The Hummer Thread

[dragonblade]

Continuing the 'Hummer' thread from the SS forum which will soon expire in late October. Hopefully, there will be some wildlife discussion here and all manner of other topics too. And also a place for people from the old SS forum to hang out.

[thijsdegraaf]

The reason is a pity, but nice of you to continue the topic here!!

[dragonblade]

Welcome! Good to see you here, Thijs.

[Jo Ann Snover]

Continuing the 'Hummer' thread from the SS forum which will soon expire in late October. Hopefully, there will be some wildlife discussion here and all manner of other topics too. And also a place for people from the old SS forum to hang out.

For those of us who were not regulars on the Shutterstock forums, could you outline what the topic/purpose of the Hummer Thread is?

[dragonblade]

For those of us who were not regulars on the Shutterstock forums, could you outline what the topic/purpose of the Hummer Thread is?

A very good question. With the word 'hummer', some people might think of a certain car. But I believe in this case, it relates to the hummingbird. So discussions about birds and other wildlife do feature a lot. But it's not limited to wildlife. Many other topics are discussed as well. The reason it developed on the SS forums is because there was no 'off topic' sub-forum over there. So basically, the Hummer thread was an off topic thread. That's the purpose it served.

Now some people might wonder what is the point of having the Hummer thread here as there is already an off topic sub-forum that is kind of used for the same thing more or less. Though on the Hummer thread over on SS, there was only a fairly small number of forum members who contributed. But at the same time a huge number of views - 1.5 million. I opened up this thread so that many of the people who participated on the SS Hummer thread could catch up here and continue their discussions. And other people who are not SS forum regulars are welcome to join in too.

[marthamarks]

Continuing the 'Hummer' thread from the SS forum which will soon expire in late October. Hopefully, there will be some wildlife discussion here and all manner of other topics too. And also a place for people from the old SS forum to hang out.

For those of us who were not regulars on the Shutterstock forums, could you outline what the topic/purpose of the Hummer Thread is?

Thanks for asking that, JoAnn. I was going to but you beat me to it.

I'm one of the bird/wildlife photographers here, so it might be of some interest to me.

[dragonblade]

Martha, that's great to know. There's one particular bird that I would really like to photograph and that's the humming bird. But I confess that Ive never seen one in my life as I live in Australia. I know that they are unique to the Americas. I visited Canada in the late 90s and was hoping to see hummingbirds there but didn't see any. A few years ago, I went to Michigan, US but didn't see any there either. Though I did see fireflies for the first time in Michigan and they were amazing. Really surreal. I regret not being able to photograph them because my camera battery was being charged at the time.

[marthamarks]

Martha, that's great to know. There's one particular bird that I would really like to photograph and that's the humming bird. But I confess that Ive never seen one in my life as I live in Australia. I know that they are unique to the Americas. I visited Canada in the late 90s and was hoping to see hummingbirds there but didn't see any. A few years ago, I went to Michigan, US but didn't see any there either. Though I did see fireflies for the first time in Michigan and they were amazing. Really surreal. I regret not being able to photograph them because my camera battery was being charged at the time.

Best place to see and photograph hummingbirds is in the Southwest: Arizona, California, New Mexico. 

I happen to live in NM and travel a lot in AZ, so I've had plenty of opportunities to see 'em.  But stili, they're a tremendous challenge to photograph. Getting good action shots takes bright light, fast lenses, skill, and being in the right place at the right time (ie, luck). I only use natural light, no flash.

I chose this one as the "cover" shot for my Wildlife Collection on AS:

https://stock.adobe.com/images/immature-broad-tailed-hummingbird-feeds-in-yellow-sunflower/89024271

If you click that link and then the "see more" link below that featured image, you'll find a few more of mine.

Lots of my shots are of immature hummers in my own back yard, which I no longer have. Because I planted hummingbird mint, sunflowers, Russian sage, and a few other hummer magnets, I got to "shoot" lots of babies as they were taking their first flights away from the nest.

[dragonblade]

Some nice imagery there of the hummers. Ah that's good to know of the best states to see them. My sister has seen hummingbirds when travelling through South America.

Oh yea I could imagine that they would be very challenging to photograph! I guess you prefocus on a flower and wait for them to move into the right spot?

And that's a good move setting up your garden to attract the hummers. Must be great seeing them in your own backyard.

[marthamarks]

My sister has seen hummingbirds when travelling through South America.

That's where they're all heading right now. They spend half the year in South America and the other half "up here."

I guess you prefocus on a flower and wait for them to move into the right spot?

No, once they move into the garden in good light, I follow them with my lens, shooting steadily, and throw away all the no-goods.

Must be great seeing them in your own backyard.

Yes, that's quite fun. They're noisy too, literally "humming" as they flit around.

And the Rufous hummers are aggressive. They arrive later than the others and chase them.

[Caymia]

I was never a regular poster on the Hummer thread but I do know a few of you from there. Might get to catch up with you from time to time here now
Dragonblade = Patrick?!

[RalfLiebhold]

Strange atmosphere now in the shutter forum, there is still quite a lot traffic in the "Show and Tell" section, like the titanic orchestra 

[Microstockphoto]

Continuing the 'Hummer' thread from the SS forum which will soon expire in late October. Hopefully, there will be some wildlife discussion here and all manner of other topics too. And also a place for people from the old SS forum to hang out.

For those of us who were not regulars on the Shutterstock forums, could you outline what the topic/purpose of the Hummer Thread is?

off topic chat thread, just chatter, wont take off here knowing the audience, but maybe with the influx off ss posters it might get some traction,

[dragonblade]

I was never a regular poster on the Hummer thread but I do know a few of you from there. Might get to catch up with you from time to time here now
Dragonblade = Patrick?!

Hey there Caymia. Good to have you onboard.

[Uncle Pete]

My sister has seen hummingbirds when travelling through South America.

That's where they're all heading right now. They spend half the year in South America and the other half "up here."

I guess you prefocus on a flower and wait for them to move into the right spot?

No, once they move into the garden in good light, I follow them with my lens, shooting steadily, and throw away all the no-goods.

Must be great seeing them in your own backyard.

Yes, that's quite fun. They're noisy too, literally "humming" as they flit around.

And the Rufous hummers are aggressive. They arrive later than the others and chase them.

Interesting. Ours already left, probably four weeks ago. One day at the feeder, the next none anywhere. They hang out in the hanging petunia planters too. I'd call them social, as they will come around, even when I'm sitting on the porch six feet away. And yes they do sound like a giant insect. If I can hear them, they must be loud. Wisconsin.



Not fantastic, back lighting, in the shade, but fun. I'd agree with your answer. Sit wait, shoot 100 photos or more and see if you got one good one.

[thijsdegraaf]

In the Netherlands we have no hummingbirds, I have seen them long ago in the covered Dutch butterfly garden in Emmen. Unfortunately I didn't have a good camera at the time.
But we sometimes have a Hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) in the garden. A diurnal moth. They are difficult to photograph and resemble hummingbirds in the way they flying soek honey. (Photo not in focus for Shutter of course. I was hoping for a better photo this year, but unfortunately didn't see them. Better next year I hope)

[Uncle Pete]

Cheese Vindicated!

Is this the thread about nothing and anything?

Recent Study: Animal fats in our diet are not a cause for higher risk or heart conditions.

Also they might actually be good:

High levels of heptadecanoic acid, were associated with lower rates of strokes.

Heptadecanoic acid is a fatty acid of exogenous (primarily ruminant) origin. Many "odd" length long chain amino acids are derived from the consumption of dairy fats (milk and meat). Heptadecanoic acid constitutes 0. 61% of milk fat and 0. 83% of ruminant meat fat.

Hey nice to know, I can keep eating the things that I didn't stop eating because of invalid studies and false consumer wisdom.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-vindication-of-cheese-butter-and-full-fat-milk?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Lets hear it for cheese and sausage. 

[marthamarks]

Cheese Vindicated!

Is this the thread about nothing and anything?

Recent Study: Animal fats in our diet are not a cause for higher risk or heart conditions.

Also they might actually be good:

High levels of heptadecanoic acid, were associated with lower rates of strokes.

