May 30, 2011












Northern Gannet

The Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) is a seabird and is the largest member of the gannet family, Sulidae.


Related Species

All 3 species of gannets--Northern, Cape, and Australasian--are thought to be closely related and are regarded as constituting a superspecies.  However, the specific status of gannets is unresolved.

Cape and Australasian gannets are sometimes considered subspecies of the Northern Gannet or combined together as single species.  This is supported in part by occasional hybridization between Australasian and Cape gannets and observation that these two taxa share more characters between themselves than either does with Northern Gannet.

Based on sequences of mtDNA (cyto-chrome b), Cape and Australasian gannets are more closely related to each other than either is to the Northern Gannet.  Although estimates for dates of divergence among gannets is unreliable, data from mtDNA analysis suggests all 3 recently diverged.


Their plumage is white with black wing tips. The bill is light bluish. The eye is light blue, and it is surrounded by bare, black skin. During breeding, the head and neck are brushed in a delicate yellow.


NORTHERN GANNET CHICK


Young birds are dark brown in their first year, and gradually acquire more white in subsequent seasons until they reach maturity after five years.


Their breeding range is the North Atlantic. They normally nest in large colonies, on cliffs overlooking the ocean or on small rocky islands. The largest colony of this bird, with over 60,000 couples, is found on Bonaventure Island, Quebec, but 68% of the world population breeds around the coasts of Great Britain, with the largest colonies on the Bass Rock (whence the species' Latin name) and Boreray, St Kilda.


In the United Kingdom, gannets are a protected species. However, a legal exception is made for the inhabitants of the district of Ness (also known as Něs) of the Isle of Lewis who are allowed to kill up to 2000 gannets (locally known as guga) annually to serve as a traditional local delicacy—the taste is described as fishy.


Gannet pairs may remain together over several seasons. They perform elaborate greeting rituals at the nest, stretching their bills and necks skywards and gently tapping bills together.


They are migratory and most winter at sea, heading farther south in the Atlantic.


These birds are spectacular divers, plunging into the ocean at high speed, with their bodies completely straightened out like an arrow before striking the water. If a fish is taken after diving, gannets swallow the fish underwater before surfacing. Although they are strong and agile fliers, they are clumsy in takeoffs and landings. They mainly eat small fish (2.5–30.5 cm in length) which gather in groups near the surface. Virtually any small fish (roughly 80–90% of the diet) or other small pelagic species (largely squid) will be taken opportunistically. Various cod, smelt, and herring species are most frequently taken.


Although Northern Gannet populations are now stable, their numbers were once greatly reduced due to loss of habitat, removal of eggs and killing of adults. Predators of eggs and nestlings include Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls, Common Ravens, ermine, and red fox. The only known natural predator of adults is the Bald Eagle, though large sharks and seals may rarely snatch a gannet out at sea.[4] Old names for the Northern Gannet include Solan, Solan Goose, and Solant Bird.








These photos were taken May 28, 2011.


SNOWMELT AND RAIN ARE TAKING THE MISSOURI OUT OF ITS BANKS
WHERE ONCE WAS A MEADOW . . . .
PELICANS TAKING A NAP









BRIDAL VEIL FALLS












THE CHATTANOOGA CAMPAIGN
The Chattanooga Campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in October and November 1863.

There were three Battles of Chattanooga fought in or near Chattanooga, Tennessee:

  First Battle of Chattanooga, (June 7–8, 1862) minor artillery bombardment by Union Brigadier General James S. Negley against Confederate Maj. Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith

  Second Battle of Chattanooga, (August 21, 1863), Union artillery bombardment that convinced Bragg to evacuate the city

  Chattanooga Campaign or the Battles for Chattanooga, (November 23–25, 1863) Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant defeated Confederate General Braxton Bragg

      Battle of Lookout Mountain and Battle of Missionary Ridge, two battles in the campaign

Following the defeat of Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans's Union Army of the Cumberland at the Battle of Chickamauga in September, the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen. Braxton Bragg besieged Rosecrans and his men by occupying key high terrain around Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was given command of Union forces in the West and significant reinforcements began to arrive with him in Chattanooga from Mississippi and the Eastern Theater.
Battle of Lookout Mountain--November 24, 1863
Because fog enveloped the mountain most of the day, soldiers nicknamed the battle of Lookout Mountain the "Battle above the clouds."


On November 25, Union soldiers assaulted and carried the seemingly impregnable Confederate position on Missionary Ridge. One of the Confederacy’s two major armies was routed. The Federals held Chattanooga, the "Gateway to the Lower South,"which became the supply and logistics base for Sherman's 1864 Atlanta Campaign.


The Third Battle of Chattanooga (popularly known as The Battle of Chattanooga, and including the Battle of Lookout Mountain and the Battle of Missionary Ridge) was fought from November 23 to November 25, 1863, in the American Civil War. By defeating the Confederate forces of General Braxton Bragg, Union Army Major General Ulysses S. Grant eliminated the last Confederate control of Tennessee and opened the door to an invasion of the Deep South that led to the Atlanta Campaign of 1864.




It was an important turning point of the war because it eliminated the last Confederate control of Tennessee and opened the door to an invasion of the Deep South that led to the Atlanta Campaign of 1864 and Sherman's March to the sea. The Union held Chattanooga, the "Gateway to the Lower South." It became the supply and logistics base for Sherman's 1864 Atlanta Campaign, as well as for the Army of the Cumberland, and Grant had won his final battle in the West prior to receiving command of all Union armies in March 1864.

Casualties for the Union Army amounted to 5,824 (753 killed, 4,722 wounded, and 349 missing) of about 56,000 engaged; Confederate casualties were 6,667 (361 killed, 2,160 wounded, and 4,146 missing, mostly prisoners) of about 44,000. When a chaplain asked General Thomas whether the dead should be sorted and buried by state, Thomas replied "Mix 'em up. I'm tired of States' rights."












SERENITY








PART FOUR

BRACHYCALYX-X-COTYLEDON HYBRIDS








LANDSCAPE IN THE ILE DE FRANCE
Cezanne developed a typical style of painting. He would occupy himself in seeing the landscape and the natural forms of the objects.  His imagination would then transfer these images into those shapes which would hold the geometrical essential of the original.  But while doing so Cezanne would simplify the forms and make them more chewable by the eyes of the viewers.  Thus it is easier to identify the paintings done by him at first sight.

Among other aspects, Cezanne's brush-work attracts our prime attention.  The play of free and carefully attended work infuses essential beauty into paintings.  On scrutiny of his artworks, we can observe his masterly touches.  His paintings are rich with frequently shifting brushstrokes adding lyrical effects to a painting.















ONE HUNDRED FAMOUS VIEWS OF EDO (TOKYO)

NUMBER FIFTY-SEVEN
MITSUMATA WAKARENOFUCHI
Here we look southwest over the widest stretch of the Sumida River, set against a striking view of Mount Juji in negative:  black peak and white skirts.  The vantage point is from the east bank of the river, a bit above Mannen Bridge of the previous print.  This point is one of division for the Sumida River, as both names in the title indicate.
























STONE FRUIT












MOUNTS ADAM AND EVE












F86 FIGHTER JETS


Breaking sound barrier and other records

The F-86A set its first official world speed record of 570 miles per hour (920 km/h) in September 1948.

Several people involved with the development of the F-86, including the chief aerodynamicist for the project and one of its other test pilots, claimed that North American test pilot George Welch had broken the sound barrier in a dive with the XP-86 while on a test flight October 1, 1947.


Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier on October 14, 1947 in the rocket-propelled Bell X-1 during level flight, making it the first true supersonic aircraft.

Five years later, on 18 May 1953, Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to break the sound barrier, flying a Canadian-built F-86E alongside Chuck Yeager.  It is unclear whether this was in level flight or not.










PHOTOS TAKEN MAY 28, 2011
YELLOW GROMWELL
Bright yellow trumpet-shaped flowers about 1 inch long sprout from the axils of the uppermost leaves.  The plants stand 4 to 12 inches high.  Flowers appear in late April and May on open prairies and foothills at low to medium elevation and intermontane valleys from Montana to Utah.


PUSSYTOES
Dense clusters of composite flower heads cap several to many upright stems on a low, matted plant.  The basal leaves form the mat, are 1/2 to 1 inch long and whitish or gray color from a coating of fine hairs.  Blooming varies with elevation from May to July on dry prairies.  About 16 species of pussytoes inhabit our region.






The Red Delicious is the most widely grown variety of apple in the world. Red Delicious have firm, white or cream white flesh that is juicy, aromatic, sweet tasting. They are best eaten raw because of their thick skin.
The Golden Delicious is not related to the Red Delicious, but was introduced by the same family, the Stark Brothers. Golden Delicious are highly aromatic, with a sweet, sprightly flavor, and crisp, juicy flesh. They are great in pies and sauces.




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