1.
Wildlife conservation
–
Conservation is the practice of protecting wild plant and animal species and their habitats. Many nations have government agencies and NGOs dedicated to wildlife conservation, numerous independent non-profit organizations also promote various wildlife conservation causes. Wildlife conservation has become an important practice due to the negative effects of human activity on wildlife. An endangered species is defined as a population of a species that is in the danger of becoming extinct because of several reasons. Some of The reasons can be. The species have a low population, or 2. They are threatened by the environmental or prepositional parameters. Fewer natural wildlife habitat areas remain each year, moreover, the habitat that remains has often been degraded to bear little resemblance to the wild areas which existed in the past. Habitat loss—due to destruction, fragmentation and degradation of habitat—is the primary threat to the survival of wildlife in the United States, when an ecosystem has an ecosystem are some of the ways habitats can become so degraded that they no longer support native wildlife. Climate change, Global warming is making hot days hotter, rainfall and flooding heavier, hurricanes stronger and this intensification of weather and climate extremes will be the most visible impact of global warming in our everyday lives. It is also causing changes to the landscape of our world, adding stress to wildlife species. Since many types of plants and animals have specific habitat requirements, a slight drop or rise in average rainfall will translate into large seasonal changes. Hibernating mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects are harmed and disturbed, plants and wildlife are sensitive to moisture change so, they will be harmed by any change in moisture level. Natural phenomena like floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, lightning, forest fires. Unregulated Hunting and poaching, along with this, mismanagement of forest department and forest guards triggers this problem. Pollution, Pollutants released into the environment are ingested by a variety of organisms. Pesticides and toxic chemical being used, making the environment toxic to certain plants, insects. Perhaps the largest threat is the extreme growing indifference of the public to wildlife, conservation, over-exploitation of resources, i. e. exploitation of wild populations for food has resulted in population crashes. Over exploitation is the use of wildlife and plant species by people for food, clothing, pets, medicine, sport. People have always depended on wildlife and plants for food, clothing, medicine, shelter, but today we are taking more than the natural world can supply
Wildlife conservation
–
The
Siberian tiger is a subspecies of tiger that is
endangered; three subspecies of tiger are already extinct.
Wildlife conservation
–
The marking off of a sea turtle nest. Anna Maria, FL. 2012.
Wildlife conservation
–
Air
2.
Charitable organisation
–
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization. It differs from types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals as well as social well-being. The legal definition of charitable organization varies according to the country, the regulation, tax treatment, and the way in which charity law affects charitable organizations also varies. Financial figures are important indicators to assess the sustainability of a charity. This information can impact a charitys reputation with donors and societies, and thus, Charitable organizations often depend partly on donations from for-profit-organizations. Such donations to charitable organizations represent a form of corporate philanthropy. Until the mid-18th century, charity was mainly distributed through parish relief, churches, almshouses, Charities were also responsible for education, health, housing and even prisons. It was in the Enlightenment era that charitable and philanthropic activity among voluntary associations, societies, gentlemans clubs, and mutual associations began to flourish in England and the upper-classes increasingly adopted a philanthropic attitude toward the disadvantaged. This new social activism was channeled into the establishment of charitable organizations and this emerging upper-class fashion for benevolence resulted in the incorporation of the first charitable organizations. This was the first such charity in the world and served as the precedent for incorporated associational charities everywhere. Jonas Hanway, another notable philanthropist of the era established The Marine Society in 1756 as the first seafarers charity, by 1763, the Society had recruited over 10,000 men and it was incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1772. Hanway was also instrumental in establishing the Magdalen Hospital to rehabilitate prostitutes and these organizations were funded by subscription and run as voluntary associations. Charities also began to adopt campaigning roles, where they would champion a cause, the process was however a lengthy one being finally concluded when Saudi Arabia abolished slavery in 1962. This period also saw growing philosophical debate between those who championed state intervention and those who believed that private charities should provide welfare, thomas Malthus, the political economist, criticized poor relief for paupers on economic and moral grounds and proposed leaving charity entirely to the private sector. His views were influential and informed the Victorian laissez-faire attitude toward state intervention for the poor. During the 19th century, a profusion of charitable organizations were set up to alleviate the conditions of the working class in the slums. The Labourers Friend Society, chaired by Lord Shaftesbury in the United Kingdom in 1830, was set up to working class conditions. This included the promotion of allotment of land to labourers for cottage husbandry that later became the allotment movement and this was one of the first housing associations, a philanthropic endeavour that flourished in the second half of the nineteenth century brought about by the growth of the middle class
Charitable organisation
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American Cancer Society offices in Washington, D.C.
Charitable organisation
–
The Foundling Hospital. The building has been demolished.
Charitable organisation
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Andrew Carnegie 's philanthropy.
Puck magazine cartoon by Louis Dalrymple, 1903.
3.
Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden
–
Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden is situated in Didsbury, Manchester, England, between the River Mersey and Stenner Woods. The park is named after local Alderman Fletcher Moss, who donated the park to the city of Manchester in 1915. It is part botanical garden and part wildlife habitat, but also offered recreational facilities such as recently refurbished tennis courts, rugby and football pitches, and a family run café. The main part of the gardens is a rock garden which was laid out by the botanist Robert Wood Williamson on a south-facing slope. Williamson sold the gardens and rockery along with his house, called The Croft, to Alderman Fletcher Moss, in 1912. He lived in the Old Parsonage by St Jamess Church, Stenner Lane, having taken over residence from the vicar, a Rev W J Kidd, Fletcher Moss spent most of his time looking at old buildings, strangely, he wrote books and novels. Robert Williamsons old house, the Croft, was the location of the first meeting of the later to become known as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The group gained popularity and eventually amalgamated with the ‘Fur and Feather League’ in Croydon, the main rock gardens are laid out on a south-facing slope and are sheltered from the elements, allowing a great number of non-hardy species to thrive in a micro-climate. Small waterfalls run down the rock gardens into a pond which is surrounded by ferns, marsh marigolds, skunk cabbage, Gunnera. To the west of the gardens, the gardens of the Old Parsonage lie on the other side of Stenner Lane. When the hotel was demolished in 1902, Moss took the eagle effigy, the building which housed the orchids is now an Alpine House - fittingly since there used to be Alpines in the gardens. The gardens are maintained and cultivated now by the Friends of Fletcher Moss Park, Fletcher Moss Gardens are located close to the River Mersey and Stenner Woods, at the southern end of Wilmslow Road where the road curves sharply east at the Old Cock Inn, near Parrs Wood. The Gardens can be reached by public transport as it lies on the Wilmslow Road bus corridor and is close to East Didsbury railway station. In October 2012 the Manchester based jazz musician Matthew Halsall released his album called Fletcher Moss Park on the Gondwana Records label to critical acclaim
Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden
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The rock garden, Fletcher Moss
Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden
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The Croft, where the RSPB was founded in 1889
Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden
–
Row running through Fletcher Moss eventually turns into a path by the River Mersey
4.
Manchester
–
Manchester is a major city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 514,414 as of 2013. It lies within the United Kingdoms second-most populous urban area, with a population of 2.55 million, Manchester is fringed by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east and an arc of towns with which it forms a continuous conurbation. The local authority is Manchester City Council and it was historically a part of Lancashire, although areas of Cheshire south of the River Mersey were incorporated during the 20th century. Throughout the Middle Ages Manchester remained a township but began to expand at an astonishing rate around the turn of the 19th century. Manchesters unplanned urbanisation was brought on by a boom in textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution, Manchester achieved city status in 1853. The Manchester Ship Canal opened in 1894, creating the Port of Manchester and its fortunes declined after the Second World War, owing to deindustrialisation. The city centre was devastated in a bombing in 1996, but it led to extensive investment, in 2014, the Globalization and World Cities Research Network ranked Manchester as a beta world city, the highest-ranked British city apart from London. Manchester is the third-most visited city in the UK and it is notable for its architecture, culture, musical exports, media links, scientific and engineering output, social impact, sports clubs and transport connections. Manchester Liverpool Road railway station was the worlds first inter-city passenger railway station and in the city scientists first split the atom, the name Manchester originates from the Latin name Mamucium or its variant Mancunium and the citizens are still referred to as Mancunians. These are generally thought to represent a Latinisation of an original Brittonic name, both meanings are preserved in languages derived from Common Brittonic, mam meaning breast in Irish and mother in Welsh. The suffix -chester is a survival of Old English ceaster and their territory extended across the fertile lowland of what is now Salford and Stretford. Central Manchester has been settled since this time. A stabilised fragment of foundations of the version of the Roman fort is visible in Castlefield. After the Roman withdrawal and Saxon conquest, the focus of settlement shifted to the confluence of the Irwell, much of the wider area was laid waste in the subsequent Harrying of the North. Thomas de la Warre, lord of the manor, founded and constructed a church for the parish in 1421. The church is now Manchester Cathedral, the premises of the college house Chethams School of Music. The library, which opened in 1653 and is open to the public today, is the oldest free public reference library in the United Kingdom. Manchester is mentioned as having a market in 1282, around the 14th century, Manchester received an influx of Flemish weavers, sometimes credited as the foundation of the regions textile industry
Manchester
–
Clockwise from top: the city seen from a distance,
Beetham Tower,
Manchester Civil Justice Centre,
Midland Hotel,
One Angel Square,
Manchester Town Hall
Manchester
–
A map of Manchester c. 1650
Manchester
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Cotton mills in
Ancoats about 1820
Manchester
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View from Kersal Moor towards Manchester by Thomas Pether, circa 1820, then still a rural landscape.
5.
RSPB The Lodge
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RSPB The Lodge is a nature reserve run by the RSPB, named after the building there, The Lodge, which is their headquarters. It is located south-east of the town of Sandy, Bedfordshire, the reserve sits on the Greensand Ridge, overlooking the River Ivel valley and includes areas of broadleaved and coniferous woodland, acid grassland and heathland. The area surrounding The Lodge was covered in heathland prior to the 19th century, in 2005, work began to restore some areas of heathland. The aim is to attract species including woodlark Lullula arborea, European nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus, Sandy Warren, part of the reserve, is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The site has two Iron Age hill forts, built about 700 BC, the impressive, on Galley Hill, is a univallate fort, with obvious banks. Sandy Warren later became a source of rabbits for food. Around 1851, the Swiss Cottage was built for Captain William Peel, when he died, the estate passed to his mother, and then to his younger brother Arthur Wellesley Peel, who built the large house then known as Sandy Lodge. Arthur Wellesley Peel was an MP and Speaker of the House of Commons, in 1934, the house was sold to Sir Malcolm Stewart and the formal gardens were established. After Princess Margaret decided not to buy The Lodge, the RSPB acquired it in 1961. The purchase was arranged by Tony Norris, then chairman of its finance and general purposes committee and it has been their headquarters ever since. On 13 October 2010, a bomb from World War II was safely removed from the grounds. Media related to The Lodge RSPB reserve at Wikimedia Commons RSPB page about The Lodge reserve
RSPB The Lodge
–
Woodland at Sandy Quarry, The Lodge
RSPB The Lodge
–
The Lodge house viewed from the formal gardens, with old swimming pool in foreground
6.
Miranda Krestovnikoff
–
Miranda Krestovnikoff is a British radio and television presenter specialising in natural history and archaeological programmes. She is also a musician, as well as a qualified scuba diver. Krestovnikoff went to the Abbey School, Reading, Berkshire, before taking up a place at the University of Bristol to study zoology, whilst at Bristol, she became interested in filmmaking of wildlife and the environment and gained work experience at the BBCs renowned Natural History Unit. After graduating, Krestovnikoff worked her way up with the BBC and her first presenting role was in the Fox Television programme World Gone Wild in 1999. Since 2000, she has presented a number of programmes in the field of diving, water Warriors was a Carlton childrens production exploring the marine environment. Krestovnikoff then worked as a pet expert in the television show SMILE. Continuing the history/archaeology theme, Krestovnikoff presented the BBC2 series Hidden Treasure, a major project in the summer of 2004 was the UKTV History/Anglia Television production Time Trail, which focused on local history in the East Anglian region. Krestovnikoff was one of five presenters for the BBC2 series Coast, first broadcast in 2005, the coast of Britain and its natural and human history were explored in detail, with Krestovnikoff presenting a natural history segment in each episode. Concurrently, she appeared as a guest presenter on the BBC1 Countryfile programme with John Craven, during summer 2005, Krestovnikoff filmed for a BBC2 and Open University production, entitled History Mysteries. She is a reporter for The One Show. Krestovnikoff is also a marine conservationist and presents for The Underwater Channel on the work of marine and wildlife charities. Apart from her work, Krestovnikoff has presented the breakfast programme on BBC Radio 3, writes articles for Diver magazine. She sometimes presents the Radio Four programme Tweet of the Day, such as on 11 June 2013, in addition, Krestovnikoff is also a talented musician, playing the flute in the New Bristol Sinfonia orchestra. In 1994, she formed her own a cappella choir, PARTSONG, Krestovnikoff is a keen supporter of conservation charities and lists several on her personal website, including the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and Ape Action Africa. In October 2013 she was elected President of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and she married Nicholas Krestovnikoff in 1998 and lives near Bristol with her son and daughter and ten chickens. She has a swimming pool, and refers to herself as an utter. She enjoys diving holidays, sailing, wild swimming, horse riding, camping, cycling and gardening, official website Miranda Krestovnikoff at the Internet Movie Database
Miranda Krestovnikoff
–
Miranda Krestovnikoff
7.
