Yann Arthus-Bertrand – French photographer, journalist, knight of the Legion of Honor and recipient of numerous other awards. “Earth From Above” is the result of the Yann Arthus’s five-year airborne odyssey across six continents. It’s a spectacular presentation of large scale photographs of astonishing natural landscapes. Every stunning aerial photograph tells a story about our changing planet.

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The Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a natural pavement of an estimated 37,000 black basalt columns, each one a polygon with hexagons being the most common, projecting from the mainland into the Atlantic Ocean. Volcanic eruptions that occurred about 60 million years ago, give or take a few years, slowly and evenly cooled to form the otherworldly geometric shapes, forming a striking visual landscape that make the Causeway the major tourist attraction that it is today—thousands visit annually, but you can escape the crowds by taking to the Cliff Top Path.

From the Visitor Centre, resist the temptation to follow the masses down the paved roadway that descends directly to the Causeway—instead, follow the cinder path located behind the centre to the lofty Cliff Top Path. At the signed trailhead, continue hiking half a mile along the edge of several promontories with names like Weir’s Snout and Aird Snout until you reach a flight of 162 steps, known as the Shepherd’s Path, that steeply descend to a junction in the trail and then eventually to sea level—at the junction, you can head west to go straight to the Causeway, or turn right and head northeast around the bay to a series of rock formations.

Back at the intersection, complete the descent to Port Noffer and the amazing columns of the Causeway—the three promontories that comprise the Giant’s Causeway, Little, Middle aka the Honeycomb, and Grand Causeway, are accessed by hiking the path past the Giant’s Boot and through the Giant’s Gate. When you emerge through the Giant’s Gate, a wide opening between two large columnar formations, prepare to be overwhelmed with the beauty of the Causeway and Great Stookan jutting out into Port Ganny—an awesome sight to behold.

Interesting Story About Giant’s Causeway:

In the old days in Ireland, he lived a good giant Fin Mac Cool and his wife Una, and across the strait from him in Scotland, lived a wicked giant Benadonna. Scot constantly touched and hurt the Irish. One day, Fin Mc Cool Benadonne shouted: “If I could swim that would have crossed the strait in 2 minutes and can fight to you on the most baluysya not!” But he could not swim.

Then the Irishman decided to build a bridge across the strait. Seven days and nights he had not closed his eyes, carrying a huge stone rods into the sea and built a bridge across the strait. In the end he was very tired and thought: “Before the fight with Benadonnoy I have a good rest and went to sleep. At this time the Scottish giant saw the bridge and ran on it in Ireland.

He began knocking on the door to a giant, but Fin Mac Cool sound asleep. His wife Una was frightened and came up with cunning: it swaddle him as an infant. Opening the door she said Benadonne: Tsssss, I have the baby sleeps! ” Scot looked at the “baby” and thought: “If Fin Mc Kula baby so much, what is he?” Frightened Benadonna fled back to Scotland, breaking for an entire bridge. Have survived only the beginning of the Bridge of the Giants, which consists of hexagonal basalt columns, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the wonders of nature …

]]> http://buzzinn.net/giant%e2%80%99s-causeway-cliff-a-miracle-of-nature/feed/ 4 http://buzzinn.net/closer-look-into-their-eyes/ http://buzzinn.net/closer-look-into-their-eyes/#comments Sat, 22 May 2010 14:01:47 +0000 nick http://buzzinn.net/?p=518

British photographer Steve Hoskins (Steve Hoskins) runes advertising campaign for Pedigree, Purina and Whiskas , and so he knows many secrets about the shooting of our furry friends. Staring at his work, you can find stunning photos of big and small small animals on which they all, without exception, pretty and cute.

Hoskins, as if there is a unique essence of each animal. Sam Hoskins says: “I love animals very much, but I try to portray them not sentimental way. I try to pull them from their familiar context and to bring some new idea about them.” What do you think, did he archive that? Take a closer look into their eyes

Did you ever imagine the most beautiful place on Earth? Well you don’t have to imagine it anymore because here we have collection with some of the most beautiful landscapes on our planet that will left you speechless! You can feel the peace just by watching them… Enjoy.

Based on recent estimates there are approximately 30-50 million species on Earth. Among those species were the common birds, dogs, cats and fishes but did you know that there are strange and weird species which you probably haven’t heard of? Here listed below is a compilation of the strangest and weirdest animal species on Earth.

Solenodon

Solenodons are venomous, nocturnal, burrowing, insectivorous mammals belonging to the family Solenodontidae. Only one genus, Solenodon, is known, although a few other genera were erected at one time and are now regarded as junior synonyms. The Solenodontidae family is interesting to phylogenetics researchers due to its retention of primitive mammal characteristics; their species resemble very closely those that lived near the end of the age of the dinosaurs.

African Civet

The African Civet is a common viverrid native to tropical Africa. Unlike many other members of the family, which resemble cats, the African Civet resembles a short dog-like animal. Like all civets it has perianal glands that produce a fluid known as civetone (used in the perfume industry), which it spreads on markers in its territory to claim its range.

