Today’s diverse photos come from Ian Churchill, whose Flickr site is here. Ian’s captions are indented. Click the photos to enlarge them.
Amanita muscaria, [the “fly agaric”], Horsell Common, England:
Baby European Herring Gulls [Larus argentatus,]Wadars Wildlife rescue, Worthing, England:
Crocodile, Black River, Jamaica:
Damselfly, Woods Mill, England:
Deer, Petworth Park, England:
Iguana? Tulum, Mexico:
European Robin [Erithacus rubecula], Brighton, England:
Seals, Juneau, Alaska, US:
Grey Squirrel [Sciurus carolinensis] eating mealworms from bird feeder, Brighton, England:
Humpback Whale [Megaptera novaeangliae], Juneau, Alaska, US:
Great photos. I love how iguanas often look as if they are posing for their pictures.
What was rather amusing about this, as we’d gone to visit the fantastic Mayan ruins at Tulum, my girlfriend was feeling too hot so went and sat in the shade of a tree. As I got back to her reporting my excitement of having had the iguanas pose for photos for me, she told me how she’d had one climb across the rocks and climb down her shoulder, across her lap and to the floor in front of her, she was very happy about that and I missed it!
That’s very cool!
Great pix, with lots of variety. You’ve really been getting around!
Thanks.
Some great photos today – thanks for sharing!
ctenosaur = spinytail iguana = genus Ctenosaura, I think, same family as genus Iguana
Thanks for the identification.
How do I submit photos?
Wonderful photos! I love that Amanita muscaria.
Me too! When I was slowly scrolling down, it reminded me of the novel coronavirus.
Great photos, Ian!
Thanks!
This was a fun, diverse selection. I had no idea crocodiles lived in Jamaica. That would have been a long swim, assuming they weren’t introduced.
There are actually a few river boat trips where the local sanctuary guides take you to spot the crocodiles. We did actually see an osprey in a tree there that was thought to have blown over with a storm! I apologise for not remembering which species of crocodiles were present but they were populating the brackish waters so it may be that they’re saltwater crocodiles. If anyone can verify, please do.
There are four species of Crocodile in the Americas; American, Morelet’s, Cuban and Orinoco. Those in Jamaica are American. Saltwater Crocodiles are an Indo-Pacific species.
I was working with the young herring gulls at the rescue centre as they were ones that had fallen from rooftops and couldn’t be placed back with their family. I spent my time chopping fish for them, changing the paper on the floor and making sure they weren’t squabbling. When they were stable on their feet they were moved to an outside aviary. Once they showed signs of being able to fly they were then released to the wild in a largely populated local area. The region I live in is one of their main breeding areas in the UK.
THAT… is the best fly agaric mushroom I’ve ever seen in photographic form: excellent! The others are good also.
(I do not take magic mushrooms myself…however)… fly agarics have been used in Siberia for thousands of years as psychedelics and the oldest use of them seems to be evinced by cave paintings in Algeria (I know.. right?) 5,000 years ago.
They’re also (amusingly) in old Disney movies. 😉
Thanks for the pix,
D.A.
NYC
Thanks, kind of you to say so. I got lucky, it’s an old photo taken on a camera that was old at the time. I am no photographer, just a bloke with a camera.
Over the last year I’ve taken the bold step of eating edible fungus I find. Thankfully, through a combination of phone apps, pocket books and social media I’ve been able to take a triple bind approach to ID.
There are some that eat fly agaric, after very careful preparation, that do so with no interest in any mind altering properties, it does seem that a lot of effort is required though.