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Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Image Taken on 24 Dec 2018 at 12:56    Image of day on 31 Jan 2019

Normally contrails gradually disburse or just fade away, but this one broke in the manner you see. A web search found an article at
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Contrail_with_crow_instability.jpg
which provides an explanation and quite similar picture. On programs about light aircraft it is often described how airliners leave a wake of turbulence even minutes after they have gone, and that is what the ice of the contrail illustrates here.
An interesting aside is that the sky in the insert looks much darker than the point it was copied from. But a check with the paint package shows that it isn't. The human visual system discards absolute brightness for separated objects as part of simplifying the data on the optic nerve. (Info from neuroscientist Colin Blackmore on Documentary DVD 'Tim's Vermeer (2013) @ 0:39 for region 2)


Ref: 20190131_df3_20181224_1256_004 airliner contrail with turbulence (called crow instability) detail insert(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 02 Jun 2009 at 15:48    Image of day on 02 Jul 2009

20 minutes later a buzzard and a crow had a little skirmish to the East. Follow the pairs of birds from the top left.


Ref: 20090702_db1_20090602_1548_171-1549_228 buzzard and crow skirmish (7 selected images montage - originals not kept)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 19 Oct 2023 at 10:06    Image of day on 02 Dec 2023

About 15 minutes later Rooks seem to have spotted this (to them) unwelcome visitor and the Buzzard keeps an eye on the swooping Rooks.


Ref: 20231202_d01_20231019_1006_105_fb6 buzzard lands on meadow post + dives on rodent & returns to eat 38 of 46 - watching crows (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 06 Dec 2008 at 12:27    Image of day on 22 Dec 2008

This montage shows a buzzard being chased away from our patch by a one of a pair of carrion crows that have bred here for the last 2 years. Images are left to right over a second or two. Shortly afterwards (out of photographic range) the buzzard turned the tables and the crow took refuge in a distant tree.


Ref: 20081222_dc1_20081206_1227_052+056+058 buzzard looking back at harassing carrion crow mirrored montage(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 26 Jun 2007 at 05:47    Image of day on 14 Jul 2007

Another newly 'permanent' resident is the carrion crows. The tree they nested in this year is a transplanted Cupressus Leylandii which is toppling and will have to be felled this autumn.


Ref: 20070714_d35_20070626_0547_030 fb2 carrion crow(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 19 Jun 2007 at 07:20    Image of day on 05 Jul 2007

A lot of people don't like crows, but they are not (yet?) a problem here. You have to admire their cheek.


Ref: 20070705_d36_20070619_0720_210 fb1 carrion crow (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 26 Apr 2006 at 06:50    Image of day on 03 May 2006

The Carrion crows are nesting again this year but they have chosen a site we can't photograph although it is close to this camera. They routinely carry off large pieces of food, and this one is probably disappointed there is just corn. That eye looking straight at the camera makes us feel almost guilty.


Ref: 20060503_d35_20060426_0650_081 fb2 carrion crow(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 10 Feb 2017 at 13:37    Image of day on 22 Mar 2017

An opportunity to show you the sizes of Corvids we normally see, plus a male Blackbird for scale.


Ref: 20170322_d01_20170210_1337_013-1522_016_fb6 carrion crow + rook + jackdaw + blackbird male on meadow post in snow (identical scale montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image of day on 14 Dec 2005

Carrion crows still around and sometimes looking over last years nesting tree, so have hopes for the next season.


Ref: 20051214_d3e_28315 fb1 carrion crow 2005dec11_08-52-52(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image of day on 11 Nov 2005

A carrion crow in fine condition - we suspect it is one of the youngsters from this year's brood.


Ref: 20051111_d3e_26573 fb1 carrion crow 2005nov03_07-46-50(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 02 Mar 2006 at 16:50    Image of day on 14 Mar 2006

Some surplus red plums frozen last year disappear quickly. This carrion crow is about to fly off with one.


Ref: 20060314_d3e_20060302_1650_008 fb1 carrion crow about to carry off last years frozen plum(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image of day on 03 May 2005

At least 2 Carrion crow eggs have hatched and the chicks are being fed by both parents. Here the parents beak is inside one of the chick's 'gape'. The orange patch on the right is a bit of agricultural twine they found somewhere - no countryside location is complete without it. The nest is 50m from the house (our excuse for the poor image quality!).


Ref: 20050503_d30_04861 carrion crow at nest feeding chick 2005may02_06-42-18(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image of day on 02 Apr 2005

For the first time carrion crows are nesting on the site. Here one is bringing in a twig.


Ref: 20050402_d30_04675 carrion crow by nest with twig in beak 2005mar28_10-30-00(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 03 Mar 2020 at 17:37    Image of day on 25 Mar 2020

A Carrion crow touches down with a short but substantial stick.
So there must a be Crow's nest on our patch but we haven't found it yet. This pair of Crows habitually build in evergreen trees, and it is hard to spot from the ground with them high in the canopy.


Ref: 20200325_d01_20200303_1737_095_fb6 carrion crow carrying short thick twig in beak landing on meadow post(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image of day on 02 Jun 2005

The carrion crow nest is looking the worse for wear which isn't surprising given the pounding it has got from exercising chicks.


Ref: 20050602_d30_05746 carrion crow chick at nest 2005may30_15-59-28(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image of day on 19 May 2005

The carrion crow chicks are now so big and vigorous that you can see them from the ground much closer than from the house. Strangely they respond to a single clap of hands and start begging. This is one of the 2 we have recently seen in the nest.


Ref: 20050519_d60_02617 carrion crow chick begging 2005may15_16-43-24(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image of day on 25 May 2005

One of the carrion crow chicks chased after a parent bird as it left the nest. Both chicks are intermittently standing on the edge of the nest and excising their wings (22 May 2005).


Ref: 20050525_d30_05489 carrion crow chick chasing after leaving parent 2005may22_10-27-14(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image of day on 15 May 2005

There are still 3 carrion Crow chicks. This image nicely shows the development of the wing feathers on one of the chicks.


Ref: 20050515_d30_05308 carrion crow chick in nest showing wing development 2005may12_08-40-16(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image of day on 27 May 2005

Getting more and more bold, here one of the Carrion Crow chicks is now exercising it's wings on the branch the nest is built on.


Ref: 20050527_d30_05594 carrion crow chick on branch by nest exercising wings 2005may24_15-37-20(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image of day on 24 May 2005

The two carrion crow chicks are growing fast (17 May 2005)


Ref: 20050524_d30_05399 2 carrion crow chicks in nest 2005may17_13-41-50(r+mb id@576).jpg

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