Gorgeous Himalayan Bluetail Bird

The stunning Himalayan bluetail or Himalayan red-flanked bush-robin (Tarsiger rufilatus) is a small passerine bird that was previously classified as a member of the thrush family Turdidae. The Bluetail bird is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher of Muscicapidae. Though presently under review, this taxon is not current recognized as a species by BirdLife international.

The Bluetail bird is a short-distance altitudinal migrant species, which breeding in mixed coniferous forest with undergrowth at 3,000 to 4,400 m altitude in the Himalaya and wintering at 1,500 to 2,500 m. It is insectivorous and it is closely related to the red-flanked bluetail and was usually treated as a subspecies of it in the past, but as well as differing in its migratory behavior (the red-flanked bluetail is a long-distance migrant), it also differs in the more intense blue color of the adult males and the greyer color of the females and juveniles.

The Grandidier’s Baobab Tree

Grandidier’s baobab is the biggest and most re-known of Madagascar’s species of Baobabs. It is also known as “Adansonia Grandidieri”, actually an imposing and unusual tree endemic to island of Madagascar. It is an endangered species mainly threatened by the encroachment of agricultural land. When you see this unusual tree, you’ll came to know that Grandidier’s baobabs has massive cylindrical trunks almost three meters across, well covered with smooth reddish grey bark.

The tree can reach 80 to 100 ft in height and at certain times of the year the flat-topped crowns bear bluish-green palmate leaves, dark brown floral buds or adorable flowers with white petals. The baobab contains larger dry fruits type kidney shaped seeds within an edible pulp. The fruit is either collected from the ground, or wooden pegs are hammered into the trunk so the tree can be climbed to collect the fruit.

A French botanist & explorer Alfred Grandidier named “A.grandidieri” in the early 20^th century. The tree can found in south-western Madagascar and it is used to inhabit dry, deciduous forest particularly close to seasonal rivers or lakes. These days, grandidier’s baobab is mainly found in open and agricultural land. The tree leaf starts from October to May and flowers blossoms from May to August. The fruits ripe in November and December and it appears that the seeds of the tasty fruit are not dispersed by animals. The smell of flowers just like sour watermelon, open just before or soon after dusk, and all the pollen is released during the first night.

The beautiful tree is pollinated by nocturnal mammals, like as fork-marked lemurs and insects such as Hawk Moth. Moreover the lemurs move through the canopies, put in their snouts into the white flowers and licking nectar from the petal bases, which in resulting pollen being deposited in the lemurs' faces, while the moth is slightly more effective at pollination since it is able to fly from tree to tree with most of its body covered in pollen.

Moreover Madagascar has water problem and lack of water can sometimes be a problem for plantation work. Hence baobab overcomes this by storing water within the fibrous wood of the trunk, as the tree's diameter fluctuates with rainfall. However; grandidier’s baobab is in endangered list of IUCN Red list of 2006. The useful tree is heavily exploited as seeds and the vitamin C rich fruit pulp are eaten fresh, and cooking oil is extracted from the oil-rich seeds. The baobab thick bark is well composed of hard long fibers that can be used to make ropes.

Moreover the spongy wood comprises of sheets of fiber that’re collected from dead or living trees, dried in the sun and sold for thatch. Most of these varied uses do not involve the tree being killed, and therefore are likely to pose a great threat to the baobab. The biggest threat to this species has come from the transformation of its forest habitat into agricultural land. Within these disturbed habitats, there’s an obvious lack of young trees. Fires, seed predation, competition from weeds, and an altered physical environment might be disturbing the capacity of the Madagacar baobab to reproduce, which may have demoralizing consequences for its survival. 

Colorful Blue Jay’s is a Common in Backyards and Forest of North America

Beautifully colored and with a strident call, blue jays are common in backyards and forests of much of North America. This common, large songbird is familiar to a lot of people, with its lovely perky crest; blue, white, and black plumage; and noisy calls. Blue Jays are well-known for their intelligence and complex social systems with tight family bonds. Their keenness for acorns is credited with assisting spread oak trees after the last glacial period. Generally blue jays are natural forest dwellers, but they’re also highly adaptable and intelligent birds.

