@Pardinus
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the grey heron, Ardea cinerea. Yes, there's a seagull in the photo, but this post is about the big bird on the left! :) Grey herons are huge, with mainly grey plummage, and they are often seen standing motionless in shallow waters, waiting for their prey. This one didn't seem to be actually hunting, thow. Photos taken in estuário do Sado, Portugal.
@Pardinus
Naranjo de Bulnes is one of the big peaks one can find travelling in Picos de Europa, a natural park in Spain. It's a bit over 2500 meters, and it easily stoods out in the horizont, above the nearby montains! I didn't even got to get closer to that part of the mountain, since there was so much to explore, but still enjoyed the view from far away.
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the red-legged partridge, Alectoris rufa. I found this lonely partridge roaming in the fields of Alentejo. They are normally gregarious, and I still remember when I was a child, passing near a bush and a group of partridges suddenly bursts out of it, scaring the crap out of me! :) Here, this was the only one I've found. There are 3 more similar species, but this is the only one found commonly in Portugal.
@Pardinus
After this crazy week, Splinterlands went up to third place in Dapp radar, in the blockchain games cathegory. But what amazed me the most, is seeing there are only 27k users playing the game!The second most played game is Alien Worlds (and whoever "plays" it knows what a crap it has been for the past months), and it has almost 10 times more users. If this is how Splinterlands is evolving with such a small player base... can you guess what's coming in these next months? I…
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the canadian goose, Branta canadensis. Despite its name, there are several wild populations established outside Canada. In this case, I can't tell if they were residents or migration birds, since canadian goose do migrate to northern europe, and these photos were taken in Stockholm, Sweden. It's fun to watch them with their offspring so close to humans, and how they seem perfectly at ease!
@Pardinus
One of the most rewarding parts of my job? Being able to see and take care of these cool species! This baby water monitor, Varanus salvator, is still small... but can grow to over 2 meters! Pretty sure I won't be able to hold him with just one hand! 😁
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the crab-eating macaque, Macaca fascicularis. In Ubud, Bali, there's a kind of sanctuary for these animals, called Monkey forest. Although they can easily be seen throughout the country and there aren't exactly barriers for them for leaving and entering that forest, they do concentrate there. And they're not shy at all! And btw, if you ever visit... take care of your belongings: they are curious, and fast! ;)
@Pardinus
Daily wildife photography: the fiddler crab, Uca tangeris. Funny how males and females are different: in these crabs, the males have a huge front claw, while the females have two normal sized claws. They only exist in small parts of the country, in a specific habitat: but if you go where they live, you're bound to see them! Just check the last photo: every spot in the sand is a crab! :)
@Pardinus
Missing sunsets by the beach, so reviewing some of the memories on my gallery! Fortunately Portugal has a huge coastal line, so there's no shortage of places to see the sun go down in the sea. This one was in Zambujeira do Mar, one of my favourite beach destinations.
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the green iguana, Iguana iguana. I'm not sure if this is the biggest green iguana I've seen... but it's by far the one with the meanest look! I spotted it during a canoe ride in Tortugero, a nature park in Costa Rica. Despite the angry look, green iguanas are harmless, they're vegeterian... but don't try to grab them, because they can bite, and those tales give some powerful lashes! As with all creatures in nature, look and admire, but don't…
@Pardinus
Totally agree for the need of captchas... but is the idea to keep bots away, or piss off the real users? Judging for these kind of captchas that are appearing more and more, I can only think about the latter! At least for me, if I need to spend even just a tiny more time doing captchas for the already micro rewards, I tend not to do them at all. Am I alone in this? :)
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the pied avocet, Recurvirostra avosetta. These cute guys were all over the place in this salt flat, and caught one of them doing a crazy dance! Dragging the plummage on the floor, putting wings in a strange way, and going back and forth in a place. Had no idea what was he doing: maybe to remove the excess of salt from the feathers? It was fun to admire this behaviour! Photos taken in Tavira, Portugal.
@Pardinus
No, not a complaint post. But noticing a curious fact, and a user that commented on my latest post told me what I'm realising too: posting in a channel maks your tips disappear. Vs posting in our mural, things seem to be normal. It's not a matter if you receive tips or not, but feels strange to have less visualizations on one post, and way more value there than in another post with almost 50% more views. Are channels broken? Is it easier now to just use hashtagts to make a…
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the little egret, Egretta garzetta. I was browsing in my photo archive when I found these, taken over 10 years ago! And these are by far the best photos that I have of this species in flight! A good trick to identify egrets flying: they fly with their neck coiled, easily seen here. The yellow feet contrasting with the black legs are enough to identify the little egret, no other species with this characteristic in Portugal.
@Pardinus
It's hard not to be excited with Splinterlands right now: volume is insane, the amount of new players coming in is increasing every day, and in less than a month we should see more upgrades to the game, such as the improved guild brawls... and maybe the new collection! And all that comes with SPS dropped to your wallet daily! Are you still watching from the sidelines? ;)
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the hermit crab. I don't know the exact species of this one, but do know it's a land hermit crab. There are hundreds of different species of this crab, and their name comes from the fact they don't have a proper shell, so they "borrow" one from mother nature; and as they grow and they need bigger shells, they ditch the one they have to get the new one! Found this little one in Costa Rica, on the Atlantic side. My first wild hermit crab!
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the cuban rock iguana, Cyclura nubila. I'm fascinated by these creatures; they're like dinossaurs of the modern age! Despite the mean face, they're harmless to humans, unless you're dumb enough to try and disturb them. They're strictly herbivore, and chances are that you'll see them basking in the sun, motionless, most of the time!
@Pardinus
I visited Milan almost 2 years ago. And remember some friends telling me "Milan? Milan is ugly!" In reality, I was far more interested in exploring nature and lakes near Milan,but nevertheless did visited the city. And about the ugliness: I disagree! Look at Navigli district at sunset, and tell me what you think! 😉
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the grey wagtail, Motacilla cinerea. This is another species I don't see very often, although they're resident in Portugal. I was walking and doing some birdwatching near my granparent's hometown, a small village at the base of Serra da Estrela, the mountain in the background; and noticed a yellow bird perching on a tree. And when i pointred my camera and zoomed... there she was! I say she, because males have a black throat, so I'm guessing this…
@Pardinus
Trying to decide where my next vacations will be. And with so many cool portuguese islands to choose from, I have a very good idea where I'll go: visiting new places without leaving the country! These are some of the views in Madeira Island... I wonder what will I find a little bit to the west? 😉
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the black redstart, Phoenicurus ochruros. Found this cute female during a weekend getaway, in a rural area. Females in this species are easily distinguished from males, since males are mostly black. What they do have in common is the beautiful red tail, that this one decided to expose for the photography!
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the grey heron, Ardea cinerea. I love the way herons stay motionless in the shallow water, waiting for the next meal to approach; I think this one had her eyes already fixed on target! They're the biggest herons in portuguese avifauna, if I'm not mistaken; and can easily be identified by their size and grey plummage. Photos taken near Peniche, Portugal.
@Pardinus
Found a screenshot that I took months ago of my luckiest Splinterlands pack opening; and decided to take a loot at the current market's price. I was expecting a high value, but prices are truly insane now: the pack's value would be around 2900$!!! Inside was one of the two gold foil legendary cards that dropped during all my Splinterlands playing time, around three years. If you haven't joined in... did this spark your curiosity? ;)
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the pied avocet, Recurvirostra avosetta. I've posted about these cool birds lately, but couldn't resist sharing some more. Especially since so many posed for the photo; the way they fed and ran on shallow water, together with the reflex on the water surface and the little waves they created, made for some of the best photos I have of them!
@Pardinus
I was talking to a friend about the freebitco.in faucet just a couple of hours ago, and how nice it is to be able to get a chance to a pretty decent amount of sats for free. Now I've used my free daily wheel of fortune... and 4.2k sats more in my account! Yes, not that big of a quantity... but they're free, and they keep stacking! Been long since I had a decent prize!
@Pardinus
Missed my usual post yesterday, so I'll start the day with it! Daily wildlife photography: the black headed vulture, Coragyps atratus. They are one of the seven species of New World vultures (meaning, in the American continent!). And despite the mean face, they're cool birds: you can even find them happily walking in the beach! :) Photos taken in Talamanca, Costa Rica.
@Pardinus
You know you might have a "little" Splinterlands addiction when you refresh the page more frequently than you should, in hopes this message won't appear anymore and you can resume your gaming mayhem!With all the momentum the game is having, I just want to keep playing! Come on, confess... how many of you are doing the same?? ;)
@Pardinus
What do you get when you battle in Splinterlands after a long maintenance? A ton of DEC!! I tried doing one battle to see if the game was back online; it was, and I got my biggest DEC win ever!! That's almost 30 dollars for a quick game, at current prices! Definitely in love with this game! 😁
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the common ringed plover, Charadrius hiaticula. Found this little guys walking in a beach in southern Portugal. There are only three species of plovers in Portugal, and they're normally found in coastal areas; they're easy to recognize: no other similar species exist! Photos taken in Tavira, Portugal.
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the iberian magpie, Cyanopica cooki. This cute azure winged birds are commonly found in the southern parts of the country, and this particular species can only be found in Portugal and Spain. I've seen them everyday in my last vacations, playing and hunting for small bugs in the lawn in front of the house where we stayed.
@Pardinus
Finally, after almost two years... flights booked! Next holidays destiny, here I go! You'll know where it is, since I'll be sure to share the gorgeous landscapes I'll be visiting. Meanwhile, sharing a memory from the last time I boarded a plane: Manarola, my favourite of the cinqueterre, the five beautiful villages on the Italian coast.
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the white-nosed coati, Nasua narica. I was walking near the Monteverde area, in Costa Rica, when this guy appeared. He didn't pay me that much attention, and went on in his business, sniffing around and looking for food. Seeing wild mammals is always a joy, because more often than not, they tend to keep away from human eyes. Fortunately this one hanged around enough for the photos!
@Pardinus
A good surprise today! I went for groceries, and what did I found? Dragonfruit!! Although common in some countries, it's veeery rare to find it here, and it brings fond memories from my Asian trips. Guess I already have today's dessert after dinner! 😁
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the sardinian warbler, Sylvia melanocephala. Yes, it's hard to see him on the photo... but these are one of the rare photos I have of them! They are easily heard, but very hard to photograph, since they tend to stay in the middle of the bushes and wehen they do come out in the open, they don't stand still that much! This is the male, with the grey back and dark head; females are brownish.
@Pardinus
How time flies: I remember, and don't think it was that long ago, that I was thrilled for reaching 500 subscribers. And just noticed how close I am to doubling that number! Thank you all for visiting and interacting, and making the noise.cash ride this fun! Have a great weekend!
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the yellow-legged gull, Larus michahellis. This is one of the most common seagulls in Portugal, and takes four years for the juveniles to reach adult plummage. Different seagulls have different timings for reaching the adult colours, being 4 years the maximum time. These photos were taken in a portuguese island, and I'm hopefully visiting a few more nearby islands in a very short time. Wanna guess where it is? ;)
@Pardinus
And it only took one day! I noticed yesterday how close I was to the 4 digit subscribers, and when I looked today... 1006! Hopefully the majority will be real humans that actually read my posts; in any case, bots or humans or aliens... thank you all! I will continue sharing wildlife and landscape captures, and of course, my ramblings about this and that. :) See you around!
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the iberian grey shrike, Lanius meridionalis. Although very similar to the grey shrike, this species is endemic to the Iberian Peninsule, Portugal and Spain, and can only be found here. And I was fortunate enough to capture him singing! Or should I say screaming? :) Well, either way, love the way he looks on the photo!
@Pardinus
Could it be better? Yes. But with over 1000 DEC as a prize for having fun, can't complain, right? :) Splinterlands is growing massively, and while the team is focusing on scalability now, there are a ton of things coming in the very short term: new guild brawls, new collection, differences in the SPS staking mechanism... how bullish are you for this game? I know I am!
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the common mynah, Acridotheres tristis. This was a very hot day in the Phi Phi islands, and this little one was walking around the beach bar with an open beak, to try and refresh... although I'm still unsure he was murmuring some swear words because I wasn't sharing any of my food!
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the crested lark, Galerida cristata. I can hear them all the time when they're present, but this one was putting quite a singing show! It was almost as I was receiving a welcome as I reached one of my favourite beaches. I normally find larks near the beach side, although they do exist further away from the sea.
@Pardinus
Underwater, there's no talking, so we have to rely on signs to be understood. And since I love wildlife spotting both overwater and underwater, knowing how to sign the different animals helps to tell fellow divers what's lurking around. In my next dives, crossing fingers to see the first sign! 😉
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the green and black poison dart frog, Dendrobates auratus. Even if poison is not a concern, frogs shouldn't be handled with our hands, since they have a permeable skin, and you can harm them. Beauties like these are better admired with eyes only. Found them in the garden in a small hostel in Costa Rica; first time (and only) I saw them in their natural habitat!
@Pardinus
Just found out about this Nft collection on wax blockchain. They were made to promote reptile ownership, and while I haven't digged into it in detail... I do like reptiles a lot! Apparently, holding these nfts qualifies you to get daily drops in RPLM, the collection's coin. Bought a basic pack, and got an epic one: look how cute this gecko is! Leaving here the collection's whitepaper, in case you want to give it a look: https://www.reptilium.io/reptilium-io-litepaper
@Pardinus
Daily wildlife photography: the asian water monitor, Varanus salvator. Can you spot it? Amazing how such large animals can conceal themselves. I was walking in the middle of Kandy, a town in Sri Lanka, when I saw a lot of movement on the branches. And there he was! They are one of the largest monitor species, but that doesn't stop them from being excellent climbers. My usual daily wildlife posts will take a break on the next couple of weeks; long deserved vacations are here;…
@Pardinus
Damn, I missed this. Arriving at my grandparent's village at night, hearing the owls and surrounded by nature's scents. Been a while since I came, but can't think of a better way to start my vacations. Time to bring back some memories!
@Pardinus
Amazing how I can still find new cool places here; having spent basically all my vacations untill college in this place, I was surprised to find today a new path in the woods... and a new place to go for a swim!
@Pardinus
Hiking time! Visited some terrains that were full of crops, 20 years ago, when my grandparents and other villagers tended the lands. Most of the land is abandoned now, sign of times. Still greay to come here and be surrounded by nature, nevertheless!
@Pardinus
One of my favourite places to bathe: a hidden pool in a mountain river, close to the village where I'm staying. So many hours I spent here when I was a kid! One of the good things nowadays: I have it all for myself! 😉
@Pardinus
Need some SPA time, or in need of some skin cleaning? Don't want to spend a dime? 1. Find a little mountain river 2. Dip your feet in the cold water 3. Stand still and let the little fish work, they'll do it for free. 4. Enjoy the nature around you! 😉