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Glenfinnan Viaduct
Glenfinnan Viaduct
Muggles from around the world flock to this iconic scene at the top of Loch Shiel in the West Highlands of Scotland to marvel at the 21-arched Glenfinnan Viaduct, also known as the "Harry Potter bridge." The curving structure was made famous in the film adaptations of J.K. Rowling"s novels as part of the route taken by the Hogwarts Express, which carries students to and from the wizarding boarding school at the start and end of every term. And today is a reason to celebrate for Potterheads, as we are marking the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter"s big-screen debut.Desktop Version
Join us in celebrating World Water Day
Join us in celebrating World Water Day
The theme of this year’s UN-sponsored event, observed on March 22, is nature-based solutions for managing water resources. Organizers say that strategies like reconnecting rivers to flood plains and restoring wetlands have the potential to rebalance the water cycle and improve human health and livelihoods. Today we are proud to highlight the efforts of the Nature Conservancy, a global nonprofit working to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. Your support of their work makes a difference for people and nature.Desktop Version
Goodbye, 2020!
Goodbye, 2020!
New Year"s Eve celebrations around the world will look a lot different this year, but as we ring in 2021 (and bid good riddance to 2020?) we can still enjoy this view of fireworks from a previous year in Spain. The cathedral in the background is the Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, which was constructed over centuries beginning in 1681, though several churches had been built on the site prior to that. On the left is the Puente de Piedra Bridge, which spans the Ebro River. It"s also known as the Bridge of Lions because statues of lions (symbols of the city) stand at each end of the bridge. Zaragoza is famous for its landmarks and architecture, as well as for local cuisine, and seasonal festivals—which we can only hope return soon.Desktop Version
Sutherland Falls in Fiordland National Park
Sutherland Falls in Fiordland National Park
Sutherland Falls spills over the side of Lake Quill in the jagged, glacier-carved landscape of Fiordland National Park on New Zealand’s South Island. For years, it was believed to be the tallest waterfall in the world, thanks in part to a rough estimate by Scottish explorer Donald Sutherland, the first European to see the falls. Later, more scientific surveys proved this estimate to be significantly inflated, but Sutherland Falls is still 1,900 feet tall, which is plenty high in our book.Desktop Version
The call of the wild in Alaska
The call of the wild in Alaska
Most visitors to Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska come with a checklist for the "big five" mammals that live here: grizzly bears, moose, wolves, Dall sheep, and caribou like this small group walking along a ridge. These are barren-ground caribou, a migratory subspecies of caribou found across the Arctic band of North America to western Greenland. Barren-ground caribou migrate in large herds, some traveling over 600 miles one way between their summer and winter ranges. But the Denali herd, which numbers around 1,700 animals today, generally stays on the park"s 6 million acres. For good reason, too—it"s the only large herd that isn"t hunted.Desktop Version
Four Sisters, thousands of trees
Four Sisters, thousands of trees
You"ll find this wintry, sylvan scene on the slopes of Mount Siguniang, the tallest summit of the Qionglai Mountains in southwest China. Its name, which translates as "Four Sisters Mountain," is inspired by the local Tibetan legend behind its four distinct peaks. According to the story, four sisters saved their people using a magic mirror to turn themselves into the mountain to imprison the devil. The tallest peak, named "Peak of the Youngest Sister," stands at 20,500 feet and is an extremely challenging climb—it"s rarely attempted and wasn"t summitted until 1981. The national park includes three valleys flanking the mountain and is part of the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition to giant pandas, the sanctuary is home to the red panda, the snow leopard, the clouded leopard, and between 5,000 and 6,000 species of plants.Desktop Version
Moody skies over Valletta
Moody skies over Valletta
We approach from the Mediterranean to arrive at a 2018 European Capital of Culture: Valletta, Malta. This celebration of city-specific culture began in 1985, and since 2010 two cities have shared the title each year (Valletta shares the 2018 honors with Leeuwarden, in the Netherlands). Valletta, the southernmost capital of Europe, has a remarkable range of architectural styles throughout the city, from 16th-century churches to the ultra-modern Parliament House. Aside from its rich homegrown culture, Valletta reflects a variety of outside influences, including several jazz clubs and a Baroque music festival.Desktop Version
Life in the slow lane
Life in the slow lane
