Habitat is a “home ground” or an environment in which an organism or group of species normally lives or occurs. In this sense, a habitat is any particular place that supports animal or plant life. From the habitat is where plants or animals get their survival essentialities such as water, food, shelter, and breeding grounds.

Different plant or animal species have different necessities for water, shelter, nesting and food. Thus, each and every plant or animal is adapted to survive in a specific kind of habitat. For instance, some turtles live in the seas while others live on land. Some plants grow in the deserts, some in the seas, and some in swampy areas. This shows different species have different needs. Examples of habitats include oceans, streams, or forests.

When a habitat is dramatically altered due to natural or anthropogenic activities such as earthquakes, agriculture, pollution or oil exploration, these places may no longer be able to provide shelter, food, water, or breeding grounds for the living organisms.

Such kind of events lessens the places where plants or animals such as wildlife can live and threatens the survival of various species. That sort of habitat degradation or fragmentation is what is termed as habitat loss and destruction. Habitat loss and destruction are influenced by several drivers which include:

1. Agriculture

Agricultural production has claimed much space of the natural habitat since settlers began converting forests and grasslands to croplands. In the modern world, the pressure to convert lands into resource areas for producing priced foods and crops has increasingly led to habitat loss.

Runoff of agricultural waste, fertilizers, and pesticides into marine and freshwater environments has also transformed streams and water systems. As a result, there has been a tremendous loss of natural crop species, aquatic life, and wildlife habitat.

2. Animal Waste, Sewage, Fertilizer, and Mining Waste Pollution

Marine and freshwater life forms are the most affected by pollution. Pollutants from animal waste, untreated sewage, fertilizers, pesticides, and heavy metals find way into wetlands and water systems and subsequently end up in the food web.

Animal wastes and fertilizers generate nutrients that cause an outburst in algae growth that depletes dissolved oxygen in aquatic systems. Mining wastes may also contain heavy metals that affect the health and breeding of aquatic organisms. Sewage sediments may destroy dwelling grounds of aquatic animals.

3. Industrial and Automobile Pollution

The majority of animal and plant habitats have been destroyed due to the toxic substances and chemicals emitted from industries and automobiles that pose long-term cumulative impacts on the species health. Seriously polluted regions have become dead zones since the conditions have become very harsh for biotic survival. A prime example is an acidic lake which cannot support aquatic life forms. In some areas, only a few organisms can survive owing to the cumulative effects of industrial and automobile pollution.

4. Water Projects

The development of water projects such as hydropower plants, dam construction, and water diversion frequently disconnect or draw off waters thereby altering water chemistry and hydrology. This is because such water projects limit the amount of water and nutrients running downstream.

The downstream section of the river can dry out and the nutrients supporting aquatic life can significantly reduce. As an outcome, gradual habitat loss happens as the water flows downstream.

5. Land Use and Development

The conversion of lands into urban settings, housing developments, office spaces, shopping malls, industrial sites, parking areas, road networks, and so on takes away the naturally occurring land that provided habitat for wildlife and other living organisms. This practice has substantially led to the loss and destruction of millions of acre of natural habitable environments.

6. Global Warming

Global warming is one of the recent leading causes of habitat loss since it changes the physical environmental factors such as temperature and moisture which are essential for a sustainable habitat.

For instance, wildlife that requires cool temperatures of high elevations such as the rock rabbit and mountain gorillas may in the near future run out of habitat due to global warming. Excessive rains, flooding or drought arising out of global warming have also impacted several habitats, contributing to the loss of wildlife and other living organisms.

7. Diversity Loss and Invasive Species

When a certain ecosystem which is home to numerous species collapse, more aggressive species may enter the territory. As the original species struggle to cope in a harsher environment, the invasive species contributes to a further and rapid decline of the habitat and subsequently dominates.

The explosive entry of invasive species into a habitat presents a strong threat to the native species as they struggle to survive in the increasingly changing environment. Invasive species directly competes for food with the native species and can also alter the structure of the habitat.

8. Vegetation Removal and Logging

Vegetation removal and logging destroy the structure of the habitat since it takes away the vital materials and natural systems responsible for replenishing and purifying the habitat. Removal of vegetation cover and logging also creates room for soil erosion and decrease stormwater infiltration which leads to the degradation of water quality, further destroying the habitat.

9. Dredging and Bottom Trawling Fishing

Dredging and bottom trawling fishing gives rise to the physical destruction of the dwelling, feeding and breeding areas for aquatic plants and animals. The displaced sediments may further smother the bottom dwelling organisms. Fish gills can as well become blocked with sediments and plant life activity is reduced due to limited light.

Dredging might also release underground toxic materials into aquatic habitats. Besides, bottom trawling fishing can by-catch unmarketable fish which turns out to be the food for other bigger fish in that particular underwater habitats.

Inframe :

The greater sand plover (Charadrius leschenaultii) is a small wader in the plover family of birds.

It breeds in the semi-deserts of Turkey and eastwards through Central Asia. It nests in a bare ground scrape. This species is strongly migratory, wintering on sandy beaches in East Africa, South Asia and Australasia. It is a rare vagrant in western Europe, where it has been recorded as far west as Great Britain, France and Iceland. It has been spotted twice in North America, the most recent being on May 14, 2009, in Jacksonville, Florida.

This species is fully migratory, and is likely to migrate without stopping on a broad front between breeding and non-breeding areas . Migratory flocks form after the end of breeding between mid-June and early-August, and arrive in the wintering grounds between mid-July and November (adults and immature birds arriving before juveniles. Those birds wintering in South-East Asia start moving northwards to the breeding grounds in late-February (the migration peaking in March to early-April), arriving from mid-March to May; whereas those wintering in East Africa and southern Asia depart for breeding grounds from mid-April to early-May. Most non-adult wintering birds remain in the wintering areas during the breeding season . The species is typically gregarious, feeding in flocks of 2-50, and sometimes congregating in groups of up to 1,000 when roosting (Urban et al. 1986, del Hoyo et al. 1996). Habitat Breeding During the breeding season this species is predominantly found in open, dry, treeless, uncultivated areas up to 3,000 m , including dried mud, silt and clay flats, hard salt-pans overgrown with halophytic plants , and rocky plains near mountains in desert or semi-desert . In Turkey the species frequents heavily grazed saline steppe . The species usually breeds near water but exceptionally it will nest up to 20 km away from it. Non-breeding During the non-breeding season this species shows a preference for littoral habitats with mixed sand and mud substrata . It is found on sheltered sandy, shelly or muddy beaches, large intertidal mudflats, sandbanks, salt-marshes, estuaries, coral reefs, rocky islands, tidal lagoons and dunes near the coast , although it may sometimes feed on coastal grasslands . Whilst on migration the species will occasionally utilise inland habitats such as salt-lakes and brackish swamps, usually roosting on sandbanks and spits . Diet This species is carnivorous: during the breeding season its diet consists mainly of terrestrial insects and their larvae (especially beetles, termites, midges and ants), and occasionally lizards whereas during the non-breeding season its diet contains mainly marine invertebrates such as molluscs (snails), worms and crustaceans (such as shrimps and crabs). Breeding site The nest is a shallow scrape on the ground amongst sand-hills, gravel, or on other barren substrates.

