This is an unposed portrait (shot with permission) of a homeless man in Bristol. He was sat outside a city centre shop with all his worldly possessions plus dogs.

Unfortunately for him, the helping hand in this instance that looks like an 'angel' touching his shoulder, is that of a shop window mannequin behind him. I didn't consciously notice the juxtaposition at the time so it was not staged.

There are many fake beggars on Britain's streets. I don't know this man's personal story (although I know he is known to homeless outreach workers) BUT that something in his eyes cannot be faked. I know he is in pain. And that makes me feel something.

Sevilla (Seville) is gorgeous. A wonderful combination of very old and ultra modern. In this instance the foreground view is of the largest wooden structure in the world, The Metrosol Parasol, a fascinating curved structure that looks a bit like mushrooms when viewed from far.

“We Slytherins are brave, yes, but not stupid. For instance, given the choice, we will always choose to save our own necks.” – Phineas Nigellus

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In this instance Tufty was without his trademark tufts which moult during the summer months.

Sadly now despite his road safety campaign in the 60's Tufty is very rare in most of the UK.

Was anyone else a member of the Tufty Club - I still have my badge.

Red Squirrel (Sciurus Vulgaris)

Highland Titles Nature Reserve, Duror - Scotland

Many thanks to all those who take the time to comment on my photos. It is truly appreciated.

DSC_4864

Cormorants where catching fish like crazy yesterday. It seemed that every time time they dove, they came up with a nice sized fish like this one. Their success did not fail to capture the attention of the snowy egrets and pelicans on the same pond. I saw several instances where the cormorants would surface with a fish only to have it stolen by an egret or pelican. It's a bird-eat-bird world out there.

Defining Beauty.

Remember that the most beautiful things in the world are the most useless; peacocks and lilies for instance.

John Ruskin

A trip to the West Coast can be absolutely fantastic the scenes are stunning but the weather can be very changeable. We had been touring for about three days at this point and we were nearing the point of heading home as it was so grey and closed in, then we woke up to this view across the loch and things changed. Clearing weather conditions loch Linnhe Scotland.

This is a low resolution watermarked upload, for a full size copyright free image please contact Terry Eve Photography via Flickr mail in the first instance.

I'm the type of person that takes a break from editing photos by editing more photos - in this instance, I KNEW I wanted to get at least one submission into the #AdamsPhotoChallenge this month, but I knew that my time would be crunched. I'm so glad I was able to (even if it's just a little last minute)!

This photo challenge was pretty fun, and definitely a great way to break up the workworkwork of every day photography!

Location - LaZy DaZe Surf Beach

Camera obscura (plural camera obscura or camerae obscurae from Latin, meaning "dark room": camera "(vaulted) chamber or room," and obscura "darkened, dark"), also referred to as pinhole image, is the natural optical phenomenon that occurs when an image of a scene at the other side of a screen (or for instance a wall) is projected through a small hole in that screen, as a reversed and inverted image (left to right and upside down) on a surface opposite to the opening. The surroundings of the projected image have to be relatively dark for the image to be clear, so many historical camera obscura experiments were performed in dark rooms.

The term "camera obscura" also refers to constructions or devices that make use of the principle within a box, tent or room. Camerae obscurae with a lens in the opening have been used since the second half of the 16th century and became popular as an aid for drawing and painting. The camera obscura box was developed further into the photographic camera in the first half of the 19th century when camera obscura boxes were used to expose light-sensitive materials to the projected image.

The camera obscura was used as a means to study eclipses, without the risk of damaging the eyes by looking into the sun directly. As a drawing aid, the camera obscura allowed tracing the projected image to produce a highly accurate representation, especially appreciated as an easy way to achieve a proper graphical perspective.

A camera obscura device without a lens but with a very small hole is sometimes referred to as a "pinhole camera", although this more often refers to simple (home-made) lens-less cameras in which photographic film or photographic paper is used.

The earliest known written record of the camera obscura is to be found in Chinese writings called Mozi and dated to the 4th century BCE, traditionally ascribed to and named for Mozi (circa 470 BCE-circa 391 BCE), a Han Chinese philosopher and the founder of Mohist School of Logic. In these writings it is explained how the inverted image in a "collecting-point" or "treasure house" is inverted by an intersecting point (a pinhole) that collected the (rays of) light.

The Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BCE), or possibly a follower of his ideas, touched upon the subject in the work Problems - Book XV, asking:

"Why is it that when the sun passes through quadri-laterals, as for instance in wickerwork, it does not produce a figure rectangular in shape but circular?”

and further on:

“Why is it that an eclipse of the sun, if one looks at it through a sieve or through leaves, such as a plane-tree or other broadleaved tree, or if one joins the fingers of one hand over the fingers of the other, the rays are crescent-shaped where they reach the earth? Is it for the same reason as that when light shines through a rectangular peep-hole, it appears circular in the form of a cone?"

Many philosophers and scientists of the Western world would ponder this question before it became accepted that the circular and crescent-shapes described in this "problem" were actually pinhole image projections of the sun. Although a projected image will have the shape of the aperture when the light source, aperture and projection plane are close together, the projected image will have the shape of the light source when they are further apart.

In this instance Tufty was without his trademark tufts which moult during the summer months.

Sadly now despite his road safety campaign in the 60's Tufty is very rare in most of the UK.

Although the shots of him in the tree are my preferred, I still like this shot as he made off across the track directly in front of us.

Red Squirrel (Sciurus Vulgaris)

Highland Titles Nature Reserve, Duror - Scotland

Many thanks to all those who take the time to comment on my photos. It is truly appreciated.

DSC_4869

“The text also just grows increasingly garbled. For instance, here it says that our new subway system will streamline the rush-hour commute, but about halfway down, it's a series of nearly indecipherable glyphs our experts insist hint at "non-Euclidian emotions" and "appeasement" (though we think this may be a euphemism for "fares").”

― Joseph Fink, The Great Glowing Coils of the Universe

SL Prompt Project 2022

Fungi are manifest in a multiplicity of folktales and fairy tales, and in folk remedies and rituals. They appear as foods, poisons, diseases, decorations, dyes or tinder, and even in insults, compliments, graffiti and video games. These and other impacts of fungi on folkways are here concisely reviewed under categories likely to interest professional and amateur mycologists and accessible to the lay reader. The evolution of popular perceptions of fungi is sketched from Shakespearean times through contemporary European and American cultures. Provided are specific instances of how different cultures utilized or avoided fungi, responded to fungal diseases of crops or humans, or viewed fungi in the context of popular belief, superstition or religion.

Dall Sheep are found in Northwestern Canada and Alaska. They are known for their off white wool which can be up to two inches thick in winter months. The Dall Sheep stand just over 3 feet tall and weigh just over 100 pounds. Female sheep are called Ewes while the males are referred to as Rams. Ewes normally have one lamb per year but on rare instances, they will have twins. The lambs are able to walk 15 to 30 minutes after birth and are able to travel with the ewe after 24 hours. The lambs will eat vegitation after 4 or 5 weeks and be fully weaned by 5 months.

The ewes and rams are only together during mating season. The ewes will generally stay on steep rocky areas, especially with their young, to avoid predators. The main predators of the sheep are Golden Eagles, black and grizzly bears, wolves, coyotes and wolverines.

Dall sheep live between 12 and 16 years in the wild.

more instances of last night's occurrence of Northern Lights

like money, for instance ;-)

Henri De Regnier (1864 – 1936) a French symbolist poet

The Environment Matters! Vote Blue!!

Icelandic horse, Vikng Iceland cruise, Rural East Iceland land excursion from Djupivogur

"In every life there’s a moment or two

when the self disappears, the cruel wound

takes over, and then again

at times we are filled with sky

or with birds or

simply with the sugary tea on the table

said the old woman

I know what you mean said the tulip

about epiphanies

for instance a cloudless April sky

the approach of a butterfly

but as to the disappearing self

no

I have not yet experienced that

You are creating distinctions

that do not exist in reality

where “self” and “not-self” are like salt

in ocean, cloud in sky

oxygen in fire

said the philosophical dog

under the table scratching his balls"

In Every Life by, Alicia Ostriker

b. 1937

Originally "Wheatear's View"

An Teallach over Gruinard bay from Mellon Udrigle.

The Wheatear is bang in the centre of the foreground, I didn't play for getting him in the picture but as they aren't that common, he's a keeper!

The mountain is one of the Scottish greats, An Teallach, definitely a walk for the experienced.

Terry Eve Photography Copyright 2023

This is a low resolution watermarked upload, for a full size copyright free image please contact Terry Eve Photography via Flickr mail in the first instance.

