tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61132902000102489342024-03-19T04:49:48.150-07:00Dave's Birding BlogMy most recent Pixs, Places, & PonderingsDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-85454151269706858042014-04-02T10:20:00.003-07:002014-04-02T11:08:51.645-07:00Search for the Island Scrub-JayYesterday was a great birding day... I observed and photographed the endemic Island Scrub-Jay! A new life bird and a very rewarding success. Then as a bonus, I got another new lifer, the Scripp's Murrelet on the boat ride back to Ventura harbor, just north of Los Angeles, California.<br />
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Everyone who makes the journey to the Channel Islands National Park takes the Island Packers 90-minute one way boat tour, and this trip left from Ventura harbor to go to Santa Cruz Island. Most hikers and campers got off the boat at the Scorpion Anchorage, but a few of us birders stayed on for another 15-minute further trip to Prisoners harbor.<br />
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<i>Approaching Santa Cruz Island</i></div>
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Once on the island, I had a little over 3 hours to 'find' the target bird... before the trip back departs. There was lots of birds observed... BARN SWALLOWS, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, RAVENS, even a small pond which had a pair of MALLARD DUCKS.<br />
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The nature guide suggested watching along a row of willow trees, right to the left of where the main trail begins. Instead of taking the 5-mile round trip strenuous hike, I stayed at the beginning where it was flat and birded the willows and surrounding marshy area and hillsides.<br />
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I was all alone. Lucky for me, about 40 minutes into the search, I spotted the ISLAND SCRUB-JAY flying down from the hills and sure enough... landed right into the willows. Yea!! I moved closer and captured a few photos... and the bird cooperated and stayed there for several minutes before flying off back up the hill. Incredibly, over the next 3 hours... I never saw another Scrub-Jay! Notice the triple-color banding on this bird as well. Whew... thank goodness I saw this one. The only place in the world to see it is here. <br />
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<i>Island Scrub-Jay</i></div>
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On the way back to Ventura harbor, the seas were much calmer since we were going with the wind and currents, so I was able to watch for the Scripp's Murrelet, which should be seen shortly after leaving Santa Cruz Island within the first few miles.<br />
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Sure enough, there were many of them sitting on the water... usually in groups of two... and as the boat approached, they would take off and escape away from the boat path. I was fortunate to stand steady enough and capture this sequence of another new life bird, the SCRIPP'S MURRELET!<br />
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<i>Scripp's Murrelet</i></div>
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A great birding day with successful results! And I didn't get sea sick! That's a bonus for me. Enjoy!<br />
<br />Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-15702346654215356932014-01-26T15:03:00.001-08:002014-01-26T15:03:32.230-08:00Backyard Berries & Birds26 January 2014<br />
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Every winter the CEDAR WAXWINGS arrive in our Morgan Hill, California backyard to feast on
the berries... but only on the exact day when the berries are just ripe
for eating. Not all the berries ripen on the same day... but today was a
banner day! <br /> <br /> The CEDAR WAXWING tail feathers
look as if the tip was dipped in bright yellow paint, and their wings
have red wax-like tips on their secondaries... which is how this species
gets its common name! So fun to watch!<br />
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<i><b>Cedar Waxwing eating the berries</b></i></div>
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Another species also visits our backyard when the berries are ripe, the PURPLE FINCH. We have lots of HOUSE FINCHES year-round, but we only see the PURPLE FINCH during this time, as they too are a berry-eater.<br />
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<i><b>Purple Finch at the berries</b></i></div>
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<br />Although the WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW doesn't eat berries, they are another winter bird common in our backyard... and this adult wanted his picture taken too... so here it is!</div>
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<i><b><i><b>White-crowned Sparrow</b></i></b></i></div>
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Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-90367677872905038792014-01-18T17:07:00.004-08:002014-01-18T17:08:19.682-08:00Charleston Slough Birding Trip18 January 2014<br />
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Enjoyed another beautiful sunny morning birding with the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society in Mountain View, California at Charleston Slough and Shoreline Lake. Leader Steve Tracey guided the group, and the first stop rewarded everyone with surprising, very splendid views of an adult SORA moving out from the protective reeds and walking directly in front of us well into the open marsh area. This normally reclusive rail seldom shows itself so openly and in the sunlight! Amazing to watch this bird feeding and walking the marsh for several minutes, before the loud noises of nearby roosting Black-crowned Night-Herons finally scared him back into the reeds. <br />
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<b>Sora</b> ~ feeding well out into the open marsh away from protective reeds</div>
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At a creek overpass, I noticed a splashing AMERICAN COOT making a fuss... and was lucky enough to capture this image just as the bird was about to eat this crayfish. After lots of thrashing by both bird and crayfish... the show was over within 30 seconds... and the creek had one less crayfish. </div>
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<b>American Coot</b> ~ crayfish lunch time</div>
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At nearby Shoreline Lake, this adult RING-BILLED GULL flew by in a hurry with a complete mollusk in its mouth... with other gulls chasing and hoping the mollusk would fall so they could get it. The mollusk didn't fall, and I assume this gull enjoyed his lunch assuming he could pry it open!</div>
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<b>Ring-billed Gull</b> ~ escape with a mullosk</div>
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Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-16056569360841640112014-01-13T17:11:00.000-08:002014-01-13T17:11:02.075-08:00Panoche Valley Birding - still no Chukar !12 January 2014<br />