It's good to be back in Melbourne if only for a stopover day in order to catch the ferry, the Spirit of Tasmania, to Devonport tonight. It's quite something to be here at the weekend... It almost seems that Australians turn into a different species of Homo sapiens in the revelling fun they have in relaxing. A bit like our Butterfly today perhaps.

It's called Australian Painted Lady, Vanessa kershawi, and it much resembles other Vanessas 'round the globe. Apparently though, the males' genitalia are quite specific to this Australian form and thus was born Vanessa kershawi.

Here it's having a go at pretty Strawflower, Xerochrysum bracteatum (www.flickr.com/photos/87453322@N00/2850784049/in/photolis...) in the fine Royal Botanic Gardens of Melbourne.

The image represents a year's worth of research for my MRes project entitled, ‘A Property Comparison of Cold Formed and Hot Finished Steel Conveyance Tubes’ sponsored by Tata Steel Tubes, which I completed (and passed) last year.

The main image is made up of all the key sections of my MRes thesis, in order of how they appear in the finished document, from the title page to the literature review to the conclusions and further work. The border is made up of painted, galvanised and uncoated tube samples that I have acquired throughout the last year – I omitted the rusty ones from salt spray testing as they would have stained the carpet!

The image reflects how there are many different aspects to a scientific research project and successfully putting all the pieces into place makes for a good picture, a good story and ultimately a good thesis.

Picture credit: Nathan Cooze, SPECIFIC, Swansea University

As I'd mentioned on my Steam Sunday post this whole Duluth trip was planned and booked months ago for this specific weekend with the goal of photographing the Lake Superior Railroad Museum's 2-8-0 steam locomotive DMIR 332 on a series of weekend trips to Two Harbors. Alas a couple weeks before my trip it was announced that she was sidelined with a serious and expensive issue that would take time to repair. I was disappointed but hoped to at least get one of their classic diesels in its place on their Two Harbors excursions that were scheduled for Fro-Sun. Later my disappointment would really turn to dismay when they announced at the last minute ALL all the Two Harbors runs were canceled in their entirety due to an unrelated mechanical issue with one or more of their coaches on their second train set.

If it were not for what you see here there would not have been a single move on the Lakefront main outside of the immediate Duluth area where the short Duluth Zephyr trains run. However, I almost have to say that as far as consolation prizes go this is hard to top and may honestly be a fair trade!

A blast from the past finds a real live Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range ore train on historic home rails in 2024! The North Shore Scenic Railroad, the operating arm of the Lake Superior Railroad museum, secured a contract to move taconite pellet chips and fines from Two Harbors to Duluth and interchange to the BNSF. These cars are being loaded intermittently at the north end of the Lakefront Line just above CN's Two Harbors yard at a place the NSSR refers to as Marbles and then travel the entire length of the 26 mile normally passenger only route. On Wednesday September 11, 2024 DMIR 193 has 11 loads in tow as they pass over the Knife River bridge at its outlet into Lake Superior at about MP 19.7 on the Lake Divisio.

This historic route along the shore was built by the Duluth and Iron Range Railway in 1886 and was shuttered by the DMIR in 1982 and slated for abandoned. Fortunately it was saved in 1988 when St. Louis and Lake Counties jointly purchased the line for preservation and excursion passenger service.

Very much on home rails, DMIR 193 was built by EMD in Apr. 1960 as an SD18, one of nineteen the Missabe purchased, and was later rebuilt and chop nosed at Proctor Shop in 1992 and reclassified as an SD-M. Retired and donated to the museum in 1998, it received this paint job at Proctor in 2002 and is regularly used on the NSSR's assorted passenger trains, but for a moment has returned to its ore hauling roots!

Unincorporated Knife River

Lake County, Minnesota

Wednesday September 11, 2024

I really have a lot of doubts about the specific Yamaha model that it is. Can you help me? .

Located on the corner of Spring Street and Mott Street not far from its original location at 53 1/3 Spring Street we find the first registered pizza establishment in the world, the first pizzeria was opened in 1905 by Gennuardo Lombardi from Naples, Lombardi’s Pizzeria. Pizza actually traces its origins back Naples, Naples which was founded as a Greek settlement back in 600 BC had grown to become a thriving waterfront city with it throngs of lazaroni (working poor) in the 1700’s. Their meals were simple, flatbreads with various toppings, the precursor of today’s pizza sold mostly by street vendors referred to as pizze or pizza which was the vernacular for pie. There is some controversy even about that as the discovery of Giuseppe Nocca of the Istituto Alberghiero di Formia of formal document ”codex diplomaticus cajtanus” which was written in Latin but gives specific instructions for annual tithes to the archbishops of Gaeta during Easter and Christmas of “duodecim or 12 pizze” way before the use in Naples and Gaeta is about 50 miles north-west of Naples, so documented and time stamped and in those times 50 miles was a quite a distance for poor folk who couldn’t hop a train or bus as there weren’t any and only the wealthy could afford travel by steed.

Well I’m not inserting myself into the pizza controversy between the Napoleons and their brothers from Gaeta, but definitely pizza has become a staple in American diets. It is estimated that annually Americans consume about 13.8 billion slices of pizza, almost 14 billion….wow. Lombardi’s as it exists today interestingly enough does not sell pizza by the slice, is a cash only business though like many cash only businesses in Little Italy and Greenwich Village, there is a convenient ATM on premises, and on any given night, there is quite a wait to get a table, thus in my photo here you see one of many benches where patrons patiently wait to get a pie or pies from the first pizzeria restaurant in World, Lombardi’s in front of the unique mural painted on the brick wall by artist Zito of the Mona Lisa holding a Lombardi’s Margherita Pizza. I’ve seen plenty patrons on hot summer days and cold, snowy winter days waiting on those benches, tourists snapping away pictures. There are several foody ‘Pizza’ tours available in New York City that include a stop a Lombardi’s.

Here’s an interesting fact about Lombardi’s and it’s no slices policy. Lombardi’s original Margherita pizza’s popularity particularly with the many low income Italian immigrant workers in the 1940’s was that he would sell you slices. The difference between today and then is he would provide workers with a slice that was equivalent to what they could afford, the less $$ you had the smaller the slice. It is rumored that John of John’s Pizza on Bleeker Street in the Village, the Grimaldi’s of Brooklyn fame all had some stint at Lombardi’s here in Little Italy to learn the craft thus tying them to Lombardi’s before they went on to open their own respective pizzerias, the thin crusted New York style. Is it good, yes it is, and I will go in the early afternoon sort of between lunch and early dinner when I get the craving to avoid the crowds, I’ll take an extended lunch from the office, hop on a bus-train to Spring Street and usually not wait at all, as long as it’s not Christmas like now or in middle of the summer. Which Pizza Place is the best? I can’t say, I like all I’ve tried of the vintage New York Style and of 13.8 billion annual slices that Americans eat annually, well I’m probably too big a contributor to those statistics. So if you’re in the lower Manhattan early afternoon, give it a try, then walk one block west on Spring Street over to Mulberry Street down south a few blocks get some cannoli’s (Sicilian origin) from the Cannoli King or Ferrara’s around since 1892 (can’t go wrong with either), stop by the Italian American Museum and you’ll get a taste of Italy Americana style.

