Adventure – Page 43 – Michael Stephen Wills Photography

Killeany Bouy

a dangerous channel

April 5, 2022April 1, 2022 MichaelStephenWills5 Comments

The approach to Killeany Bay of the Aran Island Inishmore is very dangerous, guarded by a Lighthouse on Straw Island to the South and the Killeany buoy to the North.

Click the link for my Getty IStock photography of the Aran Islands

This view is to the north, northwest from a ferry en route to Inishmaan through Galway Bay. In the distance is the Connemara and the 12 Bens (12 Pins) mountains. Aran Islands, County Galway, Ireland.

There of stories of this buoy coming unmoored. October 27th 2012 it went adrift. An Aran fisherman, Micheál Seóighe (Ml Joyce) and his boat Naomh Beanán tracked it down, hauled it back to the harbor. The buoy was back in service shortly after.

Here is a photograph of me with the camera used. It is a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III with a Canon lens 200 mm f2.8/L. I am standing on the deck of the Queen of Aran ferry out of Doolin next to the Cliffs of Mohr.

Pam Wills took this photograph with her Samsung Galaxy 4 smart phone.

Click the link for my Getty IStock photography of the Aran Islands

Copyright 2022 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Herrerosaurus, one of the first

A selection from “Dinosaurs around the world,” McKee Botanical Gardens, Vero Beach, Indian River County, Florida

April 4, 2022April 9, 2022 MichaelStephenWills1 Comment

One of the earliest dinosaurs, Herrerosaurus was a bipedal predator with a long and stiffened tail, three main fingers, two vestigial fingers, and sharp, serrated teeth. Its flexible lower jaw helped to grasp prey. Its long legs and hollow bones suggest it was a fast runner. Bite marks on skulls of these animals show they often battled one another, presumably over food or mates. The earliest forms were small, about 10-feet long; later ones were up to twice that length. This rare dinosaur was discovered in 1991 in the Ischigualasto Formation of Argentina.

This sculpture has a nictitating membrane, a transparent or translucent third eyelid present in some animals that can be drawn across the **eye** for protection and to moisten it while maintaining vision.

Click me for the next dinosaur, Neovenator, teeth like steak knives

References: text is from the park placard with minor edits. Information on “nictating membrane” is from an eponymous Wikipedia article.

Copyright 2022 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

Amargasaurus a “small” sauropod

A selection from “Dinosaurs around the world,” McKee Botanical Gardens, Vero Beach, Indian River County, Florida

April 2, 2022April 9, 2022 MichaelStephenWills2 Comments

Amargasaurus was one of the smallest sauropod dinosaurs at just 33 feet (its relatives could reach 140 feet!!). It had a quadrupedal stance. Using its neck, it could feed on plants low to the ground and up in trees. Its most notable features were tall spines along its neck. These spines were for display to fellow Amargasaurus, much like those seen on today’s reptiles. It is unclear if there was skin between the spines; this remains a topic of debate among paleontologists. Like most dinosaurs, Amargasaurus is know from a single specimen discovered in Argentina.

Click me to learn about one of the first dinosaurs to appear on earth.

Reference: text is from the park placard with minor edits.

Copyright 2022 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

Iridescent Plumage

shiver me timbers

March 29, 2022March 28, 2022 MichaelStephenWills6 Comments

The third of my postings about the peafowl of Cape Canaveral…..we had our most intimate interactions on a Oak Lane, a small unpaved road off a Circle K (roadside convenience store). At one point a peacock approached Pam on the open windowed passenger side and almost pecked her.

The iridescent coloration is an illusion created by the structure of fine feather elements, called barbules. The impression on peahens varies with viewing angle, between 90 (head on) and 45 degrees to either side. The peacock will shiver his train when faced with a favored peahen.

Click me for the first post of this series, “Male and Female Peafowl.”

Copyright 2022 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

Train of the Male Peafowl

And some history about the “Peacock Neighborhood” of Cape Canaveral

March 28, 2022March 26, 2022 MichaelStephenWills10 Comments

February is Peafowl mating season and for Cape Canaveral the displays were especially fine. These were captured on a photography expedition via automobile, being especially fortunate in observing peacocks (male peafowl) on high perches oriented perfectly to display the magnificent train (trail).

Here is some information on Reddit from “Mr_mayhem77 “According to locals, the Eberwein family lived between Port Canaveral and what is now the Villages of Seaport. In fact a street is actually named after them (Eberwein Drive) at the northern edge of Cape Canaveral. They had the peafowl among many farm animals. The family moved in 1986 and abandoned the peafowls. Over the years the peafowl have slowly populated our community with the greatest concentration being north of Central Ave.”

