No 7802 'Badley Manor' departs Bewdley for Kidderminster with the last scheduled passenger service of the day.

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

...City

While Rome is the Eternal City one might call Berlin the eternal building site. Or The Unfinished City. Construction cranes are as prominently featured in Berlin's skyline as sights. And it can happen that, if you haven't visited a place in a longer while ("easy" in pandemic times), you'll find old, familiar buildings gone, while new buildings seem to pop up out of nowhere everywhere. I've taken this image last week after a visit to the Futurium (a "House of the Future", opened in 2019 – I'll post images from there soon); in the foreground you can see the river Spree, and the glass building on the left is Berlin's Central Station, the Hauptbahnhof (HBF). Noteworthy: The HBF's upper platforms aren't fully roofed, because the Deutsche Bahn (DB; the German Railway Company) wanted to open the HBF in time for the 2006 World Football Championship by all means, and it would have taken until 2008 to finish the roof. The irony: All the construction parts needed to finish the roof were already manufactured. To this date these parts are stored on the premises of Berlin's East Station. Will the roof ever be finished? Who knows... The construction site you see in front of the HBF has nothing to do with the HBF's roof. It is that of the new S 21 suburban railway line, which is scheduled for completion in 2022. Allegedly...

At first, I wanted to process this as a monochrome, because the scene is rather busy. But I liked all these colours. So I thought "embrace the chaos, embrace the construction site and all those cranes", and do it in colour ;) The final image is an HDR made from three images (in HDR Efex), with further processing / sliding steps in Color Efex.

Happy Sliders Sunday, Everyone, stay safe and healthy, and take care!

Die Unvollendete

Rom ist ja bekanntlich die Ewige Stadt. Und Berlin könnte man getrost als die Ewige Baustelle bezeichnen. Oder auch als Die Unvollendete. Baukräne gehören zur Berliner Skyline wie seine Sehenswürdigkeiten. Gerade in Pandemiezeiten, wenn man manche Orte schon lange nicht mehr besucht hat, kann es dann auch passieren, dass alte, vertraute Gebäude plötzlich verschwunden sind, während allerorten Neues entsteht. Dieses Foto des Hauptbahnhofs mit einem Seitenarm der Spree im Vordergrund habe ich vergangene Woche nach einem Besuch des Futuriums (2019 eröffnet, Fotos von dort zeige ich demnächst) gemacht. Die Baustelle am Europaplatz, die Ihr hier seht, bedeutet allerdings nicht, dass die Deutsche Bahn nun doch das Dach für die oberen Bahnsteige des Hauptbahnhofs verlängern würde. Die dafür nötigen Bauteile, längst fertiggestellt, lagern weiterhin (hoffentlich gut verstaut) am Berliner Ostbahnhof. Diese Baustelle gehört zur neuen S-Bahnlinie S21, für die ein unterirdischer Bahnsteig gebaut wird. Geplante Fertigstellung: 2022. Warten wir's ab.

Ich wollte das Foto erst als SW / getöntes Monochrom bearbeiten, weil hier ja ganz schön viel los ist. SW sah mir aber zu trüb aus, weshalb ich bei Farbe geblieben bin. Das Foto habe ich in HDR Efex aus einer 3er-Belichtungsreihe erstellt und für Sliders Sunday in Color Efex noch den einen oder anderen Filter (ich weiß wirklich nicht mehr, welche Filter genau) angewendet.

Habt einen guten Wochenstart und passt weiterhin gut auf Euch auf!

This picture was taken from the deck of the MS Fram on the 16.1.2020 at 23:09. The ship anchored at the eveming in front of the Lemair Channel which we were scheduled to cross the following day. I will post several pictures of that amazing day during the next few weeks.

Snow Bunting - Plectrophenax Nivalis

Snow buntings are large buntings, with striking 'snowy' plumages. Males in summer have all white heads and underparts contrasting with a black mantle and wing tips. Females are a more mottled above. In autumn and winter birds develop a sandy/buff wash to their plumage and males have more mottled upperparts.

Globally, they breed around the arctic from Scandinavia to Alaska, Canada and Greenland and migrate south in winter. They are a scarce breeding species in the UK, in Scotland, making them an Amber List species. They are more widespread in winter in the north and east when residents are joined by continental birds.

They are listed under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act.