Heptadecanoic acid is a fatty acid of exogenous (primarily ruminant) origin. Many "odd" length long chain amino acids are derived from the consumption of dairy fats (milk and meat). Heptadecanoic acid constitutes 0. 61% of milk fat and 0. 83% of ruminant meat fat.

Hey nice to know, I can keep eating the things that I didn't stop eating because of invalid studies and false consumer wisdom.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-vindication-of-cheese-butter-and-full-fat-milk?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Lets hear it for cheese and sausage. 

Pete, you and I are old enough to remember the "Fat Is Bad" scare of the '90s. Every packaged product in the world went "fat free"� which really just meant "flavor free." I kept eating fat and it hasn't killed me yet. I'm not fat either, go figure.

Around that same time, we "women of a certain age" were highly recommended to take HRT (hormone replacement therapy), not only to ease the transition away from having our own estrogen to keep us young and lovely, but HRT was also supposed to fight off breast cancer, make us look/feel forever young, and keep us smart.   Then, out of the blue, the message came: STOP!!! HRT will actually **give you breast cancer** and it won't do anything to keep you smart.  So millions of women gave up the one thing that made us feel wonderful and went back to becoming old women at a natural pace.

Now, after a decade or so of taking baby aspirin because the docs said it would help us old-timers avoid heart attacks and stroke, the docs are saying STOP!!! Don't take baby aspirin!!! It will give you internal bleeding!!!

I'll keep on eating what makes me happy and taking as few meds and OTC products as I can possibly get away with. Bet you're doing the same thing too.

[Uncle Pete]

Cheese Vindicated!

Is this the thread about nothing and anything?

Recent Study: Animal fats in our diet are not a cause for higher risk or heart conditions.

Also they might actually be good:

High levels of heptadecanoic acid, were associated with lower rates of strokes.

Heptadecanoic acid is a fatty acid of exogenous (primarily ruminant) origin. Many "odd" length long chain amino acids are derived from the consumption of dairy fats (milk and meat). Heptadecanoic acid constitutes 0. 61% of milk fat and 0. 83% of ruminant meat fat.

Hey nice to know, I can keep eating the things that I didn't stop eating because of invalid studies and false consumer wisdom.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-vindication-of-cheese-butter-and-full-fat-milk?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Lets hear it for cheese and sausage. 

Pete, you and I are old enough to remember the "Fat Is Bad" scare of the '90s. Every packaged product in the world went "fat free"� which really just meant "flavor free." I kept eating fat and it hasn't killed me yet. I'm not fat either, go figure.

Around that same time, we "women of a certain age" were highly recommended to take HRT (hormone replacement therapy), not only to ease the transition away from having our own estrogen to keep us young and lovely, but HRT was also supposed to fight off breast cancer, make us look/feel forever young, and keep us smart.   Then, out of the blue, the message came: STOP!!! HRT will actually **give you breast cancer** and it won't do anything to keep you smart.  So millions of women gave up the one thing that made us feel wonderful and went back to becoming old women at a natural pace.

Now, after a decade or so of taking baby aspirin because the docs said it would help us old-timers avoid heart attacks and stroke, the docs are saying STOP!!! Don't take baby aspirin!!! It will give you internal bleeding!!!

I'll keep on eating what makes me happy and taking as few meds and OTC products as I can possibly get away with. Bet you're doing the same thing too.

Pretty scary isn't it. Margarine was supposed to be an answer and now, trans-fats are bad. Butter is better.

Egg yolks got the bad rap too, many people went to white or egg beaters, now recent controlled studies found, yolks aren't anything that we need to avoid.

Caffeine, coffee, beverages, comes around, up and down. It's bad for you, then it's good for you, then it doesn't matter. Might be healthful for heart conditions.

I was on Plavix (a blood thinner) doctor said, whatever you do, never stop taking this! You can miss other things, but don't miss this one. He left, retired got shot out the door, I don't know... new cardiologist, "why are you taking that? Stop right now it can cause internal bleeding" Turns out the risk for dying from internal bleeding and higher than a heart attack, especially after ten years. Oh nice, I don't bleed from a scratch, I don't bruise at the slightest bump, I'm happy. Lets hope this version is correct?

Back to the cheese and butter and milk thing. Part of the research and more recent studies, that changed how science views these, is past studies were people who self reported their intake. Kind of like a voluntary earnings poll  without valid data, controlled measurements, the previous studies were potentially flawed from the start.

I hadn't read the ups and downs of HRT. That is unfortunate.

So let me say, sugar is bad, sugar substitutes are bad, and the only conclusion, similar to what you said about fat free is. If it tastes good, spit it out. There's some kind of study, group or health food belief or something that says, whatever we eat, is going to harm us, especially if we enjoy and like it.

[thijsdegraaf]

Cheese Vindicated!

Is this the thread about nothing and anything?

Recent Study: Animal fats in our diet are not a cause for higher risk or heart conditions.

Also they might actually be good:

High levels of heptadecanoic acid, were associated with lower rates of strokes.

Heptadecanoic acid is a fatty acid of exogenous (primarily ruminant) origin. Many "odd" length long chain amino acids are derived from the consumption of dairy fats (milk and meat). Heptadecanoic acid constitutes 0. 61% of milk fat and 0. 83% of ruminant meat fat.

Hey nice to know, I can keep eating the things that I didn't stop eating because of invalid studies and false consumer wisdom.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-vindication-of-cheese-butter-and-full-fat-milk?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Lets hear it for cheese and sausage. 

Pete, you and I are old enough to remember the "Fat Is Bad" scare of the '90s. Every packaged product in the world went "fat free"� which really just meant "flavor free." I kept eating fat and it hasn't killed me yet. I'm not fat either, go figure.

Around that same time, we "women of a certain age" were highly recommended to take HRT (hormone replacement therapy), not only to ease the transition away from having our own estrogen to keep us young and lovely, but HRT was also supposed to fight off breast cancer, make us look/feel forever young, and keep us smart.   Then, out of the blue, the message came: STOP!!! HRT will actually **give you breast cancer** and it won't do anything to keep you smart.  So millions of women gave up the one thing that made us feel wonderful and went back to becoming old women at a natural pace.

Now, after a decade or so of taking baby aspirin because the docs said it would help us old-timers avoid heart attacks and stroke, the docs are saying STOP!!! Don't take baby aspirin!!! It will give you internal bleeding!!!

I'll keep on eating what makes me happy and taking as few meds and OTC products as I can possibly get away with. Bet you're doing the same thing too.

Pretty scary isn't it. Margarine was supposed to be an answer and now, trans-fats are bad. Butter is better.

Egg yolks got the bad rap too, many people went to white or egg beaters, now recent controlled studies found, yolks aren't anything that we need to avoid.

Caffeine, coffee, beverages, comes around, up and down. It's bad for you, then it's good for you, then it doesn't matter. Might be healthful for heart conditions.

I was on Plavix (a blood thinner) doctor said, whatever you do, never stop taking this! You can miss other things, but don't miss this one. He left, retired got shot out the door, I don't know... new cardiologist, "why are you taking that? Stop right now it can cause internal bleeding" Turns out the risk for dying from internal bleeding and higher than a heart attack, especially after ten years. Oh nice, I don't bleed from a scratch, I don't bruise at the slightest bump, I'm happy. Lets hope this version is correct?

Back to the cheese and butter and milk thing. Part of the research and more recent studies, that changed how science views these, is past studies were people who self reported their intake. Kind of like a voluntary earnings poll  without valid data, controlled measurements, the previous studies were potentially flawed from the start.

I hadn't read the ups and downs of HRT. That is unfortunate.

So let me say, sugar is bad, sugar substitutes are bad, and the only conclusion, similar to what you said about fat free is. If it tastes good, spit it out. There's some kind of study, group or health food belief or something that says, whatever we eat, is going to harm us, especially if we enjoy and like it.

Too much is not good. If you keep that up, you'll go a long way.
I am also an oldie. 
I recognize what you write, but I have also seen many people die unnecessarily early due to their lifestyle (eating, drinking, smoking)
In the past, fatty foods were often also important because people worked very hard (just like the hummingbirds!!!).. With an office job, for example, it's better to take it easy with food (or you have to run a lot every day, go to the gym,...    ).

