The common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) (also known as the waterhen, the swamp chicken, and as the common gallinule 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 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.[8] 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. In China, common moorhen populations are largely resident south of the Yangtze River, whilst northern populations migrate in the winter, therefore these populations show high genetic diversity.

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.

For more information, please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_moorhen

The common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), also known as the waterhen or swamp chicken, is a bird species in the rail family (Rallidae).

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 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 image was taken at the Low Barnes Wildlife Reserve in the North East of England

Folkloric

• Antiseptic and deodorant: Apply crushed leaves on affected area.

• Cough and asthma: Take decoction of leaves as tea.

• Insect repellent: Burn leaves.

• In other countries, used to combat malaria.

• Used as antiseptic gargle.

• Used for lung infects and bronchitis.

• Oil used for croup and spasmodic throat problems.

source: stuart xchange

Your comments and faves are greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater

Scientific Name: Acanthagenys rufogularis

Description: The medium-sized Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater has a grey crown scalloped brown, a mottled grey-brown back, a white cheek with spiny bristles to below the ear, and an orange-brown throat and chest. The underparts are white, streaked brown, the wings are grey, with white-edged feathers, and the long tail is dark grey-brown with white tips. The pale blue-grey eye is surrounded by bare pinkish skin and the pink bill has a black tip. Young birds are browner and have yellow cheek spines. Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters are sociable and aggressive, and are often seen or heard in large flocks, foraging high in trees.

Similar species: The Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater looks like a small wattlebird, but has a distinctive orange chest and throat, white cheek spines and a bicoloured (pink and black) bill.

Distribution: The Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater is found across mainland Australia, especially in the arid interior, reaching the coast from Esperance, Western Australia to Melbourne, Victoria. It is also found on Kangaroo Island. It is absent from the east coast, and is not found in the northern tropics from the Kimberley region, Western Australia to Cape York, Queensland.

Habitat: The Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater is found in dry woodlands, mallee and acacia scrub, especially with a porcupine grass understorey. Also found in coastal scrubs, woodlands along rivers and, occasionally, mangroves. May be found in orchards.

Seasonal movements: Sedentary in the south of its range, partially migratory in the north.

Feeding: The Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater feeds mainly on nectar and fruit, but may also eat insects, reptiles and baby birds. It forages in the dense foliage and outer branches of trees, but may sometimes feed on the ground or take insects in the air.

Breeding: The Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater builds a deep, suspended, cup-shaped nest of plant fibres and grasses bound with spider webs and lined with soft materials, which is placed from 1 m to 13 m from the ground. The female incubates the eggs alone, but both sexes feed and care for the young.

Calls: Gargling or bubbling notes and whistles; also, single loud 'tock'. Can mimic other species.

Minimum Size: 23cm

Maximum Size: 26cm

Average size: 24cm

Average weight: 52g

Breeding season: June to January; can breed year round.

Clutch Size: 2 to 3

Incubation: 14 days

Nestling Period: 15 days

(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net)

© Chris Burns 2017

__________________________________________

All rights reserved.

This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying and recording without my written consent.

Running long hood forward as the ALCo gods intended, Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses 1507 leads Interregio 893 to Beja short of its next stop Pinhal Novo. The RSC2 were geared for 120 kph (75 mph) and hit this mark routinely with these trains without a sweat.

Sitting in the first coach with windows open it's the same symphony at each stop. A short blant with the fog horn, then revving up the 12-251C engine (installed in the early 1970s), gargling like an old VW Beetle on steroids, then transition and the exhaust is going steady, yet cut in pieces by the head wind. Simultaneosuly the monotonous hum of the traction motors makes a crescendo until track speed is reached. It's still there when the engineer notches back. Only to subside when the train is coasting towards the next station.

I have fond memories of riding the fast trains behind the old ALCos.

In case you are familiar with the Green Bay & Western RS20 rebuilds, the Portuguese sound(ed) even better.

I found these on the ground, in the ‘wild’.

Berries are so autumnal, only very few are edible now, except for the birds and other animals.

A jelly made from them is popular for dressing game. According to Robert James in 1747, the fruit is excellent for treating the scurvy, and the exudates from the bark is good for the diseases of the spleen.

When dried and powdered the berries have been turned into a type of bread, and in an infusion make an acidulous drink.

A gargle made from the berries is good for a sore throat and inflamed tonsils.

However, it is bitter – very bitter.

Sorbus is a genus of about 100–200 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family Rosaceae. Species of Sorbus are commonly known as white-beam, rowan, service tree and mountain-ash.

This upright, tree is the most compact of the Rowan trees making it ideal for small gardens. Fluffy, white corymbs of flowers appear in April-May that are popular with bees.

Mid/dark green pinnate foliage turns vibrant shades of orange and red in the autumn which complements the reddish orange berries that hang in heavy clusters and are a treat for the birds.

Popular folklore maintains that a heavy crop of fruit means a hard or difficult winter.

Similarly, in Finland and Sweden, the number of fruit on the trees was used as a predictor of the snow cover during winter.

However, as fruit production for a given summer is related to weather conditions the previous summer, with warm, dry summers increasing the amount of stored sugars available for subsequent flower and fruit production, it has no predictive relationship to the weather of the next winter.

Have a great day and thanks for viewing, M, (*_*)

FOR ALL THE GORGEOUS DETAIL AND THE GREAT EXPERIENCE: view LARGE

for more of my other work or if you want to PURCHASE, visit here: www.indigo2photography.com

IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN (BY LAW!!!) TO USE ANY OF MY image or TEXT on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved

Contemporary neighbourhood castle, NSW Australia.

120 pictures in 2020/45 Gargoyle

We tend to call any piece of architectural sculpture that depicts animals a gargoyle. Strictly speaking, however, gargoyles are decorative waterspouts that preserve stonework by diverting the flow of rainwater away from buildings. The word, gargoyle, derives from the French gargouille, or throat, from which the verb, to gargle, also originates. Although the sculptural waterspout originated in Antiquity, it grew in popularity on Romanesque structures, and proliferated during the Gothic period...

rmc.library.cornell.edu

Common Moorhen ~ London Wetland Centre ~ Barnes ~ London ~ Wednesday February 4th 2015.

Click here to see My most interesting images

Purchase some of my images here ~ www.saatchionline.com/art/view/artist/24360/art/1259239 ~ Should you so desire...go on, make me rich..lol...Oh...and if you see any of the images in my stream that you would like and are not there, then let me know and I'll add them to the site for you..:))

Anyhoo....I did manage to capture some action yesterday, as I caught this moor hen running along a fence before briefly taking off.....could have been a better shot, but as I said the lighting was rubbish and I was miles away from the action...Oh well, onward and upward then lol...I hope everybody is having a great Weekend..:)

Common moorhen ~ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ~ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_moorhen ~ The common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) (also known as the swamp chicken is a bird species in the Rallidae family. 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.

Name ~ The name mor-hen has been recorded in English since the 13th century. The word moor here is an old sense meaning marsh; 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).