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Enjoyed a full day birding the Panoche Valley and Griswold Hills area along New Idria Road with the Santa Clara Valley Audubon field trip, led by expert leader Clay Kempf.<br />
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The trip began in Paicines, California, and the nearby Paicines Reservoir was extremely low and almost completely dry due to the record-low rainfall so far this fall and winter. About a dozen American White Pelicans, with a few Northern Shoveler ducks and a Western Grebe were noticed far off in the distance. The long winding trip along San Benito County Road J1 (Panoche Road) to reach Panoche Valley was equally uneventful. Even the almost-always observed Rufous-crowned Sparrow was missing from its usual spot. <br />
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Once in the Panoche Valley, the landscape was very dry, harsh, and dusty. The Savannah Sparrows and Lark Sparrows were present as usual, along with plenty of Brewer's and Red-winged Blackbirds.<br />
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I was particularly interested in finding the elusive Chukar... my nemesis bird from this area. It's now been over a dozen trips to the area over the years, and I've still never seen one. Still searching to add this species to my Birding Lifelist!<br />
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Does this Chukar bird species really exist?<br />
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<b><i>New Idria Road in the Griswold Hills near Panoche Valley</i></b></div>
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Here's a scene of New Idria Road from the Griswold Hills area where I've spent a lot of hours searching and looking for the Chukar. Still hopefull someday I'll get this very elusive bird!<br />
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<br />Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-82863835746052809672013-06-20T08:17:00.004-07:002013-06-20T08:17:27.674-07:00Cape Hatteras Pelagic Boat Trip MapHere is a composite image using Google Earth & my handheld GPS track log & selected photos from my pelagic boat trip off Cape
Hatteras, North Carolina on June 10, 2013. It shows our departure from the marina in Hatteras with the round trip path overlay onto the map. <br />
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Cape Hatteras Pelagic Trip Track Map</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oNdt9GP3LsFjaKJsN0V1QFn-KJMYKIpvAcZ0bETfWhd2rvjxnnuLy3N4N7AQY1UzzIZKpogqpFif3QIfcEkAKjr8QAH_MKs_qj6BIhRgmhDnXN9cOAMGLWmnBh1asPAbCRkxjMI7oHMV/s1600/Cape_Hatteras_Pelagic_Trip_2013.06.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oNdt9GP3LsFjaKJsN0V1QFn-KJMYKIpvAcZ0bETfWhd2rvjxnnuLy3N4N7AQY1UzzIZKpogqpFif3QIfcEkAKjr8QAH_MKs_qj6BIhRgmhDnXN9cOAMGLWmnBh1asPAbCRkxjMI7oHMV/s320/Cape_Hatteras_Pelagic_Trip_2013.06.10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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* 105.2 total miles traveled</div>
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* 11 hours, 31 minutes duration</div>
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* 3,940 data points in the GPS track log</div>
<br />Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-2601430124064673152013-06-13T14:32:00.001-07:002013-06-13T14:32:21.579-07:00Pelagic Birding in the Gulf Stream off Cape Hatteras, NCThis week has been a fantastic week of excitement while birding the Cape Hatteras National Seashore along the Outer Banks of North Carolina. With excellent field guides of George Armistead and Alvaro Jaramillo, we departed Hatteras for a nearly 12-hour pelagic birding trip to the warm, blue waters of the Gulf Stream about 30 miles offshore. Even though... yes, I did get seasick... I was well enough to capture several photos of these important sea birds... and added 7 new ABA birds to my Lifelist... so it was a great success!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqnJgW2D3Z_7PWedv9GqVtXKyCsOQU5dC0qCZgjnGJRfaNq2cp8e8oMDinO1bbVcG-jLtSQC5Y6xDlDhZl7JtrYHYmYc3iZrk0-5mOBt_F9mKkal_l7Ar1VyveIDVGJ9n8_mQ6abKB1kU/s1600/Great_Shearwater_on_water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqnJgW2D3Z_7PWedv9GqVtXKyCsOQU5dC0qCZgjnGJRfaNq2cp8e8oMDinO1bbVcG-jLtSQC5Y6xDlDhZl7JtrYHYmYc3iZrk0-5mOBt_F9mKkal_l7Ar1VyveIDVGJ9n8_mQ6abKB1kU/s320/Great_Shearwater_on_water.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Great Shearwater on the water</div>
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Wilson's Storm-Petrels</div>
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Black-capped Petrel</div>
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Bridled Tern</div>
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Cory's Shearwater</div>
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Audubon's Shearwater</div>
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<br />Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-3139456970508778012013-06-05T15:51:00.000-07:002013-06-05T16:40:49.477-07:00High Island, Texas - Spring Migration Trip - April-May 2013We enjoyed a full 21 days during spring migration at one of the birding capitals of the world... High Island, Texas!<br />
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It was a very long drive from California all the way across California, Arizona, New Mexico, and the big state of Texas to reach our destination in eastern Texas, almost to the Louisiana border along the Gulf of Mexico. We drove our RV and stayed at the High Island RV Park, which was fantastic and so ultra convenient.<br />
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High Island Living during our month in Texas</div>
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The birding was some of the best in years, according to the Houston Audubon and Field Guides, and the focus of our trip was to see many of the eastern warblers. Also nearby was the Bolivar Peninsula, Lafitte's Cove in Galveston, and the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge... which we all enjoyed and saw many fantastic birds. <br />
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We observed 28 different species of warblers... out of 174 total species seen. We will be back!<br />
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Indigo Bunting</div>
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Bay-breasted Warbler</div>
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Hooded Warbler</div>
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Blue-winged Warbler</div>
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Scissor-tailed Flycatcher</div>
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Roseate Spoonbill</div>
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Ruff</div>
Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-66007092771177845142013-02-23T11:12:00.000-08:002013-02-23T11:12:02.249-08:00Sea Otter kills Red-breasted Merganser22 February 2013<br />
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">I spent
