Female seen here depositing here eggs. Although when both male and female emerge into adults they are both pale green with brown markings with the male later taking on a sky blue abdomen and an green thorax with the female being mainly green. Can be seen on the wing from June to August and sometimes can go beyond September depending on the weather. Can be found widespread and fairly common in Britain and are increasing in numbers in Scotland and Ireland.

Human pollution has affected the behavior of the American white ibis via an increase in the concentrations of methylmercury, which is released into the environment from untreated waste. Exposure to methylmercury alters the hormone levels of American white ibis, affecting their mating and nesting behavior and leading to lower reproduction rates.

Temperatures were increasing and the snow pack was beginning to melt, but this was the "Spring scene" at Grand Traverse Lighthouse State Park in mid March.

The Little Owl is not a native species, having been introduced to Britain in the 1870s, but it appears to have occupied a vacant niche without having any detrimental impact on other species. Numbers and breeding distribution increased gradually, reaching an estimated breeding population of between 4,000 and 8,500 pairs at the time of Project Barn Owl. The current distribution extends across England, north to the Scottish borders and west into Wales, where it is largely confined to Anglesey and to eastern parts of the country. There have been very few records from Ireland.

Pairs remain on their breeding territories throughout the year, with territorial calling evident during autumn – when young birds are searching for breeding territories – and again during spring. Small cavities are favoured for breeding, these often located within hedgerow trees or the walls of old agricultural buildings. Favoured nesting chambers tend to be located some distance from the cavity entrance and with little daylight reaching them. The male will often perch close to the nest cavity while his mate is incubating her clutch of eggs.

Little Owls often hunt from a perch, taking small mammals and large invertebrates, including earthworms, cockchafers and other beetles. There is evidence to suggest that breeding success is linked to the availability of small mammals, though some pairs evidently do well on other prey; a pair breeding on the island of Skomer, for example, took a large number of Storm Petrels (Courtesy BTO).

Thanks for viewing my photos and for any favourites and comments, it’s much appreciated 👍

Great Egret Juvenile - Explored

From Egret.Org:

....egrets feed their newly hatched young by regurgitating food into the nest and the chicks pick it up and gulp it down. As the chicks increase in size and strength they seize their parents' bills on their own at feeding time and try to pull them down into the nest perhaps hoping to hasten the delivery of food.

After egret chicks are large enough to grasp their parents' bills in this way, food goes directly into the mouths of the young instead of being deposited in the nests.

Not all chicks survive to independence. In broods of 3 or 4, the chicks that hatch later are smaller and weaker than their older nest mates. Older chicks aggressively peck the younger ones at feeding time and force them away from the food. When the adults bring plenty of food all the chicks in the brood survive, but if food is limited, the younger chicks die.

Successful adults usually raise 2 young, sometimes 3 and rarely 4.

Joy is a marvelous increasing of what exists, a pure addition out of nothingness.

~ Rainer Maria Rilke

The Little Owl is not a native species, having been introduced to Britain in the 1870s, but it appears to have occupied a vacant niche without having any detrimental impact on other species. Numbers and breeding distribution increased gradually, reaching an estimated breeding population of between 4,000 and 8,500 pairs at the time of Project Barn Owl. The current distribution extends across England, north to the Scottish borders and west into Wales, where it is largely confined to Anglesey and to eastern parts of the country. There have been very few records from Ireland.

Pairs remain on their breeding territories throughout the year, with territorial calling evident during autumn – when young birds are searching for breeding territories – and again during spring. Small cavities are favoured for breeding, these often located within hedgerow trees or the walls of old agricultural buildings. Favoured nesting chambers tend to be located some distance from the cavity entrance and with little daylight reaching them. The male will often perch close to the nest cavity while his mate is incubating her clutch of eggs.

Little Owls often hunt from a perch, taking small mammals and large invertebrates, including earthworms, cockchafers and other beetles. There is evidence to suggest that breeding success is linked to the availability of small mammals, though some pairs evidently do well on other prey; a pair breeding on the island of Skomer, for example, took a large number of Storm Petrels (Courtesy BTO).