Taken with Nikon J1, with Nikor 10-30MM F3.5-5.6 VR lens handheld, RAW file processed in Photomatix, cleaned up in Adobe Lightroom.

www.firstpizza.com/

Very organic feel that I just can't seem to capture with my camera.

Contemporary baby, non gender specific. 42x35. Kona cotton, Kaffe, Linen, Japanese Linen/cotton, Yardwork from Etsy and Linen Binding.

SN/NC: Caryota Urens, Arecaceae Family

Caryota speciesare the only palms with bipinnate leaves (meaning they are divided into leaflets that divide a second time). The ultimate leaflets have a characteristic shape, somewhat like the tail of a fish, leading to the popular English name of fishtail palm. The specific epithet urens is Latin for'stinging’ or ‘burning', alluding to the oxalic acid crystals in the fruits, which are skin and membrane irritants. Solitary fishtail palm is used in several ways: the sap is fermented into an alcoholic drink or boiled down to make syrup or sugar, the inner tissue is used as sago (food starch), and the leaves produce strong fibres that are made into ropes, brushes and baskets. This specimen was found in the Oxygen Resort in Paramaribo, Suriname.

Caryota-soorten zijn de enige palmen met geveerde bladeren (wat betekent dat ze zijn verdeeld in folders die een tweede keer delen). De ultieme blaadjes hebben een karakteristieke vorm, een beetje zoals de staart van een vis, wat leidt tot de populaire Engelse naam fishtail palm. De specifieke benaming urens is Latijn voor 'prikken' of 'branden', verwijzend naar de oxaalzuurkristallen in de vruchten, die huid- en membraanirriterende stoffen zijn. Solitaire vissenstaartpalm wordt op verschillende manieren gebruikt: het sap wordt gefermenteerd tot een alcoholische drank of ingekookt om siroop of suiker te maken, het binnenste weefsel wordt gebruikt als sago (voedselzetmeel) en de bladeren produceren sterke vezels die worden verwerkt tot touwen, borstels en manden.

Caryota urens é uma palmeira ornamental, da família das arecaceaes, nativa da Índia, Malásia, Sri Lanca e arredores, conhecida pelo nome popular de palmeira-rabo-de-peixe. Ela constitui papel importante na dieta do povo do arquipélago leste da Índia é a única palmeira cujas folhas são bipinadas, característica que a torna inconfundível. A etimologia de "urens" é do latim e significa picante, ardente, que queima, em alusão à irritação nas mucosas e na pele causada pelos cristais de ácidos de oxalato presentes nas suas frutas. A espécie foi descrita pela primeira vez pelo botânico sueco Carl Nilsson Linnæus no ano de 1753. A árvore é comumente utilizada como planta ornamental. As fibras de suas folhas são utilizadas na confecção de cordas, cestos, pinceis e outros artefatos. Na alimentação ela é quase base alimentar do povo no arquipélago leste e é a principal fonte de matéria prima para a produção de sagu da Índia. Esse sagu é feito a partir do seu tecido interno. O ápice do caule (seu palmito) pode ser comido quando cozido. A semente pode ser mastigada como as nozes de areca (Areca catechu). Ela é utilizada no preparo de uma bebida alcoólica, fermentada, típica da Índia. Essa bebida é feita a partir da seiva extraída de sua inflorescência. Também dessa seiva se faz xarope e açúcar.

Caryota urens llamada vulgarmente cola de pescado por la forma de sus hojas es una palmera con tronco rectilíneo con anillos muy marcados de 15 a 20 m de altura y en torno a 40 cm de diámetro. Hojas de color verde brillante bipinnadas, con folíolos en forma de cuña,rasgados en su borde, lo que les da el aspecto de colas de pescado. Inflorescencias largas, pendientes y muy ramificadas. Frutos globulares primero verdes y luego amarillos, rojos y negros. Caryota urens fue descrito por Carlos Linneo y publicado en Species Plantarum 2: 1189. 1753.2 3. Etimología -- Caryota: nombre genérico que deriva de la palabra griega: karyon que significa nuez. Urens: epíteto latino que significa "urticante" por causar irritación en contacto con la piel.

Les espèces de Caryota sont les seuls palmiers à feuilles bipennées (ce qui signifie qu'ils sont divisés en folioles qui se divisent une seconde fois). Les feuillets ultimes ont une forme caractéristique, un peu comme la queue d'un poisson, conduisant au nom anglais populaire de palmier à queue de poisson. L'épithète spécifique urens est le latin pour «piquer» ou «brûler», faisant allusion aux cristaux d'acide oxalique dans les fruits, qui sont des irritants pour la peau et les membranes. Le palmier à queue de poisson solitaire est utilisé de plusieurs façons: la sève est fermentée en une boisson alcoolisée ou bouillie pour faire du sirop ou du sucre, le tissu interne est utilisé comme sagou (amidon alimentaire) et les feuilles produisent des fibres solides qui sont transformées en cordes, brosses et paniers.

Le specie Caryota sono le uniche palme con foglie bipennate (nel senso che sono divise in foglioline che si dividono una seconda volta). Gli ultimi volantini hanno una forma caratteristica, un po 'come la coda di un pesce, che porta al popolare nome inglese di palma a coda di pesce. L'epiteto specifico urens è latino per "pungente" o "bruciore", alludendo ai cristalli di acido ossalico nei frutti, che sono irritanti per la pelle e le membrane. La palma solitaria a coda di pesce viene utilizzata in diversi modi: la linfa viene fermentata in una bevanda alcolica o bollita per produrre sciroppo o zucchero, il tessuto interno viene utilizzato come sago (amido alimentare) e le foglie producono fibre forti che vengono trasformate in corde, spazzole e cestini.

Caryota-Arten sind die einzigen Palmen mit doppelt gefiederten Blättern (dh sie sind in Blättchen unterteilt, die sich ein zweites Mal teilen). Die ultimativen Blättchen haben eine charakteristische Form, ähnlich dem Schwanz eines Fisches, was zum beliebten englischen Namen Fischschwanzpalme führt. Das spezifische Epitheton urens ist lateinisch für "Stechen" oder "Brennen" und spielt auf die Oxalsäurekristalle in den Früchten an, die Haut- und Membranreizstoffe sind. Einzelne Fischschwanzpalmen werden auf verschiedene Arten verwendet: Der Saft wird zu einem alkoholischen Getränk fermentiert oder zu Sirup oder Zucker eingekocht, das innere Gewebe wird als Sago (Lebensmittelstärke) verwendet und die Blätter produzieren starke Fasern, die zu Seilen verarbeitet werden. Bürsten und Körbe.

