moray wildlife
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The terraces were dug following the natural curves of the landscape. The thickness of the walls stores heat during the day and diffuses it at night. Thanks to this method it has been possible to obtain a different microclimate as one goes down and gets closer to the centre. An average temperature difference of 5°C was observed, whereas the difference is only 0.5°C over comparable height differences at the same location. Due to its sheltered position, each of the terraces represents approximately one thousand metres of altitude under normal growing conditions.
Abandoned after the Spanish conquest, the site of Moray, composed of a series of terraces, was found in 1932, covered with jungle, by Shirppe Johnson's expedition. Currently only one 'amphitheatre' has been restored, but Moray also has two other smaller ones in poorer condition. One of these two smaller ones adjoins the larger one and is, in fact, an integral part of this monumental ensemble
Rocks on the shores of Portknockie in Morayshire, Scotland.
Thank god the moody skies and active seas are back. All those nice days were ruining my photography mojo. ;-) I just had a great few hours just sitting down on the rocks with Fara, watching and photographing the waves crashing in below Linn Links. And it stayed dry! Perfect. :)
Moray is an archaeological site in Peru approximately 50 kilometres northwest of Cuzco on a high plateau at about 3,500 metres and just west of the village of Maras. The site contains unusual Inca ruins, mostly consisting of several terraced circular depressions, the largest of which is approximately 30 m deep.
Gymnothorax griseus or geometric moray eels are often seen looking out from a hole or a small cave and seldom come out into the open. They sometimes hide in soft leather corals, maybe because their coloration provides excellent camouflage in these corals. They are not aggressive but you should watch out for their sharp teeth. They are nocturnal hunters. Nuweiba, Gulf of Aqaba, Egypt.
Incas archeological site. Probably the purpose of the terraces was to experiment different crops for different climate using different fertilizers. Their design and orientation allow to have a difference of up to 15 °C between the top and the bottom.
Shot taken from my TV screen
Many thanks to everyone who will pass by visiting my shots. Comments are appreciated. You are welcome. Sergio
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Moray eel
Moray eels or Muraenidae are a cosmopolitan family of eels. The approximately 200 species in 15 genera are almost exclusively marine, The dutch name is Murene.
Moray or Muray (Quechua)[1] is an archaeological site in Peru approximately 50 km (31 mi) northwest of Cuzco on a high plateau at about 3,500 m (11,500 ft) and just west of the village of Maras. The site contains unusual Inca ruins, mostly consisting of several enormous terraced circular depressions, the largest of which is approximately 30 m (98 ft) deep. As with many other Inca sites, it also has a sophisticated irrigation system.
The purpose of these depressions is uncertain, but their depth, design, and orientation with respect to wind and sun creates a temperature difference of as much as 15 °C (27 °F) between the top and the bottom. It is possible that this large temperature difference was used by the Inca to study the effects of different climatic conditions on crops. Speculation about the site has led to discussion about Moray as an Inca agricultural experiment station. Its microclimatic conditions and other significant characteristics led to the use of the site as a center for the ancient study of domestication, acclimatization, and hybridization of wild vegetable species that were modified or adapted for human consumption. (Wikipedia)
Moray is a place with andenes, special zones for agriculture and several products in just one place.
Cullen is a village and former royal burgh in Moray but historically in Banffshire, Scotland, on the North Sea coast. The village had a population of 1,327 in 2001. The organs of the wife of Robert the Bruce are said to have been buried in its old kirk after her death in Cullen Castle.
Morays are fish (not snakes) despite their elongated shape. This one is the "brown with yellow dots" morph. There is also a yellow with brown dot morph, which is less common.
Even though the tube-like protrusions on the face remind me of Shreck's ears, they are nostrils - moray's have poor eyesight, so they sense the world primarily through smell. However, the eyes are beautiful, with a highlight that is reminiscent of a solar eclipse. Many morays have cloudy eyes, which I suspect happens as the cataracts build with age. This appears to be a young moray.
They look a bit intimidating, but they are harmless to divers (as long as you don't pester them or try to feed them or have any fish smell around you, as in any spear fishing catch which they would gladly snatch).
Another self-indulgent record shot. I have often seen giant morays but rarely see any of their more interestingly marked cousins so was excited to see this. I hope the ID is correct.
Kandolhudhoo, Maldives
Sunrise over the Laich of Moray, from Duffus Castle
The castle is situated on the Laich of Moray, a fertile plain that was once the swampy foreshore of Spynie Loch. This was originally a more defensive position than it appears today, long after the loch was drained.
The motte is a huge man-made mound, with steep sides and a wide ditch separating it from the bailey. The whole site is enclosed by a water-filled ditch, which is more a mark of its boundary than it is a serious defensive measure.
Duffus Castle was built by a Flemish man named Freskin, who came to Scotland in the first half of the 1100s. After an uprising by the ‘men of Moray’ against David I in 1130, the king sent Freskin north as a representative of royal authority.
He was given the estate of Duffus, and here he built an earthwork-and-timber castle. Freskin’s son William adopted the title of ‘de Moravia’ – of Moray. By 1200, the family had become the most influential noble family in northern Scotland, giving rise to the earls of Sutherland and Clan Murray.
In about 1270, the castle passed to Sir Reginald Cheyne the Elder, Lord of Inverugie. He probably built the square stone keep on top of the motte, and the curtain wall encircling the bailey. In 1305, the invading King Edward I of England gave him a grant of 200 oaks from the royal forests of Darnaway and Longmorn, which were probably used for the castle’s floors and roofs.
By 1350, the castle had passed to a younger son of the Earl of Sutherland through marriage. It may have been then that the keep was abandoned, possibly because it was beginning to slip down the mound, and a new residence established at the north of the bailey.
Viscount Dundee, leader of the first Jacobite Rising, dined in the castle as a guest of James, Lord Duffus in 1689, prior to his victory against King William II’s government forces at Killiecrankie. Soon after, Lord Duffus moved to the nearby Duffus House. The castle quickly fell into decay.
“The White Mannie” looks over the harbour at Findochty (pronounced “Finnechty” by locals) out to sea, waiting for all the fishing boats to arrive safely home. The village on the Moray coast dates back to at least the 1400s thanks to its natural harbour, known as Crooked Haven. Across the harbour, the whitewashed church sits on a point looking out to sea. Locals would gather here in an emergency which, given the nature of the village, may mean a missing fishing boat or offshore shipwreck.