Thanks for viewing my photos and for any favourites and comments, it’s much appreciated 👍

Still day, almost night - in the wonderland Tromsoe.

My "explored" album is here:

www.flickr.com/gp/jenslpz/LzXVPNJ098

My Tromsö / Tromsø album is here:

www.flickr.com/gp/jenslpz/K12U1Y9TvW

The city centre of Tromsø contains the highest number of old wooden houses in Northern Norway, the oldest house dating from 1789. The city is a cultural centre for its region, with several festivals taking place in the summer. Torbjørn Brundtland and Svein Berge of the electronica duo Röyksopp and Lene Marlin grew up and started their careers in Tromsø. Noted electronic musician Geir Jenssen also hails from Tromsø.

Greenfinch - Chloris chloris

The European greenfinch, or just greenfinch (Chloris chloris), is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.

This bird is widespread throughout Europe, north Africa and south west Asia. It is mainly resident, but some northernmost populations migrate further south. The greenfinch has also been introduced into both Australia and New Zealand. In Malta, it is considered a prestigious song bird, and it has been trapped for many years. It has been domesticated, and many Maltese people breed them.

Woodland edges, farmland hedges and gardens with relatively thick vegetation are favoured for breeding. It nests in trees or bushes, laying 3 to 6 Eggs.

This species can form large flocks outside the breeding season, sometimes mixing with other finches and buntings. They feed largely on seeds, but also take berries.

The protozoal parasite Trichomonas gallinae was known to infect pigeons and raptors but beginning in Britain in 2005, carcases of dead European greenfinches and common chaffinches were found to be infected with the parasite. The disease spread and in 2008 infected carcases were found in Norway, Sweden and Finland and a year later in Germany. The spread of the disease is believed to have been mediated by chaffinches as large numbers of the birds breed in northern Europe and winter in Britain. In Britain the number of infected carcases recovered each year declined after a peak in 2006. There was a reduction in the number of greenfinches from around 4.3 million to around 2.8 million but no significant decline in the overall number of chaffinches. A similar pattern occurred in Finland where, after the arrival of the disease in 2008, there was a reduction in the number of greenfinches but only a small change in the number of chaffinches.

Greenfinch populations declined during the late 1970s and early 1980s, but increased dramatically during the 1990s. A recent decline in numbers has been linked to an outbreak of trichomonosis, a parasite-induced disease which prevents the birds from feeding properly.

Population:

UK breeding:

1,700,000 pairs

Guillemot /Murre - Uria aalge

The common murre or common guillemot (Uria aalge) is a large auk. It is also known as the thin-billed murre in North America. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring in low-Arctic and boreal waters in the North Atlantic and North Pacific. It spends most of its time at sea, only coming to land to breed on rocky cliff shores or islands.

Common murres have fast direct flight but are not very agile. They are more manoeuvrable underwater, typically diving to depths of 30–60 m (98–197 ft). Depths of up to 180 m (590 ft) have been recorded.

Common murres breed in colonies at high densities. Nesting pairs may be in bodily contact with their neighbours. They make no nest; their single egg is incubated on a bare rock ledge on a cliff face. Eggs hatch after ~30 days incubation. The chick is born downy and can regulate its body temperature after 10 days. Some 20 days after hatching the chick leaves its nesting ledge and heads for the sea, unable to fly, but gliding for some distance with fluttering wings, accompanied by its male parent. Chicks are capable of diving as soon as they hit the water. The female stays at the nest site for some 14 days after the chick has left.

Both male and female common murres moult after breeding and become flightless for 1–2 months. In southern populations they occasionally return to the nest site throughout the winter. Northern populations spend the winter farther from their colonies.

Some individuals in the North Atlantic, known as "bridled guillemots", have a white ring around the eye extending back as a white line. This is not a distinct subspecies, but a polymorphism that becomes more common the farther north the birds breed.