A bunch of violets blooming in the park :)

Wood violet, sweet violet, common violet or garden violet (Viola odorata) is a species of flowering plant in the viola family, native to Europe and Asia. It has been introduced into North America and Australia. It blooms from March to April. The species can be found near the edges of forests or in clearings; it is also a common "uninvited guest" in shaded lawns or elsewhere in gardens. In herbal medicine violets has been used for a variety of respiratory ailments, insomnia and skin disorders. Flowers are also edible and used as food additives for instance in salad, made into jelly, and candied for decoration. The sweet scent of this flower has popular, particularly in the late Victorian period, so this plant has been used in the production of many cosmetic fragrances and perfumes.

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Gromadka pachnących fiołków pstryknięta w parku miejskim :)

Fiołek wonny, fiołek pachnący (Viola odorata) – gatunek rośliny należący do rodziny fiołkowatych. Występuje w stanie dzikim w Europie, w zachodniej Azji i północnej Afryce. W Polsce pospolity na niżu i w niższych położeniach górskich. Uprawiany i często dziczejący. Kwitnie od marca do kwietnia. Zasiedla widne lasy liściaste i ich skraje, zarośla, trawiaste polany, trawniki. Rośnie na stanowiskach półcienistych lub cienistych, na glebie próchniczej, lekko wilgotnej. Jest rośliną leczniczą. Działa wykrztuśnie, napotnie, moczopędnie, odkażająco, żółciopędnie i rozkurczowo. Upłynnia zalegający śluz w drogach oddechowych. Kwiaty fiołka dawniej kandyzowano, produkowano z nich syrop na kaszel oraz używano ich do aromatyzowania octu. Uprawiany jako roślina ozdobna ze względu na swój bardzo przyjemny zapach oraz piękne kwiaty.

I was at Fort de Soto last month, one of my favorite Florida locations, in an area off the intercoastal waterway and I was the only person around. This Osprey landed on a spit of sand and as I approached slowly, I could tell it was comfortable with my presence. When approaching wildlife, it’s usually best to move slowly, not directly toward your subject, not pointing a long lens or staring at it, and remaining low. That worked in this instance and the Osprey and I enjoyed a bath together. Kinky huh! It bathed and bathed and bathed until it finally took off at a leisurely pace. I love experiences like this as I imagine feeling some kinship with my subject. I respectfully thanked my Osprey friend and headed back to the beach. (Pandion haliaetus) (Sony a1, 200-600 lens @ 600mm, f/6.3, 1/6400 second, ISO 640) (A note about these settings: I could have reduced the ISO to 100 but that would have given me a shutter speed of only 1/1000 of a second, too slow for flying birds. My Sony has very little noise at ISOs of 500 and 640 and I tend to treat 640 as my base ISO. Faster shutter speeds are your friend for bird’s in-flight photography.)

In an instance where you still want to feel equal parts sexy yet dressed for Fall, nothing marries the two quite like this gorgeous Just Because [JB] Nala Sweater Dress - clinging to your body with an unintentionally insulated yet very attractive vibe.

Looking more closely at its texturing, you will discover how its beautifully beaded reverse ridge stitch knit patterning is divinely juxtaposed to a diagonal, delicate leaf type ribbed knit patterning across the chest.

I love how this JB dress comes with 18 different color options for the main body and its secondary Milano patterned trims.

The buckled shoulder strap and waist sash combines these same 18 solid color choices with an additional 18 Tartan plaid options to accentuate the look (not shown).

This JB Nala sweater dress makes for a must have timeless fall and winter classic for your SL wardrobe arsenal.

This dress is sold by Body Type fitting Maitreya Lara, Kupra, Reborn, Legacy (+ Perky) and Belleza Gen X Classic (+ Curvy) rigged mesh bodies.

You can find this new Nala dress premiered at the Belleza Gen X Event.

Taxi to InWorld Event:

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Belleza/120/136/25

JB Mainstore: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/JustBecause/129/77/24

Marketplace:

marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/22086

Often overlooked as ordinary, I want to assure you that I, for one, love you dearly. I’ve known you all my life. You’re right outside the door of my house, my car and my store. You sing in the garden and you hop in the park. The most untidy and overgrown hedges in the neighborhood are the ones that come alive from the inside with the fluttering and flitting about of happy little sparrow families. That’s why I celebrate untidy hedges!

I said I’ve known you all my life but I should probably be more honest and say I’ve been vaguely aware of you. Until today I didn’t know, for instance, that you mate for life or that you can live for almost 20 years. Your first year is the toughest one to survive, though. After that, you grow wise and street smart.

