Naples Botanical Gardens

Southern Florida

USA

The little blue heron (Egretta caerulea) is a small heron. It breeds in the Gulf states of the US, through Central America and the Caribbean south to Peru and Uruguay. It is a resident breeder in most of its range, but some northern breeders migrate to the southeastern US or beyond in winter. There is post-breeding dispersal to well north of the nesting range, as far as the Canada–US border.

The little blue heron's breeding habitat is sub-tropical swamps. It nests in colonies, often with other herons, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. Three to seven light blue eggs are laid. The little blue heron stalks its prey methodically in shallow water, often running as it does so. It eats fish, frogs, crustaceans, small rodents and insects.

White little blue herons often mingle with snowy egrets. The snowy egret tolerates their presence more than little blue herons in adult plumage. These young birds actually catch more fish when in the presence of the snowy egret and also gain a measure of protection from predators when they mix into flocks of white herons. It is plausible that because of these advantages, they remain white for their first year. – Wikipedia

Three Crow were eating the remains of a Rattlesnake, it was near a road so I'm guessing they found it rather than killed it.

Emigrant Lake - Jackson County - Oregon - USA

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

Habitat : Open Woodlands

Food : Omnivore

Nesting : Tree

Behavior : Ground Forager

Conservation : Low Concern

"American Crows are familiar over much of the continent: large, intelligent, all-black birds with hoarse, cawing voices. They are common sights in treetops, fields, and roadsides, and in habitats ranging from open woods and empty beaches to town centers. They usually feed on the ground and eat almost anything – typically earthworms, insects and other small animals, seeds, and fruit but also garbage, carrion, and chicks they rob from nests. Their flight style is unique, a patient, methodical flapping that is rarely broken up with glides."

- Cornell University Lab of Ornithology

a few years back there was dense shrub in this scene. one day, our neighbors...a little older than me but not by much...started hacking away at the brush and small trees, piling and removing methodically. as onlookers picking up our mail or driving away for groceries, we didn't really get it. no building allowed here and no view to gain. when about 3/4 of the area was cleared, the husband passed away. eventually the rest got cleaned up. i realized this wasn't about the land.

The common name hepatic means "liver-coloured", namely, brownish-red. The female is yellow, and the male is red. It looks for food in the foliage of trees, moving slowly and methodically; different individuals use different strategies. [Wikipedia}

I watched this Wilson Snipe for quite a long time. Mostly it was barely visible, blending in with the marshy vegetation it was moving among. Here it's made a brief appearance in the open.

According to Cornell:

These birds are intricately patterned in buff and brown stripes and bars. The dark head has prominent buffy to whitish stripes. The dark back has three long buffy streaks, one running down each edge, one down the center. The buff chest is streaked and spotted with brown; the sides are heavily barred with black. In flight, the wings are dark above and below.

Wilson’s Snipes forage by methodically probing in muddy ground for earthworms and other invertebrates. Their heads move up and down somewhat like a sewing machine running at slow speed. Individuals usually sit tight until suddenly flushing near your feet and flying off in fast zigzags. Displaying males fly high in the sky and make a curious whistling noise (“winnowing”), created by air passing over his modified outer tail feathers.

I will post a photo of the "probing in muddy ground" in the comments.

Photographed at Merritt Island.

Their heads look like they have racing stripes!

The intermediate egret stalks its prey methodically in shallow coastal or fresh water, including flooded fields. It eats fish, frogs, crustaceans and insects. It often nests in colonies with other herons, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. Two to five eggs are laid, the clutch size varying with region.

-Wikipedia

Jackdaws are pleasing to watch. Solemnly and methodically, they stalk the lawn, unhurried in their search patterns, neat and tidy and dignified in their bearing. Unlike the larger and clamorous cousins with which they often flock, their phrases are clipped, their conversations brief.

They pair for life, share food and, when the male barks his arrival at the nest, the female responds with a softer, longer reply. They like manmade structures. Formerly a nuisance as they favoured chimneys for their twiggy bundles, they’re less troublesome in the era of central heating and their liking for church steeples has long been indulged. As the 18th-century poet William Cowper put it, ‘A great frequenter of the church, Where bishop-like, he finds a perch And dormitory too.’ For this habit, the bird was deemed sacred in parts of wales. From the 1930s, the Austrian ornithologist Konrad Lorenz, founder of modern ethology, determined a strict social hierarchy within jackdaw groups (collectively called trains or clatterings). Unpaired females rank lowest in the hierarchy: they’re the last to have access to food and shelter in times of scarcity, and are liable to be pecked at by others without being permitted to retaliate.

However, when a female is selected as a mate, she assumes the same rank as her partner and is accepted as such by all others in the group, upon whom she may impose her status by pecking. Our jackdaw was classified in the 18th century by Carl Linnaeus for its habit of picking up bright objects, particularly coins (monedula being from the same Latin stem, moneta, as money).

Indeed, after Adolf Hitler embarked on an art-theft campaign in the 1930s he was derided as ‘the Jackdaw of Linz’, reflecting an appetite for bright objects. A legend among early Christians declared that corvids were indeed white and took black plumage in mourning after the Crucifixion – except magpies, which were too busy pilfering to grieve properly, so turned only partially black.

