277/366: 2016

Macro Monday theme - in a row

My stippling brushes...craft stash to the rescue again today. An alternative to today's theme is in comments, I had a job to decide which to use. HMM

I am unable to spend much time on Flickr at the moment, apologies if I don't get to comment on your work or if I leave just one word or just hit the fave button...a very busy few days but hope to catch soon.

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: "The Pectoral Sandpiper is among the most recognizable of small shorebirds, larger than the small “peep” sandpipers and sporting a distinctively stippled breast that ends neatly at a white belly."

They are migrating through our region on their way to their Tundra breeding grounds.

Murray Marsh. Sturgeon County, Alberta.

This flat, shield-shaped bug is common throughout England and Wales, but less so in Scotland.

It is bright green and stippled with tiny black dots in spring and summer, but changes to greeny-bronze in autumn. Its wing tips are dark brown.

Adult shield bugs hibernate in grass tussocks or leaf litter and emerge in May.

Females lay clusters of small, barrel-shaped eggs on the undersides of leaves. These hatch into wingless nymphs, which crawl between plants to feed, and become the new generation of adults in September. These bugs can often be seen basking in the sun during late summer before they hibernate. Both adults and nymphs suck plant sap.

It is sometimes called a green stink bug as it produces a pungent odour from special glands if handled or disturbed.

This flat, shield-shaped bug is common throughout England and Wales, but less so in Scotland.

It is bright green and stippled with tiny black dots in spring and summer, but changes to greeny-bronze in autumn. Its wing tips are dark brown.

Adult shield bugs hibernate in grass tussocks or leaf litter and emerge in May.

Females lay clusters of small, barrel-shaped eggs on the undersides of leaves. These hatch into wingless nymphs, which crawl between plants to feed, and become the new generation of adults in September. These bugs can often be seen basking in the sun during late summer before they hibernate. Both adults and nymphs suck plant sap.

It is sometimes called a green stink bug as it produces a pungent odour from special glands if handled or disturbed.

This flat, shield-shaped bug is common throughout England and Wales, but less so in Scotland.

It is bright green and stippled with tiny black dots in spring and summer, but changes to greeny-bronze in autumn. Its wing tips are dark brown.

Adult shield bugs hibernate in grass tussocks or leaf litter and emerge in May.

Females lay clusters of small, barrel-shaped eggs on the undersides of leaves. These hatch into wingless nymphs, which crawl between plants to feed, and become the new generation of adults in September. These bugs can often be seen basking in the sun during late summer before they hibernate. Both adults and nymphs suck plant sap.

It is sometimes called a green stink bug as it produces a pungent odour from special glands if handled or disturbed.

sidelit stipple glass from my kitchen dresser, with some condiments bottles behind adding colour

Nests in wet, grassy tundra, usually near coastal areas. Migrants and wintering birds select grassy wetlands of many types, both natural and artificial (such as sod farms, rice fields, wet pastures).

Picks and probes in shallow wetlands and mud for invertebrates. Males perform spectacular flight and terrestrial displays.

Adults are patterned in brown, gold, and black above, with white belly and neat dark-brown rows of stipples on the breast that stop sharply at the white belly. Juveniles are similar but with some rusty-edged feathers above. The legs are yellowish. In flight, shows little to no wingstripe.

Sunrise at the Horizon, Eastern Plains/Rocky Mountains Front Range, Colorado

PIED BEAUTY

Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889)

Glory be to God for dappled things—

For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;

For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;

Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches' wings;

Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;

And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;

Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)

With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:

Praise Him.

There have been a good many migrants tracking south along the rivers here in Georgia as we have had near drought conditions for some weeks. This is probably a first fall male. You can see yellow stippling through the lower part of the hood and olive stippling through the upper part of the hood. Notice how much lighter in color the beak is compared to a spring male.

9/10/2019

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Very uncommon large, long-billed shorebird, nearly the size of a godwit, found in coastal mudflats and open marshes. Breeding adult extensively brick-red below, dark and strongly marked with brick-red tones above. Nonbreeding adult grayish brown with a duller, browner bill. Juvenile dark above, with broad gold feather edges, pale below, washed with warm buff or gold tones and with neat dark stipples and chevron-shaped marks. Blackish legs distinguish Asian from Long-billed Dowitcher, which has yellowish-green legs. Blackish or brownish bill of adult Asian differs from bicolored bill of godwits; note that bill of juvenile Asian has pale base. (eBird)

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We had seen one Asian Dowitcher in Darwin, Australia, but it was very difficult to differentiate from the other dowitchers due to the amount of mud hiding the colours of the legs and bill. So when we found this flock of 40 all dining in cleanish water, we could clearly see the ID marks and I could take a decent, albeit long-distance, shot of this threatened bird.