The simple pleasure of seeing a little clan of sparrows hopping across the sun-warmed grass together - such a moment is given no value amidst today's global tsunami of instant needless information. But such are the moments that can get us through to the next day. Such are the moments that I will remember fondly. And what else is there, really? You know as much about that as anybody. The bottom line is that when I shut down the computer and take a deep breath, it is your happy chirpy chatter in the bushes outside that tells me everything is going to be alright.

Be the extraordinary friend right outside.

Claudia

"For instance, if you come at four in the afternoon, I'll begin to be happy by three. The closer it gets to four, the happier I'll feel. By four I'll be all excited and worried; I'll discover what it costs to be happy! But if you come at any old time, I'll never know when I should prepare my heart..." There must be rites. "

~ Fragment of "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Another instance where I was playing with underexposing, this time with a juvenile little blue heron. What I didn't realize at the time I shot this, was the fact that the heron had caught a insect nymph and that nymph was in the light and glowing. So cool!

Underexposed by 3 2/3 stops. Best viewed large.

Thanks so much to everyone who takes the time to view, like or comment on my photos!

© 2019 Craig Goettsch - All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use without permission is prohibited.

A bit of a misnomer as the "Black Isle" is not an island but part of the Scottish mainland and in this instance not very black.:-))

In this instance, I have tried to import the colour "red". I mixed it myself trying to imitate the pinkish-red colour scheme of the original plant. I myself can see that my mix is different from the original. In the morning that is. I am sure I would perceive the colour of this rose differently at different times of the day. Our colour perception may anyway differ from person to person, but also in relation to the kind of light illuminating the rose. I could say, the rose does not have a colour that is once and for all defined. Colour, like everything else, is relative.

Europe, The Netherlands, Zuid Holland, Rotterdam Zuid, Katendrecht, Wilhelminapier, Migratiemuseum, Tornado, People (uncut)

The Rotterdam Migration Museum is situated in what was once a part of the giant San Francisco veem (harbour storage facility). It has been thru a lot. It was built for the HAL transatlantic shipping company in 1898, and its middle part was destroyed during WW2. The left part of the building (Fenix 1), amongst other things, was a temporary art exposition space and functions now as a basis for the FenixLofts luxury apartment building. Ah, the story of gentrification.

The museum is in the right part of the former Veem, also known as Fenix 2. It once housed a Van Gend & Loos logistics hub, the Pinball museum, the ‘Circuscentrum op De Kaap’ (Codarts Circus Arts school) and last but not least, the Posse brasserie.

It was spectacularly transformed (design Bureau Polderman & the Chinese MAD Architects) into the Fenix-Migration museum, with the ‘Tornado’ staircase as its centre (designed by Ma Yansong, the founder of MAD).

And don’t think it is all about form and less about content. The way it commemorates the millions of emigrants who left Europe and Rotterdam in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is fascinating. And the portrayal of the more recent migration to Europe is documented excellently, too. For instance, there’s a dusty Peugeot 404 pick-up on display that was used to transport migrants through the Sahara to Libya on their way to the risky Mediterranean crossing.

Shown here is the Tornado after it has left the confines of the building. Behind the entrance to the Rijnhaven and the Rijnhavenbridge, on the Wilhelminapier, are the usual suspects: Hotel New York, Montevideo, De Rotterdam, and New Orleans. Behind that is the tip of the Maastoren.

This is number 320 of Museum and 765 of Rotterdam Architecture.

There will always be brighter days ahead. Sometimes I get too focused on the now, and see only the darkness. Today for instance, the stock market is down; the Omicron variant is causing another winter Covid scare; the politics in Washington is rancorous; rumors of wars, rumors of this, rumors of that. And yet, brighter days will surely come again. Back in August of 2015, the sun was shining brightly on the Bean in Chicago. It may be dark outside now, but the sun will surely shine again.

Chicago, IL

2015

© James Rice, All Rights Reserved

La Ceja, Colombia; Central Andes; 2.300 meters above sea level.

The Clay-colored Thrush’s range just reaches the United States, in southernmost Texas, but elsewhere it ranges south through eastern Mexico and over much of Middle America to northwest South America, in Colombia.

It is the national bird of Costa Rica, where it is well known as the "Yigüirro".

At least nine subspecies are generally recognized, although geographical variation between them is generally rather minor, involving slight differences in overall coloration in most instances.

neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/Species-Account/nb/species/...