the morning birding & photographing at Moss Landing & Elkhorn
Slough, when to my horror I witnessed a certainly unusual event... <br /> <br />
A California Sea Otter caught and killed a male Red-breasted
Merganser in the Moss Landing harbor.</span></span><br />
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">After the otter attacked the merganser, he was able to get free for a few seconds, but the otter </span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">was able to swim faster and </span></span>quickly recaptured the duck. It appeared that the merganser at that point was unable to fly... only able to splash frantically and try to escape. If that
wasn't sad enough, I then noticed a female merganser swimming all alone
nearby looking everywhere... <br /> <br /> I thought otters eat sea urchins, clams, mussels, etc... not ducks. I had never seen such behavior!</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhwv3IiSEB-XBDx5Yndu4lp4X5OvvIQqJWPVRP6Fxq-8zRhMx7KzxAUO4ZhXsjHOkvAeooeryLWYYWTndgMaYIgUPUUcuv2Azr58ppnVMO4jxrneBJn0QCzUaUZSxZJyEfwrlcOq7RJxo8/s1600/California_Sea_Otter_killing_Red-breasted_Merganser_02_(2013.02.22).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhwv3IiSEB-XBDx5Yndu4lp4X5OvvIQqJWPVRP6Fxq-8zRhMx7KzxAUO4ZhXsjHOkvAeooeryLWYYWTndgMaYIgUPUUcuv2Azr58ppnVMO4jxrneBJn0QCzUaUZSxZJyEfwrlcOq7RJxo8/s320/California_Sea_Otter_killing_Red-breasted_Merganser_02_(2013.02.22).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUGZfMiLO6xwSqZy_ftVeTcFgcHjtUG18wueaZwXB-5UjHoR5hVWJCyqHnC_10pYuK_DrlYnhBwtfry-XUI_5A8A57QlRshOoOu3SHQlZ06rUhuvDyDOJT3BtfgtDTXAxdQhQ45QM1oIC/s1600/California_Sea_Otter_killing_Red-breasted_Merganser_03_(2013.02.22).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUGZfMiLO6xwSqZy_ftVeTcFgcHjtUG18wueaZwXB-5UjHoR5hVWJCyqHnC_10pYuK_DrlYnhBwtfry-XUI_5A8A57QlRshOoOu3SHQlZ06rUhuvDyDOJT3BtfgtDTXAxdQhQ45QM1oIC/s320/California_Sea_Otter_killing_Red-breasted_Merganser_03_(2013.02.22).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> </span></span><span class="fbPhotoTagList" id="fbPhotoSnowliftTagList"><span class="fcg"> </span></span>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-67057703891427382972013-01-09T19:17:00.003-08:002013-01-09T19:17:47.848-08:00Arctic Loon - Monterey HarborA few days ago local birders found an ARCTIC LOON in Monterey, California harbor near Wharf 2.<br />
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So this afternoon I joined several other birders to go to Monterey and hopefully find this important bird. It was a dreary overcast day with some drizzle at times, and after almost four hours of searching all around harbor... just as we were about to give up... the ARCTIC LOON was again spotted very close to the wharf! It dives for several minutes and it swims underwater quite a ways... so you never are quite sure where it is going to re-appear again. Luckily, about an hour before darkness, we all were thrilled to finally observe this quite rare bird for California! Success!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf98VCNcxfgD3ddHbVgXcd6CpsjOdDDEWC4Di3gg3HYJQm9OeMQPhccfT0sYi78EBHSygeRkNj9s2NsU8ze2qjsC4SlVKTYZz1yisyOrZD3O0MQ7LgzuIuV9tobe8niQrhWb38GHIOLhVb/s1600/Arctic_Loon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf98VCNcxfgD3ddHbVgXcd6CpsjOdDDEWC4Di3gg3HYJQm9OeMQPhccfT0sYi78EBHSygeRkNj9s2NsU8ze2qjsC4SlVKTYZz1yisyOrZD3O0MQ7LgzuIuV9tobe8niQrhWb38GHIOLhVb/s320/Arctic_Loon.jpg" width="320" /></a><b> </b></div>
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<b>ARCTIC LOON - Monterey, California harbor</b></div>
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Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-60985140151792091402012-10-14T21:28:00.001-07:002012-10-14T21:28:18.155-07:00Snowy Egret - Morro Bay Birding<div class="aboveUnitContent">
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<span class="userContent">As part of the 5-day <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=134659563229388" href="http://www.facebook.com/ca.photo.fest">California Photo Festival</a>, I enjoyed an early morning photo trek to attempt to capture the soft pink light just before sunrise with Juan Pons and others. The clouds of the past several days didn't show up... and we experienced the pink glow of dawn on the mudflats of Morro Bay.<br /> <br /> This Snowy Egret provided an excellent subject as the tide was coming in... a fantastic way to begin the day!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRWT6Fyao_pDnlA4HxdBB_VOBZEvocvZjzbdcTFhc7Xr_1YVTYu1BN3dJT6nuoyC5a_aLXLax5DZJcpAnUrbi8_cNrZ3uAaZJOXFceaowaou9c8omWwRnKgDLK2YvGAqfchafj1F79wwcO/s1600/Snowy_Egret_(2012.10.14).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRWT6Fyao_pDnlA4HxdBB_VOBZEvocvZjzbdcTFhc7Xr_1YVTYu1BN3dJT6nuoyC5a_aLXLax5DZJcpAnUrbi8_cNrZ3uAaZJOXFceaowaou9c8omWwRnKgDLK2YvGAqfchafj1F79wwcO/s320/Snowy_Egret_(2012.10.14).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><b>SNOWY EGRET - early morning pink light</b></i></div>
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Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-26631607823892412302012-10-01T19:39:00.000-07:002012-10-01T19:39:13.794-07:00Common Cuckoo - LIFER! This afternoon I went to Ramsey Park in Watsonville, CA... to hopefully observe a very rare bird for California or even for the entire lower 48 states in the USA! Three days ago birders had spotted a COMMON CUCKOO in the willows along the slough. This bird is normally found across Europe, and from Siberia to Kamchatka and Japan; winters to southern Africa... yet a bird of this species was being observed here in California.<br />
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It didn't take me long to find the group of other birders looking in the trees along the pathway... so there were plenty of eyes looking to re-find the target bird. Within 45 minutes, we had re-found the bird... down low in the branches just above the water. Frantic looking and pointing, and eventually everyone in the group was able to see the bird! Yea!<br />
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I got the bird and a photo! A new LIFER for my Lifelist! Yea!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMVW2GkcPeGtO_Ew192JpCShyphenhyphenWoN8QDRA6cdSPptHvHPvwHGeeDx1JS0gkVJvEQZqSXEt46kVfVNRIgxvdV7sLSIY2HSc6sK968qP0IZSeoTRGePn9EY72ZdN-U_kURVvNSeFbD-u30No/s1600/Common_Cuckoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMVW2GkcPeGtO_Ew192JpCShyphenhyphenWoN8QDRA6cdSPptHvHPvwHGeeDx1JS0gkVJvEQZqSXEt46kVfVNRIgxvdV7sLSIY2HSc6sK968qP0IZSeoTRGePn9EY72ZdN-U_kURVvNSeFbD-u30No/s320/Common_Cuckoo.jpg" width="320" /><br /><b><i>COMMON CUCKOO</i></b></a></div>
