Category Archives: birds

Late Summer Birds and Flora

September 15, 2016birds, Cooper's Hawks, flowers, gardens, hawks, morning glory flower, Nature, New England, pumpkins, summer, Uncategorizedcardinals, flowers, gardens, Gold Finches, hawks, monring glory flowers, pumpkins, summerhealy24yang

Summer is almost officially past, so I’m posting some images from my gardens. We have three kinds of morning glories flowering in our yard. We’d have four, if the large blue ones would flower, but they won’t. So, we have some deep purple, some magenta, and some orchid ones. I don’t know all the names of the types, but they are lovely. Every year, I collect the seeds from these flowers to replant them in the spring. Sometimes, we get some interesting hybrids. I managed to get pictures of one of my favorites. Sometimes the orchid morning glories will sport a broad, deep purple stripe, as you see here. The seeds will actually reflect the combined types. Orchid seeds are cream colored and purple or magenta ones are black. These hybrid seeds are usually cream with a black stripe. Sometimes, the orchid ones will also blend with the magenta to produce a pink flower. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture of the one pink flower I’ve seen so far, but I did tag the flower so that I can retrieve the seeds.

The birds have also been having a grand time in our yard. We’ve seen lots of cardinals, including the Daddy Cardinal taking the kids out for dinner. We also have Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, scads of Gold Finches and Purple Finches, Chickadees, Titmice, and Nuthatches. I even saw a hummingbird three times this year! One time was in early September! The young gentleman Coopers Hawks have since taken off and rarely visit now. We named them Shawn and Gus – I know you know that I AM telling the truth about that! In this picture, you can see one hawk in the foreground and if you look carefully, the other is in silhouette in the triangle of railings on the right.

The drought has certainly left my pumpkins gasping for life. I’ve seen so many pumpkin and gourd embryos wither and die. Still, some made it. Here is an odd shaped pumpkin, which some critter took a chunk out of. Still, the pumpkin lives and now resides on my sideboard in the dining room. The pumpkin below isn’t a rogue that needs to be caged to protect the other flora and fauna. The vine climbed over the garden fence and the pumpkin embryo became fertilized hanging over the outside of the garden. Since we found evidence of some creature trying to dig into the garden, we developed protective caging from milk cartons. The ploy worked, for this pumpkin matured and now resides in state on the what-not table in my parlor. You can also see a crown of thorns embryo ready to flower and be fertilized. The good news is that this little guy is happily growing away. Maybe I’ll have some more pictures of it later.

Here are some of our eggplants and peppers. These guys were delicious! Yang can cook! So, I guess the drought didn’t totally blacken my green thumb.

Birds and Beasts at Mt. Auburn Cemetery

August 1, 2016birds, Cemeteries, English Robin, herons, Nature, New England, robins, tomb stones, turkeys, turtlesbirds, catbird, Cemeteries, Great Blue heron, Nature, New England, robin, summer, turkeyshealy24yang

We went to Mt. Auburn looking for birds and beasts. In the past, we’ve seen rabbits, ground hogs, foxes, hawks, and robins, but we had a few surprises this time. This is a lovely catbird. I’m afraid you can’t quite distinguish his/her black cap. We have at least one who lives near our house and is rather friendly, visiting the bird feeders, sipping from the bird baths and fish pond, and plucking up multi-legged critters from the ground. We also saw tons of robins. I wanted to include this picture for my British viewers. Your robins are adorable, petite, and feathered lovely blue and rust. Ours, as you can see, are longer and larger, with a grey/black body and striking rusty-red tummy. Their faces and build are similar to your blackbirds, though yours are really black. I heard that your robins were struggling. How are they doing now?

Here was a nice surprise! Down by one of the ponds, we found quite a few painted turtles sunning themselves. Look at this guy stretch his hind legs. Seems comfy, doesn’t he/she. Meanwhile, in the pond, a baby was swimming around like crazy, having a ball. maybe this guy on the shore was a watchful parent?

We really had a surprise when we saw and were able to follow a Great Blue Heron around the cemetery. We expected to see him wading in one of the ponds. That’s how we usually see them, but not this guy. He just took himself on the most casual of strolls, looking around, chilling out. maybe he was looking for a friend?

