Belgium, a country with rich biocultural diversity, offers a fascinating blend of landscapes and habitats. Agriculture plays a significant role, shaping the country's cultural landscape with wheat fields, orchards, and vegetable cultivation areas. Additionally, heathland farming and the conservation of nature reserves are crucial for the protection and preservation of native flora and fauna, especially in regions like the High Fens and the Kempen. Maritime activities have historically influenced Belgium and continue to provide an important connection to the world and marine ecosystems. The Belgian North Sea coast and adjacent wetlands are important habitats for various bird species and other coastal wildlife. The diversity of landscapes, from flat polders to the gentle hills of the Ardennes, provides habitat for a wide range of plant and animal species. Despite its small size, Belgium is a living example of the importance of biocultural diversity and the interaction between humans and nature.
Jackdaws are very talkative birds and have - probably due to their high level of sociality - a very broad repertoire of sounds. Short, monosyllabic and metallic-clicking calls that sound higher than the vocalizations of larger ravens or crows are characteristic. The jackdaw has many situation-specific calls, most of which are choppy and high-pitched. But they also let out drawn-out, croaking vocalizations.
Although jackdaws can be found throughout the whole year, most populations migrate from the breeding areas in winter. The number of migratory birds depends on the climatic conditions. Around 70% of Polish jackdaws, but only 23% of Belgian jackdaws, leave the breeding areas in winter.
The most expensive pigeon of the world comes from my new home town Berlaar in Belgium. The racing bird "New Kim" was sold for 1.6 million euros. 🤑🕊️
🌴 With this lazy Windows Paint picture I remind all couch pigeon potatoes that they don't have to be sad. You are too valuable to be sold.😊 I would like to see your lazy pigeon paintings too. Just send me your work and I publish it here. Sloth life!! ✌️🙃
This Lourdes grotto in the garden of the Sint-Augustinus nursing home in Berlaar was built in 1912 and got decorated in 1915. Earlier it was also decorated with a church on the top of the grotto.
A Lourdes grotto is a replica of the original grotto at Lourdes, France or a grotto honouring "Our Lady of Lourdes" unassociated with the Lourdes site. St. Bernadette saw "Our Lady" (Mary, mother of Jesus) in this grotto in 1858. In place of the Marian apparition, a Madonna figure adorns the grotto. The original figure was created by Joseph-Hugues Fabisch in 1864 according to Bernadette's instructions.
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This post is part of the artistic performance The Happening on Instagram.
Doel, in whose brick houses more than 1000 people used to live, is to disappear. It's empty in the streets. You can hear the metallic creaking of the jackdaws. Windows and doors are locked with plates. Plants overgrow the buildings. Few tourists walk the streets, just like us. We admire the beautiful murals, enjoy the calm atmosphere. All of this will soon be gone. The port of Antwerp needs space to grow.
Details:
This post is part of the artistic performance The Happening on Instagram.
The restaurant "De Molen" is located in an old windmill from the 17th century. In the background you can see the Doel nuclear power plant. It's one of two nuclear power plants in Belgium and the one with the most densely populated area in Europe. Around nine million people live within a radius of 75 kilometers. In my home country, Germany, the last nuclear power plant will be taken off the grid at the end of next year. After the disaster in Fukushima, a rapid nuclear phase-out was decided, which will be completed in 2022. Belgium is also in the process of phasing out nuclear power. Both nuclear reactors are to be taken off the grid by 2025.
When you open the car door and see this cute crawler, your heart will jump with happiness! Marpissa muscosa is one of the largest jumping spiders in Central Europe and can reach a length of up to 11 mm (females). The females have black-rimmed eyes with a wide orange band underneath. The species builds a kind of nest under the bark of dead trees (or in between your car door). Up to 100 of these nests can occur side by side. They demonstrate a social hierarchy: weaker spiders will acknowledge their inferiority by strutting their front legs and slowly retreating from the scene.