The snow bunting lives in very high latitudes in the Arctic tundra. There is no apparent limit to its northern range, while the southern range is limited by the duration of daylight, which influences their reproductive activity. This species is found in the high Arctic tundra of North America, Ellesmere Island, Iceland, higher mountains of Scotland, Norway, Russia, North Greenland, Siberia, Novaya Zemlya, and Franz Josef Land. During the winter, this bird migrates to the circumglobal northern temperate zone including the south of Canada, north of the United States, north of Germany, Poland, Ukraine, and east to central Asia. During the last ice age, the snow bunting was widespread throughout continental Europe.

During the breeding period the snow bunting looks for rocky habitats in the Arctic Since the vegetation in the tundra is low growing, this bird and its nestlings are exposed to predators, and in order to ensure the survival of its offspring, the snow bunting nests in cavities in order to protect the nestlings from any threat. During this period, buntings also look for a habitat rich in vegetation such as wet sedge meadows and areas rich in dryas and lichens. In the winter, they look for open habitats such as farms and fields where they feed on seeds in the ground.

Population:

UK breeding:

60 pairs

UK wintering:

10,000-15,000 birds

On my final day of railfanning the Appleton Sub, I achieved my goal of shooting L661 with the BN SD60M leading. Living in Indiana, it takes a great deal of effort to see BN predecessor schemes. So when I learned the schedule of the local on the old Milwaukee mainline, I had to spend some "September Skies" in Minnesota and South Dakota.

Here at Appleton, MN, L661 is on former GN rails and behind me will traverse a connection to reach the Milwaukee mainline. This would be the first shot a a fantastic afternoon.

A different take on this encounter.

On our last night in the Grand Teton National Park, I had scheduled for us to be at Schwbacher’s Landing at sunset. This was the first location we visited prior to making our way up to Yellowstone NP a few days before. We shot this location at sunrise (I still haven’t posted any of those images) but I really wanted to see what kind of light I would get at this time of day.

I was actually shooting the scene of the mountain range about 30 yards down to the right when I decided I had enough of that spot and that we should head back a little to get a few more compositions from back closer to the trailhead. As we were shooting, a single moose came out of the pine trees and walked all the way to the marsh in front of us (about 20 yards away!) and those amazing sunset rays were peaking over the range.

Snow + Sunrays + Moose = Jackpot! We saw in total five moose on our few days in the park and it really made our trip. This was our first time seeing them in the wild. The others were all males with big antlers over near the Gros Ventre area. That is a story for another day.

Mike D.

Lava flows from the Mount Etna volcano o...Lava flows from the Mount Etna volcano on the southern Italian island of Sicily near Catania early on December 16, 2013. The eruption of the Mount Etna volcano in Sicily yesterday forced the closure of nearby Catania airport because of the plumes of ash billowing into the sky, airport officials said. Twenty-one scheduled departures from Catania had to be scrapped and 26 arrivals re-routed to alternative destinations. The smaller airport of Comiso in the area was also closed down. AFP PHOTO / GIOVANNI ISOLINOGIOVANNI ISOLINO/AFP/Getty Images

“Once again there was the desert, and that only.”

― Stephen King, The Gunslinger

Outside the Dreaming Door Temple at Burn2. Running until Sunday, October 16th

Visit the Hedonist Club Campsite and Demolition Derby: Camp Friendship

Check out the Schedule of Events

What3Words

///scheduler.detonation.webs

Last summer we took a roadie to New Mexico for a Celebration of Life in remembrance of my mom who passed away in July of 2020.

On the way back to SoCal we made a whirlwind through three National Parks; Mesa Verde, Bryce Canyon, and Arches.

We were on a pretty tight schedule so we didn't have the luxury of spending a great deal of time at any of them.

As luck would have it, it was later in the day and we didn't have to wait in the horrific lines that plagued Arches last summer as millions cooped up during the pandemic flooded to the National Parks in record numbers.

We only made one stop in the park; on The Windows Road where several arches are clustered.

This rainbow with the La Sal Mountains serving as a stunning background was an added bonus.

If you know your Spanish, I think you can probably tell how the range which is the second highest in the state of Utah, got its name.

