Friday 21 December – Animal Bears

Poland

Artist: Ela Wozniewska

“The bear sculpture painted by me stand for the richness of Polish myths, legends and symbols. With contrasting colours and forms reflecting the spectre of Polish folk history I created a "landscape" inviting the observer to linger in a romantic, playful way.”

 

 

Philippines

Artist: Pierre F. Patricio

“The Philippine Eagle - The King of Heavens

In the forests of Davao, Philippines, every single little creature fears the world's largest eagle. Like the American eagle, the Philippines eagle is a national symbol of the Philippines' rich and tropical heritage. No wonder that this monkey-eating eagle will soon to be extinct. On the list of countries with the highest number of endangered birds, the Philippines ranks sixth. Under global threat of extinction are 75 Philippine birds, which 59 of these are not found elsewhere in the planet. The Philippine eagle belongs to one of these. It's estimated population is only about 19. It can grow 91 cm tall and its wings 200 cm wide. This eagle can weigh 6,5 kg and can live up to sixty years. This giant raptor eats small monkeys, especially the world's smallest monkey (Tarsier, 10 cm). A pair of eagles can have a territory of 100 sq.km. The reasons for the decline of this creature is the deforestation in the country. According to theories, the entire forest kingdom of this developing nation might be wiped out in 2050. The economy of the Philippines depends on light industry and the demand of wood of its trading partners Japan and USA is very high.”

 

Namibia

Artist: Gizz Farrell

To me Namibia is a unique and fascinating country, simply out of this World?

The combination of the desert and the drought, and yet the incredible variety of fauna and flora, combined with tranquillity ......... this gives me zest for life!

I don`t however only want to portray the beautiful side of this land, but also emphasise certain problems, such as aids and the extinction of animals and plant life. Past traditions on how to care for and live with nature have long been forgotten! All this is detrimental to our earth ....... and why? Only through the egoistic desires of humans!!

I hope that every single persons that visits Namibia will make this decision, to take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints!?

Save the Bushman, Save the Rhino, Save the World !

 

 Guinea

Artist: Nana Kaba

(not the same bear as on the BB homepage)

Guinea is the world's second largest producer of bauxite (an  aluminium ore), and has rich deposits of diamonds and gold. But the issue of human rights in the country remains controversial and the literacy rate of Guinea is one of the lowest in the world (Wikipedia)

 

Shadow Shot Sunday: Black Swan

“Hello… Who is that down there?”

Shadow Shot Sunday

Friday My Town: 2011 – The (Tail) End

tail end, n.

1. The hindmost part.
2. The very end; the conclusion.

Definition by http://www.thefreedictionary.com

 

You are facing the end of an old year and the beginning of a new one.
What do you do?

A. Look back

B. I don’t know. I really don’t.

C. Dive right in!

D. Just plod on!

 

Please leave your answer in the Comment Box. Thank you!

 

”Now this is not the end.
It is not even the beginning of the end.
But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
~ Winston Churchill ~

 

Happy New Year, Everyone!

 

 

 

Watery Wednesday: Wet Romance

Sea Lions at the Zoo :)

for Water Wednesday

In the summer, the sea lions give daily public shows. I came by their
lake just as the show was over; but the animals were evidently in
the mood to give the public a bit of a “back stage” entertainment.

 

A Rooster for Ruby Tuesday

 

There are some farm animals within the zoo as well. This rooster was giving a powerful performance as I passed by.  His ‘cock-a-doodle-doo’ (in Swedish: ‘kuckeliku’!) might even have been enough to wake a lion! (see previous post)

 

See more RED at Ruby Tuesday

Mosaic Monday: Sleepy Lions

Sometimes in the morning it’s just hard to get out of bed!

Did you know that a lion spends about 20 hours a day just sleeping?

In one of the ladies’ loos at the zoo (perhaps in the gents’ as well
– that I wouldn’t know), they keep playing the song:

♫ In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight…♫

Haven’t been able to get it out of my head since my visit!!!

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Read more about the history of our zoo here:
It All Started With One Lion

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For more Monday Mosaics visit Mary’s Little Red House

Savannah Shadows

Guess where I went today?

See more shadows at Shadow Shot Sunday

Who Is Watching Whom?

A couple of weeks ago I had a photo of a hare who often hangs around in this (urban) neighbourhood. (Follow the link to see him.) I then also mentioned that we have wild rabbits as well. This week I managed to “catch” a couple of those with the camera too. With the one above it was quite a challenging “staring game”… I know he saw me. But he did allow me to get closer - one very careful step at a time… But then suddenly I had overstepped the invisible line and he darted away into the shrubs behind…

Today I came upon another one, in the cemetery. He behaved in a similar way but was more wary than the one above, didn’t allow me to get as close. (Using the digital zoom for this picture.)

 

Hare

I see this hare every now and then around where I live and in the old cemetery close by. Usually it’s hard to get close enough to get a good photo, but today he seemed lost in contemplation for a moment, and I managed to zoom him in.

There are also wild rabbits living in a railway bank nearby, and I saw several of those today as well. But they were more alert and too quick for me.

The hare is much bigger than the rabbits. I think he’s a ‘loner’. In the daytime I’ve often seen him in the cemetery; at night I sometimes see him from my window, grazing on the lawn below, when it’s quiet and no people around. In the winter, I watched him digging into the snow to get at the grass buried beneath.