In observance of Manatee Awareness Month, we"re swimming through clear, aquifer-fed spring waters in Florida with two friendly "sea cows." Generally solitary animals, manatees are also known to be curious and will approach boats. That"s why Florida enforces special speed zones for watercraft, particularly as the manatees are on the move to warmer areas to spend the winter. While manatees have no known natural predators, they remain a vulnerable species due to loss of habitat and collisions with boats. These two have arrived in Three Sisters Springs, a natural freshwater spring system in the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge on the west coast of the Florida Peninsula. The refuge protects critical habitat for the hundreds of manatees that migrate here each winter.Desktop Version
Wildcat in a winter wonderland
Wildcat in a winter wonderland
If you"re lucky, you can catch a glimpse of this wily wildcat species in many places across Alaska and far-northern Canada. But here in Montana, a Canada lynx encounter like this is rare. While lynxes are known to live in cold climates from Washington state to Maine, they"ve been listed for two decades as threatened across the lower 48 states.Desktop Version
Art in the high desert
Art in the high desert
The desert doubles as an art studio this week at Arches National Park in Utah. Painters from all over are congregating here for the annual Red Rock Arts Festival. This Moab-based event is a celebration of what the French call painting "en plein air," or painting outside. Sounds like a fabulous idea to us (and what a view!). The colorful landscape here at Arches National Park is home to the highest density of natural arches in the world—upwards of 2,000—as well as hundreds of pinnacles and dramatically balanced rocks. Combine that with the fiery sunsets, pinyon trees, and splashes of sage and yucca, and we"d say these artists are in for a treat. Lucky for them, October is one of the most pleasant times of year to visit.Desktop Version
Signs of life in the Empty Quarter
Signs of life in the Empty Quarter
An unlikely tree stands amid the seemingly endless dunes of the Rub" al Khali desert in the Arabian Peninsula. The Rub" al Khali, meaning "Empty Quarter" in Arabic, is a vast sea of sand. Spreading across 250,000 square miles, it"s the largest area of continuous sand in the world, covering most of southeastern Saudi Arabia, with smaller portions in Yemen, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. One of the driest places on Earth, almost no one lives in the Rub" al Khali, and much of the desert remains unexplored. Some of the dunes tower more than 800 feet, and the depressions in between—called sabkhas—can be so soft that vehicles, camels, and people can easily become stuck.Desktop Version
Cross this bridge if you dare
Cross this bridge if you dare
Superstition abounds on Prague"s Charles Bridge, dating back to its construction in 1357. Builders laid the original bridge stone on July 9 at exactly 5:31 AM, the year, date, and time represented by a precise set of numbers that formed a palindrome: 135797531 (or 1357 9, 7 5:31). The sequence, which reads the same backward and forward, is carved onto the stones of the Old Town Bridge Tower at the east end of the bridge and was believed to bring a kind of magical strength to the structure. But the superstition didn"t stop there. The bridge was also constructed in perfect alignment with the tomb of Saint Vitus and the setting sun on the equinox. A more recent superstition involves the statue of the revered Saint John of Nepomuk that stands on the bridge—according to folklore, rubbing the plaque at the base of the statue will grant you a wish.Desktop Version
An ancient sailing tradition takes to the water
An ancient sailing tradition takes to the water
During Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we"re turning our attention to this vessel setting sail from Honolulu. It looks like a sailboat at sunset, accompanied by a group of rowers. But this is actually the Hōkūle"a, a replica of a traditional Polynesian voyaging canoe, as it departs in May 2014 for a three-year "Mālama Honua" voyage to circumnavigate the world. The Polynesian Voyaging Society, which organizes the expeditions of the Hōkūle"a, explains that "Mālama Honua" means to "care for our Island Earth." As they sail around the world, they"re discovering and sharing local and Indigenous wisdom in a bid to help overcome the world"s current challenges.Desktop Version
The ‘Living Forest’ in Biscay, Spain
The ‘Living Forest’ in Biscay, Spain
The forest comes alive deep in Spain’s Oma Valley near the Biscay estuary. This is Basque Country, and the local Basque painter, sculptor, and land artist Agustín Ibarrola has created a unique work of land art that combines various motifs—geometric shapes, eyes, rainbows, abstract designs—all painted in bright colors on multiple clusters of trees. Visitors claim that while walking among the trees, the designs create a hypnotic effect and contrast profoundly with the natural surroundings here within the UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserve of Urdaibai.Desktop Version
The birthplace of Cinco de Mayo
The birthplace of Cinco de Mayo
The church we see on the grassy hill was built after Hernan Cortez and his Spanish army conquered Cholula one October day in 1519. The Spanish ravaged the Aztec holy city that day, murdering 10% of its population and burning down the many pyramids that dotted the area. But just underneath this church, buried for centuries, lay an ancient secret never discovered by the Spanish. It"s the largest pyramid in the world, the Great Pyramid of Cholula, so large its enormous base would span several Olympic-sized swimming pools.Desktop Version
Hooray, hooray, it s Unicorn Day!
Hooray, hooray, it s Unicorn Day!