Here's a link to our Thailand bird trip list: ebird.org/tripreport/328567

Bang Kaeo--Laem Canal estuary, Phetchaburi, Thailand. February 2025.

Rockjumper Birding Tours.

I've mentioned before about how great it is to be able to get up above the cars at the Goodwood Members Meeting, and at the 74MM this again was a possibility for those of us with the patience to wait for a gap to appear (its a popular spot amongst spectators with good reason).

Having elected to watch the Alan Mann Trophy race from here on the Saturday night, knowing that it was one of only two races over the weekend to feature a driver change, it guaranteed at least one drive through of each car during the hour long race.

This particular car, owned by Daniela Ellerbrock, and driven in the Alan Mann Trophy race by Olivier Ellerbrock and Frank Stippler, took the prize for the fastest race lap of the 74MM, with Frank Stippler clocking an impressive lap time of 1min 21.607sec.

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Dave Adams Automotive Images

All done and ready to post! The prairie points needed a little something to set them off, so the mug rug has grown! A plain white, stipple quilted background makes a nice offset, I think!

gaylebrindley.wordpress.com/2010/11/13/little-red-ready-t...

Mostly brownish above, with pale feather edges, tan below, with neat dark stippling. The crown is dark brown with a pale central stripe, and most show a narrow dark eyeline.

Whimbrels probe with their long bills into mudflats or wet sand for invertebrates such as crabs, walking slowly through areas where water is very shallow. Flocks moving in migration, or between roosting and feeding areas, vocalize often. Males sing and display on and above nesting territories in the arctic, often calling loudly when they spot predators or intruders.

Focus-BKT

“Plicata” is a descriptive term for irises that have patterns of stitched, stippled or banded colors contrasting with the base color. I think that's a great description for this cattleya orchid. Seen at the 2017 San Francisco Orchid Exposition.

Hope you have a great weekend ahead! Thanks, as always, for stopping by and for all of your visits, comments, awards and faves - I appreciate them all.

© Melissa Post 2017

Glory be to God for dappled things—

For skies of stippled-color as a brinded cow;

For gilded geese in form above trout that swim;

Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;

Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;

And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;

Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)

With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:

Praise him.

-- Gerard Manley Hopkins

Click photo to view Large.

Late Afternoon.2021 Jan

Breeding adult has bright rusty back and crown, black belly patch, and white underparts with dark stippling. Nonbreeding Forages by picking and probing in mud, walking slowly, usually in large flocks. Breeding males display over territories with fluttering, gliding flights and give unusual trilling songs.adults have grayish brown upperparts, head, and breast, and are pale below. Juveniles are browner, with a scaly black and rusty brown marbled pattern above, white below, with faint stippling and trace of dark belly patch. The legs are dark.

Focus-BKT

Swertia perennis (Gentianaceae) 199 20

Swertia perennis (felwort or star Swertia) is a species of flowering plant in the gentian family.

It is native to several regions of the northern hemisphere, including much of Eurasia and western North America.

It is a plant of wetlands, particularly calcareous fens. It is common to abundant in many areas, but it is known to be negatively impacted by habitat fragmentation and other habitat destruction, and human activity has led to its extirpation from some areas where it was once common. It is a perennial herb producing usually one erect stem growing 10 to 50 centimeters tall. The inflorescence is an open panicle of flowers atop the stem. The corolla is dull blue to violet in color with darker purplish veining or stippling.

From Wikipedia

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A large, bulky eagle of forested hills. The small head, immensely broad wings, and large, often fanned-out tail give this bird the silhouette of a hawk on steroids when in flight. When perched, the thin upright crest separates this species from any hawk. Adults are dark brown above with thick brown bars on the belly and vertical black streaks on the throat. Juveniles are paler below, with brown upperparts showing neat pale-edge feathers and mostly pale head, lightly stippled or streaked with brown. (eBird)

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A wonderful experience as this lovely eagle flew overhead, high in the mountains of northern Thailand. We saw two, both in the same park. Previously we had seen them in Sikkim, India, in similar terrain.

Here's a link to our Thailand bird trip list: ebird.org/tripreport/328567

Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park - Doi Lang East, Chiang Mai, Thailand. February 2025.

Rockjumper Birding Tours.

Please, no invitations to award/forced comment groups or to those with large/animated comment codes.

A very small shorebird of both inland and coastal wetlands and estuaries. Breeding adult has vivid orange head bordered by dark stippling (no dark markings internal to the orange, unlike Little Stint) and bright orange and gold tones in upperwing coverts. Nonbreeding adult gray above, pale below; juvenile similar but richer gray-brown above with neat pale feather edges in upperparts. Flight call a high-pitched, raspy “krreeet.” (eBird)

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This is just a very small part of the flock of 400 stints foraging in the salt pans. They were with thousands of other shorebirds of various species all bulking up before breeding season begins.

Khok Kham--Bird Center vicinity, Samut Sakhon, Thailand. February 2025.

Rockjumper Birding Tours.

Harris Brown-ALL rights reserved. This image may not be used for ANY purpose without written permission.

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Virginia, USA

Thanks to all who take the time to view, comment on and favor my images. It is very much appreciated.

Breeding adults have bright rusty backs and crown, black belly patch, and white underparts with dark stippling.

They forage by picking and probing in the mud, walking slowly, usually in large flocks.

Nikon Z9 camera with Nikon Z600mm f 6.3 PF lens.

1/3200 F6.3 ISO 640

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.

John 8:32

The Downy Woodpecker can be differentiated from a Hairy Woodpecker by its smaller body and beak and stipples outer tail features.

Quickly Changing Colors, Rocky Mountain Front Range, Denver Basin, Colorado

This photo reminds me of Ink stippling which was invented by Giulio Campagnola, an Italian engraver, around 1510 to achieve tonal variation in his engravings. By using multiple tiny dots instead of lines, he could create more nuanced gradations of light and shadow. This technique was later adopted in various forms of ink and paint art, eventually distinguishing itself from the similar painting technique of Pointillism, which uses paint instead of ink.

Breeding adults are dappled in brown, black, gold, and rufous above, with pale underparts and dark legs. The head, nape, and breast are stippled or streaked with brown, but the flanks are white. Nonbreeding adults are much plainer, mousy grayish brown above, pale below, with weak supercilium (pale line over eye). Juveniles are similar to nonbreeding adult but the upperparts show a neat, scaly pattern.

Semipalmated Sandpipers walk slowly through mudflats and wetlands, rapidly and continuously pecking or probing for tiny invertebrate prey. They can occur in large flocks; dominant birds often chase or peck at others that approach too closely.

Breeds on arctic tundra; forages in mudflats, wet and plowed agricultural fields, river margins, sewage ponds, and estuaries.

Derrybawn, Wicklow, Ireland

HTMT

The photo's title is also the title of a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins, my all-time favorite poet.

Written in 1877 but not published until 1918, the poem paradoxically connects at the end the variety of creation with the immutability of its Creator.

The structure of the poem is a "curtal sonnet", which is sort of a truncated sonnet and a form Hopkins himself invented.

Pied Beauty

Glory be to God for dappled things —

For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;

For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;

Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches' wings;

Landscape plotted and pieced — fold, fallow, and plough;

And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;

Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)

With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:

Praise him.

Bowling Green Lane, Clerkenwell

iPhone + snapseed + Flickr filter

Website | facebook | Google+ | Blog | Stipple

Happy Slider Sunday

A very small shorebird of both inland and coastal wetlands and estuaries. Breeding adult has vivid orange head bordered by dark stippling (no dark markings internal to the orange, unlike Little Stint) and bright orange and gold tones in upperwing coverts. Nonbreeding adult gray above, pale below; juvenile similar but richer gray-brown above with neat pale feather edges in upperparts. Flight call a high-pitched, raspy “krreeet.”

Solitary Sandpiper at The Pool in Central Park, NYC.

Solitary Sandpipers are small, slender shorebird with a somewhat long neck and long bill. It has fairly long wings and legs.

They are dark olive-brown above with a white eyering; pale below. In breeding plumage, the head and breast show dark stippling and the upperparts are neatly spotted with white. In non-breeding plumage, the back is mostly unspotted and the breast is washed with brown. The legs are olive. Dark underwings contrast sharply with white belly in flight.