They’re acquainted and noisy presence around many North American bird feeders. The blue jay's "Jay! Jay!" call is only one of a wide variety of sounds the bird employs including outstanding imitations of several hawk calls. Therefore the oldest known wild, banded Blue Jay lived to be at least 17 years 6 months old. Blue Jays usually communicate with one another both vocally and with “body language,” using their crest.

Blue jays are sometimes famous to eat eggs or nestlings, and it is this practice that has discolored their reputation. However they’re largely vegetarian birds. Their diet mainly consists of acorns, nuts, grains, and seeds though they also eat small creatures such as caterpillars, grasshoppers, and beetles. Blue jays sometimes store acorns in the ground and may fail to retrieve them, thus aiding the spread of forests. Blue Jay is common in much of eastern and central North America; blue jays are slowly extending their range to the Northwest. They’re fairly social and are usually found in pairs or in family groups or small flocks. 

Most northern birds head south for the winter and join in large flocks of up to 250 birds to make the long journey. However, this migration is a bit of a mystery to scientists. Some bird’s winter in all parts of the blue jay's range and some individual birds may migrate one year and not the next. It is imprecise what factors determine whether each blue jay or family decides to migrate. Blue Jays lower their crests when they’re feeding quietly with family and flock members or tending to nestlings. The higher the crest, the higher the bird’s aggression level and when a Blue Jay squawks, the crest is nearly always held up.

Horsetail Waterfall in California

Horsetail Fall, located in Yosemite National Park in California, is a seasonal waterfall that flows in the winter and early spring. The fall occurs on the east side of El Capitan. Horsetail Fall is located in Yosemite National Park in California, is a seasonal waterfall that flows in the winter and early spring. The fall occurs on the east side of El Capitan.

Huangguoshu Waterfall China

Huangguoshu Waterfall, a milky way in miniature, is the largest waterfall in Asia. Seventy-four meters high and eighty-one meters wide, it is a scenic marvel. Do not miss it if you are in Guizhou Province. It is known as the Huangguoshu Waterfall National Park, it is 45 kilometers southwest of Anshun city in Guizhou Province. Together with minor waterfalls, the charms of Huangguoshu Waterfall are a natural tourist drawing card. Hospitable ethic groups add the human touch. There are mainly three National Parks in this waterfall national park: Waterfalls Cluster, Water-Curtain Cave and Rhinoceros Pool (Xi Niu Tan).

The Horseshoe Falls, a tiered–cascade waterfall, is located in the Central Highlands region of Tasmania, Australia.

The majestic Horseshoe Falls are situated in the Mount Field National Park, 100 metres upstream of Russell Falls, approximately 70 kilometres northwest of Hobart via the Brooker Highway to New Norfolk. The waterfall is a popular tourist attraction. The waterfall descends over horizontal marine Permian siltstone benches, while the vertical faces of the falls are composed of resistant sandstone layers.

Barron Falls Australia – Queensland, Australia

The Barron Falls is a steep tiered cascade waterfall on the Barron River located where the river descends from the Atherton Tablelands to the Cairns coastal plain, in Queensland, Australia. The water falls down for 410 ft (125 m) and is 850 ft (259 m) wide.  The volume of water can be seen (in the picture) mainly after substantial rainfall during the wet season.

Lake Atitlan is a large lake located in Guatemala

Lake Atitlan is a large lake located in Guatemala in fact, it is considered to be the deepest lake in all of Central America. It is an endorheic lake, which means it does not flow into a larger body of water like a sea. Lake Atitlan is a very deep lake, but its depth has never been completely confirmed its maximum depth is estimated to be near 340 meters, or 1,100 feet.

Royal National Park Australia

Royal National Park is affectionately famous to locals as the ‘Nasho’ or just ‘the Royal’. It was established in 1879, and it’s the world's second-oldest national park. It contain unique features heritage attractions, along with fascinating plants, birds and animals. Without doubt it is perfect for bushwalking, cycling, surfing, or picnicking, this diverse park offers everything from beaches to rainforest.