[marthamarks]

So let me say, sugar is bad, sugar substitutes are bad, and the only conclusion, similar to what you said about fat free is. If it tastes good, spit it out. There's some kind of study, group or health food belief or something that says, whatever we eat, is going to harm us, especially if we enjoy and like it.

Yep, that's a pretty good summary of the situation.

Sugar is the Big Bogeyman right now, probably with good reason. I try to be good there, but it's a challenge.

[thijsdegraaf]

So let me say, sugar is bad, sugar substitutes are bad, and the only conclusion, similar to what you said about fat free is. If it tastes good, spit it out. There's some kind of study, group or health food belief or something that says, whatever we eat, is going to harm us, especially if we enjoy and like it.

Yep, that's a pretty good summary of the situation.

Sugar is the Big Bogeyman right now, probably with good reason. I try to be good there, but it's a challenge.

My wife has had diabetes for years, you get (not quite) used to thinking about it.

[Uncle Pete]

Yes, our founding fathers, drank beer for breakfast and often with every meal. That wasn't because of being sots, but because it was more pure than the water. Good reasoning. When people worked harder, they would eat and need a diet that was more loaded with rich ingredients and their body used them. I suppose now we just take pills for everything?

The simple point also, is anything in excess is going to be bad. But food is good, not bad. The natural and holistic people will try to tell you otherwise. It's like a cult following beliefs, where self validation means something related to a food fear obcession, instead of scientific facts.

But cheese isn't bad for you, won't shorten your life and maybe will make your life more enjoyable. Obviously I am a cheese lover, many different kinds, so yes I have a personal agenda for noticing this article and posting it. Cheese is one of my favorite foods, also for cooking and as snacks. I confess, I'm a Cheesehead.

I grew up with minimal sugar and salt. That was Mom's way. Never hurt me to not go overboard and pile it on. While the opposite I might question.

They charge extra to not put extra sugar or salt into things? How's that?

[marthamarks]

Too much is not good. If you keep that up, you'll go a long way.
I am also an oldie. 
I recognize what you write, but I have also seen many people die unnecessarily early due to their lifestyle (eating, drinking, smoking)
In the past, fatty foods were often also important because people worked very hard (just like the hummingbirds!!!).. With an office job, for example, it's better to take it easy with food.

What you say is true!  None of us needs the high-fat, calorie-rich diet that our grandparents needed, because they worked hard, physical jobs, and most of us don't.

As for the "lifestyle" matter, I have a personal story�

You weren't on this forum a year ago, but in December I reported that my husband had just died at age 82.

Now, his history is an "interesting" one. He never did drugs, never smoked (rare for his generation), hardly ever drank. Ate relatively little red meat, mostly fish and chicken. Exercised. Kept his weight down. Did everything possible to stay fit.

Nevertheless, despite that diligent lifelong lifestyle, in 2011 he came down with a brain disease called Viral Encephalitis. He survived it the first time around but then had a quick relapse. All in all, during 2011-12, he spent 3+ months in the hospital, specifically a neurological intensive care unit. It was not a happy time in our lives.

He survived all that and lived 9 years longer, only to have another relapse last fall and after 2 more months of a dire situation, died of the same long-time issues.

The dear man did everything possible to be healthy but ultimately died of a brain disease� thereby proving that there's no justice, zero fairness in such matters.

[Uncle Pete]

Too much is not good. If you keep that up, you'll go a long way.
I am also an oldie. 
I recognize what you write, but I have also seen many people die unnecessarily early due to their lifestyle (eating, drinking, smoking)
In the past, fatty foods were often also important because people worked very hard (just like the hummingbirds!!!).. With an office job, for example, it's better to take it easy with food.

What you say is true!  None of us needs the high-fat, calorie-rich diet that our grandparents needed, because they worked hard, physical jobs, and most of us don't.

As for the "lifestyle" matter, I have a personal story�

You weren't on this forum a year ago, but in December I reported that my husband had just died at age 82.

Now, his history is an "interesting" one. He never did drugs, never smoked (rare for his generation), hardly ever drank. Ate relatively little red meat, mostly fish and chicken. Exercised. Kept his weight down. Did everything possible to stay fit.

Nevertheless, despite that diligent lifelong lifestyle, in 2011 he came down with a brain disease called Viral Encephalitis. He survived it the first time around but then had a quick relapse. All in all, during 2011-12, he spent 3+ months in the hospital, specifically a neurological intensive care unit. It was not a happy time in our lives.

He survived all that and lived 9 years longer, only to have another relapse last fall and after 2 more months of a dire situation, died of the same long-time issues.

The dear man did everything possible to be healthy but ultimately died of a brain disease� thereby proving that there's no justice, zero fairness in such things.

Yes, there is no predicting or controlling and no justice.

I always thought it was good that your husband came along with you on your photo outings and stayed in the car, painting. When you showed me his work, I was even more impressed. He wasn't just doing hobby painting, being along on the road trips, he was outstanding and exceptional.

[thijsdegraaf]

Yes, our founding fathers, drank beer for breakfast and often with every meal. That wasn't because of being sots, but because it was more pure than the water. Good reasoning. When people worked harder, they would eat and need a diet that was more loaded with rich ingredients and their body used them. I suppose now we just take pills for everything?

The simple point also, is anything in excess is going to be bad. But food is good, not bad. The natural and holistic people will try to tell you otherwise. It's like a cult following beliefs, where self validation means something related to a food fear obcession, instead of scientific facts.

But cheese isn't bad for you, won't shorten your life and maybe will make your life more enjoyable. Obviously I am a cheese lover, many different kinds, so yes I have a personal agenda for noticing this article and posting it. Cheese is one of my favorite foods, also for cooking and as snacks. I confess, I'm a Cheesehead.

I grew up with minimal sugar and salt. That was Mom's way. Never hurt me to not go overboard and pile it on. While the opposite I might question.

They charge extra to not put extra sugar or salt into things? How's that?

I am also a cheese lover and come from a cheese country  . No, that seems excessive to me.
Fortunately, less fat cheese now tastes good, unlike in the past. So I sometimes buy that too.

[thijsdegraaf]

Too much is not good. If you keep that up, you'll go a long way.
I am also an oldie. 
I recognize what you write, but I have also seen many people die unnecessarily early due to their lifestyle (eating, drinking, smoking)
In the past, fatty foods were often also important because people worked very hard (just like the hummingbirds!!!).. With an office job, for example, it's better to take it easy with food.

What you say is true!  None of us needs the high-fat, calorie-rich diet that our grandparents needed, because they worked hard, physical jobs, and most of us don't.

As for the "lifestyle" matter, I have a personal story�

You weren't on this forum a year ago, but in December I reported that my husband had just died at age 82.

Now, his history is an "interesting" one. He never did drugs, never smoked (rare for his generation), hardly ever drank. Ate relatively little red meat, mostly fish and chicken. Exercised. Kept his weight down. Did everything possible to stay fit.

Nevertheless, despite that diligent lifelong lifestyle, in 2011 he came down with a brain disease called Viral Encephalitis. He survived it the first time around but then had a quick relapse. All in all, during 2011-12, he spent 3+ months in the hospital, specifically a neurological intensive care unit. It was not a happy time in our lives.

He survived all that and lived 9 years longer, only to have another relapse last fall and after 2 more months of a dire situation, died of the same long-time issues.

The dear man did everything possible to be healthy but ultimately died of a brain disease� thereby proving that there's no justice, zero fairness in such matters.

Very sad to hear. You can also say that your husband may have lived longer because of his healthy lifestyle. But you feel it is unfair.
My wife is diabetic, has had two meganic heart valves since she was 58 and had surgery for a tumor in her intestines 8 years ago.
She also often likes Why me? Still, I think if she had lived less healthy, it would have looked worse.

[marthamarks]

I always thought it was good that your husband came along with you on your photo outings and stayed in the car, painting. When you showed me his work, I was even more impressed. He wasn't just doing hobby painting, being along on the road trips, he was outstanding and exceptional.