GBP
–
It is subdivided into 100 pence. A number of nations that do not use sterling also have called the pound. At various times, the sterling was commodity money or bank notes backed by silver or gold. The pound sterling is the worlds oldest currency still in use, the British Crown dependencies of Guernsey and Jersey produce their own local issues of sterling, the Guernsey pound and the Jersey pound. The pound sterling is also used in the Isle of Man, Gibraltar, the Bank of England is the central bank for the pound sterling, issuing its own coins and banknotes, and regulating issuance of banknotes by private banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Sterling is the fourth most-traded currency in the exchange market, after the United States dollar, the euro. Together with those three currencies it forms the basket of currencies which calculate the value of IMF special drawing rights, Sterling is also the third most-held reserve currency in global reserves. The full, official name, pound sterling, is used mainly in formal contexts, otherwise the term pound is normally used. The abbreviations ster. or stg. are sometimes used, the term British pound is commonly used in less formal contexts, although it is not an official name of the currency. The pound sterling is also referred to as cable amongst forex traders, the origins of this term are attributed to the fact that in the 1800s, the dollar/pound sterling exchange rate was transmitted via transatlantic cable. Forex brokers are sometimes referred to as cable dealers, as another established source notes, the compound expression was then derived, silver coins known as sterlings were issued in the Saxon kingdoms,240 of them being minted from a pound of silver. Hence, large payments came to be reckoned in pounds of sterlings, in 1260, Henry III granted them a charter of protection. And because the Leagues money was not frequently debased like that of England, English traders stipulated to be paid in pounds of the Easterlings, and land for their Kontor, the Steelyard of London, which by the 1340s was also called Easterlings Hall, or Esterlingeshalle. For further discussion of the etymology of sterling, see sterling silver, the currency sign for the pound sign is £, which is usually written with a single cross-bar, though a version with a double cross-bar is also sometimes seen. The ISO4217 currency code is GBP, occasionally, the abbreviation UKP is used but this is non-standard because the ISO3166 country code for the United Kingdom is GB. The Crown dependencies use their own codes, GGP, JEP, stocks are often traded in pence, so traders may refer to pence sterling, GBX, when listing stock prices. A common slang term for the pound sterling or pound is quid, since decimalisation in 1971, the pound has been divided into 100 pence. The symbol for the penny is p, hence an amount such as 50p properly pronounced fifty pence is more colloquially, quite often, pronounced fifty pee /fɪfti, pi and this also helped to distinguish between new and old pence amounts during the changeover to the decimal system
GBP
–
The Hatter 's hat shows an example of the old pre-decimal system: the hat costs half a guinea (10 shillings and 6 pence)
GBP
–
All frequently used coins. The coins shown are those after the extensive
2008 redesign.
GBP
–
A pound = 20
shillings = 240
silver pennies (formerly)
GBP
–
£1 coin (Welsh design, 2000)
8.
Earnings before interest and taxes
–
In accounting and finance, earnings before interest and taxes, is a measure of a firms profit that includes all expenses except interest and income tax expenses. It is the difference between operating revenues and operating expenses, when a firm does not have non-operating income, then operating income is sometimes used as a synonym for EBIT and operating profit. To calculate EBIT, expenses are subtracted from revenues, net income is later obtained by subtracting interest and taxes from the result
Earnings before interest and taxes
–
Accounting
9.
Net income
–
In business, net income is an entitys income minus cost of goods sold, expenses and taxes for an accounting period. In the context of the presentation of financial statements, the IFRS Foundation defines net income as synonymous with profit, net income is a distinct accounting concept from profit but the same as net profit. Net income can also be calculated by adding a companys operating income to non-operating income, net income can be distributed among holders of common stock as a dividend or held by the firm as an addition to retained earnings. As profit and earnings are used synonymously for income, net earnings, often, the term income is substituted for net income, yet this is not preferred due to the possible ambiguity. Net income is called the bottom line because it is typically found on the last line of a companys income statement. The items deducted will typically include tax expense, financing expense, likewise, preferred stock dividends will be subtracted too, though they are not an expense. For a merchandising company, subtracted costs may be the cost of goods sold, sales discounts, for a product company advertising, manufacturing, and design and development costs are included
Net income
–
Accounting
10.
Volunteering
–
Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity where an individual or group provides services for no financial gain to benefit another person, group or organization. Volunteering is also renowned for skill development and is intended to promote goodness or to improve human quality of life. Volunteering may have benefits for the volunteer as well as for the person or community served. It is also intended to make contacts for possible employment, many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve on a basis, such as in response to a natural disaster. The verb was first recorded in 1755 and it was derived from the noun volunteer, in C.1600, one who offers himself for military service, from the Middle French voluntaire. In the non-military sense, the word was first recorded during the 1630s, the word volunteering has more recent usage—still predominantly military—coinciding with the phrase community service. In a military context, an army is a military body whose soldiers chose to enter service. Such volunteers do not work for free and are given regular pay, during this time, America experienced the Great Awakening. People became aware of the disadvantaged and realized the cause for movement against slavery, younger people started helping the needy in their communities. In 1851, the first YMCA in the United States was started, followed seven years later by the first YWCA. During the American Civil War, women volunteered their time to sew supplies for the soldiers and the Angel of the Battlefield Clara Barton and a team of volunteers began providing aid to servicemen. Barton founded the American Red Cross in 1881 and began mobilizing volunteers for disaster relief operations, the Salvation Army is one of the oldest and largest organizations working for disadvantaged people. Though it is a charity organization, it has organized a number of volunteering programs since its inception, prior to the 19th century, few formal charitable organizations existed to assist people in need. The Great Depression saw one of the first large-scale, nationwide efforts to coordinate volunteering for a specific need, after World War II, people shifted the focus of their altruistic passions to other areas, including helping the poor and volunteering overseas. A major development was the Peace Corps in the United States in 1960, when President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a War on Poverty in 1964, volunteer opportunities started to expand and continued into the next few decades. The process for finding volunteer work became more formalized, with more volunteer centers forming and new ways to find work appearing on the World Wide Web. According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, about 64.5 million Americans, or 26.5 percent of the adult population and this calculates at about 125–150 hours per year or 3 hours per week at a rate of $22 per hour
Volunteering
–
Ithaca influenza epidemic workers, July 1919, Queensland, Australia.
Volunteering
–
Volunteers sweep the boardwalk in
Brooklyn after the 2012
Hurricane Sandy.
Volunteering
–
John F. Kennedy greets volunteers on 28 August 1961
Volunteering
–
Laura Bush poses with
Peace Corps volunteers
11.
Charity Commission for England and Wales
–
The Charity Commission for England and Wales is the non-ministerial government department that regulates registered charities in England and Wales and maintains the Central Register of Charities. The Charity Commission answers directly to the UK Parliament rather than to Government ministers and it is governed by a board, which is assisted by the Chief Executive and an executive team. The current Chair is William Shawcross, geraldine Peacock, CBE, was Chief Charity Commissioner from 2003 to 2006, and Chair-designate from 8 July 2004 to 2006. It has four sites in London, Taunton, Liverpool and Newport, the commissions website lists the latest accounts submitted by charities in England and Wales. Some charities are not subject to regulation by or registration with the Charity Commission, because they are regulated by another body. Most exempt charities are listed in Schedule 3 to the Charities Act 2011, however exempt charities must still comply with charity law and may approach the Charity Commission for advice. Some charities are excepted from charity registration and this just means they dont have to register or submit annual returns, but are in all other respects subject to regulation by the Charity Commission. In addition, if an income is below the normal threshold for registration. Nevertheless, it subject to regulation by the Charity Commission in all other respects. Registration of a charity in England and Wales does not endow that status elsewhere thus further registration has to be made before operating in Scotland or Northern Ireland, Charities in Scotland are regulated by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator. The Commission carries out monitoring of charities as part of its regular casework. It also has set out in the Charities Acts to conduct statutory investigations. However, opening a full inquiry into a charity has a detrimental effect on the relationship with the regulator. The Commission therefore began around 2007 to carry out a form of action described as regulatory compliance investigations. In 2010 it opened over 140 of these cases, compared to just three full statutory investigations, however, the legality of these actions was debatable as they lacked a statutory basis. A high-profile example was the Commissions report into The Atlantic Bridge, the Commission announced in October 2011, in the context of cost-cutting and a re-focussing of its activities, that it would no longer carry out regulatory compliance investigations. Some of the activities of the Commission have been questioned by the Public Administration Select Committee, prior to the 1840s, a body of Commissioners had been established by the Statue of Charitable Uses 1601, but these proved ineffective. The Charity Commission was first established by the Charitable Trusts Act 1853, there had been several attempts at reforming charities before that which had been opposed by various interest groups including the church, the courts, the companies, and the universities
Charity Commission for England and Wales
–
Charity Commission for England and Wales
Welsh: Comisiwn Elusennau Cymru a Lloegr
12.
Bird conservation
–
Bird conservation is a field in the science of conservation biology related to threatened birds. Humans have had an effect on many bird species. According to Worldwatch Institute, many populations are currently declining worldwide. The biggest cited reason surrounds habitat loss, see Late Quaternary prehistoric birds for birds which disappeared in prehistoric and early historic times, usually due to human activity. For birds having gone extinct in modern times, see List of extinct birds, the most critical threat facing threatened birds is the destruction and fragmentation of habitat. In addition many forest species show limited abilities to disperse and occupy new forest fragments, the loss of tropical rainforest is the most pressing problem, as these forests hold the highest number of species yet are being destroyed quickly. Habitat loss has been implicated in a number of extinctions, including the ivory-billed woodpecker, Bachmans warbler, historically the threat posed by introduced species has probably caused the most extinctions of birds, particularly on islands. Most prehistoric human caused extinctions were insular as well, many island species evolved in the absence of predators and consequently lost many anti-predator behaviours. As humans traveled around the world brought with them many foreign animals which disturbed these island species. Some of these were unfamiliar predators, like rats, feral cats, disease can also play a role, introduced avian malaria is thought to be a primary cause of many extinctions in Hawaii. Many species currently threatened with extinction are vulnerable to introduced species, such as the kōkako, black robin, Mariana crow, humans have exploited birds for a very long time, and sometimes this exploitation has resulted in extinction. Overhunting occurred in instances with a naive species unfamiliar with humans, such as the moa of New Zealand. The passenger pigeon was once the most numerous species of bird alive, hunting pressure can be for food, sport, feathers, or even come from scientists collecting museum specimens. Collection of great auks for museums pushed the already rare species to extinction, the harvesting of parrots for the pet trade has led to many species becoming endangered. Between 1986 and 1988 two million parrots were legally imported into the US alone, parrots are also illegally smuggled between countries, and rarer species can command high prices. Hybridisation may also endanger birds, damaging the gene stock, for example, the American black duck has been often reported hybridising with the mallard, starting a slow decline. Gamebird hybrids are common and many breeders produce hybrids that may be accidentally or intentionally introduced into the wild. Birds face a number of other threats, pollution has led to serious declines in some species
Bird conservation
–
The extinction of the
dusky seaside sparrow was caused by habitat loss.
Bird conservation
–
Arctic foxes introduced to the
Aleutian Islands devastated populations of auks; here a
least auklet has been taken.
Bird conservation
–
This
black-browed albatross has been hooked on a long-line.
Bird conservation
–
Conservation biology
13.
Bird
–
Birds live worldwide and range in size from the 5 cm bee hummingbird to the 2.75 m ostrich. They rank as the class of tetrapods with the most living species, at ten thousand. As a subgroup of Reptilia, birds are the closest living relatives of crocodilians, while birds, the fossil record indicates that birds are also the last surviving representatives of dinosauria, having evolved from feathered ancestors within the theropod group of saurischian dinosaurs. True birds first appeared during the Cretaceous period, around 100 million years ago, dNA-based evidence finds that birds diversified dramatically around the time of the Cretaceous–Palaeogene extinction event which killed off all other dinosaur lineages. Birds, especially those in the continents, survived this event. Primitive bird-like dinosaurs that lie outside class Aves proper, in the broader group Avialae, have been found dating back to the mid-Jurassic period. Birds have wings which are more or less developed depending on the species, the digestive and respiratory systems of birds are also uniquely adapted for flight. Some bird species of aquatic environments, particularly seabirds and some waterbirds, have evolved for swimming. Many species annually migrate great distances, Birds are social, communicating with visual signals, calls, and bird songs, and participating in such social behaviours as cooperative breeding and hunting, flocking, and mobbing of predators. The vast majority of species are socially monogamous, usually for one breeding season at a time, sometimes for years. Other species have breeding systems that are polygynous or, rarely, Birds produce offspring by laying eggs which are fertilised through sexual reproduction. They are usually laid in a nest and incubated by the parents, most birds have an extended period of parental care after hatching. Some birds, such as hens, lay eggs even when not fertilised, songbirds, parrots, and other species are popular as pets. Guano is harvested for use as a fertiliser, Birds prominently figure throughout human culture. About 120–130 species have become extinct due to human activity since the 17th century, human activity threatens about 1,200 bird species with extinction, though efforts are underway to protect them. Recreational birdwatching is an important part of the ecotourism industry, the first classification of birds was developed by Francis Willughby and John Ray in their 1676 volume Ornithologiae. Carl Linnaeus modified that work in 1758 to devise the taxonomic classification system currently in use, Birds are categorised as the biological class Aves in Linnaean taxonomy. Phylogenetic taxonomy places Aves in the dinosaur clade Theropoda, Aves and a sister group, the clade Crocodilia, contain the only living representatives of the reptile clade Archosauria
Bird
–
Archaeopteryx lithographica is often considered the oldest known true bird.
Bird
Bird
–
Confuciusornis sanctus, a Cretaceous bird from China
Bird
–
The range of the
house sparrow has expanded dramatically due to human activities.
14.
Natural environment
–
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally. The term is most often applied to the Earth or some part of Earth and this environment encompasses the interaction of all living species, climate, weather, and natural resources that affect human survival and economic activity. Even acts which seem less extreme, such as building a mud hut or a system in the desert. Though many animals build things to provide an environment for themselves, they are not human, hence beaver dams. People seldom find absolutely natural environments on Earth, and naturalness usually varies in a continuum, more precisely, we can consider the different aspects or components of an environment, and see that their degree of naturalness is not uniform. If, for instance, in a field, the mineralogic composition and the structure of its soil are similar to those of an undisturbed forest soil. Natural environment is used as a synonym for habitat. For instance, when we say that the environment of giraffes is the savanna. Earth science generally recognizes 4 spheres, the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, and the biosphere as correspondent to rocks, water, air, and life respectively. Some scientists include, as part of the spheres of the Earth, Earth science, is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. There are four major disciplines in sciences, namely geography, geology, geophysics. These major disciplines use physics, chemistry, biology, chronology, the Earths crust, or lithosphere, is the outermost solid surface of the planet and is chemically and mechanically different from underlying mantle. It has been generated greatly by igneous processes in which magma cools, beneath the lithosphere lies the mantle which is heated by the decay of radioactive elements. The mantle though solid is in a state of rheic convection and this convection process causes the lithospheric plates to move, albeit slowly. The resulting process is known as plate tectonics, volcanoes result primarily from the melting of subducted crust material or of rising mantle at mid-ocean ridges and mantle plumes. An ocean is a body of saline water, and a component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earths surface is covered by ocean, a body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans. More than half of area is over 3,000 meters deep
Natural environment
–
Land management policies have been developed to preserve the natural characteristics of
Hopetoun Falls,
Australia while allowing ample access for visitors.
Natural environment
–
Bachalpsee in the
Swiss Alps: Mountainous areas in Switzerland are
summer farm pasture.
Natural environment
–
A satellite image of the
Sahara desert; the world's largest hot desert and third-largest desert after
Antarctica and the
Arctic.
Natural environment
–
A
volcanic fissure and
lava channel.
15.
Nature reserves
–
Nature reserves may be designated by government institutions in some countries, or by private landowners, such as charities and research institutions, regardless of nationality. Nature reserves fall into different IUCN categories depending on the level of protection afforded by local laws, early reservations often had a religious underpinning, such as the evil forest areas of West Africa which were forbidden to humans, who were threatened with spiritual attack if they went there. Sacred areas taboo from human entry to fishing and hunting are known by ancient cultures worldwide. The worlds first modern nature reserve was established in 1821 by the naturalist and explorer Charles Waterton around his estate in Walton Hall and he spent £9000 on the construction of a 3 mile long,9 ft tall wall to enclose his park from poachers. He tried to encourage birdlife by planting trees and hollowing out trunks for owls to nest in and he also invented artificial nest boxes to house starlings, jackdaws and sand martins and unsuccessfully attempted to introduce little owls from Italy. Drachenfels was protected as the first state-designated nature reserve in modern-day Germany, in Australia, a nature reserve is the title of a type of protected area used in the jurisdictions of the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Tasmania and Western Australia. The term “nature reserve” is defined in the relevant statutes used in those states and territories rather than by a national statute. As of 2014,1767 out of a total of 10339 protected areas listed within the Australian National Reserve System used the term “nature reserve in their names, in Brazil, nature reserves are classified as ecological stations or biological reserves by the National System of Conservation Units. Their main objectives are preserving fauna and flora and other natural attributes, visits are allowed only with permission, and only for educational or scientific purposes. Changes to the ecosystems in both types of reserve are allowed to restore and preserve the balance, biological diversity. Ecological stations are allowed to change the environment within strictly defined limits for the purpose of scientific research. A wildlife reserve in Brazil is also protected, and hunting is not allowed, there are 30 nature reserves in Egypt which cover 12% of Egyptian land. Those nature reserves were built according to the laws no, 102/1983 and 4/1994 for protection of the Egyptian nature reserve. Egypt announced a plan from to build 40 nature reserves from 1997 to 2017, to protect the natural resources. The largest nature reserve in Egypt is Gebel Elba in the southeast, denmark has three national parks and several nature reserves, some of them inside the national park areas. The largest single reserve is Hanstholm Nature Reserve, which covers 40 km2 and is part of Thy National Park, in Sweden there are 29 national parks. The first of them were established in 1909, in fact, Sweden was the first European country that established 9 national parks. There are almost 4,000 nature reserves in Sweden and they comprise about 85% of the surface that is protected by the Swedish Enironmental Code
Nature reserves
–
The Bee Lick Creek, of the
Jefferson Memorial Forest. This forest was designated as a National Audubon Society
wildlife refuge.
Nature reserves
–
Charles Waterton established the first nature reserve in 1821.
Nature reserves
–
Drachenfels (Siebengebirge)
Nature reserves
–
A bridged
stone river in
Bistrishko Branishte, an early Bulgarian nature reserve established in 1934.
16.
Employee
–
Employees in some fields or sectors may receive gratuities, bonus payment or stock options. In some types of employment, employees may receive benefits in addition to payment, benefits can include health insurance, housing, disability insurance or use of a gym. Employment is typically governed by employment laws or regulations or legal contracts, employers must balance interests such as decreasing wage constraints with a maximization of labor productivity in order to achieve a profitable and productive employment relationship. The main ways for employers to workers and for people to find employers are via jobs listings in newspapers and online. Employers and job seekers also find each other via professional recruitment consultants which receive a commission from the employer to find, screen. However, a study has shown that such consultants may not be reliable when they fail to use established principles in selecting employees, a more traditional approach is with a Help Wanted sign in the establishment. Evaluating different employees can be quite laborious but setting up different techniques to analyze their skill to measure their talents within the field can be best through assessments, employer and potential employee commonly take the additional step of getting to know each other through the process of job interview. Training and development refers to the effort to equip a newly hired employee with necessary skills to perform at the job. An appropriate level of training and development helps to improve job satisfaction. There are many ways that employees are paid, including by hourly wages, by piecework, by yearly salary, in sales jobs and real estate positions, the employee may be paid a commission, a percentage of the value of the goods or services that they have sold. In some fields and professions, employees may be eligible for a bonus if they meet certain targets, employee benefits are various non-wage compensation provided to employee in addition to their wages or salaries. In some cases, such as with workers employed in remote or isolated regions, employee benefits can improve the relationship between employee and employer and lowers staff turnover. Organizational justice is a perception and judgement of employers treatment in the context of fairness or justice. The resulting actions to influence the relationship is also a part of organizational justice. Employees can organize into trade or labor unions, which represent the force to collectively bargain with the management of organizations about working. Usually, either an employee or employer may end the relationship at any time and this is referred to as at-will employment. The contract between the two parties specifies the responsibilities of each when ending the relationship and may include such as notice periods, severance pay. In some professions, notably teaching, civil servants, university professors, and some jobs, some employees may have tenure
Employee
–
Worker assembling
rebar for a water treatment plant in
Mazatlan,
Sinaloa,
Mexico.
Employee
–
World GDP (PPP) per capita by country (2014)
Employee
–
Worker, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
17.
Didsbury
–
Didsbury /ˈdɪdzbəri/ is a suburban area of Manchester, England. It lies on the bank of the River Mersey,4.5 miles south of Manchester city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 26,788, historically a part of Lancashire, there are records of Didsbury existing as a small hamlet as early as the 13th century. Its early history was dominated by being part of the Manor of Withington, Didsbury was described during the 18th century as a township separate from outside influence. In 1745 Charles Edward Stuart crossed the Mersey at Didsbury in the Jacobite march south from Manchester to Derby, Didsbury was largely rural until the mid-19th century, when it underwent development and urbanisation during the Industrial Revolution. It became part of Manchester in 1904, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was formed in Didsbury in 1889. In the 13th century Didsbury was variously referred to as Dydesbyre, Dydesbiri, Didsbury, the church was named St James Church in 1855. It underwent major refurbishment in 1620 and again in the 19th century, a parsonage was built next to one of the two public houses that flanked the nearby village green, Ye Olde Cock Inn, so-called because of the cockfighting that used to take place there. The parsonage soon gained a reputation for being haunted, servants refused to sleep on the premises, Local alderman Fletcher Moss bought the house in 1865, and lived in it for more than 40 years. In 1902, he installed wrought iron gates at the entrance to the parsonages garden, the parsonage became a museum, now closed, but the gardens are still open to the public. The area around St James Church has the highest concentration of listed buildings in Manchester, the Royalist commander, Prince Rupert, stationed himself at Didsbury Ees, to the south of Barlow Moor. It is also likely that Bonnie Prince Charlie crossed the Mersey at Didsbury in 1745, in the Jacobite march south from Manchester to Derby, Jewish immigrants started to arrive in Manchester from the late 18th century, initially settling mainly in the suburbs to the north of the city. From the 1890s onwards, many of them moved to what were seen as the more sophisticated suburbs in the south, such as Withington, the influx of Jewish immigrants led to West Didsbury being nicknamed Yidsbury and Palatine Road, a main road through West Didsbury, Palestine Road. The line closed in 1967, although Didsbury station building remained standing until its demolition in the 1980s, the station clock and water fountain have survived, dedicated to local doctor and campaigner for the poor, Dr. J. Milson Rhodes. Arriving at 5,30 am, Paulhan beat the British contender, Claude Grahame-White and this was the first powered flight into Manchester from any point outside the city. Two special trains were chartered to the built but unopened Burnage Station to take spectators to the landing. Paulhans progress was followed throughout by a train carrying his wife, Henri Farman. Afterwards his train took the party to a reception given by the Lord Mayor of Manchester in the Town Hall
Didsbury
–
The Clock Tower in Didsbury village
Didsbury
–
Church of St James, Didsbury in 2013
Didsbury
–
Formerly the "Ring O' Bells", The Didsbury Inn, was at the heart of judicial and leisure activities in 18th-century Didsbury.
Didsbury
–
Ordnance survey map of Didsbury from 1905
18.
Advocacy group
–
Advocacy groups use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and/or policy. They have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems. Groups vary considerably in size, influence, and motive, some have wide-ranging long term social purposes, motives for action may be based on a shared political, religious, moral, health or commercial position. Groups use varied methods to try to achieve their aims including lobbying, media campaigns, publicity stunts, polls, research, and policy briefings. Some groups are supported or backed by business or political interests and exert considerable influence on the political process. Some have developed into important social, political institutions or social movements, Some groups, generally ones with less financial resources, may use direct action and civil disobedience and in some cases are accused of being a threat to the social order or domestic extremists. Research is beginning to explore how advocacy groups use media to facilitate civic engagement. An advocacy group is a group or an organization tries to influence the government. The first mass social movement catalyzed around the political figure. Charged with seditious libel, Wilkes was arrested after the issue of a general warrant, as a result of this episode, Wilkes became a figurehead to the growing movement for popular sovereignty among the middle classes – people began chanting, Wilkes and Liberty in the streets. After a later period of exile, brought about by further charges of libel and obscenity, Wilkes stood for the Parliamentary seat at Middlesex, where most of his support was located. When Wilkes was imprisoned in the Kings Bench Prison on 10 May 1768 and this was the first ever sustained social advocacy group, —it involved public meetings, demonstrations, the distribution of pamphlets on an unprecedented scale and the mass petition march. The force and influence of this social movement on the streets of London compelled the authorities to concede to the movements demands. Wilkes was returned to Parliament, general warrants were declared as unconstitutional, another important advocacy group that emerged in the late 18th century was the British abolitionist movement against slavery. Starting with an organised sugar boycott in 1791, it led the great petition drive of 1806. In the opinion of Eugene Black. association made possible the extension of the politically effective public, modern extra parliamentary political organization is a product of the late eighteenth century the history of the age of reform cannot be written without it. From 1815, Britain after victory in the Napoleonic Wars entered a period of social upheaval characterised by the maturity of the use of social movements. Chartism was the first mass movement of the growing working-class in the world and they led, among other things, to the formation of green parties and organisations influenced by the new left
Advocacy group
–
The Great Chartist Meeting on
Kennington Common, London in 1848.
Advocacy group
–
Satirical engraving of Wilkes by
William Hogarth. Wilkes is holding two editions of
The North Briton.
Advocacy group
–
Martin Luther King led the
American Civil Rights Movement, one of the most famous social movements of the 20th century.
19.
Great crested grebe
–
The great crested grebe is a member of the grebe family of water birds noted for its elaborate mating display. The scientific name comes from Latin, Podiceps is from podicis, vent and pes, foot, and is a reference to the placement of a grebes legs towards the rear of its body, and the species name, cristatus means crested. The great crested grebe is the largest member of the family found in the Old World. They measure 46–51 cm long with a 59–73 cm wingspan and weigh 0.9 to 1.5 kg and it is an excellent swimmer and diver, and pursues its fish prey underwater. The adults are unmistakable in summer with head and neck decorations, in winter, this is whiter than most grebes, with white above the eye, and a pink bill. The young are distinctive because their heads are striped black and white and they lose these markings when they become adults. The great crested grebe breeds in vegetated areas of freshwater lakes, the subspecies P. c. cristatus is found across Europe and Asia. It is resident in the milder west of its range, and it winters on freshwater lakes and reservoirs or the coast. The African subspecies P. c. infuscatus and the Australasian subspecies P. c. australis are mainly sedentary, the great crested grebe has an elaborate mating display. Like all grebes, it nests on the edge, since its legs are set relatively far back. Usually two eggs are laid, and the fluffy, striped young grebes are often carried on the adults back, the great crested grebe feeds mainly on fish, but also small crustaceans, insects and small frogs. This species was hunted almost to extinction in the United Kingdom in the 19th century for its head plumes, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was set up to help protect this species, which is again a common sight. The great crested grebe and its behaviour was the subject of one of the publications in avian ethology. Ageing and sexing by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze Great crested grebe media, Great Crested Grebe Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds Podiceps cristatus in the Flickr, Field Guide Birds of the World Podiceps cristatus. BTO BirdFacts – Great-crested Grebe BirdLife species factsheet for Podiceps cristatus Great crested grebe photo gallery at VIREO Audio recordings of Great crested grebe on Xeno-canto
Great crested grebe
–
Great crested grebe
Great crested grebe
–
Eggs, Collection
Museum Wiesbaden, Germany
Great crested grebe
–
Juvenile with adult
Great crested grebe
–
Head of juvenile with characteristic stripes
20.