Varied Sittella (Orange-winged) (Daphoenositta chrysoptera chrysoptera), Nurragingy Reserve, Blacktown, NSW, Australia

Ebird checklist:

ebird.org/australia/checklist/S129401738

Tiny, short-tailed bird with a thin, slightly upturned bill. Yellow eyering in all plumages, but different subspecies vary tremendously in plumage, ranging from black-headed to white-headed, streaked and unstreaked; in flight all, show prominent pale wingstripe. Inhabits woodlands, where usually seen in small flocks that methodically clamber along tree trunks, probing for insects in bark. Birds give frequent “chip-chip” call as they forage.

Source: Ebird

ebird.org/australia/species/varsit8

Now the a kin of the crane, the limpkin. We were fortunate to fine a family, and the parents were methodically taking snails out of the water and extracting the innards under the watchful eye of the youngster.

Fran Brown-ALL rights reserved. This image may not be used for ANY purpose without written permission.

Pennypack, Trust, PA, USA

Tufted Titmice are acrobatic foragers, if a bit slower and more methodical than chickadees. They often flock with chickadees, nuthatches, and woodpeckers and are regular visitors to feeders, where they are assertive over smaller birds. Their flight tends to be fluttery but level rather than undulating.

NIKON Z9 with Nikon 600 mm f/6.3 PF Lens ISO 560 1/250 with fill flash

Thanks to all my Flickr friends for viewing commenting, and favoring my images.

To “Chill Out” means to relax after you have done something tiring or stressful, such as Holiday-Season Activities. This White Pelican Demonstrates the Proper Technique : )

The White Pelican is a huge water-bird with very broad wings, a long neck, and a massive bill that gives the head a unique, long shape. They have thick bodies, short legs, and short, square tails. During the breeding season, adults grow an unusual projection or horn on the upper mandible near the tip of the bill.

Adult American White Pelicans are snowy white with black flight feathers visible only when the wings are spread. A small patch of ornamental feathers on the chest can become yellow in spring. The bill and legs are yellow-orange. Immatures are mostly white as well, but the head, neck, and back are variably dusky.

American White Pelicans feed from the water’s surface, dipping their beaks into the water to catch fish and other aquatic organisms. They often upend, like a very large dabbling duck, in this process. They do not plunge-dive the way Brown Pelicans do. They are superb soarers (they are among the heaviest flying birds in the world) and often travel long distances in large flocks by soaring. When flapping, their wingbeats are slow and methodical.

American White Pelicans typically breed on islands in shallow wetlands in the interior of the continent. They spend winters mainly on coastal waters, bays, and estuaries, or a little distance inland.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

(Nikon, 500mm + TC 1.4, 1/500 @ f/5.6, ISO 220)

- William Inge.

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Today’s image was taken a few minutes after the photo I posted yesterday, just as the sun rose above the horizon and illuminated the canyon walls. You can see that the colors in the sky are gone. The light n the canyon walls are much more intense and has taken on a golden hue. The colors during golden hour in this area are usually so intense that I often have to desaturate my images.

When I started photography, I was always concerned about missing a view that I constantly moved from one spot to another. I didn’t want to miss out on an excellent composition for lack of trying. Later I realized that I was trying out many things hoping one would stick instead of planning and executing one good shot. So now I practice being more methodical and taking my time with my images. At Dead Horse Point SP, the canyon view remains the same, and all you can do is find exciting foreground subjects to add depth. But the other aspect that controls your images is light. This being a desert, the changes in light during a short period is often quite dramatic. So for this series of images, I focused on staying at the same location and capturing the change in light. I love how the light makes it feel like a different place.

I watched this Rock Pipit methodically entering and leaving a whole stretch of Puffin burrows built on the bank on Staple Island, Farne Islands. It was probably searching for scraps left by the Puffin chick.

I was green. Unaware, untested, still carrying the remnants of the relative gullibility that accompanies fortunate children into adulthood, before life strips it away. And with that came that particular brand of arrogance young men are often guilty of— the flaw in the inexperienced exercise of agency, exacerbated by delusions of invincibility, of power, of control. I couldn’t be conquered – or so the delusion went.

I took things in stride, with the kind of calm that can only be born out of complete ignorance. The lattice of carefully selected words, deployed so deliberately and so precisely, was flawlessly constructed. A noose, expertly applied, on a subject lacking in insight to see it for what it is.

Life would later usher the understanding that none of it had been accidental, the understanding of the weight of intent. The deliberateness of an older, more capable adult, deploying a honed skill. With patience born of certainty, and with certainty born of experience. With absolute mastery in creating the illusion of choice.

It began mildly enough, testing the malleable boundaries of the untested. In time, the nature of the fabric revealed itself, something woven out of denial and shame, consumed then regurgitated drenched in bile. Not violently, but quietly, with the skill of someone who truly understood the momentum of words. Verbal constructs that grew tighter and tighter, fueled by a visceral resentment if not outright hatred, forging a mental noose.

The thing about the young and inexperienced is how slowly something cerebral registers. My body was safe in stature, and my heart was safe in detachment, but I hadn’t accounted for my mind – a grave error. I hadn’t considered the pieces of myself that were methodically carved out, replaced by pieces of him. For his voice, embedded into deep recesses, clashing with everything I was and everything I stood for. For the inevitable conflict – the way the seams pulled along the lines of our vast differences, and the way they tore when my confrontational streak surfaced. I hadn’t accounted for how these rips would be branded as failures of control, of character, indicators of fundamental defects, and for the corrosive nature of such pronouncements.

