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Chough - Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
While its black plumage identifies it as a crow, the chough (pronounced 'chuff') has a red bill and legs unlike any other member of the crow family. It is restricted to the west of the British Isles.
It readily displays its mastery of flight with wonderful aerial displays of diving and swooping. This Schedule 1 species can be found in flocks in autumn and winter.
There are two species of passerine birds commonly called chough that constitute the genus Pyrrhocorax of the Corvidae (crow) family of birds. These are the red-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), and the Alpine chough (or yellow-billed chough) (Pyrrhocorax graculus). The white-winged chough of Australia, despite its name, is not a true chough but rather a member of the family Corcoracidae and only distantly related.
The choughs have black plumage and brightly coloured legs, feet, and bills, and are resident in the mountains of southern Eurasia and North Africa. They have long broad wings and perform spectacular aerobatics. Both species pair for life and display fidelity to their breeding sites, which are usually caves or crevices in a cliff face. They build a lined stick nest and lay three to five eggs. They feed, usually in flocks, on short grazed grassland, taking mainly invertebrate prey, supplemented by vegetable material or food from human habitation, especially in winter.
Population:
UK breeding:
250-350 pairs in Great Britain; 120-150 pairs on the Isle of Man
Schwalbenschwanz - Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) | 05-2022 | Ticino | Switzerland
If anyone can identify the grasshopper, that would be helpful, thank you!
More TICINO/TESSIN Wildlife Photos (all taken in my garden in Monteggio/Ti, Switzerland): it.lacerta-bilineata.com/ramarro-occidentale-lacerta-bili... (the website exists in ESPAÑOL, FRANÇAIS, ITALIANO, ENGLISH, DEUTSCH)
My latest ANIMAL VIDEO (warning, it's a bit shocking): www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T2-Xszz7FI
THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO:
The wild garden around my vacation home in Ticino, where all the photos you can see in my Flickr gallery are from (well, some have been taken a couple of meters outside, but that still counts in my book 😉), had been a cause of contention between me and my mom for some time.
At the root of the conflict was the upper part of the garden, which originally had been conceived by my dear mother as a vegetable patch, but, left to its own devices by me after I "inherited" it, had developed into a marvelous oasis of pure botanic chaos teeming with insect life.
Mom was not amused. Although she - like all in our family - is very much in favor of letting nature roam freely around the house, and she loves all creatures big and small, she (unlike me) does draw a line somewhere. That line was the vegetable patch.
And she let her disapproval be known, and very clearly; she kept pestering me about my unwillingness to pluck the weeds (my response: "What weeds - there are no weeds: I'm creating a functioning ecosystem here, mom!") for several years, until my stubborn refusal made her reach her breaking point. She'd finally had enough.
My mom is a cunning old lady of nearly 80 years (79 to be precise), the matriarch and evil genius of our family (make no mistake: that house and garden are still HERS - and forever will be, regardless what it says on some sheet of paper), and so like a James Bond villain plotting revenge, she hatched a diabolic plan.
One day, when I was gone for a couple of weeks, she let me know via e-mail she had decided to turn this ugly weed jungle of mine into a flowery meadow. There was nothing I could do as she had already ordered a local gardening company to level that part of the garden, and once that was accomplished, as she described with obvious relish, the gardener would plant the most beautiful wild flowers and turn this ugly mess of mine into a colorful paradise.
I was not amused by this at all, as you might imagine, but there was nothing I could do to save my gorgeous oasis of chaos, so I grumpily accepted "my" garden's fate. After that, my mom avoided me whenever she could, and when she couldn't, she wouldn't mention the garden at all. This didn't strike me as odd, since I assumed she might feel at least a little bit guilty about her sneaky move (at this point, I hadn't seen the "improved" version of the garden yet).
Cut to a few weeks later, when I went back to Ticino and finally DID see the "flowery meadow" and "colorful paradise" my dear mother had ordered. My jaw dropped. But in shock - not in awe of flowery beauty of any kind: as there were NO flowers of any kind. What there was, was sod. Plain, ugly sod, completely devoid of any insect (or other animal) life, already turning into a brownish yellow due to a lack of rain in the past weeks.