Actually, for decades we traveled together and each did our own creative thing. But early in our life together, he was the one painting while I was the one sitting in or near the car reading or grading papers (that was back in my high-school-teaching days).  We were a well-matched, perfectly tuned couple until he got that * encephalitis� which turned everything in our lives upside down.

BTW, last summer I bought myself a camper van and have been enjoying it this fall. My kitty has learned to go with me, and we both can hardly wait for spring!

[marthamarks]

Very sad to hear. You can also say that your husband may have lived longer because of his healthy lifestyle. But you feel it is unfair.
My wife has had two meganic heart valves since she was 58 and had surgery for a tumor in her intestines 8 years ago.
She also often likes Why me? Still, I think if she had lived less healthy, it would have looked worse.

I'm not saying that what happened to my husband was "unfair", because none of us is guaranteed anything, just that it's not entirely "fair" either. Does that make sense?

I think you're right about the healthy living paying off in one way if not another.

My career-Army father, who survived active service in both WWII and the Korean War, lived to be 85. Lung cancer finally took him out, even though he had stopped smoking 20 years earlier. Once we knew his cancer was terminal, he told me he thought he'd beaten it by going off cigarettes when he did. I said, you might have died 10 years ago if you hadn't stopped when you did.

That's what you're saying here, and I believe it's right.

BTW, Daddy was actively involved in the liberation of Belgium and Holland in 1944-45, and during the following half year lived in the home of a wonderful Dutch family who treated him like a long-lost son. To the end of their mutual days, they stayed in touch. I remember meeting them as a little girl when we lived in Heidelberg, Germany, between 1951-54 and traveled all over Western Europe. We got Christmas messages from them for decades later.

[Uncle Pete]

I am also a cheese lover and come from a cheese country  . No, that seems excessive to me.
Fortunately, less fat cheese now tastes good, unlike in the past. So I sometimes buy that too.

Low salt low fat cheese looks and probably tastes like the putty I use on windows to keep the water out. 

I don't drink coffee, but why would someone drink decaf? Kind of defeats the whole reason and purpose. Why do people order a meatless "Impossible" burger that tastes like meat, if they are against eating meat? Isn't that a contradiction?

No I don't like Brussels sprouts, unless they are drenched in cheese and butter. I confess. I'll eat pretty much anything, including raw from the garden, or some pretty nasty things like a blind robin or pickled turkey gizzard, or marinated herring, but Brussels Sprouts are the one that tastes bitter and I can't stand to even smell it cooking. Lobster is a close second, which probably saved a lot of money in my lifetime, because it's way too expensive.

I'm just happy that for now, cheese has been vindicated, and might lose it's bad reputation, unjustly given to it by an unfair trial and conviction. 

ps Blue Cheese is on the top of my favorites list, on a plain pepper cracker. Yum Yum, creamy blue mold. That's got to be something that other people are turned away from? Oh well, we all have choices. I'm just in favor of fair treatment for foods.

[marthamarks]

I'm just in favor of fair treatment for foods.

Sounds like a great campaign slogan. Pete, are you planning to run for something?

[Suspect]

Here's a screenshot of the original (second) Hummer Thread from the Sstock forum.
You all have a way to go to equal the posts (but it's nice to see this going again) 

[Suspect]

In the Netherlands we have no hummingbirds, I have seen them long ago in the covered Dutch butterfly garden in Emmen. Unfortunately I didn't have a good camera at the time.
But we sometimes have a Hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) in the garden. A diurnal moth. They are difficult to photograph and resemble hummingbirds in the way they flying soek honey. (Photo not in focus for Shutter of course. I was hoping for a better photo this year, but unfortunately didn't see them. Better next year I hope)

We get those in our garden too Thijs.  I have some photos of them feeding on Lungwort in my Sstock port.
Not as good as yours though as not so close-up.
I spent far too much time laying on the ground trying to get those photos 

[thijsdegraaf]

Very sad to hear. You can also say that your husband may have lived longer because of his healthy lifestyle. But you feel it is unfair.
My wife has had two meganic heart valves since she was 58 and had surgery for a tumor in her intestines 8 years ago.
She also often likes Why me? Still, I think if she had lived less healthy, it would have looked worse.

I'm not saying that what happened to my husband was "unfair", because none of us is guaranteed anything, just that it's not entirely "fair" either. Does that make sense?

I think you're right about the healthy living paying off in one way if not another.

My career-Army father, who survived active service in both WWII and the Korean War, lived to be 85. Lung cancer finally took him out, even though he had stopped smoking 20 years earlier. Once we knew his cancer was terminal, he told me he thought he'd beaten it by going off cigarettes when he did. I said, you might have died 10 years ago if you hadn't stopped when you did.

That's what you're saying here, and I believe it's right.

BTW, Daddy was actively involved in the liberation of Belgium and Holland in 1944-45, and during the following half year lived in the home of a wonderful Dutch family who treated him like a long-lost son. To the end of their mutual days, they stayed in touch. I remember meeting them as a little girl when we lived in Heidelberg, Germany, between 1951-54 and traveled all over Western Europe. We got Christmas messages from them for decades later.

Even the war has beautiful sides. It is hard to imagine that another war will break out between European countries around the Netherlands.
Historically, the tiny Netherlands has been at war with every neighboring country. Even against Belgium. 

[thijsdegraaf]

In the Netherlands we have no hummingbirds, I have seen them long ago in the covered Dutch butterfly garden in Emmen. Unfortunately I didn't have a good camera at the time.
But we sometimes have a Hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) in the garden. A diurnal moth. They are difficult to photograph and resemble hummingbirds in the way they flying soek honey. (Photo not in focus for Shutter of course. I was hoping for a better photo this year, but unfortunately didn't see them. Better next year I hope)

We get those in our garden too Thijs.  I have some photos of them feeding on Lungwort in my Sstock port.
Not as good as yours though as not so close-up.
I spent far too much time laying on the ground trying to get those photos 

They are beautiful aren't they? I see its relative Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth (Hemaris fuciformis) more often, but it is also difficult to photograph sharply.

[Suspect]

In the Netherlands we have no hummingbirds, I have seen them long ago in the covered Dutch butterfly garden in Emmen. Unfortunately I didn't have a good camera at the time.
But we sometimes have a Hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) in the garden. A diurnal moth. They are difficult to photograph and resemble hummingbirds in the way they flying soek honey. (Photo not in focus for Shutter of course. I was hoping for a better photo this year, but unfortunately didn't see them. Better next year I hope)

We get those in our garden too Thijs.  I have some photos of them feeding on Lungwort in my Sstock port.
Not as good as yours though as not so close-up.
I spent far too much time laying on the ground trying to get those photos 

They are beautiful aren't they? I see its relative Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth (Hemaris fuciformis) more often, but it is also difficult to photograph sharply.

Yes, I was astonished when I first saw them + my husband made me laugh as he (seriously) asked if they were possibly very small birds 

I must look out for the hawk moth.

[Suspect]

Sari - if you read this, I just checked you out on Google books + you have lots of hits for published photos in books.

[thijsdegraaf]

I am also a cheese lover and come from a cheese country  . No, that seems excessive to me.
Fortunately, less fat cheese now tastes good, unlike in the past. So I sometimes buy that too.

Low salt low fat cheese looks and probably tastes like the putty I use on windows to keep the water out. 

Why do people order a meatless "Impossible" burger that tastes like meat, if they are against eating meat? Isn't that a contradiction?

We always said that about the cheese, but it tastes much better now in the Netherlands. (But my favorite cheese: Very old cheese)
My nephew (son of my wife's brother) is a cheese carrier at the cheese market in Alkmaar, where we live nearby. Website Cheese market  https://www.kaasmarkt.nl/en.

