View allAll Photos Tagged methodical
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.
Early morning denizen of my backyard terrorizing my finches, sparrows, towhees, and wrens. Crows alerted me to its presence, and then they came to scare all its potential prey away from the feeders and bubbler in our yards. The murder members were screaming alarm calls, diving on the Cooper's, and alerting and scattering prey to foil Coop's intentions. The cool thing is that they understood its MO and worked methodically as a team to unravel its success.
A female Northern Cardinal moves quietly through the oak understory this winter morning, her warm buff‑brown plumage complementing the muted Cross Timbers palette. Against the dormant grasses and twisted oak branches, her subtle orange tones shone with a coquettish beauty. She foraged methodically, cracking seeds with that powerful conical bill. Even without the male’s bright red display, she carries a regal presence.
Our beautiful world, pass it on.
Emigrant Lake - 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
Tufted Titmouse feeding from a lady's hand in Central Park, NYC.
Tufted Titmice look large among the small birds that come to feeders, an impression that comes from their large head and eye, thick neck, and full bodies. The pointed crest and stout bill help identify titmice even in silhouette.
Soft silvery gray above and white below, with a rusty or peach-colored wash down the flanks. A black patch just above the bill makes the bird look snub-nosed.
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.
--- allaboutbirds.org
tough buggers to get to sit still
from Cornell
The rich song of the Warbling Vireo is a common sound in many parts of central and northern North America during summer. It’s a great bird to learn by ear, because its fast, rollicking song is its most distinctive feature. Otherwise, Warbling Vireos are fairly plain birds with gray-olive upperparts and white underparts washed with faint yellow. They have a mild face pattern with a whitish stripe over the eye. They stay high in deciduous treetops, where they move methodically among the leaves hunting for caterpillars.
Another of the Western Bowerbird at the Olive Pink Botanic Gardens in Alice Springs methodically assessing his bower for faults.
Early morning sun begins to illuminate the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park. I decided to go back to the more difficult sets of HDR images that I took on the trip and methodically implement layer masks to create the HDR and adjust for the wind blowing in the trees.
Third shot of my 52 week challenge to try new photography techniques or visit new places.
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.
The dunlin moves along the coastal beaches it prefers with a characteristic "sewing machine" feeding action, methodically picking small food items. Insects form the main part of the dunlin's diet on the nesting grounds; it eats molluscs, worms and crustaceans in coastal areas.
Today is our yearly allotted Full Moon in Scorpio. :) As per the machinations of the heavens, the Full Moon in Scorpio occurs during Taurus season, when the Moon rises opposite the Sun.
The Scorpio/Taurus axis is, in summary, one of immaterial power (Scorpio) vs. material power (Taurus). Both signs are tremendously capable builders & manifestors, but they act on opposing planes, with Taurus acting in the physical realm, and Scorpio in the immaterial realm. Taurus is the world; Scorpio is the invisible undercurrents of emotion and desire that drive the world's weaving.
When this polar relationship is out of balance, Scorpio becomes lost in the waters of the underworld, unable to ground their emotions & visions; and Taurus becomes unable to see past the material plane to the subtler realms that inform it.
With the Sun being in Taurus right now, there is a collective focus on grounding our plans and goals, taking methodical action, and building stable structures to support us. When Scorpio opposes this Sun in Taurus, we are asked to introduce emotional depth & nuance to our plans and goals -- to consider the underlying emotional factors at play in our own psychoemotional state, and in that of others and the world at large.
In summary, our drive for action shines a light on our powerful emotions; and our powerful emotions shine back on our drive for action.
It's also special that this Full Moon is falling on May Day. Happy Beltane!
The first antler arch was constructed in 1953 through the efforts and fundraising of the Jackson Hole Rotary Club. The National Elk Refuge, a protected haven where hundreds of elk come to take shelter during the winter months, sits just outside of the town of Jackson. Each spring the herd of elk naturally shed their antlers allowing locals and visitors alike to harvest the pieces for art and auction. Using a steel frame as a base and thousands of antlers from the annual spring shed, the rotary club methodically stacked the antlers to form the resulting arch. By the late 1960’s the other three antler arches came into existence and completed the project.
The four arches stood proudly for the sixty years that followed. But as antlers are in fact made up of bone, they eventually began to decompose causing the structures to lose their rigidity and foundational structure. In 2006 the Rotary Club began fundraising efforts to replace the structures altogether with newly formed arches. Using donations and the funds received from auctioning off the original arches, some 14,000 pounds of antlers per arch, the club was able to replace them entirely with new frames and new antlers.