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<br />Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-35125340471585465952012-09-03T15:54:00.002-07:002012-09-03T15:54:44.874-07:00Russia River Cruise & Birding<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Spent most of the month of August in Russia with then 5 more days in Ukraine. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The main portion of the trip was a Russia River Cruise which began in Saint Petersburg along various rivers and lakes, eventually arriving in Moscow; then fly from Moscow, Russia to Kiev, Ukraine. It was a truly wonderful experience seeing so much of these beautiful big cities along with plenty of river edge countryside within Russia. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It was a fantastic trip of much learning and discovery! Enjoy!</span></span> </span></span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Birding along the Volga River in Russia</span></span></span></i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNg_P6zS9D4rDPepp4iJw2Hbv-ytxmzaZF2J2Vs31cbjClk9_lK-SG0DBufZja5wgL79RdLMFqpt2GOJ60eP0UW6yVu523_DBIJIocUGbaeUnR9fagCfpfLVsBT4apXfkDRGlYd2RSa3S/s1600/Russia_Volga_River_birding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNg_P6zS9D4rDPepp4iJw2Hbv-ytxmzaZF2J2Vs31cbjClk9_lK-SG0DBufZja5wgL79RdLMFqpt2GOJ60eP0UW6yVu523_DBIJIocUGbaeUnR9fagCfpfLVsBT4apXfkDRGlYd2RSa3S/s320/Russia_Volga_River_birding.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Tufted Duck - male in Lake Onega; Petrozavodsk</i></span></span></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdE71nYwH-8ZCSahcpMXgOO1XdWQc8lawgvQEmX1S8poygXp42WCi6_-wutNLzxDA4Nb4kEPSy9EU44nv6gfJR78FTZUQD2jQ6v09Q2KcqBEymtaJyCMBUEcPrjdXEqt63OoNQPtQMBVKf/s1600/Tufted_Duck_male_(2012.08).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdE71nYwH-8ZCSahcpMXgOO1XdWQc8lawgvQEmX1S8poygXp42WCi6_-wutNLzxDA4Nb4kEPSy9EU44nv6gfJR78FTZUQD2jQ6v09Q2KcqBEymtaJyCMBUEcPrjdXEqt63OoNQPtQMBVKf/s320/Tufted_Duck_male_(2012.08).jpg" width="320" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Lesser Black-backed Gull - Neva River; Saint Petersburg</i></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXO4mUA-65CsjxbSK5kqAcQhiBG1l45f2CAT1nEpgEfjU4R7tGy98_uj9STJJtGhaoeX4CjJ4zG1UXoAUBIyqDer9Z4ew0o5194b54_C4AbV9EuYj1RFRsOoOo8dLkxiJ5xne9Ho2OaGyO/s1600/Lesser_Black-backed_Gull_(2012.08).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXO4mUA-65CsjxbSK5kqAcQhiBG1l45f2CAT1nEpgEfjU4R7tGy98_uj9STJJtGhaoeX4CjJ4zG1UXoAUBIyqDer9Z4ew0o5194b54_C4AbV9EuYj1RFRsOoOo8dLkxiJ5xne9Ho2OaGyO/s320/Lesser_Black-backed_Gull_(2012.08).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Northern Wheatear - Svir River; Svirstroy</i></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgot3T8RotFPOc5acBN8fiaDO3Xaw__i-zS5juBp4ccC5LRqkWuQyEnZWkUdozum-LcWkhUI127SZyC-3AuLis3zimIdjwDOrjwDOyvvfz2Uxr3Thgwf-3uODZPDNOMmfx_yR6fcJDMpqQo/s1600/Northern_Wheatear_flying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgot3T8RotFPOc5acBN8fiaDO3Xaw__i-zS5juBp4ccC5LRqkWuQyEnZWkUdozum-LcWkhUI127SZyC-3AuLis3zimIdjwDOrjwDOyvvfz2Uxr3Thgwf-3uODZPDNOMmfx_yR6fcJDMpqQo/s320/Northern_Wheatear_flying.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>White-tailed Eagle - Kovzha River; Goritsy</i></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3OYmFnofTQ-JGkY-PJOyc06tUx7XAZwWv0A9hiR9d34-S5G_AyFuOZY4isa3X5nPrTro0ccYXfoa2poUjtgyWYzkw7Xw4beWoOZlk_TONqa4mMANJgvQyf0bxzKxuaN43tKtjLrFQEor/s1600/White-tailed_Eagle_in_flight_with_catch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3OYmFnofTQ-JGkY-PJOyc06tUx7XAZwWv0A9hiR9d34-S5G_AyFuOZY4isa3X5nPrTro0ccYXfoa2poUjtgyWYzkw7Xw4beWoOZlk_TONqa4mMANJgvQyf0bxzKxuaN43tKtjLrFQEor/s320/White-tailed_Eagle_in_flight_with_catch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Eurasian Magpie - Kizhi Island; Lake Onega</i></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEyM3PItlF9PWLc3LMB5SyC6Qf4vAIuYVABjx1qtmDnG5oIvheKluEskVtJ3iM2YODR6R57WM5RVNGgRS8G7O-3hEdorbwxzLhInHchQCtz-He3chyphenhyphen3pXvBx1TALPMbq7-U91eGLfAtVRg/s1600/Eurasian_Magpie_(2012.08).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEyM3PItlF9PWLc3LMB5SyC6Qf4vAIuYVABjx1qtmDnG5oIvheKluEskVtJ3iM2YODR6R57WM5RVNGgRS8G7O-3hEdorbwxzLhInHchQCtz-He3chyphenhyphen3pXvBx1TALPMbq7-U91eGLfAtVRg/s320/Eurasian_Magpie_(2012.08).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Hooded Crow - </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></i></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Svirstroy </i></span></span></span></span> </span></span></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNXKdLj6FgvPi8IMI3V7vXkw1NrqNutu1vBz1z_HHGGlQd6ZkWd6lTI6eumFuXcMCIX_JdH8RBdg-3ChVI7f156Aa4kM0lTZjFshThvCIaP2_g0O2af_Vqz5Nsw6niw5Tq_tFl2U3-xho/s1600/Hooded_Crow_(2012.08).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNXKdLj6FgvPi8IMI3V7vXkw1NrqNutu1vBz1z_HHGGlQd6ZkWd6lTI6eumFuXcMCIX_JdH8RBdg-3ChVI7f156Aa4kM0lTZjFshThvCIaP2_g0O2af_Vqz5Nsw6niw5Tq_tFl2U3-xho/s320/Hooded_Crow_(2012.08).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></i></span></i></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Black Kite - </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Volga<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> River; Uglich</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></i></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></i></span></i></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></span></i></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEcGlifANRIieu5N3068lTlcNb1psGqe5pgJToTNWIUPafQFh2E48lXbziHXYK5oilN7SRTQhLUhmv9Clp5iOUEjeXjjv7t2F_ZHyvKAB14bkX9JoKDqiuBggHN6_VRFsTjeUMwATxsFL/s1600/Black_Kite_ventral_view_%25282012.08%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEcGlifANRIieu5N3068lTlcNb1psGqe5pgJToTNWIUPafQFh2E48lXbziHXYK5oilN7SRTQhLUhmv9Clp5iOUEjeXjjv7t2F_ZHyvKAB14bkX9JoKDqiuBggHN6_VRFsTjeUMwATxsFL/s320/Black_Kite_ventral_view_%25282012.08%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></i></span></i></span></span></span></span></div>
Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-47696127735610792562012-05-07T16:08:00.003-07:002012-05-07T16:10:42.162-07:00Migrant Landbirds Field TripMay 6, 2012<br />
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Enjoyed the beautiful spring weather while participating in Alvaro Jaramillo's Migrant Landbirds workshop with the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory. This was a fabulous 3-day course with evening presentations on Bird Migration in the Bay Area, followed by a full-day field trip looking for migrants passing through our area heading north. Finding (and photographing) these migrants is usually quite challenging... and the group succeeded in observing several warbler and flycatcher species. <br />
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We birded trails within the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve & Sam McDonald County Park, with a final stop at the Wurr Road bridge to take a chance to observe American Dipper. That last stop offered a quick success and the easiest bird of the day... the dipper was waiting for us on the rocks just below the edge of the bridge as we walked up! <br />
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The usual habitat for many of these migrants are in wooded
areas... with target birds often high in the trees hidden by many branches and
poor sunlight. It was a real challenge and I was fortunate and thrilled to capture a few species during the trip! Enjoy!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Lazuli Bunting - pretty posing for his photo!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Black-throated Gray Warbler- high in the trees </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Golden-crowned Kinglet - a real challenge to photograph!</span></div>