Description and ecology ~ Common moorhen feet have no webbing

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 and well-vegetated lakes. 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 lily pads 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 N 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. On a global scale – all subspecies taken together – the common moorhen is as abundant as its vernacular name implies. It is therefore considered a species of Least Concern by the IUCN However, small populations may be prone to extinction. The population of Palau, belonging to the widespread subspecies G. c. orientalis and locally known as debar (a generic term also used for ducks and meaning roughly "waterfowl"), is very rare, and apparently the birds are hunted by locals. Most of the population on the archipelago occurs on Angaur and Peleliu, while the species is probably already gone from Koror. In the Lake Ngardok wetlands of Babeldaob, a few dozen still occur, but the total number of common moorhens on Palau is about in the same region as the Guam population: fewer than 100 adult birds (usually fewer than 50) have been encountered in any survey.

The common moorhen is one of the birds (the other is the Eurasian coot, Fulica atra) from which the cyclocoelid flatworm parasite Cyclocoelum mutabile was first described. The bird is also parasitised by the moorhen flea, Dasypsyllus gallinulae.

I love this shot so much because of the moment and the color.

Orcinus Orca (Stella)

Slartibartfast designed it!!!

Gargoyle gargle glug.

Winchester Cathedral

watermarked with picmarkr.com

MUSICOGRAPHY Here is a list of all the DVD's Leon appears in, the most recent is on top...

Maastricht V aka Under the Stars

#13 And The Waltz Goes On - Briefly Featured

w/Accordion

Home For Christmas

And The Waltz Goes On

Fiesta Mexicana aka The World of André Rieu

#1 Olé Guapa - Accordian Solo

Roses From The South

Maastricht 4 aka A Midsummer night's Dream

My African Dream

Live in Australia - Bass Trombone

I lost my heart in Heidelberg

Live in Sydney 2009

Live In Maastricht 3

Live in Australia

#19 Radetzky March - briefly featured with Trombone

Live in Maastricht 2

#7 Olé Guapa - Accordian. Leon was introduced by Andre & then played his accordian in front of everyone

Live in Dresden aka Semperoper aka Dancing Through the Skies aka Ich tanze mit dir in den Himmel hinein aka Wedding at the Opera

Wonderland aka Eftling

#19 Carnival Festival - Accordian, briefly featured

Live in Vienna

#11 Perpetuum Mobile - entire brass section pig out on a big meal during the music & finally offer the entire choir 1 measily bite of food, which Nicolle ate

André Rieu on his way to New York

Romance

New York Memories aka Live in New York aka Live At Radio City Music Hall

Schönbrunn

Songs From My Heart aka Live in Maastricht

#8 Es läuten die Glocken von Limburg (Swinging Bells of Limburg) - Accordian

#12 Chianti Song - Accordian

Christmas Around the World

New Years Eve in Vienna aka Silvester in Wien

#13 Rigoletto - Accordian while playing Lily Marlein

Love Songs

New Years Eve Punsch aka Silvester Punsch

Flying Dutchman

#7 Bummelpetrus - gargle the tune with Ruud

Part 2 of Concert - #1 En noe de hennekes de loch in - accordian

#3 The Wild Rover - Accordian, briefly featured

Bonus Track #3 - Wie sjoen as Limburg is - Accordian - briefly featured

Christmas with André

=============================================

Romantic Paradise in Cortona, Italy aka

Tuscany

Same sound track, different Album covers/photos

===============================================

Live in Dublin

#1 Dark Eyes - Accordian - Solo

Dreaming

Gala Concert

#1 Dark Eyes - Accordian - solo

#5 Clog Dance - Accordian, briefly featured

Waltzertraum (PAL only) - Accordian & Trombone

#7 Sous le Ciel de Paris - Accordian (Brief spotlight)

Royal Albert Hall - Trombone

Romantic Moments

La vie est belle - Trombone

If you see any errors or ommissions, or simply want to comment about anything, please email me: southpawbc-flickr@yahoo.com

Here is a grrrreat website where everything known & rumored about Andre & the JSO is discussed on the blog. Please add your comments to the topics that interest you:

andrerieufans.com/

Now click on the guestbook/Blog in the upper right hand corner

IT SURE FEELS LIKE CHRISTMAS

The machines shudder into silence.

The last sheep slides down the chute

and staggers out of the shed,

giddy with sudden weight loss.

The shearers, glossed with sweat,

straighten their backs and nudge open

the lid of the chilly bin. They sit

with hands wrapped around cans,

sweet coldness against cracked fingers,

while outside a Tui gargles the heat

and spits it out in two clear notes.

The shed hand rolls a can across his brow,

and says, “It’s beginning to feel like Christmas!”

On the back lawn near the potato patch,

The woman creaks the revolving clothes line

as she unpegs clothes stiff with sunlight.

The smell of Summer is mixed with noise,

pungent cicadas, loud brass marigolds,

and the grass beneath her bare feet

is as warm as cat’s fur. She looks

over her shoulder and reminds herself

to dig some new potatoes tomorrow,

and she thinks with sudden pleasure,

“It’s beginning to feel like Christmas!”

The children and dog have been in the pool

but the dog in excitement, bit the plastic

and now the pool is collapsing,

pouring water over hot concrete.

The children run through the flood

making footprints that dry in seconds.

“Happy birthday, to you,” they sing.

“Happy birthday, dear Jesus.”

Their granddad at the kitchen window

remembers his own childhood.

He thinks of all the small footprints

that have stamped the earth

since that little fellow in the stable,

and he smiles as he dries the dishes.

It sure feels like Christmas!

- Joy Cowley

lists.herald.co.uk/pipermail/lois-bujold/2012-December/11...

Wherever you are in the world, I hope you have a joy-filled and blessed Christmas. If you’re travelling, travel safely. If you’re feasting, don’t eat too much(!). If you’re in the northern half of the Globe stay warm and watch for snow burn, and if you’re in the southern half, stay cool - and watch for sunburn!

Merry Christmas, Folks - and if you have a minute, have a listen to "Christmas In New Zealand": www.youtube.com/watch?v=moea7O4XNFs

(Left click the Mouse to view Large; click again to return to normal).

Copyright photo PS

[Wild NZ natives]

Squabbling and squawking, a gutteral gurgling and gargling, then a sudden trill, a riffle of pure melody. They're welcome.

Click diagonal arrows upper right and then press F11 Fullscreen.

The immediately-distinguishing feature of our native Tui is the poi or ball of white feathers which develops towards maturity under their throats.

not mandatory but please listen to the song in another tab for context! www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7pBfnN7b1w&list=PLcMN3WxBQWE...

a lone creature makes its way along the cobblestone path, bringing cold fog. is it the havoc maker or the victim? at 2:40 the creature starts screaming/gargling.

American White Water-lily, Fragrant White Water-lily, Fragrant Water-lily, White Water-lily, Sweet-scented White Water-lily, Sweet-scented Water-lily, Beaver-root - Nymphaeaceae (Water-Lily Family) -

The story goes…That one night a young Indian/Native American boy had a dream about a star coming to earth in search of a new home. Traveling first to a mountain top but there it decided it was too lonely a place to call home, next venturing to the prairie but there it was trampled by bison’s and horses. As the star made its way back to the sky it saw its reflection in a lake and decided it was the perfect place to call home. The boy told his dream to members of his tribe who laughed at his story. However, upon visiting the lake and finding it alive with large white water lilies they no longer doubted his dream. They considered this sight a blessing from the Great Spirit and called the plant the “White Star Flower”. Several species of water lilies are found in Texas which includes the fragrant water lily. This species is found in the bogs of the Big Thicket. This solitary white blossom (with purplish backs) floats upon the water from early morning and close up at noon. The roots of this plant were used as a black dye an also astringent. The leaves and roots were boiled and used as poultices to treat boils, tumors, ulcers and even made into a gargle to use for sore throats.