Caryota 属のヤシは、二回羽状の葉（つまり、二度目に分裂する小葉に分かれている）を持つ唯一のヤシです。最後の小葉は特徴的な形をしており、魚の尾に少し似ていることから、英語ではフィッシュテール パームと呼ばれています。種小名の urens はラテン語で「刺すような」または「燃えるような」という意味で、果実に含まれるシュウ酸結晶が皮膚や粘膜を刺激することをほのめかしています。単独のフィッシュテール パームは、いくつかの方法で使用されます。樹液は発酵させてアルコール飲料にしたり、煮詰めてシロップや砂糖を作ったりします。内部組織はサゴ（食品用デンプン）として使用され、葉からはロープ、ブラシ、バスケットに加工される強力な繊維が作られます。

أنواع Caryota هي أشجار النخيل الوحيدة ذات الأوراق ثنائية الطور (بمعنى أنها مقسمة إلى منشورات تقسم مرة ثانية). المنشورات النهائية لها شكل مميز ، يشبه إلى حد ما ذيل السمكة ، مما يؤدي إلى الاسم الإنجليزي الشهير لنخيل ذيل السمكة. والسمات النوعية للبول هي كلمة لاتينية تعني "اللدغة" أو "الحرق" ، في إشارة إلى بلورات حمض الأكساليك في الثمار ، وهي مهيجات للجلد والأغشية. يتم استخدام نخيل ذيل السمكة المنفرد بعدة طرق: يتم تخمير العصارة في مشروب كحولي أو غليها لصنع شراب أو سكر ، ويتم استخدام النسيج الداخلي كساغو (نشا غذائي) ، وتنتج الأوراق أليافًا قوية يتم تصنيعها في الحبال ، فرش وسلال.

There's no specific blog post for this photo, so here are your credits!

Hair: Truth, Beatrix — This hairstyle inspired the photograph, of course, with its vintage look.

Body: Maitreya

Head: Lelutka, Spencer Bento Mesh Head

Skin: Lumae, Lelutka Deia, Tone 1

Makeup: All from Cazimi!

Essence Eyeshadows

Flirt Lipstick

Too Cute Nails

Necklaces: Short: Cae, Simplicity Pearls

Long: Maxi Gossamer, Pearls

Ring: Earthstones, Mystic Ring

Top & Skirt: Belle Epoque, Good Golly, Miss Molly, Top 2, Skirt 4

Wall Background RAMA retro cafe

Mirror: Starlight Designs, Light Up Wall Mirror

Pose: Imeka, LookBook, Pose 8

Bonsai tool

(pointy!)

Strobist: one Interfit Ace 100

A lockdown is a restriction policy for people or community to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks to themselves or to others if they can move and interact freely. The term "stay-at-home" or "shelter-in-place" is often used for lockdowns that affect an area, rather than specific locations.

The term is used for a prison protocol that usually prevents people, information or objects from leaving an area. The protocol can usually only be initiated by someone in a position of authority.

A lockdown can also be used to protect people inside a facility or, for example, a computing system, from a threat or other external event. In buildings doors leading outside are usually locked so that no person may enter or exit. A full lockdown usually means that people must stay where they are and may not enter or exit a building or rooms within it, needing to go to the nearest place designated safe if not already in such a place.

The first lockdown implemented during COVID-19 as a preventive measure was in Wuhan in January 2020.

A preventive lockdown is a preemptive action plan implemented to address an unusual scenario or a weakness in system to preempt any danger to ensure the safety and security of people, organisation and system. The focus for preventive actions is to avoid dangers and risks arising from the nonconformances to the normal circumstances, but also commonly includes improvements in efficiency.

Preventive lockdowns are preemptive lockdowns to mitigate risk. Most organisations plan for the emergency lockdowns but fail to plan for other situations that might quickly degrade to dangerous levels. These protocols must be based on the type of threat, and should be kept simple and short for quick learning and implementation, and flexible enough to handle several scenarios. This allows administrators more options to choose from which are easier to use in various scenarios. For example, in case of a loud scene by a parent or an unarmed petty thief being chased by the police through the school playground, this flexible procedure allows school administrators the flexibility to implement a more limited lockdown while teaching in school continues, thus eliminating need for complete emergency lockdown, disruption and delays in resumption of teaching, etc. The consequences of not having procedures to implement such lockdowns is that the situation might quickly escalate where there could be loss of human lives.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the term lockdown was used for actions related to mass quarantines or stay-at-home orders. The first lockdown during the pandemic was implemented in Wuhan on January 23, 2020. By early April 2020, 3.9 billion people worldwide were under some form of lockdown—more than half the world's population. By late April, around 300 million people were under lockdown in nations of Europe, while around 200 million people were under lockdown in Latin America. Nearly 300 million people, or about 90 per cent of the population, were under some form of lockdown in the United States, and 1.3 billion people have been under lockdown in India.

The lockdown in the Philippines started on 14 March 2020 and is one of the longest and strictest lockdowns with varying levels of community quarantine being imposed on all major islands and cities. Similarly the lockdown in South Africa started on 27 March 2020 and progressed through various levels. It is also one of the strictest lockdowns in the world with cigarettes and alcohol banned throughout.

The dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) is a dolphin found in coastal waters in the Southern Hemisphere. Its specific epithet is Latin for "dark" or "dim". It is very closely genetically related to the Pacific white-sided dolphin, but current scientific consensus holds they are distinct species.

The dolphin's range is patchy, with major populations around South America, southwestern Africa, New Zealand, and various oceanic islands, with some sightings around southern Australia and Tasmania. The dusky dolphin prefers cool currents and inshore waters, but can also be found offshore. It feeds on a variety of fish and squid species and has flexible hunting tactics. The dusky dolphin is known for its remarkable acrobatics, having a number of aerial behaviours. The status of the dolphin is unknown, but it has been commonly caught in gill nets.

The dusky dolphin is small to medium in length compared with other species in the family. There is significant variation in size among the different population areas. The largest dusky dolphins have been encountered off the coast of Peru, where they are up to 210 cm (6 feet) in length and 100 kg (210 pounds) in mass. The size for dusky dolphins in New Zealand have been recorded to be a length range of 167–178 cm and a weight range of 69–78 kg for females and a length range of 165–175 cm and a weigh range of 70–85 kg for males.

Almost no sexual dimorphism occurs in this species, although males have more curved dorsal fins with broader bases and greater surface areas. The back of the dolphin is dark grey or black, and the dorsal fin is distinctively two-toned; the leading edge matches the back in colour, but the trailing edge is a much lighter greyish white. The dusky dolphin has a long, light-grey patch on its fore side leading to a short, dark-grey beak. The throat and belly are white, and the beak and lower jaw are dark grey.

Two blazes of white colour run back on the body from the dorsal fin to the tail. Right between the white areas remains a characteristic thorn-shaped patch of dark colour, by which the species can easily be recognised. Aside from that, dusky dolphins may be confused with other members of their genus when observed at sea. It can be distinguished from the common dolphin, which has a more prominent and longer beak and yellow flank markings. The skull of a dusky dolphin has a longer and narrower rostrum than that of an hourglass dolphin or Peale's dolphin of similar age and size.