Royal National Park is located close to Cronulla within an hour’s drive from both the Sydney CBD and Wollongong, the 16,000ha Royal National Park is like a big attractive backyard. Whether you come for a morning jog or a week-long camping holiday, you'll discover something new each time. 

The Stunning Kuang Si Falls.

A wonderful multi-tier waterfall that is about 30km out of Luang Prabang. The stunning Kuang Si Falls. In fact this waterfall reflects true mother nature. An amazing view of Kuang si Falls.

Beautiful Water Flow From Kuang Si Falls

Lake Tahoe, California!

Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of 6,225 ft, it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is 1,645 ft, making it the second-deepest in the United States (the deepest is Crater Lake in Oregon, being 300 ft deeper, at 1,945 ft). Additionally, Lake Tahoe is listed as the 26th largest lake by volume in the world at 122,160,280 acre·ft (150.68249 km3). The lake was formed about 2 million years ago and is a part of the Lake Tahoe Basin with the modern lake being shaped during the ice ages. It is known for the clarity of its water and the panorama of surrounding mountains on all sides. The area surrounding the lake is also referred to as Lake Tahoe, or simply Tahoe.

Moraine Lake at Night

Moraine Lake is a glacially-fed lake in Banff National Park, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) outside the Village of Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. It is situated in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, at an elevation of approximately 6,183 feet (1,885 m). The lake has a surface area of .5 square kilometres (0.19 sq mi). The lake, being glacially fed, does not reach its crest until mid to late June. When it is full, it reflects a distinct shade of blue. The colour is due to the refraction of light off the rock flour deposited in the lake on a continual basis.

Image Credit: Andrey Popov

Falls Creek Falls

Though possessing a name which may suggest a less interesting (albeit fitting) subject, Falls Creek Falls is among the largest and most powerful waterfalls in southern Washington. Fed by an extensive network of springs and streams originating on the Red Mountain plateau - itself a product of the volcanic eruptions which created nearby Big Lava Field - Falls Creek sends a considerable volume of water hurtling 335 feet over its valley's headwall in three distinct steps. The upper tier veils 109 feet in a broad fan-shaped fall which skips down the initial tier of the cliff. Shortly after, the creek spreads out to a breadth of over 100-feet across a gently domed ledge and plunges 135 feet in several segments. After gathering through a cluster of large boulders which have fallen off the adjacent cliffs, the third tier leaps a final 91-feet into a narrow amphitheater gorge. Shortly downstream of the falls are a series of sliding cascades as well, though views of which are harder to come by (we did not include these cascades with the height of the falls).

The Breathtaking Video of "The Mountain"

This was filmed between 4th and 11th April 2011. I had the pleasure of visiting El Teide Mountain. Spain´s highest mountain at 3718m is one of the best places in the world to photograph the shining stars and the location of Teide Observatories, considered to be one of the world´s best observatories. The main object was to capture the beautiful Milky Way galaxy along with one of the most astonishing mountains I know El Teide. I have to say this was one of the most exhausting trips I have done. There was a lot of hiking at high altitudes and perhaps less than 10 hours of sleep in total for the whole week. Having been here 10-11 times before I had a long list of must-see locations I wanted to capture for this movie, but I am still not 100% used to carrying around so much gear required for time-lapse movies. A large sandstorm hit the Sahara Desert at approx. 3am in the night the sandstorm hit me, making it nearly impossible to see the sky with my own eyes.

Interestingly plenty of my cameras were set for a five hour sequence of the Milky Way during this time and I was sure my whole scene was ruined. To my surprise, my camera had managed to capture the sandstorm which was backlit by Grand Canary Island making it look like golden clouds. The Milky Way was shining through the clouds, making the stars sparkle in an interesting way. So if you’ve ever wondered how the Milky Way would look through a Sahara sandstorm. This is really breathtaking work, can't even explain this. This is complete video, with amazing & perfect soundtrack, the quality of your images are just incredible, it really shows what a gorgeous world we have and most of the time we don’t even realize. We loved it; I consider this a gorgeous masterpiece. Wish you the best dude, keep on with this talent.

The Mountain from TSO Photography on Vimeo.