Natural splendour, real musics, wines, wordpower
Long, prominent tail feathers are a key feature of Anas acuta, the northern pintail.
This handsome, migratory, large dabbling duck really gets around.
The pictured individuals were wintering in Rajasthan, before heading north to their breeding grounds in central or northern Asia, or Europe.
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The pictured individuals are within their “proper” range, in Rajasthan.
(see #26 in this “a shining moment” series for details about the very special, particular location)
However, for more than a few years, feral members of their species lived in several suburbs of Perth, Western Australia.
At least three individuals did 160 kilometres “better”, reaching the Wheatbelt town of Pingelly!
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Alta Paz literally translates into English as “high peace”.
It is the name of a particularly beautiful piece by Argentinian guitarist Quique Sinesi.
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Yes, the peregrine really is the fastest animal on earth!
This post’s peregrine falcon is an immature individual.
That description is not a character judgement; the colour of its plumage makes clear that it is a young bird.
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No other large desert is so densely populated by humans.
Its remarkably abundant and diverse wildlife also defies preconceived notions of deserts as “empty” or “barren” places.
Most of the Thar Desert is in northwest India; the other 15% is in Pakistan.
The greater portion is in Rajasthan.
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It was – in the exact words uttered earlier tonight on Australian television – “an analog, off-line experience”.
On the morning of 19 October 2019, the valley floor on which we stood was almost twice as high as Australia-proper’s highest peak.
The peaks above us were a deal higher, again.
…and yes – rather more than a thousand, mostly-vertical metres away from us – wild yaks were making their way across a snow-blanketed alpine meadow.
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For many birds, standing on one leg is entirely comfortable, even for extended periods.
When did you ever see any such bird lose its balance?
For Homo sapiens, it is another matter entirely.
However, our ability to stand on just one of our own two feet is very much more telling/predictive than most of us realise.
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The “skin” of almost any tree will reward your close attention.
There are just nine recognised species in the genus Andansonia – the baobabs.
One is Australian.
Two live in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
The other six – this one included – are Madagascan, only.
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Their yearly trick of looking new
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Widely regarded as the loveliest deer, the chital has a connection to the cheetah; it is not a predator-prey connection…in the present, at least.
Axis axis was also, in 1803, the very first deer species to be introduced to Australia.
The chital is one of the island continent’s longest-established feral animals.
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