No it's not a contradiction Pete.
My father was a farmer. He had about 30 dairy cows, 30 pigs and sheep. We had a lot of land. That was very normal then.
Now you have a lot of factory farming in the Netherlands with thousands of pigs. One hundred cows is not much. Farmers now need a lot more animals to earn as much as my father did. If there is swine fever it is a disaster.
The CO2 emissions are far too large for such a small country. It is also not animal friendly.
That is the advantage of organic meat. That means much less pollution. And becomes tastier. Many people from the Netherlands eat it for that reason.
On TV I now saw them experimenting with printed meatless meat, which according to top chefs is almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Now a lot of soy is used in animal feed, which is better used elsewhere. People have also come a long way with making milk directly from grass. Not yet for drinking, but already as a replacement for soy in animal feed. When my father was a farmer, we had never heard of soy.

[marthamarks]

It is hard to imagine that another war will break out between European countries around the Netherlands.

True that.  (Or as some prefer to say� True dat! )

Unfortunately, it looks more likely that war � another civil war � will break out here in the United States than anywhere "across the water."  Sad. Scary.

[sgoodwin4813]

Cheese Vindicated!

Recent Study: Animal fats in our diet are not a cause for higher risk or heart conditions.

Also they might actually be good:

Thanks for pointing that out - now I can go back to having milk on my breakfast cereal again instead of beer!

[cathyslife]

Martha, that's great to know. There's one particular bird that I would really like to photograph and that's the humming bird. But I confess that Ive never seen one in my life as I live in Australia. I know that they are unique to the Americas. I visited Canada in the late 90s and was hoping to see hummingbirds there but didn't see any. A few years ago, I went to Michigan, US but didn't see any there either. Though I did see fireflies for the first time in Michigan and they were amazing. Really surreal. I regret not being able to photograph them because my camera battery was being charged at the time.

I�m late to the party. I just looked at the dates. I�d delete this if I could. Oh well.

My brother lives in South Carolina and he gets tons of them at his feeder.

[Uncle Pete]

Martha, that's great to know. There's one particular bird that I would really like to photograph and that's the humming bird. But I confess that Ive never seen one in my life as I live in Australia. I know that they are unique to the Americas. I visited Canada in the late 90s and was hoping to see hummingbirds there but didn't see any. A few years ago, I went to Michigan, US but didn't see any there either. Though I did see fireflies for the first time in Michigan and they were amazing. Really surreal. I regret not being able to photograph them because my camera battery was being charged at the time.

I�m late to the party. I just looked at the dates. I�d delete this if I could. Oh well.

My brother lives in South Carolina and he gets tons of them at his feeder.

Better late than never?

[thijsdegraaf]

The topic is not nearly as big as on the Shutterstock forum. I was reminded of it yesterday and today when I saw Rose-ringed parakeets (Psittacula krameri) in our garden near the peanuts for the tits.
The bird does not belong in the Netherlands, of course, but it does feel at home there and even causes nuisance in large groups.
I had never seen them. This one in the photo was in the back of the garden. Today there were a few close to the window, but it is a foggy winter day, so shooting (photo) is not possible. I hope to be able to take another photo suitable for stock when it is sunny.
It reminds me of the large groups of parrots that I saw looking up a tree in Australia at night.
Now I have to wait for feral hummingbirds!!!   

[Uncle Pete]

Is this a non-indigenous type bird?

Wisconsin we have no flocks of the infamous, escaped, "feral budgie" that's found in Florida and California, but we have Ring Necked Pheasants, Chucker Partridge and some others that were brought in for game farms, that have established small feral populations.

[thijsdegraaf]

Is this a non-indigenous type bird?

Wisconsin we have no flocks of the infamous, escaped, "feral budgie" that's found in Florida and California, but we have Ring Necked Pheasants, Chucker Partridge and some others that were brought in for game farms, that have established small feral populations.

These are escaped aviary birds that do well in the Netherlands and Belgium and can withstand the cold fairly well. In the beginning they were mainly found in parks of large cities. According to my daughter, who lives near a park in Amsterdam, there are hundreds of them.
They can crowd out native birds by such large numbers. They are complained about, but now I enjoy them. I also see them at the moment. And there is enough food for the native birds in our garden.
Due to warming, species of animals are also coming to the Netherlands along the natural route.

[thijsdegraaf]

I read an old newspaper article about hummingbirds. We've had them too!!!! 

Translated: Hummingbirds flew through Europe 34 million years ago
AMSTERDAM - The hummingbird, the aerial acrobat that can hover in front of a flower, already fluttered through Europe 30 to 34 million years ago. Two fossils excavated in Germany bear witness to this.

From our editors scienceMay 7, 2004, 00:00
The age of the fossilized bird remains is remarkable. The oldest hummingbird fossil to date, from South America, dates back only one million years. The location is also surprising, because hummingbirds are nowadays only found in America. No one knew they ever populated European skies.

German zoologist Gerald Mayr excavated the fossil birds near the southern German town of Frauenweiler, on the edge of a former sea where remains of sharks and turtles have also been found. The loot consists of two skeletons of four centimeters long. Mayr describes them today in the journal Science.

Although hummingbirds -for unknown reasons- have disappeared from Europe and Asia, according to Mayr the local vegetation still bears their traces. For example, some calyxes seem evolutionarily attuned to the unique, match-like beaks.

[cascoly]

in seattle, we have year-round anna hummingbirds & they come to both my feeders (outside my office window) & plants - i've had them hover in front of me about 2' away while gardening. even when i cant see them, their clicking is obvious

sphinx moth in Vermont:
 

[cascoly]

Pacific City, Oregon coast

[thijsdegraaf]

Pacific City, Oregon coast

Beautiful. I saw them once in the Netherlands in an indoor butterfly garden together with tropical butterflies.

[marthamarks]

Is this a non-indigenous type bird?

Wisconsin we have no flocks of the infamous, escaped, "feral budgie" that's found in Florida and California, but we have Ring Necked Pheasants, Chucker Partridge and some others that were brought in for game farms, that have established small feral populations.

I've seen and non-lethally "shot" some of those feral budgies in southern Florida, and I understand they're in south Texas too.

Also once saw and "shot" a pair of green parrots on the Pacific Coast, near Malibu. And once came upon a little cabal of charming, fast-moving Chukars in Utah. They made for some lively chasing!

There are Ring-necked Pheasants almost everywhere in the US. I've "shot" 'em here in New Mexico.

[thijsdegraaf]

Is this a non-indigenous type bird?

Wisconsin we have no flocks of the infamous, escaped, "feral budgie" that's found in Florida and California, but we have Ring Necked Pheasants, Chucker Partridge and some others that were brought in for game farms, that have established small feral populations.

I've seen and non-lethally "shot" some of those feral budgies in southern Florida, and I understand they're in south Texas too.

Also once saw and "shot" a pair of green parrots on the Pacific Coast, near Malibu. And once came upon a little cabal of charming, fast-moving Chukars in Utah. They made for some lively chasing!

There are Ring-necked Pheasants almost everywhere in the US. I've "shot" 'em here in New Mexico.

The pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) also lives in the Netherlands. Sometimes called an exotic, because it was probably introduced by the Romans and crossed with other pheasant species. There are many subspecies. They used to be bred for hunting, but luckily that is no longer allowed. I occasionally come across them in the dunes, but they occur all over the Netherlands.

[Wilm]

The topic is not nearly as big as on the Shutterstock forum. I was reminded of it yesterday and today when I saw Rose-ringed parakeets (Psittacula krameri) in our garden near the peanuts for the tits.
The bird does not belong in the Netherlands, of course, but it does feel at home there and even causes nuisance in large groups.
I had never seen them. This one in the photo was in the back of the garden. Today there were a few close to the window, but it is a foggy winter day, so shooting (photo) is not possible. I hope to be able to take another photo suitable for stock when it is sunny.
It reminds me of the large groups of parrots that I saw looking up a tree in Australia at night.
Now I have to wait for feral hummingbirds!!!   

Hello Thijs,

thank you for reminding me. About 45 years ago we had close to 50 of these parakeets in our garden in Heidelberg. That was quite exotic at that time. Today the birds are part of city life there. But there are none up here in the north. It's probably too cold for them here.

[Uncle Pete]

Is this a non-indigenous type bird?

Wisconsin we have no flocks of the infamous, escaped, "feral budgie" that's found in Florida and California, but we have Ring Necked Pheasants, Chucker Partridge and some others that were brought in for game farms, that have established small feral populations.