Black-legged Kittiwake
–
The black-legged kittiwake is a seabird species in the gull family Laridae. This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 as Larus tridactylus, the English name is derived from its call, a shrill kittee-wa-aaake, kitte-wa-aaake. The genus name Rissa is from the Icelandic name Rita for this bird, the adult is 37–41 cm in length with a wingspan of 91–105 cm and a body mass of 305–525 g. It has a head and body, grey back, grey wings tipped solid black, black legs. Occasional individuals have pinky-grey to reddish legs, inviting confusion with red-legged kittiwake, in winter, this species acquires a dark grey smudge behind the eye and a grey hind-neck collar. It is a breeding bird around the north Pacific and north Atlantic oceans, found most commonly in North America. It breeds in colonies on cliffs and is very noisy on the breeding ground. One to two spotted eggs are laid in the nest lined with moss or seaweed. The downy young of kittiwakes are white, since they have no need of camouflage from predators, the old fishermans name of tarrock for juvenile kittiwakes is still occasionally used. They are fish feeders, and are more pelagic than Larus gulls outside the breeding season and they do not scavenge at landfill like some other gull species. There are two races of black-legged kittiwake, R. t. tridactyla –, nominate, found in the North Atlantic Ocean, is unique among the Laridae in having only a small or even no hind toe. R. t. pollicaris –, found in the north Pacific Ocean, has a normally developed hind toe, birdLife species factsheet for Rissa tridactyla Rissa tridactyla. Rissa tridactyla in the Flickr, Field Guide Birds of the World Black-legged kittiwake media at ARKive
Black-legged Kittiwake
–
Black-legged kittiwake
Black-legged Kittiwake
–
Eggs, Collection
Museum Wiesbaden
Black-legged Kittiwake
–
In flight,
Heligoland, Germany
Black-legged Kittiwake
–
In Seward, Alaska
21.
Fur clothing
–
Fur clothing is clothing made of furry animal hides. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing, thought to have widely used as hominids first expanded outside Africa. Some view fur as luxurious and warm, however others reject it due to moral beliefs, the term a fur is often used to refer to a coat, wrap, or shawl made from the fur of animals. Controversy exists regarding the wearing of fur coats, due to animal cruelty concerns, Fur is generally thought to have been among the first materials used for clothing and bodily decoration. The exact date when fur was first used in clothing is debated and it is known that several species of hominoids including Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis used fur clothing. Fur is still worn in most mild and cool climates around the world due to its superior warmth, from the days of early European settlement, up until the development of modern clothing alternatives, fur clothing was popular in Canada during the cold winters. The invention of synthetic textiles for insulating clothing led to fur clothing falling out of fashion. Fur is still used by people and developed societies, due to its availability. The Inuit peoples of the Arctic relied on fur for most of their clothing, and it forms a part of traditional clothing in Russia, Ukraine, Yugoslavia, Scandinavia. It is also associated with glamour and lavish spending. A number of consumers and designers—notably British fashion designer and outspoken animal rights activist Stella McCartney—reject fur due to moral beliefs and perceived cruelty to animals. Animal furs used in garments and trim may be dyed bright colors or with patterns, often to exotic animal pelts, alternatively they may be left their original pattern. Fur may be shorn down to imitate the feel of velvet, some of these are more highly prized than others, and there are many grades and colors. In Europe and Asia, cheap and plentiful dog and cat fur is sold under different names to disguise the origin from shoppers in the United States, such as dog fur being labeled Mongolian Wolf. One example of this was a coat being labeled as having fur from a raccoon, the manufacturing of fur clothing involves obtaining animal pelts where the hair is left on. Workers exposed to fur dust created during fur processing have been shown to have reduced pulmonary function in direct proportion to their length of exposure, in contrast, leather made from any animal hide involves removing the fur from the skin and using only the tanned skin. However, the use of wool involves shearing the animals hair from the living animal, fake fur designates any synthetic material that attempts to mimic the appearance and feel of real fur. The chemical treatment of fur to increase its felting quality is known as carroting, a furrier is a person who makes fur products such as fur garments, fur blankets etc. and repairs, alters, cleans, or otherwise deals in furs of animals
Fur clothing
–
Coypu jacket, reversible (2008)
Fur clothing
–
A French-Canadian man wearing a fur coat and hat around 1910.
Fur clothing
–
Wholesale dealer (Leipzig, c. 1900)
Fur clothing
–
Fur sewing machine Success from "Allbook & Hashfield",
Nottingham, England
22.
Bird-of-paradise
–
The birds-of-paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes. The majority of species are found in eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the family has 42 species in 15 genera. For the most part they are confined to dense rainforest habitat, the diet of all species is dominated by fruit and to a lesser extent arthropods. The birds-of-paradise have a variety of breeding systems, ranging from monogamy to lek-type polygamy, a number of species are threatened by hunting and habitat loss. For many years the birds-of-paradise were treated as being related to the bowerbirds. Today while both are treated as being part of the Australasian lineage Corvida, the two are now thought to be distantly related. The closest evolutionary relatives of the birds-of-paradise are the crow and jay family Corvidae, the monarch flycatchers Monarchidae, the second clade includes the parotias and the King of Saxony bird-of-paradise. The third clade provisionally contains a number of genera, Seleucidis, the Drepanornis sicklebills, Semioptera, Ptiloris and Lophorina, the fourth clade includes the Epimachus sicklebills, Paradigalla and the astrapias. The final clade includes the Cicinnurus and the Paradisaea birds-of-paradise, the exact limits of the family have been the subject of revision as well. The three species of satinbird were treated as a subfamily of the birds-of-paradise, Cnemophilinae, in spite of differences in the mouth, foot morphology and nesting habits they remained in the family until a 2000 study moved them to a separate family closer to the berrypeckers and longbills. The same study found that the Macgregors bird-of-paradise was actually a member of the large Australasian honeyeater family, in addition to these three species, a number of systematically enigmatic species and genera have been considered potential members of this family. The silktail of Fiji has been linked with the many times since its discovery. Recent molecular evidence now places the species with the fantails, hybrid birds-of-paradise may occur when individuals of different species, that look similar and have overlapping ranges, confuse each other for their own species and crossbreed. Birds-of-paradise are closely related to the corvids, birds-of-paradise range in size from the king bird-of-paradise at 50 g and 15 cm to the curl-crested manucode at 44 cm and 430 g. The male black sicklebill, with its tail, is the longest species at 110 cm. In most species, the tails of the males are larger and longer than the female, the wings are rounded and in some species structurally modified on the males in order to make sound. There is considerable variation in the family with regard to bill shape, bills may be long and decurved, as in the sicklebills and riflebirds, or small and slim like the Astrapias. As with body size bill size varies between the sexes, although species where the females have larger bills than the male are more common, plumage variation between the sexes is closely related to breeding system
Bird-of-paradise
–
Bird-of-paradise
Bird-of-paradise
–
Sicklebills such as this
brown sicklebill have decurved bills
Bird-of-paradise
–
Fruits of the genus
Schefflera are an important part of the diet of the
Ribbon-tailed astrapia
Bird-of-paradise
–
Male
greater bird-of-paradise
23.
West India
–
Western India consists of the states of Goa, Gujarat, and Maharashtra along with the Union territory of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli of India. The region is highly industrialized, with an urban population. Roughly, Western India is bounded by the Thar Desert in the northwest, the Vindhya Range in the north, a major portion of Western India shares the Deccan Plateau with South India. Before the partition of India, the territories of Sindh. Parts of Gujarat were the site of Indus Valley Civilization, places have been uncovered in Gujarat at Lothal, Surkotada, and around Ghaggar river in Rajasthan. The Western Indian region was ruled by the Rashtrakuta Empire, the Maurya Kingdom, Gurjars, Rajputs, Satavahanas, Western Satraps, Indo Greeks, during the medieval age, the region came under Persian influence and also under Mughal rule. Later, the Maratha Empire which arose in western Maharashtra came to dominate a major portion of the Indian sub-continent, however its defeat by the British in the Anglo-Maratha wars left most of India under colonial rule. The region then experienced great upheavals during the struggle for Indian Independence, gandhis Dandi March took place in Gujarat. The region became part of independent India in 1947, and the present state boundaries were based on linguistic considerations in 1956. The region consists of the arid to semi-arid region of Saurashtra. The region South of that of Cambay and Southern Gujarat makes the northern arid region. The Western Ghats and Konkan lie along the coast of Maharashtra, the Deccan plains of the Vidarbha, Marathwada in central and eastern Maharashtra define the rest of the region. The vegetation varies from tropical rainforests along the Konkan coast to thorny bushes, the rivers in this region are the Narmada, Tapi, Godavari, Zuari, Mandovi, Krishna, Ghaggar, Chambal and many other smaller tributaries of other rivers. The climate varies between tropical wet, tropical wet and dry, and semi arid, the coastal regions experience little seasonal variations although the temperatures range between 20 °C to 38 °C. Mumbai and northern Konkan regions experience cooler winters with temperatures hovering around 12 °C. Interior Maharashtra experiences hot summers with temperatures averaging 40 °C. Pune, a city in the region experiences temperatures around 40-42 °C in summers. Gujarat also has a climate with hot summers and cool winters
West India
–
Maratha Empire in the 18th century.
West India
–
Western India पश्चिम भारत
West India
–
Konkan in monsoon
West India
–
A
Meghwal woman in the Hodka village, north of
Bhuj.
24.
Brazil
–
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. As the worlds fifth-largest country by area and population, it is the largest country to have Portuguese as an official language. Its Amazon River basin includes a vast tropical forest, home to wildlife, a variety of ecological systems. This unique environmental heritage makes Brazil one of 17 megadiverse countries, Brazil was inhabited by numerous tribal nations prior to the landing in 1500 of explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral, who claimed the area for the Portuguese Empire. Brazil remained a Portuguese colony until 1808, when the capital of the empire was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, in 1815, the colony was elevated to the rank of kingdom upon the formation of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. Independence was achieved in 1822 with the creation of the Empire of Brazil, a state governed under a constitutional monarchy. The ratification of the first constitution in 1824 led to the formation of a bicameral legislature, the country became a presidential republic in 1889 following a military coup détat. An authoritarian military junta came to power in 1964 and ruled until 1985, Brazils current constitution, formulated in 1988, defines it as a democratic federal republic. The federation is composed of the union of the Federal District, the 26 states, Brazils economy is the worlds ninth-largest by nominal GDP and seventh-largest by GDP as of 2015. A member of the BRICS group, Brazil until 2010 had one of the worlds fastest growing economies, with its economic reforms giving the country new international recognition. Brazils national development bank plays an important role for the economic growth. Brazil is a member of the United Nations, the G20, BRICS, Unasul, Mercosul, Organization of American States, Organization of Ibero-American States, CPLP. Brazil is a power in Latin America and a middle power in international affairs. One of the worlds major breadbaskets, Brazil has been the largest producer of coffee for the last 150 years and it is likely that the word Brazil comes from the Portuguese word for brazilwood, a tree that once grew plentifully along the Brazilian coast. In Portuguese, brazilwood is called pau-brasil, with the word brasil commonly given the etymology red like an ember, formed from Latin brasa and the suffix -il. As brazilwood produces a red dye, it was highly valued by the European cloth industry and was the earliest commercially exploited product from Brazil. The popular appellation eclipsed and eventually supplanted the official Portuguese name, early sailors sometimes also called it the Land of Parrots. In the Guarani language, a language of Paraguay, Brazil is called Pindorama
Brazil
–
Megaliths in the
Solstice Archaeological Park, in
Amapá, erected between 500 and 2000 years ago, probably to carry out
astronomical observations.
Brazil
–
Flag
Brazil
–
Representation of the landing of
Pedro Álvares Cabral in
Porto Seguro, 1500.
Brazil
–
Painting showing the arrest of
Tiradentes; he was sentenced to death for his involvement in the best known
movement for independence in Colonial Brazil.
25.
East India
–
East India is a region of India consisting of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and also the union territory Andaman and Nicobar Islands. West Bengals capital Kolkata is the largest city of this region, the Kolkata Metropolitan Area is the countrys third largest. The state of West Bengal share some cultural and linguistic characteristics with Bangladesh, Odisha is the only state of India, which has a classical language Odia, a classical dance Odissi and a classical music Odissi music. Odia is the language in east India accorded the status of a Classical Language of India. Together with Bangladesh, West Bengal formed the region of Bengal before partition in 1947. The modern state of Odisha was known as Kalinga, Odra desha and it was ruled by indigenous rulers of the Mahameghavahana dynasty, Eastern Ganga dynasty and Gajapati Dynasty. The bulk of the lies on the east coast of India by the Bay of Bengal. Jharkhand, on the Chhota Nagpur plateau, is a hilly, Odisha is also a mineral rich state of India. It is connected to the Seven Sister States of Northeast India by the narrow Siliguri Corridor in the north east of West Bengal, in medieval India, it was incorporated into the Mughal, Maratha and then the British empire. After independence in 1947, the joined the Indian Union. Today, they continue to face problems of overpopulation, environmental degradation and pervasive corruption despite significant economic, after the Kalinga War the Maurya king Ashoka sent emissaries to spread Buddhism across Asia. The famous university of Nalanda was in Bihar, chinese travellers visited Buddhist and Hindu temples and libraries in the universities of Magadha Empire. The Emperor of Kalinga Mahameghavahana Aira Kharavela was one of the most powerful monarchs of ancient India, the Jain thirkhankar Mahaveer was born here and founded Jainism. Islamic invasions in the 13th century resulted in the collapse of Hindu kings and most Buddhists, especially in East Bengal, East India including Bihar and West Bengal was part of the Mughal Empire in the 16th and 17th centuries. Odisha remained a powerful Hindu dynasty under the rule of Soma/Keshari Dynasty, Eastern Ganga Dynasty, the mighty Nalanda University existed at Nalanda which was destroyed by Bakhtiar Khilji during the 12th century and also defeated Sena Dynasty. Sher Shah Suri, who became king of India after defeating Humayun, with the arrival of the Europeans in the 17th century, outposts were established in Odisha Coast and Bengal. The European traders established their trade centres in the ports of Balasore, Pipili. The Portuguese were in Chittagong, Dutch in Chinsura, French in Pondicherry, in 1756, the British East India Company defeated the local Indian Muslim rulers in Plassey and established British Rule in the subcontinent
East India
–
The extent of the
Maurya Empire.