By 2015 the final arch reconstruction was completed and the new adornments are expected to last at least another 50 years. The antler arches have become something of a Jackson Hole icon and a legacy to be passed onto future generations. I can’t imagine walking past the Town Square without glancing at families posing for pictures underneath the antlers or watching the christmas lights strung over them each winter season twinkle with the falling snow. Just as much as the Teton views comprise our familiarity and love for Jackson Hole, so do the arches.
www.jacksonhole.net/blog/the-history-of-the-jackson-hole-...
Every once in a while, whenever I show off a synchronized flash image, I read a comment like "O. Winston Link!" or "OWL shot!"
Of course, those compliments are flattering and appreciated. But, to be clear, I am not O. Winston Link from Brooklyn. Allow me to elaborate.
Link spent about six years documenting — principally at night, through his pioneering work in flash photography using elaborate setups — the twilight of American steam locomotion on Norfolk & Western Railway in the late 1950s. My subjects, on the other hand, aren't often steam locomotives. When the subjects are steam, though, they're far from the autumns of their revenue service careers and often wonderfully preserved and going strong, many thanks to the armies of volunteers who keep the locomotives (and the organizations behind them) going.
Link, often accompanied with an assistant, would set up hundreds of single-use flash bulbs, miles of cable, and custom bulb holders to illuminate a scene, but only after days and sometime weeks of deliberate planning and methodical research. My equipment, on the other hand, relies on no more than five studio flash units all linked with wireless radios.
I could carry on ad infinitum on the differences between he and me. However, there is one belief that Link held that might be a place of common ground. Link once said, "All I wanted was to get some nice pictures of trains at night." Here, we are of one mind.
In this scene at Groff's on Strasburg Rail Road, Norfolk & Western Class J 611 pours on the coal and delivers just what I wanted: a nice picture, of a train, near nightfall. Simple and satisfying.
Whenever I review the blessings received while visiting Custer State Park a year ago this month, I am still as overwhelmed as I was while I there and receiving them! Finding myself alone and in proximity of a bachelor group of Bighorn Sheep has been a definite top 10 wildlife encounters of my life…thus far!
I have no idea how their hieratical system works, but did find it amazing how this lad took it upon himself to be the gatekeeper for the group. When I first drove up on them crossing the road, he stood facing me as if a statue, as the others trotted past. Once I got out of the car and approached the group, he moved off the road and joined the group. As others grazed, he remained vigilant at his post, keeping his eyes on me and his ears on the rest of the group as they moved up the rugged rock hill towards the high country of the park.
He never seemed alarmed or anxious…not that a kid from Indiana would know what that looked like…so I just slowly and methodically closed the gap between us to improve the lighting.
When they finally grazed themselves up behind a large rock outcropping, I knew my photo session had concluded. While climbing back into my vehicle, I looked at the clock and discovered that I had been out there with them alone for just over 30 minutes…without another vehicle coming by to ruin the encounter…a true blessing in itself!
Should God’s plan for me ever place me in a nursing home for any period of time, besides tons of family photos, I would hope to have a shot of this lad on my wall. The memory of our time, man to man looking into each other’s eyes at such close range will always be special.
Photo taken on 20 May, 2023 at Custer State Park, South Dakota.
Adventure before dementia!
This lovely relative of the crane was walking along the shore of a lake in Odessa, FL, and methodically wading in, picking these clams, eating it, and repeating. Hundreds if not thousands of shells littered the perimeter...I am not sure why this lake was the only one so blessed with bivalves, but I understand why happy looking limpkins were marching in and out of the water all around it.
I love to watch brown bears being brown bears. Whether they're fishing, clamming, challenging another bear for dominance, playing, nursing their young ... it really doesn't matter. I'm pretty much crazy for bears!
In the summer, the usual behaviors include trying to catch salmon, which they need to fatten up to insure their survival over their winter hibernation period. Of course, every bear seems to fish differently. Some pounce, some methodically wait for the precise moment, some steal (though that presents its own challenges), some corral the fish ... but when a dive for the catch happens, when they emerge empty, they almost always enter what I call the spin cycle and shake vigorously the excess water from their heads. It's so much fun to watch.
Lately, I've been feeling a bit of a spin cycle within ... but all's good and things are looking better after having a bit of time off. More to come though ... :-)
Hope you enjoy!
Solitary, cold, methodical and unencumbered by scruples or regrets, a killer waits in the shadows, watching for his next target. Yet, the longer he waits, the more he thinks he's losing his mind, if not his cool.
At first light, the girls readied themselves to investigate the mound—the one the campers had fled from in panic.
Kayla extended her hand. “Coordinates are set in my VDD. Take my hand and we jump. If anything feels off, you jump back to the shelter. No hesitation. I’ll be right behind you.”
With a feeling of displacement, they landed on a narrow trail leading toward the rise. Fresh tire tracks carved into the dirt, still crisp. Possibly left by the campers two nights prior.
The mound loomed roughly five hundred feet above the surrounding terrain. Its crown spread flat, cloaked in wind-worn shrubs and patchy grass. Gear lay scattered across the surface—a chaotic mess of overturned tents, shattered tools, and gear.
No claw marks. No reptilian prints. Just human footprints
.
“Maybe the waitress was right. Those guys were drunk and imagined the whole thing,” Adrienne murmured.
Kayla frowned. “They didn’t hallucinate all this torn gear and smashed equipment.”
Off to one side, the remains of a second campfire, distant from the first. “They wouldn’t have built another fire way over here,” Adrienne said.
They swept the area methodically. Charred logs. Scorched earth. No question—it had seen use more than once.
Adrienne paused, a wrinkle forming across her brow.
“Kayla, come here. There’s a breeze coming from this opening in the ground… and it reeks.”
Kayla crouched, inspecting the jagged opening. “Might be an air shaft. Looks so natural, but maybe.”
From her pack she produced a compact optical device, shaped like binoculars but without lenses on the front. She slowly scanned the area. “Nothing,” she said, her voice edged in frustration.
“What’s it supposed to pick up?” Adrienne asked.
“Anything they’ve hidden using their cloaking technology like entrances to passageways, structures or the reptilians themselves.”
Adrienne stepped toward a knot of shrubs and paused. Something caught her eye. She knelt and brushed back the sand.
“Kayla... bones. Human bones.”
Kayla rushed over. A skull, half-sunken in soil, stared skyward with empty sockets. And all around dozens more.
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You can view Quantum Fold episodes in order from the beginning in her album titled, Quantum Fold:
www.flickr.com/photos/199076397@N02/albums/72177720326169...
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. . . I find herons in particular to be fun birds to just watch! They are slow, methodical hunters, and their behavior just seems to be funny to me! This bird acted like he was chocking on a fish or a frog for about 15 minutes.
Have a great Friday and weekend Facebook, Flickr, and 500px friends!
I have had good success with this skipper over the past few days. It seems to select Ironweed over other nectar sources. They are very methodical as they nectar and will linger for minutes on a single flower head.
This is not a particularly compelling image, but it was a lifer, a bird I don’t see often on Flickr, and so I wanted to post it.
Paul and I had a pattern for our three days of birding in Prince Edward County, starting at sunrise at Traverse Woods and then moving out to the lighthouse point. That latter walk leads past several enormous Willows, leaning out over the waters of Lake Ontario. We had dozens of species in those Willows in the early morning, including flocks of Baltimore Orioles and Scarlet Tanagers, and even Ruby-throated Hummingbirds fed on the flowers.
We had met a couple who had the same early morning plan, and it was their find. The Black-billed Cuckoo is a bird that often hides deep in foliage and spends long periods without moving. The couple had checked each of the Willows very methodically because in the first big wave of spring migration, this is what you can find.
It is a really neat bird to observe. Unfortunately, it barricaded itself pretty well deep inside the Willow. But it wasn’t too high up - the Willow it was perched in leans over into the Lake - and a few minutes of strategizing enabled me to climb around inside most of the branches to get a record image, all without flushing or attracting the attention of the bird. That said, it was very keenly attentive to all of the other birds singing and calling around the point, including the ever-present Merlins.
One of the neat things that is visible in the image is its feet. It has zygodactyl feet, meaning two toes pointing in each direction, just like Owls and Woodpeckers.
I was able to return the favour, to a degree, as about a half hour later I found a male Blackpoll Warbler and shared that with the couple who had pointed out the Cuckoo. Not as exotic, to be sure, but for people tracking their species early in a day of migration birding, it was a welcome addition to the list.
