Pic(k) of the Week: Arabia buzzards

A pair of turkey vultures scope the carrion scene, atop a pine tree near the summit of Arabia Mountain.

The turkey vulture (Cathartes aura), also known as buzzard or turkey buzzard, is the most widespread of the New World vultures, ranging from southern Canada to the southernmost tip of South America. It inhabits a variety of open and semi-open areas, including subtropical forests, shrublands, pastures, and deserts. A large bird, the turkey vulture has a wingspan of 63-72 inches (160–183 cm) and a length of 24-32 inches (62–81 cm). The body feathers are mostly brownish-black, but the flight feathers on the wings appear to be silvery-gray beneath, contrasting with the darker wing linings. The adult's head is small in proportion to its body and is red in color with few to no feathers. It also has a relatively short, hooked, ivory-colored beak. The turkey vulture is a scavenger and feeds almost exclusively on carrion. It has very few natural predators.

— Wikipedia.

Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area: Stonecrest, Georgia, USA. 27 January 2023.

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Pic(k) of the Week: Ephemeral rapids

Arabia Mountain is a monadnock —"an isolated small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain"— located just over 20 miles southeast of Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Primarily composed of granite-like migmatite rock, the 'mountain' is 955 feet (290 m) above sea level, rising 172 feet (52 m) above the surrounding countryside.

Here, ephemeral pools, recently overfilled by rain, empty down its exposed rock face. The hillcrest in the image is some distance from the summit.

Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area: Stonecrest, Georgia, USA. 26 January 2023.

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Pic(k) of the Week: Light as storm passes

i am afraid of what happens

when it stops storming this way round

when the clouds have blown,

and all that is left are me and my prayers for rain.

i'm trying to enjoy the thunder while it lasts,

but it's hard not to miss a storm before it leaves.

— Ryan Jones
a bop for rayden

Poem seen in Georgia Poetry in the Parks. Sunset seen after a violent storm in Decatur, Georgia, USA, 12 January 2023.

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Pic(k) of the Week: Full Wolf Moon

The setting Full 'Wolf Moon,' waning gibbous (at 99% illumination), on a cloudy, early morning, as seen over Decatur, Georgia, USA, on 7 January 2023 at 6:43 am EDT.

The first full moon of the new year, January's Wolf Moon, rises on Friday night (Jan. 6). The moon will be on the far side of Earth and close to its farthest from the Earth, around 250,000 miles (around 400,000 km), making it a 'micromoon,' the opposite of a 'supermoon,' when the moon is closer to the Earth. The moon's orbit around Earth is a flattened circle, or 'elliptical, ' so there are times when the moon is closer to Earth and times when it is farther away. However, 'supermoons' appear only around 14% larger than 'micromoons,' a difference virtually imperceptible to the naked eye.

The Old Farmer's Almanac states that the name for January's full moon —the Wolf Moon— arises due to the fact it was seen at times of the year when wolves could be howling outside villages as a result of hunger.

— Space.com.

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Pic(k) of the Week: Vernal Dreaming

This unnamed mural is painted on an outside side wall of Twain's Brewpub & Billiards, in Decatur, Georgia, USA. Often obscured by employee vehicles, it was in full view this winter morning (11 December 2022).

For its title, Vernal Dreaming, befitting the dank day, would be my conceit.

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