I've seen and non-lethally "shot" some of those feral budgies in southern Florida, and I understand they're in south Texas too.

Also once saw and "shot" a pair of green parrots on the Pacific Coast, near Malibu. And once came upon a little cabal of charming, fast-moving Chukars in Utah. They made for some lively chasing!

There are Ring-necked Pheasants almost everywhere in the US. I've "shot" 'em here in New Mexico.

Yes, I've never hunted anything, unless digging worms and fishing counts. I've shot many clay pigeons and paper targets over time. So I'm shooting wildlife as you do, photos only.

Interesting thing is, wild turkeys, almost extinct in the 1950s, have grown to millions across Mexico and the US and have a wider range than they originally did, before the Europeans settled the continent. They are common and populate 49 of the states now. I see them grossing the roads fairly often. Another bird making a comeback is the Sandhill Crane. Nearly extinct in the 1800, they were eventually protected by the migratory bird act of 1916. Slowly making a return, now numbering over 100,000. And I can tell you, I hear them and see them, like I never did when I was younger. Noisy and interesting, with a 6 to 7 foot wingspan.

I haven't gone out intentionally "shooting" them yet. Most common during Spring and Fall migrations.

[S2D2]

Is this a non-indigenous type bird?

Wisconsin we have no flocks of the infamous, escaped, "feral budgie" that's found in Florida and California, but we have Ring Necked Pheasants, Chucker Partridge and some others that were brought in for game farms, that have established small feral populations.

I've seen and non-lethally "shot" some of those feral budgies in southern Florida, and I understand they're in south Texas too.

Also once saw and "shot" a pair of green parrots on the Pacific Coast, near Malibu. And once came upon a little cabal of charming, fast-moving Chukars in Utah. They made for some lively chasing!

There are Ring-necked Pheasants almost everywhere in the US. I've "shot" 'em here in New Mexico.

The pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) also lives in the Netherlands. Sometimes called an exotic, because it was probably introduced by the Romans and crossed with other pheasant species. There are many subspecies. They used to be bred for hunting, but luckily that is no longer allowed. I occasionally come across them in the dunes, but they occur all over the Netherlands.

We have pheasants in England.  They are really good at stepping into the road just as you are driving close to them and then waiting there especially to be run over.
They don't seem to be very intelligent.
Sadly, we still have a pheasant shooting 'season' from October to February.
For fear of causing offence, I won't say what I think of this kind of 'shooting' 

[cascoly]

.... Another bird making a comeback is the Sandhill Crane. Nearly extinct in the 1800, they were eventually protected by the migratory bird act of 1916. Slowly making a return, now numbering over 100,000. And I can tell you, I hear them and see them, like I never did when I was younger. Noisy and interesting, with a 6 to 7 foot wingspan.....

they must have had a goodyear! current estimate is 650,000 https://www.fws.gov/birds/surveys-and-data/webless-migratory-game-birds/sandhill-cranes.php


Great place to see them during spring migration is Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in less visited Southeastern Oregon; also pelicans, marsh birds & ducks


then there's Richard Powers' The Echo Maker, with the Dakota migration as background (the story concerns a man with Capgras syndrome - in which a person holds a delusion that a friend, spouse, parent, or other close family member (or pet) has been replaced by an identical impostor.)

[Uncle Pete]

People around here are looking and asking "are these Sandhill things good eating"?  I have to say, the sounds they make are crazy and interesting. I'm still ready with the digital audio recorder, maybe some day I'll get a good capture.

For anyone who doesn't know, I live in the left-center of that orange area, Wisconsin, 4 miles from the lake, along the migratory bird flyway, which often follows the Eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Annually, more than five million migrating songbirds, (and others like hawks and cranes) numbering over 300 varieties, pass up and down the coast of Lake Michigan.

Snapshot, in the Spring, on the way to work one morning, not very special.



And yes we do get hummers now and then. They are not that shy and come up to hanging Petunia baskets on the front porch.

[thijsdegraaf]

The Rose-ringed parakeets are now in the yard every day. This one was on a peanut net a few meters from my house. I was able to photograph him through an open door with my macro lens.
Unfortunately it has been foggy or cloudy for days with little or no sun. So the picture could be better. Adobe accepted him and Shutterstock... focus. 
But.... my crow (photographed in Novembmber  https://www.shutterstock.com/nl/image-photo/western-jackdaw-corvus-monedula-coloeus-on-2107605044 ) on the roof was rejected by Adobe and accepted by Shutter in the same week.
I think they will stay in the garden all winter. So a better photo should succeed once in a while.

[S2D2]

Lovely photo Thijs.  I envy you.  I would love to have them visiting my garden.
I've never seen one wild like that but there are about 30K living in London.  I have just read that they are living in Sussex too, the adjoining county to ours, but still, I have never seen one.
We live in a town and over 14 years I have observed 26 different type of birds come to our feeders, so that's cheering, despite some of the populations being endangered.

[thijsdegraaf]

Lovely photo Thijs.  I envy you.  I would love to have them visiting my garden.
I've never seen one wild like that but there are about 30K living in London.  I have just read that they are living in Sussex too, the adjoining county to ours, but still, I have never seen one.
We live in a town and over 14 years I have observed 26 different type of birds come to our feeders, so that's cheering, despite some of the populations being endangered.

Thank you. You might see them again. Always nice to see new species.

[cascoly]

we have bald eagles in several Seattle parks - a pair would fly over my house every day, later accompanied by a young one.  You can see their nest just off the freeway. used to have ospreys, but havent seen one in years.

[S2D2]

we have bald eagles in several Seattle parks - a pair would fly over my house every day, later accompanied by a young one.  You can see their nest just off the freeway. used to have ospreys, but havent seen one in years.

I am envious.  I'd love to see an eagle.  The white-tailed eagle has been reintroduced in England on the Isle of Wight.  The farmers aren't very happy about this.

I live close so maybe one day I will see them.

The other birds of prey I see frequently are buzzards, harriers, sparrowhawks and red kites.  Hard to photograph though.

[cascoly]

we have bald eagles in several Seattle parks - a pair would fly over my house every day, later accompanied by a young one.  You can see their nest just off the freeway. used to have ospreys, but havent seen one in years.

I am envious.  I'd love to see an eagle.  The white-tailed eagle has been reintroduced in England on the Isle of Wight.  The farmers aren't very happy about this.

I live close so maybe one day I will see them.

The other birds of prey I see frequently are buzzards, harriers, sparrowhawks and red kites.  Hard to photograph though.

We often see a variety of hawks along highways, perched on a fence, watching the cars go by.

We were staying in Newport OR & every morning a bald eagle would sit in the snag about 50' away - then at 10 o'clock there'd be a shift change & a flock of turkey vultures would arrive.

Just north of Squamish, BC there's a river along which a dozen or more eagles gathered in winter/spring

[cascoly]

for insectophiles, there's a great new book - 'Super Fly'
https://seattle.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S30C3668098

[Sheila_F]

Hello to some I recognize and some I don't. I was a regular poster on the SS Hummer thread (I thought of it more as the humming of voices in conversation at a cafe more than just about nature - not sure what the original intent was). Anyway, we get a lot of hummingbirds. Just planted Pineapple sage last year and they love it.

https://image.shutterstock.com/image-photo/annas-hummingbird-drinking-nectar-vibrant-600w-2065722428.jpg

Also just started getting wild turkeys walking up and down our street last year. They nested here and this year we had even more. For those that don't know, I live on a small island next to Oakland, CA with a view of San Francisco (on the Bay Bridge side).

Here's a clip of three turkeys getting ready to cross the street in my neighbors driveway

https://www.shutterstock.com/video/clip-1085249771-4k-hd-video-close-four-juvenile-wild

[S2D2]

Great photo and video Sheila.

We don't have very colourful birds in England.  The most colourful one that visits our feeders is the goldfinch.

I just sold 3 photos of a Scottish Wildcat to one buyer.  That was pleasing.