You see, my mom's Italian is not very good (in fact, it's so far from good that it could be argued she doesn't speak it at all) and as it turned out, there had been a "slight" misunderstanding. Instead of planting gorgeous wild flowers, the local gardener (whose Italian is impeccable by the way), put turf rolls down after he'd leveled my oasis; turf rolls of the kind that is usually used for sterile football fields.
OK (you, dear reader, might say at this point); sad story, bro - but what does it have to do with the swallowtail in the photo? The answer is: everything. The past autumn and all through spring this year I've been planting wild flowers in that garden like a mad botanist; I've planted field scabiouses and red clover, ox-eye daisies, echium, salvia and thyme and lavender as well as plants for the caterpillars of the in Switzerland rare swallowtail butterfly such as fennel and wild carrots.
This was my desperate attempt to undo the damage and terrible devastation my mother's wrath had brought upon the earth (well, my garden's earth anyway) and turn this sod-desert into an oasis of pure botanic chaos and a colorful paradise teeming with insect life once more.
And it worked! Ever since those plants started flowering my garden has been an attraction for all kinds of butterflies and generally insects, even rare ones - and, obviously, my dearest guest and visitor that you can see in the photo above: the swallowtail.
These gorgeous butterflies are now steady guests, and they even laid their eggs on the fennel (which is now a nursery for cute swallowtail caterpillars). So in the end, my mom's will prevailed (as is always the case with the wills of all moms all over the world - don't kid yourselves, kids 😉). My weeds are gone, there now is indeed a flowery meadow - and there's even vegetables (although the fennel is strictly for the swallowtails 😊).
I have a creeping suspicion maybe my mom's Italian is better than she lets on...
A large duck species easily identified due to their bright white and brown plumage. The birds are migratory from South Eastern Europe and much of Central Asia during winters to India. They are not so common in our state, but common in our neighbouring western state.
Found them in a shallow lake in the middle of a grassland where there was a group of 6 along with dozens of Pintails, Garganeys and Pochards. The rest of the ducks flew away by our presence, but these Shelducks stayed put cautiously and after a short while ignored us entirely. The birds were chasing each other and seemed to have fun for a short while. The presence of 3 large raptors distracted us and the birds which flocked together to probably feel more secure.
Thanks in advance for your wonderful feedback and likes.
A Common stork often seen in fields, grasslands and in dry lakebeds and easily identified by its black body and white neck. They are resident birds in the country and can be seen throughout the year.
The colors of the bird are quite interesting and the wings and head feathers are iridescent. They are pretty tall around 80-90 cms and taller compared to the other herons / storks we have here. The birds are seen in small groups, though they forage alone like this one.
We sighted this in a grassland and the rains made the landscape very beautiful. These large storks were hunting for insects in the semi wet ground and seemed quite successful in getting a good meal.
Thanks in advance for your views and feedback. Much appreciated.
These flowers (Identify plant.net told me what kind they were. I have no idea who Lemmon was.) have been growing, untended, in an area in the suburbs of San Diego for several years, and they seem to be doing fine, whatever the rainfall.
Thanks for looking! Isn't God a great artist?
VIEW LARGE HERE
What a splendid pie,
Pizza-pizza pie,
Every minute, every second,
Buy, buy, buy, buy buy,
What a splendid pie,
Pizza-pizza pie,
Every minute, every second,
Buy, buy, buy, buy buy.
Pepperoni and green peppers
Mushrooms, olive, chives,
Pepperoni and green peppers
Mushrooms, olive, chives.
