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Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Image Taken on 28 Dec 2021 at 08:24    Image of day on 01 Feb 2022

Unknown to us at the time, the same light was playing on this Magpie who was stopping off at the Meadow Post.


Ref: 20220201_d01_20211228_0824_002_fb6 magpie on meadow post as sunrise streaks over meadow (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 03 Jan 2026 at 15:49    Image of day on 15 Feb 2026

The setting sun provides splashes of orange over this Magpie and the Post top.


Ref: 20260215_d01_20260103_1549_116_fb6 magpie on meadow post glistening with light from sunset(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 14 Oct 2019 at 17:29    Image of day on 02 Dec 2019

In the rain, a foraging Magpie decides to fly off making a spray of water droplets.


Ref: 20191202_e62_20191014_1729_081+1731_082_fb5 magpie taking off from ground in rain making cloud of spray 1 of 2 (accurate montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 27 Oct 2018 at 16:36    Image of day on 21 Dec 2018

We absolutely have NOT 'turned up the colour' on this incredible Magpie tail. Red, Orange and Yellow form a tiny patches near the tip, but Green and Blue are strong and patches tend to Indigo and maybe even 2 patches of Violet. All created by microscopic structures in the bird's feathers.
Mnemonics for Rainbow colours in English:

• ROY G BIV
• Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain

Ref: 20181221_e64_20181027_1636_114_fb2 magpie with tail showing most of the rainbow colours (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 19 Nov 2014 at 07:44    Image of day on 10 Jan 2015

A zoom on the sun showed the large pair of sunspots near the centre of the disc currently circulating. The sun turns in about 24 days relative to earth & this is the second appearance.
Do not use binoculars, telescopes or similar to look at the sun, or stare at it, or it might be the last thing you see :-(


Ref: 20150110_df2_20141119_0744_077 major sunspots on dawn sun (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 04 Jun 2012 at 18:43    Image of day on 09 Jul 2012

As summer approaches male Mallard ducks start shedding their glorious mating colours and moult into 'Eclipse'. He will grow his wonderful new set come Autumn. Summer visitors to parks never see them in their glory.


Ref: 20120709_d45_20120604_1843_041_fb1 mallard duck male moulting to eclipse(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 19 Mar 2023 at 07:21    Image of day on 25 Apr 2023

Aren't male Mallards in breeding colours exquisite?
It always seems such a shame that by the time visitors to public parks get to see them in the summer, their vibrant colours have returned to 'eclipse'.


Ref: 20230425_e6a_20230319_0721_222_fb5 mallard duck male visits meadow site around sunrise(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 23 Mar 2021 at 17:48    Image of day on 20 Apr 2021

Feeding female Mallard Duck along with her guardian male.
When you see Mallard ducks in public ponds the males mainly seem to be bullies trying to mate with any female that appears, and sometimes females are accidentally drowned by heaps of competing males. But in the more natural surroundings, here the males are very supportive to their chosen 'girl'.


Ref: 20210420_e64_20210323_1748_120_fb2 mallard duck pair at woodland site at sunset(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 16 Mar 2009 at 17:38    Image of day on 02 Apr 2009

When walk about at this time of year we often disturb mallard ducks at one or more ponds. These are 'wild' ducks rather than park ducks looking for handouts! The female is between two males.


Ref: 20090402_db1_20090316_1738_020 mallard female and 2 males in flight at sunset(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 16 Mar 2009 at 17:38    Image of day on 02 Apr 2009

The females often keep going until none but the fittest male is left. Here the male at the rear is beginning to tire.


Ref: 20090402_db1_20090316_1738_046 mallard female and 2 males in flight at sunset(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 19 Oct 2016 at 16:35    Image of day on 01 Dec 2016

This cloud of midges caught our eyes backlit by the sunshine blocked out by the Ash tree. Not being desirous of swallowing some, we walked round!


Ref: 20161201_df3_20161019_1635_014 midge cloud under ash tree (crop 1)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 19 Oct 2016 at 16:35    Image of day on 01 Dec 2016

A detail from the above from of the larger insects just above the hedge height to the right of the post.


Ref: 20161201_df3_20161019_1635_014 midge cloud under ash tree (crop 2)(r+mb id@432).jpg

Image Taken on 31 Jan 2018 at 17:57    Image of day on 07 Mar 2018

The morning of the 'super blood blue moon' (30 Jan 2018) was completely clouded over at Moonset around sunrise, but the following evening Moonrise viewed through the same trees over the Duck-shaped pond was quite attractive. It is not heavily light polluted here, so the surroundings appear completely black


Ref: 20180307_p34_20180131_1757_633 moon (supermoon) rising behind tree branches(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Oct 2015 at 06:53    Image of day on 18 Dec 2015

The full moon (when occasionally visible though the mainly overcast clouds) has seemed uncommonly bright. Here just after sunrise (behind the camera of course) making a subtle image with streaks of colour in the veil of clouds.


Ref: 20151218_df3_20151029_0653_004 moon at full just after sunrise (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 26 Feb 2014 at 06:18    Image of day on 07 Apr 2014

Just before dawn we saw this unusual juxtaposition of the crescent moon and Venus (the 'Morning Star') with centres less than 1 degree apart. The moon's diameter always appears as about half a degree.


Ref: 20140407_p02_20140226_0618_039 moon crescent and venus close together in morning sky (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 11 Jan 2021 at 07:17    Image of day on 06 Feb 2021

While out exchanging the camera cards on our twice weekly round, we noticed this thin crescent moon peeping through this lurid sunrise.
In line with 'Red Sky in Morning, Shepherd's warning' the following day was truly grim!


Ref: 20210206_d73_20210111_0717_163 moon in thin crescent rising through lurid dawn (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 19 Sep 2019 at 06:34    Image of day on 10 Nov 2019

2 mornings later we catch the moon against a darker sky. Notice how the line of shadow (the 'terminator') accentuates the craters.


Ref: 20191110_d73_20190919_0634_117 moon in waning gibbous phase(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 28 Nov 2015 at 07:50    Image of day on 07 Jan 2016

An unusually 'crisp' image of the moon soon to set in the west after the sunrise. The 'terminator (where the light edge changes to shadow) provides the most detail as astronomers have long known.


Ref: 20160107_df3_20151128_0750_018 moon near moonset shortly after sunrise(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 19 Dec 2018 at 15:48    Image of day on 26 Jan 2019

A Gibbous moon rising shortly before sunset. What Galileo Galilei would have given for this casually taken photo!


Ref: 20190126_df3_20181219_1548_099 moon nearing sunset(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 17 Sep 2019 at 07:15    Image of day on 10 Nov 2019

As the rising sun in the east glows orange on the leaves, the moon nears setting in the west.


Ref: 20191110_df3_20190917_0715_002+003 moon slightly gibbous setting against autumn leaves (montage for focus)(r+mb id@768).jpg

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