Okay, here he is paying his respects.

Heading back to our car we got the biggest of surprises! A flock of about 8 or 9 wild turkeys! Notice the “beards” hanging from some of the birds. I’d never noticed that before.

I talked to a woman who was planting some flowers at a relative’s grade, and she told me the turkeys were making her nervous. Apparently, a turkey had gotten too aggressive with one of the workers in the cemetery last week, with things had not going well for the turkey. I have heard that these wild bird can be exceptionally bold. These guys didn’t bother us, but then, again, we didn’t bother them, either. I prevented Yang from mentioning either dreaded trigger word: Thanksgiving or drumstick.

Summer Birds and Beasts One

July 3, 2016birds, black cat, cats, mischevious cats, Nature, tree frogbirds, black cat, cats, Nature, spring, summer, tree froghealy24yang

Yang went to pick up the watering can for the plants the other evening, and this is who greeted him. My friend Sarah tells me that he/she is a grey tree frog! We always have plenty of toads in the yard. In fact one used to sit on a floating platform in the fish pond and sing away the afternoon. However, I didn’t even know we had these guys in our yard! Quite the cutie, isn’t she/he?

Here, you can see, from left to right, a Blue Jay, a Mourning Dove, and the edge of a shy (or hungry) Red-bellied Woodpecker’s wing. I always get them mixed up with the Common Flicker. I can tell the difference in how they look; I just can never remember which name goes with which bird. Ah, here he is peeking out at us!

Here’s a Downy Woodpecker. It could be a Hairy Woodpecker. I know the latter is bigger, but I can’t exactly make the comparison here. I also know the Hairy has a longer beak, but unfortunately the picture is not quite sharp enough. We get both types, as well as Flickers and Nuthatches. No Piliated Woodpeckers, though!

Next are a Cardinal and a Mourning Dove. Some of these images aren’t as clear as they could be because I had the screen down on the window and had to shoot through it.

Darned old Mourning Dove with a Red-winged Blackbird. The Blackbird is hard to catch. He comes by all the time, but always seems to see me and fly off before I can get a good shot. I’ll have some more bird pictures later with him in it –– as well as other birds. I would also love to get a shot of our Catbird. She is forever landing nearby and popping around looking for food or getting a drink from the bird bath near the fish pond. All I have to do is hold still and she’s my buddy. I’m happy to say that on our bicycle rides, Yang and I have seen a plethora of Catbirds, Red-winged Blackbirds, and Song Sparrows!

Oh, and by the way, Yang and I aren’t the only ones in the house who like to bird watch.

Millerton Rail Trail Birding Adventure

June 15, 2016birds, herons, Nature, Rail Trails, Rufuous TowheeEastern Towhee, Little Blue Heron, rail trials, Red-eyed Vireo, Rufous Towheehealy24yang

So, our first bicycle ride on the Harlem River Valley Trail, starting in Millerton, NY, was a wonderful trip! We started off after a delightful lunch at Harney and Sons tea outlet – and my buying out most of the store! Must have my Keemun and Breakfast Supreme!

The day was absolutely perfect for a bicycle ride: not too hot but sunny and clear. We saw a plethora of the most wonderful critters! I increased my count of birds seen this year with some unique additions. Unfortunately, they moved too fast for me to get any good pictures, so I’ll have to rely on other sources for illustration. When riding past the big pond in the cattle pasture along the trail, I saw this heron flash by over the water. He was too small for a Great Blue Heron –– and didn’t have a crest. But he wasn’t the right color for a Green Heron; he was a dark, slatey blue. He reminded me of pictures I’ve seen of the Little Blue Heron, and when I checked several sites on line I discovered that’s exactly what I’d seen. Here’s a picture courtesy of Dario Sanches via Wikkipedia. Interestingly, these birds usually aren’t seen this far north. However, some have been sighted in New York and New Jersey. So, my conjecture as to his identity seems to be right on the money.