East India
–
East India पूर्वी भारत
East India
–
Famed Buddhist Nalanda University & Monastery ruins in
Bihar
East India
–
Software Technology Park of India, IIT Patna
26.
Winifred Cavendish-Bentinck, Duchess of Portland
–
Winifred Anna Cavendish-Bentinck, Duchess of Portland DBE JP was a British humanitarian and animal rights activist. Born at Murthly Castle, Perthshire, she was the daughter of Thomas Yorke Dallas-Yorke of Walmsgate, Lincolnshire. She served as a canopy bearer to HM Queen Alexandra at the 1902 coronation of King Edward VII, the Duchess was a Justice of the Peace for Nottinghamshire when based at the family seat Welbeck Abbey. She married William John Arthur James Cavendish-Bentinck on 11 June 1889, the Duchess of Portland was a passionate animal lover, who kept stables for old horses and ponies, as well as dogs needing homes. In 1891, she became the first president of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and was vice-president of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and she was also president of the ladies committee of the RSPCA. She was elected as the third President of the Nottinghamshire Beekeepers Association in 1907, in 1889, she persuaded the duke to use a large portion of his horseracing winnings to build almshouses at Welbeck, which he named The Winnings. She cared greatly for the miners and supported them by paying for medical treatments. She also sponsored a miner, with an interest in art, to study in London. The Two Thousand Guineas in 1888 by Ayrshire, the Derby and St. Leger in 1889 by Donovan, the Oaks and St. Leger in 1890 by Memoir, and she was also made a Dame of the Order of Queen Maria Luisa in Spain. In 2010, a collection of jewels belonging to the Duchess was auctioned at Christies, including antique pearl and diamond brooches, biography of the Duchess, with links to online catalogues, from Manuscripts and Special Collections, The University of Nottingham
Winifred Cavendish-Bentinck, Duchess of Portland
–
Winifred Anna Dallas-Yorke by
Philip de László, 1912
Winifred Cavendish-Bentinck, Duchess of Portland
–
Winifred, Duchess of Portland, oil on canvas,
John Singer Sargent, 1902
27.
Margaret Brooke
–
Margaret, Lady Brooke, The Ranee of Sarawak was queen consort of the second White Rajah of Sarawak, Charles Anthony Johnson Brooke. She published her memoir My Life in Sarawak in 1913, that offers a glimpse of life in The Astana in Kuching. Born Margaret Alice Lili de Windt, she was the daughter of Captain Joseph Clayton Jennyns de Windt, of Blunston Hall and her brother, Harry de Windt, was a well-known explorer. Margaret de Windt married Rajah Charles at Highworth, Wiltshire on 28 October 1869 and she was raised to the title of Ranee of Sarawak with the style of Her Highness upon their marriage. The marriage was arranged to solve the issue in Sarawak. She followed her spouse to Sarawak, were she became the first in her position, the Astana was built specially for her as a wedding present by her spouse. Her title of ranee or queen gave her a position in London society, dayang Ghita Brooke James Harry Brooke Charles Clayton Brooke Vyner of Sarawak Bertram, Tuan Muda Harry Keppel Brooke, Tuan Bongsu Fort Margherita, also in Kuching, was named after her. Margaret Brooke composed the anthem of Sarawak, the Gone Forth Beyond the Sea. One of Oscar Wildes fairy-tales, The Young King, is dedicated to Margareth, Lady Brooke, co - Author Mr. O. Schutte. Works by or about Margaret Brooke in libraries
Margaret Brooke
–
Fort Margherita was erected by Rajah Charles and named after his wife, the Ranee Margaret.
28.
Ornithologist
–
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. The word ornithology derives from the ancient Greek ὄρνις ornis and λόγος logos, several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds. Most marked among these is the extent of studies undertaken by amateurs working within the parameters of strict scientific methodology, most modern biological theories apply across taxonomic groups and the number of professional scientists who identify themselves as ornithologists has therefore declined. A wide range of tools and techniques are used in ornithology, the origins of the word ornithology come from the Greek ornithologos and late 17th-century Latin ornithologia meaning bird science. Trends include the move from mere descriptions to the identification of patterns, Humans have had an observational relationship with birds since prehistory, with some stone age drawings being amongst the oldest indications of an interest in birds. Birds were perhaps important as a source, and bones of as many as 80 species have been found in excavations of early Stone Age settlements. Waterbird and seabird remains have also found in shell mounds on the island of Oronsay off the coast of Scotland. Cultures around the world have rich vocabularies related to birds, traditional bird names are often based on detailed knowledge of the behaviour, with many names being onomatopoeic, many still in use. Traditional knowledge may also involve the use of birds in folk medicine, hunting of wild birds as well as their domestication would have required considerable knowledge of their habits. Poultry farming and falconry were practised from early times in many parts of the world, artificial incubation of poultry was practised in China around 246 BC and around at least 400 BC in Egypt. The Egyptians also made use of birds in their scripts, many of which. Early written records provide information on the past distributions of species. For instance Xenophon records the abundance of the ostrich in Assyria, other old writings such as the Vedas demonstrate the careful observation of avian life histories and includes the earliest reference to the habit of brood parasitism by the Asian koel. Like writing, the art of China, Japan, Persia and India also demonstrate knowledge. Aristotle in 350 BC in his Historia Animalium noted the habit of migration, moulting, egg laying and life spans. Similar misconceptions existed regarding the breeding of barnacle geese, around 77 AD, Pliny the Elder described birds, among other creatures, in his Historia Naturalis. The origins of falconry have been traced to Mesopotamia and the earliest record comes from the reign of Sargon II, falconry made its entry to Europe only after AD400, brought in from the East after invasions by the Huns and Allans. Frederick II of Hohenstaufen learned about Arabian falconry during wars in the region and he had this work translated into Latin and also conducted experiments on birds in his menagerie
Ornithologist
–
House sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Ornithologist
–
Belon's comparison of birds and humans in his Book of Birds, 1555
Ornithologist
–
Cover of
Ulisse Aldrovandi 's Ornithology, 1599
Ornithologist
–
Antonio Valli da Todi, who wrote on
aviculture in 1601, knew the connections between territory and song
29.
Alfred Newton
–
Alfred Newton FRS was an English zoologist and ornithologist. Newton was Professor of Comparative Anatomy at Cambridge University from 1866 to 1907, among his numerous publications were a four-volume Dictionary of Birds, entries on ornithology in the Encyclopaedia Britannica while also an editor of the journal Ibis from 1865 to 1870. In 1900 he was awarded the Royal Medal of the Royal Society, Alfred Newton was the fifth son of William Newton of Elveden Hall in Suffolk, sometime MP for Ipswich and a Justice of the Peace for the County of Norfolk. Alfreds mother Elizabeth was the daughter of Richard Slater Milnes of Fryston, the family wealth was founded on sugar plantations in the Caribbean, where Alfreds grandfather Samuel Newton had a sugarcane plantation in St Kitts, and a property in St Croix. With the abolition of slavery, the days of sugar were over. Elveden was a house and estate built in 1770 by Admiral Augustus Keppel on land where James II had hunted game, in 1828 the Newton family, complete with children and servants, made a lengthy trip to Italy. On the way back Alfred was born on 11 June 1829 at Les Délices, Alfred had a lively childhood, but suffered an accident when about five or six, which left him somewhat lame in one leg. He went to school in 1844 to Mr. Walkers school at Stetchworth near Newmarket, as with Charles Darwin, a youth spent shooting game birds – black or red grouse, common pheasant, partridge – led to a more general interest. Unlike Darwin, however, Newtons interest stayed with birds, some of which were even in those days. They included the great bustard, Montagus harrier, ravens, buzzards, redpolls, wrynecks, the vast warrens of the Breck, the woods and water-meadows of the valley of the Little Ouse, and the neighbouring Fenland made an ideal training-ground for a naturalist. This enthusiasm he shared with his younger brother Edward, the two carried out bird observation when they were together and corresponded whenever they were apart. In 1846 he went to a tutor in Biggleswade for a few months, in Cambridge jargon, this meant a student who paid for both his education and his lodgings. He took a particular interest in zoology and corresponded with many ornithologists of the time, a meeting with John Wolley at Cambridge in 1851 made them lifelong friends. He spent the rest of his life at Magdalene, and never married, a fall later in life, when he was on a trip to Heligoland, further crippled him, and he then walked with the aid of two sticks, instead of one, as formerly. From a three-legged, he has become a four-legged man commented a friend and he died on 7 June 1907 of heart failure at the Old Lodge in Magdalene. He is buried in the Parish of the Ascension Burial Ground in Cambridge, in 1853 he was awarded the Drury Travelling Fellowship of Magdalene College but he took it up only in 1855 when the grant became available. Between 1855 and 1864 he visited parts of the world, including Lapland, Iceland, Spitsbergen. In 1858 he made a trip to Iceland with John Wolley with the hope of rediscovering the great auk, in 1866 he became the first Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy at Cambridge, a position which he retained until his death
Alfred Newton
–
Alfred Newton
30.
Royal Charter
–
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organisations such as cities or universities, Charters should be distinguished from warrants and letters of appointment, as they have perpetual effect. Typically, a Royal Charter is produced as a high-quality work of calligraphy on vellum, the British monarchy has issued over 980 royal charters. Of these about 750 remain in existence, the earliest was to the town of Tain in 1066, making it the oldest Royal Burgh in Scotland, followed by the University of Cambridge in 1231. Charters continue to be issued by the British Crown, a recent example being that awarded to the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity, Charters have been used in Europe since medieval times to create cities. The date that such a charter is granted is considered to be when a city is founded, at one time, a royal charter was the sole means by which an incorporated body could be formed, but other means are generally used nowadays instead. In the period before 1958,32 higher education institutes had been created by royal charter and these were typically engineering or technical institutions rather than universities. Royal decrees can therefore no longer grant higher education status or university status. A Royal Charter is granted by Order in Council, either creating an incorporated body and this is an exercise of the Royal Prerogative, and, in Canada, there are hundreds of organisations under Royal Charters. Such organisations include charities, businesses, colleges, universities, today, it is mostly charities and professional institutions who receive Royal Charters. Application for a charter is a petition to the Queen-in-Council, however, meeting these benchmarks does not guarantee the issuance of a Royal Charter. Companies, corporations, and societies in Canada founded under or augmented by a Royal Charter include, Royal Charter was issued in August 1826 to purchase and develop lands. Purchased the Crown Reserve of 1,384,413 acres, cities under Royal Charter are not subject to municipal Acts of Parliament applied generally to other municipalities, and instead are governed by legislation applicable to each city individually. The Royal Charter codifies the laws applied to the particular city, the Universitys Pontifical Charter was granted by Pope Leo XIII in 1889. Several Canadian private schools were founded or reconstituted under Royal Charter, the Royal Gibraltar Post Office was granted Royal Charter in 2005. The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club obtained Royal Charter in 1959 and it is one of the three banknote-issuing banks in Hong Kong. The Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch Chartered originally in 1847, disbanded 1859, the Institution of Engineers was incorporated by royal charter in 1935. A number of Irish institutions retain the Royal prefix, even though Republic of Ireland severed all remaining connections between the state and the British monarch in 1949, the University of South Africa received a Royal Charter in 1877
Royal Charter
–
King's College, now the
University of Toronto, was founded with the issuance of this royal charter
Royal Charter
–
The
Hudson's Bay Company building in
Montreal
Royal Charter
–
The emblem of the Royal Observatory, Hong Kong
31.
