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Red-backed Kingfisher
Scientific Name: Todiramphus pyrrhopygius
Description: Measuring 20â22.5 cm (9 in), the red-backed kingfish
Distribution and habitat: The red-backed kingfisher is native to most of Australia. It is a summer visitor to the southeast of the country; elsewhere it is resident all year round. It inhabits dry forests, mulga and mallee country, to savannah. It avoids denser forests. During breeding season, birds will move to river courses to make use of the earthy banks to dig nesting burrows.
Breeding: Breeding season is October to December in Australia with one brood raised, although birds may not breed in times of drought. The nest is a burrow 0.5â1.25 m (18â50 in) into the top third section of a steep sloping or vertical bank overlooking a dry riverbed or one not overlooking water. They may vacate the site if the riverbed becomes inundated. Occasionally nests may be situated in termite mounds in the north of the country. Three to six white shiny eggs are laid, measuring 25 mm x 22 mm.
(Source: Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-backed_kingfisher))
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© Chris Burns 2026
All rights reserved.
This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying and recording without my written consent.
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Little Corella
Scientific Name: Cacatua sanguinea
Description: Little Corellas are mostly white, with a fleshy blue eye-ring and a pale rose-pink patch between the eye and bill. In flight, a bright sulphur-yellow wash can be seen on the underwing and under tail. The sexes are similar in plumage, and young birds look like the adults, but are slightly smaller.
Similar species: In Australia there are two other species of corella. Both are similar in plumage to the Little Corella, but are larger. The Long-billed Corella,C. tenuirostris, measures 38 cm - 41 cm. It also differs by having an orange-scarlet band across the throat, and the upper part of the bill being longer than the lower part. The Western Corella, C. pastinator, measures 38 cm - 42 cm. It too has a longer upper bill (slightly smaller than that of the Long-billed Corella), but also has a larger white crest. One other large white species of cockatoo in Australia is the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, C. galerita. This species is larger than the Corellas, measuring 45 cm - 50 cm and it has a sulphur-yellow crest. The scientific name for Little Corella, Cacatua sanguinea, means 'Blood-stained Cockatoo' and refers to the dark pink markings between the eye and the bill.
Distribution: Little Corellas are widespread throughout Australia, although large gaps separate some populations. The Little Corella is the most widely distributed of the three corella species found in Australia. The Western Corella is confined the extreme south-west of Western Australia, and the Long-billed Corella is found in the south-east.
Habitat: Little Corellas often form large flocks, especially along watercourses and where seeding grasses are found.
Feeding: Little Corellas feed in large noisy flocks. The birds feed mainly on the ground, and have to drink on a daily basis. The most common foods are grains and grass seeds. Some bulbs and fruits may also be eaten.
Breeding: Little Corellas are thought to pair for life and will start breeding at the start of a long period of rain. The nest site is a suitable tree hollow, lined with shavings of wood. This is normally used for several years in row. Both sexes incubate the eggs and both care for the young chicks. The chicks hatch naked and totally dependent on their parents. Breeding pairs nest in large colonies, and several nests may be found in the same tree. Where their ranges overlap, different corella species may nest together, but they are not thought to breed with each other.
Minimum Size: 35cm
Maximum Size: 42cm
Average size: 38cm
Average weight: 462g
Breeding season: Any time of the year when conditions are suitable.
Clutch Size: 2 to 4
Incubation: 25 days
(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net)
© Chris Burns 2026
__________________________________________
All rights reserved.
This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying and recording without my written consent.
The post Peak Design Rethinks the Traditional L-Bracket with New Field Bracket System appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.
The Kickstarter for Peak Design’s new Field-Bracket is off and running, you can check it out here. Meanwhile, here’s the press release for you to have a gander at;
San Francisco, CA (July 21st, 2026) – Peak Design, Peak Design, a global leader in camera accessories and everyday carry solutions, is proud to announce Field Bracket
, a modular L-bracket system that eliminates many of the compromises of traditional L-brackets. While L-brackets have become indispensable for quickly switching between portrait and landscape tripod shooting, they’ve remained largely unchanged, fixed in form, and often at odds with the rest of a photographer’s kit. Peak Design’s Field Bracket rethinks this accessory category with a modular design that adapts as photographers’ needs change.
At the heart of Field Bracket is a camera-specific baseplate precision-machined from recycled aluminum to hug the contours of each supported camera body. Using Peak Design’s custom Field Latch mechanism, photographers can attach or remove Field Bracket’s upright in seconds without tools, transforming the system from a low-profile baseplate into a full L-bracket for portrait tripod shooting. The upright can also be repositioned to provide clearance for tethering and other connected cables, allowing photographers to keep their camera mounted on a tripod without disrupting their workflow.