This image was taken in the Beagle Channel in the Southern Atlantic Ocean

@algonquinoutfit : @VerusArt @CampTanamakoon @ourkidsnet some of the entries in our #PaddleArtContest t.co/vKJFtQbwrm (via Twitter twitter.com/algonquinoutfit/status/799221435193552896)

There's no specific blog post for this photograph: it's just something I had a great time making.

Thanks so much to Geryn Sloane for giving me a tour of her shop, and for a great conversation.

Credits:

Body: Maitreya

Head: Catwa, Lona

Feet: SLink Pointe

Eyes: Mesange, Sanford Eyes

Ears: Lumae, Leevi Long Ears

Skin: Lumae, Ella (Catwa Applier)

Hair: Analog Dog (natch!), Onus (Available NOW at The Epiphany!) -- this is the exclusive you can buy with points after you've turned in your un-needed gachas!

Wings: Fable Workshop

Bracelets: The Plastik, The Aeliora Cuffs (Available NOW at The Season’s Story!)

Dress & Leg Ribbons: G Sloane / The Seamstress, Enchanted

Shoes: ChicChica, Fairy Pointes

Photo Backdrop: Inspire Pose, Studio Street RARE

One of Union Pacific's memorable slogans adorns a 40 ft. box car in Provo, Utah on March 30, 1977.

Taking an old, unused "Pano-Sabotage ( TumbleWorld ) piece from last Spring ( 2015 ) and subjecting it to photo manipulation to express the explosion of colour that Spring is. My 'take' is a visionary one as opposed to a pure recording. In my mind, this is how I see these things. ( This version created May 5, 2016 ).

Again, the pixelation provides a few themes - an open admission of the digital medium from which this image sprang and where it resides, a contrast to the irregularity and "irrationality" of Nature, a springboard from which to see that contrast leap, and an understanding that we somehow need a balance of both.

Jackson Pollock and Ad Reinhardt run smack into each other. ;-)

Click on Image to Enlarge !

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Music Link: "Lux" - Brian Eno, from his album "Lux". This is a 4 minute plus edit that was played online on Nov. 17, 2012, four times that day. Each playing was meant to coincide with four periods of the day, Sunrise, Morning, Afternoon and Night. This specific project was called "Day of Light".

Photographers from all over the world were invited to register on Eno's website and to participate by sending images in that were shot ONLY while "Lux" was performed. So unless you were fast, your images were pretty unprocessed.

As a registered participant, you were able to send in as many images as you wished, one after another. Eno and his staff were standing by, capturing submissions and then showing them as visuals to the performance of "Lux". Once submitted, there was a short lag, followed by an automatic email confirmation that your piece was accepted and was in queue to be played. It was very exciting. So each photographer could rightly say that they had collaborated with Brian Eno on the "Day of Light" project.

I was one of those photographers. 3 of my shots were used. Since thousands of submissions were tendered, it's not surprising that none of my three made the final cut that you see here. No matter. I am proud to have participated in the actual event.

Light - bright, heaven-like radiance, being the main support and substrate of my image here, I chose "Lux" as accompaniment for that reason and also to remember my participation in the "Day of Light" project. "The Bursting Life" ... was NOT one of the images used.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H0aflNXCGo

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© Richard S Warner ( Visionheart ) - 2015, 2016. All Rights Reserved. This image is not for use in any form without explicit, express, written permission.

Text Blog: visionheartblog.wordpress.com

You Tube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCDjXkvGJJKThhYCnje5-QDg

PROCESSION – A religious parade which always leaves from and returns to a specific church. Processions tell the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection using elaborate floats (called andas, see below) full of iconography. More than a dozen major processions (and many smaller processions) take place day and night in Antigua during Semana Santa. The procession tradition is said to have started in Guatemala in 1524 and, today, most Semana Santa processions include two main andas. The first carries a scene from the life of Jesus. The second carries a depiction of the Virgin Mary. Each procession is named after the specific Jesus and Mary that adorn the floats (i.e. Jesús De La Merced, Jesús El Peregrino, Jesús Del Milagro). Some last for 15 hours and cover many miles.

裸 Schlampe 懒妇 나체상 फूहड़ 벌거 벗은 desnudo ふしだらな女 nackt nu alaston निर्वस्त्र 裸体 ヌード नग्न nudo ਨੰਗੀ голый khỏa thân جنسي 性感的 malibog कामुक セクシー 婚禮 beauty beautiful travel vacation candid woman girl boy cute wedding people explore Hijab Nijab Burqa telanjang puta latina teen tranny عري hot nude naked sexy برهنه upskirt camel toe teen ass balls dirty naughty fishnet foot tits boobs feet heels fuck sex leather domination lady ladyboy mask milf Asian ebony woman model desi arab euro oral panty play dildo panties orgy pierced crossdress sex shaved toes topless transgender transsexual transvestite underwear rubber vinyl wank white wife

Wearing lingerie is a specific invitation to intimacy. Nothing is as sexy as desire and with full on intent as a woman dressed for seduction like in this Wellmade Nyx Lingerie. It is clearly telling that she is planning on having sex with you and that her desire to do so is plainly evident.

Fits: Legacy + Perky + Bombshell. Maitreya + LaraX, Reborn + Waifu

Fatpack 22 Colors. Fully Customizable.

TP: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Serena%20Capri/153/157/3501

[WellMade] Your home for Second Life fashion

Flawless is a site-specific installation based on the brightness of nature. The installation encourages visitors to capture the movement of shedding leaves and its reflection, inviting the contemplation of a natural environment that connects water and wind. The natural process of photosynthesis is essential for life in every city. Flawless interprets this phenomenon with a magical chemistry concept called photoluminescence; during the day, the pigments of the leaves absorb energy from the sunlight, giving them a bright green glowing colour at night. In this way, the installation is self-sufficient and self-illuminated.

© Leslie Hui. All rights reserved.

Trichocentrum longicalcaratum in situ, avec taches dans les pétales et les sépales. L'imagination de la nature n'a pas de limite pour s'adapter á des centaines d'habitats particuliers avec des microclimats spécífiques, créant des especes d'orchidées les plus surprenantes les unes que les autres de par leurs formes, couleurs et parfums. Colombie.

Trichocentrum longicalcaratum in situ, with dots on the petals and sepals. Imagination of nature has no limit to adapt to hundreds of particular habitats with specific microclimate, creating more astounding orchid species one than the other by their shapes, colors and fragrances. Colombia.

Trichocentrum longicalcaratum in situ, con manchas en los pétalos y sépalos. La imaginación de la naturaleza no tiene límite para adaptarse a cientos de hábitats particulares con microclimas específicos, creando especies de orquídeas más asombrosas una que la otra por sus formas, colores y fragancias. Colombia.

these two separated logs look like a paddle from a specific view.