If Yahoo continue to systematically ruin what used to be a great community for photographers, I shall vote with my paws and hop off.

Uploaded for I Love Flickr Day 5th Jan 2014.

Sgt. Weeper, command log:

Durge. What an abomination. A 1500 year old, unyielding hulk of a muscle mass that took pleasure in killing Mando’s. Please, this was a walk in the park for everyone here in the GAR. At least that’s what some of the squads who went in before us legitimately thought. All along the sewer access tunnels, we were met with bits of plastoid armor and flesh. Whether it was clone flesh or Durge’s we didn’t know yet, that was until we came across an old Alpha class ARC trooper.

“It’s an honor Alpha, but no time for pleasantries, we’ve got-,” and before I mentioned the devil, he had appeared. His deep and gargling voice made itself at home in the humid air then hanging with the stench of death.

“Even with his final breath,” Durge approached while hunched in the cramped tunnel and gestured to the gray haired Fett clone, “this old clone couldn’t muster the guts to tell you what little he could do. You’re going to find it’s a lot harder to kill me-“ The enclosing pitter patter of my squad; Bearer and Pall cut him off. “Well now we’ve got something to play with,” in a motion as beastly as an Acklay’s, Durge surged at us with all of his armored berth. I quickly motioned to Bearer and Pall to take the adjacent tunnel while I’d stand my ground. I pulled my vibro blade and in the instant that Durge lunged his broad hands at my throat I dropped into the sludge. Squatting in filth and waste, I jabbed at the bounty hunter’s face plate. A whirling screech filled the tunnels as he flew over my head and crumpled meters away. Immediately, I flicked my range finding/night vision goggles over my T-visor and silently motioned to the men across the main section of sewage runway. The plan was to take the parallel tunnels as we could easily meet up at the next main junction - which turned out to have been a maintenance overlook. It was a matter of throwing Durge off while he was stunned. As I made for the junction, I heard a slosh and a pound. A slosh and a pound. It was picking up. He was on all fours. I dashed to my right with my back still turned. I pivoted and the moment was there. I latched onto an electrical pole running along the hallway, made it fulcrum, and sprung myself above Durge’s back and between the ceiling. Like staking a flag, I punched my knife right into his right shoulder and pulled using my whole weight. His armored arm was nearly severed. I clambered between his legs as he examined my handiwork. “Not a bad cut, for a droid!” He finished his sentence in bold. He was fuming and he was forcing me onto the maintenance overlook. There, he’d have more space. As I backed and he advanced, I caught a glimpse of Durge’s face. I had cut his face plate clean off and left a gash along his face where he could’ve had a cleft chin. His near tusks of teeth were baring sludge mixed with saliva as he reveled in my killing. The more I damaged him, the more satisfied he’d be. Eventually I was against the railing of the overlook. He consumed the threshold that led into the comparatively cathedral sized maintenance room.

I comm’d in, “Bearer, where are you?” Durge recoiled and made motion to crush my every fiber. I dashed and cut at his right thigh then finished my cut at his shoulder. The bulky arm - with blaster in hand - fell to a thud on the ground below. He spun and gnashed his saber-like fangs. He realized I was simply de-armoring him as I prepared to give him onslaught. He prepared first. He pulled his second blaster and I dove off the overlook. I vaulted the fast current of sewer sludge as Durge made his drunken way off the overlook. As he jumped down, he seemed to have staggered.

“Need fire power!” Pall came to the overlook and a grappling wire flung to life from Bearer’s long rifle. I had Durge’s whole right side torn up and his focus up to this point. Durge was considering just blasting them, but he wanted me gone first. I jumped as high and far as I could at him as Pall opened fire and Bearer rode the grappling line with charges in hand. The charges landed on this back. The fresh muscle of his regenerative arm and leg were writhing in the pelting of plasma blots. His head was adorned with my blade and he staggered away. He fell into the current and into the tunnel. The last thing he did as he drifted was throw my knife back at me, landing in my foot. The pain was numbed with adrenaline and if anything, his Gen’Dai blood was healing the wound. The charges had blown and he was dressed with rubble. With too much to regenerate, and too much weight to lift, he drowned in the waste of a people terrorized by his own treachery.

Weeper, out.

Cormorants have always been a bird I have found fascinating when I first became interested in birds. This is because after being used to Mallards, Moorhens, Swans, Robins and other garden birds, these were something new for me and their behaviour and looks were alien to me. Even today 20 years on, I still admire them and it's always a pleasure to find opportunities to photograph them. Here I've managed to catch some more unusual behaviour as it yawns after a good swim about.

There are so many things you could possibly do to get out on early parole from this kind of quarantine:

*Chicken Soup

*Hot Toddy

*Feed a cold; starve a fever

*Garlic

*Sweat it out

*Vitamin C

*Breathe Steam

*Herbs

*An old and dirty woolen sock wrapped around your neck

*Saltwater gargle

I've found the best way is to take it easy for a day, pamper yourself, read a book, doze off a few minutes now and then, light some candles and turn down the lights, drink something hot.

-And realize that the world doesnt stop if you take a day off sick.

October 25th 2006

#AB_FAV_IN_AUTUMN_ 🍄🍁🍂

I found these on the ground, in the ‘wild’.

Berries are so autumnal, only very few are edible now, except for the birds and other animals.

A jelly made from them is popular for dressing game.

According to Robert James in 1747, the fruit is excellent for treating the scurvy, and the exudates from the bark is good for the diseases of the spleen.

When dried and powdered the berries have been turned into a type of bread, and in an infusion make an acidulous drink.

A gargle made from the berries is good for a sore throat and inflamed tonsils.

However, it is bitter – very bitter.

Sorbus is a genus of about 100–200 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family Rosaceae. Species of Sorbus are commonly known as white-beam, rowan, service tree and mountain-ash.

This upright, tree is the most compact of the Rowan trees making it ideal for small gardens.

Fluffy, white corymbs of flowers appear in April-May that are popular with bees.

Mid/dark green pinnate foliage turns vibrant shades of orange and red in the autumn which complements the reddish orange berries that hang in heavy clusters and are a treat for the birds.

Popular folklore maintains that a heavy crop of fruit means a hard or difficult winter.

Similarly, in Finland and Sweden, the number of fruit on the trees was used as a predictor of the snow cover during winter.

However, as fruit production for a given summer is related to weather conditions the previous summer, with warm, dry summers increasing the amount of stored sugars available for subsequent flower and fruit production, it has no predictive relationship to the weather of the next winter.