~♥~

Featuring: OMY - TickTock Watch Fidget NEW @FLF Birthday Bash

until Sept 2, then will be available @OMY Mainstore

Credits:

Backdrop: .PALETO - SUBWAY ACCESS

Fake People: MUDAK

Drink/Phone: hive // vacation vibes drink

Bag: TETRA - Ellie Backpack (Cacao)

Hair: bonbon - quinn hair

Bindi: ROSSI. India Bindi 2

Blush: !4AEM - Alice Blush

Lipstick: Dazed. Coconut Lipstick Set

Necklace: [POM] Self Paid Necklace

Top: _CandyDoll_ Babbo Shirt White

Jacket: TETRA - Serenity Jacket

Bracelet: ::C'est la vie !:: Devin Bangle

Watch: e.marie // Retro Watch - White

Scrunchie: Lyrium. Scrunchie 1

Rings: Vibing -- Mila

Pants: Teased - Shapewear Corset Leggings Beige

Playa de los Américas, Tenerife, Spain

What3Words

///scheduler.detonation.webs

outdoor

downtown rochester

***** Note from Gallery ********

*** note from the MAG

"A visit to the Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) is a journey through more than 5,000 years of art history. From the relics of antiquity to works in the vanguard of contemporary movements, MAG offers a panorama of the world’s art. Our 14-acre campus is a spectacular public art space that is a popular destination for Rochesterians and out-of-town visitors alike. MAG’s permanent collection of more than 12,000 objects has been called “the best balanced in the state outside of metropolitan New York City.” In addition to its collection, the museum offers a year-round schedule of temporary exhibitions, lectures, concerts, tours, and family activities."

Amtrak's California Zephyr train No. 6 has crested 7440 ft. Soldier Summit the morning of Jan. 17, 1987. The tiny brick D&RGW train order depot, at the time used by maintenance of way, was demolished by April the same year.

With the line to Caerphilly closed for a weekend possession, an engineering train, its services no longer required, leaves the branch and approaches Cardiff Queen Street en-route back to base.

The working is the 9.00am Cardiff Queen Street - Westbury Down (6A04), in the hands of Freightliner 'Sheds' 66621 and 66592 (tailing). Three other engineering trains remained on the branch, with the possession eventually lifted in time for Monday morning passenger services to resume.

I'd spotted this one on the virtual signal diagram and kept a close eye on it through breakfast for a possible early departure. Thankfully it ran close to schedule so no need to choke on the eggs and bacon and, even better, the clouds played ball too. A nice start to the day given how rare loco-hauled services are just here these days. Best viewed large.

9.02am, Sunday 9th June 2024

Peak of the leaf season in the Ozarks and we are scheduled for a weekend excursion into Arkansas' Buffalo National River Valley. . . but cold and rainy now, so will see how intrepid we are. . .

[photo from the archives]

Pan Am BO-1 pulls cars out of the Rousselot plant in Peabody, MA. Rousselot, who specializes in the manufacturing of gelatin and collagen based products, announced the Peabody plant is scheduled to shutdown by the end of 2023; railcar shipments are expected to conclude by the end of the summer. Upon its closure, Pan Am's Peabody Branch is likely to be abandoned, marking the discontinuation of freight service over rail to the North Shore region of Massachusetts.

From Las Vegas, Nevada.

Running only a few minutes behind schedule, the westbound Capitol Limited rolls across the 21st Street Lift Bridge as it navigates the last few miles into Chicago Union Station.

P029 09 (Westbound Capitol Limited)

AMTK P42DC #130

Chicago, IL

June 10th, 2022

thewholetapa

© 2012 tapa | all rights reserved

The Grade I Listed Conwy Town Walls which were built along with Conwy Castle by King Edward I between 1283 and 1287 at the combined cost of £15,000, (approximately £7.6 million in today's money). In Conwy, Conwy County, North Wales.

Before the English construction of the town of Conwy, the site was occupied by Aberconwy Abbey, a Cistercian monastery favoured by the Welsh princes. The site also controlled an important crossing point over the river Conwy between the coastal and inland areas of North Wales and was defended for many years by Deganwy Castle. The English kings and Welsh princes had vied for control of the region since the 1070s and the conflict had been renewed during the 13th century, leading to Edward I intervening in North Wales for the second time during his reign in 1282.

Edward invaded with a huge army, pushing north from Carmarthen and westwards from Montgomery and Chester. Edward captured Aberconwy in March 1283 and decided that the location would form the centre of a new county: the abbey would be relocated eight miles inland and a new English castle and walled town would be built on the monastery's former site. The ruined castle of Deganwy was abandoned and never rebuilt. Edward's plan was a colonial enterprise and placing the new town and walls on top of such a high-status native Welsh site was in part a symbolic act to demonstrate English power.

The walls of Conwy were built at around the same time as the castle itself, under the overall supervision of Master James of Saint George, Edward's chief architect in North Wales. Huge amounts of labourers were mobilised from across England for the task, massed at Chester and then brought into Wales for each summer building season.