What currently fits?
Field Bracket serves as the foundation for an expandable system. The optional Beacon Finder Tag is the first tracker specifically designed to fit inside an Arca-compatible camera plate, offering a discreet way to help locate and secure camera gear without the bulk of conventional tracking solutions. For added versatility, photographers can replace Field Bracket’s upright with the optional Cheese Plate, creating a lightweight rig with 1/4″-20, 3/8″-16, and cold shoe mounting points for lights, microphones, monitors, and other accessories. For handheld shooting, users can also add the optional Hand Strap, which integrates directly with Field Bracket to provide greater comfort and security. Across the system, Field Bracket preserves access to camera ports and controls while cleanly integrating with Peak Design Capture, Peak Design camera straps, and a wide range of third-party accessories.
“The best camera accessories disappear into your workflow until you need them. That idea shaped every decision we made with Field Bracket,” commented Peak Design Founder and CEO, Peter Dering. “Instead of asking photographers to permanently attach functionality they only use some of the time, we built a system that can transform in seconds while remaining just as rigid and dependable as a traditional L-bracket.”
Check out what we thought of the Tripod Pro here.
Find the Kickstarter for the new Field-Bracket here.
Now, can someone make me a coffee, please? Thanks!
Simon
The post Peak Design Rethinks the Traditional L-Bracket with New Field Bracket System appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.
Zelenskyy says Iran is using Russian satellite images to help direct strikes in Middle East. What we know on day 1,614
Iran’s foreign ministry on Saturday condemned what it called a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, saying it killed one sailor and injured another. Tehran called the apparent attack an act of aggression and said it would defend its national interests and security. Ukraine’s diplomatic representative to Iran was summoned, Iranian state media reported. Throughout the war in Ukraine, Kyiv has had to counter Iranian-designed drones deployed by Moscow, and it has offered its drone interception expertise to countries in the Middle East that have been attacked by Iran.
Iran and Russia are two of the five countries that border the Caspian Sea and Russia maintains a powerful naval force there, making the inland body of water a platform for long‑range power projection, and a vital strategic bridge to Iran. Iran’s denunciation of the Ukraine attack on the ship coincided with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s comments that Russia was passing its satellite observations in the Middle East to Iran to enable it to direct strikes in the region. Zelenskyy on Saturday said on X that Ukraine had “achieved very strong results with long‑range strikes in the Caspian Sea – including vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran”.
Zelenskyy also said Russia wanted to bring in 30,000 North Korean troops to take part in its more than four-year-old conflict with Russia, and was already preparing to receive them. Under a mutual defence pact, North Korea sent an estimated 14,000 soldiers to Russia’s Kursk Region in 2024 to help Moscow beat back a major incursion into the region by Ukrainian forces. “Preparations have been under way in Russia’s Voronezh region since June to receive [North Korean troops],” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address, adding that the communist dictatorship was preparing to supply Russia with new launchers for ballistic missiles.
Twelve people were killed, including five children, in an drone attack on a holiday camp in a Russian-held part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, Russian-installed local authorities said on Saturday, accusing Ukraine of deliberately attacking civilians. Kyiv did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian capital Kyiv came under attack from Russian forces early on Sunday, with falling debris triggering fires in at least three districts, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Ukraine’s air force said Russian forces had targeted the capital with ballistic missiles. But an air alert was lifted after about 50 minutes and the air force rescinded its warning of missile deployment. Klitschko said one blaze had broken out on the seventh and eighth floors of a multi-storey apartment block in a central district. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Kazakhstan’s president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, said on Saturday a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine might be reached if both sides froze the conflict and resumed negotiations. Tokayev made the remarks while meeting Vladimir Putin at a Russia-Kazakhstan forum in the Siberian city of Omsk. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, quoted by the state TASS news agency, said Putin outlined to Tokayev in detail the state of Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.
Continue reading...KINSHASA (ANP/RTR) - De ebola-uitbraak in de Democratische Republiek Congo heeft 1354 levens geëist. Dat maakte de regering zaterdag bekend.
3075 mensen zijn besmet geraakt.
Het virus verspreidt zich sneller dan bij andere ebola-uitbraken, ook omdat er nog geen goedgekeurd vaccin voor de bundibugyovariant is. Het ontwikkelen van het vaccin zou nog maanden duren.