(Photo from Wikkipedia: By Dario Sanches from São Paulo, Brazil – GARÇA-AZUL (Egretta caerulea; uploaded by Snowmanradio, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12106836)

Yang and I also noted two almost Robin-sized birds cruising over and through the underbrush by the side of the trail. But they flashed white feathers on the backs of their tails –– definitely not a Robin trait. Still, I did see rusty red and black on them, but not really in a Robin-design. My guess was either Redstarts or Rufous-sided Towhees. We dismounted our bikes; approached cautiously for a good look; and, yep, they definitely seemed to be Towhees. These guys aggressively hopped around in and kicked up the mat of dead leaves looking for insect-type treats. There was a male and female. The male had contrasting black and rusty-red coloring, with a white tummy, while the female was mostly all a lovely rusty reddish brown. I tried to get some shots, but I don’t think they came out very good. Here are the photographs by Bill Thompson and Ken Thomas, respectively, on Wikkipedia

(1)Male By Bill Thompson of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region – Photo of the Week – Male eastern towhee at the Quabbin Reservoir (MA)Uploaded by Snowmanradio, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15297291 (2) female (Photo from Wikkipedia, By Ken Thomas – KenThomas.us (personal website of photographer), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3423294; 2.

I may also have seen a Red-eyed Vireo. I’m not sure what color his eyes were; he was too far away, and he was wearing shades. We also saw tons of red-winged Blackbirds, Catbirds, Grackles, and Robins. We were treated to some lovely bird song from all these feathered critters.

Vireo image: On Wikkipedia, by Dario Sanches – originally posted to Flickr as JURUVIARA (Vireo olivaceus), CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8792302)

What four legged beasts did we come across? Lots of rabbits, a garter snake, and chipmunks. We even saw baby chipmunks that were really tiny. Only gray squirrels showed this day, though I have seen red ones here in the past. And the funniest thing was to see a groundhog galloping through the woods below us. Those suckers may be plump but they move fast. Better here than anywhere near my garden –– or my friend Amber’s, if they know what’s good for them!

Chinese Mystery Bird

March 30, 2016birds, China, Naturebirds, China, exotichealy24yang

Years ago in China, in a shallow valley below me, I saw this enormous blue pheasant with a long tail flying through the air like a feathered dragon, at some distance away. I never knew what it was and no one could tell me. Then Yang happened to show me these pictures and I realized what I’d seen. Wow!

Click here to see more pictures

http://www.boredpanda.com/flying-peacocks-mid-flight/

October Images

November 23, 2015Autumn, birds, Nature, New England, UncategorizedFoliage, Great Blue heron, Nature, New England, Piliated Woodpeckerhealy24yang

This past week has given us a great deal of ugliness – and beauty, too, in the responses of support for those who have been attacked but not necessarily bowed. Here is a little bit of beauty from New England sent out to all the world in hopes of giving some comfort, distraction, happiness. Please enjoy.

First, I have images from our bicycle ride in Cheshire, Connecticut. I saw plenty of remarkable birds. Here is a neat shot of a Great Blue Heron. He blends in with the leaves, doesn’t he? We were so fortunate to get this close a shot.

We also saw this neat flock of mallards enjoying a swim together in the canal next to the trail.

This was one of the several pairs. Clearly honeys. The foregrounded leaves of salmon to yellow emerging from green captures fall elegance.

The same couple swim toward some delicate red berries. The lady duck seems to have an itchy tootsie.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a shot of the most exciting bird of the day. A Piliated Woodpecker! Those guys are gigantic! Like pteranodons! I don’t have a picture of my own, so I am borrowing a photo (with proper accreditation). This guy was bigger than the large crows with whom he/she was tussling. I would that I could have gotten close enough with my camera. So, thank you Andrew Brown at Wikipedia.

Our October holiday weekend took us on plenty of day trips. On our drive home from a rail trail ride, Yang brought us through Stafford, Ct. where we stopped at sunset for these gorgeous colors.

The reflections of the fiery maples and oaks on the pond at sunset were magnificent!

Here are Yang and I in some pictures, so you know we were really here to take the photos.

What a lovely bouquet of all the lushest fall colors.

I have some more pix, but I don’t want anyone to pass out from foliage overdose – so I’ll save them for a Part 2.