"Pizza Pie" - System Of A Down
My best effort identifies this damselfly as a Powdered Dancer in blue form. Still with the morning's dew on its back, it rests upon the bloom of an American Water Willow. Water Willow is a perennial which commonly colonizes along the edges of Ozark streams and is a host to many dragonflies, damselflies, bees and butterflies. If you would like to see the colonization of water willow along a stream and discover some of an Ozark stream's beautiful and amazing inhabitants, above and below the water, I would be honored if you took a look at my latest blog post here: www.gmichaellewis.com/blog/2015/6/life-of-an-ozark-stream
Mosque "Gold Dome of the Rock". Moriah Hill is a place sacred to the three great monotheistic religions. Tradition identifies this place with a mountain of Moriah, where Abraham was to sacrifice of his son Isaac. King David bought the place, trying to build a temple to God. It does this by his son Solomon. In the year 587 BC the temple is destroyed by the Babylonian king Nabuchodozonor. Is then reconstructed to provide only the former glory of King Herod Great. In the year 70 AD, is destroyed by the soldiers of Titus so that "no stone left unturned." Western Wall is a remnant of this great building. After the Arab invasion in the seventh century, Caliph Abd al Malik raises great mosque, one of the most beautiful and important. According to Arab tradition, the Prophet Muhammad was taken away to heaven along with his horse.
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Meczet "Złota Kopuła Skały". Wzgórze Moria jest miejscem świętym dla trzech wielkich religii monoteistycznych. Tradycja utożsamia to miejsce z górą Moria, gdzie Abraham miał złożyć ofiarę ze swojego syna Izaaka. Król Dawid wykupił to miejsce, chcąc wybudować Bogu świątynię. Dokonuje tego jego syn Salomon. W roku 587 p.n.e świątynia zostaje zniszczona przez króla babilońskiego Nabuchodozonora. Zostaje potem odbudowana, uzyskując dawną świetność dopiero za króla Heroda Wielkiego. W roku 70 n.e zostaje zniszczona przez żołnierzy Tytusa tak, że "nie pozostał kamień na kamieniu". Mur Płaczu jest pozostałością zachodniej ściany tej wielkiej budowli. Po inwazji arabskiej w VII wieku, kalif Abd al Malik wznosi wspaniały meczet, jeden z najpiękniejszych i najważniejszych. Według arabskiej tradycji, Prorok Mahomet stąd został wzięty do nieba wraz ze swoim koniem. We wnętrzu pod kopułą znajduje się skała na której Abraham składał w ofierze Bogu swojego syna.
Identified only in 1985 and named after the American conservation biologist Steven Michael Goodman. It is nocturnal and weighing just around 50 grams is one of the smallest primate in the world. The smallest is Madame Berthe's mouse lemur that lives only in the Kirindy forest and is just slightly smaller.
One job, identified by many who have worn the "Yellow Shirt," is the Arresting Gear Officer. AKA "Shooter". So important is this role in an aircraft carrier that they even immortalize themselves in The Tailhook Daily Briefing, which is a naval aviation community. We all know that we have seen "that attitude" or postures on the covers of an aircraft carrier and what that means, this for those who do not know, it is simply. You're going to fly! Like it or not!
Un trabajo, identificado por muchos que han llevado la "Camisa Amarilla", es el del, Arresting Gear Officer. AKA "Shooter". Tan importante es este papel en un portaaviones, que incluso se inmortalizan en The Tailhook Daily Briefing, que es una comunidad de la aviación naval. Todos sabemos los que hemos visto "esa actitud" o posturas en las cubiertas de un portaaviones y lo que significa eso, esto para los que no saben, es simplemente. ¡Vas a volar! ¡Te guste o no...!
Benni and I saw these flowers on an overcast day so I was surprised to come home and see them with lots of light on the big screen.
(Identified by my dear friend, Rachel, as Strawflowers)
I incorrecly identified this bird originally as an american goldfinch however as BridgetSpencer13 and Engilis Photos pointed out, it's a female western tanager. Interestingly enough phingular who has previously posted two pictures of this bird correctly identified it :D Oh well!
This was taken in August at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada.
This mid-sized laughingthrush is found along the Himalayas and can be identified by the combination of the black cap and band on the brown tail. The underparts are greyish while the upperparts have scale like feather patterning. A distinctive pale loreal patch of buff colour and a broad dark moustachial stripe which borders the rufous chin and ear coverts are identifying features. There is however considerable geographic variation in plumage. The western population (occidentalis of western and central Himalayas) being greyer and paler making the dark patterns stand out in greater contrast. The eastern populations assamensis have a paler throat and the markings on the throat are much less marked. The populations in Meghalaya (rufitincta) has an orange wash on the underside from the throat to the belly.