The common murre nests in densely packed colonies (known as "loomeries"), with up to twenty pairs occupying one square metre at peak season.[citation needed] Common murres do not make nests and lay their eggs on bare rock ledges, under rocks, or the ground. They first breed at four to nine years old, but most individuals recruit into the breeding population at ages six or seven, although birds may disperse (permanently depart their natal colony) if space is limited. Annual survival probability for birds aged 6–15 is 0.895, and average lifespan is about 20 years. Breeding success increases with age up to age 9-10 to 0.7 fledglings per pair, then declines in the oldest age birds, perhaps indicating reproductive senesence.

High densities mean that birds are close contact with neighbouring breeders. Common murres perform appeasement displays more often at high densities and more often than razorbills.

Allopreening is common both between mates and between neighbours. Allopreening helps to reduce parasites, and it may also have important social functions. Frequency of allopreening a neighbour correlates well with current breeding success.

Allopreening may function as a stress-reducer; ledges with low levels of allopreening show increased levels of fighting and reduced breeding success.

Alloparenting behaviour is frequently observed. Non-breeding and failed breeders show great interest in other chicks, and will attempt to brood or feed them. This activity is more common as the chicks get older and begin to explore their ledge. There has also been a record of a pair managing to raise two chicks. Adults that have lost chicks or eggs will sometimes bring fish to the nest site and try to feed their imaginary chick.

At time of extreme food stress, the social activity of the breeding ledge can break down.

On the Isle of May colony in 2007, food availability was low. Adults spent more of their time-budget foraging for their chicks and had to leave them unattended at times. Unattended chicks were attacked by breeding neighbour which often led to their deaths. Non-breeding and failed breeders continued to show alloparental care.

In areas such as Newfoundland, the birds, along with the related thick-billed murre, are referred to as 'turrs' or 'tuirs', and are consumed. The meat is dark and quite oily, due to the birds' diet of fish. Eggs have also been harvested.

Eggers from San Francisco took almost half a million eggs a year from the Farallon Islands in the mid-19th century to feed the growing city.

Population:

UK breeding:

950,000 pairs

The Little Owl is not a native species, having been introduced to Britain in the 1870s, but it appears to have occupied a vacant niche without having any detrimental impact on other species. Numbers and breeding distribution increased gradually, reaching an estimated breeding population of between 4,000 and 8,500 pairs at the time of Project Barn Owl. The current distribution extends across England, north to the Scottish borders and west into Wales, where it is largely confined to Anglesey and to eastern parts of the country. There have been very few records from Ireland.

Pairs remain on their breeding territories throughout the year, with territorial calling evident during autumn – when young birds are searching for breeding territories – and again during spring. Small cavities are favoured for breeding, these often located within hedgerow trees or the walls of old agricultural buildings. Favoured nesting chambers tend to be located some distance from the cavity entrance and with little daylight reaching them. The male will often perch close to the nest cavity while his mate is incubating her clutch of eggs.

Little Owls often hunt from a perch, taking small mammals and large invertebrates, including earthworms, cockchafers and other beetles. There is evidence to suggest that breeding success is linked to the availability of small mammals, though some pairs evidently do well on other prey; a pair breeding on the island of Skomer, for example, took a large number of Storm Petrels (Courtesy BTO).

Thanks for viewing my photos and for any favourites and comments, it’s much appreciated 👍

The ferry could not handle the strongly increased traffic in the 60’s anymore and the need for a good north-south connection grew. That’s why, in 1963, the province of Zeeland finalises the order for the Zeeland bridge between Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland to be built. With its 5 kilometres in length, the bridge – then still called the Oosterschelde bridge – becomes the longest in the Netherlands. The Zeeland bridge exists of 54 pillars with spans at intervals of 95 metres. There is also a passageway for ships by making part of the bridge, which is 40 metres wide, moveable.

The bridge is officially opened on 15 December 1965 by Queen Juliana. In April of 1967, the Oosterschelde bridge is renamed Zeeland bridge. Until 1993, users of the bridge had to pay toll, after then the bridge has been toll free. The opening of the Zeeland bridge makes Schouwen-Duiveland a lot more accessible. This leads to mass tourism to Schouwen-Duiveland. Especially the Westhoek with its dunes and 18 kilometres of beach profits from this.

