Tag: Nature

Prothonotary Warbler

Last weekend I joined photographer Ray Hennessey for a field trip to one of his birding spots in Woodbine in the pine barrens of New Jersey. While we had some challenges photographing the elusive pine warbler, we had no problems photographing this Prothonotary Warbler. The bird kept performing for us, stopping on sticks that poked out from the swampland and branches of the trees that lined the water.

The Prothonotary Warbler loves wooded swamps and breeds in flooded river bottom hardwoods, including black willow, ash, buttonbush, sweetgum, red maple, hackberry, river birch, and elm; or wetlands with bay trees surrounded by cypress swamp. This warbler nests near borders of lakes, rivers and ponds, normally only in areas with slow-moving or standing water and Winters in the tropics in lowland woods and mangrove swamps.

I am learning from my bird photography field trips because of the need for patience and persistence. For three hours, we stood among the trees waiting for the birds to arrive and put themselves in the right spots. There was no rushing, no bathroom break, and we kept our talking to the minimum. I could imagine being out in these woods by myself, listening to bird calls, to the sound of the wind in the trees and the water trickling over the stones of the nearby stream.

water lillies, lotus
Sunday 19 May, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR @ 100 mm | 1⁄500 sec at f/4.5 | ISO 5000
lotus flower
Sunday 19 May, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR @ 400 mm | 1⁄400 sec at f/5.6 | ISO 1250
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler | Sunday 19 May, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR @ 226.6 mm | 1⁄400 sec at f/5.0 | ISO 4000
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler | Sunday 19 May, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR @ 183.1 mm | 1⁄400 sec at f/5.0 | ISO 320
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler | Sunday 19 May, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR @ 400 mm | 1⁄400 sec at f/5.6 | ISO 5000
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler | Sunday 19 May, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR @ 400 mm | 1⁄400 sec at f/5.6 | ISO 5000
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler | Sunday 19 May, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR @ 359.6 mm | 1⁄500 sec at f/5.6 | ISO 1250
lotus flower
Sunday 19 May, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR @ 400 mm | 1⁄500 sec at f/5.6 | ISO 2000
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler | Sunday 19 May, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR @ 400 mm | 1⁄500 sec at f/5.6 | ISO 4000
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler | Sunday 19 May, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR @ 400 mm | 1⁄500 sec at f/5.6 | ISO 4000
lotus flower
Sunday 19 May, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR @ 400 mm | 1⁄125 sec at f/5.6 | ISO 500
wooded area
Woodbine Pond | Sunday 19 May, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR @ 100 mm | 1⁄125 sec at f/4.5 | ISO 2500

Worship

Tomorrow is Earth Day. Go do something to stop killing our mother earth.

Trout Lily —FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (55 mm, f/5.6, ISO500), © Khürt L. Williams
Trout lilyFujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (55 mm, f/5.6, ISO400), © Khürt L. Williams
Long-spurred Violet —FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (55 mm, f/5.6, ISO400), © Khürt L. Williams
Spring Beauty —FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (55 mm, f/5.6, ISO400), © Khürt L. Williams
Spring Beauty —FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (35.3 mm, f/5.6, ISO400), © Khürt L. Williams
The Rock Brook —FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (16 mm, f/22, ISO200), © Khürt L. Williams
Fern —FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (55 mm, f/16, ISO200), © Khürt L. Williams
Rock Brook —FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (16 mm, f/22, ISO200), © Khürt L. Williams
Fallen tree accross the Rock Brook —FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (16 mm, f/8.0, ISO400), © Khürt L. Williams
Zion Crossing Park —FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (27.4 mm, f/22, ISO200), © Khürt L. Williams

I believe in God, only I spell it Nature. Frank Lloyd Wright.

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.Native American Proverb

Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money. Cree Indian Proverb

2019-03-15 17.54.52

Adopt a moratorium on heritable genome editing

We call for a global moratorium on all clinical uses of human germline editing — that is, changing heritable DNA (in sperm, eggs or embryos) to make genetically modified children.

By ‘global moratorium’, we do not mean a permanent ban. Rather, we call for the establishment of an international framework in which nations, while retaining the right to make their own decisions, voluntarily commit to not approve any use of clinical germline editing unless certain conditions are met.

To begin with, there should be a fixed period during which no clinical uses of germline editing whatsoever are allowed. As well as allowing for discussions about the technical, scientific, medical, societal, ethical and moral issues that must be considered before germline editing is permitted, this period would provide time to establish an international framework.

Thereafter, nations may choose to follow separate paths. About 30 nations currently have legislation that directly or indirectly bars all clinical uses of germline editing1, and they might choose to continue the moratorium indefinitely or implement a permanent ban. However, any nation could also choose to allow specific applications of germline editing, provided that it first: gives public notice of its intention to consider the application and engages for a defined period in international consultation about the wisdom of doing so; determines through transparent evaluation that the application is justified; and ascertains that there is broad societal consensus in the nation about the appropriateness of the application. Nations might well choose different paths, but they would agree to proceed openly and with due respect to the opinions of humankind on an issue that will ultimately affect the entire species.