One of those instances where having the fancy lens makes a difference. Able to freeze the action of the waves and still shoot at a somewhat reasonable ISO thanks to f/1.2. The long exposure version of this (with the water all misty) has little to no drama .

This is a part of my son's fascinating mini model of a Stirling engine that actually works when you put it on top of a cup of hot water for instance. A cup filled with ice also works.

A Stirling engine ( invented and patented in 1816 by Robert Stirling ) is a heat engine that operates by cyclic compression and expansion of air or other gas at different temperatures, such that there is a conversion of heat energy to mechanical work.

Stirling engines have a high efficiency compared to internal combustion engines. They are also capable of quiet operation and can use almost any heat source. The heat energy source is generated external to the Stirling engine rather than by internal combustion. Because the Stirling engine is compatible with alternative and renewable energy sources it could become increasingly significant as the price of conventional fuels rises, and also in light of concerns such as depletion of oil supplies and climate change.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGlDsFAOWXc

So it's a Sake-Tekka bento box from the same sushi restaurant as last year. In this particular instance, repetition is not a bad thing. dory's friend Sara had her husband pick it up at Haru Sushi and bring it to me while she was on her way to Dallas.

Choose yours.

noun

1. an act or instance of isolating.

2. the state of being isolated.

3. the complete separation from others of a person suffering from contagious or infectious disease; quarantine.

4. the separation of a nation from other nations by isolationism.

5. Psychoanalysis. a process whereby an idea or memory is divested of its emotional component.

6. Sociology. social isolation.

7. The act of being shunned by one's peers for being different. For shining a little brighter.

After meeting a lovely person, the owner of Furillen, I really got in the mood of the place he built and I needed to make a photograph. For the first instance I really thought it would be very difficult to find a good spot to start the action since the whole sim is really well made. But after analysing it deep and really trying to understand the feelings that the place disponibilize for the individuals, I was able to do the following photograph which I named Dark Beach.

Lastly, I would like to thank Laura for letting me know about this lovely place, hope you all enjoy the art that I tried to make...

Another instance where persistence pays off. 45 minutes sticking with this guy yielded the best views to date of this beautiful warbler. I’m not a big fan of the lighting but I’ll take what I can get!

Susquehanna State Park

Harford County

Maryland

In my tribute to wetlands series, it's important to mention that wetlands are critical to the survival of some species. For instance, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Kansas is a wetland that provides nesting and resting habitat for several endangered and threatened species including the Whooping Crane, Western Snowy Plover and the Interior Least Tern.

This whooper was photographed in Aransas National Wildlife Refuge but it likely made a rest stop at Quivira on it's migration.

I'm heading back to the Kansas wetlands starting tomorrow and then further west for a few days. Will continue the wetland series when I return.

In~Stance at Pose Fair 2014

Details here :http://belledejourstyle.wordpress.com/2014/04/29/instance-for-pose-fair-2014/

Okavango Delta

Botswana

Southern Africa

The Giraffe of Botswana are of the southern Africa race or commonly known as the southern Giraffe. The Botswana giraffe population is stable.

Giraffe have the loosest social structure in the animal kingdom with the groups changing in size constantly as individuals move from one place to another. Despite this loose social structure male Giraffe tussle for dominance for it is the stronger that gets the females when they are in heat.

Giraffe in Botswana are preyed upon by lions and hyenas and leopards. They mainly attack youngsters under one year of age. In one instance, a leopard attacked a four day old giraffe and holding it by the throat until chased off by the mother. The baby slowly hobbled to its feet with help from the mother but it was very badly injured. The mother began to move off slowly for the baby to follow but it finally succumbed to its injuries. The mother hung around for some time before moving off.

The Giraffe of the Okavango Delta suffer from an eye infection that often blinds them in both eyes resulting in the particular animal staggering around until taken by a predator or falling and unable to stand up. This disease flares up at unspecified times.

This Marsh Wren is vocalizing, though in this instance not as part of territorial or courtship behaviour. In this case, it was scolding a Long-tailed Weasel it saw nearby at Frank Lake in southern Alberta, Canada. “For more on this story” check out the subsequent image www.flickr.com/photos/luminouscompositions/51533187435/in...

From Instance Pose/ Devotion

POSE FAIR 2014

Stropharia caerulea is one of very few blue-green fungi. (In most instances the caps are much nearer to green than to blue, but when young and fresh they are very beautiful and quite startling.) The caps, initially bell-shaped, flatten and turn paler from the centre. White scales near the cap rim help to identify this unusual fungus.