THE FALKIRK WHEEL

I THREW A STONE FOR RIPPLES :-)

explore Oct 20, 2012 #139

Godafoss (The Waterfall Of The Gods) is Iceland’s most impressive and beautiful waterfall.

Its name is associated with the country’s history. Having been settled on the 9th and 10th centuries, the Norse pagan religion was dominant. With the growth of Christianity throughout Europe, the pressure to abandon Norse increased to the point that Iceland feared an invasion. In 1000 AD it adopted Christianity as the official religion and the decision maker made the symbolic gesture of throwing the pagan idols into the waterfall. Hence its name since then: The Waterfall Of the Gods.

************************

Iceland

© All rights reserved Rui Baptista. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

Earlier today I posted a crop of this capture of the adult. The original capture of these two in the chase over the fish resulted in the top eagle being cropped off at the top of the frame.

I searched through some captures taken in past years to see if I had another juvenile eagle in similar light in a similar pose with a fish. Luck would have it and I found such a capture taken back in 2017.

I was able to add some blue sky above and then bring in the top of the wing from the other capture to get this revised framed view of the two in action.

Wishing you all a happy blue Monday!

A trio of male wood ducks came flying by. I've never seen this before. Three males flying and all three in more or less the same wing position. Plus, all three more or less in focus which means they were far enough away to increase depth of field but close enough to provide sufficient pixels and image quality. A lucky morning for me.

This photograph/image is copyrighted and may not be used in any way without my permission. If you would like to use it, please contact me via Flickr mail.

Thanks for visiting and for your faves and comments.

A Purple Finch increases the air flow to his body on a very hot day.

Torbay, NL

Populations of this cormorant have greatly increased; they now commonly feed on stocked fish in park lakes.

This picture was taken right after the heavy rain, when the sky cleared up and visibility increased.

Instagram • 500PX

calming itchy skin.

waking you up.

increasing circulation.

reducing muscle soreness post-workout.

potentially boosting weight loss.

glowing hair and skin.

reinforces your immune system.

Carrbridge - Scottish Highlands.

Carrbridge is a village in Badenoch and Strathspey in the Scottish Highlands. It forms a beautiful area of the Caingorms National Park, and in turn, provides a wonderful home to the Red Squirrel.

In Great Britain numbers have decreased drastically in recent years. This decline is associated with the introduction by humans of the eastern grey squirrel from North America. However, the population in Scotland is stabilising due to conservation efforts, awareness and the increasing population of the pine marten, a European predator that selectively controls grey squirrels.

Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala)

The Noisy Miner clan at the Woodville Football Oval continues to increase. This one had swooped me as it thought I had got too close to its offspring, which I hadn't noticed at this point.

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” - John Lennon

The Canon 100mm Macro Lens shoots like a dream. Here are some of my own tips for creating fantastic bokeh:

- Control depth of field as narrow as possible by setting the lens aperture to maximum, most cases at F/2.8

- Position the subject closer or increase the distance between the subject and the background.

- Shooting in soft and warm light. Backlighting can really bring subjects with fine details to life and intensify the foreground/background bokeh.

- Shooting on the same or lower level as your subject, resulting in more choices of the background.

♥ Thank you very much for your visits, faves, and kind comments ♥

Its heyday was in the 1920s, when together with Potsdamer Platz it was at the heart of Berlin's nightlife, inspiring the 1929 novel Berlin Alexanderplatz and the two films based thereon, Piel Jutzi's 1931 film and Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 15½ hour second adaptation, released in 1980. About 1920 the city's authorities started a rearrangement of the increasing traffic flows laying out a roundabout, accompanied by two buildings along the Stadtbahn viaduct, Alexanderhaus and Berolinahaus finished in 1932 according to plans designed by Peter Behrens.

Explore Front Page (#7) on February 19th. Thank you!.

More nightscapes in my Night Photography Set.

Please also check my Earth - Water - Sky Set.

5 exposures (one of them with ND8 filter), blended manually with Photoshop CS3. More shots using this technique in my Digital Blending Set.

My most interesting pictures according to flickr.