Solitary Sandpipers forage in small freshwater wetlands, often in wooded environments, where they walk slowly through shallow water, frequently bobbing the rear of the body. When startled, they fly a short distance, call, and land, often keeping the wings raised above the body momentarily after landing.

--- allaboutbirds.org

Wood ducks breed across most of the central and eastern United States, southeastern Canada and along the Pacific coast from California to British Columbia. The highest breeding densities occur in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. In recent decades, the breeding range has expanded westward into the Great Plains region following development of wooded riparian corridors. Wood ducks prefer riparian habitats, wooded swamps and freshwater marshes. Females nest in tree cavities or nest boxes and lay an average of 12 bone-white eggs.

Female wood ducks have a gray-brown head and neck with a brownish, green, glossed crest. A white teardrop shaped patch surrounds the brownish-black eye. The throat is white and the breast is gray-brown stippled with white, fading into the white belly. The back is olive brown with a shimmer of iridescent green. The bill is blue-gray and the legs and feet are dull grayish-yellow.

Found this female in Polk County, Florida.

....remembering....

Pied Beauty

by Gerard Manley Hopkins

Glory be to God for dappled things –

For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;

For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;

Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;

Landscape plotted and pieced – fold, fallow, and plough;

And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;

Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)

With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:

Praise him.

doesn't look like seurat's "bathers at asnieres" but for some reason it reminded me of the painting - maybe its the texture which looks a little like stippling...

One of my favourite shots of this installation at Kew Gardens - this is looking up from below through the stippled glass floor.

Thanks a lot for your visits, comments, faves, invites, etc ... Always very much appreciated !

Finely stippled

Uniform beard

Idealized masculinity

OlympusOmZuiko 55mmF1.2

Collared Aracari in the dappled light at the edge of the rain forest in Costa Rica.

Glory be to God for dappled things –

For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;

For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;

Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;

Landscape plotted and pieced – fold, fallow, and plough;

And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;

Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)

With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:

Praise him

Pied Beauty - Gerard Manley Hopkins

On a day when we went for a walk towards Bamburgh castle I was on the lookout for shapes in the sand dunes, I was not disappointed, so glad we had the beach all to ourselves on this day too.

Who could resist these lovely shapes and textures where wind and the sea had come in to reshape the edge of the sand dunes, the rain had also played it`s part in giving the sand a stipple effect while the wind had reshaped the sand over a long stretch of dunes and across the left behind seaweed as well, many more like this to come as well.

Here is a side by side (front and back) shot of the completed thrift quilt. I am done with stippling. I have to add the binding. Can't wait to get the binding started.

Please feel free to have a browse of my Cyber Art Gallery - Exhibition:

www.flickr.com/photos/terryeve-draughting-ltd/albums/7217...

Artist Statement:

This painting captures a playful and warm moment in the everyday life of farm animals, where the mundane becomes extraordinary through the gentle play of light and colour. Set in the late afternoon, the cows feed contentedly from their pen, their ears and the sileage fodder glowing with the soft backlighting of the low, golden sun. The scene is imbued with a sense of humour and light heartedness, amplified by the way the cows’ ears—illuminated from behind—take on an almost comical quality. The sharp, stippled brushwork enhances these glowing edges, lending a sense of clarity and focus to the light as it dances around the cows, making their features stand out in a way that brings a smile to the viewer’s face.

The color palette of browns, tans, golds, and yellows amplifies the warmth of the scene, evoking a feeling of comfort and simplicity, while also drawing attention to the interplay of light that animates the cows’ shapes. The deliberate choice of brushwork, with its sharp, stippled appearance, gives texture and depth to the cows' ears and the fodder, highlighting their illuminated edges as though they are themselves momentarily transformed by the light, basking in the sun's last, tender rays of the day.

In emphasizing the way the light interacts with the animals, I aim to evoke a sense of joy and light heartedness. There is a playful, almost whimsical quality to how the cows’ ears seem to catch the light, exaggerating their presence and adding a touch of humour to the everyday scene. The animals become not just subjects, but characters in a narrative, inviting the viewer to share in a moment of warmth, simplicity, and quiet amusement.

This painting is a celebration of the small, often unnoticed moments of beauty in rural life—the humour that can be found in nature's details, the soft interplay of light, and the simple joy of animals living in harmony with their environment. Through this piece, I hope to bring a smile to the viewer's face and a sense of connection to the warmth and whimsy of the farm, captured in the glowing simplicity of a late afternoon.