It gave him proverbial standing – he had become Goliath. And Goliath was no longer tightening the noose; he was waging an outright war. Goliath, at my final frontier, singularly determined to reduce the core of personhood to rubble. A war fought with careful words and weaponized silences.

The gravity of such an approach is why I still occasionally think about this.

I am not rebellious by nature. People mistake those who follow the beat of their own drum for rebels, but rebellion is externally rooted. The beat of one’s own drum is wholly internal, and following it is instinctive – the guide to the only viable route in a world of choices. It is neither directed at, nor is it for the benefit of others. And in an outright war, the internal drums became war drums.

It took a long time to understand what triggered that change – like everything else, clarity came with age and a better understanding of myself. But I had understood the threat for the shape that it took, the death sentence to agency – no longer an adjustment or a compromise, but an absolute, nullifying dismantling. Now I know it to also be the grave miscalculation made in betting on the sentimentality of a pragmatist.

The thing about pragmatists is they deal in naked truths and tallies that can seem transactional in nature, but are grounded and inevitable. A cold calculation of net losses and gains - what is given and what is taken, in sharp relief. Including the manufactured reliance – a psychological construct that, when examined closely, had no substance. A voice he’d embedded in spaces he’d created – spaces, it turned out, that can be easily reclaimed.

For something that had become remarkably excruciating, the other truly remarkable aspect of it is how rapidly it came apart from there. Not in days and weeks, but in hours. Years of construction, collapsing like a house of cards. It dissolved not into rage, not into resentment, but into indifference.

Goliath, stripped of the magnitude psychological violence had granted him, was nobody.

He revealed his hand to someone who had finally learned to read the tells and call the bluff. When strategic silences didn’t work, he appeared to pretenses of magnanimity. When he was dismissed, he threatened. When the threats were dismissed, he groveled. And when everything failed, he left – on a lengthy stream of insults against the character he’d ultimately failed to completely break. Words that once held power, but rang hollow overnight.

Nearly two decades have passed. I’ve navigated adult relationships, and done the unthinkable in his book, in building a life with another man without shame. I’ve learned the appropriate terminology for what had been done to me. But more importantly, I’ve come fully unto myself; the good, the bad, and the undoubtedly ugly – knowing, deliberate, and unflinching. A pragmatic, tallying streak that runs deeper than sentimentality. A low tolerance. A readiness to excise. An unwillingness to compromise, for better or for worse, on specific sets of preferences, principles, or simple truths. An assortment of parts, of varying merit, equally owned and retained.

In those decades, his news always found their way to me — because offenders of all persuasions often emerge from one’s own circle. News of someone I cannot comment on, because his truth is not mine to disclose, in disclosing a shared past. He carried the lie so far, I believe the infamous closet swallowed him whole and chewed thoroughly. When he finally emerged, it wasn’t into the open world — the closet spat him into an early grave.

I remember him now through the lens of a man at the tail end of 30s. And through that lens, I remember the most unsettling element – the pattern. The deliberate preference for the defenselessness of inexperience against the words crafted by someone both remarkably underhanded and experienced. Never had the weight of his intent felt heavier than it did, when I approached age he was when he approached me, coming face to face with the colossal chasm between the person I once was, and the person I had become, and with it the gravity of actions.

And I remember him through the lens of my younger self. I remember the anger and resentment, palpable entities that drove him to destroy self-acceptance wherever he found it in others, like a misguided act of revenge against those the arbitrary injustice inflicted upon him didn’t reach. And beneath them the guilt and shame that he wasn’t – nor could he ever be – who he believed he should have been.

As I sit and reflect over the news of his premature passing, I find myself unmoved. The standard gamut of acceptable sentiments – sympathy, empathy, and other…athies, the sentiments provoked by those who take their own lives, are simply absent. But neither is there a trace of relief or reveling. I find the indifference he’d eventually engendered all those years ago to hold true, even in death.

It’s fitting that this final recollection is scattered into the oblivion of this unending stream.

Üsi Rechnig isch begliche. Zwüsche üs git’s weder Richter no Gschwornig, weder Groll no Gfüehl. Nume d’Zyt – und jetzt nume no Äsche un Staub.

Ade.

611 is working methodically upgrade at the former Little Tunnel east of Shawsville filling the air with plenty of black coal smoke.

A single leaf hangs in midair, tethered by something too thin to see. It doesn’t fall. It waits. Its edges are jagged, its surface mottled with decay, but it remains suspended—caught between seasons, between gravity and something else. The background blurs into green and gray, but the leaf is sharp, deliberate, and wrong. It should be on the ground. It should be forgotten. Instead, it hovers like a warning. The thread is not silk. It’s signal. And the forest is changing. The spiders are taking over—quietly, methodically. Their webs stretch between branches like veins, and the leaf is only the first sign. Approach with care. The trees may not be hungry. But the spiders are.

My latest photography is now available for purchase at crsimages.pixels.com/, featuring prints, framed art, and more from my curated collections.

Tricolored Heron - Juvenile

From Cornel:

Coastal estuaries are a great place to look for Tricolored Herons year-round. They tend to feed alone or at the edge of groups of other waders, so be sure to look at the lone dark bird in the corner. They also forage more commonly in open water and pools than Snowy Egrets and Little Blue Herons. Their white belly readily separates them from Little Blue Herons and Reddish Egrets, and their active foraging style separates them from the slow and methodical Great Blue Heron.