It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, Tibet and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
The grey bill and dark underside identify this as a White-faced Ibis and not merely a (large) juvenile White Ibis. Shoveler Pond, Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Texas.
Starman by David Bowie
'There's a Starman waiting in the sky
He'd like to come and meet us
But he thinks he'd blow our minds'
After all the dark weather (and news!) I thought it was time for a splash of colour and fun! This is the 9 metre tall 'Identified Flying Object', colloquially known as 'The Birdcage' that stands on railway land between King's Cross and St. Pancras stations. It was designed by Jacques Rival and first appeared in 2011, being suspended above different locations in the area, certainly having the appearance of a UFO!
The psychodelic raindrops in the foreground are resting on one of the safety bollards that protect the station from vehicular attack, a prescient move in light of the events in Nice and Berlin.
Is there life out there beyond our planet? It's a thought that I've always been somewhat uncomfortable with. I hope it remains Science Fiction but the idea is becoming increasingly mainstream, with scientists claiming we might find life on another planet within the next ten years.
Sleep tight!
Edited using Photos on iPhone.
Happy Gorgeous Green Thursday.
BTW...if anyone can identify the bird, I'd love to know what it is. I thought tri-colored heron, but I'm not sure.
I can't remember for sure, but I think I shot this through glass. There's a bird "blind"...shack, observatory, something with big glass windows and benches to sit on, from which one can observe the various birds in the area. I have shots that I know for sure were taken from the shack...but I can't remember for certain about this one.
Identified by its most prominent field mark, an acorn in the beak, an Acorn Woodpecker removes a nut from its storage locker along the Boot Canyon Trail in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park.
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Four views to identify a female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Quatre vues pour identifier un Pic Epeichette femelle
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Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
a rare bird here:
A first time for me.
And according to Faune d'ile de France, a first sight since 2015 in the surroundings.
a very small bird:
The Spotted Woodpecker is the smallest of the woodpeckers.
It measures 15cm from the beak to the end of the tail and weighs 20g.
For comparison, a green woodpecker is 30cm long and weighs 200g.
For comparison always, a starling measures 20cm and weighs 80g
And a great tit is 14cm and 15g on average
So it is as small as a tit or a starling !
Particular signs :
We note on its back a double horizontal white band characteristic of this woodpecker.
The one photographed is a female because she has a white cap on her head.
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Pic épeichette
un oiseau rare ici :
Une première fois pour moi.
Et dixit Faune d’ile de France, une première vue depuis 2015 dans les environs (7 ans sans que personne n'en n'ait vu un).
un oiseau très petit :
Le pic épeichette est le plus petit des pics.
Il mesure 15cm du bec à l’éxtrémité de la queue et pèse 20g.
A titre de comparaison un pic vert mesure 30cm de long et pèse 200g.
A titre de comparaison toujours, un sansonnet mesure 20cm et pèse 80g
Et une mésange charbonniere quant-à elle fait 14cm et 15g en moyenne
Signes particuliers :
On note dans son dos une double bande blanche horizontale caractéristique de ce pic.
Celui pris en photo est une femelle car elle a une calotte blanche sur la tête.
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Pic-epeichette-crop4xExp0500
Identified as 'the center of Dine' culture, the Navaho arrived late, lived in Hopi built cliff dwellings, inhabited even earlier by other peoples] and vacated them @ 1,300.
Local literature claims then land there was inhabited for around 5,000 years.
This is visible from the Antelope House Overlood.
There are stunning antelope petroglyphs in the area.
This is approx. 10% of the development; the canyon has other 'cliff communities', which also had lookout spots, etc.
Monkshood, a poisonous wildflower. Thanks to Eric the Cat for identifying it. I thought it was snapdragons. End of summer has come.
The Yellow-cheeked Tit, easily identified by its spectacular headgear, is a resident of the eastern Himalayas and northeast India. This bird was seen in a fast-moving mixed flock of birds along a forest track in the foothills of the Himalayas in West Bengal, India.