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
–
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, before his accession to the throne, he served as heir apparent and held the title of Prince of Wales for longer than any of his predecessors. During the long reign of his mother, he was excluded from political power. He travelled throughout Britain performing ceremonial duties, and represented Britain on visits abroad. His tours of North America in 1860 and the Indian subcontinent in 1875 were popular successes, as king, Edward played a role in the modernisation of the British Home Fleet and the reorganisation of the British Army after the Second Boer War. He reinstituted traditional ceremonies as public displays and broadened the range of people with whom royalty socialised and he died in 1910 in the midst of a constitutional crisis that was resolved the following year by the Parliament Act 1911, which restricted the power of the unelected House of Lords. Edward was born at 10,48 in the morning on 9 November 1841 in Buckingham Palace and he was the eldest son and second child of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He was christened Albert Edward at St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle and he was named Albert after his father and Edward after his maternal grandfather Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn. He was known as Bertie to the family throughout his life. As the eldest son of the British sovereign, he was automatically Duke of Cornwall, as a son of Prince Albert, he also held the titles of Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duke of Saxony. He was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester on 8 December 1841, Earl of Dublin on 17 January 1850, a Knight of the Garter on 9 November 1858, and a Knight of the Thistle on 24 May 1867. In 1863, he renounced his rights to the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in favour of his younger brother. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were determined that their eldest son should have an education that would prepare him to be a constitutional monarch. At age seven, Edward embarked on an educational programme devised by Prince Albert. Unlike his elder sister Victoria, Edward did not excel in his studies and he tried to meet the expectations of his parents, but to no avail. Although Edward was not a diligent student—his true talents were those of charm, sociability and tact—Benjamin Disraeli described him as informed, intelligent, after the completion of his secondary-level studies, his tutor was replaced by a personal governor, Robert Bruce. After an educational trip to Rome, undertaken in the first few months of 1859, he spent the summer of that year studying at the University of Edinburgh under, among others, in October, he matriculated as an undergraduate at Christ Church, Oxford. Now released from the strictures imposed by his parents, he enjoyed studying for the first time
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
–
Coronation portrait by Sir
Luke Fildes
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
–
Portrait of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, by
Winterhalter, 1846
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
–
Edward at
Niagara Falls, 1860
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
–
Edward and Alexandra on their wedding day, 1863
32.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
–
It alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all other political bodies in the UK and its territories. Its head is the Sovereign of the United Kingdom and its seat is the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster, one of the boroughs of the British capital, the parliament is bicameral, consisting of an upper house and a lower house. The Sovereign forms the third component of the legislature, prior to the opening of the Supreme Court in October 2009, the House of Lords also performed a judicial role through the Law Lords. The House of Commons is an elected chamber with elections held at least every five years. The two Houses meet in separate chambers in the Palace of Westminster in London, most cabinet ministers are from the Commons, whilst junior ministers can be from either House. The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Treaty of Union by Acts of Union passed by the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. The UK parliament and its institutions have set the pattern for many throughout the world. However, John Bright – who coined the epithet – used it with reference to a rather than a parliament. In theory, the UKs supreme legislative power is vested in the Crown-in-Parliament. However, the Crown normally acts on the advice of the Prime Minister, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was created in 1801, by the merger of the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland under the Acts of Union. The principle of responsibility to the lower House did not develop until the 19th century—the House of Lords was superior to the House of Commons both in theory and in practice. Members of the House of Commons were elected in an electoral system. Thus, the borough of Old Sarum, with seven voters, many small constituencies, known as pocket or rotten boroughs, were controlled by members of the House of Lords, who could ensure the election of their relatives or supporters. During the reforms of the 19th century, beginning with the Reform Act 1832, No longer dependent on the Lords for their seats, MPs grew more assertive. The supremacy of the British House of Commons was established in the early 20th century, in 1909, the Commons passed the so-called Peoples Budget, which made numerous changes to the taxation system which were detrimental to wealthy landowners. The House of Lords, which consisted mostly of powerful landowners, on the basis of the Budgets popularity and the Lords consequent unpopularity, the Liberal Party narrowly won two general elections in 1910. Using the result as a mandate, the Liberal Prime Minister, Herbert Henry Asquith, introduced the Parliament Bill, in the face of such a threat, the House of Lords narrowly passed the bill. However, regardless of the Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949, the Government of Ireland Act 1920 created the parliaments of Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland and reduced the representation of both parts at Westminster
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
–
Parliament at night, with the
London Eye visible at right
Parliament of the United Kingdom
–
Leading 17th century Parliamentarian
John Hampden is one of the
Five Members annually commemorated
33.
Plumage
–
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies, and may vary with age classes, within species there can be different colour morphs. The placement of feathers on a bird are not haphazzard, but rather emerge in organized, overlapping rows and groups, most birds moult, usually before and after breeding, resulting in a breeding or nuptial plumage and a basic plumage. Many ducks and some species such as the red junglefowl have males wearing a bright nuptial plumage while breeding. The painted buntings juveniles have two inserted moults in their first autumn, each yielding plumage like an adult females, the first starts a few days after fledging replacing the juvenile plumage with an auxiliary formative plumage, the second a month or so later giving the formative plumage. Abnormal plumages include a variety of conditions, albinism, total loss of colour, is rare, but partial loss of colours is more common. Some species are polymorphic, having two or more colour variants. A few species have special types of polymorphism, as in the male ruff which has an assortment of different colours around the head, hen feathering is an inherited plumage character in domestic fowl controlled by a single gene. Plumology is the name for the science that is associated with the study of feathers, almost all species of birds moult at least annually, usually after the breeding season, known as the pre-basic moult. This resulting covering of feathers, which will last either until the breeding season or until the next annual moult, is known as the basic plumage. Many species undertake another moult prior to the season known as the pre-alternate moult. The alternate plumage is brighter than the basic plumage, for the purposes of sexual display. The Humphrey-Parkes terminology requires some attention to detail to name moults, many ducks have bright, colourful plumage, exhibiting strong sexual dimorphism. However, they moult into a dull plumage after breeding in mid-summer and this drab, female-like appearance is called eclipse plumage. When they shed feathers to go into eclipse, the ducks become flightless for a period of time. Although mainly found in the Anatidae, a few species, including related red junglefowl, most fairywrens. There are hereditary as well as variations in plumage that are rare. Melanism refers to an excess of black or dark colours, erythromelanism or erythrism is the result of excessive reddish brown erythromelanin deposition in feathers that normally lack melanin
Plumage
–
The differences in plumage of a
blue grosbeak, from top to bottom, between a breeding male (alternate plumage), a non-breeding male (basic plumage), a female, and the related
indigo bunting
Plumage
–
Mandarin duck (male) in eclipse plumage
Plumage
–
Axanthic
budgerigar
Plumage
–
An albino
African penguin.
34.
Sandy, Bedfordshire
–
Sandy is a small market town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It is frequently referred to as the mark of Bedfordshire It lies between Cambridge and Bedford, on the A1 road from London to Edinburgh. The area is dominated by a range of low hills known as the Sand Hills, the River Ivel runs through the town. The Anglican church is dedicated to St Swithun, Sandy is probably best known today as the headquarters of the RSPB. The Society moved to the Lodge, on the outskirts of the town, the Shuttleworth Collection is also nearby, around 2 miles south west of Sandy. The Riddy is a meadow on the Ivel and a local nature reserve. An archaeological dig in May 2006 revealed that the area may have been settled earlier than 250 BC, however Sandy was a Roman settlement and was probably an important trading centre and staging post in the Roman era. An ancient hill fort, now heavily wooded and traditionally known as Caesars Camp although more commonly called the hills or the lookout. Sandy is referred to in the Domesday Book, as Sandeia, in 1086 Sandy was listed in the Domesday Book as being held by Eudo Fitzhubert, who is likely to have been the tenant. He was probably known as Eudo Dapifer, who was a high steward for William the Conqueror. In addition there were two mills listed, and both of these would have been water-powered. There are still references to one of them in the road name Mill Lane which runs along the River Ivel, however the mill has since been replaced by housing. Further down the river from the site where the mill once stood is Sandye Place Academy where it is believed there was a Danish camp which was built to protect the Danelaw in 886, schools in Sandy are 3 tier as are the rest of the schools in Central Bedfordshire. It is within the Parliamentary constituency of North East Bedfordshire, Sandy is situated on the A1 which hugs the western edge of the town. The A603 leads west towards Bedford, the B1042 leads east towards Potton, there are a number of bus routes, principally the 73 from Biggleswade to Bedford. The A1 bypass was one of the earlier 1950s improvements on the Great North Road, the bypass required a new bridge over the River Ivel, built by Dorman Long. The roundabout is with the A603 for Bedford, to the west, the former A603, to the east is now the B1042. The former north-south route through the town was over Girtford Bridge, to the west of the current route, there were three separate bypass schemes – the Improvement from Sandy to the junction with A428, Provision of second carriageway through Girtford, and Biggleswade by-pass to Girtford
Sandy, Bedfordshire
–
Market Square, Sandy
35.
Civil service
–
A civil servant or public servant is a person so employed in the public sector employed for a government department or agency. The extent of civil servants of a state as part of the service varies from country to country. In the United Kingdom, for instance, only Crown employees are referred to as civil servants whereas county or city employees are not, many consider the study of service to be a part of the field of public administration. Workers in non-departmental public bodies may also be classed as servants for the purpose of statistics and possibly for their terms. Collectively a states civil servants form its service or public service. An international civil servant or international staff member is an employee who is employed by an intergovernmental organization. These international civil servants do not resort under any national legislation but are governed by internal staff regulations, All disputes related to international civil service are brought before special tribunals created by these international organizations such as, for instance, the Administrative Tribunal of the ILO. Specific referral can be made to the International Civil Service Commission of the United Nations and its mandate is to regulate and coordinate the conditions of service of staff in the United Nations common system, while promoting and maintaining high standards in the international civil service. The origin of the modern civil service can be traced back to Imperial examination founded in Imperial China. The Imperial exam based on merit was designed to select the best administrative officials for the states bureaucracy and this system had a huge influence on both society and culture in Imperial China and was directly responsible for the creation of a class of scholar-bureaucrats irrespective of their family pedigree. In the areas of administration, especially the military, appointments were based solely on merit, after the fall of the Han Dynasty, the Chinese bureaucracy regressed into a semi-merit system known as the Nine-rank system. This system was reversed during the short-lived Sui Dynasty, which initiated a civil service bureaucracy recruited through written examinations, the first civil service examination system was established by Emperor Wen of Sui. The examination tested the candidates memorization of the Nine Classics of Confucianism and his ability to compose poetry using fixed and traditional forms, the system was finally abolished by the Qing government in 1905 as part of the New Policies reform package. The Chinese system was admired by European commentators from the 16th century onward. In the 18th century, in response to changes and the growth of the British Empire, the bureaucracy of institutions such as the Office of Works. Each had its own system, but in general, staff were appointed through patronage or outright purchase, by the 19th century, it became increasingly clear that these arrangements were falling short. The origins of the British civil service are better known, during the eighteenth century a number of Englishmen wrote in praise of the Chinese examination system, some of them going so far as to urge the adoption for England of something similar. The first concrete step in this direction was taken by the British East India Company in 1806, in that year, the Honourable East India Company established a college, the East India Company College, near London to train and examine administrators of the Companys territories in India
Civil service
–
Imperial Civil Service Examination hall with 7500 cells in
Guangdong, 1873.
Civil service
–
Emperor Wen of Sui (r. 581–604), who established the first
civil service examination system in China; a painting by the
chancellor and artist
Yan Liben (600–673).
Civil service
–
Charles Trevelyan, an architect of
Her Majesty's Civil Service, established in 1855 on his recommendations.
36.
Environmentalism
–
While environmentalism focuses more on the environmental and nature-related aspects of green ideology and politics, ecologism combines the ideology of social ecology and environmentalism. ‘Ecologism’ is more used in continental European languages while ‘environmentalism’ is more commonly used in English. For this reason, concepts such as an ethic, environmental ethics, biodiversity, ecology. The exact measures and outcomes of this balance is controversial and there are different ways for environmental concerns to be expressed in practice. Environmentalism and environmental concerns are represented by the color green. Environmentalism denotes a movement that seeks to influence the political process by lobbying, activism. The word was first coined in 1922, an environmentalist is a person who may speak out about our natural environment and the sustainable management of its resources through changes in public policy or individual behavior. In various ways, environmentalists and environmental organizations seek to give the world a stronger voice in human affairs. In general terms, environmentalists advocate the sustainable management of resources, in its recognition of humanity as a participant in ecosystems, the movement is centered around ecology, health, and human rights. A concern for environmental protection has recurred in diverse forms, in different parts of the world, for example, in Europe, King Edward I of England banned the burning of sea-coal by proclamation in London in 1272, after its smoke had become a problem. The fuel was so common in England that this earliest of names for it was acquired because it could be carted away from some shores by the wheelbarrow. Earlier in the Middle East, the Caliph Abu Bakr in the 630s commanded his army to Bring no harm to the trees, nor burn them with fire, at the advent of steam and electricity the muse of history holds her nose and shuts her eyes. The origins of the movement lay in the response to increasing levels of smoke pollution in the atmosphere during the Industrial Revolution. An Alkali inspector and four sub-inspectors were appointed to curb this pollution, typically the highest priority went to water and air pollution. The Coal Smoke Abatement Society was formed in 1898 making it one of the oldest environmental NGOs and it was founded by artist Sir William Blake Richmond, frustrated with the pall cast by coal smoke. Although there were pieces of legislation, the Public Health Act 1875 required all furnaces and fireplaces to consume their own smoke. It also provided for sanctions against factories that emitted large amounts of black smoke, financial incentives were offered to householders to replace open coal fires with alternatives, or for those who preferred, to burn coke instead which produces minimal smoke. Smoke control areas were introduced in some towns and cities in which only smokeless fuels could be burnt, the act formed an important impetus to modern environmentalism, and caused a rethinking of the dangers of environmental degradation to peoples quality of life
Environmentalism
–
Levels of air pollution rose during the
Industrial Revolution, sparking the first modern environmental laws to be passed in the mid-19th century.
Environmentalism
Environmentalism
–
John Ruskin an influential thinker who articulated the Romantic ideal of environmental protection and conservation.
Environmentalism
–
Original title page of
Walden by
Henry David Thoreau.
37.
