Mission San Juan Capistrano
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Salyx, thinking...
She was wondering what camouflage, tools and equipment she would need in order to scale the eight foot, wrought iron bird feeders we’ve erected in the garden.
She knows it’s impossible.
In my garden,
South Carrick Hills
SW Scotland
After the weasel dragged a carcass away from me, he/she stopped and kind of "breathed a sigh of relief" :)
I hope I did not cause stress to the animal. He/she was cautious, but did not seemed to be too alarmed. That strange, motionless "pole" with a quiet camera earned trust of the animal :)
Long-tailed weasel / Łasica długoogonowa (Mustela frenata)
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- fashion -
(left only)
:::c*C*c:::Cyber06_fatpack tops For Maitreya
:::c*C*c:::Cyber06_pasties For Maitreya
:::c*C*c:::Cyber06_fatpack Pants For Maitreya
KMH - Hair CP011 Unrigged(resize)
@CYBER FAIR
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ACCESS/159/135/2010
*zeroichi* Cyber Idol incam red head@CYBER FAIR
RichB. Plaster (nose)
SAC M18 Pistol v1.00 (L) PINK
SAC M18 Pistol v1.00 (R) PINK
@ACCESS
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ACCESS%202/124/123/1504
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- poses -
[R2xSAC]_Kyokkou_Pose_05_2021
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- Decor -
*zeroichi* ZERO backdrop (ON light)
@ACCESS
Every year it's the same. A single week of beautiful sunny autumn weather with trees in unbelievable full color and the trouble to hit a free day to be able to chase it with the camera. Too early or too late means much less or no color at all in trees and a year to be wasted. Luckily I've made it again, phew! Mission accomplished...
ORIENTALIKA 2021
- SLT 2021/10/14 (Thu) 7:00 AM ~11/07 (SUN) 8:00 AM
- JST 2021/10/15 (金) 0:00 ~ 11/07 (日) 24:00
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/BAROQUED/128/246/27
ORIENTALIKA's ITEMS
☑ OUTFIT ::: AGATA mode_KUNOICHI
☑ POSE ::: UZME_Shinobi06m
☑ DECOR :::
* M^2 * Japanese Ancient Temple walls
* M^2 * Japanese Ancient Temple
Mission San José de Tumacácori.
Founded by Jesuit Father Eusebio Francisco Kino in January 1691, Mission San Cayetano de Tumacácori was the first mission to be located in what is now Arizona, and was part of the global Spanish mission system of colonization that attempted to create a self-sufficient agricultural community, convert local Indians to the Catholic religion, and generate revenue for Spain.
One of the vintage army planes at the Warbirds over Whiteside air show at the Whiteside Co. Airport in Rock Falls,IL. yesterday.Though smaller than previous years,the planes in attendance showed some great history from World War II aviation...
Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
My best photos are here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/ticino-best-photos-of-southern-...
More TICINO/TESSIN Wildlife Photos (all taken in my garden in Monteggio/Ti, Switzerland): it.lacerta-bilineata.com/ramarro-occidentale-lacerta-bili...
If you're interested, you'll find a more detailed closeup here (it's the 8th photo from the top): www.lacerta-bilineata.com/western-green-lizard-lacerta-bi...
My latest ANIMAL VIDEO (it's very brief but pretty unusual: a tiny wall lizard attacks two young great tits): www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQqkSsyrm7E
THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: MY LONG AND ARDUOUS JOURNEY TO BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY
If you've set yourself the challenge of exclusively shooting the wildlife in your own back yard, you might find - as I did - that bird photography is really, really hard.
It's not that reptiles are easy to photograph either, mind - but at least the ones in my garden stay (for the most part) on the ground, and one can learn how to carefully approach them with a camera. They're also clearly egoists, which from a photographer's point of view is is a great character trait: if a lizard detects a human in its vicinity, it's only interested in saving its own skin, and it won't alarm its buddies.
But birds... oh man. Over the years, my feathered friends and I have developed a lovely routine that now defines our peaceful co-existence. As soon as I as much as open a window (let alone the door), I'm instantly greeted by an eruption of panicky fluttering and hysterical shouts from my garden: "SAVE YOUR WOMEN AND CHILDREN AND FLY FOR YOUR LIVES: THE HAIRLESS, PINK MONSTER IS COMING!!! (Yes, I speak bird, and I know that this is exactly what they are shouting 😉).
Needless to say, with the exception of the redstart I already showed here, all my efforts to get the kind of detailed shots I usually strive for with my nature photography ended in complete failure and utter disillusionment. I was ready to give up on stalking the winged misanthropes in my garden altogether, but then winter came - and changed everything.
One day this past January I observed my neighbor Signora P - a kind, elderly Italian lady - putting something on the low garden wall in front of my house. At first I thought she was just putting some treat there for her cat Romeo; the young tom patrols that wall constantly (it's his favorite spot in the garden, and during the warmer months he usually lurks in the thick foliage next to it to prey on lizards).