Have a great day and thanks for viewing, M, (*_*)

for more: www.indigo2photography.com

IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN (BY LAW!!!) TO USE ANY OF MY image or TEXT on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved

Berries, red, Rowan, Sorbus, leaves, Autumn, "mountain ash", design, "conceptual art", outdoors, day, tree, sky, "Magda indigo"

Wilfred Owen is often regarded as the greatest of the World War I poets (and he is in some fine company indeed: Graves, Sassoon, Rosenberg, Apollinaire, Masefield and Mackintosh to name just a few).

Owen composed nearly all of his poems on the battlefield in slightly over a year, from August 1917 to September 1918. One week before the Armistice on November 11, 1918 he was killed in action at the age of 25.

In my opinion the greatest poem written during the war is Owen’s extraordinary, “Dulce et decorum est”. Taking the full Latin phrase “dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” (from the Roman poet Horace’s Odes), it means “How sweet and honourable it is to die for one's country”. The soldiers who were slaughtered in the trenches came to epitomise how hollow those words rang. Owen gives us the true picture:

“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,

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.”

www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46560/dulce-et-decorum-est

www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/wilfred-owen

We remember those young men (and women - my great Aunt was a nurse in WWII) who went away and never returned to family, friends and homeland. We remember that ordinary people became pawns in a much larger game.

We remember so that we can say: Never again!

Juvenile Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor) SE sector, Thomson Marsh, Kelowna, BC.

When posting series (I know, I know, like always [almost]!), I usually save the best for last. Not this time.

Shriker is 'this year's juvie NSHR' and has been around off and on throughout the winter. In a few days, I suspect, s/he will head north as this brethren and 'sistren' have done in previous years. If we're lucky, we may see him/her again in the fall, all grown up. It's unlikely we'll be able to get this close, though. But not impossible as you'll see in a couple of days....

I often hear Shriker before spotting her/him. I think the song is much more beautiful than either of my two bird apps suggest. Still, s/he appears to enjoy hearing the recordings and likes to return the messages that only s/he really comprehends!

Here's a link to Cornell's All About Birds on NSHR songs:

The first recording there most approximates what I hear.

Shriker is a little quieter and often sings to herself in the thicket....

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Shrike/sounds

"SONGS

On the breeding grounds, both male and female sing softly, a long, complex, thrasher-like series of phrases. The phrases may be sweet (warbles, whistles, trills) or harsh (buzzes, gargles, screeches, chatters). Most birds include imitations of species that nest in the vicinity. Year round, both sexes also sing a louder, simpler, shorter song in which they sing each phrase twice, very like some thrashers.

CALLS

Shrikes call very little on the wintering grounds unless warning or attacking an intruder in the territory: a harsh ack (directed at most birds), a whistled breezeek (directed at raptors or other shrikes), or a jaylike jaay (directed at mammals). Nesting shrikes are very vocal; they use nasal wake and woot calls during courtship feeding and when feeding young, as well as a variety of other calls in different contexts.

OTHER SOUNDS

Snaps the two halves of the bill together during courtship and conflict."

Green jays are colorful, raucous and entertaining. We have had a flock for a number of years on our property. They are not always easy to photograph because it seems they always post a sentry in a high tree to alert the others of potential dangers. They make a variety of harsh calls, including one that sounds very similar to a red-shouldered hawk and something that is between a gargle and a rattle. But occasionally they grace me with some wonderful moments to capture with my camera. During June this year the fledglings were particularly demanding and they found my yard with an abundance of feeders an easy solution to gathering food. The young ones will remain with the parents and help in caring for the next brood before they move on to raising their own. This sequence caught an interaction between an adult bird and a junior who was begging for food and appeared to have a temper tantrum before finally getting his or her way.

Montell, Uvalde County, Texas in June 2020

Many of the birds in the rookery at Gatorland, like the Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Tri-coloured Herons, Wood Storks etc, are generally quite quiet, but the Snowy Egrets are definitely not. Most of their sounds make people giggle ... it's almost impossible not to. They gargle, gurgle, spit and often sound hilarious, but they're feisty and argumentative with each other. This one was mid display when I took this shot. Even their displays are pretty manic. I have to admit I found them extremely entertaining. :)

This short clip on YouTube gives a slight idea of what they sound like, although it's much more restrained than they usually are: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJZ12Q4fcpw

Sony ILCE-7R

Minolta G 300mm f/2.8

The common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) (also known 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).

File:Gallinula chloropus Fangu, Corse (France) Video.webm

Moorhen sighted in Fangu, Corsica (France)

This is a common breeding bird in marsh environments and well-vegetated lakes. 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.

The large and important family of Mallows are most abundant in the tropical region, where they form a large proportion of the vegetation; towards the poles they gradually decrease in number. Lindley states that about a thousand species had been discovered, all of which not only contain much mucilage, but are totally devoid of unwholesome properties. Besides the medicinal virtues of somany species, some are employed as food; the bark of others affords a substitute for hemp; the cotton of commerce is obtained from the seed vessels of yet other species, and many ornamental garden flowers are also members of this group, the Hibiscus and our familiar Hollyhock among the number.

MALLOW, BLUE

Botanical: Malva sylvestris (LINN.)

Synonym---Common Mallow.

Parts Used---Flowers, leaves.

Medicinal Action and Uses

Preparation and Dosage

The Common or Blue Mallow is a robust plant 3 or 4 feet high, growing freely in field, hedgerows and on waste ground. Its stem is round, thick and strong, the leaves stalked, roundish, five to seven lobed, downy, with stellate hairs and the veins prominent on the underside. The flowers are showy, bright mauve-purple, with dark veins. When they first expand in June, the plant is handsome, but as the summer advances, the leaves lose their deep green colour and the stems assume a ragged appearance.

Cattle do not appear to be fond of this plant, every part of which abounds with a mild mucilage.

Medicinal Action and Uses---The use of this species of Mallow has been much superseded by Marsh Mallow, which possesses its valuable properties in a superior degree, but it is still a favourite remedy with country people where Marsh Mallow is not obtainable. The roots are not considered of much value compared with those of the Marsh Mallow, and as a rule the leaves and flowers are used only, mainly externally in fomentations and poultices. The infusion has been a popular remedy for coughs and colds, but the internal use of the leaves has fallen into disuse, giving place to Marsh Mallow root, though they are still employed as a decoction for injection, which, made strong, cures strangury and gravel.

The foliage when boiled, forms a wholesome vegetable. The seeds, or 'cheeses,' are also edible.

A tincture of the flowers, which turn blue in fading, forms a very delicate test for alkalis.

The flowers were used formerly on May Day by country people for strewing before their doors and weaving into garlands.

Preparation and Dosage---Fluid extract, 1/2 to 2 drachms.

MARSH-MALLOW

Synonyms---Mallards. Mauls. Schloss Tea. Cheeses. Mortification Koot.

(French) Guimauve.

Parts Used---Leaves, root, flowers.

Habitat---Marsh Mallow is a native of most countries of Europe, from Denmark southward. It grows in salt marshes, in damp meadows, by the sides of ditches, by the sea and on the banks of tidal rivers.

In this country it is local, but occurs in most of the maritime counties in the south of England, ranging as far north as Lincolnshire. In Scotland it has been introduced.

