David Kanigan: Inspiration, Ideas & Information
This short trailer opens with a quote by English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge:
“…And till my ghastly tale is told, this heart within me burns.”
It’s set in Midway Atoll, North Pacific Ocean, more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent.
The images are burned into my consciousness.
Those that follow this blog, know about birds and me. No more words required. Take a few minutes and watch. See what we’re doing to our planet.
Thank you Olga for sharing.
Traffic. People. People. People. Lines. Lines. Lines. Fast Pass. Strollers. Wheelchairs. Electric scooters. Cameras. iPhones. Texting.
Sun. Heat. Humidity. Sunscreen. Afternoon Rains. Ponchos. Sticky.
Hot dogs. Corn dogs. Burgers. Chili cheese fries. Soft serve ice cream. Asian Chicken wings. Spicy Chicken Sandwiches. Coke (diet). Frozen Minute Made lemonade. Turkey Legs (NOT!). Indigestion.
Test Track. Splash Mountain. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Tower of Terror. Expedition Everest. Dinosaur. Kali River Rapids. Dad sits them all out. Nauseous just watching.
Old favorites. Kilimanjaro Safari. Haunted Mansion. Pirates of Caribbean. Jungle Cruise. Epcot. Parades. Marching Bands. Fireworks.
Exhaustion.
What’s the story: Morning Glory! from Ben on Vimeo.
The Lilac-breasted Roller ”is found in sub-Saharan Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula, preferring open woodland and savanna; it is largely absent from treeless places. Usually found alone or in pairs, it perches conspicuously at the tops of trees, poles or other high vantage points from where it can spot insects, lizards, scorpions, snails, small birds and rodents moving about at ground level. Nesting takes place in a natural hole in a tree where a clutch of 2–4 eggs is laid, and incubated by both parents, who are extremely aggressive in defence of their nest, taking on raptors and other birds. During the breeding season the male will rise to great heights, descending in swoops and dives, while uttering harsh, discordant cries. The sexes are alike in coloration. Juveniles do not have the long tail feathers that adults do. It is also the national bird of Botswana and Kenya.” (Source: Wiki)
Image Source: Fairy-Wren
Related Posts:
The crested caracara is in the falcon family but not fast-flying aerial hunters, but rather sluggish and often scavengers. They are found in Cuba, South America, Central America and Mexico and in the southernmost parts of the U.S. The Northern Caracara has a length of 19-23 inches, a wingspan of 42-51 inches and weighs 1.8-2.9 pounds. It is broad-winged and long-tailed. It has long legs and frequently walks and runs on the ground. The Northern Caracara is an omnivorous scavenger that mainly feeds on carrion. The live prey they do catch is usually immobile, injured, incapacitated or young. Prey species can include small mammals,amphibians, reptiles, fish, crabs, insects, their larvae, earthworms, shellfish and young birds. The voice of this species is a low rattle. (Source: Wiki)
Image Source: Thank you Steve Layman via Head Like An Orange
Related Posts:
The burrowing owl is a tiny but long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. The burrowing owl measures 19–28 cm (7.5–11 in) long, spans 50.8–61 cm (20.0–24 in) across the wings and weighs 140–240 g (4.9–8.5 oz). As a size comparison, an average adult is slightly larger than an American Robin. Burrowing Owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any or any other open dry area with low vegetation. Unlike most owls, Burrowing Owls are often active during the day, although they tend to avoid the midday heat. But like many other kinds of owls, Burrowing Owls do most of their hunting from dusk until dawn, when they can use their night vision and hearing to their advantage. Burrowing Owls have bright yellow eyes; their beaks can be dark yellow or gray depending on the subspecies.
Source: Thank you fairywren for the photo by Alfred Forns.
Related Posts:
The cute birds are Guira Cuckoos and are found in Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina. It is generally rather shaggy-looking and has a total length of 13 in). It feeds on large arthropods, frogs, eggs, small birds (not nice cuckoo) and small mammals such as mice. It is not an accomplished flier, mostly gliding or hoping from one perch to another. The bird’s call is unmistakeable for bieng long and shrill, something between a long whistle and a wailing. (Just what we need for a wake-up call on a Monday Morning.)
Source: Thank you fairywren for the photo by Jason Ellison.
Related Posts:
Thank you fairywren for the photo of the Anhinga.
Related Posts:
So, you’ve seen 1 murmuration, so you’ve seen them all? Hmmmmm. No. Can’t seem to get enough. This team was shooting a commercial in Marseille France and waiting for their prop – - “when thousands and thousands of birds came and made this incredible dance in the sky.” And just look what they captured. 2.5 minutes of magnificent cinematography and music (“Hand-Made” by Alt-J). Good Thursday morning.
A bird ballet | Short Film from Neels CASTILLON on Vimeo.
Related Post:
Don’t miss the birds on the branch at end of gif. Come on. Admit it. You smiled.
Source: themetapicture.com
I’ve been following Manoli Rizo‘s photography blog for some time…admiring her work. I just loved her most recent post.
This man. His “herd.” The march in unison. His peace, pride and contentment.
Manoli, hats off to you. You’ve done it again.
Take a minute and hit this link and pan through Manoli’s photos of this man and his family. (And Foreign Language competency anyone? If someone could translate the intro of the post, I’d be grateful)
No words to describe this…sit for one minute in awe. Well, perhaps there is one word to describe it…and it was the only word spoken on this clip: “Dude!”
Snow Geese. Shot at Merrill Creek Reservoir, near Washington, New Jersey on January 3, 2013. Source: Grindtv.
Everyone once, once only. Just once and no more.
And we also once. Never again. But this having been
once, although only once, to have been of the earth,
seems irrevocable.