Canon EOS 6D - f/11 - 1/60sec - 100mm - ISO 1600

encapsulated lights in oval soft gels

- for challenge Flickr group Macro Mondays, theme iSpy.

- soft-gels

All modern soft-gel encapsulation uses variations of a process developed by R. P. Scherer in 1933. His innovation was to use a rotary die to produce the capsules, with the filling taking place by blow molding. This method reduced wastage, and was the first process to yield capsules with highly repeatable dosage.

Softgels can be an effective delivery system for oral drugs, especially poorly soluble drugs. This is because the fill can contain liquid ingredients that help increase solubility or permeability of the drug across the membranes in the body. Liquid ingredients are difficult to include in any other solid dosage form such as a tablet.

One of only 140,000 red squirrels across Britain. Such a sad story but thankfully there's an increase in the North Yorkshire population of this beautiful creature.

Increased the ISO here to get the shutter speed faster to get more of the pattern in the water falling over the rocks.

Captured with just the CPL filter.

With heart-shaped face, buff back and wings and pure white underparts, the barn owl is a distinctive and much-loved countryside bird. Widely distributed across the UK, and indeed the world, this bird has suffered declines through the 20th century and is thought to have been adversely affected by organochlorine pesticides such as DDT in the 1950s and '60s.

Nocturnal birds like the barn owl are poorly monitored by the Breeding Bird Survey and, subject to this caveat, numbers may have increased between 1995-2008.

Barn owls are a Schedule 1 and 9 species.

They eat: Mice, voles, shrews and some larger mammals and small birds. (Courtesy RSPB)

Thanks for viewing my photos and for any favourites and comments, it’s much appreciated

27.11.2020

die Luft ist klar und kalt, der Himmel ist Wolkenfrei und der zunehmende Mond leuchtet am Himmel.

the air is clear and cold, the sky is free of clouds and the increasing Moon shines in the sky.

Waiting

Posting this as I do not have any more left...need to work on some raw ones whenever I get some time. The noise was intentional.

Gulf Of Mexico

Southwest Florida

USA

Photographed in the Gulf of Mexico from a pier.

The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a North American bird of the pelican family, Pelecanidae. It is one of three pelican species found in the Americas and one of two that feed by diving in water. It is found on the Atlantic Coast from Nova Scotia to the mouth of the Amazon River, and along the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to northern Chile, including the Galapagos Islands.

The brown pelican mainly feeds on fish, but occasionally eats amphibians, crustaceans, and the eggs and nestlings of birds. It nests in colonies in secluded areas, often on islands, vegetated land among sand dunes, thickets of shrubs and trees, and mangroves.

It has been rated as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It was listed under the United States Endangered Species Act from 1970 to 2009, as pesticides such as dieldrin and DDT threatened its future in the Southeastern United States and California. In 1972, the use of DDT was banned in Florida, followed by the rest of the United States. Since then, the brown pelican's population has increased. – Wikipedia

The summit of the volcano at 530 meters high.

It is the local custom to place a stone to increase the height or for the physical achievement of having reached the top.

I put my stone on the top of the cairn.

flic.kr/p/tsaePP

The highest point on the island.

It is a volcano with several craters.

Having a 360º view of the island is really cool.

The view of the West Coast.

4 hours, 9 km (round trip).

The trail starts at Ahu Akivi, where I left the bike.

flic.kr/p/svjLmR

almost sooc, i increased the contrast a bit.

according to my brother, i look like "some goth weirdo" if i wear tights with those boots.

i made a photoblog

Explore Front Page (#2). Thank you!

My first shot using a fisheye, thanks to my buddy Rajesh who sold it to me (he does not need it anymore for his full frame D700 camera). Very challenging indeed to find a suitable composition for this lens. This tiny lens is really razor sharp, I am very impressed.

I am again not very active on flickr these days and lagging behind comments. Sorry about that! I'll catch up, but slowly! ;-)

Dubai Set | Digital Blending Set | Night Photography Set | Most Interesting shots

Explore Front Pages.

Buy my art at Imagekind!

