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A view from a lower (2500') bushwhack peak in the Catskills. The Burroughs Range stacks up in the distance.
This male Willie Wagtail must have a mate on a nest in a tree. For the past couple of weeks he has been seeing off intruders of all sizes, being very vocal at the same time. I thought I may encourage him to come close to me by approaching the trees. It did and he came down as close as six feet away to investigate me.
The Willie (or Willy) Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) is a passerine bird native to Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, and eastern Indonesia. It is a common and familiar bird throughout much of its range, living in most habitats apart from thick forest. Measuring 19.0–21.5 cm (7½–8½ in) in length, the Willie Wagtail is contrastingly coloured with almost entirely black upperparts and white underparts; the male and female have similar plumage. Three subspecies are recognised; leucophrys from central and southern Australia, the smaller picata from northern Australia, and the larger melaleuca from New Guinea and islands in its vicinity. It is unrelated to the true wagtails of the genus Motacilla; it is a member of the fantail genus Rhipidura and is a part of a 'core corvine' group that includes true crows and ravens, drongos and birds of paradise. Within this group, fantails are placed in the family Dicruridae, although some authorities consider them distinct enough to warrant their own small family, Rhipiduridae.
The Willie Wagtail is insectivorous and spends much time chasing prey in open habitat. Its common name is derived from its habit of wagging its tail horizontally when foraging on the ground. Aggressive and territorial, the Willie Wagtail will often harass much larger birds such as the Laughing Kookaburra and Wedge-tailed Eagle. It has responded well to human alteration of the landscape and is a common sight in urban lawns, parks, and gardens. It was widely featured in aboriginal folklore around the country as either a bringer of bad news or a stealer of secrets. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Wagtail
This is SOOC - straight out of the camera - with only the conversion from RAW to JPG in ACDSee PRO3.
The Vancouver Giants defeated the Kamloops Blazers 5–3 on the strength of Dalton Sward's two-goal, one-assist performance. Photos by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKK1888C-T0
A snow monkey hugs her child close in the hot spring waters of Jigukudani in Nagano while flakes of snow dance around them. There really is nothing more powerful than the love of a mother.
Feb 16, 2016
Stats seem off over the past couple days. Anyone else?
The screenshot is from a photo that has been up for only two (GMT) days. (Daily views don't add up to total views.)
I grabbed a few shots of this Reddish Egret taking off and was surprised to see quite how balletic they look. They make really elegant shapes as they rise from the water.
52 in 52, Week 14 - Lines - A half-baked effort with my iPhone - I hoped to get something better, but it's not going to happen and I'm so behind on this self-set challenge. Sorry Sue that I've been off the grid for so long :-)
After a bit of a run on the practice slope, I got convinced to try skiing the lower mountain.
From the moment I got off the chairlift, I lost my confidence :P
Then I ran into a kid getting to the T-bar. So I got to the top and took off the skis so I could do what I'm ok at :)
The boys having some fun on one of there walks in the snow. Actually their was so much snow for a good chunk of the winter that they couldn't even walk on it. This snow is still pretty deep but it iced over and the cats could walk on it.