alina002's Favourites

Every morning, there are 2-3 red-winged blackbirds in this spot. This one is warning me to stay away! Finally, since I didn't move, he flew away. Photographed from the window of my car.

04/10/2014, 8:22 AM
Canon EOS 7D, 1/800 sec, f/5.6, 360mm (EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM), ISO 500 (auto), Exp comp +1/3

Species ID Please Found on a estuarine beach in Shorncliffe (Moreton Bay, Queensland). Small female shark with large eyes, 5 gill slits, olive/bronze back with a white underbelly, rayed fins (clear rays in pectoral fins), straight caudal tail, precaudal pit, transparent snout, black tips on caudal and dorsal fin. She was about 35 - 40cm long, sorry I didn't have a measuring tool with me at the time.
I think it was caught in deep water (hook mark in jaw) and then discarded at the boat ramp near by.

Sooooo, this happened...
This redkite casually dove into the water, probably to catch a fish. He struggled to get out of the water. Whether he was still holding on to the potential fish or not I couldn't tell. Since a pair of greylaggeese is nesting nearby one of them quickly attacked the redkite. This turmoil only attracted more greylaggeese and a pair of muteswans. The greylag geese repeatedly attacked the redkite. We then called the local authorities and got authorization to "rescue" the redkite. Unfortunately we arrived too late. He was not tangled up. Probably his feathers got too wet so he couldn't propel himself out of the water. After the other birds attacked him he was too exhausted to keep himself over the surface and drowned.

Sperm whale beaching at Wangerooge Eastern End on Jan. 8th 2016 / female whale 2 / background island "Minsener Oog"

see Flickr documentation of discovery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/143115576@N02/albums/72157669456806047

Sperm whale beaching at Wangerooge Eastern End on Jan. 8th 2016 / male whale 2 / "Minsener Oog" in the background

story on discovery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/143115576@N02/albums/72157669456806047/

Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758

Pottwal / Sperm whale

Funddatum / Encounter date:
8.1.2016

Fundort / Location:
Wangerooge Ost-Ende / Eastern tip of Wangerooge island, Northsea, Germany
53°46'47.1"N 7°58'43.0"E

Geschlecht / Sex:
Male

Größe des Exemplars / Size of specimen
~ 13m

Bemerkungen / Notices:
Sperm whale beaching at Wangerooge Eastern End on Jan. 8th 2016 / whale 2
These two whales were the first encountered individuals of 30 whales which beached along the European North sea coast in January 2016. / see background island "Minsener Oog"

(photo by Dirk Lankenau)

Between 20-30 Transient Killer Whales from several matrilines (CA39s, CA140Bs (Louise's family), CA180, CA40, CA137, CA163 "Liner") teamed up for six hours, but were not able to take down two adult Grey Whales who showed their defensive experience - they stayed side by side, kept their vulnerable bellies up, whacked KWs with massive throws of their flukes, and generally outlasted these hungry apex predators.