Copyright 2022 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

Male and Female Peafowl

Peacock Neighborhood, Cape Canaveral I

March 27, 2022March 28, 2022 MichaelStephenWills5 Comments

On a day February 2022 Pam and I decided to walk the beach starting from Cheri Down Park, Ridgewood Avenue, Cape Canaveral headed north toward Jetty Park hoping to catch a postponed rocket launch rescheduled for that afternoon. We were encouraged to find video news crew positioned near the park entrance as these professionals were in the know for the best spots to watch the spectacle.

We walked a mile or so, more than halfway to Jetty Park, when the word circulated the rocket launch was cancelled. Rather than turn around, we decided to explore the walkway that opens on “Peacock Beach” as Google Map listed a public parking space there, quite a bit closer to Jetty Park. This park charges a hefty entrance fee to non-residents, so we were parking at Cheri Down, we saved $10 for each mile walked.

Having leisure, we decided to walk back to Cheri Down the long way. In what turned out to be a 1.7 mile stroll we encountered these residents for which the beach is named. Then and there Pam and I decided to return for a dedicated photography expedition, the results of which I will share over several posts.

Click Me for the next post of this series, “Train of the Male Peafowl”

Copyright 2022 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

A Day in a Life

“An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” Henry David Thoreau

March 20, 2022March 15, 2022 MichaelStephenWills

Images saved from this winter day of beachcombing and exploring around Cocoa Beach, Brevard County, Florida

Sunrise

The Day Taking Shape

Beach Wandering

Kite Boarding

Beauty in Motion I

Beauty in Motion 2

Beauty in Motion 3

Manatee Park Wildlife

Biplane

I saved this to share with the grandchildren

Brock-Harvey Forest Preserve

first look

March 19, 2022May 12, 2022 MichaelStephenWills6 Comments

On September 14, 2013, the Bock-Harvey Forest Preserve was dedicated protecting 48 acrea of open meadow, transitional meadow, mixed hardwood forest, a special environmental protection zone and the Finger Lakes Trail. Brock-Harvey Forest Preserve, and all land as far as the eye can see from there, was part of the Military Tract of Central New York, 28 townships given classical Greek and Roman names, each township 100 lots of 600 acres each, approved by the U.S. Congress 1799. Here, the township was Ulysses, encompassing the southern end of Cayuga Lake and surrounding lands. Thus, the city of Ithaca and Hector Street winding up from the valley passing below our home.

This land and several other military tracts were purchased by Samuel Harvey. He then gave he lands to his sons including this farm to Silas Harvey, the great-great-great-great grandfather of Megan Barber who led the dedication ceremony of the forest preserve. Megan’s great-grandmother Martha Harvey married Fred Bock and lived on this land used for dairy farming for over 150 years.

The preserve exceeded my expectations for great upland views.

View from Shelter across the valley of Enfield Creek, the same that flows over Lucifer Falls of Treman State Park

Brock-Click me for another Brock-Harvey Forest Preserve post, “Burgeoning Forest.”

References

The background on the land was taken from a posting on the preserve and from Wikipedia, “Military Tract of Central New York.”

Two-Sided Story

Sea Oats and Sand

March 14, 2022March 6, 2022 MichaelStephenWills7 Comments

At first glance, Northerners may mistake this for fine snow blown on a bitter wind; but no, this is indeed a north wind, the temperature is above freezing, the material is beach sand. Keeping the sand in place is a concern for Brevard County.

A gull walked through wind textured beach sand, see here in early morning light.

Golden brown infructescences (seed heads) of Sea Oats grass on stalks growing from dunes, seen here in early morning light, are one element of this plant beneficial to the goal of keeping beach sands in place. Tall stalks and broad leaves catch blowing sand. Deep roots hold the plants in place, shallow root systems hold sand in place to form dunes.

Returning after staying away for COVID-19, we found new plantings of Sea Oats by the county.

Willets Feeding As Group

Ocean Bounty Brings Solitary Birds Together

March 13, 2022March 6, 2022 MichaelStephenWills

Walking mornings along the beach I encounter, one after the other, solitary sandpipers, called Willets. Before encountering this group, I noticed massed Black Skimmers feeding in the surf and, on the beach, a single, tiny (1/8th of an inch) fish that I scooped up and returned to the surf. My surmise is these several days around the full moon, fish were being birthed and swarming to provide a bounty that brough these solitary Willets together.