Angsty teenagers aren't just a human phenomenon. As Tricolored Herons get older they often lunge and snap at their parents when they arrive at the nest with food. To appease the youngsters, parents greet them with bows.

Their plumage changes in color rather dramatically from the juvenile stage, when they are mostly brown with blue accents, to their adult form: slate gray with mauve tones. They always have a white belly, but during the breeding season (May – July), they become even more vibrant. Tricolored Heron bills and facial skin take on a bright, cobalt blue hue and their dull, yellow legs transform into pink. Why? These coloration infusions are all about attracting a mate.

Copyright © 2019 Cornell University

Explored

I watched dozens of gulls yesterday in the middle of the lake on a sand bar with shells/clams on it. They would methodically take one in their beak and fly up and hover and then release it! I thought they were doing this to break open the clams on the sand below, but they would dive bomb it after they dropped it, and catch it before it hit, only to wash it in the water. I'm not sure what was going on, cause most of the time they would catch it in mid-air, but sometimes it would fall in the water, and they would retrieve it again. They all seeemd to be doing this, and they didn't seem to be stealing from one another. Fascinating to watch and shoot. 3 of 5

Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus)

Fort Jackson, South Carolina, U.S.A.

The Pine Warbler is a short-distance migrant, with many individuals in the southeastern U.S.—including South Carolina—remaining year-round residents rather than migrating south. Unlike most warblers, it has a notably varied diet that includes not only insects like caterpillars and beetles but also seeds (especially pine seeds) and fruits, making it one of the few warblers that regularly visits bird feeders for suet and other soft foods. True to its name, the Pine Warbler is almost exclusively found in pine-dominated forests, where it forages methodically from the ground to the canopy, often moving more slowly than its warbler relatives.

According to the IUCN Red List, the Pine Warbler has an estimated 13,000,000 mature individuals with a population trend that is increasing.

IUCN Red List Assessment (2020): Least Concern

A small, dark heron arrayed in moody blues and purples, the Little Blue Heron is a common but inconspicuous resident of marshes and estuaries in the Southeast. They stalk shallow waters for small fish and amphibians, adopting a quiet, methodical approach that can make these gorgeous herons surprisingly easy to overlook at first glance.

All About Birds

While photographing the annual fall gathering of elk in Estes Park Colorado last fall, I found myself standing alone with some 75-100 elk slowly and methodically passing me by. With a bit of nervous energy involved, I decided to just get the best pictures possible.

When this shot presented itself, I had to take it. I don’t know if they are even father/offspring…but it made for a good title anyway.

If it is his offspring…then a huge shout out to him for not killing me for photographing his kid!

Chase experiences, not things!

Photo taken on 23 October, 2025.

With the approach of the annual Remembrance Sunday and having quite often written about my father and his mémoirs, I thought to create this post about my mother. Let's call her May, her second name and used by my father because she really disliked her first name, Gladys.

I've always loved this photo of her in a country lane near home at No 20, The Street, Claydon, a sleepy village in the county of Suffolk. She lived there with her parents and three brothers. I wonder where she was off to, dressed so elegantly, her beret at a jaunty angle. Nobody left to ask now....

May and Bert met as teenagers at school and were married in March 1941: Bert, already a conscript - Sept '39 aged 20 - wore his army uniform on the day; May was in traditional white with a large trailing bouquet of red carnations, the custom at the time.

Just 4 months after their wedding day, Bert was despatched to war, sailing on the New Zealand troopship, the Rangitiki, to the Middle East. May became a 'land girl' working in the Women's Land Army (WLA) on farms in her native Suffolk - and waiting for news. Looking at the photo, you can see her on the left in the first row at harvest time with her 'gang' wearing their dungarees and picking apples.

Of course May features in my dad's mémoirs but any communication between a wife at home and her husband in a PoW camp was spasmodic and limited. The last photo in my collage is one May sent to Bert. He, in his careful and methodical way, wrote on the back of the photo: Sent 21-2-43. Recd 1-7-43

Some time in June 1942, May received notification that Bert was missing and it must have been such a relief to her to learn 6 weeks later that he was alive, albeit in a PoW camp in Benghazi.

At last, in spring 1945, Bert returned home to May and their cottage in Paper Mill Lane, Claydon.

And the rest is history, some of it mine, I'm happy to say!

thank you for all your visits

A black-chinned hummingbird works his way methodically through a series of flowers.

ENG: The futuristic suburban train station „Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz“ on the edge of the beautiful Leipzig city centre. It also bears the nickname "Square of the Peaceful Revolution" and is intended to commemorate the historical events of 1989. It was built as part of the Leipzig City Tunnel project and opened on 15 December 2013, enabling passengers to travel directly by rail from Leipzig Hauptbahnhof to the city centre.

The station Leipzig Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz is about 20 m underground and has a 140 m long island platform. There are two entrances, north and south of the Martin-Luther-Ring. The staircases, escalators and the two elevators create a dense structure. So that the transparent S-Bahn station with the tidy platform speaks a clear design language. Methodically important part of this station is the extensive restraint in the use of simple, clearly readable elements as well as the glass bricks in the walls and ceilings of the prefabricated elements.

GER: Der futuristische S-Bahnhof "Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz" am Rande der schönen Leipziger Innenstadt. Dieser trägt auch den Beinamen „Platz der friedlichen Revolution“ und soll damit an die historischen Ereignisse des Jahres 1989 erinnern. Er wurde im Rahmen des Projekts Leipziger Stadt Tunnel gebaut und am 15. Dezember 2013 eröffnet, so dass die Fahrgäste direkt mit der Bahn vom Leipziger Hauptbahnhof in die Innenstadt fahren können.

Der Bahnhof Leipzig Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz liegt etwa 20 m unter der Erde und verfügt über einen 140 m lange Insel-Bahnsteig. Es gibt zwei Eingänge, nördlich und südlich des Martin-Luther-Rings. Durch die Treppenanlagen, Rolltreppen und den beiden Aufzügen wird ein verdichtetes Bauwerk erstellt. So das die transparente S-Bahn Station mit dem aufgeräumten Bahnsteig eine klare Design Sprache spricht. Methodisch wichtiger Teil dieser Station ist die weitgehende Zurückhaltung in der Verwendung einfacher, klar ablesbarer Elemente sowie die Glasbausteinen in den Wänden und Decken der Fertigteilelemente.

I watched dozens of gulls yesterday in the middle of the lake on a sand bar with shells/clams on it. They would methodically take one in their beak and fly up and hover and then release it! I thought they were doing this to break open the clams on the sand below, but they would dive bomb it after they dropped it, and catch it before it hit, only to wash it in the water. I'm not sure what was going on, cause most of the time they would catch it in mid-air, but sometimes it would fall in the water, and they would retrieve it again. They all seeemd to be doing this, and they didn't seem to be stealing from one another. Fascinating to watch and shoot. 2 of 5

Work slowly and methodically and be confident doing your inspection. When your anxious and tense the bees will sense it and get agitated.

Street vendor, NYC.

Christmas is just a few short days away, and I just put up my Christmas tree. Are you like me and place the ornaments wherever you please, or are you a more methodical tree decorator? Let me know :D

Photo for the **SL pictures that touch us** Christmas Contest

HAIR: Foxy - Tini-Hair

SWEATER: Evani - Anita Sweater (Moon)

JEANS: Evani - Anita Jeans (Blue)

CHRISTMAS TREE: Half Deer - Traditional Set

REINDEER: Just Animals - Reindeer Pack

CHRISTMAS PRESENTS: ~AB~ Red Christmas Presents

POSE: Fashiowl - Squirrels Gacha // 4

Built for the “Équipage à l'abordage” collaborative contest on the french forum Brickpirate, for the theme "Pink"

The crew of The Medusa consists of Lokiloki, Pistash and Lufobrick.

Their opponents are the crew of The Sea Guardian's King (SGK), composed of Seb71, Guilego and Konix.

After weeks of misfortune at sea, the crew of the SGK made a stop on a large island lost in the middle of the ocean. One morning, shortly after sunrise, the captain set out to explore the surroundings: an expanse of dunes, mangroves, and marshes stretched as far as the eye could see. The atmosphere was peaceful; the water was disturbed only by a few patches of sand. The wind, light but steady, did not seem to trouble the multitude of birds, insects, and fish that inhabited the marsh. Suddenly, the captain spotted on the horizon a massive pink shape that seemed to hover above the water. He decided to approach it discreetly to observe it more closely.

Tikal raised her spear, her eyes fixed on the bush, and approached it slowly. Suddenly, a strange black hat emerged, then two raised hands, and finally a pale, shivering face. It was not a fox or an otter, but indeed a man in odd attire, his clothes in tatters. Strangers were rare on the island, but always treated with respect. Moved by pity, Tikal handed him a cloth bundle filled with grilled fish and berries, then set off again to hunt on Yumká’s back, without a word.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/loic.glbr

Jackson County - Oregon - USA

Habitat : Open Woodlands

Food : Omnivore

Nesting : Tree

Behavior : Ground Forager

Conservation : Low Concern

"American Crows are familiar over much of the continent: large, intelligent, all-black birds with hoarse, cawing voices. They are common sights in treetops, fields, and roadsides, and in habitats ranging from open woods and empty beaches to town centers. They usually feed on the ground and eat almost anything – typically earthworms, insects and other small animals, seeds, and fruit but also garbage, carrion, and chicks they rob from nests. Their flight style is unique, a patient, methodical flapping that is rarely broken up with glides."

- Cornell University Lab of Ornithology

My parents obviously thought it a good idea to take me for a studio portrait, shortly before my first birthday. I know this because my dear father,** in his methodical way, wrote the date on the back of the photo.

I re-discovered this while tidying my family history album and have given it a little attention.

Perhaps you are now smiling too?!

**how puzzled my dad would have been by the concept of 'selfie'!!

Peruvian Pelican - Pelecanus thagus - Though closely related, the Peruvian Pelican is almost twice as large as its northern congener, the Brown Pelican. The species breeds along the Pacific Coast of South America in Peru and Chile. Though still common, with about half a million breeding adults, the population has been negatively affected by strong El Niño fluctuations and changes in food fish populations, particularly anchoveta. Peruvian Pelicans are easily observed from shore as they fly back and forth in nearshore waters by means of soaring interrupted by deep, methodical wingbeats. Near threatened. doi.org/10.2173/bow.perpel1.01

Wishing everyone a Peaceful Thursday!

Thanks a lot for your visits, comments, faves, invites, etc. Very much appreciated!

© All my images are protected under international authors copyright laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission. All rights reserved. Please contact me at thelma.gatuzzo@gmail.com if you intend to buy or use any of my images.

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Mom osprey and her chicks enjoying a large pike. She methodically fed the pike to her chicks; perhaps it was the first time all of them ate until they were full. They ate every bite of the unfortunate fish.

Wandering Wednesday took me to my local farm today where I picked up some of their beautiful fresh eggs. I stopped and snapped a few quick shots of my eggs. I wandered around and stopped to visit the turkeys, chickens, goats, and the cat who were all very friendly. The turkeys moved in tandem and followed me around, I tried to get a few images of them but nothing turned out that well. Shooting on location is so good for me, I am forcing myself out of my comfort zone. Getting a good shot is much trickier because of the pressure to hurry, I am fairly methodical and work slowly. Happy to be working on my goals and glad to get my to do items checked off.

The Ongiara works its way across Toronto Harbour, cutting a steady path through late-winter ice. A quiet reminder that even in the coldest stretch of the season, the city keeps moving — methodical, patient, and prepared.

First part of blog can be viewed here: www.agreatcapture.com/blog/winter-walk-toronto-waterfront

The Great Egret (Ardea alba) is a striking sight, the bolt of lightening in the bird world. It is an adaptive creature, hunting in both fresh and salt water and doing so in the typical heron fashion of slow methodical stalking...followed by the flash of movement as its head is thrown by its long neck at prey items. Hunted nearly to extinction in the 19th century for their plumage--their numbers dropped by 95%!--they have rebounded well now that laws protect them.

Tawny Mining Bee (Andrena fulva) is a clear sign of the spring arriving for me.

These brightly coloured but small discrete bees are one of our earliest out in the year and this year I’ve seen good numbers around urban parks and gardens, I’ve even found them at work sitting on the wall in the sunshine.

For a couple of weeks though there was no sign they were collecting pollen yet but the temperatures have finally started to climb and the blossoms on the hawthorn and blackthorn opening seems to have been the trigger.

Having spent a while watching how they move around the bushes I reckoned I had a chance of catching them in flight as they are fairly methodical and it was successful at the first attempt.

Another shot from my archives.

A light snow had fallen overnight and started to melt quickly in the morning sunlight, requiring me to work fast. Crawling around on the ground among the grasses, looking for the right light and backlit water droplets is more like a spray and pray operation than coming up with a methodically thought-out composition. To produce this kind of effect, the lens needs to be wide open, at f1.4 in this case, but the shallow depth of field that goes along with that makes it difficult to come up with something sharp and in focus.

But, as you can see, I had some success.

SMC Pentax 50mm f1.4

The first of two species of motmot that I was blessed to photograph. It is absolutely amazing how a bird so large (maybe a foot long, beak to the tip of its tail) can be so hard to see! Luckily, this one started moving its tail in a grandfather clock, methodic tic-toc pattern giving away its location.

This too was taken in a National Sloth Preserve (name lost in the cobweb covered recesses of my mind) near La Fortuna on 11 January 2024.

Update: I finally found where we were when this shot was taken...it has been constantly bugging me not knowing! It was on a privately owned, wildlife sanctuary called Bogarin Trail. The owners took a large chunk of farmland many years ago and allowed it to just grow back wild. The result...the animals have returned in droves and the trails are nice and flat! Expensive, but well worth the $$!

.A small, dark heron arrayed in moody blues and purples, the Little Blue Heron is a common but inconspicuous resident of marshes and estuaries in the Southeast. They stalk shallow waters for small fish and amphibians, adopting a quiet, methodical approach that can make these gorgeous herons surprisingly easy to overlook at first glance. Little Blue Herons build stick nests in trees alongside other colonial waterbirds. In the U.S., their populations have been in a gradual decline since the mid-twentieth century.

A row of built-in “teeth” along the Little Blue Heron’s middle toe serves as a grooming comb. The bird uses this handy tool to scratch its head, neck, and throat.

The oldest known Little Blue Heron was at least 13 years, 11 months old. It was banded in 1957 in Virginia, and found in Maryland in 1971.

I found this one in Lake Marian in Osceola County, Florida.

ENG: The futuristic suburban train station „Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz“ on the edge of the beautiful Leipzig city centre. It also bears the nickname "Square of the Peaceful Revolution" and is intended to commemorate the historical events of 1989. It was built as part of the Leipzig City Tunnel project and opened on 15 December 2013, enabling passengers to travel directly by rail from Leipzig Hauptbahnhof to the city centre.

The station Leipzig Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz is about 20 m underground and has a 140 m long island platform. There are two entrances, north and south of the Martin-Luther-Ring. The staircases, escalators and the two elevators create a dense structure. So that the transparent S-Bahn station with the tidy platform speaks a clear design language. Methodically important part of this station is the extensive restraint in the use of simple, clearly readable elements as well as the glass bricks in the walls and ceilings of the prefabricated elements.

GER: Der futuristische S-Bahnhof "Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz" am Rande der schönen Leipziger Innenstadt. Dieser trägt auch den Beinamen „Platz der friedlichen Revolution“ und soll damit an die historischen Ereignisse des Jahres 1989 erinnern. Er wurde im Rahmen des Projekts Leipziger Stadt Tunnel gebaut und am 15. Dezember 2013 eröffnet, so dass die Fahrgäste direkt mit der Bahn vom Leipziger Hauptbahnhof in die Innenstadt fahren können.

