Nature Unlimited, 18 November 2022

[ShunCheung]

This is the additional weekly image thread for the Nature Forum. While images posted to this thread should still be nature in theme, it may contain a small amount of human-made objects and therefore less restricted than the Monday in Nature threads. Please see this discussion for more details: Alternative weekly thread in Nature forum

Each participant please post no more than just one image per weekly thread. Many members will appreciate any information you are willing or able to provide regarding location, shooting process, exposure settings, equipment, and information on the subject(s), including scientific and/or common names.

 

This must be the ultimate image for Nature Unlimited. On Sea Lion Island in the Falklands, they have this rockhopper penguin colony, but its population is on the decline. In order to attract the penguins, people thought adding more birds there would make them feel more comfortable. In the Falklands, it is fairly common to have penguins nesting side-by-side with shags (cormorants). As a result, people brought in a lot of plastic shags and placed them by the penguin colony. The "cormorants" you see in the image are artificial, all plastic without feathers, but their sizes and colors are all to proportion, such that from a distance, they look quite real, and of course they don't move.

[Sanford]

XP1, 35mm Lens.

[Sanford]

9 minutes ago, ShunCheung said:

location

Where?

[brian_niemi1]

Red Shouldered Hawk

[ShunCheung]

9 minutes ago, Sanford said:

Where?

Sorry Sanford, I decided to start the thread first and then add a description, since that story was taking a little time to write. That rockhopper penguin colony is on Sea Lion Island, which is on the south-east side of the Falkland Islands group. The GPS record indicates this location on Google maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/52°26'46.2"S+59°06'47.4"W/@-52.447791,-59.1160352,1592m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x359fe0799461f507!8m2!3d-52.4461517!4d-59.1131617

[Sanford]

Thanks Shun. I'm going to check out the Sea Lions myself this morning but a little closer to home.

[ShunCheung]

On 11/18/2022 at 7:10 AM, Sanford said:

Thanks Shun. I'm going to check out the Sea Lions myself this morning but a little closer to home.

A decade ago, there used to be a lot of Sea Lions on the dock in Moss Landing (on the central California coast). They were there for several years and were packed like sardines, but eventually their weight damaged the dock and it sank. But there are a lot of sea lions from Monterey to San Francisco, where they take over some pier. (I haven't been there for quite a while so that I am not familiar with the current situation.)

[Sanford]

Friday they weren't in the usual spots along the Coast Guard pier where you can get very close, but out on the breakwater at the end of the pier where a double barrier keeps you from getting within twenty feet. A few weeks ago they all seemed to be at the end of Fisherman's Wharf. They tend to move in mass, don't know who gives orders. I haven't been to Moss Landing in a few years but that's a good spot to see them. I made the mistake of approaching this little guy at Moss Landing in 2011, very aggressive, they can move fast but fortunately don't like to run very far.

 

Edited November 19, 2022 by Sanford

[Mark Keefer]

Today in Buccaneer Park, Oceanside, California.

 

[mariostuder]

[Bill J Boyd]

Monk Parakeets in Austin, TX

[User_10939992]

[Dieter Schaefer]