A very endangered puss 

[Sheila_F]

Congrats on the sales Deb. Living in California, we have a diverse array of colorful birds (and other wildlife, not so colorful). We've had to start putting the flap cover on the doggy door to the backyard because Racoons are coming into the house to steal the cat food and dog food in the kitchen (and one of the Racoons attacked our dog several times. the first few times we weren't sure if it was a Racoon, stray cat or a possum, but my kids and husband got out there the third time pretty quick and the Racoon had jumped on our dogs back and was holding on and peeing on him at the same time - not fun to clean up. I missed the commotion because I was on a long assignment working at the border).

[S2D2]

Thanks Sheila.

That's really worrying about the racoons, especially for your pets 

We fitted a microchip cat flap for Coco after she got a badly infected leg from a cat burglar attack.

The only concerns we have for Coco now (and visiting cats) are the urban foxes.  They walk through our garden regularly and are always hungry.  I'd love to feed them but don't want to encourage them to hang around.  Beautiful animals.

Do you still foster kittens?

An urban fox on a neighbour's shed roof:

https://wirestock.io/debra.osborne-pursglove/portfolio/2098341

[thijsdegraaf]

Thanks Sheila.

That's really worrying about the racoons, especially for your pets 

We fitted a microchip cat flap for Coco after she got a badly infected leg from a cat burglar attack.

The only concerns we have for Coco now (and visiting cats) are the urban foxes.  They walk through our garden regularly and are always hungry.  I'd love to feed them but don't want to encourage them to hang around.  Beautiful animals.

Do you still foster kittens?

An urban fox on a neighbour's shed roof:

https://wirestock.io/debra.osborne-pursglove/portfolio/2098341

A beautiful fox photo Debbie and wild cats in the garden is very special. Of course we can't compete with the animals in Sheila's garden. 
 Nice to see you on Microstockforum Sheila!   
I think our most beautiful bird is the Eurasian jay. I have peanuts hanging on the rotary clothesline 2 meters from the sliding door, which we don't use now anyway. It's raining or it's cloudy. In the summer, the rotary dryer is in the back of the garden.
There are jays every day, but they are very shy. When I walk through the room they are already gone. I took this photo through the window.
Furthermore, every year in winter I have a heron in the garden, who watches for the frogs in the pond. He also keeps a close eye on me. You get used to your own birds. Great tits, for example, are also beautiful birds. Now that I see the ring-necked parakeets every day, I'm starting to think they are almost ordinary birds. 
More and more animals that were extinct are returning to the Netherlands. The beavers and otters are doing very well. The wolf is back. Wild cats and even lynx have been spotted. Often along the border of Belgium and Germany. I saw the fox in our garden once.

[S2D2]

Thank you Thijs.

The cats that visit us aren't wild, they belong to the neighbours, but have adopted us.

We get jays very occasionally.  They are lovely birds.  Sadly though, no parakeets.

Glad to hear about the nearly extinct animals returning.  Sadly, the Scottish wildcat is not fairing at all well.  I don't think it has a viable population in the wild any longer 

My photos of the Scottish Wildcat were taken at a Native Wildlife Centre (in captivity) but on a photographers day so you could go in with the animals, which was lovely.  I even got to stroke a fox.

[thijsdegraaf]

Thank you Thijs.

The cats that visit us aren't wild, they belong to the neighbours, but have adopted us.

We get jays very occasionally.  They are lovely birds.  Sadly though, no parakeets.

Glad to hear about the nearly extinct animals returning.  Sadly, the Scottish wildcat is not fairing at all well.  I don't think it has a viable population in the wild any longer 

My photos of the Scottish Wildcat were taken at a Native Wildlife Centre (in captivity) but on a photographers day so you could go in with the animals, which was lovely.  I even got to stroke a fox.

Too bad, I also read now, that those cats are rare.
Coincidentally, there was a video today of wild boars attacking a wolf. And that in the small Netherlands. https://nos.nl/index.php/artikel/2415679-zwijnen-gefilmd-bij-aanval-op-wolf-op-de-veluwe
As a child, a wolf was a beast from distant lands or from fairy tales. 

[Sheila_F]

Deb, yes. I still foster. Just had a litter a few months ago. I started working for a state run agency though so i sometimes take "deployments" as they call them and those run several weeks so I can't always foster as often as I'd like. I'm sure I mentioned before that I'm also an RN, so I've been doing covid relief work working at care facilities that are impacted by the disease as well as vaccine clinics and border screening sites (I prefer the last two over the first as they are less stressful IMO). Some groups of kittens are more cooperative than others. I use those images mainly for my greeting card site, but also submit to stock.

We don't get nearly as much wildlife as Sari does. Love watching her trail cam compalations. The racoons normally don't go in the backyards (or at least we never noticed them before). I never leave food outside for our animals, but I do leave water on the back porch so they might be coming for that. We have inside/outside cats as well (which is who we put the doors in for) and we've had one neighborhood cat come in the house to check out the place. My cats were not impressed and he didn't do it again that I'm aware of. The side door, my dog can't get through (he can just pop his head out) so only the cats can come in and out that one. It had a micro chip reader but the battery died and the unit seems to have failed so it's a moot point now. my cats would rather use the windows as doors and they'll sit and holler at the upstairs windows sitting right outside wanting in. I try not to encourage that though. LOL.

[cascoly]

i have annoying racoons visit my veggie garden - i dont mind sharing & dont use any anti-pest tricks, but the racoons take a few bites out of several tomatoes rather than finishing one!

[cascoly]

I think our most beautiful bird is the Eurasian jay. I have peanuts hanging on the rotary clothesline 2 meters from the sliding door, which we don't use now anyway. It's raining or it's cloudy. In the summer, the rotary dryer is in the back of the garden.
There are jays every day, but they are very shy. When I walk through the room they are already gone. I took this photo through the window.
Furthermore, every year in winter I have a heron in the garden, who watches for the frogs in the pond.....

One of my favorite birds is the Steller's Jay ( Cyanocitta stelleri )Deschutes River Trail, Bend, Oregon

Camprobbers are common in the mountains - they're quite tame and will perch on your hand - actually 2 species Clark's nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) and the Gray Jay or whiskey jack, ( Perisoreus canadensis ) -- here in Mount Rainier National Park


we have herons that nest in large numbers Seattle each year.
Great Blue heron fledglings   (Ardea herodias)

[thijsdegraaf]

I think our most beautiful bird is the Eurasian jay. I have peanuts hanging on the rotary clothesline 2 meters from the sliding door, which we don't use now anyway. It's raining or it's cloudy. In the summer, the rotary dryer is in the back of the garden.
There are jays every day, but they are very shy. When I walk through the room they are already gone. I took this photo through the window.
Furthermore, every year in winter I have a heron in the garden, who watches for the frogs in the pond.....

One of my favorite birds is the Steller's Jay ( Cyanocitta stelleri )Deschutes River Trail, Bend, Oregon[

Camprobbers are common in the mountains - they're quite tame and will perch on your hand - actually 2 species Clark's nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) and the Gray Jay or whiskey jack, ( Perisoreus canadensis ) -- here in Mount Rainier National Park


we have herons that nest in large numbers Seattle each year.
Great Blue heron fledglings   (Ardea herodias)

That is indeed a beautiful jay!!! I didn't know that one.
Here's the Gray heron (Ardea cinerea), which I photographed on a neighbor's roof last winter. The same day he ran off with a frog from our pond. Then I put bamboo and a net over the pond. I don't see him in the garden in summer.
 https://www.shutterstock.com/nl/image-photo/grey-heron-ardea-cinerea-longlegged-predatory-1952098831

[cascoly]

yes, i remember seeing that grey heron a few years ago in Zaanse Schans,

[thijsdegraaf]

yes, i remember seeing that grey heron a few years ago in Zaanse Schans,

Yes at the Zaanse Schans (I have looked at your photos of the Zaanse Schans with cheeses, clogs, heron. Beautiful!! and Amsterdam, Volendam and Naarden  ). there is a lot of water and therefore also herons. They are very common birds with us. Some migrate to warm countries in the winter and some stay. If it is a harsh winter they have a hard time, but the last winters including this one is not a problem for them.

