colorful thoughts.

IG:@amorlj_

[astronomy-to-zoology]

Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius)

…despite being called a thrush, Monticola solitarius is a species of Old World flycatcher (Muscicapidae) which breeds in southern Europe and northwest Africa, and from central Asia to northern China and Malaysia. Some populations are migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa, India and southeast Asia. Like the closely related common rock thrush (M. saxatillis), blue rock thrushes breed in open mountainous areas, in rock cavities and walls. Blue rock thrushes are omnivorous, feeding on a wide variety of arthropods, small reptiles, and sometimes berries and seeds. 

Classification

Animalia-Chordata-Aves-Passeriformes-Muscicapidae-Monticola-M. solitarius

Image: Snowmanradio

[archosaurophilia]

Demoiselle cranes (Anthropoides virgo) are avian migrants par excellence. The smallest crane in the world, standing at a mere 76 cm (30 inches), the demoiselle still achieves the most goliath task in the avian world every year. In August and September, tens of thousands of the birds take wing to avoid the icy winters of Central Asia, passing over the Himalayas on their way to the warmer climes of India. The way is arduous, with intense attrition rates from inclement weather and predation by eagles. All the same, they are resilient fliers, capable of traveling hundreds or thousands of miles without needing to land or to eat, and most of the birds surmount this monumental obstacle for years on end.

While some western populations winter in northern Africa instead, it is in India that the demoiselle is best known. In fact, the people of Rajasthan, who call the demoiselle the koonj, revere the crane for its historic place in Indian literature and mythology. Demoiselles typically mate for life in monogamous pairs, and care for hatchlings for about two months until they fledge. Unlike most cranes, the demoiselle is not a bird of the wetlands, instead preferring upland regions, where it feeds upon a wide array of both plant and animal matter.

Photo: by Sumeet Moghe (at Wikimedia Commons), at Tal Chappar, Churu, Rajasthan, 1 February 2014.

[blacklonelywolf]

[iamdanielgrebe-deactivated20170]

Still my favorite Color Space.

[writerswritecompany]

Happy Winter Solstice

Awesome in Africa - Long Night Moon rising over Johannesburg.

This is the first time since the 1960s that a full moon coincides with the winter solstice. The next will be 21 June 2062.

Images: Andrew Cleland

[urbanafricancities]

Snow in Asmara, Eritrea Africa

[asthecrowsflies-deactivated2018]

Snow falling in Jozi…(I do not own this picture)

[ultimate-passport]

Mount Kilimanjaro- Tanzania

Mt Kilimanjaro, an inactive volcano in Tanzania, near the border of Kenya, is the highest point in Africa. 

It is one of the most sought after trekking destinations in the world.

Though the mountain itself does not boast a great number of animals, buffaloes, elephants, and leopards can be seen in certain areas of the mountain.

[hattibaileyillustration]

Aurora Borealis // Work in Progress

[cityafrica]

Harare, Zimbabwe

[urbanafricancities]

Lome, Togo Africa

[cityafrica]

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

[uncube]

Traditional Rwandan thatched roof house, now declared illegal throughout the country. (Photo: John and Melanie Kotsopoulos)

uncube led a round table discussion with some of the project leaders in the Afritecture Symposium discussing some of the widespread issues surrounding architecture and urbanism in Africa. http://bit.ly/1dpe2zT

[wanderologie-]

Essaouira, Morocco

[urbanafricancities]

Timbuktu, Mali Africa

[cityafrica]

Mogadishu, Somalia

[breathtakingdestinations]

Sefrou - Morocco (von khowaga1)