Beijing Arboretum

July 22, 2015Autumn, Beijing Botanical Garden, birds, cats, China, Eurasian Red Squirrel, Fall, Nature, UncategorizedBeijing Arboretum, cats, Chinahealy24yang

One of my favorite places on our trip to China in November ’14 was the Beijing Arboretum next to Xiang Shan (Fragrant Hill, 香山). We arrived there after a long, traffic-packed drive from the city and got a second dose of autumn colors.

There were plenty of paths to hike amongst the trees and plenty of critters and birds about, including the ever-present magpies and azure winged magpies. There were also many Great Tits (like our Chickadees) and sparrows – is there ANY place that isn’t over-run with sparrows? Unfortunately, they were all too quick to allow any picture taking. However, here’s a picture of Yang, who as just as charming to behold as any of our feathered friends.

The trails wended through wonderful pine and willow forests and up slopes of jagged rocks, at times past pavilions and monuments to students who had camped out and trained here to prepare to fight the Japanese during WWII. Yang and I weren’t quite so tough. Here, I’m giving my knee a rest (gardening injury), well-pleased with the scenery and the hiking. Aren’t the seats made from old red wood trees interesting?

There was also some unexpected forms of “wild life” in the park. We came across well-fed dogs and cats, just chilling in the forest, part of the families of people who worked and lived at the park. Here is a cat with a surprising resemblance to Winston Churchill. He even miaowed gruffly! Dig that expression. Could it be a reincarnation?

A young Chinese girl and I had a laugh over how unique he appeared, and how nonchalant, in a gruff way, he was with humans. When she said in English to me, “It’s a cat!” I meant to say “Dui” In Chinese, but my default mode slipped and I concurred, “Oui!” We both had a chuckle. I actually managed to converse a little with her in Chinese, saying that I liked cats and we had two at home. That was as far as I could go in Chinese at that point, so we switched to English. She and her boyfriend were a cute couple, so we took a picture of them with their camera and they took a picture of us with ours!

When we came down the hill, we enjoyed the beautiful fall colors around us.

Surprisingly, though there was lots of traffic coming out here, most people were visiting the nearby Xiang Shan parks.

This little guy is called a Little Grebe (if you click on the picture, you can see him much better).

Here’s one more neat shot of the wonderful fall colors. I understand that when there hasn’t been a drought, the colors are really gorgeous.

Finally, I have to insert a picture of a creature we saw which really knocked Yang and I for a loop. Like dopes, we didn’t take the camera out until he had scampered away. So, this creature climbed out of the tangle of a twisted pine. At first, I thought I was seeing a big black crow. Then he settled on the ground and sat up. I was flabbergasted! It took a moment to figure out we were seeing a squirrel. He poked around, looking for food, then sat eating for a bit, and finally scampered away by the time I realized we had a camera. When we got back to the hotel, we checked him out on line. I knew I’d seen pictures of this critter before, and discovered he was a Eurasian Red Squirrel – except he’s black. Go figure. Interestingly enough, I read that the black variety of squirrel thrives in pine forests better than its red brethren. There’s plenty of pine in this place! Also, in China, the name for this type of guy is “Satan’s Squirrel.” He is rather demonic looking, isn’t he? Apparently, they are also bred commercially and sold as pets.

Getting home was almost as much of an adventure as the hike, what with overpacked buses – when they finally came. What the heck! When you have great company and beautiful weather and everyone’s in the same boat, er, bus, who cares!

No copyright infringement intended, noncommercial use of photosTree Squirrel Photo 1: http://cutterlight.com/tag/hiking-near-ulaanbaatar/
Tree Squirrel Photo 2 Squirrel, Photo © Tim Edelsten on http://www.birdskorea.org/Birds/Birdnews/BK-BN-birdnews-2009-02.shtml

Great Bustards, Batman! Holy Rooks! Birds in England

June 13, 2015birds, England, NatureCoot, Great Bustard, Grey Heron, Grey Lag Goose, Jackdaw, Magpie, Rook, Tufted Duck, Wood Pigeonhealy24yang

The last few days of May and the first week of June, my spousal unit and I joined a tour in England and France. Of course, we had to take advantage of the opportunity to sight and photograph lots of birds that we couldn’t see back home. In England, we got most of our shots in and around London and at Stonehenge. The special guest star who appeared at Stonehenge, I’m saving for last on this page.

