taken in Taijiang National Park, Tainan, Taiwan

Lu, the neighbour showing us how good a full stretch is but she also was ensuring that I would be won over and wouldn’t shush her out of the garden and it worked. I just laughed out loud.

Le martin-pêcheur se nourrit principalement de poissons pris depuis un perchoir au-dessus de l'eau. L'oiseau reste posé pendant de longs moments, regardant attentivement l'eau à la recherche de proies, tournant et inclinant la tête et le corps. Quand la proie est détectée, il plonge à pic et capture le poisson sous l'eau, pouvant aller jusqu'à un mètre de profondeur. Ensuite, utilisant ses ailes, il se propulse vers la surface et s'élève, le bec tendu vers le ciel, et retourne sur son perchoir.

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The kingfisher feeds mainly on fish caught from a perch above the water. The bird remains resting for long periods of time, looking carefully at the water for prey, turning and tilting the head and body. When the prey is detected, it plunges sharply and captures the fish under water, up to one meter deep. Then, using its wings, it propels itself towards the surface and rises, the beak stretched towards the sky, and returns on its perch.

Kruger National Park, South Africa

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Australian Darter shows its neck extension

iPhone 12 Pro

Icarus

Great Horned Owl stretches its wing and leg. Sky Replacement added to get rid of a mostly white background.

This Marbled Godwit comes up with a sand worm between incoming waves.

I've perfected my yoga stretching technique a bit 😁

Thanks to Serab for Concept} Warm ! Love it 😊

五股溼地

Eine juvenile Bachstelze streckt sich.

A juvenile wagtail stretches.

RKO_2639. An African elephant crossing the road at Amboseli, Kenya!

Copyright: Robert Kok. All rights reserved! Watermark protected (sorry for that).

More of my work and activities can be seen on:

linktr.ee/robertkok

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Thanks for visiting, commenting and faving my photos. Its very much appreciated!

I spotted this osprey sleeping in a tree. Waited for it to take off, and after it woke up, it made some moves that I thought were leading to flight, but turned out were just stretching. Oh, well, maybe another day!

Carolina Wren doing it's morning exercise routine at Peace Valley Park, New Britain PA.

I could not resist posting one more photo of a Female Goldfinch gathering fluff for her nest. The females are still hard at work even though it seems they have been doing it for weeks. They really must be creating the deluxe version of their nests this year :)

STIRATINA

Giving the tele-lens a bit of a work out, Colas 'Shed' 66847 hauls the 2.40pm Ribblehead - Chirk Kronospan logs (6V37) through a sunny Frodsham, one early summer's evening in 2014.

The line seemingly disappears beyond the end of the train, but in fact it tops out for the viaduct (which the train is crossing) over the River Weaver. The heat-haze from the exhaust is pretty evident.

Rework of an upload that falls well below current QC specs, and now deleted. Comments off for this one, thanks.

7.19pm, 6th June 2014

Gland, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland

This long term exposure (300 sec.) has been taken at the very beginning of the sunrise. A pure moment of peacefulness on a very still lake with no wind.

A New Holland honeyeater, Phylidonyris novaehollandiae stretching getting ready to feed on a Banksia flowerspike above it. For more information about this bird see: here.

Thank you for visiting. I appreciate the faves and kind comments very much.

Giraffes photographed in the Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Great Egret stretching its wings on the nest. Rookery at O'Fallon Park in St Louis, Missouri

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature…the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”

― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

These 60+ degree February days in Indiana have me holding my breath for spring that is just around the corner.

An American white pelican stretching out after its morning preen at Ding Darling NWR, Sanibel Island Florida. Taken a few weeks ago on 26 January, 2022.

A pied oyster catcher showing off its yoga skills!

Happy Wing Wednesday!

It will be a while before it is Easter, but Easterbear is already in the Netherlands. He visits a good friend: Ballet dancer Piggolina Ballerina.

PIGGOLINA BALLERINA:

How nice to see you again Easter Bear. It's been a year since we've spoken. You look good.

EASTER BEAR:

Thank you Piggolina. You're looking good too.

PIGGOLINA BALLERINA:

I'm just really busy you know. Soon I will have a ballet performance with the famous Scoutlova. I practise 6 hours every day.

EASTER BEAR:

Can you show some of your exercises?

PIGGOLINA BALLERINA:

I'll show you the splits.

EASTER BEAR:

Wow! How do you do that?

PIGGOLINA BALLERINA:

It's just stretch into splits

EASTER BEAR: (trying the splits....only half way)

Ouch....help Piggolina....I can't go any further.

PIGGOLINA BALLERINA:

Come...give me your paw....I'll pull you up.

Let's go for a drink...that seems more sensible to me.

EASTER BEAR:

I will never do this again!!!!!!!!!!!!

Townsend's warbler

An immature/non-breeding starling stretching it out.

A Roseate spoonbill stretching its wings in the early morning light.

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Very satisfying stretch by this little urban fox. Seen in Hampshire, UK.

Stretching!