That early female Monarch that visited a couple of days in late July left behind something priceless - she laid eggs! Long story short: I happened upon caterpillars on 8/2/19 and set up the cage the next day after 4 losses, scanning for every single one I could save as our red wasps methodically scanned milkweed plants right along with me. There are 9 caterpillars safely in the cage growing like crazy - but I will worry about them until they go to chrysalis lest any already be infected. This crew is moving much faster than the group of 30 back in much cooler Spring weather. Stay tuned!
>> female Monarch on red zinnia, our North Georgia yard on 7-21-19
Happy Butterfly Monday!
I knew where it was. It was just that I had little idea of how I was going to get there. Courtesy of the major road upgrade right on our doorstep that’s gathered pace this summer, I’d already been forced along two diversions I hadn’t been too wild about following. By the time I arrived at the outskirts of St Agnes I was beginning to lose heart. And now things got worse. The road I’d planned on taking when I looked at the map appeared to be a very narrow bridle path, and so I continued to the next likely looking route, only to find myself crawling along a classic Cornish lane, barely wider than the car and flanked by bracken that did little to hide the bruising granite walls on either side. And of course it was as I was almost a quarter of a mile along it that a car appeared, coming from the other direction. A few minutes of irritable backtracking to the unbroken sound of my car’s complaining reversing sensors later, followed by an apologetic thank you from the grateful occupants of the offending obstacle, I gave in and turned around, finally arriving at a layby beside the main road where I stopped to inspect the map once more. The last mile took me down another narrow winding lane, but at least this time I didn’t meet anyone coming in the other direction. The track from the road to the car park was a series of ruts, rocks and potholes, but finally I was here, ready to explore a space I’d never brought the camera to before. I was only six miles from home, but the drive had taken me almost an hour. On the plus side, apart from me there were just two vans in the car park. Presumably everyone else was stuck in that narrow lane waiting to see who’d engage reverse gear first.
It was Marcus and his YouTube channel, Cornwall on Camera, that had brought me here. Somewhere in the afternoon the idea had taken root that I needed to get out for a couple of hours, just to breathe in the air and watch the sea. Of course I’d have the bag with me, but photography wasn’t the main purpose. As I often do when I haven’t really made plans, I’d already half resolved to go to Wheal Coates, the nearest coastal beauty spot. But then I looked at the tide times and considered the options again. It was a mild afternoon, devoid of purposeful conditions, and I do generally prefer Wheal Coates when things are a bit nasty. Nasty was the last word I’d use to describe this gentle September Sunday afternoon, and as I continued in the current vein of indecision, Trevellas Cove suddenly leapt into the forefront of my ambitions and shouted “remember me with my twin sea stacks?” And so the deal was done. It was a perfect day to try something new.
Unlike the drive here, it didn’t take long to get my bearings, although I was immediately distracted by a small group of people on the beach who were all staring out across the water. What on earth were they looking at? It took a while for me to realise that their friend, swimming close to the shore, had been joined by an inquisitive seal, edging ever closer to him until it was almost within touching distance. For a few minutes I sat and watched, entranced, intrigued and full of envy. I made a mental note to bring my wetsuit and the underwater camera next time. And with that thought in mind, I continued along the narrow clifftop path towards where I hoped I might find the sea stacks.
It was only after I’d set up the tripod and began to try and make sense of the clifftop composition that they walked past, him barely registering me, her offering a smile as I nodded hello. And within seconds they’d vanished, before I caught a glimpse of them on the rocks below, donning wetsuits and jumping into the sea. I’d assumed I was standing as close as you could get with high tide approaching, but by watching their progress I was already beginning to learn something about the place. Following their route took me to a rocky platform. And there was the scramble to the side of me - a diagonal traverse that would allow anyone brave enough to descend the few metres to the shelf beside the sea. It wasn’t for the faint hearted, but just about navigable if taken methodically and slowly. After a bit of huffing and puffing and searching for suitable holds, I was soon on the smooth grey rocks where a whole new world opened up in front of me. Now I could stand close to the water, with lots of delicious textures right there in front of me.
Unlike many of Marcus’ shots here, I completely ignored the right hand stack and brought the edge of St Agnes Head into the frame, the small dot known as the cow and calf on the horizon. You’ll need to see them from Perranporth to make sense of that descriptive title. And although I hadn’t consulted the relevant apps, I’d evidently chosen a good time of year to come here, because the sun was setting in exactly the right place. I’d come here armed with the B team, the crop body and ragtag lens collection, including that one - the Tokina wide angle affair that had arrived from Pakistan and broken down on its first outing. But those debut nerves seemed to have been banished to the wings, the lens working without complaint and performing rather admirably considering how little it cost in comparison to the rest of them.