One of the most common birds comes first, the Wood Pigeon. This guy looks a bit like the Rock Doves back home, but he is quite plumper and longer. People in Europe probably see them the way we see pigeons back here, but for my husband and I they are a treat for being a bit different from what we’re used to seeing.

We got to add some new ducks and geese to our list of bird sightings for the year. Here is the Grey Lag goose. There was also another duck we weren’t quite sure of.

It looks like a Tufted Duck with his tuft slicked down. If anyone else can better identify these guys, please let me know. We photographed both the male and the female. Dig those crazy, Satanic orange eyes!

This one is probably the male.

This one looks like the female. What a lovely couple!

We also saw some coots, including these babies.

One of the prettiest of the water birds was this Grey Heron. I believe he is an immature one. Not only have the tuft feathers on his head not developed as they do on a mature bird, but he giggled anytime anyone said “underwear.” Don’t ask me why anyone did.

Here’s an even better shot of the heron.

We also noticed there were lots more birds in the crow family here in England than back at home. We saw this beautiful Magpie in Highgate Cemetary. Notice how the blue toward the back of his wings picks up the blue of the flowers. Did he plan that? We don’t have any of these guys in New England, but I’ve seen them on the West Coast, in California and as far east as Colorado. There are tons of them in China as well. I wonder why they never seemed to spread past the Rockies?

At Stonehenge, we also saw some other crow relatives, Rooks and Jackdaws. I’m fascinated by the missing feathers right above the beak on Rooks. Since Rooks are carrion feeders, does this lack of feathers help them ward off bacterial infections, as does the Condor’s and vulture’s featherless noggin?

Here’s a Rook.

And here’s a Jackdaw. My husband loves the grey at the back of their heads. He thinks it makes them look cute.

So here is the treat I promised you at the beginning of this blog! The Great Bustard! Apparently this bird was almost extinct, and the conservation people have been breeding them to bring them back to repopulate the country. I was told that I was extremely lucky to be able to see one when I was at Stonehenge. I certainly feel lucky. Good luck to these guys making a comeback.

Adventures on the Cumberland Rail Trail

May 27, 2015birds, Rail Trails, turtlesBlackstone River, Great Blue heron, Rail Trail, Swanhealy24yang

Sunday’s ride at the Cumberland, RI rail trail was wonderful. The path is rimmed by trees and shrubs, “reducing all that’s made to a green thought in a green shade.” Except, that description leaves out the roll of the Blackstone River on one side and the lazy calm of the canal on the other. Wild life abounds as you zip along a well-paved route, with just enough hills to work off a few calories, but not enough to leave you prostrate. And then, what chugs up, must glide down! All eighteen miles of round trip!

Anyway, back to the critters! We saw this fellow lazing in the sun in all his turtlely glory. Look at those luxuriously stretched out hind tootsies! Pretty big for a painted turtle, eh? Apparently, there are also quite few snappers in the river and the canal––but none of them threatened us. Do you think we could escape if one charged?

There was also plenty of feathered fauna to enjoy, too. We could hear all kinds of delighted, playful, trilling and teasing from catbirds, red-winged blackbirds, sparrows, and cardinals. Isn’t spring bird song grand? We also caught sight of this lovely swan, whom one trail-stroller informed us was part of a pair that was brooding a clutch of eggs on an island in the river. And here is proof that the fishermen on the river aren’t all of the homo sapiens variety. I’m sorry I missed my pal the Green Heron, but who can complain about seeing a Great Blue?

The Cumberland trail is just a lovely, relaxing, happy rail trail to cruise. Look at how much fun the other Dr. Yang is having!

5/27/15

birdsSpring? Really?

May 11, 2015birds, cats, flowerscats, Rosebreasted Grosbeaks, springhealy24yang

This week has been gorgeous! ––the weather, the birds and their spring songs, the flowers (and, unfortunately, their pollen!). I think, I hope, that spring is really here. I got my hopes up when one of my favorite flowers burst into view a few weeks ago, the Early Snow Glory. I love this purple/blue star with its snow center and lively slender yellow stamens. This year, they’ve migrated all over my yard. Beautiful. The hyacinths, grape hyacinths, and daffodils have all blossomed, with lilac and pink hyacinths just now drooping their flowers. But now the Bleeding Hearts are taking over.