Conservation status
–
The conservation status of a group of organisms indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Various systems of conservation status exist and are in use at international, multi-country, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the best known worldwide conservation status listing and ranking system. Also included are species that have gone extinct since 500 AD, when discussing the IUCN Red List, the official term threatened is a grouping of three categories, critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category, Data deficient – Not enough data to make an assessment of its risk of extinction Not evaluated – Has not yet been evaluated against the criteria. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora aims to ensure that trade in specimens of wild animals. Many countries require CITES permits when importing plants and animals listed on CITES, in the European Union, the Birds and Habitats Directives are the legal instruments that evaluate the conservation status within the EU of species and habitats. NatureServe conservation status focuses on Latin America, United States, Canada, and it has been developed by scientists from NatureServe, The Nature Conservancy, and the network of natural heritage programs and data centers. It is increasingly integrated with the IUCN Red List system and its categories for species include, presumed extinct, possibly extinct, critically imperiled, imperiled, vulnerable, apparently secure, and secure. The system also allows ambiguous or uncertain ranks including inexact numeric ranks, NatureServe adds a qualifier for captive or cultivated only, which has a similar meaning to the IUCN Red List extinct in the wild status. The Red Data Book of the Russian Federation is used within the Russian Federation, in Australia, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 describes lists of threatened species, ecological communities and threatening processes. The categories resemble those of the 1994 IUCN Red List Categories & Criteria, prior to the EPBC Act, a simpler classification system was used by the Endangered Species Protection Act 1992. Some state and territory governments also have their own systems for conservation status, in Belgium, the Flemish Research Institute for Nature and Forest publishes an online set of more than 150 nature indicators in Dutch. In Canada, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada is a group of experts that assesses and designates which wild species are in danger of disappearing from Canada. Under the Species at Risk Act, it is up to the federal government, in China, the State, provinces and some counties have determined their key protected wildlife species. There is the China red data book, in Finland, a large number of species are protected under the Nature Conservation Act, and through the EU Habitats Directive and EU Birds Directive. In Germany, the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation publishes red lists of endangered species, india has the Wild Life Protection Act,1972, Amended 2003 and the Biological Diversity Act,2002. In Japan, the Ministry of Environment publishes a Threatened Wildlife of Japan Red Data Book, in the Netherlands, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality publishes a list of threatened species, and conservation is enforced by the Nature Conservation Act 1998. Species are also protected through the Wild Birds and Habitats Directives, in New Zealand, the Department of Conservation publishes the New Zealand Threat Classification System lists
Conservation status
–
by
IUCN Red List category
Conservation status
–
IUCN Red List
Conservation status
–
Conservation biology
38.
South Stack
–
South Stack is an island situated just off Holy Island on the northwest coast of Anglesey. South Stack is famous as the location of one of Wales most spectacular lighthouses and it has a height of 41 metres. It has an area of 7 acres. Until 1828 when a suspension bridge was built, the only means of crossing the deep water channel on to the island was in a basket which was suspended on a hemp cable. The suspension bridge was replaced in 1964, but by 1983 the bridge had to be closed to the public, a new aluminium bridge was built and the lighthouse was reopened for public visits in 1997. Thousands of people flock to the every year, thanks to the continued public transport service from Holyheads town centre. There are over 400 stone steps down to the footbridge, the cliffs are part of the RSPB South Stack Cliffs bird reserve, with a visitor centre, and bird hide at Elins Tower. The tower provides a place to see Choughs, Peregrine falcon, Kestrel and various marine mammals like the Harbour porpoise seen at high tide, Grey seal, Rissos dolphin, the Anglesey Coastal Path passes South Stack, as does the Cybi Circular Walk. The latter has long and short variants, the walk is 4 miles long. Travelling from the Breakwater Country Park, other sites along the way are the North Stack Fog Signal station, Caer y Tŵr, Holyhead Mountain and Tŷ Mawr Hut Circles. The South Stack Formation was chosen as one of the top 100 geosites in the United Kingdom by the Geological Society of London, for its display of small-scale folding. The cover photo for Roxy Musics Siren album was directly below the central span of the bridge on a slope on the south side. In 2010 a French comic entitled Les Gardiens des Enfers was published and its story is mainly set in South Stack lighthouse in 1859. The cover and the first pages can be seen on the publishers website, South Stack fleawort, a plant endemic to the area around South Stack
South Stack
–
View along the rugged coastline from South Stack
39.
Anglesey
–
Anglesey or Ynys Môn is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. With an area of 276 square miles, Anglesey is by far the largest island of Wales, Anglesey is also the largest island in the Irish Sea by area, and the second most populous island in the Irish Sea. The population at the 2011 census was 69,751, two bridges span the Menai Strait, connecting the island to the mainland, the Menai Suspension Bridge, designed by Thomas Telford in 1826, and the Britannia Bridge. A historic county of Wales and later administrated as part of Gwynedd, Anglesey today makes up the Isle of Anglesey County along with Holy Island and other smaller islands. The majority of Angleseys inhabitants are Welsh speakers and Ynys Môn, Anglesey is derived from Old Norse, originally either Ǫngullsey Hook Island or Ǫnglisey Ǫnglis Island. No record of any such Ǫngli survives, but the name was used by Viking raiders as early as the 10th century and was later adopted by the Normans during their invasions of Gwynedd. All of these derive from the proposed Proto-Indo-European root *ank-. It was also spelled as Anglesea. Ynys Môn, the islands Welsh name, was first recorded as Latin Mona by various Roman sources and it was likewise known to the Saxons as Monez. The Brittonic original was in the past taken to have meant Island of the Cow and this view is linguistically untenable, however, according to modern scientific philology. The etymology thus currently remains a mystery, poetic names for Anglesey include the Old Welsh Ynys Dywyll for its former groves and Ynys y Cedairn for its royal courts, Gerald of Wales Môn Mam Cymru for its productivity, and Y fêl Ynys. Numerous megalithic monuments and menhirs are present on Anglesey, testifying to the presence of humans in prehistory, Plas Newydd is near one of 28 cromlechs that remain on uplands overlooking the sea. The Welsh Triads claim that Anglesey was once part of the mainland, historically, Anglesey has long been associated with the druids. News of Boudicas revolt reached him just after his victory, causing him to withdraw his army before consolidating his conquest, the island was finally brought into the Roman Empire by Gnaeus Julius Agricola, the Roman governor of Britain, in AD78. During the Roman occupation, the area was notable for the mining of copper, the foundations of Caer Gybi as well as a fort at Holyhead are Roman, and the present road from Holyhead to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll was originally a Roman road. The island was grouped by Ptolemy with Ireland rather than with Britain, British Iron Age and Roman sites have been excavated and coins and ornaments discovered, especially by the 19th century antiquarian, William Owen Stanley. Following the Roman departure from Britain in the early 5th century, pirates from Ireland colonised Anglesey, in response to this, Cunedda ap Edern, a Gododdin warlord from Scotland, came to the area and began to drive the Irish out. This was continued by his son Einion Yrth ap Cunedda and grandson Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion, as an island, Anglesey was in a good defensive position, and so Aberffraw became the site of the court, or Llys, of the Kingdom of Gwynedd
Anglesey
–
Plas Newydd
Anglesey
–
Britannia Bridge from the east along the
Menai Strait
Anglesey
–
Trwyn Du Lighthouse
40.
Visitor centre
–
A visitor center or centre, visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to the visitors who tour the place or area locally. Often a film or other media display is used, if the site has permit requirements or guided tours, the visitor center is often the place where these are coordinated. A tourist information center, providing visitors to a location with information on the attractions, lodgings, maps. Often, these centers are operated at the airport or other port of entry, often a visitor center is called simply an information center. A corporate visitor center, provides visitors with an easily accessible window into the corporation, Visitor centers used to provide fairly basic information about the place, corporation or event they are celebrating, acting more as the entry way to a place. The role of the center has been rapidly evolving over the past 10 years to become more of an experience. Many have become destinations and experiences in their own right, other TICs are run by local authorities or through private organisations such as local shops in association with BTA. In England, VisitEngland promotes domestic tourism, in Wales, the Welsh Government supports TICs through Visit Wales. In Scotland, the Scottish Government supports VisitScotland, the official tourist organisation of Scotland, in Poland there are special offices and tables giving free information about tourist attractions. These information centers are operated by the state they are located in, the first example opened on 4 May 1935, next to US12 in New Buffalo, Michigan, near the Indiana state line. In Ontario, there are 11 Ontario Travel Information Centres located along 400-series highways and it also provides assistance on various procedures or where tourists have problems of various kinds. Iperú receives complaints and suggestions for destinations and tourism companies operating in Peru, iperú, Tourist Information and Assistance has a nationwide network represented online by the Peru. The official tourist organization or national tourist board of Peru is PromPerú, in Australia, most visitor centres are local or state government-run, or in some cases as an association of tourism operators on behalf of the government, usually managed by a board or executive. Those that comply with an accreditation programme use the italic i as pictured above. Heritage center Heritage interpretation Interpretation center Nature center United States Capitol Visitor Center Communicating effectively with visitors -16 tips for visitor centers
Visitor centre
–
Cultural and Tourist Information Center in
Ducal Castle, Szczecin, Poland
Visitor centre
–
Symbol used in
Australia by accredited visitor centers
Visitor centre
–
Texas Travel Information Center located near
Laredo, Texas along
I-35, 18 miles from the
Mexico – United States border.
Visitor centre
–
Iperú, the national
Peruvian tourist information and assistance center. This office is located inside the Arrival Lounge of the
Crnl. FAP Francisco Secada Vignetta International Airport, in
Iquitos,
Peruvian Amazonia.
41.
Webcam
–
A webcam is a video camera that feeds or streams its image in real time to or through a computer to a computer network. When captured by the computer, the stream may be saved, viewed or sent on to other networks via systems such as the internet. When sent to a location, the video stream may be saved, viewed or on sent there. Unlike an IP camera, a webcam is generally connected by a USB cable, or similar cable, or built into computer hardware, some of them, for example, those used as online traffic cameras, are expensive, rugged professional video cameras. Webcams are known for their low manufacturing cost and their high flexibility and they have also become a source of security and privacy issues, as some built-in webcams can be remotely activated by spyware. The most popular use of webcams is the establishment of video links, other popular uses include security surveillance, computer vision, video broadcasting, and for recording social videos. Researchers claim that this method is accurate to ±5 bpm, Webcams may be installed at places such as childcare centres, offices, shops and private areas to monitor security and general activity. Webcams have been used for augmented reality experiences online, one such function has the webcam act as a magic mirror to allow an online shopper to view a virtual item on themselves. The Webcam Social Shopper is one example of software that utilizes the webcam in this manner, improved video quality has helped webcams encroach on traditional video conferencing systems. Webcam features and performance can vary by program, computer operating system, video calling support has also been added to several popular instant messaging programs. Webcams can be used as security cameras, software is available to allow PC-connected cameras to watch for movement and sound, recording both when they are detected. These recordings can then be saved to the computer, e-mailed, unauthorized access of webcams can present significant privacy issues. In December 2011, Russia announced that 290,000 Webcams would be installed in 90,000 polling stations to monitor the Russian presidential election,2012, Webcams can be used to take video clips and still pictures. Various software tools in use can be employed for this, such as PicMaster, Photo Booth. For a more complete list see Comparison of webcam software, special software can use the video stream from a webcam to assist or enhance a users control of applications and games. Video features, including faces, shapes, models and colors can be observed and tracked to produce a form of control. This can be applied to games, providing additional control, improved interactivity, by removing the IR filter of the webcam, IR LEDs can be used, which has the advantage of being invisible to the naked eye, removing a distraction from the user. TrackIR is a version of this technology
Webcam
–
Typical low-cost webcam used with many personal computers
Webcam
–
Webcams typically include a lens (shown at top), an image sensor (shown at bottom), and supporting circuitry.
42.
Sumburgh Head
–
Sumburgh Head is located at the southern tip of the Shetland Mainland in northern Scotland. The head is a 100 m high rocky spur capped by the Sumburgh Head Lighthouse, the Old Norse name was Dunrøstar høfdi, it means The Head onto the loud tide-race, referring to the noise of Sumburgh Roost. The cliffs are home to numbers of seabirds and the area is an RSPB nature reserve. Sumburgh Airport lies immediately to the north of the head, and is Shetlands main airport, flights from here connect to mainland Scotland, the Orkney Islands and Norway. Close to the head is the site of Jarlshof, at which a series of settlements existed dating back to the neolithic period. The tiny settlement of Grutness, which is the terminus of the Shetland Mainland to Fair Isle ferry service, robert Stevenson was the engineer in charge of building the Sumburgh Head lighthouse. Work started on the building in 1819, and the light was first lit in 1821, as well as birds, Sumburgh Head has become a popular viewing point for whales and dolphins. Map sources for Sumburgh Head Images from around Sumburgh
Sumburgh Head
–
Sumburgh Head
43.
Habitat
–
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant, or other type of organism. The term typically refers to the zone in which the organism lives and it is the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the physical environment that surrounds a species population. Every organism has certain habitat needs for the conditions in which it will thrive, habitat types include polar, temperate, subtropical and tropical. The terrestrial vegetation type may be forest, steppe, grassland, the word habitat has been in use since about 1755 and derives from the Latin third-person singular present indicative of habitāre, to inhabit, from habēre, to have or to hold. Habitat can be defined as the environment of an organism. It is similar in meaning to a biotope, an area of environmental conditions associated with a particular community of plants. Generally speaking, animal communities are reliant on specific types of plant communities, some plants and animals are generalists, and their habitat requirements are met in a wide range of locations. The small white butterfly for example is found on all the continents of the world apart from Antarctica and its larvae feed on a wide range of Brassicas and various other plant species, and it thrives in any open location with diverse plant associations. Disturbance is important in the creation of biodiverse habitats, in the absence of disturbance, a climax vegetation cover develops that prevents the establishment of other species. Lightning strikes and toppled trees in tropical forests allow species richness to be maintained as pioneering species move in to fill the gaps created. Similarly coastal habitats can become dominated by kelp until the seabed is disturbed by a storm, another cause of disturbance is when an area may be overwhelmed by an invasive introduced species which is not kept under control by natural enemies in its new habitat. Terrestrial habitat types include forests, grasslands, wetlands and deserts, within these broad biomes are more specific habitats with varying climate types, temperature regimes, soils, altitudes and vegetation types. Many of these habitats grade into each other and each one has its own communities of plants. A habitat may suit a particular species well, but its presence or absence at any particular location depends to some extent on chance, on its dispersal abilities, freshwater habitats include rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, marshes and bogs. Although some organisms are found across most of these habitats, the majority have more specific requirements, similarly, aquatic plants can be floating, semi-submerged, submerged or grow in permanently or temporarily saturated soils besides bodies of water. Marine habitats include brackish water, estuaries, bays, the sea, the intertidal zone. Further variations include rock pools, sand banks, mudflats, brackish lagoons, sandy and pebbly beaches, the benthic zone or seabed provides a home for both static organisms, anchored to the substrate, and for a large range of organisms crawling on or burrowing into the surface. A desert is not the kind of habitat that favours the presence of amphibians, with their requirement for water to keep their skins moist, nevertheless, some frogs live in deserts, creating moist habitats underground and hibernating while conditions are adverse
Habitat
–
This
coral reef in the
Phoenix Islands Protected Area is a rich habitat for sea life.
Habitat
–
Few creatures make the
ice shelves of
Antarctica their habitat.
Habitat
–
Subdisciplines
Habitat
–
General
44.
Estuary
–
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a zone between river environments and maritime environments. They are subject both to marine influences—such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water—and to riverine influences—such as flows of fresh water and sediment. The inflows of sea water and fresh water provide high levels of nutrients both in the water column and in sediment, making estuaries among the most productive natural habitats in the world. Most existing estuaries formed during the Holocene epoch with the flooding of river-eroded or glacially scoured valleys when the sea began to rise about 10. Estuaries are typically classified according to their geomorphological features or to water-circulation patterns, the banks of many estuaries are amongst the most heavily populated areas of the world, with about 60% of the worlds population living along estuaries and the coast. The word estuary is derived from the Latin word aestuarium meaning tidal inlet of the sea, there have been many definitions proposed to describe an estuary. However, this definition excludes a number of water bodies such as coastal lagoons. This broad definition also includes fjords, lagoons, river mouths, an estuary is a dynamic ecosystem having a connection to the open sea through which the sea water enters with the rhythm of the tides. The sea water entering the estuary is diluted by the water flowing from rivers. The pattern of dilution varies between different estuaries and depends on the volume of water, the tidal range. Drowned river valleys are known as coastal plain estuaries. In places where the sea level is rising relative to the land, sea water progressively penetrates into river valleys and this is the most common type of estuary in temperate climates. Well-studied estuaries include the Severn Estuary in the United Kingdom and the Ems Dollard along the Dutch-German border, the width-to-depth ratio of these estuaries is typically large, appearing wedge-shaped in the inner part and broadening and deepening seaward. Water depths rarely exceed 30 m, examples of this type of estuary in the U. S. are the Hudson River, Chesapeake Bay, and Delaware Bay along the Mid-Atlantic coast, and Galveston Bay and Tampa Bay along the Gulf Coast. They are relatively common in tropical and subtropical locations and these estuaries are semi-isolated from ocean waters by barrier beaches. Formation of barrier beaches partially encloses the estuary, with only narrow inlets allowing contact with the ocean waters, bar-built estuaries typically develop on gently sloping plains located along tectonically stable edges of continents and marginal sea coasts. They are extensive along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the U. S. in areas with active coastal deposition of sediments, barrier beaches form in shallow water and are generally parallel to the shoreline, resulting in long, narrow estuaries
Estuary
–
Estuary of the
Klamath River in
Northern California
Estuary
–
River Exe estuary
Estuary
–
River Nith estuary
Estuary
–
Estuary mouth located in
Darwin,
Northern Territory,
Australia
45.
Mudflat
–
Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats, are coastal wetlands that form when mud is deposited by tides or rivers. They are found in sheltered areas such as bays, bayous, lagoons, mudflats may be viewed geologically as exposed layers of bay mud, resulting from deposition of estuarine silts, clays and marine animal detritus. Most of the sediment within a mudflat is within the intertidal zone, in the past tidal flats were considered unhealthy, economically unimportant areas and were often dredged and developed into agricultural land. Several especially shallow mudflat areas, such as the Wadden Sea, are now popular among those practising the sport of mudflat hiking. On the Baltic Sea coast of Germany in places, mudflats are exposed not by tidal action and these wind-affected mudflats are called windwatts in German. Tidal flats, along with salt marshes and mangrove forests, are important ecosystems. They are often of importance to migratory birds, as well as certain species of crabs, mollusks. In the United Kingdom mudflats have been classified as a Biodiversity Action Plan priority habitat, the maintenance of mudflats is important in preventing coastal erosion. However, mudflats worldwide are under threat from predicted sea level rises, land claims for development, dredging due to shipping purposes, in some parts of the world, such as East and South-East Asia, mudflats have been reclaimed for aquaculture, agriculture, and industrial development. For example, around the Yellow Sea region of East Asia, mudflat sediment deposits are focused into the intertidal zone which is composed of a barren zone, marsh and salt pan. Within these areas are various ratios of sand and mud that make up the sedimentary layers, the associated growth of coastal sediment deposits can be attributed to rates of subsidence along with rates of deposition and changes in sea level. Barren zones extend from the lowest portion of the zone to the marsh areas. Beginning in close proximity to the bars, sand dominated layers are prominent. Common bedding types include laminated sand, ripple bedding, and bay mud, bioturbation also has a strong presence in barren zones. Marshes contain an abundance of plants while the sediment layers consist of thin sand. Mudcracks are a common as well as wavy bedding planes, marshes are also the origins of coal/peat layers because of the abundant decaying plant life. Salt pans can be distinguished in that they contain thinly laminated layers of clayey silt, the main source of the silt comes from rivers. Dried up mud along with wind erosion forms silt dunes, when flooding, rain or tides come in, the dried sediment is then re-distributed
Mudflat
–
Mudflats near
Oban on
Stewart Island,
New Zealand
Mudflat
–
General sketch-map of a tidal plain, showing the typical tripartition in
supratidal,
intertidal and
subtidal zones. The most apparent character of the area is the development of tidal channels, affecting mainly the
intertidal zone. In this case, the tidal flat is protected seaward by a
beach barrier, but in many cases (low-energy
waves and
longshore currents) the tidal flats may directly pass into a shallow marine environment.
Mudflat
–
Mudflats in
Brewster, Massachusetts,
United States, extending hundreds of yards offshore at the low tide. The line of seashells in the foreground indicates the
high-water mark.
Mudflat
–
Gulls feeding on mudflats in
Skagit Bay,
Washington.
46.
Forest
–
A forest is a large area dominated by trees. Hundreds of more precise definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as density, tree height, land use, legal standing. According to the widely used Food and Agriculture Organization definition, forests covered four billion hectares or approximately 30 percent of the land area in 2006. Forests are the dominant terrestrial ecosystem of Earth, and are distributed across the globe, Forests account for 75% of the gross primary productivity of the Earths biosphere, and contain 80% of the Earths plant biomass. Forests at different latitudes and elevations form distinctly different ecozones, boreal forests near the poles, tropical forests near the equator, higher elevation areas tend to support forests similar to those at higher latitudes, and amount of precipitation also affects forest composition. Human society and forests influence each other in both positive and negative ways, Forests provide ecosystem services to humans and serve as tourist attractions. Forests can also affect peoples health, human activities, including harvesting forest resources, can negatively affect forest ecosystems. Although forest is a term of common parlance, there is no universally recognised precise definition, there are three broad categories of forest definitions in use, administrative, land use, and land cover. Land use definitions are based upon the purpose that the land serves. For example, a forest may be defined as any land that is used primarily for production of timber, land cover definitions define forests based upon the type and density of vegetation growing on the land. Such definitions typically define a forest as an area growing trees above some threshold and these thresholds are typically the number of trees per area, the area of ground under the tree canopy or the section of land that is occupied by the cross-section of tree trunks. Under such land cover definitions, and area of land only be defined as forest if it is growing trees, areas that fail to meet the land cover definition may be still included under while immature trees are establishing if they are expected to meet the definition at maturity. Under land use definitions, there is variation on where the cutoff points are between a forest, woodland, and savanna. Under some definitions, forests require high levels of tree canopy cover, from 60% to 100%, excluding savannas. Other definitions consider savannas to be a type of forest, the term was not endemic to Romance languages, and cognates in Romance languages, such as Italian foresta, Spanish and Portuguese floresta, etc. are all ultimately borrowings of the French word. The exact origin of Medieval Latin foresta is obscure, uses of the word forest in English to denote any uninhabited area of non-enclosure are now considered archaic. The word was introduced by the Norman rulers of England as a term denoting an uncultivated area legally set aside for hunting by feudal nobility. These hunting forests were not necessarily wooded much, if at all, however, as hunting forests did often include considerable areas of woodland, the word forest eventually came to mean wooded land more generally
Forest
–
A
conifer forest in the
Swiss Alps (
National Park)
Forest
–
The
Adirondack Mountains of
Upstate New York form the southernmost part of the
Eastern forest-boreal transition ecoregion.
Forest
–
Mixed
deciduous forest in
Stara Planina,
Serbia
Forest
–
A gate in a snowy forest
47.
Urban ecology
–
Urban ecology is the scientific study of the relation of living organisms with each other and their surroundings in the context of an urban environment. Urban ecology is a recent field of study compared to ecology as a whole, the methods and studies of urban ecology are similar to and comprise a subset of ecology. The study of urban ecology carries increasing importance because more than 50% of the population today lives in urban areas. At the same time, it is estimated that within the forty years. The ecological processes in the environment are comparable to those outside the urban context. However, the types of habitats and the species that inhabit them are poorly documented. Often, explanations for phenomena examined in the setting as well as predicting changes because of urbanization are the center for scientific research. Jean-Marie Pelts 1977 book The Re-Naturalized Human, Brian Davis 1978 publication Urbanization and the diversity of insects, forman and Godrons 1986 book Landscape Ecology first distinguished urban settings and landscapes from other landscapes by dividing all landscapes into five broad types. These types were divided by the intensity of human influence ranging from pristine natural environments to urban centers, urban ecology is recognized as a diverse and complex concept which differs in application between North America and Europe. Since urban ecology is a subfield of ecology, many of the techniques are similar to that of ecology, ecological study techniques have been developed over centuries, but many of the techniques use for urban ecology are more recently developed. Methods used for studying urban ecology involve chemical and biochemical techniques, temperature recording, heat mapping remote sensing, chemical techniques may be used to determine pollutant concentrations and their effects. In that particular study, livers of birds from regions of the North Sea were ground up. Additionally, mercury bound in feathers was extracted from live birds and from museum specimens to test for mercury levels across many decades. Through these two different measurements, researchers were able to make a picture of the spread of mercury due to industrial runoff both spatially and temporally. Other chemical techniques include tests for nitrates, phosphates, sulfates, etc. which are associated with urban pollutants such as fertilizer. These biochemical fluxes are studied in the atmosphere, aquatic ecosystems, broad reaching effects of these biochemical fluxes can be seen in various aspects of both the urban and surrounding rural ecosystems. Temperature data can be used for kinds of studies. An important aspect of data is the ability to correlate temperature with various factors that may be affecting or occurring in the environment
Urban ecology
–
Central Park represents an ecosystem fragment within a larger urban environment.
Urban ecology
–
The creation of an important stream water garden in
Metz 's centre during the early 70s was one of the materializations of
Jean-Marie Pelt 's works on urban ecology.
Urban ecology
–
Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. The "fishbone pattern" is a result of the roads in the forest created by loggers.
Urban ecology
–
A ship navigates through the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, potentially carrying invasive species.
48.
Birdwatching
–
Birdwatching, or birding, is a form of wildlife observation in which the observation of birds is a recreational activity. It can be done with the eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, by listening for bird sounds. Birdwatching often involves a significant auditory component, as bird species are more easily detected and identified by ear than by eye. Most birdwatchers pursue this activity for recreational or social reasons, unlike ornithologists, the first recorded use of the term birdwatcher was in 1891, bird was introduced as a verb in 1918. The term birding was also used for the practice of fowling or hunting with firearms as in Shakespeares The Merry Wives of Windsor and her husband goes this morning a-birding. The terms birding and birdwatching are today used by some interchangeably, although some participants prefer birding, in North America, many birders differentiate themselves from birdwatchers, and the term birder is unfamiliar to most lay people. At the most basic level, the distinction is perceived as one of dedication or intensity, generally, self-described birders perceive themselves to be more versed in minutiae like identification, molt, distribution, migration timing, and habitat usage. Indeed, in 1969 a Birding Glossary appeared in Birding magazine which gave the following definitions, the acceptable term used to describe the person who seriously pursues the hobby of birding. A hobby in which individuals enjoy the challenge of bird study, listing, a rather ambiguous term used to describe the person who watches birds for any reason at all, and should not be used to refer to the serious birder. Twitching is a British term used to mean the pursuit of a previously located rare bird, in North America it is more often called chasing, though the British usage is starting to catch on there, especially among younger birders. The term twitcher, sometimes misapplied as a synonym for birder, is reserved for those who travel long distances to see a bird that would then be ticked. The term originated in the 1950s, when it was used for the behaviour of Howard Medhurst. Prior terms for those who chased rarities were pot-hunter, tally-hunter, the main goal of twitching is often to accumulate species on ones lists. Some birders engage in competition to accumulate the longest species list, the act of the pursuit itself is referred to as a twitch or a chase. A rare bird that stays put long enough for people to see it is twitchable or chaseable, twitching is highly developed in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, Finland and Sweden. The size of these makes it possible to travel throughout them quickly. The most popular twitches in the UK have drawn large crowds, for example, approximately 2,500 people travelled to Kent, England, to view a golden-winged warbler, twitchers have developed their own vocabulary. For example, a twitcher who fails to see a bird has dipped out, if other twitchers do see the bird
Birdwatching
–
People birdwatching on
Orchid Island in
Indian River County, Florida
Birdwatching
–
A birdwatching tower in
Hankasalmi, Finland
Birdwatching
–
Birdwatchers at J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge,
Sanibel, Florida
Birdwatching
–
The
Strait of Messina,
Sicily, a classic
migration bottleneck, seen from the
Peloritani mountains
£88.28 million GBP (2006)[1]
£3.68 million GBP (2006)[1]
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