Original Range Rover
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WIDESPREAD resident in woodlands throughout southern and central England and Wales, it becomes less numerous further north in its range, this one is a frequent visitor to my peanut feeders, but normally flies straight in and out. Got lucky this time, as it stopped on one of my trees. in very poor light, to see the old year out. Minster, Thanet, Kent. UK.
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THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND, love reading your comments, and will soon be visiting your stream to do the same.
Hope all the Christmas and new year celebrations went well, and if your like me your back to work already. Four weeks today I will be on my way to the Gambia, Hooray !
What ever your doing, keep a smile on your face, and love in your heart for everyone, God bless.................................Tomx.
Aerial view of snow covered mountain ranges as we flew from Xian to Donghuang. From the travel archive of the Old Silk's Road Trip in Xinjiang, China.
View enlarged for the distant mountain ranges.
Hope you like Julie Andrews singing " The Hills Are Alive "
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvQ4t-Nk128
Many thanks for your visit, comments, invites and faves...it is always appreciated..
Happy Travel Tuesday
Kingfisher - Alcedo Atthis
Double click..
The common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) also known as the Eurasian kingfisher, and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but migrates from areas where rivers freeze in winter.
This sparrow-sized bird has the typical short-tailed, large-headed kingfisher profile; it has blue upperparts, orange underparts and a long bill. It feeds mainly on fish, caught by diving, and has special visual adaptations to enable it to see prey under water. The glossy white eggs are laid in a nest at the end of a burrow in a riverbank.
The female is identical in appearance to the male except that her lower mandible is orange-red with a black tip. The juvenile is similar to the adult, but with duller and greener upperparts and paler underparts. Its bill is black, and the legs are also initially black. Feathers are moulted gradually between July and November with the main flight feathers taking 90–100 days to moult and regrow. Some that moult late may suspend their moult during cold winter weather.
The flight of the kingfisher is fast, direct and usually low over water. The short rounded wings whirr rapidly, and a bird flying away shows an electric-blue "flash" down its back.
The common kingfisher is widely distributed over Europe, Asia, and North Africa, mainly south of 60°N. It is a common breeding species over much of its vast Eurasian range, but in North Africa it is mainly a winter visitor, although it is a scarce breeding resident in coastal Morocco and Tunisia. In temperate regions, this kingfisher inhabits clear, slow-flowing streams and rivers, and lakes with well-vegetated banks. It frequents scrubs and bushes with overhanging branches close to shallow open water in which it hunts. In winter it is more coastal, often feeding in estuaries or harbours and along rocky seashores. Tropical populations are found by slow-flowing rivers, in mangrove creeks and in swamps.
Like all kingfishers, the common kingfisher is highly territorial; since it must eat around 60% of its body weight each day, it is essential to have control of a suitable stretch of river. It is solitary for most of the year, roosting alone in heavy cover. If another kingfisher enters its territory, both birds display from perches, and fights may occur, in which a bird will grab the other's beak and try to hold it under water. Pairs form in the autumn but each bird retains a separate territory, generally at least 1 km (0.62 mi) long, but up to 3.5 km (2.2 mi) and territories are not merged until the spring.
Very few birds live longer than one breeding season. The oldest bird on record was 21 years.
They are also listed as a Schedule 1 species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act offering them additional protection.
Population:
UK breeding:
3,800-6,400 pairs
Noted for being the widest ranging of all our species of grebes in North America it is more frequently heard than seen. Its best known characteristic is how it can rise and sink similar to a submarine and sit in water with just its nostrils and eyes showing.
A mating pair will build a floating nest midst sparse vegetation allowing them to see in all directions for any predator approaching. If a threat is suspected they cover their eggs and slip into the water with nothing to show of their existence other than a mat of marsh debris.
The Pied-billed Grebe is the least colourful of the grebe species as well as the smallest.
This juvenile is mature enough to be making its way in the world alone now.
White-Tailed Deer (female).
From between 27 to 45 inches tall and 6 to 7 feet long and weighing 150-310 pounds (male) and 90 to 211 pounds (female). Tan or reddish brown in summer and grayish brown in winter. Belly, throat, nose band, eye ring and inside of ears are white. Tail brown and edged with white above often with a dark stripe down the center and white below. Black spots on side of chin. Buck's antlers can spread to 3 feet. Does rarely have antlers. Fawns are spotted.
The White-Tailed Deer inhabits farmlands, brushy areas, woods, suburbs and gardens.
They range throughtout the southern half of the southern tier of Canadian provinces and through most of the United States except for the Southwest.
Kensington Metropark, Livingston County, Michigan.
This early morning view is in the Flinders Ranges National Park of South Australia looking over the Bunyeroo Valley towards a small section of the majestic Heysen Range which dominates the background.
The hiking trail that climbs up the hill on the left is a minor part of the 1,200 km Heysen Trail which winds its way from Cape Jervis on the Fleurien Peninsula to Parachilna Gorge which is about 67 km off to the right of this scene.
Hans Heysen 1877 -1968 was a German-born Australian artist famous for his watercolours of the Australian bush and for his depictions of the arid landscapes in the Flinders Ranges.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyDfgMOUjCI
EXCLUSIVE @ ECLIPSE EVENT
(BYRNE) StarFace Tattoo-OMEGA HUD
Comes with different motives on the forehead and
different colors
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Death%20Row%20North/119/54...