Today is Unicorn Day—or what celebrants call "the sparkliest holiday of the year." To honor the mythical horned beast, we bring you the next best thing: a pod of narwhals brandishing their tusks in the Arctic Ocean. Narwhals develop only two teeth, but—in males especially—the left canine can grow into a 9-foot-long spiraled tusk. The tusk juts right through the narwhal"s upper lip, lending the whale the nickname "unicorn of the sea."Desktop Version
Polar bear season in Manitoba
Polar bear season in Manitoba
On the shore of Hudson Bay, the Canadian town of Churchill, Manitoba is remote, but the sights are worth the journey. From beluga whales and northern lights to the shipwreck of the SS Ithaka and the Sea Walls murals, there are many surprises here. Moreover, it is also known as the "polar bear capital of the world", thanks to its seasonal visitors. From October to November, these white giants pass through, waiting for Hudson Bay to freeze over so they can head out to hunt seals. Tourists can safely watch polar bears from the comfort of custom-built vehicles and a so-called "polar bear jail" helps to manage bear-human interactions. Are you ready for a wild adventure that"ll send chills down your spine, but in a good way?Desktop Version
Celebrating National Park Week, April 21-29
Celebrating National Park Week, April 21-29
Here at Bing, we’re big fans of national parks. So, when National Park Week comes around, we join with so many others in celebrating ‘America’s best idea.’ National Park Week is an annual celebration of national parks sponsored by the National Park Foundation and National Park Service. This year we’re celebrating by featuring a homepage image of a different national park for each day of the festivities, starting with the granddaddy of US national parks–Yellowstone. This is the Grand Prismatic Spring, a hot spring at Yellowstone that spans 370 feet in diameter and reaches depths of 160 feet, making it the largest hot spring in the US and the third largest in the world. The rainbow of vivid colors is created by heat-loving bacteria that reside in the water. Come back tomorrow to see where we go next.Desktop Version
Pining for spring
Pining for spring
Next time you"re out walking amid the verdant majesty of a conifer forest, take a moment to consider the small but mighty pine cone. It plays a crucial role in the trees" lifecycle but has also served as a potent symbol for a variety of human cultures. In many traditions, it"s been associated with fertility and enlightenment, appearing in art from the Mayans, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. That association comes from its main job—making baby trees. The ornate, woody pine cones shown here are females, and they"re designed to create and protect seeds. Male cones, which are usually smaller, produce pollen. The female cones open and close their scales to allow for pollination and eventually release their seeds onto the forest floor. But pine cones also open and close in response to changes in the weather, making them a natural barometer.Desktop Version
Southern lights for Antarctica Day
Southern lights for Antarctica Day
In honor of Antarctica Day, you"re seeing the southern lights dazzle above Halley VI, the latest version of the six-decade-old Halley Research Station in the British Antarctic Territory. The modular building stands on hydraulic legs and is movable via retractable skis. The five previous facilities, Halley I–V, were each compromised by Antarctica"s harsh climate and decommissioned. Since 2017, when scientists discovered dangerous cracks in the surrounding Brunt Ice Shelf, Halley has been unmanned during the dark Antarctic winter months—but the research team equipped it with an autonomous micro-turbine that keeps its atmospheric instruments ticking as the snowdrifts pile up.Desktop Version
High alpine color in Colorado
High alpine color in Colorado
Songstress Dolly Parton once sang "wildflowers don"t care where they grow," but we gotta believe the wildflowers growing in Colorado"s American Basin, shown here, are pretty delighted with their surroundings. American Basin is in the San Juan Mountains in the southern part of the state, about a five-hour drive from Denver. Visitors here will find rocky cliffs, streams, unique rock formations, and some spectacular wildflowers. July and August are the best months to see the blooms—it"s the time of year when you"ll reliably spot the Rocky Mountain columbine (Colorado"s state flower), elephant"s head, Parry"s primrose, and marsh marigold. Bring us back a bouquet, all right?Desktop Version
Cetacean Saturday
Cetacean Saturday
The US National Marine Sanctuaries system is a collection of 15 (and counting) protected marine environments, similar to our national parks. From August 2 through 4, the Marine Sanctuaries are hosting a "get into your sanctuary" campaign, to highlight the work they do. We"re joining them by showing this humpback whale breaching the waters off the coast of Maui. The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is where many of these school-bus-sized whales gather in winter months to breed. But we"ll fly instead of swim there.Desktop Version
In praise of bogs, swamps, and marshes
In praise of bogs, swamps, and marshes
Swamps and bogs probably aren’t the first things that come to mind when you think of America’s celebrated landscapes. That’s a shame, since wetlands like these play a crucial role in the health of our ecosystems. In addition to providing unique habitat to the many species that call wetlands home, they filter water, provide a natural buffer from storms, absorb flood waters, and capture carbon from the atmosphere—helping to protect our planet from climate change.Desktop Version
Going with the floe
Going with the floe
Welcome to Disko Bay near the town of Ilulissat, Greenland, where summer"s midnight sun will dip just below the horizon for only about an hour and a half tonight. In fact, for several weeks in the period around the summer solstice, the sun doesn"t set at all on Disko Bay. Technically, the "midnight sun" occurs in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle when the sun remains visible at the local midnight. This natural phenomenon lasts from April to August in the northern regions of Greenland. (The opposite effect, polar night, occurs during winter months when the sun does not rise above the horizon.)Desktop Version
Winter solstice
Winter solstice
The whole Northern Hemisphere will experience the winter solstice today, but the farther north you get, the more obvious it"ll be. In high-latitude areas like here in Siberia, the sun"s arc cuts especially low across the sky as winter sets in. Today, this spot near the city of Raduzhny will barely get five hours" daylight.Desktop Version