The specific origin of the Generals of the Ulla cannot be assured with certainty, but, due to the common characteristics of these masquerades, it is necessary to look for it in the different armed confrontations that occurred in the region throughout the 19th century: first the fight against the French invasion and, later, the revolution of 1846, which ended with the battle of Cacheiras, with the troops of each of the sides crossing the spaces in which this carnival is kept alive today. The different Carlist wars that took place in Spain during the nineteenth century would undoubtedly help create a collective astonishment that led to their ridicule.

General Cemetery revisited - at the side of the field there's a run of smaller trees, all are completely bare apart from the odd green shoot except one has this little clump of open blossoms - possibly something to do with the light that falls on that specific area

The otherworldly sand tufa formations of Navy Beach in Mono Lake have held a specific appeal to me, resembling nothing I’ve ever seen before and which doesn’t even resemble the tower shaped tufas along Mono Lake’s south shore just 200 yards away. It’s been my goal for a long time to capture the Milky Way over these interesting formations, and a spontaneous camping trip this weekend during a new moon finally provided the opportunity. Since these tufas are short, only about 3’ – 4’ in height, Chris and I, with the location entirely to ourselves at midnight, our knees planted in the sand, and tripods down low, encountered another astrophotographer who ventured up to us out of nowhere, all apologetic for walking into our composition, and asked us, “hey, are you Beth and Chris from the Sactown Photogs Facebook group?”. We were all, “hell yes!” and met the infamous Larry Whiting, unexpectedly out there in the middle of freezing nowhere with no one else in sight! Thank you for the awesome lighting setup and great conversation, Larry! We also got to share the experience of a hunting owl swooping overhead while we shared this incredible and unexpected experience.

www.optimalfocusphotography.com

Leica x1

January 2011

Seattle Tacoma Airport

my thoughts are going to all the lost ones in Japan right now. what a tragedy.

Photography tip 02: Distracting elements

when it comes to composing or Framing an image, there's a lot of visual choices to make in order to know what to include and what to remove from specific scene. of course most of us will logically want to frame with perfection straight out of the camera, but according to multiple parameters, it is not always something possible, and additional cropping is sometimes needed. Most of the time i will flip a photo multiple times, even upside down, before deciding to crop it. and this, in order to focus on the composition and contrast before focusing on the subject. testing multiple solutions, as well as removing my eyes from the canvas for seconds in order to permanently refresh the vision i have from that very specific composition.

"Less is More" is a very valid philosophy in photography, and often we tend to prefer leaving surrounding details without noticing or admitting they're altering or diminishing the impact of the main subject within the photo. I usually prefer having a post processing pass on my photos in order to get rid of unecessary details. it's always cosmetic, never something heavy. but with the use of photoshop's clone stamp tool, i will get rid of details whenever they're too distracting or when they are located too close to the frame. even more if they are actually touching the frame in a way or another. the most important factor is to leave the spirit of the photo untouched.

the same thing applies to color tones and the way they are dispatched in your image. desaturation and additional color tweaking is sometimes necessary if you consider a surrounding tone or color spot close to the frame is draining too much attention out of the main subject.

Restoration and preservation efforts at the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum have led to certain areas on specific floors being filled with a very nice collection of period-correct antiques to depict office and staff dining areas once used at the Asylum.

Also known as the Weston State Hospital, the former asylum is located in Weston, WV. Construction on the hospital began in 1858, with the first patients admitted in 1864. The hospital, designed to hold 250 patients, eventually housed over 2,400 at its peak. The Asylum ceased operations in 1994. Today, the asylum is best known for its historic and paranormal tours, offering a glimpse into both its architecture and the history of mental health treatment in the United States.

Nikon ZF with Nikkor 19mm PC-E F4 perspective correction lens. F11. Oben tripod with an Arca-Swiss C1 cube 3-way geared head.

digital art

Images from a study of color theory that I did many years ago...

6th image.

Lions do not mate at a specific time of year and the females are polyestrous. Like those of other cats, the male lion's penis has spines that point backward. During withdrawal of the penis, the spines rake the walls of the female's vagina, which may cause ovulation. A lioness may mate with more than one male when she is in heat. They normally mate after every 15-20 minutes for 2-3 days whilst on their honeymoon. The average gestation period is around 110 days; the female gives birth to a litter of between one and four cubs in a secluded den, which may be a thicket, a reed-bed, a cave, or some other sheltered area, usually away from the pride.

King Loki of Kilo Saba Pride is seen busy in procreation during a Photography Safari on a late evening game drive, just as the sun was setting, in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya.

P1150775 Market, Beziers, France

No idea which specific uniforms these are - I'm guessing they are mostly French - but maybe also German. I stayed in the hotel in the main square that was used by the Nazi command in WW2.

Anyone have any ideas?

I rarely go out with the specific goal of shooting the hind end of a train. While locomotives have always been the primary focus of railroad photographers since the earliest days of the genre at least a couple generations ago the rear ends were nearly as interesting. Until the mid 1980s every freight train was punctuated by a caboose each dressed in the unique colors and style of the owning road, of which there were far more in the pre mega-merger era. Go back a generation or two further than that to the pre Amtrak era and the rear end of passenger trains were just as interesting often brought up by observation cars of varied styles and colors and frequently adorned with neon logos or stylish nameplates befitting the status of the train.

Alas those days have been relegated to the history books and if you want to photograph a caboose rolling you have to visit a heritage railroad or participate in a photo freight reenactment. Similarly you won't find an observation car on any modern Amtrak trains so unless you want to travel north to see VIA's classic Canadian, you have to visit a museum or be lucky enough to catch a private car or executive train out on the line.

However in recent years the New Jersey based United Railroad Historical Society has begun running regular excursions along the Hudson River (and even a few as far as Chicago!) with their trio of original New York Central Railroad cars that they add to regularly scheduled Amtrak trains.

Bringing up the rear of Amtrak train 233 (Empire Service from New York Penn Station to Albany-Rensselaer) are NYC tavern-lounge number 43 (Budd built 1947), Pullman bedroom lounge 'Swift Stream' (Budd 1949), and observation lounge car 'Hickory Creek' built by Pullman-Standard for the 1948 refit of the flagship 20th Century Limited.

All three cars would have regularly traveled these rails on their original trains, though originating at Penn Station instead of Grand Central would seem blasphemous to those old Central men! The Hickory Creek resplendent in her Henry Dreyfuss designed two toned grey livery splits the Central era small target GRS type SA signals as she sails north up Main1 at MP 99 on modern day Amtrak's Hudson Line which opened between New York and Albany in 1851 as the Hudson River Railroad.

In 1864 the road was purchased by Cornelius Vanderbilt along with the New York and Harlem. Meanwhile in 1853 Erastus Corning had assembled a plethora of small local lines as the New York Central Railroad running from Albany to Buffalo and in 1867 Vanderbilt merged it with his road to create the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad and the rest as they say is history. The line passed from the NYC, to Penn Central, Conrail, and ultimately CSXT until December 2012 when Amtrak took over control and dispatching of the line from Poughkeepsie to Hoffmans (where it joins the busy Mohawk Subdivision) under a long term lease agreement with CSXT.

As for these trips check out this website to learn more about what the URHS offers:

www.hudsonriverrail.com/experiences

And for an in depth history of each of these three cars check out these links:

www.urhs.org/hickorycreek

www.urhs.org/swiftstream

www.urhs.org/rolling-stock#/nyc43

Tivoli, New York

Saturday October 26, 2024

Becoming Marni is a site-specific installation conceived as the concluding act of the whole Marni Prisma program. It consists of one hundred wooden sculptures created by Brazilian self-taught artist Véio, distributed around the cloister and inside the rooms of the Abbey, drawing an ideal landscape of organic forms. The sculptures are installed in different groups, indoors and outdoors, their presence marked by a tactile path, the color of Venice’s water, drawn on the floor: an irregular surface with translucent spots, creating continuity between the outside and the inside. A small cabinet in the cloister housed Véio’s workshop, enabling him to create artworks on site. Furthermore, as the San Gregorio Abbey is usually closed to the public, this exhibition presented an opportunity to enjoy a unique space.

Consuelo and Carolina Castiglioni discovered Véio at a collective exhibition in Paris. Through Galeria Estação, which exclusively represents him, they entered in contact with him and Carolina tracked him down to Nossa Senhora da Gloria, the small village in the north East of Brazil where he lives and works. Here Véio creates his enigmatic sculptures by giving new life to pieces of wood, clogs and branches he finds along the river. He immediately identifies a being in each piece – an animal, a resting human, a fantastic bird. By a process of artistic transformation – clipping, shaving, adding a final layer of color – he makes the same beings visible to the public, removing them from the raw material and thereby restoring to the wood a meaning that exceeds pure physicality.

This is the complete album of the photos of my visit. --- --- --- www.flickr.com/photos/136891509@N07/albums/72157661202999340

In a strikingly specific instance of mimicry, the patterns on the wings of this moth (Macrocilix maia) appear to resemble two flies feeding at a glistening bird dropping. This, coupled with a pungent odor that the moth emits, may be enough to dissuade a predator from considering a meal. Although flies are certainly edible, they nevertheless sometimes serve as models for mimicry because they are so quick and agile that most birds won't bother pursuing them. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).

Specific stone cone roofs in the city of Alberobello

This is my first real art specific photograph.

I photographed this scene for my mono entry in the local camera club monthly competition. The theme was "Touch of Red" and it took me quite a bit of thought to come up with this concept,

I set out with a goal in mind, it took me several days to capture this image because every time i went there was no train.

I finally went there yesterday morning and found a train that had broken down, waited around for an hour and when he finally got moving again i snapped the shot as desired.

the desired brief i had in my head was:

Longer exposure to capture the motion blur of the train with a solid foreground.

Capture the light flashing.

A rare entry into a contest with a specific photo in mind, this is for my creative friends at the most excellent group, Kreative People. (You can see they are creative by their spelling...;-)) For those unfamiliar with the group, it is one of the most active and truly creative on Flickr and well worth a visit. The contest can be viewed here, a link you might use to further explore:

www.flickr.com/groups/1752359@N2/discuss/72157650926388189/

As for the image itself, picture cherry blossoms or redbuds or whatever else makes you happy. And thanks to Sandy for the inspiration...

Projetos Escalares

PASSAGEM - Site Specific - SESC de Presidente Prudente - 2016

Galhos secos, cimento, terra e grama, 3 x 5 x 18 metros.

Márcio Diegues

Foto de Thiago Ferri.

I like the overall texture of many flowers without a specific focus

Every year, mostly between the months of December and January, hordes of photographers descend on an obscure stretch of coastline located at the end of a dodgy road in Big Sur to capture the setting sun through a natural archway on Pfeiffer Beach. This was taken last year after I almost bottomed out my Prius trying to get get from PCH down to the parking area after the road was heavily damaged by one of the rare rainstorms we had. For more information on shooting the Keyhole Arch including compositional ideas and logistical concerns, please feel free to check out my new article up today at : The Resonant Landscape

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Thank you so much for your views and comments! If you have specific questions please be sure to send me a message via flickr mail, or feel free to contact me via one of the following:

Blog | Website | Facebook | Google + | 500px | Twitter | Instagram

A cold clear morning sees the Norbord Inverness plant, off the A96, venting steam to great effect.

The plant produces oriented strand board (OSB), part of the organisations line in wood products, which also includes chipboard and MDF.

OSB, also known as flakeboard, sterling board and aspenite in British English, is a type of engineered lumber similar to particle board, formed by adding adhesives and then compressing layers of wood strands (flakes) in specific orientations. It was invented by Armin Elmendorf in California in 1963.

Due to Gene's efforts of checking the E-bird reports, we went to this State Forest south of Cadillac, MI and did some serious

tracking in my SUV through many 2 track dirt/sandy roads which was fruitless. We started at the north end of the Forest, when we should have started on the south end. The E-bird reports were not specific enough, so we had to use our birding instincts and ingenuity to realize that the southern part was where we were supposed to be.

Sure enough, as we began to drive the better roads of the southern sections of the forest and observed the more appropriate Golden-Winged habitat , Gene heard our first Golden-Winged singing. In all, in one morning of photographing, we found 8 singing males----certainly a very successful day of shooting. Only thing hampering us for better images was the intermittent rain and subdued lighting conditions. But, I was more than delighted seeing these most beautiful birds!!!

EXIF data shows the bird to be 36.7 feet from the camera!!

The little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis), also known as dabchick, is a member of the grebe family of water birds. The genus name is from Ancient Greek takhus "fast" and bapto "to sink under". The specific ruficollis is from Latin rufus "red" and Modern Latin -collis, "-necked", itself derived from Latin collum "neck".

At 23 to 29 cm (9.1 to 11.4 in) in length it is the smallest European member of its family. It is commonly found in open bodies of water across most of its range.

The little grebe is a small water bird with a pointed bill. The adult is unmistakable in summer, predominantly dark above with its rich, rufous colour neck, cheeks and flanks, and bright yellow gape. The rufous is replaced by a dirty brownish grey in non-breeding and juvenile birds.

Juvenile birds have a yellow bill with a small black tip, and black and white streaks on the cheeks and sides of the neck as seen below. This yellow bill darkens as the juveniles age, eventually turning black in adulthood.

In winter, its size, buff plumage, with a darker back and cap, and “powder puff” rear end enable easy identification of this species. The little grebe's breeding call, given singly or in duet, is a trilled repeated weet-weet-weet or wee-wee-wee which sounds like a horse whinnying.

From the "free access" Roof Garden at the top of the Post Building

At the middle the "Horizon H22" Building and at the right with it's specific shape, the "Sky Garden" called Walkie-Talkie

I did a couple sketches, and the guy wanted a wildstyle graffiti piece, I was like you sure, dude was like yeah, do your thang, So, I did a color scheme and wanted midnight dark blue for the background, the idea was going for a blue print background, dude came back after I already made the paint order with, yeah a couple people arent feeling the wall color being that dark....pause...I was like okay go with what you want i guess...so, there goes the concept and the color scheme, commission jobs...yuuup!