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MacGillivray's Warbler - finally came out for a few seconds!</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Pacific-slope Flycatcher - small flycatcher likes shaded forests</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Pygmy Nuthatch - found a the nest hole</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">American Dipper - at the right place at the right time</span></div>
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<br /></div>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-60586686068480556362012-04-08T20:00:00.003-07:002012-04-08T20:00:44.520-07:00California Photography on Easter SundayEnjoyed a sunny Easter Sunday out and about the San Francisco Bay Area. <br />
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The spring wildflowers are blooming in many of the fields... and to celebrate... here is the California State Flower... and of course... the California State Bird!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>California State Flower - CALIFORNIA POPPY </b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEdZWnbUGcw1jp4NcQm2uSNFLun6xJcya4FYPy1uaq-L2qBgrK49XZy9AAnpCcPVYNLCB7rWXWj8qbCjh6xcqkUj49ZMmDDOL11C2EXHSCrYPf4Hugtq711woQ4bHL9oA5pVux3MT0zZp/s1600/California_Poppy_Wildflowers_(2012.04).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEdZWnbUGcw1jp4NcQm2uSNFLun6xJcya4FYPy1uaq-L2qBgrK49XZy9AAnpCcPVYNLCB7rWXWj8qbCjh6xcqkUj49ZMmDDOL11C2EXHSCrYPf4Hugtq711woQ4bHL9oA5pVux3MT0zZp/s320/California_Poppy_Wildflowers_(2012.04).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>California State Bird - CALIFORNIA QUAIL </b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<br />Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-50833616995772534802012-03-31T14:48:00.003-07:002012-03-31T14:48:58.756-07:00Gilroy Hot Springs Road BirdingWe braved the morning rain and joined the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society birding field trip to Gilroy Hot Springs Road. Only 7 hearty birders went on the trip and the rains held off until about 10am. Highlights included several WOOD DUCKS and a few COMMON MERGANSERS. Before the rains came, I was fortunate to capture this nice HOUSE WREN photo... a species I didn't have very many photos of! <br />
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HOUSE WREN</div>
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<br />Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-62553928158591319392012-03-18T18:09:00.003-07:002012-03-18T18:22:12.745-07:00Morro Bay Birding<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Recently returned from Morro Bay, California and a weekend photography/birding trip. The drive down via California Hwy 1 along the Pacific coast is so beautiful and dramatic in the springtime when the sun is shining and the grass is green. Enjoy!</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Pacific Coast along Hwy 1 near Big Sur, California</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Brown Pelican - Stunning & Scary</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVxyn4Ia2PMe4M1tOzNgnSilxZxev3CBb1SgwgRdQeVEz5XwFJfQQTKUJV33I92aInl-_4cikXjH2CkNqfXqN26t6OYN3SfWD2SivCWEpEgGxwym_4_0jJuPs19W2tLzG8fQZ4KJsiNlX/s1600/Brown_Pelican_open_mouth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVxyn4Ia2PMe4M1tOzNgnSilxZxev3CBb1SgwgRdQeVEz5XwFJfQQTKUJV33I92aInl-_4cikXjH2CkNqfXqN26t6OYN3SfWD2SivCWEpEgGxwym_4_0jJuPs19W2tLzG8fQZ4KJsiNlX/s320/Brown_Pelican_open_mouth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Belted Kingfisher - female</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Pied-billed Grebe</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjlNq3BbJwh11TgmaCyweSkojA6YmO-81qjS4WJNhKPV9RunA499TErh_F_ctRWzZmM5E9zXSVdiDoCEMz1EdrvcqDhuP4puCdBiDHh4zLqgz2iErj670S_FyBr5WOE05wn0E361QXMLx/s1600/Pied-billed_Grebe_(2012.02).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjlNq3BbJwh11TgmaCyweSkojA6YmO-81qjS4WJNhKPV9RunA499TErh_F_ctRWzZmM5E9zXSVdiDoCEMz1EdrvcqDhuP4puCdBiDHh4zLqgz2iErj670S_FyBr5WOE05wn0E361QXMLx/s320/Pied-billed_Grebe_(2012.02).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">More photos posted on my web site at <a href="http://www.birdingpix.com/">http://www.birdingpix.com/</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-55305179103026652712012-03-05T09:06:00.006-08:002012-03-05T09:21:43.386-08:00Caribbean Birding CruiseFebruary 2012<br /><br />Enjoyed 14-days cruising & birding in the Eastern then Western Caribbean... with perfect weather and sunshine and crystal-clear blue waters. Key locations included Nassau, Bahamas and Ocho Rios, Jamaica, where in each port we had prior arranged to meet a local birding guide at the pier. The birding was fantastic and the guides have become friends. Highly recommended!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> Bahama Woodstar - endemic hummingbird only found in the Bahamas</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-rQDVlsx81sy01W770IOV-6XuN1eQkJaNCmjATKDW2SA30p975mBKiRVaACoSiiHcTpUQ1pSdvit5wF6PcTtaX_abRATpZyfjXX1qNn5kIY3XfEfhLGAXzit9oepuY23aXDTHG1uLQU9/s1600/Bahama_Woodstar_male_%25282012.02%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-rQDVlsx81sy01W770IOV-6XuN1eQkJaNCmjATKDW2SA30p975mBKiRVaACoSiiHcTpUQ1pSdvit5wF6PcTtaX_abRATpZyfjXX1qNn5kIY3XfEfhLGAXzit9oepuY23aXDTHG1uLQU9/s400/Bahama_Woodstar_male_%25282012.02%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716462347258093634" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Yellow-billed Parrot - Jamaica<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNhN43lHmm8G3qlyRtW287pRbIIgZMuyqtrSIbSB9RY-jn4gkD0_3JOhHvbGRa6dj3dG-ABBra0Q7lfAOXKS7ZRkhy7K5iqgFpaKLOR7bfmREJ7LR19hYMtITIFaIy0DWFltdaiLkvBkq/s1600/Yellow-billed_Parrot.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNhN43lHmm8G3qlyRtW287pRbIIgZMuyqtrSIbSB9RY-jn4gkD0_3JOhHvbGRa6dj3dG-ABBra0Q7lfAOXKS7ZRkhy7K5iqgFpaKLOR7bfmREJ7LR19hYMtITIFaIy0DWFltdaiLkvBkq/s400/Yellow-billed_Parrot.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716462893451525010" border="0" /></a><br />Red-billed Streamertail Hummingbird - endemic to Jamaica<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zJ6mfUoC65tmvFZ_3GB6lQCRpNW3YCzvFkSln3S8K04jMttOHH6qW9p4_ro0ppZ2zgroWd9b24HWmg5QnRCFPS1taqMPLE1xuvHa4lmF3zpcsDsnjxG1_UHvogIphbCDElaKrmu3z5TT/s1600/Red-billed_Streamertail.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zJ6mfUoC65tmvFZ_3GB6lQCRpNW3YCzvFkSln3S8K04jMttOHH6qW9p4_ro0ppZ2zgroWd9b24HWmg5QnRCFPS1taqMPLE1xuvHa4lmF3zpcsDsnjxG1_UHvogIphbCDElaKrmu3z5TT/s400/Red-billed_Streamertail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716463577512096050" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Great Stirrup Cay - Bahamas<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWxSkRcF1WgIsk3CQXUNGsV3-tKjBAa-tdzsvpXkkVXo0bO9VGR0Vp3vsKB6qES_szr2KA5RrQ1arX7KpndAmEXBXXhoocHtBxQX3pJ4ZyOvpBSdEejHvfziw8-z4ORJlt7U-7SWDmjaw/s1600/Great_Stirrup_Cay_Bahamas_%25282012.02%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWxSkRcF1WgIsk3CQXUNGsV3-tKjBAa-tdzsvpXkkVXo0bO9VGR0Vp3vsKB6qES_szr2KA5RrQ1arX7KpndAmEXBXXhoocHtBxQX3pJ4ZyOvpBSdEejHvfziw8-z4ORJlt7U-7SWDmjaw/s400/Great_Stirrup_Cay_Bahamas_%25282012.02%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716463931785741026" border="0" /></a></div></div><br />The full SLIDESHOW of our Caribbean birding cruise is posted online at www.birdingpix.comDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-78861087784516909152012-01-15T18:24:00.000-08:002012-01-15T18:42:14.559-08:00Falcated Duck - Colusa National Wildlife RefugeA new LIFE bird today!<br /><br />I was on the road at 5am today and made the 410-mile round-trip drive to observe the mega-rare (for USA) FALCATED DUCK which has been visiting Colusa National Wildlife Refuge (north of Sacramento, California) for the past few weeks... and fortunately it was still there this morning!<br /><br />This duck has been the hot topic on the birding newsfeeds and is attracting birders from all over the country to observe it. It was awesome to see and photograph this bird today!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">FALCATED DUCK<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUnE9EhMC0cLmUKV2JLn-1Ibm53GlD-NJ0NK8zLszDUIbNPd9bDti5Y1l7BzPM9fMJJ8-RrnlcShDUaNJqomg0IXouXNk9brlPg7pkT6TgiU3LgCe7AayM9hEPRHXFM0CXDl-pEX_OHr6/s1600/Falcated_Duck.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUnE9EhMC0cLmUKV2JLn-1Ibm53GlD-NJ0NK8zLszDUIbNPd9bDti5Y1l7BzPM9fMJJ8-RrnlcShDUaNJqomg0IXouXNk9brlPg7pkT6TgiU3LgCe7AayM9hEPRHXFM0CXDl-pEX_OHr6/s400/Falcated_Duck.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698054020579433250" border="0" /></a><br />The Falcated Duck is normally found in eastern Russia... but this beautiful breeding male has somehow migrated south with a flock of American Wigeon to central California for the winter.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-68175939860971908792012-01-13T16:15:00.000-08:002012-01-13T16:22:45.159-08:00Lawrence's Goldfinches & Western Bluebird PhotographyBeautiful and sunny spring-like day (70 degrees F) while photographing WESTERN BLUEBIRD and LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCH along La Gloria Road near Pinnacles National Monument in San Benito County, California.<span class="fcg"> — at <a class="pronoun-link " href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pinnacles-National-Monument/159071144164390">Pinnacles National Monument</a>.</span><br /><span class="fcg"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="fcg">Lawrence's Goldfinch</span> - male<br /></div><span class="fcg"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9QzJnWCqVc8aO1ahZbuJkIKuY6xOAaKnSuVTv51sgdTJnCejPFByy0ewN5NXit61CxpEyKUcCejQvNU0qFa9hPRiUeG30TmUHcmT2OL3cQWVfoENdrQYWWKoA4z8eS899I_xosyiTlbFt/s1600/Lawrence%2527s_Goldfinch_male_%25282012.01%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9QzJnWCqVc8aO1ahZbuJkIKuY6xOAaKnSuVTv51sgdTJnCejPFByy0ewN5NXit61CxpEyKUcCejQvNU0qFa9hPRiUeG30TmUHcmT2OL3cQWVfoENdrQYWWKoA4z8eS899I_xosyiTlbFt/s400/Lawrence%2527s_Goldfinch_male_%25282012.01%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697275879192813954" border="0" /></a><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="fcg">Lawrence's Goldfinch</span> - male</div><span class="fcg"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi94R3NA9dI81FVHyCrlV6gWxnmQNajZp022KLy2HaLvcr9yxYYoTlIu_oA33t2Wt9qgtrI2kcapIoT1pzqc5WmHpKGqo3SQfRf788D7HRjawJ8eIv0D1II-T5EIMg14r3nNjjdMuj9SGb/s1600/Lawrence%2527s_Goldfinch_in_willow_%25282012.01%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi94R3NA9dI81FVHyCrlV6gWxnmQNajZp022KLy2HaLvcr9yxYYoTlIu_oA33t2Wt9qgtrI2kcapIoT1pzqc5WmHpKGqo3SQfRf788D7HRjawJ8eIv0D1II-T5EIMg14r3nNjjdMuj9SGb/s400/Lawrence%2527s_Goldfinch_in_willow_%25282012.01%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697275479970223202" border="0" /></a></span><span class="fcg"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="fcg">Western Bluebird</span> - male<span class="fcg"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPgnd9hhHVsvk19TqXKIgmdpRsxL5FxU33F5nqZxkDCltULesPggSIImlTXvMEhqe7l6hKMRI7U27e1XhRH05tiMU3Cc7Thwu8Bax0Gntgd7zO2Olfm36MtvXfTOA8yGY5J6OttiKTqHh/s1600/Western_Bluebird_male_%25282012.01%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPgnd9hhHVsvk19TqXKIgmdpRsxL5FxU33F5nqZxkDCltULesPggSIImlTXvMEhqe7l6hKMRI7U27e1XhRH05tiMU3Cc7Thwu8Bax0Gntgd7zO2Olfm36MtvXfTOA8yGY5J6OttiKTqHh/s400/Western_Bluebird_male_%25282012.01%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697276270648938674" border="0" /></a></span></div><span class="fcg"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="fcg">White-breasted Nuthatch</span> - midair jump<br /></div><span class="fcg"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjByrug_gpHob8__32FQxJujXUMv_Ar2b4cbgUrRZwHX8eJa6XewexWI0UsxRyNLMUd9WKiKFqyDuUIVVldgon8r4mcazTMC0cNOXtYHQBs-KFGuK1vrWeXc96SsLIXPioJcgK_n_dELSRw/s1600/White-breasted_Nuthatch_%25282012.01%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjByrug_gpHob8__32FQxJujXUMv_Ar2b4cbgUrRZwHX8eJa6XewexWI0UsxRyNLMUd9WKiKFqyDuUIVVldgon8r4mcazTMC0cNOXtYHQBs-KFGuK1vrWeXc96SsLIXPioJcgK_n_dELSRw/s400/White-breasted_Nuthatch_%25282012.01%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697274970935190882" border="0" /></a><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="fcg"></span><br /><span class="fcg"></span></div>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-52911859212383450312011-08-14T16:05:00.000-07:002011-08-14T18:14:59.444-07:00Farallon Islands - Pacific Ocean Palagic Trip
<br />13 August 2011
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<br />Spent a full day being tossed about in the Pacific Ocean on the "Superfish" fishing boat, joining 35 other Santa Clara Valley Audubon members for an early morning departure from San Francisco Bay for a day-long trip out to the Farallon Islands and beyond. It was bouncing, wind-blown day with 8-10 foot seas... and I didn't do as well as I hoped, to be honest. But I was still able to get some important bird species photographed... which was my goal.
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<br /><div style="text-align: center;">Departure on the "Superfish" fishing boat</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSoW7otlujvdjjbVme5W05a8v1MzHR6Llrf-h26hfj82LeVyhKpJ-c3Pj9tYqzxnviw4gOQp6NT-0t_42xVcAvmjr5B35aE4od2ps4SPRtmRsMvdgNsXmKXGcBAvVTly_1b0tcrn3nEDt/s1600/Farallon_Islands_Pelagic_Trip_%25282011.08%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSoW7otlujvdjjbVme5W05a8v1MzHR6Llrf-h26hfj82LeVyhKpJ-c3Pj9tYqzxnviw4gOQp6NT-0t_42xVcAvmjr5B35aE4od2ps4SPRtmRsMvdgNsXmKXGcBAvVTly_1b0tcrn3nEDt/s400/Farallon_Islands_Pelagic_Trip_%25282011.08%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640855297744326498" border="0" /></a>
<br />The bonus of the trip was observing a new LIFE BIRD for me... a single HAWAIIAN PETREL was spotted while in deep water past the Farallon Islands. That was a wonderful sighting... and that plus these species below made the day worth it!