Description---The stems, which die down in the autumn, are erect, 3 to 4 feet high, simple, or putting out only a few lateral branches. The leaves, shortly petioled, are roundish, ovate-cordate, 2 to 3 inches long, and about 1 1/4 inch broad, entire or three to five lobed, irregularly toothed at the margin, and thick. They are soft and velvety on both sides, due to a dense covering of stellate hairs. The flowers are shaped like those of the common Mallow, but are smaller and of a pale colour, and are either axillary, or in panicles, more often the latter.

The stamens are united into a tube, the anthers, kidney-shaped and one-celled. The flowers are in bloom during August and September, and are followed, as in other species of this order, by the flat, round fruit called popularly 'cheeses.'

The common Mallow is frequently called by country people, 'Marsh Mallow,' but the true Marsh Mallow is distinguished from all the other Mallows growing in Britain, by the numerous divisions of the outer calyx (six to nine cleft), by the hoary down which thickly clothes the stems, and foliage, and by the numerous panicles of blush-coloured flowers, paler than the Common Mallow.

The roots are perennial, thick, long and tapering, very tough and pliant, whitish yellow outside, white and fibrous within.

The whole plant, particularly the root, abounds with a mild mucilage, which is emollient to a much greater degree than the common Mallow. The generic name, Althaea, is derived from the Greek, altho (to cure), from its healing properties. The name of the order, Malvaceae, is derived from the Greek, malake (soft), from the special qualities of the Mallows in softening and healing.

Most of the Mallows have been used as food, and are mentioned by early classic writers in this connexion. Mallow was an esculent vegetable among the Romans, a dish of Marsh Mallow was one of their delicacies.

The Chinese use some sort of Mallow in their food, and Prosper Alpinus stated (in 1592) that a plant of the Mallow kind was eaten by the Egyptians. Many of the poorer inhabitants of Syria, especially the Fellahs, Greeks and Armenians, subsist for weeks on herbs, of which Marsh Mallow is one of the most common. When boiled first and fried with onions and butter, the roots are said to form a palatable dish, and in times of scarcity consequent upon the failure of the crops, this plant, which fortunately grows there in great abundance, is much collected for food.

In Job XXX. 4 we read of Mallow being eaten in time of famine, but it is doubtful whether this was really a true mallow. Canon Tristram thinks it was some saline plant; perhaps the Orache, or Sea-Purslane.

Horace and Martial mention the laxative properties of the Marsh Mallow leaves and root, and Virgil tells us of the fondness of goats for the foliage of the Mallow.

Dioscorides extols it as a remedy, and in ancient days it was not only valued as a medicine, but was used, especially the Musk Mallow, to decorate the graves of friends.

Pliny said: 'Whosoever shall take a spoonful of the Mallows shall that day be free from all diseases that may come to him.' All Mallows contain abundant mucilage, and the Arab physicians in early times used the leaves as a poultice to suppress inflammation.

Preparations of Marsh Mallow, on account of their soothing qualities, are still much used by country people for inflammation, outwardly and inwardly, and are used for lozenge-making. French druggists and English sweetmeat-makers prepare a confectionary paste (Pâté‚ de Guimauve) from the roots of Marsh Mallow, which is emollient and soothing to a sore chest, and valuable in coughs and hoarseness. The 'Marsh Mallows' usually sold by confectioners here are a mixture of flour, gum, egg-albumin, etc., and contain no mallow.

In France, the young tops and tender leaves of Marsh Mallow are eaten uncooked, in spring salads, for their property in stimulating the kidneys, a syrup being made from the roots for the same purpose.

Cultivation---Marsh Mallow used always to be cultivated in gardens on account of its medicinal qualities. It is said to have been introduced by the Romans.

It can be raised from seed, sown in spring, but cuttings will do well, and offsets of the root, carefully divided in autumn, when the stalks decay, are satisfactory, and will grow of their own accord.

Plant about 2 feet apart. It will thrive in any soil or situation, but grows larger in moist than in dry land, and could well be cultivated on unused ground in damp localities near ditches or streams.

Parts Used---Leaves, root and flowers. The leaves are picked in August, when the flowers are just coming into bloom. They should be stripped off singly and gathered only on a fine day, in the morning, after the dew has been dried off by the sun.

---Constituents---Marsh Mallow contains starch, mucilage, pectin, oil, sugar, asparagine, phosphate of lime, glutinous matter and cellulose.

---Medicinal Action and Uses---The great demulcent and emollient properties of Marsh Mallow make it useful in inflammation and irritation of the alimentary canal, and of the urinary and respiratory organs. The dry roots boiled in water give out half their weight of a gummy matter like starch. Decoctions of the plant, especially of the root, are very useful where the natural mucus has been abraded from the coats of the intestines, The decoction can be made by adding 5 pints of water to 1/4 lb. of dried root, boiling down to 3 pints and straining: it should not be made too thick and viscid. It is excellent in painful complaints of the urinary organs, exerting a relaxing effect upon the passages, as well as acting curatively. This decoction is also effective in curing bruises, sprains or any ache in the muscles or sinews. In haemorrhage from the urinary organs and in dysentery, it has been recommended to use the powdered root boiled in milk. The action of Marsh Mallow root upon the bowels is unaccompanied by any astringency.

Boiled in wine or milk, Marsh Mallow will relieve diseases of the chest, constituting a popular remedy for coughs, bronchitis, whooping-cough, etc., generally in combination with other remedies. It is frequently given in the form of a syrup, which is best adapted to infants and children

RECIPES

Marsh Mallow Water

'Soak one ounce of marsh mallow roots in a little cold water for half an hour; peel off the bark, or skin; cut up the roots into small shavings, and put them into a jug to stand for a couple of hours; the decoction must be drunk tepid, and may be sweetened with honey or sugar-candy, and flavoured with orange-flower water, or with orange juice. Marshmallow water may be used with good effect in all cases of inveterate coughs, catarrhs, etc.' (Francatelli Cook's Guide.)

For Gravel, etc.

'Put the flower and plant (all but the root)of Marsh Mallows in a jug, pour boiling water, cover with a cloth, let it stand three hours - make it strong. If used for gravel or irritation of the kidney, take 1/2 pint as a Tea daily for four days, then stop a few days, then go on again. A teaspoonful of gin may be added when there is no tendency to inflammation.' (From a family recipe-book.)

The powdered or crushed fresh roots make a good poultice that will remove the most obstinate inflammation and prevent mortification. Its efficacy in this direction has earned for it the name of Mortification Root. Slippery Elm may be added with advantage, and the poultice should be applied to the part as hot as can be borne and renewed when dry. An infusion of 1 OZ. of leaves to a pint of boiling water is also taken frequently in wineglassful doses. This infusion is good for bathing inflamed eyes.

An ointment made from Marsh Mallow has also a popular reputation, but it is stated that a poultice made of the fresh root, with the addition of a little white bread, proves more serviceable when applied externally than the ointment. The fresh leaves, steeped in hot water and applied to the affected parts as poultices, also reduce inflammation, and bruised and rubbed upon any place stung by wasps or bees take away the pain, inflammation and swelling. Pliny stated that the green leaves, beaten with nitre and applied, drew out thorns and prickles in the flesh.

