PeregrinePrints - highly irregular quiz !!!!!

It returns! You know the drill... This may be one of my all time fav's...

CONDO!!! Birding update - 13-15 Sep 2014 (Pomarine)

The albino pigeon infestation continues around my place... 

13 Sep - marine forecast said N winds at 20kts. They were WRONG!

1 Surf Scoter - FoF
4 WW Scoter
2 Greater Scaup
12 N. Pintai

2 Common Loons
1 Common-ish Tern
1 Peregrine Falcon (dark juv female)
1 Osprey
1 N. Harrier
1 Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 Bald Eagle
1 Red-tailed Hawk

1 Pomarine Jaeger !!! - first of the fall, in really freakin close to shore (as far as pom's go) - juvenile with the GOEA head pattern
1 Jaeger sp. (distant adult type beast)

1 Cliff Swallow
2 Least Flycatcher
1 Bay-breasted Warbler
1 Yellow-rumped W
1 Nashville W
4 Palm W

Also - Monarch's on the go!!!

Cormorants = amazing lakewatches (when in feeding frenzies) - they brought in the Pomarine! Practically to shore! 

Blue Jay - just chillin @ 150ft

14 Sep - gentle west, to gentle, to NE 15kph! Not bad...

Surf Scoter 5
White-winged Scoter 24
Long-tailed Duck 7
Common Loon 4
Horned Grebe 4
Red-necked Grebe 1
Parasitic Jaeger 1
jaeger sp. 1

Chimney Swift 2
Common Nighthawk 1
Peregrine Falcon 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 12
Magnolia Warbler 1
Bay-breasted Warbler 3
Blackburnian Warbler 1
Yellow Warbler 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler 2

2 Bay-B's!

Nut-sided! - This is what treetop warblers look like from above... 

Sep 15

Parasitic Jaeger - 2

--- great story with the Jaegers... West winds, after sundown - we see several hundred gulls fleeing for their lives - flying towards my building. Turns out it's 2 Parasitic Jaegers having an absolute field day on the masses of gulls that have returned to the lake to roost for the night. I've never seen anything quite like it before...

The white Pigeon is banded! I knew they were up to something... 

Check, check, che, check -check it out!

Wha, wha, what's it all about? -

Townsend Sep 12

The stuff I sent to ebird - not a full species list:

---


Townsend Sewage Lagoons, Haldimand, CA-ON
Sep 12, 2014
Protocol: Incidental
21 species

Canada Goose 120
Wood Duck 5
American Wigeon 4
American Black Duck 4
Mallard 40
Blue-winged Teal 40
Northern Shoveler 50
Green-winged Teal 25
Canvasback 1 long staying male
Redhead 1
Ring-necked Duck 1
Pied-billed Grebe 1
Killdeer 12
Lesser Yellowlegs 1
Ring-billed Gull X
Northern Flicker 1
Tree Swallow 70
Bank Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 100
Savannah Sparrow X
Song Sparrow X

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S19816793

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

---------

Use ebird! It's easy, and allows other people to know what you're seeing (or what conditions are like). 

New stuff headaches

If my last post was any indication, I've got a bunch of new photography-related gear - and the transition hasn't been all that smooth... Some updates:


May - New primary lens (600 F4 upgrade)

May - point & shoot camera dies at Pelee in the rain

June - new point and shoot purchase

July - cell phone gets lost in virgin prairie in SK - gone...

July - new binoculars (vortex razor re-do)

July - new binoculars break (Torngat Mountains rock smash)

July - new Point and shoot camera goes for a swim (Torngat Mountains coldwater stream) - dies

July - "old" DSLR (my primary body) goes for a swim as well at Torngat - dies (3 days after the one above)

August - new laptop purchase - a macbook pro - my first time owning a mac laptop...

August - new camera purchase (new primary DSLR) - which is in an upgraded line from my old body

August - new purchase/lease of Photoshop CC and Lightroom (Lightroom is my first time using the program)

September - new (3rd) Point and shoot camera purchase any day now...

---



So yeah - I haven't had the best luck with gear recently.... And now I'm going through a bit of a struggle getting it all sorted out... It's not a particularly difficult struggle, but I would much rather have no struggle at all as my unedited photos pile up...

The last thing I want is to re-edit some lightning photos for the third or fourth time, trying to figure it out - but here I go...

First bird photo's taken with my new DSLR - a young male Peregrine from (where else) my balcony, a few weeks ago... 

Lightning photos from last weekend

The "master bolt" of the session... 

X-Class Flare!!!

X-class flare yesterday... Go to  solarham.net for details!!!

sunspot 2158 responsible for the blast

Condo Birding Update - Augu 31 to Sept 7 (ADULT Sabine's, Long-tailed J's, more)

31 August  - Hot/Humid/Yuck

1 Northern Harrier
2 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
3 Common Nighthawks


1 September - Hot/Humid/Yuck

1 White-winged Scoter
15 Chimney Swift
300 Barn Swallow
1 Magnolia Warbler
1 Bay-breasted Warbler
1 Blackburnian Warbler
4 Chestnut-sided Warbler
2 Black-throated Blue Warbler
1 Yellow-rumped Warbler
1 Wilson's Warbler
1 Indigo Bunting

The passerine birding was spectacular from the balcony in the morning. 7 freakin species of warblers - from 160ft in the air!  Not much else though... 

3 September - calm, east-ish winds, then turning south and stronger late (I missed most of the morning)

11 Northern Pintail
26 White-winged Scoter
17 Long-tailed Duck
1 Red-throated Loon
3 Common Loon
1 Red-necked Grebe
1 Parasitic Jaeger   -  intermediate juvenile chasing RBGU's - almost over land, right on deck
3 Sabine's Gull     - including an ADULT - I watched all 3 forage on the lake for ~15mins
1 Great Black-backed Gull (ad)
54 Common Terns (large numbers - I stopped counting later, as they were getting in the way)
2 Black-crowned Night-Herons
12 Common Nighthawks - huge number (I feel) - given my position on the lake

Goofball Parasitic

nighthawks!



September 5 - super south winds! Hot/hazy & yuck

2 Northern Shoveller
3 Lesser Scaup
3 Common Loon
15 Common Tern
1 Least Sandpiper
2 Common Nighthawk
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
1 Osprey
1 Peregrine Falcon

I also had an odd tern waaaay the heck out on the lake. Was flying with RBGU and looked slightly slimmer/smaller with an overall white look (but same length wings etc)... Gave an almost BOGU like feel at the distance... I watched it fly into the bay, and went after it - but no dice on finding anything unusual there. What a royal pain!


September 6 - they said north or north west winds. They were WRONG


10 Common Loons
1 Great BBacked Gull
1 Black-bellied Plover
13 Northern Shovels
1 WW Scoter
2 GW Teal
1 Common Merganser (FoF)
2 A Black Ducks
8 Am Wigeon
4 Long-tailed Ducks
8 Common Terns
2 Parasitic Jaegers

Another odd sighting was 3 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 Kestrel and 1 Osprey that all crossed the lake (migrants) together and came ashore near my place. I also noted several high-flying flocks of Mallards and Canada Geese (the first notable movement of the fall that I've seen)


September 7 -  NW winds early, NE winds by mid day. AWESOMENESS ensued!

Even on the NW winds, a feeding frenzy kept the goodies coming.. A shift to NE winds, kept the goodies coming!

176 Common Tern - (SO many!)
3 Little Gull - (three adults TOGETHER inside a Common Tern flock! Insanity for Hamilton)
12 Sabine's Gull  (1 early, 8 (seen twice), then a max of 3 birds in the aft)
3 Parasitic Jaeger
4 Long-tailed Jaeger - (1 sub adult, 2 juv's together and up high - one juv later with 2 paja)
3 Bonaparte's Gulls

1 Common Loon
1 Peregrine Falcon - juv female, black over red band (NE USA bird!)
5 Black-bellied Plover

14 Green-winged Teal
2 Gadwall
1 Am Wigeon
11 White-winged Scoter
6 Long-tailed Duck

LOTS of ducks and geese moving - many Mallards and unID'd ducks seen

What do you think when I say "Hamilton shorebirding"

If you say "OH GOD - PLEASE NO - there are NO shorebird "hotspots" in Hamilton, please don't make me!"

- then you're one smart cookie...


----

I typically avoid Hamilton shorebirding like the plague... Windemere Basin has become my 2nd least favourite birding spot ever,  outside of the tip of Long Point... Although I guess that's an exaggeration - windemere isn't that bad, I just don't like it...

SO - when an odd tern flew past my balcony at GREAT distance, I set forth into the "bay" part of Hamilton to try and relocate it. I didn't find it, but do you know what I did find? SHOREBIRDS!!!


Northshore Islands -

Killdeer, Semi Sands (15?) Least Sands (8?) - not much, but a fun spot. 2 Common Terns were here as well...

Tollgate Ponds !!!! -


2 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS - woot! (on the farrr side, only reason I saw them was because they flushed)
1 WILLET (ongoing rare)
2 Baird's Sandpipers
2 Ruddy Turnstone
1 Sanderling
1 Lesser Yellowlegs
x Least Sand's
x Semi-sands
x Killdeer


Not too shabby at all eh? Onwards! -

Windemere -

1 Black-bellied Plover
10+ Greater Yellowlegs

RAIN!!! Oh god it's pouring! Run! Run for your lives!!!!!

-----

Ok, so this isn't a great post for birding highlights - but I was pretty surprised. Windemere had a lot of birds, but I got soaked and decided to leave without properly scanning. Recent finds (like GLOSSYness) have already proven this place is a hotspot for rares - although the viewing is pretty awful...

Beyond that, I didn't even checkout the redhill pond! Which is another place of former awfulness - due to fearing for ones life as you'd blindly pull out into oncoming on-ramp traffic.. Is it any better now? Can I safely view from somewhere?

Hard to believe, I know, but with a little more effort, I could have pulled 15 shorebird species from a very small area (never mind cootes) - in HAMILTON!

It was pretty exciting... Not sure if/when I'll be around to look again, but I just might...

Where can ya see sludge Willet? Only in Hamilton! Come to Hamilton! We've got sludge Willet! Forget Long Point. Hamilton!!! Hamilton, Hamilton Hamilton... 

The very last of the Pelee photos (from May) - I hope...

This should be it. I'm pretty much done with my photos from this past May at Pelee. Woot!

Scarlet! - http://peregrineprints.com/zz_SCTA.htm

(another wet bird)

Tennessee Warblee - http://peregrineprints.com/zz_TEWA.htm

Yellow-billed Cuck - http://peregrineprints.com/zz_YBCU.htm

(wet!)

Black-billed Cuck - http://peregrineprints.com/zz_BBCU.htm

(wet - and possibly grumpy)

Oreo - http://peregrineprints.com/zz_BAOR.htm

(are you sensing a theme?)

Gray Meowbird - http://peregrineprints.com/zz_GRCA.htm

Nash - http://peregrineprints.com/zz_NAWA.htm

Oh man.. Is that it? I think that might be it. 

Bird Photo Graphs from Pelee! (This past May!)

Almost done editing/sorting from Pelee! About time!

I had forgot how brutal my Red-eyed Vireo collection was until I edited this one. I LIKE it!

http://peregrineprints.com/zz_REVI.htm

Nemisis Orange-crowns! Not the best, but the best I've ever taken:

http://peregrineprints.com/zz_OCWA.htm

(this dude is soaked) 

Myrtle-rumps! - http://peregrineprints.com/zz_MYWA.htm

OROR? - http://peregrineprints.com/zz_OROR.htm

Chestnut-sided Warblerz - http://peregrineprints.com/zz_CSWA.htm

Indy - http://peregrineprints.com/zz_INBU.htm

Should be more to come (a few more) from Pelee - the sorting and editing never ends... 

The sun excites again

I'm using this blog post to once again plug a different website - www.solarham.net !!! I have virtually no knowledge about this stuff, but it's so freakin exciting! See the recent updates below:

Added 09/02/2014 @ 15:25 UTC
Liftoff in Progress
A large filament located in the northern hemisphere is currently in the process of gradually lifting off. More details to follow.

Updated 09/02/2014 @ 11:40 UTC
Solar Update / Farside Flare Party
Good morning. Here is the SolarHam update for Tuesday morning. Earth facing solar activity during the past 24 hours was low. Region 2152 showed intermediate spot growth and now possesses a weak delta structure within the center of the group. This region should continue to be monitored as it is now in an Earth facing geoeffective position. All other visible regions, including departing sunspot 2149, are currently stable.

In sharp contrast to the Earth side of the sun, the farside seen at least three moderate to major solar flares on Monday. The strongest event took place Monday morning around a new sunspot still a few days away behind the northeast limb. A bright, fast moving and energetic coronal mass ejection (CME) was produced and directed away from Earth. Old region 2144, now about 24 hours away from returning into view off the southeast limb, produced a moderate to strong solar flare at approximately 16:15 UTC and was also responsible for a non Earth directed CME. A third event, what could possibly have been an X-Class solar flare, was observed at 22:15 UTC from a new region located just to the northeast of 2144. Yet another CME was produced and directed away from Earth. Proton levels streaming past Earth are currently at elevated levels and is likely associated with the activity from just behind the east limb.

There will remain a chance for minor C-Class solar flares and perhaps an increasing chance for an isolated moderate M-Class event. Solar flare risks could again increase once farsided regions begin to rotate onto the visible disk this week.

Added 09/02/2014 @ 02:25 UTC
Major Farsided Solar Flare
A major solar flare, possibly X-Class, was observed this morning behind the east limb. Attached imagery below by STEREO Behind captures the bright flash of the eruption beginning at 11:05 UTC. This event was associated with a Type II Radio Emission with an estimated velocity of 2079 km/s. A bright coronal mass ejection (CME) is now visible in the latest STEREO Behind COR2 coronagraph imagery. The event also looks to be very energetic as particles are now bombarding the spacecraft and creating noise in the latest imagery. We will get a better look at the source region later this week when it begins to rotate into view. Click HEREfor a video.

UPDATE: Additional solar flares are being observed behind the east limb, this time around old sunspot 2144. A number of coronal mass ejections are visible in the latest coronagraph imagery. We should begin to see the returning region within the next 24-48 hours. Stay tuned.

What do these graphs even mean!? It looks like the earth is under fire! -

Check it out! - www.solarham.net

Also - Black-throated Gray Warbler ID'd in flight in New Jersey - freakin awesome stuff:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/35435397@N08/15074125192/in/pool-ebird

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S19604990

Condo Birding Update - 25-30 August 2014 (Long-tailed & Parasitic Jaegers, Sabine's, Black Tern, Peregrine)

What a great time of year!

25 August (before work) - calm...

5 Common Loon
30 Long-tailed Duck
1 Belted Kingfisher
22 Common Terns (18 in a "migrant flock")
2 Green-winged Teal

27 August

2 Common Loons (I wasn't really home)


28 August - take it away, ebird! (great evening) -blogg

Mallard 20
Green-winged Teal 5
White-winged Scoter 17
Long-tailed Duck 27
Common Loon 2
Cooper's Hawk 1
Long-tailed Jaeger 1 int. juvenile seen for ~7-8 minutes, classic in every way (lemon hindcollar, reduced white flash, white on upperside of primaries limited to extreme edge of wing, gentle flight, only chased Common Terns during entire observation (and only limited chasing), etc etc etc. Close enough to be ID'd with binoculars (but observed with scope)
Sabine's Gull 1 juvenile seen well - bold brownish/black/white pattern on wings (triagular) - small gull (size of BOGU)
Bonaparte's Gull 2
Black Tern 1 non-breeding (juv?) garb inside flock of 30+ Common Terns - seen well through scope for 2 mins. Noticably smaller than COTE with dusky slate colour overall.
Common Tern 70 - very large numbers, in "migrant flocks" - probably over 100 around

Great day! Long-tailed Jaeger, Sabine's Gull and Black Tern! All after work! 

29 August - thanks ebird! - take it away: 

American Black Duck 2
Green-winged Teal 18
White-winged Scoter 12
Long-tailed Duck 20
Common Loon 3
Osprey 4
Parasitic Jaeger 1    -   light morph adult around 5pm

Long-tailed Jaeger 1    -   One of the most stunning Jaeger's I've seen in Ontario. Adult with full tail streamers (8+ inches?), extensive dusky gray belly, cold gray tones to upperside with "two toned" blackish flight feathers vs. gray body feathers. Observed for over 5 minutes as it lazily flew westwards at roughly 200ft above the water (practically eye level for me)

Sabine's Gull 1    -   juvenile
Bonaparte's Gull 5
Lesser Black-backed Gull 3    -   all born this summer.
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Common Tern 5

1 Magnolia Warbler
1 Wilson's Warbler
1 Bay-breasted Warbler    -   (new for my condo itself / # 176) 

Had watched all day and it felt rather slow, other than that insane Jaeger! What a bird!!!


August 30th - calm early, blistering SW in the afternoon

2 Great Black-backed Gulls (1 an adult! Haven't seen one of those for a few months round here)
2 Osprey
2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (both juvies, one may have been the same as yest)
1 Great Egret
1 Merlin
1 Peregrine Falcon (unbanded juvenile male)

2 "strange" sightings as well.

#1 was a Common Spreadwing (odonata) ended up INSIDE my condo! On the 17th floor!

#2 was a PURE flock of EIGHTEEN albino Pigeons!!! They raced along the lake (going west) and weren't seen again. I'm guessing they were released at a wedding (or something?) nearby, but who knows...


More to come!