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<br /><div style="text-align: center;">Hawaiian Petrel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0bhj1hl8kZLmrWR-aIEt7x730F9vvxHnfiXUSJHQJNHvMnlhFkdF_likuo1LI5-cooLZcSk4eqSkVxwrALhDRYMg8rxr-5Zl8taZe38fFsvQj9YbuJSeFMuFkl-TC3z0ZoAmkx3ZNjkj/s1600/Hawaiian_Petrel_abovewing_%25282011.08%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0bhj1hl8kZLmrWR-aIEt7x730F9vvxHnfiXUSJHQJNHvMnlhFkdF_likuo1LI5-cooLZcSk4eqSkVxwrALhDRYMg8rxr-5Zl8taZe38fFsvQj9YbuJSeFMuFkl-TC3z0ZoAmkx3ZNjkj/s400/Hawaiian_Petrel_abovewing_%25282011.08%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640884946391034498" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEJsOvcSpSzGSe2noTFY452ml-gY9-WZjjo9XqENUMZMHz6AG-cdheQhEm2NJ6az9kgwPpqzy8Rij8sgIHMAAC1vVIHehwgpo6p5jUN3lnuAutjqM7hzacPXXc_1YQ7zIDLQfi0vS4H8a/s1600/Hawaiian_Petrel_underwing_%25282011.08%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEJsOvcSpSzGSe2noTFY452ml-gY9-WZjjo9XqENUMZMHz6AG-cdheQhEm2NJ6az9kgwPpqzy8Rij8sgIHMAAC1vVIHehwgpo6p5jUN3lnuAutjqM7hzacPXXc_1YQ7zIDLQfi0vS4H8a/s400/Hawaiian_Petrel_underwing_%25282011.08%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640856064515890482" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<br />Sabine's Gull<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ypXqOVpyjA9SLQpjla6r_GUnL77Y8k4Bl3_tSFbtHIQt7SZGWoC4F_Gk0bnjWYURNgkVqlj7wur4qXb-vXv9Fut0gNSb6PIhiXXknc3_KOuhGlLiah_kubNErmwrJ41ILgzbMl_28YXV/s1600/Sabine%2527s_Gull_%25282011.08%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ypXqOVpyjA9SLQpjla6r_GUnL77Y8k4Bl3_tSFbtHIQt7SZGWoC4F_Gk0bnjWYURNgkVqlj7wur4qXb-vXv9Fut0gNSb6PIhiXXknc3_KOuhGlLiah_kubNErmwrJ41ILgzbMl_28YXV/s400/Sabine%2527s_Gull_%25282011.08%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640856387729098098" border="0" /></a>
<br />Black-footed Albatross - Water Walker!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZcfdDfHhH2IaaIT_XQHzIBicRGq4hDZqZ5xJTac47UG8FrIww91YIDOK0XiNd9-OMcESeCD39lIii1pAr6uhWL24uLVCCS6Aixk7h6SGFrIuW8FSq6yErUgtrozv9OPgOLx5U-9GvCAb/s1600/Black-footed_Albatross_water-walker.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZcfdDfHhH2IaaIT_XQHzIBicRGq4hDZqZ5xJTac47UG8FrIww91YIDOK0XiNd9-OMcESeCD39lIii1pAr6uhWL24uLVCCS6Aixk7h6SGFrIuW8FSq6yErUgtrozv9OPgOLx5U-9GvCAb/s400/Black-footed_Albatross_water-walker.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640856690008340306" border="0" /></a>
<br />Long-tailed Jaeger<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2U7H9hWm90v0MbbfiFMWqRMqKIBwbKv5ATLVon22ffu7tce95UHxl8SGKeF77aA2m1QJv2uK59SHen_ALP4puAkizgsz3AEn9QERpRS593pGdpqfgU8KymSg_3oAeLsa7-zPFqZ3CFJg/s1600/Long-tailed_Jaeger_underwing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2U7H9hWm90v0MbbfiFMWqRMqKIBwbKv5ATLVon22ffu7tce95UHxl8SGKeF77aA2m1QJv2uK59SHen_ALP4puAkizgsz3AEn9QERpRS593pGdpqfgU8KymSg_3oAeLsa7-zPFqZ3CFJg/s400/Long-tailed_Jaeger_underwing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640857033716373634" border="0" /></a>
<br />Pomarine Jaeger<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIhyphenhyphen46izKnS-u7SPRwzCvRkLQ72GXI4xFQBLyiMZJ4mZ7_wK8pyTJJlPzRssNSTrSjKl2WSmHUdvIOLuh9tkszfZYn3e3kRexivWN15pBAShsUm9alytImCiKMeP1cqk65-c9QRb0bRNZ8/s1600/Pomarine_Jaeger_%25282011.08%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIhyphenhyphen46izKnS-u7SPRwzCvRkLQ72GXI4xFQBLyiMZJ4mZ7_wK8pyTJJlPzRssNSTrSjKl2WSmHUdvIOLuh9tkszfZYn3e3kRexivWN15pBAShsUm9alytImCiKMeP1cqk65-c9QRb0bRNZ8/s400/Pomarine_Jaeger_%25282011.08%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640857275918923810" border="0" /></a>
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<br /></div>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-62223491964774035182011-06-20T20:25:00.000-07:002011-06-20T20:53:14.680-07:00Mediterranean BirdingRecently enjoyed 24 glorious days cruising and sightseeing and birding in the Mediterranean!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCraMZsxwoZchS8YNs33ZPGRSp2pcSm4LSVombArJC2Dhaziv-Aqr8as5D8uChso027OLn9BsvAd9VoTf_Wn4BeajNe4wZmzQzhE5wENYs-r0QJ26wlWvCLsfK9yceub7OEi4bSuxikKD/s1600/Blue+Mediterranean+in+Greece.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 380px; height: 83px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCraMZsxwoZchS8YNs33ZPGRSp2pcSm4LSVombArJC2Dhaziv-Aqr8as5D8uChso027OLn9BsvAd9VoTf_Wn4BeajNe4wZmzQzhE5wENYs-r0QJ26wlWvCLsfK9yceub7OEi4bSuxikKD/s400/Blue+Mediterranean+in+Greece.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620509605235154866" border="0" /></a>Blue Mediterranean in Greece<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">It was wonderful to do some excellent birding in Spain and Turkey... and I added <span style="font-size:180%;">71</span> new LIFE BIRDS to my WORLD LIFELIST on the trip.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.birdingpix.com/lifelists/dk_world_lifelist_by_family_2011.06.01.htm">http://www.birdingpix.com/lifelists/dk_world_lifelist_by_family_2011.06.01.htm</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Also enjoyed photographing the incredible sights and birds along the way... which added <span style="font-size:180%;">82</span> new species photographed to my "Pix of Every Bird Observed" listing!<br /><br />Currently at <span style="font-size:180%;">922</span> species photographed... well on my way to reach 1000 species photographed!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.birdingpix.com/1pix.html">Pix of Every Bird Observed</a><br /></div><br /></div></div>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-81646772068313233222011-04-09T15:02:00.000-07:002011-04-09T15:15:53.510-07:00Alviso - Golden Eagle06 April 2011<br /><br />In the late afternoon, I was fortunate to watch and photograph a hunting and soaring juvenile GOLDEN EAGLE along the entrance road to the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Alviso, California.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Golden Eagle in Flight<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0yT9PPlOfxyImRwIeLeMShzpvtn6eUxoTjQA02eePWstLrfDlm0SELSnF0i6FHtfVmysaeLDhv7NIYPLwRZrB1xTC38QQz-Q7ttnQXOl5QWN7adUAB0NZagHR-f2ySZzEH_WaYg7GyNA/s1600/Golden_Eagle_in_flight_%25282011.04%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0yT9PPlOfxyImRwIeLeMShzpvtn6eUxoTjQA02eePWstLrfDlm0SELSnF0i6FHtfVmysaeLDhv7NIYPLwRZrB1xTC38QQz-Q7ttnQXOl5QWN7adUAB0NZagHR-f2ySZzEH_WaYg7GyNA/s400/Golden_Eagle_in_flight_%25282011.04%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593709230291515026" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Golden Eagle in Flight<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtAdbZJATDW8d41bmdPBv3Fq8nqWHnsZeRqelb_RmpFI3ByVMTuj8h3i1AaLx7TvWxexTf2aSdJ5PEgEbrllcac-WDsBVGDWeUCbg-eGluynaHxBpBXv_DVTITuQ76XDNmtkDgDgtnyHF/s1600/Golden_Eagle_upperwing_%25282011.04%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtAdbZJATDW8d41bmdPBv3Fq8nqWHnsZeRqelb_RmpFI3ByVMTuj8h3i1AaLx7TvWxexTf2aSdJ5PEgEbrllcac-WDsBVGDWeUCbg-eGluynaHxBpBXv_DVTITuQ76XDNmtkDgDgtnyHF/s400/Golden_Eagle_upperwing_%25282011.04%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593709906438074098" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">This GOLDEN EAGLE continued to soar and hunt for at least an hour, offering wonderful views... some of the closest I have seen of this species. A fantastic afternoon!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Golden Eagle while Hunting<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMancKByeUdSul4u1IGFNw_2mKzAQDw25Ig9mCj0LzgzW_tWvqGpqTERRLXhbY6J308mA6t4fHhJkhWBh7zxMNHGahgT-Cqwsi6hSiQYSbyYKzxbmSCjsuUVPTvsiJdJ4K58bNNnerBlC/s1600/Golden_Eagle_talons_%25282011.04%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMancKByeUdSul4u1IGFNw_2mKzAQDw25Ig9mCj0LzgzW_tWvqGpqTERRLXhbY6J308mA6t4fHhJkhWBh7zxMNHGahgT-Cqwsi6hSiQYSbyYKzxbmSCjsuUVPTvsiJdJ4K58bNNnerBlC/s400/Golden_Eagle_talons_%25282011.04%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593710716509675202" border="0" /></a><br /></div></div></div>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-36920945860314258472011-02-27T13:06:00.000-08:002011-02-27T13:13:38.633-08:00Amaryllis Flower Opens - Timelapse Video<div style="text-align: center;">Here is a very cool 60-second timelapse video of our Christmas Amaryllis flower... taken over 6 consecutive days using 6,400 still photos... time compressed into this 1 minute video. Enjoy!<br /><br />Amaryllis Flower Opening Video<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzp7Bh4dOZEHw-fvMpUZg_xjzlhQ0HjdubMvv_mTbX1VsSwL_SPrVuNzOnXAD7Fa25jgj44BWMpCr9U3YBOww' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-51857778815191259742011-01-01T16:00:00.000-08:002011-01-01T16:29:12.948-08:00San Jose Christmas Bird Count 201019 December 2010<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">For all of us participating in this year's San Jose Christmas Bird Count, we knew it was going to be a wet and rainy day... and it was.<br /></div><br />This was my 6th year in the Calaveras Sector, and I worked the Calaveras Reservoir Dam and northern shore and hill, up to where Arroyo Hondo creek enters the eastern edge of the reservoir.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Calaveras Reservoir Dam<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLCkdycEXjM0UgxoSbozvKf2QW5MGqjIWvKzu6myknWp1x7w2_TiMehw0dyxAbBrLle6CjMGOTehMzP9GM3J4qB9dpePc9loASNYQXLTP_Jl1WUgFOyj4VFCH3ne5galXEjsxH7Fd_5z1/s1600/Calaveras_Reservoir_Dam_01_%25282010.12%2529.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLCkdycEXjM0UgxoSbozvKf2QW5MGqjIWvKzu6myknWp1x7w2_TiMehw0dyxAbBrLle6CjMGOTehMzP9GM3J4qB9dpePc9loASNYQXLTP_Jl1WUgFOyj4VFCH3ne5galXEjsxH7Fd_5z1/s400/Calaveras_Reservoir_Dam_01_%25282010.12%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557374198706338018" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Calaveras Reservoir Dam<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKz0t4aBYGwP-lg2W6hoSfG75VY60-iCNipME6prZ9efvE85lsxhqah2JIzAe7QLU7hNxPaUPDu2GSQuPTCZclFVJCzDg2_v6qWfse6l4NE3bV8myxD1_iChcXG3SoFlAzio8cS1XtJgFR/s1600/Calaveras_Reservoir_Dam_02_%25282010.12%2529.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKz0t4aBYGwP-lg2W6hoSfG75VY60-iCNipME6prZ9efvE85lsxhqah2JIzAe7QLU7hNxPaUPDu2GSQuPTCZclFVJCzDg2_v6qWfse6l4NE3bV8myxD1_iChcXG3SoFlAzio8cS1XtJgFR/s400/Calaveras_Reservoir_Dam_02_%25282010.12%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557376153101747282" border="0" /></a><br />Calaveras Reservoir Stream<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5eb1nmpGODDLzscvsY7Z_9D880FEflFeY-kdOyZWUk034kdcNzG3ACEQBuPbwmLtjWsN9J2UbejjwhpkdI9Sb4WBq1wuWfy2O7k7nGyPGaKIo6KN_X89QCvBAL-amOH6j_13WFe4-z0c/s1600/Calaveras_Reservoir_Stream_%25282010.12%2529.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5eb1nmpGODDLzscvsY7Z_9D880FEflFeY-kdOyZWUk034kdcNzG3ACEQBuPbwmLtjWsN9J2UbejjwhpkdI9Sb4WBq1wuWfy2O7k7nGyPGaKIo6KN_X89QCvBAL-amOH6j_13WFe4-z0c/s400/Calaveras_Reservoir_Stream_%25282010.12%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557374600209734562" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Calaveras Reservoir Arroyo Hondo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSLfuIKAUgkD7dZY3s4uuHJ-3hMOO65aQEdqaFPE_RrG9xNIpzWznfkbSowS3MukhCdz0Vo2fcmCXkYzQNV7rB5jQ-apgowLzCWUKdYyO9PSpYgjgEIsq7z7lelCAd8C-yETponw5x5mNg/s1600/Calaveras_Reservoir_Arroyo_Hondo_%25282010.12%2529.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSLfuIKAUgkD7dZY3s4uuHJ-3hMOO65aQEdqaFPE_RrG9xNIpzWznfkbSowS3MukhCdz0Vo2fcmCXkYzQNV7rB5jQ-apgowLzCWUKdYyO9PSpYgjgEIsq7z7lelCAd8C-yETponw5x5mNg/s400/Calaveras_Reservoir_Arroyo_Hondo_%25282010.12%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557375949287041906" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Near where the Arroyo Hondo creek enters Calaveras Reservoir, the Alameda Creek Diversion Tunnel (a huge concrete water tunnel buried deep inside the hills) empties into the reservoir.<br /><br />This year... with all the rains, the water flows were at the greatest anyone has ever seen!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxG7Y2YORD6SpE0AqymbQMOyOFmIcshffg0a9kmC62YUiSN3narAgqx5DMAjbXBryfDMPvvG4YLdpbctLM0AQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113290200010248934.post-49542841086375823552010-12-25T14:54:00.000-08:002010-12-25T15:02:54.824-08:00Merry Christmas Day 2010<div style="text-align: center;">Enjoying a wonderful Christmas Day and reflecting on the fantastic birding and photography I experienced in 2010. It was great fun and very rewarding... and looking forward to a super 2011!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">While in the Honduras this fall, I took this photo of a beautiful SCARLET MACAW... and with some Adobe Photoshop fun! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAM3xE4XIFbdGUdo8VZQr3rAzfADzDtUgsaiLc9kDGZFx0mUvXnPVgJtd_me5B-9gFn9_53cJaCGZbZeXYEu5drGg_38z9VwSykQgUMdYXoyNdKemPAi03vpTxeC6LUJM5blWLf7_Rk_6/s1600/Scarlet_Macaw_PAINTING.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAM3xE4XIFbdGUdo8VZQr3rAzfADzDtUgsaiLc9kDGZFx0mUvXnPVgJtd_me5B-9gFn9_53cJaCGZbZeXYEu5drGg_38z9VwSykQgUMdYXoyNdKemPAi03vpTxeC6LUJM5blWLf7_Rk_6/s400/Scarlet_Macaw_PAINTING.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554758782261875522" border="0" /></a>SCARLET MACAW - WATERCOLOR PAINTING<br /></div>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18119626741894898575noreply@blogger.com0