São Tomé Shrew

The São Tomé Shrew (Crocidura thomensis) is a white-toothed shrew found only on São Tomé Island, São Tomé and Príncipe. It is listed as a critically endangered species due to habitat loss and a restricted range.

Long-beaked echidna

The long-beaked echidnas make up one of the two genera (genus Zaglossus) of echidnas, spiny monotremes that lives in New Guinea. There are three living species and two extinct species in this genus. Echidnas are one of the two types of mammals that lay eggs.

Sea pig

Sea pigs are also known as scotoplanes, a genus of deep-sea holothurians (sea cucumbers). This sea creature is like a cross between a pig and a slug. I still think it’s cute, despite the fact that it looks like it has human fingers growing out of its mouth.

Pangolin

A pangolin, also scaly anteater or tenggiling, is a mammal of the order Pholidota. Pangolins have large keratin scales covering their skin and are the only mammals with this adaptation. They are found in tropical regions of Africa and Asia. The name “pangolin” derives from the Malay word pengguling (“something that rolls up”). Pangolins are nocturnal animals, and use their well-developed sense of smell to find insects. The long-tailed pangolin is also active by day. Pangolins spend most of the daytime sleeping, curled up into a ball.

Vampire squid

The Vampire Squid is a small, deep-sea cephalopod found throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world. With their long velar filaments deployed, Vampire Squid have been observed drifting along in the deep, black ocean currents. If the filaments contact an entity, or if vibrations impinge upon them, the animals investigate with rapid acrobatic movements. They are capable of swimming at speeds equivalent to two body lengths per second, with an acceleration time of five seconds. However, their weak muscles limit stamina considerably.

Aardvark

The Aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. The aardvark is nocturnal and is a solitary creature that feeds almost exclusively on ants and termites; the only fruit eaten by aardvarks is the aardvark cucumber. Aardvarks can live to be over 24 years old in captivity.

Chinese giant salamander

The Chinese giant salamander is the largest salamander in the world, reaching a length of 180 cm (6 ft), although it rarely – if ever – reaches that size today. Endemic to rocky mountain streams and lakes in China, it is considered critically endangered due to habitat loss, pollution, and over-collecting, as it is considered a delicacy and used in traditional Chinese medicine. Records from Taiwan may be the results of introductions. It has been listed as one of the top-10 “focal species” in 2008 by the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) project.

Sumatran rhino

The Sumatran Rhino is a mostly solitary animal except for courtship and child-rearing. It is the most vocal rhino species and also communicates through marking soil with its feet, twisting saplings into patterns, and leaving excrement. The rhino spends a large part of its day in wallows. When mud holes are unavailable, the rhino will deepen puddles with its feet and horns. The wallowing behavior helps the rhino maintain its body temperature and protect its skin from ectoparasites and other insects.

Greater Galago

The greater galagos or thick-tailed bushbabies are the common name for three species of strepsirrhine primates. They are classified in the genus Otolemur in the family Galagidae.

Amazon River Dolphin aka Boto

The Amazon River Dolphin, alternately Bufeo, Bufeo Colorado, Boto, Boto Cor de Rosa, Boutu, Nay, Tonina, or Pink River Dolphin, is a freshwater river dolphin endemic to the Orinoco, Amazon and Araguaia/Tocantins River systems of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. Because they are unfused, the neck vertebrae of the Amazon River Dolphin are able to turn 180 degrees. The pink dolphin has been listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of the Nature due to pollution, over fishing, excessive boat trafficking and habitat loss. The brain of the river dolphin is 40% larger than a human brain.

Mola mola aka Ocean Sunfish

The ocean sunfish, Mola mola, or common mola, is the heaviest known bony fish in the world. It has an average adult weight of 1,000 kg. Sunfish live on a diet that consists mainly of jellyfish, but because this diet is nutritionally poor, they consume large amounts in order to develop and maintain their great bulk. Females of the species can produce more eggs than any other known vertebrate. Sunfish fry resemble miniature pufferfish, with large pectoral fins, a tail fin and body spines uncharacteristic of adult sunfish.

Tasmanian Devil

The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial now found in the wild only in the Australian island state of Tasmania. Because they were seen as a threat to livestock in Tasmania, devils were hunted until 1941, when they became officially protected. Since the late 1990s, devil facial tumour disease has reduced the devil population significantly and now threatens the survival of the species, which in May 2009 was declared to be endangered.

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Winter can be cruel sometimes but at the same time very beautiful… In the Versoix – Canton of Geneva, Switzerland, which sits on the right bank of Lac Léman, nature made something really amazing. Maybe the citizens of Versoix are not so happy about this, but for all of us who doesn’t live and work there, this “ice wonder” is extraordinary… See for yourself.

We all know that nature can be really unexpected and extraordinary. The best way to remind as on whole nature beauty is capturing it. There is a lot of people who “hunt” amazing nature moments and this is one of the greatest cloud collections. We should all respect those people who captured these pictures and admire to their great commitment so we can all enjoy it…

Collection of great relaxing landscapes in combination with people and animals. These are some beautiful sunset pictures that should remind you on nature and it’s unbelievable beauty…