Der Bahnhof Leipzig Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz liegt etwa 20 m unter der Erde und verfügt über einen 140 m lange Insel-Bahnsteig. Es gibt zwei Eingänge, nördlich und südlich des Martin-Luther-Rings. Durch die Treppenanlagen, Rolltreppen und den beiden Aufzügen wird ein verdichtetes Bauwerk erstellt. So das die transparente S-Bahn Station mit dem aufgeräumten Bahnsteig eine klare Design Sprache spricht. Methodisch wichtiger Teil dieser Station ist die weitgehende Zurückhaltung in der Verwendung einfacher, klar ablesbarer Elemente sowie die Glasbausteinen in den Wänden und Decken der Fertigteilelemente.

Brooding skies and the inviting scent of poplar drift over the northern sawmill town of Hearst, Ontario, as a brisk west wind howls across the rain-soaked ties of the Ontario Northland Railway. The crane at the mill moves methodically, tiptoeing through thousands of logs harvested from the vast, never-ending forests of the region.

On the Kapuskasing Subdivision mainline, Hearst–Cochrane train no. 514 slumbers, poised for an early departure under the cover of darkness the next morning. The crew, who is called for 0500, is undoubtedly fast asleep in the nearby bunkhouse. Meanwhile, the sharp bite of the wind, the distant clatter of the mill, and the hush of the rails until tomorrow’s train set a scene begging for documentation. Railway towns like Hearst carry an inexplicable aura; somehow untouched by modernity, if only for a fleeting moment.

Despite the chill in the air, there’s a familiar warmth in places such as this. Like drifting to sleep beneath heavy blankets on a cold winter’s night, it’s that comforting contrast of safety against the unknown (and familiarity against constant change) that draws me onward into the darkness—camera in hand, chasing the quiet magic of the North.

The visiting Waxwings are still in Bangor. At least I am guessing it is the same group and that they have eaten their way across Bangor. They are incredibly methodical in the way they work through one bunch of berries before moving to the next so I would not surprised if it is the same group of birds. They will be leaving shortly to head back to Scandinavian. A Swedish gent stopped to comment yesterday and he said back home they form huge flocks that take part in murmurations.

I frequently think about stories and potential characters as I take photos or decorate. Those characters, real or implied, might never see a finished story or roleplay sim, but they make the photo or build more special to me. This quiet and methodical young man embarking on an unsanctioned (and unsafe) investigation after hours sprang very vividly to mind. I imagine that he makes a living uncovering truth, perhaps as a CSI investigator, but he's realized that sometimes rules and regulations obstruct rather than serve justice. So here he is, no badge, no shield, searching the dark. For credits and more, check out lostseattle.com

Le terme « SNIPER PHOTOGRAPHIQUE » désigne un photographe qui utilise des techniques de photographie à distance pour capturer des images de manière précise et discrète. Ces photographes sont souvent équipés de matériel sophistiqué, comme des objectifs à longue portée, qui leur permettent de prendre des photos nettes de sujets éloignés sans attirer l'attention. Ils travaillent généralement dans des environnements où la discrétion est essentielle, comme lors d'événements privés ou lorsque leur présence pourrait déranger le sujet. Ils adoptent une approche méthodique et cherchent à capturer le moment parfait sans perturber la scène …

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À l'inverse, les PAPARAZZI sont des photographes spécialisés dans la capture d'images de célébrités dans leur vie quotidienne. Leur approche est souvent intrusive, à la recherche de clichés sensationnels à vendre aux médias. Les paparazzi utilisent également un équipement sophistiqué, mais leur objectif principal est de capturer des moments privés ou embarrassants, ce qui soulève des questions éthiques quant à la vie privée des personnes photographiées. Ils sont souvent perçus comme des intrus qui exploitent la célébrité de leurs sujets à des fins lucratives …

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The term 'PHOTOGRAPHIC SNIPER' REFERS to a photographer who uses remote photography techniques to capture images accurately and discreetly. These photographers are often equipped with sophisticated equipment, such as long-range lenses, which enable them to take sharp pictures of distant subjects without attracting attention. They tend to work in environments where discretion is essential, such as private events or situations where their presence might disturb the subject. Their approach is often methodical, seeking to capture the perfect moment without disturbing the scene...

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In contrast, PAPARAZZI are photographers who specialise in capturing images of celebrities in their everyday lives. Their approach is often intrusive, seeking sensational shots that can be sold to the media. Paparazzi also use sophisticated equipment, but their main aim is to capture private or embarrassing moments, raising ethical questions about the privacy of the people they photograph. They are often perceived as intruders who seek to exploit the celebrity of their subjects for profit...

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Link to a video of one doing their comical walk, not my video, so funny! Exactly what this one was doing.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne6nj9AgY7M

Found this American Woodcock very slowly, methodically and comically crossing the road leading into the refuge. It would take a step, stop, sway its body back and forth, take another step and repeat over and over, taking several seconds for each step, so funny and cute! Have seen videos of them doing this but first time to actually see, made my day. Not the best quality and cropped quite a bit, but a great memory for me. :) Wish I could have taken a video. Check out the link above to see one. I'm sure others have seen these but a first for me.

Photos from a morning at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge near Mound City, Mo. Was hoping to see tons of snow geese during the Spring migration but I think many had flown on north. Crazy windy and dusty! Still a fun morning, sorry for so many photos. :)

ENG: The futuristic suburban train station „Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz“ on the edge of the beautiful Leipzig city centre. It also bears the nickname "Square of the Peaceful Revolution" and is intended to commemorate the historical events of 1989. It was built as part of the Leipzig City Tunnel project and opened on 15 December 2013, enabling passengers to travel directly by rail from Leipzig Hauptbahnhof to the city centre.

The station Leipzig Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz is about 20 m underground and has a 140 m long island platform. There are two entrances, north and south of the Martin-Luther-Ring. The staircases, escalators and the two elevators create a dense structure. So that the transparent S-Bahn station with the tidy platform speaks a clear design language. Methodically important part of this station is the extensive restraint in the use of simple, clearly readable elements as well as the glass bricks in the walls and ceilings of the prefabricated elements.

GER: Der futuristische S-Bahnhof "Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz" am Rande der schönen Leipziger Innenstadt. Dieser trägt auch den Beinamen „Platz der friedlichen Revolution“ und soll damit an die historischen Ereignisse des Jahres 1989 erinnern. Er wurde im Rahmen des Projekts Leipziger Stadt Tunnel gebaut und am 15. Dezember 2013 eröffnet, so dass die Fahrgäste direkt mit der Bahn vom Leipziger Hauptbahnhof in die Innenstadt fahren können.

Der Bahnhof Leipzig Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz liegt etwa 20 m unter der Erde und verfügt über einen 140 m lange Insel-Bahnsteig. Es gibt zwei Eingänge, nördlich und südlich des Martin-Luther-Rings. Durch die Treppenanlagen, Rolltreppen und den beiden Aufzügen wird ein verdichtetes Bauwerk erstellt. So das die transparente S-Bahn Station mit dem aufgeräumten Bahnsteig eine klare Design Sprache spricht. Methodisch wichtiger Teil dieser Station ist die weitgehende Zurückhaltung in der Verwendung einfacher, klar ablesbarer Elemente sowie die Glasbausteinen in den Wänden und Decken der Fertigteilelemente.

Remains of some of the nicer pieces of the history of the Stetler family that were in the house. Most of it was just junk!

The man who was doing the demolition on the house was very methodical about what he did and hopefully the best pieces made it to auction rather than the dump. He was also nice enough to allow us to look through things and buy what we wanted. I was more interested in just taking pictures but now wish I had gotten a few things!

Hiram Stetler Farm Set:

www.flickr.com/photos/equinox27/sets/72157638095104183/wi...

www.bordeaux-tourisme.com/sites-monuments/tour-pey-berlan...

www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk/sites-monuments/cathedral-pey-...

www.bordeaux-tourismus.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten-und-denkmae...

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IF YOU THINK OUR RULERS DO BAD THINGS IN SECRET, WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE WHAT THEY DO OUT IN THE OPEN - "They launched a live-streamed genocide in full view of the entire world.

They’re openly targeting civilian populations with siege warfare in Iran and Cuba in full view of the entire world.

They openly kidnapped the president of a sovereign nation in full view of the entire world.

They deliberately provoked a horrific and dangerous proxy war in Ukraine in full view of the entire world.

They spent years actively backing Saudi Arabia’s monstrous genocidal atrocities in Yemen in full view of the entire world.

They’re plundering and exploiting the resources and labor of the global south in full view of the entire world.

They’re killing the biosphere we all depend on for their own enrichment in full view of the entire world.

They’re circling the globe with hundreds of military bases to secure planetary domination in full view of the entire world.

They engage in nuclear brinkmanship and wave around armageddon weapons like pistols in full view of the entire world.

People go homeless and die of exposure while billionaires buy private islands and choose the next president in full view of the entire world.

Weapons manufacturers lobby for wars and then profit from the death and destruction they cause in full view of the entire world.

The president of the United States has repeatedly admitted to being bought and owned by the world’s richest Israeli in full view of the entire world.

The US Treasury Secretary has been repeatedly admitting that the US deliberately sparked the violence and unrest in Iran by methodically immiserating the population via economic warfare, in full view of the entire world.

I keep seeing people freaking out and asking how it’s possible that the individuals in the Epstein files haven’t been arrested for their secret nefarious behavior. And I always want to ask them, mate, have you seen the nefarious behavior they’re engaging in right out in the open?

Pay attention to the Epstein files. Pay attention to what little we can learn about how these freaks conduct themselves behind closed doors. By all means, pay close attention to these things.

But don’t forget to also pay attention to the far greater evils they are inflicting in full view of the entire world." - Caitlin Johnstone (02/2026)

New York based artist Rob Wynne works in a variety of mediums ranging from hand-embroidered paintings and collage to sculpture and digital photography,but at heart he is am alchemist.In recent years he had experimented increasingly with molten glass;each glass piece produced with his assistants is hand-poured without a mold,and silvered after cooling.Then the multiple pieces are shaped into dynamic,often expansive wall installations whose individual components sometimes numbers in the hundreds.Although the entire process is highly methodical and guided by preparatory drawings,the multifaceted end product is ultimately inflected by chance.Wynne is drawn to what he calls the "alchemical nature"at once ephemeral and literal,transformative and obdurate,glass is the ideal medium through which to communicate an elusive multiplicity of meanings.

Wynne transforms not only materials but words,taking phrases from literature and popular culture,detaching them from their original contexts,and repurposing them in cryptic or contradictory ways.Whether poetic meditations,tongue-in-cheek quotations,syntactical riffs on the structure of words,or double entendre inspired by Marcel Duchamp,Wynne's metamorphoses of language lie at the center of his conceptual practice.