Thanks for your visit… Any comment you make on my photograph is greatly appreciated and encouraging! But please do not use this image without permission.
I haven't yet managed to identify the pink bloom here. Maybe someone can help me out?
Wishing everyone a lovely weekend.
Thanks to Ashley & Maureen for identifying this as Grevillea, member of the Protea family.
In the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae (1758) great Linnaeus gave scientific binonial names to Butterflies (Papilio). He drew the specifics from six groups derived from Greek mythology virtually emptying out the list of possible names. Thus our Swallowtail was placed in the group Equites Achivi (=Greek Soldiers of the Trojan War). Demoleus was one of them; he was slain by Aeneas, important defender of Troy. It is unknown why Linnaeus chose that specific name for this Flier, as indeed the specifics for the 200 or so others that he identified.
The photo shows a male, which can be identified as such by the shape and color of the red tornal spots. Those of the females have a more blue border.
I was only able to get one shot. Never seen one of these before and sure would like to know what it is.
First identified in Auckland during the late 1970s, the South African praying mantis (Miomantis caffra) has by now become firmly established in New Zealand.
Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus) was correctly Identified by Gary Faulkner on a NEW image posted 02/08/2025, so I have updated the info on this image to show correction www.flickr.com/photos/gary-faulkner/
⭐️Thank you in Advance for your kind ‘Faves’ Visits and Comments they are so very much appreciated. 👍
I cannot always ‘Thank’ everyone individually, for their Visits and ‘Faves’ however, I will always try to respond and thank all those that leave a ‘Comment’. If I do not reply to your 'Comment', it is not because I am ignoring you, it's because I have not seen the 'Comment'.
Your 'Comments' do not always appear in 'Notifications' or Flickr mail, so, I am sorry for any delay in responding. Often your 'Comment' is only spotted 'On the Page' on the day, that I see it. (seen ONLY when replying to someone HAS 'Commented' on the image, and I see a notification)
Please tell me it's something more interesting than the immature white-crowned I suspect it of being, please!
Ophir Creek at Tahoe Meadows, Nevada. August 2018.
Easily identified as it is the only tit with blue wing, tail and crown. The chest is yellow and the blue tit has white cheeks. A black line runs through the eye, round the nape and cheeks. A white border surrounds the blue crown, while the back is a greenish colour, with yellow colouration on the rump. The bill is black with a brownish tip, legs are a deep slate blue.
I make a lot of errors in trying to identify wildlife. When I was growing up on the farm the animals were like cars in the 1950s, I could tell you the make and model of each one. Then came the Asian entry into our markets and today I can’t tell one from another when they are whizzing by on the highway.
But the Minnesota zoo folks think I should easily be able to identify the snapping turtle. Here's what they say about this species of turtle:
"The common snapping turtle is Minnesota's largest species of turtle. It is easily distinguished from all other Minnesota turtles by its size, keeled upper shell (called a carapace), large head, and long, bumpy tail."
I am guessing this whopper must be a snapping turtle.
(Photographed near Cambridge, MN)
The Nuthatch is a very pretty bird and quite distinctive in its plumage which makes it very easy to identify, they have strong bills which they need for removing bark and/or retrieving stored food ie nuts. The Nuthatch is very happy to visit gardens and enjoys the food people put out for the birds, they are also very persistent in ensuring they get as much food as they need by being a little bullish with the other birds around the feeders. They however prefer insects which they collect from tree trunks and branches but in the winter months they conceal surplus nuts in tree bark so they can retrieve them when natural food is scarce, they use their bills to hammer these nuts open. They nest in tree cavities also old Woodpecker nests, they lay between 6 to 8 eggs and it is the female who incubates the eggs and the chicks hatch after about 14 days then both parents feed their chicks and they fledge the nest after about 25 days.
I have difficulty identifying hawks in flight at a far distance, but there is little doubt about a powerful hawk flying low across a field, with a white patch on the rump...Northern Harrier.
This hawk was seen at a VERY far distance, so it was necessary to crop the picture. Not the sharpest of shots but still with some feather detail and motion blur. Happy to have gotten it for Life Bird Photograph #236.