The return journey was rather less eventful, even though the clamber from the rocks to the grassy safety above felt marginally more hair raising than the journey down had. I need a pulley system installed for next time. Either that or a raft to get me back to the beach, very possibly with a playful seal in hot pursuit. Whether or not I’m brave or daft enough to take on that traverse again, I was glad I made the effort. I will be back. I think this place has another ace or two up its sleeve, waiting to be discovered.
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
Source:
All About Birds, The Cornell Lab of Omithology
Thanks for the comments, faves and visits
This close-up captures the elegant beauty of a Physostegia, or Obedient Plant, in its early blooming stage. The image showcases the plant's distinctive spire-like structure, with delicate lavender-pink flowers unfurling from the bottom up along a vibrant green stem. The contrast between the soft, billowing petals and the crisp, orderly arrangement of buds creates a captivating visual rhythm. Set against a muted background, the flower's intricate details shine - from the subtle veining in the petals to the tiny stamen peeking out from each blossom. This photo beautifully illustrates the transitional phase of the plant, with fully opened flowers at the base and tightly closed buds at the top, offering a glimpse into nature's methodical yet magical blooming process.
The American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is one of North America’s largest birds, with a 9-foot wingspan, they are also among the heaviest flying birds in the world. They are superb flyers and often travel long distances in large flocks by soaring. When flapping, their wingbeats are slow and methodical. 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. During the breeding season, breeding adults grow an unusual projection or horn on the upper mandible near the tip of the bill. An American White Pelican floats in for a landing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, Texas.
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Although secretive and skulking while creeping slowly through its wetland habitat, the Green Heron (Butorides virescens) is actually one of North America’s most Recognizable wetland birds. So named for its glossy green cap and back, this relatively small, compact, crested heron can be quite inconspicuous, but often gives its presence away with loud squawks.
Standing alone at the water’s edge or on a branch just above the water, the green heron waits patiently for its prey before driving its head into the water and catching its target in its pincer-like bill. Feeding primarily on fish, the green heron is one of very few tool-using bird species and uses a variety of baits and lures, including insects, earthworms, twigs or feathers, to entice fish to where it can grab them. This versatile, intelligent predator has a rather large bill for its size and, as such, can feed on a variety of other large prey, including frogs, reptiles, small mammals and crustaceans. It feeds by day and night in shallow waters, often as little as five Centimeters deep, and tends to walk between hunting sites in a slow, methodical, deliberate fashion with the body crouched.
An extremely adaptable wetland bird, the green heron occupies almost any shallow fresh, brackish or saltwater habitat within its range. It is typically found in swampy thickets, preferring to forage around dense vegetation, but may feed in the open when food is available.
I found this one along Peavine Road in Osceola County, Florida.
This one has a Blue cap! (smile)
In the dim twilight that perpetually shrouded Helixion, Azura Vespertine was an anachronism, the last vestige of artistry in a world suffocated by orthodoxy. The cobalt strands of hair belonging to Azura and her twin, Lyria, stood as a brazen affront to the uniform drabness that the city mandated. Such vibrancy was a rebellion in itself, a declaration of war against a regime that had outlawed the mere concept of color and creativity, condemning them as seeds of dissent and disorder.
With the institution of the Grey Laws, Helixion’s governing body had launched its crusade against extravagance, decrying art as a frivolous extravagance and a corrosive societal influence. The visual tapestry of life, once a kaleidoscope, was methodically replaced by an oppressive monochrome. Lyria had been a casualty of this purge, her street art her downfall, leaving Azura in the quiet despair of forced solitude. Yet within the sanctuary of her sparse studio, Azura clung to the relics of a more vibrant epoch, her works a clandestine testament to a suppressed past. Outwardly, she donned the cloak of conformity, her azure locks and inked skin hidden beneath the guise of the unremarkable, blending into the sterile streets of Helixion like another faceless apparition.
In the sanctuary of her studio, where canvases bore silent witness to a defiance that daylight could no longer bear, Azura would prepare two cups of coffee. The ritual was a daily rite, one warm for her lips, and one left to grow cold in homage to Lyria’s preferred taste—a quiet ode to a shared past now relegated to the shadows.
Azura’s art was birthed in the stillness of the curfewed nights, under the gaze of a less vigilant tyranny. Each piece she crafted was a subversive act, a covert dispatch to those souls still receptive to the notion that their world need not be one of bleakness and fear.