The flowers, boiled in oil and water, with a little honey and alum, have proved good as a gargle for sore throats. In France, they form one of the ingredients of the Tisane de quatre fleurs, a pleasant remedy for colds.

Preparations and Dosage---Fluid extract leaves. 1/2 to 2 drachms.

botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/m/mallow07.html

Nowhere near enough poppies here for each life - what waste!! If you are not familiar with this poem please remember the title is an ironic statement.

DULCE ET DECORUM EST

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 tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped 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,

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.(15)

Wilfred Owen

Thought to have been written between 8 October 1917 and March, 1918

Probando cosas nuevas en el jardín :)

In Large

On Black

Con esta foto acabo de alcanzar las 100.000 visitas... Muchas gracias a todos!!!!!

With this photo I´ve just reached 100.000 visits... Many thanks to all!!!!!!!

(Explore 19 Dic #40)

Sandhill Cranes

I have three disparate images of Sandhill Cranes at distinct stages of my life which, when placed together in a single narrative, may paint a larger picture. After all, isn’t that the ultimate purpose of the written word, to paint the larger picture?

I

In the late 70s I had Summer employment tending a herd of about 700 yearling calves at the Sycan Marsh in the Oregon Cascade Mountain Range. My little travel trailer was located near a wooded horse pasture overlooking a vast open prairie of wild meadows and marshland hemmed in by mountain forests. It was 6000 feet in elevation so the days were temperate and the nights were cool.

At night before going to sleep, I would read British and American Literature anthologies by kerosene lantern and, when it got too chilly, turn off the light, zip up my down bag and sleep soundly. Sometimes I would be startled awake by the bugling of a Bull Elk seemingly right outside my trailer and then the splashing of the herd fording the creek out front. Once in the distance, I heard the eery caterwauling of a cougar.

I did not need an alarm to wake and start breakfast at the crack of dawn. The Sandhill Cranes were my roosters. There is no sound quite like the call of the Sandhill Crane reverberating through the morning mist and echoing in the timber. It is a mixture of gargling, croaking and warbling. No traffic sounds, human conversation, humming electric motors or chainsaws; just the audible constant of cranes calling their life-long mates.

This was the background sound of those glorious days of a new found life spent riding through cattle herds, exploring pristine country far from the madding crowd and reading great writing by the likes of Thomas Hardy. It has become my positive pavlovian conditioning: I hear cranes and I am immediately transported to a carefree place rich with beauty and discovery.

II

A few years later when I had become — as we all do — too wrapped up in my life, I often found myself driving the 70 miles to the county seat in Lakeview, Oregon. At the mid-point is an unsightly old cafe flanked by unattractive out buildings designated on the map as Valley Falls, Oregon. One winter day I stopped there and noticed a large field of unharvested rye diagonally across highway 31.

Rye is a winter grain which is often planted along with perennial dryland grasses to provide temporary cover until they get established. These tall flaxen stalks of rye were still laden with big heads filled with hard dark seeds. On second glance, I noticed that the field was literally covered with Sandhill Cranes. There must have been close to a hundred.

At that time, I had gotten away from the idylls of contemplating nature but there was something singularly striking about this scene. The pale colored grain accentuated the vibrant almost pastel-grey of the hunched bodies on black stilts. The feathers were tinted with warm orangish highlights. Each crane was contorting its neck and tilting its beak in creative ways to glean the heads of their precious contents. This was not a mere harvest but rather a work of art. I saw it as a Japanese wood cut of immense detail and elegant line rendered in the subtlest of colors.

How could a hardened buckaroo who was growing rough around the edges be having such thoughts? I was also struck by the proximity of these massive birds both to one another and to the highway with its passing cars. There was a profundity in their collective preoccupation. They would not have stopped plucking even if it were the Sabbath. More than forty years later, I cannot drive by that place without seeing “The Cranes in the Rye” though both are long gone.

III

I was one of those odd birds who went to college in his fifties. I also labored under the false impression that it would be useful to graduate Magna Cum Laude. As it turned out my 4.0 for three years would not undo the C’s I got back in 1964. As a matter of fact the whole BA degree has turned out to be little more than a feather in my cap (too many bird references?). In short, I studied hard and took things way too seriously.

One brisk March day on the Chico State campus while wending my way through throngs of students stressing about tests and papers, I suddenly heard Sandhill Cranes. And not just a few but hundreds! I looked in the only logical direction — up. There, passing in and out of high gauzy clouds, were wedge after wedge of Sandhill Cranes. They must have numbered in the thousands. My guess is that they were riding a tail wind at about 5000 feet moving at about 50 mph. The clamor of so many cranes even at that distance was astounding.

I thought everyone would be looking skyward. To my surprise, no one else seemed to notice. I had to curb my impulse to shout out, “Look at the Sandhill Cranes! Aren’t they amazing? Don’t you hear them?” It was like living on another planet — so strange, so very strange. Of course, many of these students may have been contemplating their up and coming southerly migration to places like Cancun. Who knows? All I know is that those cranes made my heart soar.

______________________

Well, what is the larger picture? I said may paint not would paint. Perhaps it has something to do with art and our not so brutish “brute neighbors” and how these two work together to enrich our lives and make us less brutish. Regardless, we all tilt our heads slightly differently to get at the kernels. Far be it from me to do another person’s gleaning.

#AB_FAV_IN_AUTUMN_ 🍄🍁🍂

I found these on the ground, in the ‘wild’.

Berries are so autumnal, only very few are edible now, except for the birds and other animals.

A jelly made from them is popular for dressing game.

According to Robert James in 1747, the fruit is excellent for treating the scurvy, and the exudates from the bark is good for the diseases of the spleen.

When dried and powdered the berries have been turned into a type of bread, and in an infusion make an acidulous drink.

A gargle made from the berries is good for a sore throat and inflamed tonsils.

However, it is bitter – very bitter.

Sorbus is a genus of about 100–200 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family Rosaceae. Species of Sorbus are commonly known as white-beam, rowan, service tree and mountain-ash.

This upright, tree is the most compact of the Rowan trees making it ideal for small gardens.

Fluffy, white corymbs of flowers appear in April-May that are popular with bees.

Mid/dark green pinnate foliage turns vibrant shades of orange and red in the autumn which complements the reddish orange berries that hang in heavy clusters and are a treat for the birds.

Popular folklore maintains that a heavy crop of fruit means a hard or difficult winter.

Similarly, in Finland and Sweden, the number of fruit on the trees was used as a predictor of the snow cover during winter.

However, as fruit production for a given summer is related to weather conditions the previous summer, with warm, dry summers increasing the amount of stored sugars available for subsequent flower and fruit production, it has no predictive relationship to the weather of the next winter.

Have a great day and thanks for viewing, M, (*_*)

for more: www.indigo2photography.com

IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN (BY LAW!!!) TO USE ANY OF MY image or TEXT on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved

Berries, red, Rowan, Sorbus, leaves, Autumn, "mountain ash", design, "conceptual art", studio, black-background, square, "Magda indigo"

because i love you)last night

clothed in sealace

appeared to me

your mind drifting

with chuckling rubbish

of pearl weed coral and stones;

lifted,and(before my

eyes sinking)inward,fled;softly

your face smile breasts gargled

by death:drowned only

again carefully through deepness to rise

these your wrists

thighs feet hands

poising

to again utterly disappear;

rushing gently swiftly creeping

through my dreams last

night,all of your

body with its spirit floated

(clothed only in

the tide's acute weaving murmur

~ e.e. cummings ~

[group] Herons and egrets | [order] CICONIIFORMES | [family] Ardeidae | [latin] Egretta garzetta | [UK] Little Egret | [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.