The birds are wonderful to see, too. The Gold Finches have transformed from winter olive-drab to brilliant yellow. The house finch couple, the male looking as if he had been “dipped in strawberry syrup” (Peterson’s), are showing up far more often. A more romantic pair are the cardinals; the scarlet male tenderly (really) feeding his olive Mrs.––or Ms.

The Red-Winged Blackbird whistles his presence then bares the startling orange and yellow of his epaulets. Best of all is our pair of male

Rosebreasted Grosbeaks. Their black hood, the flash and flicker of black and white patterns on their fluttering tails and wings, and the liquid pink on their chests are a visual delight.

Maybe last year’s Baltimore Oriole will return? I think I’ve heard his song, sometimes, in the trees behind my house.

Oh yes, the humans aren’t the only ones in our house who enjoy bird watching.

Here are some of our eggplants and peppers. These guys were delicious! Yang can cook! So, I guess the drought didn’t totally blacken my green thumb.

Share this:

Okay, here he is paying his respects.

Heading back to our car we got the biggest of surprises! A flock of about 8 or 9 wild turkeys! Notice the “beards” hanging from some of the birds. I’d never noticed that before.

Share this:

Next are a Cardinal and a Mourning Dove. Some of these images aren’t as clear as they could be because I had the screen down on the window and had to shoot through it.

Oh, and by the way, Yang and I aren’t the only ones in the house who like to bird watch.

Share this:

So, our first bicycle ride on the Harlem River Valley Trail, starting in Millerton, NY, was a wonderful trip! We started off after a delightful lunch at Harney and Sons tea outlet – and my buying out most of the store! Must have my Keemun and Breakfast Supreme!

(Photo from Wikkipedia: By Dario Sanches from São Paulo, Brazil – GARÇA-AZUL (Egretta caerulea; uploaded by Snowmanradio, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12106836)

I may also have seen a Red-eyed Vireo. I’m not sure what color his eyes were; he was too far away, and he was wearing shades. We also saw tons of red-winged Blackbirds, Catbirds, Grackles, and Robins. We were treated to some lovely bird song from all these feathered critters.

Vireo image: On Wikkipedia, by Dario Sanches – originally posted to Flickr as JURUVIARA (Vireo olivaceus), CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8792302)

Share this:

Click here to see more pictures

Share this:

First, I have images from our bicycle ride in Cheshire, Connecticut. I saw plenty of remarkable birds. Here is a neat shot of a Great Blue Heron. He blends in with the leaves, doesn’t he? We were so fortunate to get this close a shot.

We also saw this neat flock of mallards enjoying a swim together in the canal next to the trail.

This was one of the several pairs. Clearly honeys. The foregrounded leaves of salmon to yellow emerging from green captures fall elegance.

The same couple swim toward some delicate red berries. The lady duck seems to have an itchy tootsie.

Our October holiday weekend took us on plenty of day trips. On our drive home from a rail trail ride, Yang brought us through Stafford, Ct. where we stopped at sunset for these gorgeous colors.

The reflections of the fiery maples and oaks on the pond at sunset were magnificent!

Here are Yang and I in some pictures, so you know we were really here to take the photos.

What a lovely bouquet of all the lushest fall colors.

I have some more pix, but I don’t want anyone to pass out from foliage overdose – so I’ll save them for a Part 2.

Share this:

Share this:

We got to add some new ducks and geese to our list of bird sightings for the year. Here is the Grey Lag goose. There was also another duck we weren’t quite sure of.

It looks like a Tufted Duck with his tuft slicked down. If anyone else can better identify these guys, please let me know. We photographed both the male and the female. Dig those crazy, Satanic orange eyes!

This one is probably the male.

This one looks like the female. What a lovely couple!

We also saw some coots, including these babies.

One of the prettiest of the water birds was this Grey Heron. I believe he is an immature one. Not only have the tuft feathers on his head not developed as they do on a mature bird, but he giggled anytime anyone said “underwear.” Don’t ask me why anyone did.

Here’s an even better shot of the heron.

Here’s a Rook.

And here’s a Jackdaw. My husband loves the grey at the back of their heads. He thinks it makes them look cute.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: