#brown noddy

[na-bird-of-the-day]

BOTD: Brown Noddy

Photo: Isaac Sanchez

"Most terns are white with dark caps, and have forked tails. The Brown Noddy, like an anti-tern, is dark with a white cap, and has a wedge-shaped tail. At sea it flies low, with deep wingbeats; when perched, it has a solemn and lethargic look. Widespread in tropical oceans, including around Hawaii. Birders know this species mostly from its colony at the Dry Tortugas, Florida, where it nests alongside the much noisier and more numerous Sooty Tern."

- Audubon Field Guide

[lowcountry-gothic]

Juvenile brown noddy / noio kōhā (Anous stolidus) in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, Hawai'i. Photo by Kapulei Flores.

[gettingacquaintedwiththesky]

Inspect the feets

[wachinyeya]

Tiny Indian Ocean Island Shows How Quickly Seabirds Recover When Invasive Predators Are Removed https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/tiny-indian-ocean-island-shows-how-quickly-seabirds-recover-when-invasive-predators-are-removed/

18 years after rats were eradicated, Tromelin Island off the coast of Madagascar is a thriving colony of seabirds once again.

The same story happened over and over during the age of exploration: Europeans brought rats or rabbits on board their ships and dumped them on delicate, pristine island ecosystems.

Hundreds of islands became desolate wastelands this way, damage that has for the most part been reversed, as GNN has reported, in one of the greatest conservation stories ever told.

Now, this small teardrop of sand, rock, and palm trees in the southern Indian Ocean, is the most recent example of conservationists being able to completely rewild a landscape back to a period before European contact.

Spanning just 1 square kilometer, Tromelin Island is now home to thousands of breeding pairs of 7 seabird species like the masked and red-footed boobies.

By 2013, these two species had doubled in number from the precarious, rat oppressed lows of just a handful in 2004. In the subsequent 9 years, white terns, brown noddies, sooty terns, wedge-tailed shearwaters, and lesser noddies all came back on their own initiative.

Matthieu Le Corre, an ecologist at the University of Reunion Island, told Hakkai Magazine how, in some cases, restoring seabird populations can be a tricky thing based on the particular species’ nesting habits.

On other islands where Le Corre has worked, they’ve had to install robotic bird calls and life-size replicas to convince the birds the island is a safe place to nest again. But Tromelin Island needed no such help, since these terns, noddies, and boobies are much more dispersed in their nesting patterns.

“In terms of conservation, it’s a wonderful success,” Le Corre says.

[herpsandbirds]

Hi!! You have a lovely blog!

Say, i've been hearing people around saying that brown birds arent pretty, and i very strongly disagree.

Can you show some beautiful brown birds? The only one i can think of rn is the golden eagle but i know there are plenty!

Oh yeah there are lots of beautiful brown birds!

Asian Dipper aka Brown Dipper (Cinclus pallasii), family Cinclidae, order Passeriformes, India

photograph by @birds_of_india

Brown or Common Noddy (Anous stolidus), family Laridae, coast of Gujirat, India

photograph by Kamruddin Alvani

Brown Wood-Owl (Strix leptogrammica), family Strigidae, Karnataka, India

photograph by Megh Roy Choudhury

Brown Lory (Chalcopsitta duivenbodei), family Psittaculidae, order Psittaciformes, found in northern New Guinea

photograph by Kow Hao Rui

Brown Parrotbill (Paradoxornis unicolor), family Paradoxornithidae, order Passeriformes, Sikkim, India

photograph by @dineshraamramakrishnan

Rufous Brown Solitaire (Cichlopsis leucogenys), family Turdidae, order Passeriformes, Reserva Mashpi-Amagusa, Ecuador

ENDANGERED.

photograph by Dušan Brinkhuizen 

Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta), family Scopidae, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda

The taxonomic affinities of this bird have been greatly debated over the year, and now is believed to be in the Pelecaniformes.

This is the only bird in this family.

photograph by Charles J. Sharp 

[scottpartridge]

A second illustration for @ics_seychelles featuring #Seychelles Islands seabirds. Shown are Magnificent #Frigatebird Lesser Frigatebird, Brown #Noddy Lesser Noddy, Red-Tailed #Tropicbird White-Tailed Tropicbird, Tropical #Shearwater Wedge-Tailed Shearwater, Sooty Tern, Bridled Tern, Roseate Tern, and White #Tern also called the #FairyTern

[five-thousand-loaves-of-bread]

50/50 yak silk | thread/light lace weight single | 1754 yds | ? wpi | 4oz

[id: three picture of yarn that thin and dark brown/warm grey, with some white mix in, shiny. first picture on golden muddy niddy noddy, second picture separate out individual strand to show thin, third is curly untwisted hank. end id]

took 2 week & half see how thin can possibly spin. plan is ply self together to make lace weight yarn for shawl :o

yak silk very very soft n nice

[5-puthyyy]

The Apprentice (Agatha x Rio x Reader) - Chapter 3

AO3 LINK

Word Count: 3.4k

Summary:

Life has been about survival for you ever since your coven banished you for the simplest thing: desire. Since then, you've travelled from Inn to Inn, making ends meet, until you sense a powerful Magick presence coming from two mysterious women. They take you in as their apprentice and you end up learning far more than what you came for...

Ch.1 ~ Ch.2 ~ Ch.3 ~ Ch.4 ~ Ch.5 ~ Ch.6 ~ Ch.7 ~ Ch.8 ~ Ch.9 ~ Ch.10

The first week of living with Agatha and Rio has been difficult, to say the least. It’s been labour, labour, and labour, over and over again. You’ve had dirt under your nails after every morning with Rio in her garden, and you head right back inside to Agatha afterwards, letting her wash your hands clean as she tests you on Rio’s Earth Magick lessons.

The most difficult part is actually keeping your hands and eyes to yourself; it’s impossible not to lean into Agatha’s gentle touch as she rubs your hands with soapy water, taking her time to get your fingertips clean. A few days after this routine, she bought out a kit to care for your nails, cutting your nails short enough to not get dirt deep under them, then filing them down until they’re smooth.

“When will you teach me?” you asked Agatha one afternoon as she wiped your wet, freshly cleaned hands with a hand towel.

Agatha pauses, looking at you with amusement in her gaze. “Are you not satisfied with Rio’s teachings?”

Your eyes widen in panic as you immediately shake your head. “No, I am! I’m enjoying my lessons very much,” you answer, desperate to not seem ungrateful.

Agatha raises a brow at you. “Then what, pray tell, is the issue?” she teases with a knowing smile, standing up to place the towel on the side of the washstand. Your eyes follow her movements, glued to the way the tight brown vest she’s wearing shows off her figure that would be otherwise hidden by the flowy white shirt she has on under it, “I asked you a question, little dove.”

The sudden sternness in her tone grips your throat, forcing you to choke and stutter, falling into a sudden cough as nervousness takes over you. Her soft hands are on your cheeks in seconds, the commanding gaze in her eyes taken over by concern.

“Breathe, darling,” she soothes, her thumb rubbing at your temple, up and down, “Follow my lead,” she says, taking your hand to her chest before you can protest the closeness. It feels far too intimate, especially considering she has a lover, one that is just outside these walls tending to her garden.

“Agatha,” you pant out, trying to catch your breath but becoming even more breathless when you blink your eyes open to find Agatha’s eyes, darkened, hooded as you breathe her name out, “I–I’m sorry–”

“What ever for?” she says confusedly, tucking your hair behind your ear, holding your face in her gentle hands as if you could never do wrong in her eyes. She breaks away from you the moment she hears the backdoor opening then closing shut.

After that discussion with Agatha, something seemed to have switched. Rio was more distant in her teachings, mumbling incoherent thoughts to herself after she tasked you with planting a new type of flower using Magick. You’ve made a mistake or two, but after that you got the hang of it pretty quickly, sometimes whispering the incantations in bed to make sure you keep the memorised. But, distracted by thoughts of Agatha’s touch and Rio’s distance, you messed this one up.

“Come on,” you grumble frustratedly, whispering the incantation again and again but the only azalea that blooms is one that dies moments later.

Rio comes up behind you, twirling a large pair of scissors in her hands. She watches you fail again and again, humming as you get angrier and angrier with yourself. She only steps in the moment she sees your nails digging into the inside of your palms. Her hands cover your fists, the sudden touch shocking you, unexpected from her.

“Don’t do that,” she simply demands, nodding her head at you when you whisper an apology and relax your fingers. Hers relaxes on top of yours, hesitantly hovering. She doesn’t really want to let go, you think, hearing her ragged breathing behind you as she moves closer.

“Rio,” you breathe out, leaning into her touch as her nose brushes through your hair, gently resting against your neck. Your breath hitches as you hear her gently take a breath in, immediately growling and burrowing her face deeper, “Rio, is everything okay?” you manage to ask between your heavy breathing. Your words seem to bring her back to her senses as she freezes behind you for a moment before jumping back as if your skin was on fire.

Without another word, just quiet muttering, Rio spins on her heel and practically sprints back inside, leaving you to tend to her plants. Doing your very best, you take a deep breath and calm your mind, and whisper the incantation again until you get it right.

You don’t understand what triggered your dream a few nights later. Typically, the dreams that meet you are sweet, innocent, and peaceful. You suppose the feeling you had by the end of it was peaceful in a way, but it was definitely not innocent…

You dreamt of Agatha’s hands. She was sitting in front of you but you were on her and Rio’s bed, not your own. She had on the thinnest nightgown, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. But you barely had time to gaze at her, your eyes shut tightly the moment you felt those hands that are always so gentle to you, but this time they were gentle elsewhere. And as you moaned at Agatha’s touch, Rio was behind you, kissing you to breathe your sounds in, her earthy scent wrapped around your lungs.

You refused to let yourself dream this way since your banishment, as this was the very reason for it. There’s something wrong with you for wanting this, for wanting to be touched this way. Desire was wrong, is what your coven believed. All forms of it. You lived day-by-day, rationing food because it kept your gluttony tamed. The simple idea of wanting something more than the necessity was a terrifying thought to you as you grew up. Because the older you got, the more you wanted. You started to see things, see people differently. Men, and women, a sharp jawline, piercing eyes, lips so pretty and pink. You started to want. It was bearable, avoidable, until it wasn’t. Until you got caught.

You will not get caught again. You cannot be banished from here, you don’t think you could bear it. So when you woke up that morning, you beat yourself up in the mirror, glaring until the dream disappeared into the back of your mind. You applied some powder to hide the blush in your cheeks before finally making an appearance.

“Good morning,” you greet Rio and Agatha as you walk into the kitchen, “May I help with breakfast?” you offer with a warm smile, waiting patiently for an order.

The pair in front of you raise their brows suspiciously. Rio crosses her arms over her chest as Agatha continues stirring the pot over the fire.

“You wish to help?” Agatha asks with humour twinged in her tone.

You nod enthusiastically, clearing your throat before stepping forward. “The two of you have been incredibly kind to me. I feel I have not done enough to…to earn what you freely give.”

Agatha’s stirring pauses at this, turning her head to look at you over her shoulder. You cannot read her eyes this time, clearly unable to break through the extra guard she’s put up there. You were sure you used the right words; Agatha herself said you needed to earn their trust that first morning.

“We have to go. For a while,” Rio breaks the tense silence by dropping that pin. You freeze, your chest tightening as you try to fight the panic creeping up, “We have business to attend to.”

Agatha senses your fear and tries her best to soothe you before you begin to panic. “We will only be gone a short while, little dove, and we will be right back here. We have some things for you to do while we are gone.”

The reassurance that they will be back is enough for the panic to dissipate for now. But with that comes a new surge of humiliation at your feelings. You have only been here with them a short while, a few weeks now, and you already feel attached to them. This has become about more than just learning the ways of Magick. It has become about them, about the small moments spent with Agatha and Rio. Are you meant to wake up alone, have breakfast alone, tend to the garden and the household chores alone?

Agatha carries on, taking the pot off the heat and coming to stand in front of you. “I want you to study. I have books, spellbooks and history books, books of all kinds. It will surely keep your mind occupied, little dove,” she smiles softly at you, raising a hand to brush your hair out of your face. But that only exposes the fear in your eyes, fear of abandonment. Agatha frowns, shaking her head lightly and pulling you closer, this time into a hug. You breathe deeply as you bury your face into her neck, the scent of lavender and honey taking over your senses.

Rio’s hand suddenly presses against your back, startling you momentarily before her fingers trail up and down your spine soothingly. “We will be back before you know it, sweetling,” she reassures in a kind whisper, a freaky juxtaposition with the frowning look on her face.

The position reminds you of your dream; a soft wave of desire surges through you, making you swap a little, unsure whose touch you want to lean towards. They seem to sense your struggle, both leaning in until you have Agatha’s front pressed to yours and Rio’s pressed to your back. A soft sigh escapes your lips from the heat of their bodies. Strong but gentle arms creep until they’re wrapped around your waist, and another pair slither around your neck until you’re secure, warm, safe.

“We’ll be back,” Agatha whispers, her soft lips brushing against your flushed cheek, fingers gently sifting through your hair.

Agatha wasn’t lying when she said she had all types of books in her little study. The shelves are overflowed, disorganised with piles straight and some stacked together. There are even a few on the ground next to the various plants Rio has planted into pots scattered around. There’s Magick everywhere here; you can taste it each time you step into the space.

The spellbooks are complicated to understand without a teacher, so you pass on those after attempting to read a few pages. But it’s the history books that managed to catch your attention. You were unaware that there is a written history of your community, of witches. It took you a few chapters before you realised the handwriting is oddly messy. Once you reach the chapter titled ‘Agatha Harkness’ you slam the book shut, concluding that Agatha herself must have written this. It feels wrong to read the history of her life, a strange invasion of privacy. Not only that, but part of you wishes to learn things about her from her, spending more time with her and Rio. 

After a while, you open it up again, but this time skipping her chapter. The next is entitled–

Oh.

‘Intimacy’.

It’s a chapter on sex, and the more you read, the faster your breathing gets, realising the majority of this is focussed on female relationships. It’s more of a history of sapphic culture within the witch community, emphasising the healing power of unity, and the heightened pleasure of mixing Magick with sex. It shocks you when you reach a page with an illustration of a coven in a forest, clearly all engaging in sexual activity together.

Slamming the book shut, you hurry to your bedroom and force yourself to sleep to avoid the heat pulsing between your legs – despite the Sun still shining brightly. But thoughts of Agatha and Rio find you in your dreams, forcing you awake in a sweaty gasp. This is wrong. It must be, as the alternative is all you have known your entire life is wrong, and that thought terrifies you.

You cannot think about them this way. You will not give in to the monstrous desire, and you will do all you can to tame it, as you should have done months ago. If you had, you would still have a coven, a family, and your mother.

Sleep will not find you that night and the Sun is only just setting. To avoid your thoughts, you decide to ready yourself to head back to the Inn for the night, needing a drink or two to hopefully lull you to sleep later. It is isolating in this cabin, despite it feeling like home now. It’s not home when you’re without them.

Unsure of when Agatha and Rio are to return, you decide to spend most of the evening at the Inn. It’s good to see some regulars still there, the singing man tipping his hat in apology when he spots you mid-song. The hour is later and your limbs are lighter after a few drinks, a few easy conversations, a few happy claps of your hands to the music. That is when she finds you.

“Y/N!” The innkeeper’s daughter yells out your name, rushing down the steps from her lodgings. She holds onto her dress to avoid tripping but lets go to tackle you in a deep hug.

“Catherine, it is always lovely to see you,” you greet her with a laugh as she squeals, refusing to let go.

You spend the entire evening together until the latest hours of the night, drinking one too many ales, and flirting with one too many drunken men just for the two of you to run off giggling. By the time the pair of you stumble outside for fresh air, half the Inn has taken to their lodgings or left to wander drunkenly.

The two of you press against each other for warmth as the night breeze dares to tease pushing Catherine’s dress up. The sounds quiet into a hum as you pull back with a giggle, eyes blurred from the ales running through your bloodstream. The blurry face looks like Rio’s sharp jaw, and those eyes look blue with the moonlight’s reflection reminding you of Agatha.

“You’re very pretty,” you mumble shyly, turning away when her eyes widen in surprise. 

A shaky hand dares to brush against your jawline. “As are you, I always thought so,” she whispers as if it is just a secret between the two of you, “Will you tell me where you have been?” Catherine suddenly asks, her tone curious but only to hide her concern, trying to avoid telling you that she cares about you more than she should.

You turn your head away, clenching your teeth, and think of Agatha and Rio and the power they hold over you. “I cannot.”

Silence fills the space between the two of you and it makes you notice Catherine’s hand has been absentmindedly stroking your cheek for the last minute or so.

“Will you be back? Soon?” she pleads, frowning when you sigh and she takes it as a no, “Please, Y/N, I missed you dearly.”

Seeing the pained look in her eyes, you sigh again. It wouldn’t be a bad thing to visit more often; you have had an enjoyable night. You’re just unsure whether you would even want to leave when you have Agatha and Rio at home. “I will try. If not for the free ale, then for you,” you tease, pinching her cheek playfully as she giggles and leaves the softest of kisses on the tips of your fingers. She holds them against her lips, scared you’ll pull away from the intimacy, but your drunken mind soaks it up. It’s been terribly lonely at the cabin; a little attention here doesn’t hurt.

But suddenly, a throat clears by your side, forcing you to push her touch away in fear of being caught by an agitated drunken man. But what you find is far worse. There stand Agatha and Rio, dressed in acceptable dresses but their hair up in a quick tie, letting you know they came here quickly. Their expressions are mostly unreadable, dark and distant. Agatha’s jawline is clenched tightly, while Rio’s brows are down to her eyelids in a glare. But you can barely focus on that; all you can focus on is that they are here, and they look so beautiful, and your heart feels like it’s about to break through your chest.

“Oh, are we blocking the entry? Apologies, friends. Come in,” Catherine laughs, grabbing your arm as she pulls you to the side. Your body moves with her but your eyes stay glued to the silent pair.

“We were just passing by,” Agatha says curtly before turning and walking away, pulling Rio with her. A feeling of dread sinks into your stomach as you watch them walk off into the darkness without you, but you cannot follow, not now. It’ll be too suspicious. You must find the patience to wait before dismissing yourself from Catherine.

By the time you head back home? Can you call it home yet? By the time you head back to their cabin, you expect them to be asleep but you can see a few candles lit through the window. Not knowing where you currently stand with them, you hesitate by the door, unsure of whether you can just walk in. Choosing to remain respectful, you knock a nervous hand to the wood, waiting for the sound of footsteps.

Rio opens the door, the glare still on her face, though the disgruntled expression is one of her more common looks anyway. She says not a word, simply turning back to march inside, leaving the door open in a silent invitation. Agatha sits on her chair by the fire, a cup of freshly brewed tea in her hand. She refuses to look at you, instead choosing to stare out the window to the moon. 

With the way the glow of the moon dances on her pale skin, she looks more beautiful than anyone you have ever laid eyes on. You cannot help but think the most skilled poets could spend years attempting to write the perfect words to describe her beauty but will only end up weeping in failure. No words could capture her.

“I did not know when you would return,” you whisper, clearing your throat when your voice croaks. Agatha does not move a muscle, so you continue, “I–If I knew, I would have been here, waiting, with–with tea, and I would have baked a pie, and–” you sigh as you cut yourself off, knowing the what ifs will do nothing to fix this, “I missed the both of you,” you settle, instantly regretting it as Agatha turns to you with a dark glare on your face.

“You missed us?” Agatha asks, her tone cold, angry, distant, “Dearly?” she adds almost mockingly, confusing your still tipsy head. 

“Honey,” Rio interrupts, trying to calm Agatha down but now that she has looked at you she cannot stop the words from coming out. Her emotions take over her face, hiding nothing of what she feels.

“We have been gone for less than a week, Y/N, and you could not control yourself?”

Your brows scrunch together. “Agatha, I am sor–”

She interrupts, the chair screeching against the wooden floor as she stands up. “Have we not given you what you have wanted? Freedom? Acceptance? What have we done to displease you so? Can you not tame your desires?”

Desires. Of course it’s about that. Despite the history books in her study, she is just the same as…as your mother. This is not acceptance, this is just like the moment your mother caught you with the tradeswomen and locked you away while the coven decided what to do with you. But this time you will do it yourself before they can.

“Y/N, I did not mean it in that way,” Agatha immediately attempts to correct herself as she observes the way your face reacts to her words, connecting the dots on what you could be thinking about, but you’ve already spun on your heel to your bedroom, tears glistening in your eyes, “Little dove,” she calls out, her tone softer, quieter, more desperate, but you cannot hear anything over than her displeasure with you, “Please, wait a moment for me to explain what I mean by–”

The door slams shut behind you, your back pressed to it to prevent them from coming in. You drop down to the ground, sliding against the door, and let the tears fall.

masterlist + guidelines

pornwplot is better, fight me on this. its coming guys patience haha

[panelshowsource]

I'm from Australia and grew up with BBC and British TV, but there are still references that take me by surprise. For example, you would believe the "Mitchell Brothers" were real celebrities and ran the entire UK with how many references are made to them, especially across panel shows. Do you experience this? I often /understand/ why certain references, like popular soaps, are, indeed, popular, but I'm still surprised by just how much they're talked about!

omg this is HILARIOUS and YES!!!

i think this will be very funny for any of my uk & ireland followers to read? hahaha

i get asked all the time whether i understand the cultural references on panel shows and in standup (i do!) — but no one has ever asked me if i'm surprised by them! but YES. the best example i can think of is i swear to gawd there was a period of the late 2000s/early 2010s (?) when it felt like you couldn't watch a single episode of any panel show and not hear a noel edmonds joke. noel edmonds. noel edmonds. do you understand how absolutely meaningless that name is to an american like me? but omg i've heard 10000000000000 noel edmonds jokes/references in my day — and it DID surprise me just how much he was on people's minds! and, like you, i get it: he's super famous and he's a good punchline. but still! him and omg fuckin mick hucknall. why. why. why. why is the british light entertainment industry so obsessed with mick hucknall and making jokes about mick hucknall and references to mick hucknall. again, a name that means nothing to americans. so yes very funny to me, as a foreigner, how of all the very very famous people to reference and joke about these are some of the ones that get it the most!

so without further ado i tried to list the british cultural references that i hear the most + that also have a tinge of that "every comedian in britain thinking about pat sharp at all times and has a joke about him at the ready" feeling hahaha

series: coronation street, eastenders, springwatch, crimewatch, doctor who, blue peter, only fools and horses, mrs brown's boys

music: mick hucknall/simply red, the pretenders (it's always "you look like both of the pretenders"), noddy holder/slade, ronan keating, robbie williams/take that, blue, JLS, (there are obv groups like five and s club 7 but they’re not referenced nearly as much,) chesney hawkes

people: the chuckle brothers, eamonn holmes, terry wogan, janet street-porter, moira stuart, jeremy clarkson, noel edmonds, pat sharp (i thought pat sharp was a character on eastenders for about 10 years but that's pat butcher, who is also referenced constantly), john leslie, parky

there are obvious plenty more culturally specific people, places, and things that are referenced and discussed, and it's worth mentioning a lot of this is coming from middle-aged white people, but sheeeeesh... noel edmonds!!! maybe i just notice them now? bc i'm still kinda surprised i'm hearing janet street-porter jokes in 2023?

but i love it! i hope this post makes sense hahaha

[wormlizarding]

Inktober day 13: Horizon

The birds are brown noddies(Anous stolidus)

[iwantoseeafrigatebird]

going off to see a play... but by the heavens i will finish a spread this time

a brown noddy. i wonder what's the species of the noddy Crozier kept aboard his ship, was it a common one or a black noddy or what?

[foxbirdy]

can you talk a bit about what you do as conservation work? i’ve seen a couple of your posts float around (the seasonal worker comic and the one about the remote island) and have looked into conservation stuff a bit myself and it all looks super cool!! i was just looking for a bit of a more personable take that what job sites describe

Of course! :) A lot of the work I've done has been in either trail maintenance, habitat restoration, or biological fieldwork, with a little bit of outdoor recreation stuff mixed in. Pretty much all of those things (barring the outdoor rec) have been in partnership with or working directly for government agencies (DNR, USFS, BLM, NPS, USFWS, etc.)

Trail work is very trades oriented - you are using tools (generally handtools - especially if you are working in designated wilderness, which prohibits any kind of mechanization) and your body to build effective infrastructure that will last a good, long time. Project work covers a huge range - brushing trail, digging tread, building structures, fence repair, rock work/wall building, etc. Often you have to work with natural materials on the project site, because hauling in lumber or stone is not feasible. It's hands-on & technical work, and it needs a lot of creativity! Your end goal is that no one knows you were there at all, because your work blends seamlessly into the landscape. A lot of people who hike or mountain bike don't realize how much effort and complexity it takes to maintain a trail! It's a very secret service, & I think there's something really beautiful in that. It's dirty, hard work, and you'll very likely go long periods without access to service or utilities (lots of treating/filtering your own water, camp-cooking your meals, showering in the creek, and sleeping on the ground).

The habitat restoration I've done has generally involved the removal of invasive plants & the planting/seeding of natives. This is also pretty intense physical work! You might have to get certified/trained in working with herbicides, which are sometimes a necessary tool in fighting invasive plants. Hack-splash or drill-fill are the most commonly used herbicide techniques in restoration, because broadcast dispersion is considered a last resort. That involves individually treating each invasive plant with herbicide, using minimal amounts and concentrations to limit the effect on the surrounding ecosystem. The two biggest restoration projects I've worked on are the re-planting of disturbed alpine meadows (50K plants in about six weeks) and the removal of invasive coconut monocultures from native rainforest (hacking down palms with a machete, and spraying/injecting the cut stump with a small amount of herbicide to prevent it from coming back).

My biological fieldwork has been mostly marine-oriented - I've done a lot of work with seabirds, as well as coral reef survey & tagging sharks, mantas, tuna, and dolphins. My seabird work involved monitoring nesting colonies (counting babies, tracking growth) with some tagging, banding, and sample collection as well. The seabirds I worked most with were several different booby species, Greater Frigatebirds, Red & White-tailed Tropicbirds, noddies (both black and brown), & terns (white & sooty). Most of the marine tagging I did was using handline fishing techniques, and required me to have a lot familiarity with/certifications for boat operation & seamanship. Biological fieldwork has definitely been lower labor-intensive than trail work or restoration, but still requires a lot of hiking & hauling gear around remote (& sometimes treacherous) terrain! You will also have really intimate exposure to animal bodies and death, and will probably (definitely) get pooped on/thrown up on/bled on at some point.

A big common theme throughout these kinds of jobs is the ability to work in small groups, in isolated places, for long periods at a time. I hope this was the kind of information you were looking for in terms of what the actual work is! Feel free to reach out/message me if this didn't actually answer your questions <3

[elikellyhall]

Finding Noddy (Finding Nemo) Recast Pictures.

CAST:

Marlin - Woody (Toy Story)

Big Ears (From the Noddy franchise) as himself (Woody’s father/Noddy's grandfather and supporter throughout the story) (In the opening scene, Big Ears would be supporting Woody alongside Woody himself as Marlin, and happy for him becoming a father. A few times Noddy says "Big Ears", but more of the time he says "Grandpa" to Big Ears, and "Dad" to Woody)

Coral - Bo Peep (Toy Story) (Meant for my recast for how I feel, I respect those who may disagree. This is meant to be for my recast.)

The other children fish eggs - Noddy's siblings with different colored/coloured clothes and hat (OCs specific for this recast only, not real characters)

Barracuda - Carnotaurus (Dinosaur - 2000)

Nemo – Noddy (Noddy franchise)

Dory – Joy (Inside Out) and Judy Hopps (Zootopia) (Extra with Joy)

Gill – Mr. Wolf (The Bad Guys)

Peach – Liberty (PAW Patrol films)

Gurgle – Fear (Inside Out)

Bloat - Boog (Open Season) and Elliot (As extra)

Bubbles – Lofty (Bob the Builder)

Deb/Flo – Skye (PAW Patrol)

Jacques - Guido and Luigi (Luigi as extra) (Cars)

Bruce – Bowser (Mario series) - For the "Koopas (Sharks) Meeting" scene, Bowser goes first, then Joy and Judy, then Woody and Big Ears.

Anchor and Chum – Kamek and Koopa Troopa (Mario series)

Blenny (The small green fish) – Scrat (Ice Age)

The two pelicans at night after the Shark scene – Donald and Douglas (Thomas & Friends)

Nigel - Thomas (Thomas & Friends) with The Fat Controller (Extra and helper for Nigel)

Gerald - Percy (Thomas & Friends)

The other pelicans - Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Emily, and Toby (Thomas & Friends)

The 3 pelicans at the morning scene - Duck, Oliver and Toad (Thomas & Friends)

Mr. Ray - Shrek (Shrek)

Sheldon – Arthur (The Sword in the Stone) (Disney)

Pearl – Alice (Alice in Wonderland) (Disney)

Tad – Pinocchio (Disney)

Abby Mallard (Chicken Little - 2005) as Kathy ("Oh, my gosh! Nemo's swimming out to sea!")

The other child characters in the school class group – Chicken Little (Chicken Little – 2005), Sofia the First, Olie (Rolie Polie Olie), Leo, June, Annie, Quincy (Little Einsteins), Dora and Boots (Dora the Explorer), Toodles (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse), Elmo (Sesame Street), Rubble and Chase (PAW Patrol) Charlie Brown, The Little Red Haired Girl/Heather (Peanuts Movie) and Red Puckett (Hoodwinked). (Edit: Tessie Bear would be included as well)

Some other child characters in the background – Bluey Child Characters

Sheldon's Dad – Merlin (The Sword in the Stone)

Pearl's Dad - Prince Charming (Cinderella) (Disney)

Tad's Dad - Geppetto (Disney)

Various Noddy (Franchise) characters as the Fish Roaming Around the Neighborhood

Rosalina (Nintendo) as (She'd be at least a mother figure or so to Leo and Annie from Little Einsteins in this recast, who Leo and Annie walk and then meet up with June and Quincy to school) as the character who said "I'll pick you up after school!"

Cookie Monster (Sesame Street) as Mr. Johannsen ("All right you kids! Where'd you go?")

Moonfish (School of Fish) – PT Flea, the Circus Bugs (A Bug’s Life), and Ants (A Bug's Life and Antz.) (This part of the cast is to respect both films, even if they had a close release together, and have their similarities and contrasts)

Anglerfish – Rudy (Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs)

Jellyfish – Jellyfish (SpongeBob SquarePants)

Crush - Mumble (Happy Feet)

Squirt - Erik (Happy Feet)

Bob the Builder (HiT Entertainment), Handy Manny (Disney) and Scoop (Bob the Builder), Sarge (Cars) and Trix (Bob the Builder), Mario, Luigi, Toad, Wario, Waluigi (Nintendo), King K. Rool and Donkey Kong (Also Nintendo) (Fighting each other), Teletubbies and Barney the Dinosaur (As the Dolphins), then Bertie the Bus (Thomas & Friends) spreads word some engines at night as the characters who spread the word of Nemo. (Some of the background ones or so, I think)

Krill Swimming Away - Fishes (Pinocchio)

The Whale - Monstro the Whale (Pinocchio) (Although he was intense, I have him in this recast to have a different personality)

Fossa (Madagascar) as the Seagulls

Philip Sherman – Hans (Frozen)

Barbara - Elsa (Frozen)

The boat (Vehicle from after the start of the film) – Pizza Planet Truck (Pixar movies)

Veruca Salt (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2005) as Darla Sherman

Dash (The Incredibles) as Boy in The Waiting Room

The Red Crab – Mr Krabs (SpongeBob SquarePants)

The Green Crab – Duke Weaselton (Zootopia)

Fish who passed Marlin - Characters from "My Little Pony: Equestria Girls", Various Animal Characters (Ice Age series) and a few others too.

Fish who got caught in the net - Monsters (Monsters, Inc)

The characters listed and mentioned belong to their rightful owners © Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Hasbro, Mattel, HiT Entertainment, 20th Century Studios, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow, Nelvana, Sesame Workshop, Nintendo, Enid Blyton Ltd. (Noddy) and a couple others I think as well.

[jefpoo421]

Guys I found a coincidence relating to Fix-It Felix!

Noddy from Noddy (1975-1982)'s face is strikingly similar to another cartoon face, Fix-It Felix's, almost four decades later.

blue eyes

brown hair

rosy button-nose, ears, cheeks

blue headwear

[swede1952]

Got Shrimp.

Here is a scene where a laughing gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) swooped down and snatched a shrimp out of the surf. Of course, there is a sanderling (Calidris alba) photobombing the picture.

"Like most gulls, Laughing Gulls have very broad palates. They eat many invertebrates, including earthworms, insects (including flying ones), snails, crabs, and crab eggs, as well as fish, squid, berries, garbage, offal, and handouts from beachgoers. They occasionally eat eggs of other birds (though not as frequently as larger gulls do)—John James Audubon saw them preying on Sooty Tern and Brown Noddy eggs and chicks, and they’ve also been reported eating Royal Tern eggs." - allaboutbirds.org

@birdcounter

[herpsandbirds]

Brown or Common Noddy (Anous stolidus), family Laridae, coast of Gujirat, India

photograph by Kamruddin Alvani