Not much effort is going into my photography today. My worst covid symptom is the most painful and sorest throat I can remember having. I'm not sure it would be much worse if I was gargling razor blades and chilli sauce. Very little brings relief to it.

I've been locked up in my room for a while now. Ever since my mother's death, I haven't had the energy to go anywhere. Nothing has helped to quell this pain in my stomach. Tamara has tried to cheer me up, and that didn't work. Music didn't help me either. So I've just sat here, and thought a lot. Thought about if I really deserve this second chance on Earth. To play the hero. All of it.. We stopped Assassin, and most recently Stinger, but is that enough? I didn't even get revenge on that psycho who killed my mother.. I can't even do that now even if I wanted to, as the Stinger got murdered in his cell earlier this week. I wanted him to suffer in prison for the rest of his life, but that didn't happen. They say that it was a guard, but I have a feeling that Pirate is behind this somehow. I hear a knock on my bedroom door as I sit up on my bed.

Chris: "Who is it??"

Tamara: "It's me, Tamara. You haven't been out for weeks.. C'mon Chris, you got to come out of that room sometime. Come with me and dad to the bank, please.. I miss hanging out with my bro."

Chris: "Even if I wasn't in here, you've been too busy with shifts at the diner."

Tamara: "Yeah well I've had to pick up some of the slack since you know.."

Chris: "Yeah... I know."

Tamara: "I even made some new friends there! I think you would like Lucy. She has a heart of gold."

Chris: "Trying to play matchmaker now sis? Woww.."

Tamara: "Oh I'm sorry, but it's not like you're doing yourself any favours. Anyways, would you please go with us? Please!!!!"

Chris: "Ugh, fine.. I'll be out in a few minutes."

Tamara: "Yay!! I'll go let dad know." I hear her footsteps getting quieter as she walks downstairs.. I put a shirt and jeans on, and walk downstairs. When I reach the last step, I stumble a bit, but I'm able to catch myself. That would've been embarrassing I mutter to myself as I head towards the refrigerator. As I open the door, I see there isn't much milk left in the jug. I grab it, take the lid off, and chug whats left.

Tamara: "Seriously?" I hear Tamara ask, as I finish the last drops.

Chris: "What? There wasn't much left anyway!"

Tamara: "Doesn't mean you drink straight from the jug! You ready to go? We're heading out soon.."

Chris: "Yea yea, I'm good." Not really of course. I still have morning breath, and I smell bad. I speed over to the bathroom, so I can gargle some mouthwash, and put on some deodorant. Not ideal, but it'll do. Oh right, forgot about the fridge door. After I finish cleaning up some, I close the fridge door, and head out to the car. We all hop inside, and drive. On the way there, my father and sister make small talk.. I'm not really sure what it was about cause I zoned out looking out of the car window. A few minutes later we arrive at Sky High Financial Group. We get out of the car, and walk into the bank. Once inside, I look around, and see the symbolic cloud with Sky High Financial Group in big font. I notice that the song Into You by Ariana Grande is playing in the background as I walk in. That songs my jam! I groove out a bit, but then I notice my father is already at the teller. Oh whoops, good one Chris. Trying to catch up to my father, I speed-walk. As I'm about to reach the teller, I hear a gunshot go off.

Tamara: "What was that?" As she's talking, I see 5 people dressed in black come from the entrance..

Robber #1: "This is a robbery!! All valuables and cash go into these bags that my associates have.." Oh great, just what I needed today.. Civilians start putting their valuables into the bag

Robber #1: "That would be NOW!!!" He yells at a blonde girl, who looks around my age. I look at her piercing blue eyes, and she looks at me, so scared for her life.

Chris: "Leave her alone!"

Robber #2: "Oh, you wanna play hero now, is that it? Well don't come any closer, or else I'll blow her brains out!!" the second robber says as he walks up to the girl and puts his gun to her head. One wrong move here, and she's dead.. Crap, I don't even have my costume on me.. Think fast Chris, think fast.. One of the others, that I'm gonna call Robber 3 whispers something to the reckless number 2. I focus my hearing to hear them.

Robber #3: "This wasn't part of the plan Landon! We had a plan, a simple plan, but a plan, and somehow, you've found a way to screw it up!" The voice sounds feminine.

Landon: "Oh relax Alexa, it's not like I've hurt anyone yet.."

I take that opportunity to fire off heat vision at this Landon's hand that's holding the gun. He screeches in pain, and drops the gun. In that moment, I sprint over, and punch him in the gut. Robber 3 has a look of shock on her face as she sees Landon go flying into the wall, with the impact of him hitting the wall knocking him out.

Robber #1: "Whaa-What the heck? One of those meta freaks? Here? Crap!!" He says as he freaks out. He shoots at some of the civilians, with one bullet heading my way. I catch it in mid-air, and try to jump in the way of the other ones. But it's too late, as one pierces through a man's hip, and another went through the shoulder of an elderly woman. Seeing this, the robber runs for it, but it's no good, as I hear sirens outside the building.

My father goes to help the wounded, and Tamara takes care of the other two robbers that are on the other side of the room. She does it with ease, with a smile on her face. Three down, two to go. I grab the robber named Alexa, and go towards the robber that tried to get away. I drop her beside him.

Chris: "I suggest you surrender now."

Alexa: "Ok ok, I give in.."

Robber #1: "I can't go back, I can't do it. Prison is hell. Curse you, meta scum." He yells at me, as he unloads the rest of his clip into me. The bullets drop down to the floor, and he faints, most likely due to shock.

Alexa "You win this time, Superboy. That is your name right? I've watched the news.. So strong, and powerful.. Maybe I chose the wrong side here. May our next encounter be even hotter than today. I look forward to our relationship blossoming further Superboy." She blows me a kiss, as I open the door to let the police take them away.

I walk up to the girl I saved beforehand, to make sure she's ok. I notice the wounded civilians get taken out of the building, and put into ambulances.

Superboy: "You ok?"

Girl: "Yeah, I'm good. Thanks to you that is."She leans in and kisses me right on the lips. I step back, with a look of surprise on my face.

Superboy: "Wha-What was that for?" I say, as my cheeks start to redden.

Girl: "You saved my life.. Without your bravery, I would've probably died."

Superboy: "It was nothing, really. Right place, right time kinda thing ya know?"

Girl: "You're a hero, and for that, I figured you deserve a heroes reward."

Superboy: "Well I guess I have to save beautiful girls more often..." I say with a grin on my face.

Girl: "Haha maybe. What's your name, hero boy?"

Superboy: "Chris.. Chris Danvers." I say nervously.

Girl: "Nice to meet you Chris!"

Superboy: "Nice to meet ya too... I'm sorry, what's your name?"