Freeway Lanes located off the Golden State Highway in Selma,CA. The specific address for this bowling alley is 8265 East Dinuba Ave. but the freeway name is for the Golden State Highway which on a separate note was bypassed by Highway 99. Like Highway 99 the Golden State Highway is full of diamonds in the rough including numerous motels and motor courts (many abandoned but not in a way for abandoned exploration).

There were only two cars parked in the parking lot when I took this photo and its location is not close to any houses but judging by online references the place still might be open.

Tall stalks of liriope (pronounced: lih-RY-ə-pee), blooming wild, creek-side, at eventide.

Seminary Wood in Decatur Legacy Park

City of Decatur (Winnona Park), Georgia, USA.

18 August 2022

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▶ "Liriope muscari is a species of flowering plant from East Asia. Common names in English include big blue lilyturf, lilyturf, border grass, and monkey grass. It is invasive to North America and considered a threat to native wildlife. Being an easy plant to grow [however], it is one of the most popular garden ground-covers in the southeastern United States.

Liriope muscari typically grows 12 to 18 inches tall (30–45 cm) and features clumps of strap-like, arching, glossy, dark evergreen leaves to ½ inch wide (1.3 cm). The small, showy flowers occur on erect spikes with tiered whorls of dense, white to violet-purple flowers rising above the leaves in late summer. Flowers resemble those of grape hyacinth (Muscari), which is the origin of the specific epithet. Flowers develop into blackish berries which often persist into winter."

— Wikipedia

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▶ Photo by Yours For Good Fermentables.com.

▶ For a larger image, type 'L' (without the quotation marks).

— Follow on Facebook: YoursForGoodFermentables.

— Follow on Instagram: @tcizauskas.

▶ Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10 II.

—Lens: Olympus M.45mm F1.8.

— Settings: 45 mm | 0.4 sec | ƒ/2.0 | ISO 200

— Focus bracket (11 images)

— Edit: Photoshop Elements 15, Nik Collection.

▶ Commercial use requires explicit permission, as per Creative Commons.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanderling

The sanderling (Calidris alba) is a small wading bird. The name derives from Old English sand-yrðling, "sand-ploughman".[2] The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific alba is Latin for "white".[3]

It is a circumpolar Arctic breeder, and is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to South America, South Europe, Africa, and Australia. It is highly gregarious in winter, sometimes forming large flocks on coastal mudflats or sandy beaches.

It is somewhat unlike other sandpipers in appearance, which has led to the suggestion that it should be placed into a monotypic genus Crocethia. A more recent review (Thomas et al., 2004) indicates, however, that the sanderling is a fairly typical "stint" or small sandpiper and should be separated from the large knots with its closest relatives in a distinct genus.

This bird is similar in size to a dunlin, but stouter, with a thick bill. It shows a strong white wingbar in flight, and runs along the sandy beaches it prefers with a characteristic "bicycling" action of its legs, stopping frequently to pick small food items. It eats small crabs and other small invertebrates. In spring, birds migrating north from South America consume large numbers of horseshoe crab eggs in the Delaware Bay area.

In spring, the birds arrive on the High Arctic breeding grounds (see map), where they lay 3–4 eggs in a ground scrape. On the nesting grounds, these birds mainly eat insects and some plant material.

The sanderling is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

Description

The sanderling is a small plump sandpiper, 18–20 cm (7.1–7.9 in) in length. Its weight ranges from 40–100 g (1.4–3.5 oz). The winter bird is very pale, almost white apart from a dark shoulder patch. This is the source of the specific name, alba, which is the Latin for "white". Later in the summer, the face and throat become brick-red. The juvenile bird is spangled black and white, and shows much more contrast than the adult.

Standard Measurements[4][5]

length180–220 mm (7.1–8.7 in)

weight60 g (2.1 oz)

wingspan430 mm (17 in)

wing114.5–121.6 mm (4.51–4.79 in)

tail47.3–53 mm (1.86–2.09 in)

culmen22.5–26.6 mm (0.89–1.05 in)

tarsus23.5–25.8 mm (0.93–1.02 in)

If its size is misjudged, a sanderling in breeding plumage can be mistaken for some varieties of stint, or a sanderling in winter plumage can be mistaken for a dunlin or red knot. It can be told from other small wading birds, given good views, by its lack of a hind toe. Its behavior is also distinctive.

Distribution, habitat and migration

The sanderling breeds in the High Arctic areas of North America, Europe and Asia. In North America, it breeds in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Nunavut, Greenland (and to a lesser extent Alaska). In Eurasia, it breeds in Spitsbergen and areas of northern Russia from the Taymyr Peninsula to the New Siberian Islands. In the northern winter, it has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution across the world's marine coasts. It is a complete migrant, travelling between 3,000 to 10,000 km (1,900 to 6,200 mi) from its breeding grounds to its wintering sites. Birds that travel further also arrive later and leave sooner. Most adults leave the breeding grounds in July and early August, whereas juvenile birds leave in late August and early September. The northward migration begins in March at the southern end of their winter distribution.[6]

The breeding habitat of the sanderling is coastal tundra north of 5 °C (41 °F) July isotherm. The species typically chooses nesting sites on dry stony areas near wet areas, from 60 m (200 ft) above sea level to 800 m (2,600 ft). During the winter and its migration, it is most commonly found on coastal sandy beaches, but also occurs on tidal sand flats, mud flats and the shores of lakes and rivers. More infrequently, it may occur on rocky shores.[6]

Subspecies

The sanderling consists of two subspecies:

C. a. alba, (Pallas, 1764), breeds on Ellesmere Island, north & east Greenland, Svalbard, Franz Josef Land and the Taymyr Peninsula

C. a. rubida, (Gmelin, 1789), breeds in northeast Siberia, Alaska and northern Canada

Behaviour

Feeding behaviour

Sanderlings feed on invertebrate prey buried in the sand in the upper intertidal zone. In North America, this diet largely consists of the isopods Excirolana linguifrons, Excirolana kincaidii, and the mole crab, Emerita analoga. When the tide is out, these crustaceans live in burrows some way beneath the surface. When the tide comes in, they move into the upper layers of sand and feed on the plankton and detritus that washes over them with each wave. They then burrow rapidly down again as the water retreats. They leave no marks on the surface, so the sanderlings hunt for them by plunging their beaks into the sand at random, consuming whatever they find. Their bills can penetrate only 2 or 3 cm (0.79 or 1.18 in) and as the water swirls around and retreats, the sand is softer; this makes it easier for the birds' beaks to penetrate further. In the spring, when much breeding activity is taking place in the benthic community, there may be as many as 4000 invertebrates per square metre, but their average size is smaller than later in the year. The birds appear to rush madly around at the edge of the surf, but in reality they are maximising their chances of catching as many prey animals as possible when they are at their most vulnerable near the surface.[7]

Breeding behaviour

At breeding time sanderlings are territorial, with the male aggressively defending its territory. They may either form monogamous pairs or polyandrous (one female and two male) pairings.