The walls were declared part of a UNESCO world heritage site in 1986 and are classed as a grade 1 listed building and hold scheduled monument status. They are considered by historians Oliver Creighton and Robert Higham to be "one of the most impressive walled circuits" in Europe.

Information Source:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conwy_town_walls

Patience rewarded - 61306 LNER B1 'Mayflower' and 35018 Southern Railway Merchant Navy Class 'British India Line' double head the Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express as they cross Ribblehead Viaduct at sunset on 2 February 2019.

A snow covered Batty Moss illuminated by the setting sun adds to the wonderful sense of occasion and drama of this unique scene as both locomotives gently steam their way southbound on the return leg to London from Carlisle with a subtle exhaust emanating from both engines.

I've been after this shot for over 5 years and it requires the perfect combination of factors to bring the scene together; I believe the last time this occurred was in January 2012. Usually only one or two of the handful of runs that the Winter CME makes per year places the return leg of the train at Ribblehead at, or close to sunset. As the chances of a decent sunset are not particularly high this time of year, coupled with the tendency of the late running of the train, makes the odds heavily stacked against the shot coming together. Last week, however, the shot was definitely 'on' and finally my patience and determination were rewarded with some super lighting across the scene and the added bonus of a snow clad Batty Moss.

Ribblehead Viaduct, Yorkshire Dales National Park

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Ford Transit

OY07 UOR 95138

Tiverton Friday 17th April 2009

This is one of few Transits which are in the Stagecoach Devon Engineering Department. This vehicle is based at Barnstaple.

It is seen here at Tiverton due to 17735 seen behind, suffering with an electrical fault. As I left the bus station 17735 departed a couple minutes behind schedule on the 155.

Well, the short story: the arrival of a baby late last year did mess up my schedule completely. The free time was/is difficult to find. :-)

Besides, I've switched almost completely the the Olympus M4/3 system. More to come... I hope.

This is a handheld image of a frog call made a couple of days ago during a holiday to Danube Delta.

View large

TWB305 from Seoul Incheon arriving 25 minutes ahead of schedule

March 23, 2016

Farraginous:

[fuh-raj-uh-nuh s]

adjective

1. heterogeneous; mixed

------

Looking ahead at the schedule for today, I knew things would roll out of control and leave hardly any photography time once I walked through the office doors, so planning ahead, I decided being 10 minutes later than usual wouldn't hurt anyone and would allow me to cross something off my list.

So before walking through the doors, I stopped on MacKenzie King bridge and grabbed a couple quick night shots... yes I get to the office that early, every morning.

I'm glad I delayed starting my work day, I forgot to change my white balance settings and I ended up with a pink glow in the sky instead of the black night sky which I think really helps makes this photo.

Anyway, hope everyone has had a good day.

Click "L" for a larger view.

Both sandhill crane eggs hatched and out popped two precocious, healthy orangey-gold chicks, endearingly known as "colts" almost immediately ready to follow their parents out of the nest on their diligent foraging for worms and insects to feed the colts.

Interesting to note that these photos were taken exactly one year to the day from my images of the 2019 hatchlings. These guys really keep to a tight schedule!

Die Dortmunder Westfalen Hütte - auch schon lange Geschichte - erhielt ihren Kalk aus den Kalk-Brüchen bei Lendringsen/Menden im Sauerland. Hier planmäßig 216 215 (Bw Kassel) vor 218 141 vom (Bw Hagen-Eckesey) mit einem Leerzug, der Samstags oft besonders lang war. Die Anwohner dort nannten ihn: „Der weisse Riese“. Hier auf der Verbindungs-Kurve zwischen Schwerte-Heide und Schwerte-Ost. Damals aufgenommen von einem Gerüst für Brückenarbeiten an der Hauptstrecke von Holzwickede nach Hagen.

(Scan vom Dia)

The White Giant

The Dortmund Westfalen Hütte - which also has a long history - received its lime from the lime quarries near Lendringsen/Menden in the Sauerland. Here, as scheduled, 216 215 (Kassel depot) ahead of 218 141 from (Hagen-Eckesey depot) before an empty train, which was often particularly long on Saturdays. The local residents called him the “White Giant”. Here on the connecting curve between Schwerte-Heide and Schwerte-Ost. Taken at the time from scaffolding for bridge work on the main line from Holzwickede to Hagen.

(scan from slide)

"Kuwait National Celebrations" sticker added in February 2025.

In November 2019 we went to Hong Kong. Protests against curbing freedom were going on for a few months, and happened mainly on weekends. My niece from Switzerland, a Chinese friend, and I took a bus that was scheduled to go through the protest area in Tsim Sha Tsui on Sunday. The bus stopped a few blocks before the area, and the bus driver asked everybody to disembark - end of service due to protests. We walked two blocks towards the protest area. We only saw police in riot gear, no protesters. Over 100 of them, maybe 200. At one point the police blocked off the streets, so we could not proceed further. I took this shot from a higher vantage point, pointing out the militarization of the police. Nowadays Hong Kong is controlled by China, freedom is gone, and there is a big tension between the well off older generation leaning towards China, and younger generation that has an economic hardship due to the high cost of living and difficult employment situation in Hong Kong.

I processed a balanced, a photographic, and a paintery HDR photo from a RAW exposure, merged them selectively, carefully adjusted the color balance and curves, desaturated the image, and added some vignetting. I welcome and appreciate constructive comments.

Thank you for visiting - ♡ with gratitude! Fave if you like it, add comments below, like the Facebook page, order beautiful HDR prints at qualityHDR.com.

-- ƒ/7.1, 135 mm, 1/320 sec, ISO 250, Sony A6000, SEL-55210, HDR, 1 RAW exposure, _DSC5949_hdr1bal1pho1pai1e.jpg

-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2019 Peter Thoeny, Quality HDR Photography

This charming little house has been scheduled for demolition, guess they're going to put a parking garage or something there.

Tigger on the table after dinner tonight. She (like Bonkers and probably all cats) has her routines and scheduled she must follow. For Tigger, that means jumping on the table after dinner for attention and affection.

UP 844 eastbound having just left the scheduled stop at Herman, Mo. (1615833)*

Stonehenge a Scheduled Ancient prehistoric monument located 2 miles west of Amesbury in Wiltshire.

One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is the remains of a ring of standing stones set within earthworks. It is in the middle of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds.

Archaeologists believe it was constructed from 3,000 BC to 2,000 BC. The surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3,100 BC. Radiocarbon dating in 2008 suggested that the first bluestones were raised between 2,400 and 2,200 BC. Another theory suggests the bluestones may have been raised at the site as early as 3,000 BC.

The site and its surroundings were added to the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1986 in a co-listing with Avebury Henge. It is a national legally protected Scheduled Ancient Monument. Stonehenge is owned by the Crown and managed by English Heritage, while the surrounding land is owned by the National Trust.

Archaeological evidence found by the Stonehenge Riverside Project in 2008 indicates that Stonehenge could have been a burial ground from its earliest beginnings. The dating of cremated remains indicate that deposits contain human bone from as early as 3000 BC, when the ditch and bank were first dug. Such deposits continued at Stonehenge for at least another 500 years.

A Scheduled Monument in Dyffryn Ardudwy, Gwynedd

A stone bridge over the Afon Ysgethin, now seeming to be in the middle of nowhere but on what was once an important drovers' route.

The single arch is relatively high, flooding of the river was presumably the main reason for building the bridge - it would be possible to cross the river when in normal flow almost without getting one's feet wet), and there are low parapets (c. 0.5 m) built of stone which could equally well be described as thick slabs or elongated blocks. These are large and would have been quite difficult to manoeuvre and transport. The footway between them is just under 2 m wide at the narrowest point, and has been roughly concreted in the past.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of post-medieval transport techniques. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits.

It's Thursday. The day, when I get my work schedule for the next week.

Hey buddies! (o・∀・)

I'm very glad about the coments and favorites on my last photo. Honey is very happy too

Bye

I've got my first set of newborn twins scheduled to be born via c-section in a couple days, and I'm super excited. This is something I've been waiting for, for over 2 years and I want to thank you incredible photographers out there who inspire me everyday with your amazing work.

I hear that twins are hard....but I still can't wait! Wish me luck!

1. Two little bugs in a rug, 2. ying yang with hats, 3. Paige & Paxton..., 4. New Website, 5. Another version..., 6. Untitled, 7. bowl full of babies, 8. big world, 9. Guess who?, 10. funnybunnies, 11. 2 little bunnies..., 12. Little and Large, 13. The hug, 14. L&L, 15. Refreshed., 16. black and white., 17. Sleep tight, 18. Closer, 19. Untitled, 20. Untitled

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.