Other Stuff
HC Steampunk Raygun
Meva Helmet Dark
RKKN. Quilted Leather Jacket Black
DRD - Building Remains - Dirt
I drove all the way from northeastern Washington state to the Snowy Range in southeastern Wyoming before I finally got out of the forest fire smoke. It was good to see clean air again....
Cyanocorax yncas galeatus (Inca Jay / Carriquí)
La Ceja, Colombia; 2300 meters above sea level.
The Inca jay (Cyanocorax yncas) is a bird species of the New World jays, which is endemic to the Andes of South America.
Their basic diet consists of arthropods, vertebrates, seeds, and fruit.
The range extends southwards in the Andes from Colombia and Venezuela through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.
Wikipedia
The Mitchell Range lies west of Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park and the Mitchell River. Its eastern boundary is the Kootenay River. Its northern boundary is the Simpson and Vermillion Rivers.
I know - this will never happen again and I'd still think this has been a dream if not for some 200 shots I fired this morning, when I came upon a small flock of Superb Lyrebirds foraging in a dense thicket. Actually, only two females were scratching the forest litter, while the three males were singing, dancing and showing off. One male gave up after a while but the other two were so busy with their competition, that they didn't take much notice of that one paparazzo. In fact I had the impression they were performing also for me.
(Menura novaehollandiae)
One of several scenic ranges that make up the West Elk Mountains, the Ruby Range is the backdrop for some beautiful views of fall color. The aspen on the southern flanks of the range make up the most extensive stands in Colorado, only a portion of which are seen here from Beckwith Pass. The two prominent peaks are Ruby Peak and Mount Owen. The conifer forests here have escaped the outbreaks of spruce beetle that have killed numerous trees in surrounding mountain ranges.
Century Saturday again. C425 number 403 backs a set out into the yard at Oconto on their run from Escanaba to Green Bay. Trailing are two C628s and a GP9. Tony & Joni's sure looked inviting, but Jim French and I continued with the chase to Green Bay. We both just graduated from High School and this was part of our celebratory circle trip that included the Twin Cities, Twin Ports and Marquette Range, then down to Green Bay.
This view of the canola fields and Stirling Range, near Amelup and Borden, also features the great tower windmill called The Lily.
In Memory Of Ansel Adams. Ansel Easton Adams was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his black-and-white images of the American West. An Inspiration.
The red-bellied woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker of the family Picidae. It breeds mainly in the eastern United States, ranging as far south as Florida and as far north as Canada.
RKO_2193. A beautiful Southern Ground Hornbill in defense mode (or trying to impose) as it was attacked by some birds. Obviously coming too close to their nest or eggs.
Copyright: Robert Kok. All rights reserved! Watermark protected.
Wikipedia:
"The southern ground hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri; formerly known as Bucorvus cafer), is one of two species of ground hornbill, which are both found solely within Africa, and is the largest species of hornbill worldwide. It can be found in the southern regions of Africa, ranging from Kenya to South Africa. Within these regions, they inhabit both woodlands and savannas. The other species of the genus Bucorvus found in Africa is the Abyssinian ground hornbill, B. abyssinicus.
Southern ground hornbills are carnivorous and mostly hunt on the ground, where they find the majority of their food. This food ranges from insects to small animals. Their nests are often found in high tree cavities or other shallow cavities, such as rock holes in cliff faces. These birds are a long lived species, having lifespans in the range of 50–60 years, and up to 70 in captivity. In relation to their long lives, they do not reach sexual maturity until 4–6 years old, and begin breeding around 10 years old. Their sex can be identified by the color of their throats, where the male's is pure red and the female's is a deep violet-blue.
Southern ground hornbills are a culturally pervasive and important species in southern Africa. Kruger National Park, located within South Africa, lists southern ground hornbills as one of their ‘Big Six’ bird species. However, their numbers have been declining, due in part to persecution, habitat destruction, cultural beliefs, and other factors. They are listed globally as ‘Vulnerable’ by the IUCN as of 2018, and ‘Endangered’ in South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland."
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This enormous fly will be my species No. 497 on iNaturalist.
I was kneeling in front of my flower bed, trying to get a clear capture of a mini Bee on one of the newly opened Alstroemeria blooms, when this weird insect landed on the Parsley flower head behind it.
Scientific name: Tachina grossa (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name: Giant Tachinid Fly aka Yellow-faced Fly
Order: Diptera
Family: Tachinidae
Wingspan : 15 to 19 mm.
Biotope: Open and damp woodlands, damp meadows, heathlands.
Geographic area: Western Europe.
Observation period : Late June to early September.
The Giant Tachinid Fly is the largest member of the Tachinidae family in France and maybe in western Europe.
You can easily tell it apart with its body size, its black thorax and abdomen and its yellow head contrasting with the two large rounded eyes.
The abdominal hairs are strong and raised at right angle.
The hairs on the thorax are not raised. There are yellow hairs at the back of the head.
It parasites butterflies' caterpillars, especially those of the Lasiocampidae family.
You can often observe the Giant Tachinid Fly on flowers in summer. /
There is one brood per year (maybe two in the southern part of its range). /
J'étais en train d'essayer de prendre une photo nette d'une mini Abeille sur une fleur d'Alstroemère tout juste éclose, lorsque cette énorme mouche s'est posée sur une tête de fleurs de Persil juste derrière !
Tachina grossa, l'Echinomyie grosse ou Tachinaire corpulente est une espèce d'insectes diptères brachycères de la famille des Tachinidae. C'est la plus grosse mouche d'Europe. Sa larve parasite des chenilles de papillons. Wikipédia