—Rainer Maria Rilke
For 20 children and 6 adults in an elementary school in Newtown, CT, “Once” has proven to be shockingly short. Peace be with them and their families.
Sources: Image – amorecheiro. Quote: A Poet Reflects.
Murmuration from Islands & Rivers on Vimeo.
“Winter must must be coming… because the starlings are flocking. Here are many thousands of the birds wheeling together in the afternoon sky near Gretna Green yesterday, as they prepare to roost together for the night. A starling flock like this is called a murmuration, a word that perfectly describes the rustle of thousands of pairs of wings. Starling murmurations are one of the most dazzling displays in the natural world, as the flock changes shape, one minute like a colossal wisp of smoke, the next a tornado, the next a thundercloud blocking the light. The huge gatherings, biggest in winter, are boosted by thousands of birds that come to Britain’s milder Atlantic climate to escape the harsh cold of the European continent, especially in Scandinavia. There are several reasons to get together in the way they do – safety in numbers, information exchange (if some come back from a good feeding area others may learn of it) and warmth at night through roosting together. The birds may feed up to 20 miles from their winter roost but return each evening.”
This article by Tim Kreider, Quiet Ones, struck a cord with me. A few excerpts:
…it seems significant that we don’t want things to be quiet, ever, anymore. Stores and restaurants have their ubiquitous Muzak or satellite radio; bars have anywhere between 1 and 17 TVs blaring…ads and 30-second news cycles play on screens in cabs, elevators and restrooms. Even some libraries, whose professional shushers were once celebrated in cartoon and sitcom, now have music and special segregated areas designated for “quiet study,” which is what a library used to be.
…People are louder, too. They complain at length and in detail about their divorces or gallbladders a foot away from you in restaurants. A dreaded Amtrak type is the passenger who commences prattling on her cellphone the instant she sits down and doesn’t hang up until she gets to her stop, unable to bear an undistracted instant in her own company. People practice rap lyrics on the bus or the subway, barking doggerel along with their iPods as though they were alone in the shower. Respecting shared public space is becoming as quaintly archaic as tipping your hat to a lady, now that the concept of public space is as nearly extinct as hats, and ladies. [Read more...]
Source: fairy-wren
Related Posts:
Source: headlikeanorange via marcdesa
Related Posts:
“The Kingfisher makes a perfect dive at 100 km/hr into the little frozen hole in Germany to catch fish for food. This amazing moment captured by photographer Gisela Delpho.”
Source: goodmemory via opticoverload
Related Posts:
A Golden Eagle. Source: fairy-wren
Related Posts:
Clark’s Grebe. This species nests on large inland lakes in western North America and migrates to the Pacific coast in winter. It maintains local populations year-round in California, Nevada, Arizona, and central Mexico. It feeds by diving for carp, herring, mollusks, crabs and salamanders.
Related Posts:
Related Posts:
Fly Ducklings. Fly.
Related Posts:
Curious Duck Photo from National Geographic.
Related Posts:
Source: Yellow Warbler by Shelshots
Related Posts:
And if you like owls (or even if you don’t) and you missed the prior Video post What happens next?…it’s worth a look…
Photo Credits: wingsoutstretched.tumblr.com
Related Posts:
We’re opening Hump day with a clip about two good friends…an Elephant (Tara) and a Dog (Bella). We usually lead with a music video…not today. This was shared with me by a follower (Thanks SR) and it has stuck with me all week. And then on to the top posts of the week from my favorite bloggers…
Susan Kelley @ Great Moments with her post: “Keep Calm and Carry On.” It doesn’t take any more chaos than a bad day to show our propensity to focus on the negative and miss the joy in each day. (And yes, I resemble this remark.) Think of what we tell people about a bad day. We recount in detail the incompetence, laziness, selfishness and general cluelessness that diminished our brilliance. But seldom do we recall the smile and hug from a loved one, the extra mile effort of a co-worker, encouragement from a friend, and the contributions of strangers that make our productivity possible. And, the fact that we’re here to describe our day in lurid detail. We forget about that, too…”
Source: bradybrereton via a-n-i-m-a-l-p-l-a-n-e-t. The Blue-footed Booby is a long winged tropical seabird found in subtropical islands off the Pacific Ocean, the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador. They have excellent binocular vision. The Blue-footed Booby has permanently closed nostrils made for diving. They breathe through the corners of their mouths. Their feet range from a pale turquoise to a deep aquamarine.
Related Posts:
We’re kicking off Hump Day with John Mayer & “Slow Dancing In a Burning Room.” And then on to inspirational posts by my favorite bloggers.
We had roosters…but nothing like this!
Source: Excessive Rooster – Jest Video via Mme Scherzo. Thank you Todd Lohenry for posting assistance.
Related Posts:
Source: a-n-i-m-a-l-p-l-a-n-e-t
Related Posts:
4:15 am. I’m running. Thoughts clanking and clanking and clanking around.
Mother Goose and 5 goslings on highway. Car approaching. I slow to see if they get out of the way. I stop. Car slows. Car stops.
Mother opens her full wing span and stands hissing in the middle of the highway – - guarding her babies against a 4000 pound mass of steel. Babies waddle off the road with Mother following closely behind. Car passes by.
I start running again. Another car approaching one mile out. I see the geese back on the highway.
Related Posts:
Bill Pevlor and his family live in rural Kewaunee County, in northeast Wisconsin. Todd Lohenry had posted a number of Bill’s photos on his blog which led me to find Bill and his inspiring work. I’ve shared a few of Bill’s photos below with Bill’s permission. I encourage you to check out Bill’s site @ PopsDigital.com to see his entire collection.
“A Bright Future”
“On The Wings”