Girl: "Alicia.. Alicia Baker"

End

So, this issue is my longest issue to date. Sorry in advanced. It was necessary for setup. Hope you liked the issue, as I liked writing it. :)

mirrored design in mainly blue......noticed it's taking a few seconds for my enlarged images to come into focus at the moment....thanks for looking.....best bigger....hope you have a Great Week

“We are citizens of the world. The tragedy of our times is that we do not know this.”

President Woodrow Wilson

The public sculpture is placed at the entrance of Piccadilly Station in Manchester I came across a week ago and thought it was rather moving.

I thought I would include the powerful poem by Wilfred Owen 1893-1918 the best in my opinion of the English war poets. Owen was killed in action on 4 November 1918 during the crossing of the Sambre–Oise Canal, exactly one week (almost to the hour) before the signing of the Armistice which ended the war, and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant the day after his death. His mother received the telegram informing her of his death on Armistice Day, as the church bells in Shrewsbury were ringing out in celebration. The poem was published after his death and it addresses powerfully what he called, “ The old lie “.

A hundred years on we should rightly remember but remembrance by itself is of little value unless we learn and there is little evidence that we do. Europe has had three major wars in a century WW1, WW2 and the recent Balkan war all directly the result of nationalism.

Yet in 2018 the nationalists are at it again and the solutions are the old ones, rally round the flag, put your own country first, keep the country pure from the others e.g anyone a different colour religion or ethnic group to you , distrust internationalist institutions and there is usually a good conspiracy theory or two of your country being controlled by an unnamed international cabal . Mix these together with sufficient ignorance and hate and it should all combust nicely .

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.

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.

Dulce et Decorum est by Wilfred Owen 1918

THANKS FOR YOUR VISITING BUT CAN I ASK YOU NOT TO FAVE AN IMAGE WITHOUT ALSO MAKING A COMMENT. MANY THANKS KEITH

Details best viewed in Original Size

I photographed this Common Gallinule (formerly Common Moorhen) at the Black Point Wildlife Drive section of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge located immediately north of the NASA Space complex on Florida's Atlantic Coast. The Common Gallinule split from the common moorhen by the American Ornithologists’ Union in July 2011. It lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals, and other wetlands in the Americas. The species is not found in the polar regions or many tropical rainforests. Elsewhere, the common gallinule is likely the most commonly seen rail species in much of North America, except for the American coot in some regions. The gallinule has dark plumage apart from the white undertail, yellow legs and a red frontal shield. The young are browner and lack the red shield. It has a wide range of gargling calls and will emit loud hisses when threatened. They have a length of 12.6-13.8 inches (32-35cm), weigh from 9 to 16.1 ounces (310-456g), and have a wingspan of 21.3 to 24.4 inches (54-62cm). This is a common breeding bird in marsh environments and well-vegetated lakes. Populations in areas where the waters freeze, such as southern Canada and the northern USA, will migrate to more temperate climes. This species will consume a wide variety of vegetable material and small aquatic creatures. It forages beside or in the water, sometimes upending in the water to feed. Its wide feet allow it to hop about on lily pads. It is often secretive, but can become tame in some areas. Despite loss of habitat in parts of its range, the common gallinule remains plentiful and widespread.

Info above was extracted from Wikipedia.

Aldergrove Lake Park - Abbotsford BC Canada

I've been hoping to get a bird on this bush for the past 2 weeks.When I found this little one actually eating the berries, I was thrilled.

Any help on IDing the bush is appreciated.

View Large

Even though this plant contains poisonous chemicals called pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), some people use the leaf, root, and root-like stem (rhizome) to make medicine.

Despite safety concerns, comfrey is used by mouth for stomach ulcers, heavy menstrual periods, diarrhea, bloody urine, cough, bronchitis, cancer, and chest pain (angina). It is also used as a gargle for gum disease and sore throat.

Comfrey is applied to the skin for ulcers, wounds, muscle soreness, bruises, rheumatoid arthritis, varicose veins, gout, and fractures.

Comfrey attracts bees and butterflies so is a nice addition to any garden, although it does ten to spread aggressively.

Gananoque, ON Canada

... ummmm Horrible Hound! These two will guard the front of our home when they've been placed on the brick pedestals at the front of the house! 😄

Strictly speaking, gargoyles are decorative waterspouts that preserve stonework by diverting the flow of rainwater away from buildings.

The word, gargoyle, derives from the French gargouille, or throat, from which the verb, to gargle, also originates.

Although the sculptural waterspout originated in Antiquity, it grew in popularity on Romanesque structures, and proliferated during the Gothic period.

Grotesques, while similar in appearance, serve a variety of other practical and ornamental functions, as corbels or capitals, for instance.

The term, grotesque, can apply to any fanciful human or animal form, especially when it indulges in caricature or absurdity.

These sculptural creatures appear most commonly on religious structures, but also on university buildings, town halls and even on homes.

Transcript of a man on a hill talking to a hawk perched on a tree on the hill. Please be warned, words were exchanged visually only. You know… the stare says it all thingie?

Man: Will you please consider lifting your blessed buttock for me and fly around a bit like a jolly-good fellow? I have been waiting for half an hour now for a shot which million folks in flickr have taken zillion times already.

Hawk: Why bother? Wait for as long as you want. I am not moving my butt for your pleasure.

Man: How about a beer? I will buy you imported stuff that feels like silk!

Hawk: Duh! Do I look the bar-hopping kind to you?

Man: Ummm… OK then, how about some nice chicken thighs from Trader Joes’?

Hawk (the stare hardens): Don’t offend the hunter. I can find my own chicks.

Man (growing restless): WTF!! Will you move or not? What will it take to make you flap your stupid wings?

The hawk does not answer. Instead he looks in another direction. The man turns around and sees another hawk flying towards them.

Another hawk (to the hawk): One lazy arse you are! How long ago did you promise me warm dinner?

Hawk: (to the man) Got to go man! (to another hawk in a metamorphosed soft voice) Here I come my sweet Barbie doll! I have spotted this awesome mole for you right over that hill. Let me go get it!

The hawk takes off. The man gets his wish and fires his toy click-click-clicketty-click. The other hawk was too annoyed to talk to the man and left the scene before the man could do anything about her. End of story.

If you are giggling, grinning, gargling or doing anything else that starts with a g, then stop! This is all real conversation! Better believe it or you will be lost for words when your turn comes for staring at a lazy hawk. Get it?

Member of the Flickr Bird Brigade

Activists for birds and wildlife

Color Sketch

Here's what the Encyclopedia Galactica has to say about alcohol:

It says that alcohol is a colourless volatile liquid formed by the fermentation of sugars and also notes its intoxicating effect on certain carbon-based life forms.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy also mentions alcohol:

It says that the effect of a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick. The Guide also tells you on which planets the best Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters are mixed, how much you can expect to pay for one and what voluntary organizations exist to help you rehabilitate afterwards.

Click here for a tastier size

Soothes pain - fights infection!

50mm @ f1.8

I should be on commission....

Non Brits may not have come across this before, but it will stop a sore throat in it's tracks if you gargle it! =) I think it turned the grass in my back garden a funny colour though...

My grandmother used to call it Tom Cat's Piddle... :p I can't confirm it, but it probably tastes quite similar!

HNFF!