Images Dated 17th February 2005

Blackbird

Blackbird. Male blackbird (Turdus merula) perching on a branch. The female is a mottled brown colour. This bird is found in Britain and throughout Eurasia. It inhabits moorland, woodland and parks, and has adapted well to life in inhabited areas. This has made it very common in parts of its range. It feeds on a variety of foods, including fruits, berries, insects and worms, and can reach almost 30 centimetres in length

© DAVID AUBREY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

SWITZERLAND-(Vaud)-Swiss Riviera - MONT-PELERIN: View of the ALPS / Winter Shore

SWITZERLAND, (Vaud), Swiss Riviera, MONT, PELERIN: View of the ALPS / Winter Shore of Lake Geneva

© WALTER BIBIKOW / DANITA DELIMONT, AGENT

Alps, Cloud, Danita Delimont, Lake, Lake Geneva, Mont Perelin, Mountain, Snow, Sunset, Swiss Alps, Swiss Riviera, Switzerland, Vaud, Walter Bibikow, Winter

Rotifer

Light micrograph of Rotaria a common bdelloid rotifer. Rotifers are roundworms & are found in abundance in freshwater. They also inhabit waterlogged mosses, damp earth & a few are found in the sea. This freshwater specimen is feeding among organically encrusted algal filaments. Rotifers are divided into three sections, head, trunk & foot. The head region is crowned with a ring of cilia & contains two eye spots (both visible here). In motion, Rotaria loops along like a leech or uses the current created by the beating cilia to propel itself through the water. Magnification X100 at 35mm size (dark field illumination)

© JOHN WALSH/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY