An elusive, bizarre-looking wading bird of the southern coasts, the Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) uses its odd bill to strain small food items out of the water. Its bright pink coloring leads many Florida tourists to think they have seen a flamingo.
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Very common in parts of the southeast until the 1860s spoonbills were virtually eliminated from the United States as a side-effect of the destruction of wader colonies by plume hunters. The birds began to re-colonize Texas and Florida early in the 20th century. Still uncommon and found in few local spots, they are vulnerable to degradation of feeding and nesting habitats, and this year in Florida, to drought. The colony normally found on the east coast at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is missing because most of the marshes and mud flats that this bird needs to survive have gone completely dry in that area.
Though their faces look more like black vultures' they are in the family of Ibises and Spoonbills.
These wading birds are found primarily in coastal marshes, lagoons, mudflats, and mangrove keys. They forage in shallow water with muddy bottoms, in both salt and fresh water, including tidal ponds, coastal lagoons, extensive inland marshes, and swamps.
In Florida Roseate Spoonbills nest primarily in red mangroves. Further west along the Gulf Coast they can be found nesting in willows or on coastal island in low scrub, including mesquite and salt cedar.
Its kind of hard to get a photo of of one of these guys with their head up. They forage by wading in shallow, muddy water, sweeping their bill from side to side with mandibles slightly open, detecting prey by feel.
In Florida spoonbills breed mainly during winter. In Texas they breed in spring. They nest in colonies. At the beginning of breeding season, entire flocks may suddenly fly up for no apparent reason, and circle the area. In courtship the male and female must interact aggressively, later they will perch close together, while presenting sticks to each other, and cross and clasp bills.
The nest sites in red mangroves are usually 5-15- above ground or water. The nest, built mostly by the female with material brought by the male, is a bulky platform os ticks, with deep a deep hollow in the center lined with twigs and leaves.
The spoonbill's pink color is diet-derived, consisting of the carotenoid pigment canthaxanthin. Another carotenoid, astaxanthin, can also be found deposited in flight and body feathers. The colors can range from pale pink to bright magenta, depending on age and location.
The images containing my copyright were made this week at the Circle Bar B Reserve not far from Disney World, LegoLand, Lakeland and the City of Auburndale on the shores of Lake Hancock. If you decide to go to check out the flock of spoonbills at the Circle Bar B, be sure to take hydration, sunscreen, hat, long sleeves and pants, closed-toe shoes. . .etc. as it is a primitive trail park and there are plenty of sharp and biting creatures therein. I found the spoonbill flock very close to the main parking area on a recent afternoon though the pond where I found them will surely be dry by this writing, and the birds will move to where there is water. Note: I wasn't looking for spoonbills, I was in search of very large alligators. I found those too.
Unlike herons, spoonbills fly with their necks outstretched. They alternate groups of stiff, shallow wingbeats with glides.
We've Read:
Lithium-Ion Batteries:
Fired up, and Ready to Blow
Lithium Cobalt Oxide
To store or release energy in a slim, efficient Li-ion power pack, lithium ions ping-pong between two electrodes: a sheet of lithium cobalt oxide and a sheet of graphite. When you charge your new drone (or smartphone or laptop or hoverboard), electrons flowing in from the outlet help lure lithium ions out of the LiCoO₂, which then migrate to the graphite electrode and wait to be released—along with electrons (energy!)—later. Within the Li electrode, cobalt and oxygen form sturdy layers of octahedrons, which keep the molecule from collapsing as ions enter and exit. But at high temperatures that edifice can crumble, contributing to a very combustible situation.
Graphite
A mineral form of pure carbon, best known as the writey part in pencils. Graphite forms the second electrode, and the lithium ions lodge within it as the battery charges. Then, when you turn on your MacBook, those ions get pulled out of the graphite to journey back to the lithium cobalt oxide, a process that produces the electricity to let you browse Insta—we mean respond to all those work emails.
Polypropylene
A thin slab of this plastic keeps the electrodes apart. The separator, as it's called, is perforated with micron scale holes to let Li ions pass through. It's often to blame if your phone becomes a smoking inferno—faulty separators can let the electrodes touch, triggering a process known as thermal runaway. That can quickly generate huge amounts of heat (up to 1,700° F) and pressure, causing the flammable substances present to burst into flames.
Ethylene Carbonate
This clear, flammable, organic solvent helps shuttle ions back and forth. IF a malfunctioning battery heats up enough (say, from a bad separator), the hot liquid can escape the case, react with oxygen in the air, and kaboom!
Lithium Hexafluorophosphate
A white powdery substance that's dissolved into the ethylene carbonate, LiPF₆ just sort of floats around in the battery, supplying additional lithium ions to speed up charging and discharging. This compound is not flammable. But it does burn skin on contact.
We're Following:
Since it seems Donald Trump knows a lot more about Russia than he ever let on during the campaign, we decided to find out a little bit about Russia ourselves, from looking at some of their social media platforms. We found that they are adept at website building, twitter, instagram, facebook, etc. Putting aside the scary prospect that the President was colluding with Russia to influence the 2016 election results, we found this group of blogs, websites and instagram accounts to be kind of interesting. Who knew? Surfing Russia. Note. We have no idea what type of cameras were used though the photos appear to be high quality.
photos ©Tania Elisarieva
photos ©Tania Elisarieva
Nyle DiMarco gets
Naked
by Taylor Miller
but was it a good idea?
in some of the photos, with wet, old-fashioned budgie smugglers and glasses, Taylor Miller somehow managed to make Nyle look. . .ordinary?
What do you think?
See the rest of the photos at this link
Naked
by Taylor Miller
in some of the photos, with wet, old-fashioned budgie smugglers and glasses, Taylor Miller somehow managed to make Nyle look. . .ordinary?
What do you think?
See the rest of the photos at this link
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