Babes

The front deck pines are full of baby Sparrows, trying to figure this how to be a bird business. They are all busy looking at all the food on the deck, but aren’t terribly sure about how to get down there, let alone what to do once they make it. Photos are 1300 x 863, click for full size.

Babe

Babea

Babe1

Babe2

Babe3

© C. Ford. All rights reserved.

35 Degrees South: Winter Evening.

From Lofty. All photos 1500 x 996, click for full size. I can smell the woodsmoke, one of the best and most comforting smells of winter.

5pm and the sun is about to set on the first clear winter’s day after a week of storms. The waxing moon drifts through the branches as does the neighbour’s wood smoke. The sun dips below a bank of cloud and leaves the city in the gathering gloom. Unheard from 15 miles away a ship glides down the gulf, not visible to the naked eye. Hot cauliflower soup and a glowing firebox await inside.

risingmoon

woodsmoke

sunset

© Lofty. All rights reserved.

Tiny Street Interventions.

Slinkachu © 2015.

Slinkachu © 2015.

Slinkachu © 2015.

 

Slinkachu © 2015.

Slinkachu © 2015.

 

Slinkachu © 2015.

Slinkachu © 2015.

These are so absolutely delightful!

Blink, and you’ll miss it. Secreted amongst weeds growing in the cracks of sidewalks or hidden in a tiny pile of trash, street artist Slinkachu creates site-specific interventions of miniature people living just under our feet. More than just hiding tiny figurines in public places, each of his artworks are carefully considered, crafted, and installed before the artist takes a photo to document it. While clearly humorous in nature, Slinkachu’s pieces touch on much larger ideas of environment, globalization, and a culture of isolation often found in large cities. Via Andipa Gallery:

These figures embody the estrangement spurred by the over-whelming nature of the modern metropolis, and incite a renewed perspective of the everyday urban experience to those who find them. This sense of isolation and melancholy, however, is accompanied by sense of irony and humour that makes Slinkachu’s commentary all the more poignant.

Via Colossal Art. Slinkachu’s Official Instagram. Slinkachu at Andipa Gallery, London. Oh, go have a look, you’ll definitely have a smile on your face.

The Daily Bird #20

Ossi

Click for full size image. Adult bearded vulture. Some lammergeier have been released in the Alps as part of reintroduction programmes. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo.

In mid-May, a bearded vulture was spotted in the UK. Seriously exciting! This is one of the coolest and most magnificent birds I have ever seen. I would love to see this bird in person.

A spectacular bearded vulture, believed to be the first recorded in the UK, has been spotted soaring over the Severn estuary and moorland in Devon.

If it is confirmed that the vulture, also known as the lammergeier or ossifrage, is a wild bird, it will be the first of its species to be found in Britain and the sightings have already caused ornithologists to rush to the west country hoping for a glimpse.

The lammergeier was filmed on the Welsh side of the Second Severn Crossing at the end of last week, perched on rocks then flying off toward the bridge.

It is believed the same bird was seen last weekend over Dartmoor in Devon about 100 miles away. Though already a sizeable bird, the specimen is thought to be a juvenile. Adults can boast a wingspan of almost three metres (9.8ft).

Josh Jones, news manager at BirdGuides, said the sighting was very exciting. “I think we’re going to have a lot of people wanting to take a look,” he said. “This is special bird and we could get monster crowds.”

I believe that, I’d be part of those monster crowds.

The same bird is believed to have been spotted in Belgium earlier this month. Some lammergeier have been released in the Alps as part of reintroduction programmes but those birds have dyed feathers so can be easily recognised.

There were no obviously dyed feathers – or rings – on the Severn vulture which suggests it could be a genuinely wild bird. Young lammergeier do travel large distances.

Very exciting. I’m jealous of anyone who has a chance to see this most magnificent being in person.

Via The Guardian.