Post a beautiful nature picture

[Betty LaRue]

On 01/04/2020 at 10:43, spacecadet said:

These geese are fattened up for Christmas in a favourite Flemish town of ours. It has elaborate 17th- century fortifications, including moats, and they alternate between the grass and the water. When they wish to cross the road, the traffic waits, of course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really like it when I see people stopping their busy lives for animals. I recently watched a video showing a cop halting traffic to allow a duck and about 10-12 ducklings to cross. Then he walked them down the sidewalk and around a fence, herding them to a lake. 

[Betty LaRue]

12 hours ago, Allan Bell said:

 

Rewarding but a lot of work. Every chick had to be checked each day for food stuck to their little beaks as it would harden and their beaks would become deformed.

Adults are messy feeders of their young.

Can't remember exactly how many nest boxes we had going at any one time but we were only a small concern with around 20 and usually an average of three young per nest. Breeding was year round too.

Added to that there was the regular daily cleaning of the nest boxes and cages as well as the aviary and outdoor flights.

Then topping up feeding containers and water bottles.

 

But the birds are great fun and we had a good time watching their antics. In the winter when snow was on the ground we would open the doors to the outside flights and the birds would roll in the snow on the bottom of the flights.

 

Allan

 

Allan! I’m surprised the budgies survived snow!
We had parakeets for a big part of my life. Their constitutions were delicate. One time we left to go to a drive-in movie in south Texas where winters were mild. The door on our apartment was out of plumb and hard to shut securely. While we were gone, a cold front came through and blew the door open. The bird cage sat clear across the room but was in the cold draft. It was already fluffed up, like they do when sick, by the time we got home.  It died the next day.

The reason I finally wanted a parrot is because I got tired of mourning our precious parakeets. The longest we had one was 8 years, the shortest was 4 months. I took great care of them and they had everything recommended a budgie should have. I kept the cage spotless.  
 

Each was tamed by me within a couple of days of bringing it home, and rode around on our shoulders and had lots of out-of the-cage playtime. I taught them to talk. One said Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. They all learned “pretty bird” and “give me a kiss”.  Each one was part of the family, and the whole family cried when one died. They would be healthy and active one day, get sick and die quickly.

The veterinarians were not schooled in how to take care of birds.

Parrots have stronger constitutions. I’ve had Echo 27 years.

A funny thing. My mother took out a small life insurance policy on me as a child. I kept up the premiums after marrying. One day a new agent, a young lady, came to collect on the policy. This was back before God made dirt when agents actually called on people.

 

I invited her in and as she walked across the room to sit down, Scrapper flew in from his cage in the next room and tried to greet her by landing on her head. She was taken so unaware that she screamed bloody murder and flattened on the floor like a soldier diving into a foxhole!  🤣😄😂.

I was so embarrassed. Even so, after she left I laughed until I cried.

Betty

 

[Betty LaRue]

On 01/04/2020 at 07:54, dustydingo said:

Well, it's not just Australia that has cranky birds . . . here's "proof" that a giant cockatoo, that just happens to live in a zoo in Bali, harassed a couple of women from Australia who were walking through a well-known Florida USA holiday resort . . . oh, and I have a lovely arched bridge over in Sydney I can sell you for a song . . . 

DD

😂

[gvallee]

35 minutes ago, Olivier Parent said:

Overlooking the Plateau d'Emparis near Besse en Oisans with La Meije mountain in the background.

Just a few miles away from the Lake Lérié picture I posted on this topic a few days ago.

I really love this place. I tend to go there once a year.

 

 

You're a man of reefs and mountains Olivier.

[gvallee]

21 minutes ago, Olivier Parent said:

 

For the time being, I feel I am mostly a man of my own flat Gen… 😉

With the Covid-19 epidemic and the confinement procedures that apply, I haven't been outside for almost 3 weeks.

Fortunately, I still have enough beer and Green Charteuse supplies to withstand a siege. 😀

I hope everything goes better for you in Australia and that you can still take beautiful pictures in the wilderness.

 

A flat? Lucky you! Walking space in our motorhome is about 6m x 1m. We've been staying put for about 6 weeks now and by the look of it, it will be another 6 months. The good thing is that we are in a vast very sparsely populated State, Northern Territory, with only a handful of coronavirus cases (22), 19 of which in Darwin which is over thousand kms from us.

 

We also have a copious amount of white wine, we made sure of that. And Internet. I'm so glad I took my big screen on our travels, I can learn more and play with Photoshop. We had planned to isolate ourselves in a vast 1 million hectare homestead in the wilderness but they closed down roads and restricted travel. There are numerous remote aboriginal communities around which have to be protected from the devastating virus if they ever get it.

 

As for taking pictures, I'm limited to walking around the near empty campsite where I found countless beautiful bugs which brought me back to macro photography. I keep switching between macro and bird photography. When I lose patience with one, I switch to the other.

 

Patience is the order of the day. It could be a lot lot worse. At least so far, we're healthy.

Edited April 3, 2020 by gvallee

[Allan Bell]

9 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Allan! I’m surprised the budgies survived snow!
We had parakeets for a big part of my life. Their constitutions were delicate. One time we left to go to a drive-in movie in south Texas where winters were mild. The door on our apartment was out of plumb and hard to shut securely. While we were gone, a cold front came through and blew the door open. The bird cage sat clear across the room but was in the cold draft. It was already fluffed up, like they do when sick, by the time we got home.  It died the next day.

The reason I finally wanted a parrot is because I got tired of mourning our precious parakeets. The longest we had one was 8 years, the shortest was 4 months. I took great care of them and they had everything recommended a budgie should have. I kept the cage spotless.  
 

Each was tamed by me within a couple of days of bringing it home, and rode around on our shoulders and had lots of out-of the-cage playtime. I taught them to talk. One said Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. They all learned “pretty bird” and “give me a kiss”.  Each one was part of the family, and the whole family cried when one died. They would be healthy and active one day, get sick and die quickly.

The veterinarians were not schooled in how to take care of birds.

Parrots have stronger constitutions. I’ve had Echo 27 years.

A funny thing. My mother took out a small life insurance policy on me as a child. I kept up the premiums after marrying. One day a new agent, a young lady, came to collect on the policy. This was back before God made dirt when agents actually called on people.

 

I invited her in and as she walked across the room to sit down, Scrapper flew in from his cage in the next room and tried to greet her by landing on her head. She was taken so unaware that she screamed bloody murder and flattened on the floor like a soldier diving into a foxhole!  🤣😄😂.

I was so embarrassed. Even so, after she left I laughed until I cried.

Betty

 

 

😆😆

 

Budgies are hardy birds. In fact we have wild flocks of them in the UK. They have formed over the years where pets in cages have escaped and bred in the wild.

 

Allan

 

[aphperspective]

11 hours ago, Allan Bell said:

 

😆😆

 

Budgies are hardy birds. In fact we have wild flocks of them in the UK. They have formed over the years where pets in cages have escaped and bred in the wild.

 

Allan

 

There are also large flocks of Green Parrots in London now Alan, very noisy and gregarious birds. My friends Budgies love the hose put on mist sprayed over the Aviary, they roll around on the wet leaves.

[Cecile Marion]

I was very surprised to see a large flock of what looked like small green parrots in central Paris last fall.

[Betty LaRue]

A baby opossum in my crabapple tree at night. Its nose needs a tissue. 😁

 

[Betty LaRue]

4 hours ago, aphperspective said:

There are also large flocks of Green Parrots in London now Alan, very noisy and gregarious birds. 

Rose-ringed parakeets I believe.

[spacecadet]

Mount Ngauruhoe, Tongariro national park, NZ

Edited April 4, 2020 by spacecadet

[Allan Bell]

6 hours ago, Sally R said:

 

I love the idea of budgies rolling around in the snow. It's something they'd never get to do in their natural habitat here. Yes it must be quite a responsibility keeping the chicks alive and well.

