After months of patience and subtle exposure, the juvenile hummingbirds finally trust Annette and I enough to sit on our fingers!!!! So exciting!
Up to four juvenile ruby-throated hummingbirds have been hanging around my feeder all day long. They let me get so close that I can actually take handheld stills of them at manual focus with an 18-55mm lens. This inspired me to capture videos of the birds at varying speeds. A hummingbird can flap its wings at 40-80 times per second. The camera records in real time at 30 frames per second. In the video you will see one male and one female. The plumage on the male appears to be speckled because its plumage has not yet matured. Such a remarkable creature!
New research led by the UK’s Centre for Ecology & Hydrology have discovered the key to enhancing the survival of bumblebee families: flower-rich habitats.
In the UK, most bumblebee colonies live for less than a year; nests are formed in the spring by a single queen and produce up to a few hundred daughter workers. At the end of the summer, new queens are produced which, after mating and hibernation, go on to start new colonies the following spring. Understanding survival between these critical lifecycle stages has proved challenging because in the wild, colonies are almost impossible to find.
The new research overcame these challenges by matching daughter queens to their mothers and sisters using advanced molecular genetics, and estimating the locations of colonies in the landscape from the locations of their workers.
The results provide strong support for environmentally-friendly management of farmland to provide more flowers in hedgerows, meadows and along the edges of arable fields. They also help farmers and land managers decide where best to plant flowers in the landscape.
Paper reference: Claire Carvell, Andrew F.G. Bourke, Stephanie Dreier, Stephen N. Freeman, Sarah Hulmes, William C. Jordan, John W. Redhead, Seirian Sumner, Jinliang Wang & Matthew S. Heard, ‘Bumblebee family lineage survival is enhanced in high quality landscapes’ Nature, published online 1800 GMT/1400 US Eastern Time, 15 March 2017. DOI: 10.1038/nature21709.
Revealed: hunting strategy of the endangered African wild dog
A new study led by researchers at the Royal Veterinary College has revealed that African wild dogs may be more robust than previously thought.
The researchers used custom-built GPS collars to collect position and speed data to reconstruct the hunt behaviour of an entire pack of African wild dogs in northern Botswana.
The researchers found that given the the opportunity, African wild dogs hunt with frequent short chases. In addition, the pack showed no evidence of coopertive hunting, apart from travelling together and sharing the kills made by an individual dog.
Understanding the hunting strategies of a species helps conservationists to identify which areas should be protected, or where new populations can be reintroduced most successfully.
I was going through some old photos and found some pictures from a snorkeling trip I took a couple years ago to Key Largo. It was an amazing to be in a place that is responsible for providing food and/ or shelter to ¼ of all ocean species. The sad truth is photos (like the ones I took) may soon be all that is left of these extraordinary ecosystems. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection stated there was a 44% decline in coral cover from the years 1996-2005. Over 11 years have past and the issue has not gone away. In 2014, an additional five coral species were listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. Due to our addiction to fossil fuels and the carbon emissions that come with it, coral reefs have been devastated by rising ocean temperatures and increases in ocean acidity. The threats to coral reefs also come from boating, overfishing and tourism.
This is all very frightening, I understand its very easy to give up in times like these. Never forget that there is always hope. You can help end this destruction. You can send letters to state legislators and urge them to sign bills that work to promote clean, renewable sources of energy (wind, solar, wave) and to impose green taxes on polluting companies. If you fish or boat, be sure to only catch non-endangered fish during proper seasons and follow all laws regarding speeds and docking. If you choose to tour these wonderful communities, be sure not to touch anything or cause any unnecessary turbidity with your flippers. Together we can keep these beautiful, biodiverse communities from disappearing. Together we can keep our world from collapse❤
Photos taken at: John Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo, Florida
SoCal Sunsets | Hollywood Beach | California. I stayed a week in my old stomping grounds in Southern California. Every night we were treated to a great sunset. I’m beginning to think sunset photography might be my “thing.” Be sure to sign up on my website www.jhoffmannphotography.com #yourshotphotographer #natgeo #natgeoyourshot #sunset #beach #seascape #saveourseas #conservation #socal #california #californialove #explore #wander #wanderlust #getoutside https://www.instagram.com/p/CdKD1qEpQVB/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
2022 is on its way, time to ring in the year of Tiger! Here is a close up on my most recent tiger piece “Tranquil Ferocity”. The original and prints are available for this piece. Send me an inquiry if interested. Please follow me for more animal artwork. #yearofthetiger #tiger #siberiantiger #amurtiger #zodiac #zodiaclife #tigerlover #tigeraddicted #wildlifeartists #wildlifeconservation #wildlifeart #wildlifeaddicts #wildlifeconservation #wildlifeart #wildlifeaddict #wildlifeaddicts #wildlifeconservationsociety #artistsforconservation #conservation #animalconservation #tigerconservation #animaladdicts #animalartist #animalart #animallover #animallovers #animalartwork #tigerart #tigerartwork #pastelart #pastelartist #pasteldrawing #pastelpainting https://www.instagram.com/p/CYHJgPeFB2g/?utm_medium=tumblr
I have been musing that I’d like to use my art to help animals in need. Here’s my first try with that, of the new Sonic character Tangle and donate profits of the poster to a Lemur Conservation effort.
I still need to work on a few things on the drawing itself and then send it off to a print place, but I hope you’ll consider. I’ll probably ask for $10-$15 for it.
ForEndangered Species Day we want to highlight the dwarf bearclaw poppy, which has been a federally listed endangered species since 1979. A plant or animal is listed as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 when it is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
The dwarf bearclaw poppy (Arctomecon humilis), is a gypsophile or gypsum-loving plant, having a distinct preference for the gypsum rich soils found in the upper layers of the geologic Moenkopi Formation. It is endemic- or found only in a certain locality or region — to Washington County, Utah, growing at elevations between 2,600 and 3,300 feet. Today, there are only five small populations of dwarf bearclaw poppy remaining, all within a ten mile radius of St George, Utah!
Photo: Melissa Buchmann, Recreation Intern for BLM-Utah
On this World Ocean Day, we’re thrilled to present a collection 54 stunning works of art and writing celebrating the life in our oceans! Get it for $1 or more–all proceeds go to the Australian Marine Conservation Society!
photos by thomas peschak andshawn heinrichs from the world’s largest sanctuary for manta rays in indonesia, a reserve covering more than two million square kilometres of ocean.
manta rays, who face increased threats from targeted and bycatch fisheries, are gentle and social animals, and with their tendency to feed near the ocean’s surface and interact with humans, it is hoped that rise in tourism will more than offset the financial loses to the fisheries.
notes shawn, “to spend time in the company of a manta ray is both a humbling and incredibly moving experience. they are massive, powerful creatures, yet are incredibly gentle and curious. if approached correctly, they will interact and dance with you for hours on end.”
unfortunately, those same friendly tendencies make the rays easy targets for fishermen who hunt them for their gills, which fetch 500 dollars a kilo on the chinese market. being slow to both mature and reproduce, it doesn’t take long for manta ray populations to be hunted to depletion.
Conservation of two 19th century paintings: The Farewell of Telemachus and Eucharis, an 1818 painting by Jacques-Louis David and A Walk At Dusk, an 1837-40 painting by Caspar David Friedrich
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