[cascoly]

yes, i remember seeing that grey heron a few years ago in Zaanse Schans,

Yes at the Zaanse Schans (I have looked at your photos of the Zaanse Schans with cheeses, clogs, heron. Beautiful!! and Amsterdam, Volendam and Naarden  ). there is a lot of water and therefore also herons. They are very common birds with us. Some migrate to warm countries in the winter and some stay. If it is a harsh winter they have a hard time, but the last winters including this one is not a problem for them.

thanks --
I'm a voracious consumer of history.  As we have just a few historical fortresses in the US (eg, Ticonderoga, McHenry, Sumter), I enjoy visiting European examples like Naarden.  i visited Syria in the 90s & a highlight was a stop at Krak des Chevaliers.  High on my list are visits to Carcassonne & Chateau Gaillard

[thijsdegraaf]

yes, i remember seeing that grey heron a few years ago in Zaanse Schans,

Yes at the Zaanse Schans (I have looked at your photos of the Zaanse Schans with cheeses, clogs, heron. Beautiful!! and Amsterdam, Volendam and Naarden  ). there is a lot of water and therefore also herons. They are very common birds with us. Some migrate to warm countries in the winter and some stay. If it is a harsh winter they have a hard time, but the last winters including this one is not a problem for them.

thanks --
I'm a voracious consumer of history.  As we have just a few historical fortresses in the US (eg, Ticonderoga, McHenry, Sumter), I enjoy visiting European examples like Naarden.  i visited Syria in the 90s & a highlight was a stop at Krak des Chevaliers.  High on my list are visits to Carcassonne & Chateau Gaillard

Carcassonne is beautiful, just a bit touristy, but so is the Zaanse Schans. I went to Naarden with our kids when it came up in their history class, but that was a long time ago (while it's not that far from home and we drive past it often). But you've seen a lot more when I look at your photos.

[Sheila_F]

No forts or castles here (unless you count Hearst Castle) but lots of Missions. One of my photo buddies is obcessed with the missions so we try to hit one or two when ever we do a nature road trip.

[thijsdegraaf]

I live on the coast in the village of Bergen. There are many bunkers and Concrete Dragons against tanks from the Second World War built by the Germans to defend the coast.
No tourists come to see it (and the photos don't sell either  ). Often in the meadows. I find the Concrete Dragons striking on a farmyard in the village of Egmond aan den Hoef between the drying laundry on the line. There is a sign with explanation, but nothing more. You see a lot of tourists, but they look at the bulb fields or go to the beach.  https://www.shutterstock.com/nl/g/Thijs+de+Graaf?searchterm=world+war+netherlands&sort=popular

[cascoly]

Those are the sort of sites I try to find -- Once took a bike ride through the Austerlitz battlefield near Brno - the neasrby villages had changed little since the battle.

My Turkish travel partner did his PhD on ANZAC tourism to Gallipoli, and we include that on our tours - hitting Gallipoli & nearby Troy.  Have also located sites of several sea battles of the Peloponnesian war and Alexander's battle at Granicus. a new bridge from Gallipoli to Canakkale across the Hellespont is near the site of Xerxes' bridge of boats

[Sheila_F]

I'm not much of a history buff. I'd never heard of anything like that. A bunker I'd know, but if I saw the dragon teeth, I'd be like "huh, wonder what those are for". We had planned to do more travel to Europe but then Covid took our plans and tossed them out the window.

[thijsdegraaf]

I'm not much of a history buff. I'd never heard of anything like that. A bunker I'd know, but if I saw the dragon teeth, I'd be like "huh, wonder what those are for". We had planned to do more travel to Europe but then Covid took our plans and tossed them out the window.

We last went abroad (Slovenia) in 2019. There I took some pictures for the first time with the idea of selling them. I planned to make many more with the next trips. But unfortunately it has mainly become photos of the garden and the surroundings. 

[Uncle Pete]

No forts or castles here (unless you count Hearst Castle) but lots of Missions. One of my photo buddies is obcessed with the missions so we try to hit one or two when ever we do a nature road trip.

Fort Point and Alcatraz? Last time I went to Alcatraz, I asked if I could stay and take the next boat back. They allowed that and I had a clear way to see many parts, without lots of other tourists in the views.

Treasure Island? I'll guess you've already been there?

[Sheila_F]

Treasure Island is not the same as it was. they're building a hotel and new housing on it. Putting in a new ferry terminal there as well if I have that correct (to cut down on traffic to/from the city once the housing and commercial properties are done). I take photos from there, but not usually there. The military section with the light house is hard to get to if you're not military (I shoot that from the water when i take the ferry into the city). Alcatraz, I've taken the kids a few times but i never submitted any of those photos for stock. you can get a nice view of the city from there, if you have fast enough shutter speed to accommodate for the high winds that are typical in the middle of the bay.

[Sheila_F]

And I have actually taken photos at forte point. Introduced one of my uncles to the site. Fun hallways to shoot with repeating patterns. And nice views of the Golden Gate bridge.

[Uncle Pete]

And I have actually taken photos at forte point. Introduced one of my uncles to the site. Fun hallways to shoot with repeating patterns. And nice views of the Golden Gate bridge.

I was there only once but I remembered how it was an interesting location and old. My Brother used to work some shows out on Treasure Island, and that would have been 70-80s. I think it has changed?

I still think I could just ride a bike around locally or take a car and actually stop, instead of saying "I'll come back some day". Without leaving the state I could keep busy for years.

[Sheila_F]

Pete, you likely wouldn't recognize Treasure Island now days. By the time they're done with the hotels there, it'll look even more radically different. They're building hotels facing the city on the isthmus of Treasure Island. And probably onto the area that used to be the military base. They put in what looks like condos on the Oakland side of the hilly part of the island where the Bay Bridge hits the island to go through the tunnel. There's also now a bike/pedestrian bridge open from Oakland to Treasure Island. It doesn't run from Treasure Island to the city though and doubtful they'll do that on the double decker. They are putting in a ferry landing in front of the hotel area to go to/from the financial district and Pier 41 from the island as well. Not sure when that's going to open.

[Uncle Pete]

Pete, you likely wouldn't recognize Treasure Island now days. By the time they're done with the hotels there, it'll look even more radically different. They're building hotels facing the city on the isthmus of Treasure Island. And probably onto the area that used to be the military base. They put in what looks like condos on the Oakland side of the hilly part of the island where the Bay Bridge hits the island to go through the tunnel. There's also now a bike/pedestrian bridge open from Oakland to Treasure Island. It doesn't run from Treasure Island to the city though and doubtful they'll do that on the double decker. They are putting in a ferry landing in front of the hotel area to go to/from the financial district and Pier 41 from the island as well. Not sure when that's going to open.

I think that answers it. Once an old place for entertainment shooting, the military, and storage. Now an island development. I had to look, I'm not in the news for CA. Navy moved out and sold the base to the city. That explains it.

[Sheila_F]

They sold the base land on Alameda to the city too. They're building that up with condo complexes as well, but I understand the military put a cap on how many housing units they could build and they had to pay the military a large amt for each one over the cap they decide to put in. They had to clean up the toxic waste that was dumped there by the military and some of it couldn't adequately be cleaned up so it's not zoned for housing (my understanding of it, but I could have misunderstood and be wrong). Traffic is already crazy here since there's only the four bridges and one tunnel on/off the island so it's going to get significantly worse on that end of the island with commuter traffic despite the fact that they've put in a new ferry terminal as well.

[Sheila_F]

Just spent half the morning back and forth emails to get credentials for an upcoming event in the city. I had sent them my initial email the first part of the month but hadn't heard back. So glad that's finally done. With Covid restrictions lifting in CA, I'm finally trying to get back into the groove of editorial event photography.

[S2D2]

Enjoy Sheila.

Your huge port is about to grow 

It is nice to start to get back into the groove of doing some 'normal' things again..

All Covid restrictions are now lifted here in England.

[Sheila_F]

Thanks. After shooting at the Chinese New Year's parade last weekend, I realized just how much I missed the chaos of it all. LOL. I usually only catch the Northern California events since the LA events are an 8 hour drive, but we do tend to have a lot going on up here so it still keeps me busy.