Blue Roundhead mushrooms are an occasional find and very localised in Britain and Ireland, occurring mainly in alkaline areas of humus-rich Beech woodland. These striking mushrooms are found throughout mainland Europe - Sweden, France, Portugal and Slovenia - and they are also recorded in parts of North America.

Although this blue mushroom has been known to science for more than two centuries, its separation from Stropharia aeruginosa had not been clearly defined until, in 1979, the German mycologist Hanns Kreisel (b. 1931) published a paper in Sydowia (an international Mycological journal produced in Austria), which established its currently-accepted scientific name Stropharia caerulea.

Stropharia, the genus name, comes from the Greek word strophos meaning a belt, and it is a reference to the stem rings of fungi in this generic grouping. The specific epithet caerulea means blue, and often it refers to a deep blue rather than the blue-green colouring of the cap

Young caps are bell-shaped, blue-green and slimy, peppered with small white veil fragments. Older specimens, like the one illustrated here, are paler and scaly mainly near the rim of the cap, which expands but does not completely flatten out. In sunlight the slime dries up on older caps, which gradually turn pale tan from the centre outwards. The cap diameter at maturity usually ranges between 2 and 8cm.

At first pale grey, the crowded sinuate (notched near to the stem) gills become purple-brown as the spores mature. (The gills of the rarer Verdigris Roundhead, Stropharia aeruginosa are adnate or only slightly notched, and the gill edges of that species remain white as the gill faces mature and turn brown.)

Whitish above the ring, which is transient and soon discoloured brown by falling spores; slightly more obvious pale blue-green below the ring zone and peppered with small white scales. 5 to 12 mm in diameter and 2 to 6cm tall.

In the picture on the left, which shows of the stem and ring zone of a mature fruitbody, the stem ring has almost vanished apart from a slight annular bulge highlighted by brown spore stain.

Sometimes we are in the right place at the right time. Often it is the opposite, but for this instance, the moment was about to deliver. When turning to my left after an initial shot, I noticed the reflections of the tree tops in a left over puddle.

I repositioned my tripod and a marvellous reflection took shape. After also elevating my tripod, the reflection were just right and another colourful sunset image took a vert different and artful form.

Saw a few of these little beauties on our walk up Mt Karioi, Raglan.

Interesting observation: I noticed that the EXIF data for any of my images never shows the correct subject distance. Would anyone know why that would be? For instance, this bird was probably 15-20m away. Yet the the EXIF says 2.78m.

From 20 frames to 3: The story of a ringed kingfisher's flawless dive, capturing the split-second magic of the hunt—near impact, the strike, and the triumphant rise.

A Note About High ISO:

I typically use auto ISO when photographing birds in flight because lighting conditions can change dramatically during a sequence. In this instance, the ISO was 3200 in good light but jumped to 12800 as the bird passed through shadows cast by vegetation along the bank. For those who dislike high ISO due to noise concerns, it’s crucial to understand that noise is more often caused by underexposed frames than by high ISO settings alone. Noise is exacerbated by underexposure and improper exposure balance, especially in low-light conditions. Using a higher ISO to properly expose the image is better than underexposing, as proper exposure ensures a stronger signal-to-noise ratio and minimizes visible noise, even at higher ISOs. While a lower ISO is always preferable, capturing the shot is what truly matters in photography. To enhance the image, I used Topaz AI, which effectively reduced noise and improved the overall quality.

yet another instance from Joekullsarlon glacier lake and its merging spot into the Atlantic ocean.

La Ceja, Colombia; Central Andes; 2.300 meters above sea level.

The Clay-colored Thrush’s range just reaches the United States, in southernmost Texas, but elsewhere it ranges south through eastern Mexico and over much of Middle America to northwest South America, in Colombia.

It is the national bird of Costa Rica, where it is well known as the "Yigüirro".

At least nine subspecies are generally recognized, although geographical variation between them is generally rather minor, involving slight differences in overall coloration in most instances.

neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/Species-Account/nb/species/...

yet another instance of Rome's fabled architecture and art in public space.

A Pileated Woodpecker building a nest in a palm tree. I was very fortunate to come across the woodpecker and its mate as they were working on a new nest. This bird in particular was busy at work as there were multiple instances where the wood chips would be flying as he worked. (Thanks to Bobby Mou for the gender correction.)

Thanks for your faves, comments and views.

Explored 11/2/15