring.
Grootwaterhoender
(Gallinula chloropus)
The common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) (also known as the waterhen and as the swamp chicken) is a bird species in the family Rallidae. It is distributed across many parts of the Old World.
The common moorhen lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals and other wetlands. The species is not found in the polar regions or many tropical rainforests. Elsewhere it is likely the most common rail species, except for the Eurasian coot in some regions.
The closely related common gallinule of the New World has been recognized as a separate species by most authorities, starting with the American Ornithologists' Union and the International Ornithological Committee in 2011.
The name mor-hen has been recorded in English since the 13th century.[5] The word moor here is an old sense meaning marsh;[5] the species is not usually found in moorland. An older name, common waterhen, is more descriptive of the bird's habitat.
A "watercock" is not a male "waterhen" but the rail species Gallicrex cinerea, not closely related to the common moorhen. "Water rail" usually refers to Rallus aquaticus, again not closely related.
The scientific name Gallinula chloropus comes from the Latin Gallinula (a small hen or chicken) and the Greek chloropus (khloros χλωρός green or yellow, pous πούς foot).
The moorhen is a distinctive species, with dark plumage apart from the white undertail, yellow legs and a red frontal shield. The young are browner and lack the red shield. The frontal shield of the adult has a rounded top and fairly parallel sides; the tailward margin of the red unfeathered area is a smooth waving line. In the related common gallinule of the Americas, the frontal shield has a fairly straight top and is less wide towards the bill, giving a marked indentation to the back margin of the red area.
The common moorhen gives a wide range of gargling calls and will emit loud hisses when threatened. A midsized to large rail, it can range from 30 to 38 cm (12 to 15 in) in length and span 50 to 62 cm (20 to 24 in) across the wings. The body mass of this species can range from 192 to 500 g (6.8 to 17.6 oz).
Wikipedia
One of several Blackthorn shrubs in the Hill Barton industrial estate of Exeter, UK. === Blackthorn, also known as 'sloe', is a small deciduous tree native to the UK and most of Europe. It is spiny and densely branched, mature trees can grow to a height of around 6-7m, and live for up to 100 years. The dark brown bark is smooth, and twigs form straight side shoots, which develop into thorns. The twigs are black and spiny with leaf buds along the spines. The leaves are slightly wrinkled, oval, toothed, pointed at the tip and tapered at the base. Blackthorn is a hermaphrodite, meaning both male and female reproductive parts are found in one flower. White flowers appear on short stalks before the leaves in March and April, either singularly or in pairs. Once pollinated by insects, the flowers develop into blue-black fruits measuring 1cm across. Blackthorn is native to Europe and western Asia. It can also be found in New Zealand and eastern North America. It grows best in moist, well drained soil and thrives in full sunlight. It grows naturally in scrub, copses and woodlands, but is commonly used as a hedging plant. Early flowering, blackthorn provides a valuable source of nectar and pollen for bees in spring. Its foliage is a food plant for the caterpillars of many moths, including the lackey, magpie, common emerald, small eggar, swallow-tailed and yellow-tailed. It is also used by the black and brown hairstreak butterflies. Birds nest among the dense, thorny thickets, eat caterpillars and other insects from the leaves, and feast on the berries in autumn. === The expression "sloe-eyed" for a person with dark eyes comes from the fruit, and is first attested in A. J. Wilson's 1867 novel Vashti. Blackthorn was long associated with witchcraft, and it is said that witches' wands and staffs were made using blackthorn wood. The shrub, with its savage thorns, is traditionally used in Britain and other parts of Northern Europe to make a cattle-proof hedge. The timber is hardwearing and tough, light yellow with a brown heartwood. It was traditionally used for making walking sticks and tool parts. It burns well, and is often used as firewood. Blackthorn is used as a hedging shrub, particularly in wildlife gardens. The sloes are used for wine making and preserves, and, most commonly, flavouring gin. In the British Army, blackthorn sticks are carried by commissioned officers of the Royal Irish Regiment; the tradition also occurs in Irish regiments in some Commonwealth countries. Some people apply blackthorn flower directly to the skin for rashes, “skin impurities,” and “blood purification.” In foods, blackthorn flower is used in herbal teas as a colouring agent. A marmalade made from the berry is used for upset stomach. Blackthorn berry is used as a mouth rinse (gargle) for mild sore throat and mouth Wine made from fermented sloes is made in Britain, and in Germany and other central European countries. Sloes can also be made into jam and, used in fruit pies, and if preserved in vinegar are similar in taste to Japanese umeboshi. The juice of the fruits dyes linen a reddish colour that washes out to a durable pale blue. === Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Rosids Order: Rosales Family: Rosaceae Genus: Prunus Subgenus: Prunus Section: Prunus Species: P. spinosa Binomial name Prunus spinosa
In the shadow of the Cathedral in Lincoln, even the graffiti is posh...
Dulce et decorum est by Wilfred Owen:
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.
Gas! GAS! Quick, boys! — An ecstasy of fumbling
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime.—
Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams before my helpless sight
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin,
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs
Bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, —
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
Lesser Whistling Duck & Common Moorhen (Juvenile)
Lesser Whistling Duck
The lesser whistling duck (Dendrocygna javanica), also known as Indian whistling duck or lesser whistling teal, is a species of whistling duck that breeds in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They are nocturnal feeders that during the day may be found in flocks around lakes and wet paddy fields. They can perch on trees and sometimes build their nest in the hollow of a tree. This brown and long-necked duck has broad wings that are visible in flight and produces a loud two-note wheezy call. It has a chestnut rump, differentiating it from its larger relative, the fulvous whistling duck, which has a creamy white rump.
This chestnut brown duck is confusable only with the fulvous whistling duck (D. bicolor) but has chestnut upper-tail coverts unlike the creamy white in the latter. The ring around the eye is orange to yellow. When flying straight, their head is held below the level of the body as in other Dendrocygna species. The crown appears dark and the sexes are alike in plumage. They fly slowly but with rapid wing-flapping and usually produce a repetitive wheezy seasick call as they circle overhead. They are very nocturnal and often rest during the day. The outermost primary feather has the inner vane modified. They produce very prominent whistling sound while flying.
This is a largely resident species distributed widely across lowland wetlands of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The species also occur on islands in the region including the Andamans, Nicobars and Maldives. They sometimes make local movements in response to weather and changes in water availability and the more northern birds winter further south. They are found in freshwater wetlands with good vegetation cover and often rest during the day on the banks or even on the open sea in coastal areas. Downy chicks are black with a white eyebrow and white patches on the back of the head, the wing, lower back and rump. Albino individuals have been seen in the wild.
Large numbers are sometimes found in urban wetlands such as in Kolkata and Goa, particularly during winter. In the Alipore Zoological Gardens, captive individuals were introduced in the 1930s and wild birds joined this nucleus subsequently.
With a wide distribution range between 1 and 10 million km², they are considered to have a secure global population of between two and twenty million individuals. They are not threatened by hunting as they are not considered good to eat. Hunters in Assam however have been known to raise the chicks to serve as live decoy.
Lesser whistling duck are usually gregarious. They feed mainly on plants taken from the water as well as grains from cultivated rice apart from small fish, frogs and invertebrates such as molluscs and worms. They dabble as well as dive in water. They will often waddle on the land and Common mynas have been noted to follow them on grass. Courtship involves the male facing the female and dipping and raising its bill in the water and swimming around the female. They breed during the monsoon or rainy season and may vary locally in relation to the food availability. The nest site may be a tree hole lined with twigs and grass or built in the fork of a large tree, sometimes reusing an old nest of a kite or heron or even on the ground. The clutch varies from 7 to 12 white eggs that are incubated by both the parents. Large clutches of up to 17 have been noted although these may be indications of intraspecific brood parasitism. The eggs hatch after about 22–24 days. More than one brood may be raised in a single season. Young birds may sometimes be carried on the back of the parents.
Local names like sili and silhahi in India are based on their wheezy two-note calls. They become very tame in captivity, walking about and responding to whistles. Individuals in captivity in the USA have lived for up to 9 years.
Several endoparasitic cestodes including Hymenolepis javanensis and Cittotaenia sandgroundi have been described from lesser whistling duck hosts apart from ectoparasitic bird lice and mites.
Common Moorhen (Juvenile)
The common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) (also known as the waterhen and as the swamp chicken) is a bird species in the family Rallidae. It is distributed across many parts of the Old World.
The common moorhen lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals and other wetlands. The species is not found in the polar regions or many tropical rainforests. Elsewhere it is likely the most common rail species, except for the Eurasian coot in some regions.
The closely related common gallinule of the New World has been recognized as a separate species by most authorities, starting with the American Ornithologists' Union and the International Ornithological Committee in 2011.
The moorhen is a distinctive species, with dark plumage apart from the white undertail, yellow legs and a red frontal shield. The young are browner and lack the red shield. The frontal shield of the adult has a rounded top and fairly parallel sides; the tailward margin of the red unfeathered area is a smooth waving line. In the related common gallinule of the Americas, the frontal shield has a fairly straight top and is less wide towards the bill, giving a marked indentation to the back margin of the red area.
The common moorhen gives a wide range of gargling calls and will emit loud hisses when threatened. A midsized to large rail, it can range from 30 to 38 cm (12 to 15 in) in length and span 50 to 62 cm (20 to 24 in) across the wings. The body mass of this species can range from 192 to 500 g (6.8 to 17.6 oz).
This is a common breeding bird in marsh environments, well-vegetated lakes and even in city parks. Populations in areas where the waters freeze, such as eastern Europe, will migrate to more temperate climes.
This species will consume a wide variety of vegetable material and small aquatic creatures. They forage beside or in the water, sometimes walking on lilypads or upending in the water to feed. They are often secretive, but can become tame in some areas. Despite loss of habitat in parts of its range, the common moorhen remains plentiful and widespread.
The birds are territorial during breeding season. The nest is a basket built on the ground in dense vegetation. Laying starts in spring, between mid-March and mid-May in Northern hemisphere temperate regions. About 8 eggs are usually laid per female early in the season; a brood later in the year usually has only 5–8 or fewer eggs. Nests may be re-used by different females. Incubation lasts about three weeks. Both parents incubate and feed the young. These fledge after 40–50 days, become independent usually a few weeks thereafter, and may raise their first brood the next spring. When threatened, the young may cling to the parents' body, after which the adult birds fly away to safety, carrying their offspring with them.
Rogerstown Estuary,
County Dublin 27-03-2021
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Pelecaniformes
Family:Ardeidae
Genus:Egretta
Species:E. garzetta
Binomial name
Egretta garzetta
[group] Herons and egrets | [FR] Aigrette garzette | [DE] Seidenreiher | [ES] Garceta Comun | [NL] Kleine Zilverreiger | [IRL] Éigrit bheag
Status: Resident along coasts and rivers throughout Ireland, but still scarce in the Midlands and north-west of the country. Little Egret was considered rare in Ireland until it first started breeding here in 1997. It has since expanded and now occurs in almost every coastal county, as well as at a number of inland sites.
Conservation Concern: Green-listed in Ireland. The European population is considered to be Secure.
Identification: Medium-sized white heron, with long black legs, yellow feet, black bill and blue-grey lores, and two elongated nape-feathers in breeding plumage.
Similar Species: Unmistakable in Ireland. Great White Egret is a rare visitor from Continental Europe, but is twice the size.
Call: Rook-like hoarse 'aaah' on alighting from the ground. At colonies, hoarse hard gargling 'gulla-gulla-gulla…' often heard.
Diet: Takes a wide variety of animals including small fish, frogs, snails and insects and forages across a range of wetland habitats from lakes to flooded grassland. Often forages alone; but maybe encountered in small groups.
Breeding: Clutch: 4-5 eggs (1 brood) Incubation: 21-22 days.Fledging: 40-45 days (Altrical). Age of first breeding: not known. Breeds in lakes, marshes, flooded fields & estuaries.
Wintering: Little Egrets use a variety of wetland habitats, including shallow lakes, riverbanks, lagoons, coastal estuaries and rocky shoreline.