But once I detected a lot of movement on that wall through my window, I understood she had put a little pile of bread crumbs there; she was feeding the birds who soon arrived in flocks. This was certainly well-intended on my neighbor's part, but her noble action came with a catch, and I'm afraid quite literally.
When I took a stroll through my garden the next day I discovered a suspicious amount of feathers on the ground next to the wall. Romeo had apparently switched from his low-calorie summer diet (lizard) to more energy-rich meals consisting of "fowl" (it was winter after all, so from a nutritionist's point of view this made sense).
I would find fresh traces of Romeo's victims (mostly feathers, but also the odd wing) in my garden over the following days; so my first intuition that my neighbor was feeding her cat hadn't been that far off after all, as Romeo was now clearly being "served" fresh birds on a daily basis. And although the hungry visitors seemed to be aware of the danger and became slightly more prudent, they just couldn't resist the tasty snacks Signora P put on that wall - and neither could Romeo.
It was obvious that I had to act, but talking to my neighbor - who is as stubborn as she is kind - would have been futile, I knew that much. I pondered the matter long and hard - until a light bulb went off in my head. The idea was genius. If successful, what I had in mind would not only increase the birds' chances of surviving Romeo's appetite, but also greatly benefit my own photographic endeavors.
I started to enact my master plan the very next day by buying a giant bag of bird feed (consisting mainly of sunflower seeds) from the store. Then I dragged a huge piece of a tree trunk (approx. 120 cm in height) that we normally chop firewood on from the shed out into the garden and emptied almost half of the bag's content on top of it. Signora P's buffet for birds (and cats) was about to get some serious competition 😊.
My reasoning was as follows: not only would the birds be lured away from the fatally low garden wall to a place where they were safe from the cat - there was nothing around that tree trunk that provided cover for a predator, and the birds had a nice 360° view around it at all times - but I was also able to photograph them while hiding in the shed.
However, in order for my plan to work there was one little extra measure I had to take, and it was one that risked lowering my own life expectancy considerably once the owner of the property - my mom - discovered it. You see, our shed is completely windowless, so if I wanted to use it as a blind, I had no choice but to cut a hole into one of its wooden walls... which I promptly did (I figured all's fair in love - and photography 😉).
Granted, I have absolutely zero carpentering skills, and it showed. That hole was an ugly mess: the shed's wall seemed to have had an encounter with Jack Nicholson's ax-wielding lunatic character from the film 'The Shining'. Needless to say, I was incredibly proud of my work (I mean, come on: there now was a hole where before there wasn't a hole, and it was big enough for the lens of my camera to peek through, so it was mission accomplished as far as I was concerned).
Now all I had to do was wait for the birds to discover the tree trunk. In the meantime I started to mentally prepare myself for the inevitable confrontation with my mom and go through possible explanations for that splintering hole in the wall (it was either gonna be a rabid woodpecker attack or an emergency rescue mission with a feeding tube for a little kid that had accidentally locked himself inside the shed - both seemed valid options, though I slightly preferred the locked-in kid due to the involved drama and heroism 😉).
A whole day went by, and not a single bird visited the sunflower seeds. I had expected that it might take a few hours until the first of the ever curious great tits or blue tits would show up, but given how tiny my garden is, an entire day seemed excessive. Then another day came and went: the birds kept flocking to the bread crumbs on the wall, and my tree trunk kept collecting dust. To add injury to insult, a few fresh feathers on the ground were proof that Romeo was still feasting.
It was incredibly frustrating: I provided my winged guests with a much better view - plus a higher chance of surviving the cuisine - than Signora P's place; I risked (almost) certain death at the hands of my own mother (OK, the act of vandalism on the shed I had committed for my own benefit, but still), yet the birds kept ignoring me.
Then, after three days, just before sunset, I spotted a single blue tit on the tree trunk picking away at the sunflower seeds.
When I got up the next morning I immediately realized that the loud noise that accompanies each and every tit activity had shifted from the wall to the shed. At last the dam had broken: there was a flurry of movement around the tree trunk, and I counted at least 5 different species of birds feasting on the sunflower seeds.
From day 4 onward my plan worked beautifully: the birds now indeed mostly ignored Romeo's "snack wall" and kept to the tree trunk. And yes, I was able to play peeping tom from behind the shed's wall and photograph them!! 😊
Thus, dear readers, I finally managed to produce some acceptable bird photos, and I had even saved my feathered friends from a deadly foe in the process. All through winter and spring I took advantage of my new bird hide, and in late May I started mixing some cherries with the sunflower seeds. The idea was to attract a Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius), and as you can see, it worked!
It took me almost three weeks and more than a few tricks to capture that clever fella, but given how long I've been rambling here already, that's a story for another day. As for my mom, she still doesn't know about the hole in the wall, so please don't snitch! 😉.
I hope you like the photo and wish you all a wonderful weekend! Many greetings from Switzerland, and as always: let me know what you think in the comments 🙏 😊 ❤!
P.S. if anyone has their own funny tale about the obstacles we photographers are prepared to overcome for a desired photo, please write it in the comments: I love such stories 😊
I got a few snaps while visiting my twin boys and husband at Boy Scout camp "Scout a Vista".
Mission Ridge, Wenachee, WA.
3-12-16.
Often a star was waiting for you to notice it.
A wave rolled toward you out of the distant past,
or as you walked under an open window, a violin yielded itself to your hearing.
All this was mission. But could you accomplish it?
Weren't you always distracted by expectation, as if every event announced a beloved?
------Rainer Maria Rilke
Realising yesterday that Mars Mission is fifteen years old meant I suddenly had to build another Claw Tank tribute. This one is moving away from the original set and into a more GI Joe design, big and chonk, equal parts aggressive and goofy. I had the large orange treaded WIP lying around for ages (a failed Hibernia digger) so most of that got remixed into this monstrosity.
2018 - © This photograph is copyrighted. Under no circumstances can it be reproduced or used in any form without the prior written consent and permission of the photographer.
Picture might be available without watermark for free, just DM.
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Firefiek.
I winced as I limped down the corridor.
"How much time did you say I had again?"
|Sabre:| "2 minutes, 37 seconds, counting."
Pain slowly crept it's way up my leg- blood was slowly trickling from the jagged gash the virbo-blade had indented into my armor and skin.
The duel had cost me time.
Time I don't have.
The familiar blueprint of the factory materialized in my HUD, marking the closest route to the rendezvous point.
|Sabre:| "Sir, you have less than 2 minutes."
I heard the apprehension in his voice.
"What are my chances of making it Sabre?"
|Sabre:| "32%, dropping every second."
"Perfect."
Straining, I forced myself to run, to outrun the pain- it caught up with me.
I clenched my jaw- rounding the corner I felt the blast of laser bolts pepper the durasteel wall.
Almost there.
The green timer morphed into blood-red.
13 seconds.
More blasts.
9 seconds.
The doors swooshed open, revealing the entry ladder.
6 seconds.
I scrambled up, as the white opening grew larger and larger.
2 seconds.
Blue arms heaved me up as the flames surged and poured out the hatch.
|Sabre:| "Knew you'd make it Sir."
I took a deep breath.
"Next time, I set the timers."
______________________________________
Back at the command post, we were informed the city had been won, and were handed over prisoners to escort to the cruiser.
Due to unfortunate circumstances, the route there would take a slight detour into a part of the city, where the fighting had been thickest.
The silence there was interrputed only by quiet flickering of flames, as the city seemed to decay and crumble in our very sight.
Part of the exterior wall of the city still remained, even after all the artillery bombardment.
I heard shuffling and a grunt behind me- before I could look, the ground in front of me blazed red with blaster fire.
I tripped over a droids head as I dove for cover.
HQ buzzed over the comm.
"Captain Havoc, please report status on prisoner escort."
"We've had a minor inconvenience."
"ETA?"
"I'll get back to you on that."
I was going to post this some other day.. But cudn't resist. Lately i have seen a lot of these blue toned photos making it to !! EXPLORE !!. And since i haven't got a single explore till now, I thought i wud give it a try.. I m not so much into Explore thing but it wud be great to get at least one.
Hope it works!! :-)
Der DB Messzug, bestehend aus den Fahrzeugen 725 002 und 726 002, hat seine Messfahrten durch die hessische Wetterau beendet und von Friedberg geht es über die elektrifizierte Strecke zurück nach Hanau. 2 x 110 kW haben ausgereicht um das Gespann auf der Steigung von Friedberg nach Assenheim ordentlich zu beschleunigen. Dort brummt er jetzt mit Volldampf am Fotografen vorbei dem vor Begeisterung fast das Brötchen aus der Hand gefallen wäre. ;o)
Powered by two 110 kW Buessing diesel motors. rail test combo 725/726 002 hurries through Assenheim station in Hesse, Germany. The train was busy on various non-electrified branch lines around Friedberg and Giessen all morning and is now returning to Hanau. 725 002 (the small one on the rear end) was built in 1959 and originally numbered 798 676.
Assenheim, 20. Juli 2021
The Westland Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome engines, British-made anti-submarine warfare systems and a fully computerised flight control system. The Sea King was primarily designed for performing anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions.
Westland Sea King HAR.3 XZ597 / G-SKNG in the static display at RAF Cosford air show on 12th June 2022.
Jawohl, sie sind auch im Jahr 2025 noch präsent, die letzten planmäßig eingesetzten BB 67400 der SNCF. Am 1. Februar galt es, das wieder einmal persönlich zu verifizieren, nämlich in Form eines frühmorgendlichen Fotoausflugs ins Elsass. Kaum am Bahnhof Gresswiller angekommen, das Stativ in Position gebracht und mit eisigen Fingern die Kamera einjustiert, schrillte auch schon der Bahnübergang. Mit der altbekannten Mischung aus Brummen und Klappern näherte sich der TER 31843 aus Saint-Dié-des-Vosges. Die BB 67591, eine traditionelle Straßburgerin, hielt passgenau an, um kurz darauf wieder mit kernigem Sound zu entschwinden. Welch ein Privileg, solche ungeschönten Planverkehre heute noch erleben zu dürfen.