Each painting was a revolt, a luminescence against the engulfing dark. There, in the interstice between the two cups, with each sip of the cold brew, Azura kept the promise of a chromatic renaissance alive, a whispered pledge to Lyria that the colour they once knew might one day bleed into the fabric of Helixion once more.
This juvenile Yellow-rumped Warbler was feeding on the remains of insects left in a spider web, apparently having been processed by the original captor. There was enough nutrition to be gained that this young bird was methodically gleaning the tidbits from reeds at Frank Lake in southern Alberta, Canada. I have also seen this resourceful adaptation employed by juvenile Cedar Waxwings, as shown in this image: www.flickr.com/photos/luminouscompositions/53254575260/in...
It was navigating along the edge of a pond. Its movements were slow and methodical, occasionally breaking the surface with its sharp beak as it hunted for food.
Click on image to enlarge it.
This morning I was checking out a new location in the southern pond and I was able to get down the steep embankment and position myself almost right at the water's edge. As I sat and waited for the birds to return which I had disturbed when I first settled in, this little Wilson's Snipe poked its head out from among the bull rushes about 20 feet away. It started methodically foraging and working its way toward where I was.
I kept perfectly still and used my quiet shutter release mode and it never noticed me over the course of about 10 minutes. It eventually got so close to me that I was not able to focus my zoom lens even at the shortest focal length. At one point it looked like it was going to hop right into my open camera bag! What a wonderful gift this was to start my day!
Six and a half years ago, the scientists of SETI began receiving garbled and unintelligible communications from points unknown. What they could perceive came out as a series of clicking sounds, but they repeated precisely indicating that some form of intelligence was behind the transmissions, not something randomly generated as was first thought. The top linguists on the globe were brought in to analyze the communications until finally five years after initial contact one Professor Winnefred Littledove from Lichtenstein made a breakthrough and with an army of people and computers behind her, she at long last was able to decipher the clicking into words. Those words were chilling and they read, 'Your planet is in danger, we are here to help.'
The reply was made simple for the sake of expedience and yet took days to form, 'how so?' Littledove pushed the send button herself and silence filled the room as no one even breathed in anticipation.
Two days later came the foreboding reply, 'We have been studying your world and can see that you are nearly at the point of no return in the effects of global warming, soon many thousands of species will cease to exist including yourselves if something isn't done immediately. We have a solution.'
After several days and many sleepless nights of translations
a response was hurriedly recorded and in less than an hour SETI sent its one word reply, 'Yes?'
Newly minted corporal Emmit Woodcock awoke the next morning feeling a bit fuzzy from the night before. His squad had taken him out to Galway Bay Pub and eatery where they proceeded to 'tack on' his new stripe, this is accomplished by punching the chevron on with great force to prevent it from ever coming off. Groggily he sat up and put on his slippers and headed for the loo to rid himself of a few ales. Sure enough, and the reason for the slippers, he came across yet another of his 'houseguests' and proceeded to stomp the cockroach with equal parts disgust and pleasure. "Twenty seven!" He proclaimed. No sooner had he finished his business the ancient air raid warning horns warbled on. He'd never heard one with the exception of in the movies, but there was no mistaking the noise. He hurriedly donned his OD's from the night before and dashed for the door, just before turning out the light he called out, "twenty eight!"
The ECM, emergency communication memo, on his phone ordered him to report to coordinates unknown to him and off he went. When he reached the park at Bellingham Bay his world became very surreal. An army, literally, of men were unloading sandbags from ancient deuce and a halfs and piling them to make a wall, a wall halfway around a glowing globe of tremendous size towering above them smoldering from its recent entry into Earth's atmosphere.
"What's going on?!"
Sgt. Jones gave Woodcock a quick glance, "It's an invasion, I hear that these things are landing everywhere, get busy with that wall!"
In between tosses of sandbags Emmit could see 50 cals. being set up left, right and center with infantry between. Yelling to be heard to the man next to him he asked, "what about tanks?"
"Armored is on its way, it's just us right now."
Suddenly all noises and movement ended as an audible mechanism inside of the alien craft whirred up and engaged. The bottom half of the orb opened as five doors swung slowly down and away in an unnatural and creepy movement much like a claw opening. Emmit vaguely heard the order to take cover, but he was transfixed on the otherworldly happenings transpiring before him and was consumed by the feeling of dread and although he was covered in sweat, he felt very cold. Then, through the murky darkness, the new corporal began to perceive movement, a slow, methodic wave of movement. Crawling out of the spacecraft came gigantic spiders, eight legged, multi eyed, hairy spiders and along with the clicking noises that they were making he went from cold to frozen. No one can remember if there was an actual order to fire, but fire they did. After the massacre was over there was much clapping on backs and cheering for their victory, for never was there a more fearsome enemy to overcome. Songs would surely be sung in their honor.
Back at SETI what would become known as the final transmission was finally translated roughly at the same time that the Battle of Bellingham Bay was taking place, it had taken days of work to decipher as it was longer than the rest and it read: "At last, it is so good that we can now communicate for we have so much that we want to impart to you. We have sent word to bring atmospheric condensers and we have the schematics here aboard ship so that when they arrive you will be able to set them up and not a moment too soon, any further delay would have meant a global catastrophe. I will send a team of scientists down now, help is on the way."
This lady was methodically working this tree and provided many great looks. here with a Chironomus midge (these are the non biting midges). Hit "L" then "Z" twice to view detail
In Ladakh, spiritual practice isn't confined to the monastery; it waits on the roadside. For this woman, the Mala (prayer beads) is a constant companion. Each bead clicked represents one recitation of Om Mani Padme Hum, a methodical accumulation of merit amidst the dust of daily life. It is a silent accounting of faith, where the goal is to bank millions of mantras over a lifetime, turning even idle moments into steps toward enlightenment. Diskit, Ladakh
My first shot of the bird. Also called the Median Egret, Smaller Egret, or Yellow-billed Egret. It is a medium-sized Heron that is a resident breeder from east Africa across the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia and Australia. The Intermediate Egret stalks its prey methodically in shallow coastal or fresh water, including flooded fields. It eats fish, frogs, crustaceans and insects.
Could watch these stunning birds all day, that slow methodical flight is mesmerising.
For best view hit 'L' for large on black.
With twin mixing drums embedded in each forearm, MK-Rotomix is always in motion - quietly, steadily blending concrete as it works. It's calm and methodical, laying down smooth lines and solid foundations without a drop wasted. To this Duplon, the job’s not done until every layer feels just right underfoot.
Before the sparks fly and the skyline begins to grow, the MK-Series arrives. These Builders don’t just follow instructions - they create the cities of the future. Each unit brings a different rhythm to the worksite, from the steady churn of mixers to the precise lifts of cranes. They build with patience, coordination, and precision - because a strong city needs solid foundations.
Song of the Day: Didn't Cha Know- Erykah Badu
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As a Fire sign (astrology), I tend to go full steam ahead sometimes with careful thought or methodical recklessness the latter being quite often but I find my calmness in the sunset of the day and the sway of ripples in the ocean.
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Photo taken @ MEDITERRANEO Coffee & Lounge Bar
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Campignon%20DesOs%20Isle/5...
Like most other birds, peregrine falcons spend a lot of time each day preening. It’s an essential daily activity that removes parasites and helps to repel rain water. I recently watched (from a distance) as this peregrine falcon spent about 20 minutes or so preening along the side of the road at the Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. It was a foggy morning with few refuge visitors, and so he was able to complete his preening without being disturbed. Preening birds run their beaks through their feathers, using a gland that secretes an oily substance that cleans and protects the feathers. A bird will work through the feathers methodically, preening them all.
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.
Canon EOS 90D camera
150-600mm F5-6.3 Sigma DG OS HSM | Contemporary
1/800 f5.6 ISO100 250mm
Rather large, fairly common woodcreeper of tropical forest in both dry and humid areas. Feeds mainly on larger trunks, often probing into bromeliads and moving methodically. (source: www.ebird.com)
Cigua Amarilla / Hispaniolan Spindalis (Spindalis dominicensis).
* Estatus RD: Residente Local Comun (Rlc)
* Endemica (E)
Spindalis dominicensis es el nombre científico de la Cigua Amarilla de La Española (o Cigua Común), un ave de colores vibrantes que pertenece a la familia Spindalidae (anteriormente clasificada como una tángara). Es endémica de la isla de La Española, que es compartida por la República Dominicana y Haití, y también se encuentra en la cercana Isla de la Gonâve.
Descripción Física
La Cigua Amarilla de La Española presenta un dimorfismo sexual significativo, lo que significa que los machos y las hembras tienen un aspecto bastante diferente. Es un ave forestal algo pequeña, de aproximadamente 16 cm (6.3 pulgadas) de largo.
* Macho Adulto: El macho es de colores brillantes y a menudo se describe como si tuviera los colores de un "amanecer".
* Cabeza: Presenta un patrón llamativo de color negro con una ancha franja blanca por encima del ojo (supercilio) y una raya blanca a modo de "bigote". La barbilla es blanca.
* Cuerpo: Tiene una nuca (parte posterior del cuello) de color amarillo intenso y un dorso de color verde a oliva amarillento. El pecho es de un color castaño intenso, que pasa a un amarillo intenso y brillante en el vientre y blanco en la parte inferior del abdomen.
* Alas/Cola: Las alas son negras con bordes blancos prominentes en las plumas y un parche oxidado/castaño en el hombro. La cola es negra con bordes blancos estrechos.
* Hembra Adulta: La hembra es mucho más apagada y está más camuflada para ayudar en la incubación.
* Coloración general: Generalmente de color grisáceo-oliva en la parte superior del cuerpo y la cabeza.
* Partes inferiores: La parte inferior es blanquecina con rayas oscuras mal definidas.
* Marcas: Su patrón de cabeza es una versión más apagada del macho, con marcas blancas menos conspicuas. Sus alas y cola son de color marrón oscuro con bordes de color beige-oliva.
Hábitat y Comportamiento
* Hábitat: La Cigua Amarilla de La Española vive en una amplia gama de hábitats boscosos, incluidos bosques húmedos de hoja perenne y de pinos, huertos y plantaciones de café de sombra, y se encuentra desde el nivel del mar hasta elevaciones montañosas altas. Son más abundantes en áreas boscosas de mayor elevación.
* Dieta: Se alimentan principalmente de frutas pequeñas y partes de flores, pero también consumen semillas, hojas tiernas e insectos, especialmente durante la temporada de cría. Pueden ser atraídas por árboles frutales y comederos con agua azucarada.
* Comportamiento: Las aves son residentes (no migratorias) pero pueden moverse localmente en respuesta a la disponibilidad de fruta. A menudo se las ve en parejas o grupos pequeños, buscando alimento metódicamente en arbustos y árboles.
* Vocalización: Su canto se describe como un silbido sibilante, agudo y fino, a menudo un repetido "tsee see see see".
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The Hispaniolan spindalis (Spindalis dominicensis) is a species of bird formerly in the family Thraupidae. It is found in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Spindalis dominicensis is the scientific name for the Hispaniolan Spindalis, a vibrantly colored bird in the family Spindalidae (formerly classified as a tanager). It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola, which is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and also found on the nearby Gonâve Island.
Physical Description
The Hispaniolan Spindalis exhibits significant sexual dimorphism, meaning males and females look quite different. It is a somewhat small woodland bird, about 16 cm (6.3 inches) long.
* Adult Male: The male is brightly colored and often described as looking like a "sunrise".
* Head: Features a striking pattern of black with a broad white stripe above the eye (supercilium) and a white "moustache" stripe. The chin is white.
* Body: It has a rich yellow nape (back of the neck) and a greenish to yellowish-olive back. The chest is a deep chestnut color, transitioning to bright, rich yellow on the breast and white on the belly.
* Wings/Tail: The wings are black with prominent white edges on the feathers and a rusty/chestnut patch on the shoulder. The tail is black with narrow white edges.
* Adult Female: The female is much duller and more camouflaged to aid in incubation.
* Overall Coloration: Generally grayish-olive on the upper body and head.
* Underparts: The underside is whitish with ill-defined dusky streaks.
* Markings: Her head pattern is a duller version of the male's, with less conspicuous white markings. Her wings and tail are dusky brown with buffy-olive edges.
Habitat and Behavior
* Habitat: The Hispaniolan Spindalis lives in a wide range of wooded habitats, including humid evergreen and pine forests, orchards, and coffee plantations, and is found from sea level up to high montane elevations. They are most abundant in higher-elevation wooded areas.
* Diet: They primarily feed on small fruits and flower parts, but also consume seeds, tender leaves, and insects, especially during the breeding season. They can be attracted to fruiting trees and sugar-water feeders.
* Behavior: The birds are residents (non-migratory) but may move locally in response to fruit availability. They are often seen in pairs or small groups, foraging methodically in bushes and trees.
* Vocalization: Their song is described as a high-pitched, thin, sibilant whistle, often a repeated "tsee see see see".
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Phaenicophilidae
Genus:Spindalis
Species:S. dominicensis
Binomial name
Spindalis dominicensis
Spondalis-0484