 

In 2018 I visited Stewart Island in southern New Zealand. A giant, flightless parrot called a kakapo used to live there. They are extremely endangered and so they moved them to Codfish Island where there are no introduced predators. However, people claim to have heard their call on remote parts of Stewart Island. I hoped I might encounter one, knowing that it was highly unlikely. I thought you might like this video about the most famous kakapo named SIrocco with one of his carers. He thinks he's a human as he was raised by humans as a chick. He is now considered the official spokesbird for his species. They are so loveable and cute:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQn90slumUY

 

Thank you for that Sally. I had heard about the kakapo but never seen one. Must have missed the BBC 2 transmission.

 

Allan

 

[meanderingemu]

[aphperspective]

On 04/04/2020 at 02:32, Betty LaRue said:

Rose-ringed parakeets I believe.

Thanks for that Betty, i think the Jury is out at the minute if they are going to be a problem invasive species.

[Allan Bell]

3 hours ago, Olivier Parent said:

Calopteryx virgo damselfly known as the Beautiful Demoiselle (male).

 

 

Great image. I am a little jealous as I have been trying to capture an image like this of these damselflies down by the river Cam in Cambridge for three or four years and not been successful yet. With my move to Lincoln area looming (he says hopefully) I doubt I ever will.

 

Allan

 

[MariaJ]

Somehow I've totally missed this thread.  So many lovely images!

Here's a young mule deer.

 

 

 

[Allan Bell]

3 hours ago, Olivier Parent said:

 

Thank you very much Allan!

The very first lens I bought when I moved from film to digital in 2007 was a 180mm f:3.5 macro so that I could photograph insects without disturbing them (even sometimes in quite "intimate" moments).

I also found the Cobra strike II monopod to be handy, especially when you need to get from quite high to very low to the ground in a matter of seconds.

And here is a website that can also be helpful:

https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/odonata/damselflies/

 

Eurasian Bluets mating - Coenagrion puella damselflies

 

You are very welcome.

 

Thank you for the link to the BDS. I already have it bookmarked on my computer. Found it very useful in the past and I am sure it will be useful in the future too.

 

Keep safe, stay well.

 

Allan

 

[spacecadet]

Seen on a tree in Epping Forest. Two minutes from our front door, Deo gratias

Edited April 6, 2020 by spacecadet

[aphperspective]

Well its not exactly Wilderbeest thundering across the plains, but i like baby cows and how often do you see a blue cow with a brown calf.🙂

 

[aphperspective]

18 hours ago, Allan Bell said:

 

Great image. I am a little jealous as I have been trying to capture an image like this of these damselflies down by the river Cam in Cambridge for three or four years and not been successful yet. With my move to Lincoln area looming (he says hopefully) I doubt I ever will.

 

Allan

 

The Lincolnshire Fens have loads of canals and Dykes Alan so you may yet get a chance.

Andy

[Allan Bell]

18 minutes ago, aphperspective said:

The Lincolnshire Fens have loads of canals and Dykes Alan so you may yet get a chance.

Andy

 

Yes they do Andy and I will certainly investigate them at some point.

 

Allan

 

[gvallee]

I found this newt in my pond in Normandy (France). Alpine Newt (Triturus alpestris).

 

[Thyrsis]

I’ve always quite liked the painterly quality of this. We were at Dix Hill Pit near Oxford to watch the murmuration at sunset.

[NYCat]

8 hours ago, gvallee said:

I found this newt in my pond in Normandy (France). Alpine Newt (Triturus alpestris).

 

 

Whoa! What's happening here? Is he leaping? Underwater shot? Performing newt? Really fabulous.

 

Paulette

[gvallee]

30 minutes ago, NYCat said:

 

Whoa! What's happening here? Is he leaping? Underwater shot? Performing newt? Really fabulous.

 

Paulette

 

Thank you Paulette. I put it in a fish tank with plants from the pond for a few shots before releasing him. I was amazed at my find. I had never heard of this species before. It was so exciting! I also have multiple sales of frogs from that pond. It cost me nothing as it was my weekend house across... well the pond... from the UK.