Eastern Towhee, Lang Elliot

the crested barbet is a sub-saharan african bird. highly territorial, this bird is very defensive and has been recorded killing rats and snakes on their territory. males and females appear identical. both sexes participate in rearing of the chicks, of which they may have up to five broods of during a breeding season. they primarily feed on insects and other birds’ eggs, but they may feed on small animals from time to time. they roost & nest in hollow trees and logs. their markings are very distinct from other barbets, which often feature more blocky, less striped markings.

Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica), male, from a banding. Jerusalem Bird Observatory (JBO). 21.10.21

low poly animals in the sims are my favourite cryptids

Solstice: Sunrises Around the Year : Does the Sun always rise in the same direction? No. As the months change, the direction toward the rising Sun changes, too. The featured image shows the direction of sunrise every month during 2019 as seen from near the city of Amman, Jordan. The camera in the image is always facing due east, with north toward the left and south toward the right. Although the Sun always rises in the east in general, it rises furthest to the south of east on the December solstice, and furthest north of east on the June solstice. Today is the December solstice, the day of least sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere and of most sunlight in the Southern Hemisphere. In many countries, the December Solstice is considered an official change in season: for example the first day of winter in the North. Solar heating and stored energy in the Earth’s surface and atmosphere are near their lowest during winter, making the winter months usually the coldest of the year. On the brighter side, in the north, daylight hours will now increase every day from until June. via NASA

I love this so much

Southern Sky at 38,000 Feet : Celestial sights of the southern sky shine above a cloudy planet Earth in this gorgeous night sky view. The scene was captured from an airliner’s flight deck at 38,000 feet on a steady westbound ride to Lima, Peru. To produce the sharp airborne astrophotograph, the best of a series of short exposures were selected and digitally stacked. The broad band of the southern Milky Way begins at top left with the dark Coalsack Nebula and Southern Cross. Its expanse of diffuse starlight encompasses the the Carina Nebula and large Gum Nebula toward the right. Canopus, alpha star of Carina and second brightest star in Earth’s night is easy to spot below the Milky Way, as is the dwarf galaxy known as the Large Magellanic Cloud. The Small Magellanic cloud just peeks above the cloudy horizon. Of course, the South Celestial Pole also lies within the starry southern frame. via NASA

Australian Night Parrot

The night parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) is a small parrot endemic to the continent of Australia. It is well known as being one of the most elusive and mysterious birds in the world, with no known sightings of the bird between 1912 and 1979, leading to speculation that it was extinct. The first photographic and video evidence of a live individual was publicly confirmed in July 2013. Another live individual was photographed in March 2017.

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Adelie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae)

© Phillip Edwards