The saddle-billed stork, or saddlebill (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis) is a large wading bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. It is a widespread species which is a resident breeder in sub-Saharan Africa from Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya south to South Africa, and in The Gambia, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Chad in west Africa.
This is a close relative of the widespread Asian and Australian black-necked stork, the only other member of the genus Ephippiorhynchus.
ADRIFT IN A NEARLY DESERTED VENICE in the early months of the 2020 pandemic, a writer contemplates his native Nigeria, his life in Detroit, his love of travel, but most of all his complicated family. Beautifully crafted prose, distinctive story. B PLUS
Amboseli National Park is a national park in Kenya that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. It is one of the best place in the world to get close to free-ranging elephants.
The park also has views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world.
The African fish eagle is a large species of eagle found throughout sub-Saharan Africa wherever large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply occur.
This is a generalist species, requiring only open water with sufficient prey and a good perch, as evidenced by the number of habitat types in which this species may be found, including grassland, swamps, marshes, tropical rainforest, fynbos, and even desert-bordering coastlines
Some people say lions sleep 22 out of every 24 hours. It's true we often see them lying in the grass, sometimes yawning. But it doesn't mean they sleep when we're not there. “Lions lying sleeping in the shade on a hot day are […] conserving energy during the least energetically efficient time of the day. […] If the energy costs involved in an activity aren’t outweighed by its potential benefits, they simply won’t do it.” Clever.
Emmet County, Iowa, USA; traditional territory of the Wahpeton, Yankton, and Očhéthi Šakówiŋ nations / Explore more at https://bit.ly/FortDefiance_2023-05-17
Ugh. I thought we had booked safely... We couldn't get a direct flight home but the flight we booked had a layover in Atlanta of more than 4 hours. Our departure is now delayed by 2 hours and 40 minutes. No problem, right? I mean, that just shortens our layover to an hour and a half.
Nope. The flight to Atlanta isn't just delayed, it's being diverted to Miami for a quick stop before continuing to Atlanta. That means we won't arrive in Atlanta until 10:55pm. Our connection departs at 10:49pm.
There are currently 80 people in line to talk to a gate agent. I'm on hold with the Delta phone support line with an estimated wait time of 48 minutes to talk to someone.
Le Gratin Mondain is a guest house in Noyers-sur-Serein, one of the most beautiful villages of France.
Noyers has retained much of its medieval appearance. Its heritage is not based on exceptional monuments, but on the unity of the various buildings, most of which were constructed between the 15th and 16th centuries, either within the fortified enclosure of the Bourg located in the meander of the Serein, or on either side of the causeway leading to the faubourg.
From the ancient fortifications of the medieval town, several fortified gates leading to the village and the ramparts remain, with 19 towers (out of the original 23).
trying to buy #DeutschlandTicket from abroad - until Feb I used to do it via deutschlandticket.de (Transdev) but they switched from SEPA only to credit card only and the billing address can only be D, A, CH - while my card is a UK one. DB navigator app has SEPA with scary looking identity checks that don't work with my (German) online banking. VRR app doesn't like my device. Any suggestions? @seatsixtyone#travel#germany#railways
What’s the best way to trip plan these days? Is there a cool trip planning app that adds pins to maps, includes notes, and more? What’s your favorite option? #AskMastodon#Apps#Travel#TravelThursday
Amboseli National Park is a national park in Kenya that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. It has great views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world.
This awesome view, the large variety of wild animals, and dirt tracks that can be used by buses, make it one of the most tourists crowded national park in Kenya.
“The iconic acacia tree in front of Mount Kilimanjaro”
The plains surrounding Kilimanjaro (the “lowlands”), are located between 600 and 800 meters above sea level. The climate is very hot and dry.
The vegetation is mainly composed of savannahs made up of numerous plant species, including the famous umbrella thorn acacia, a thorny tree that can reach up to 21 m high.
Amboseli National Park is a national park in Kenya that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. It is one of the best place in the world to get close to free-ranging elephants.
The park also has views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world.
It's amazing how seeing a herd of goats and a few houses is enough to bring you back to earth after a few days spent admiring the wild animals of Amboseli National Park, in a largely untouched wilderness.
The secretary bird is a very large, mostly terrestrial bird of prey, endemic to Africa.
The secretary bird is instantly recognizable as a very large bird with an eagle-like body on crane-like legs which increases the bird’s height to as much as 1.3 m tall.
This European larch is an exception among its kind. It sheds its needles in autumn, which turn yellow, red and brown before dropping. It is the only conifer in Europe to do this.
It is sometimes called the mountain oak, because of the exceptional wood it produces. Slow-growing, it is the most durable and strongest of the coniferous woods.
Rot-proof, it is used for boat design, roofing frames, shingles and railway sleepers.
Things spotted on market day in small city Aotearoa #newzealand
A man resembling an anxious wizard talking to a friend near a granola stall. Says: "I don't think I'm emotionally ready for macadamia nuts." Friend nods solemnly and the conversation moves on.
2 teenagers teasing their nan while in line at a food truck. "You like eating big sausages, don't you Nan?" Their grandad cutting in looking thoughtful. "She once ate two at the same time, didn't you love?" Gran nods. "I wouldn't do it every day, but it made a nice change"
A teenager (13ish) asking his mum "How much are you worth?" after explaining it's important to know for jobs in the future. Mum laughs and says "I'm priceless". Teenager comes straight back with "No, you're depreciating."
A couple in their 20s wearing athleisure wear walking past a vegetable stall. One says "I saw a video where you could imagine your bicep getting bigger and tried it, but I messed up and only imagined the one."
A small human being asked to hold his mum's hand. He shouts "No!" and stomps off to grab onto the hand of a passing tourist who finds the whole thing hilarious. Tourist says to mum that she'd keep toddler as long as he likes broccoli. Toddler shouts "No!" and marches back to his mum.
Mont-Saint-Michel is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France.
The island lies approximately one kilometre off France's north-western coast.
Mont-Saint-Michel and its surrounding bay were inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979 for its unique aesthetic and importance as a Catholic site.
Have you ever had occasion to say "The book made me do it?"
For me it was a trip to Syria 18 years ago.
I read Les jardins de lumière by Amin Maalouf (translated as The Gardens of Light) several times between 1995 and 2005. The story is set in 3rd century Palmyra and I was so intrigued and fascinated by the place that I wanted to see it for myself.