The combination of isolation, attacks on the Evans Cherry Tree community and adolescent cherry testosterone has led to an increase in incidents of bizarre and freakish behaviour.

One example of this increase in cherry rage was this past Sunday at the C.F.L. (Cherry Football League) game. A small group of adolescent cherries got into a fight which resulted in some sliced cherries, one to the pit. Thank goodness the injuries were not life threatening.

A tip through Cherry Stoppers led the authorities to the alleged instigator of the fight, which in turn led to a key witness having to identify the sour cherry.

This freak behaviour has to stop. It's time to make Sundays great again and put the cherry on top.

Take care and stay safe

As the name suggests, the Marsh Harrier lives in wetland habitats. They are a success story now after being extinct in Britain in the 19th Century. Since the first pairs bred in 1971 in Suffolk they have increased very well indeed, as has the wetland management on which they depend. It is now a regular sight to see these wonderful large harriers hunting over our marshes. I photographed this one locally, something that I would not have thought possible only 30 years ago.

Thank you for having a look at my photos. Comments or faves are very welcome and much appreciated.

to report a sharp increase in circles completed :-)

Robert Brault

HBW!! best viewed large :-)

www.flickr.com/photos/itucker/30387137693/in/photostream/...

orange twig littleleaf linden, 'Winter Orange', j c raulston arboretum, ncsu, Raleigh, north carolina

A Lensbaby photo taken in the summer of 2024 at the Enabling Garden in Altoona, Iowa. I had a slight bend ‘up’ on the lens that focused on the red flowers in the back. I did color-pop that high center area and also increased the contrast equalization a bit using a mask in Darktable. I think this was my very first attempt at bending or tilting the lens with the Composer Pro II.

Lensbaby Sweet 50 optic, set at F4.0

Composer Pro II with a Canon EF mount

No additional macro lens or extension tube used

Developed with Darktable 4.8.0

Found this seed pod on a flower in the back yard and decided to take a shot of it, sprinkled some powder on a black photo frame sheet and then blew most of it off to get some star’s effect, carefully propped the pod on the sheet and took 6 focus shots of it. Put the 6 shots together in Photoshop’s focus stacking feature, increased powder and pod brightness in Topaz Glow 2 and then enhanced the color in Topaz restyle, plus some minor adjustments in Photoshop for Happy Slider Sunday………. HSS

Wikipedia: Pancake ice forms in conditions of high wave activity, in contrast to other types of sea ice formed under calm conditions. Pancake ice can form in two processes: (1) on water covered to some degree in slush, shuga or grease ice, or (2) from breaking of ice rind, nilas or even gray ice in agitated conditions.[3] If the waves are strong enough, pancakes can raft over each other, creating an uneven top and bottom surface on the ice. At this point, the pancake ice will fuse together and amalgamate into an ice sheet. This ice sheet will continue to grow over the winter. This process increases pancake ice's resilience, resulting in characteristic length scales less than ocean wavelengths and causing waves passing through pancake ice not to scatter.[3]

An afternoon date in the Botanical Gardens in Utrecht, the Netherlands with Ciska which I met through Flickr.

The Botanic Gardens are located at the heart of Utrecht Science Park. They were laid out on and around Fort Hoofddijk, which dates from the 19th century. This extraordinary stretch of green space, covering nine hectares, is part of Utrecht University. To this day, the Botanic Gardens continue to serve their primary function, which is to support education and research. In addition, there has been an increasing focus on the public role played by the Botanic Gardens. Nature conservation, especially in an international context, is another important aspect.

As an organisation, the gardens date back to 1639, making it one of the oldest botanic gardens in the whole of the Netherlands.

This is what we saw in the Botanic Gardens in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

© www.tomjutte.tk

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Increased the ISO some to see if it provided better overall results ... I think the version at ISO 2500 was better. But then that could have also been because the wind was gusting more or less.

The winds were around 20 to 30 MPH last evening ... and bitter cold with temperatures heading towards 15 degrees F.

Had to have the gloves off to manually focus the lens ... brrrrr.

Converted to black and white, contrast increased.