Bird
List
2016 celebrate birding 10 year anniversary
2015 (8/14-): Curacao / HK
2015 (Jan-8/8) log:
South Carolina / Seattle
2014 log: Jamaica
/ Canadian Rockies / Curacao
2013 log (New
Orleans, Costa Maya, Belize City, Roatan, & Cozumel,
HK)
2012
(after Hurricane Sandy) log
2012 (Jul-before Hurricane
Sandy) log (Netherlands, UK, Scotland, Norway,
Denmark) (birdList.b4_split2_b_and_c.htm)
2012 (Jan-Jun) log (Costa
Rica)
2011 log (HK,
Punta Cana)
2010 log (
1. Mar. Caribbean Cruise : Fort Lauderdale / Cozumel, Mexico ; 2. Nov.
Caribbean Cruise : Puerto Rico / Half Moon Cay )
2009 log (Las
Vegas; HK, Mainland China and Taiwan)
2008 log (South
Caribbean Cruise - Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Grenada, Bonaire
& Aruba; Toronto;
Palm Beach, Florida)
Photo
and Video @ Punta Cana
pic01.htm
others HK trips
Note
on Dragonfly and Damselfly
my insect spider list
Macro
butterflyMoth.htm
frog
kissena_rare_encounter.htm
Postings of NY Birding List
Favorites
in 2013
Favorites in 2012
Favorites in 2011
Bees
Wasps Cricket
myInventory
myNationalPark.htm
Costa Rica info
Costa Rica, 2012 - Photo
costa_rica_mybirdlist.htm
Birding in Shetland Islands
Norway cruise
pc_stuff.htm
Google Voice t-mobile
(6/2014) 多部未华子
Don't vote Senator Gillibrand in 11/2018!
cull_CanadaGeese_at_JBWR.htm
samsung_s3600.note01.htm
smart_phone.htm
http://www.nycgovparks.org/news/notices
Biblical_problems_caused_by_translation.htm translation
resource
how_can_i_make_a_very_sharp_phot.htm
flash_wont_sync_in_slave_mode.htm
Camera/Camcorder for birding
cam4underwater
infrared_photography.htm
comet_PANSTARRS.htm
Jamaica_bird.htm
2015plus_jamaica_trips.htm
Glacier
Hay fever
Glacier & Canadian
Rockies Curacao-1
Curacao-2 Bermuda
Cancun
South Carolina
Seattle
Lead Adventures 3-Week Galapagos
program -
doc
Quito - Monastery of San Francisco -
pic1 quito.htm
List of whale and dolphin species
List of
birds of HK
全膝關節置換術 (TKA)
Vanessa's Delights Omega-3
Mix contains Omega-3 Fortified Cranberries, Roasted Almonds, Walnuts,
Pecans, Raw Pistachios, and Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds). Other brands:
thenutbox.com
(has retail stores in NYC)
Labor Day weekend -
Rockaway Beach (1Beach
59th St.) ; Sep. - Gulls feeding on ant swarms
Summer (August) is a good time to visit Rockefeller State Park, Valhalla, NY
- at the lake/pond, many dragonflies & damselflies.
Winter
birding in NYC
late Feb / early March: Ring-billed Gulls,
when they have shed their streaky winter plumage and have gleaming white
feathers, a bright orange orbital ring and a bright orange gape, are pretty
dang-dooddilly-delightful.
src
may be also for other gulls (e.g., Great Black-backed
Gull - <1>
on 2/18/2012)
Early Spring, May: look for
Fragile
Forktail (Ischnura posita), Eastern
Forktail & other dragonflies/damselflies emerges from its
nympahal skin (exuvia) to commence the aerial portion of its life.
src
ebird bird account
2012 up to 5/8
detailed
map of East Pond Mirror
excellent information on Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge -
http://www.nycaudubon.org/queens-birding/jamaica-bay-wildlife-refuge
Oceanside: Peregrine Falcon & Swallows fledging (late May /early
June), Osprey fledging (June), dragonflies (July), Clapper Rail babies
(July?)
http://mnsa.info/cam/Cam.htm
"3/31/2013 - Queens, New York City: I visited Breezy Point today to do
some spring shorebird reconnaissance and had the following notables:
Piping plover (3), eastern phoebes (2), my first-of-the-season American
oystercatchers (17), sanderling (240), and dunlins (3). In a first for me
at Breezy Tip, I had
killdeer
(5) roaming around where there used to be dunes. Out on the ocean, a
handful of northern gannets were seen, all adults. No massive staging of
waterfowl, with only a smattering of long-tailed ducks." -
Andrew Baksh src
QCC
Nature-on-Campus BLOG : 2015 February 16 ... Pelham Bay Park
(Bronx, NY) "Superb Owl" walk led by David Burg. The walk was on, you
guessed it, Super Bowl Sunday. ....; 2. Great Horned Owl in tree cavity; 3.
a second Great Horned Owl in the distance; 4. a Killdeer on the beach ...
Good and bad in 2015:
Good -
- Great movie/video impacted me: A Stitch of Life 裁縫師的美麗人生 (2015)
| 東方快車謀殺案 (1/2015) | Dawn Of The Planet of The Apes (2014; so not really
in 2015)
- Saw Killdeer & Cedar Waxwing.
- Visited JBWR 14 times
- Bought Panasonic DMC-TS30K LUMIX Active Lifestyle Tough
Camera ($99) during Christmas
- 12.8 ounces + battery weight
- Supported Battery Types:
Panasonic DMW-BCK7 -
ebay
Two Halcyon 1200 mAH Lithium Ion Replacement
Battery and Charger Kit -
Amazon ($16.99 & FREE Shipping)
-
Mudder Waterproof Camera Float Neck Shoulder Strap (so may not for swimming & snorkeling)
-
Amazon ($9.99 & FREE Shipping
on orders over $35)
- Olympus Foam Float Strap, 202212, Red -
Amazon ($12.49 & FREE Shipping
on orders over $35)
Bad -
- Less physical exercise. Not much improvement.
- No Meadowlark.
- Did not visit Breezy Point; no progress. Next year should go to
get 1-day pass to there in summer.
- Did not visit Queens County Farm
Museum. 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park, New York
11004-1129 (718) 347-3276
Direction:
Grand Central Parkway East to Exit 24 (Little Neck Parkway)
make right onto Little Neck Parkway and drive 3 blocks to
Museum or Long Island Expressway East to Exit 32
(Little Neck Parkway) make right onto Little Neck Parkway and
drive 1 ½ miles to Museum. |
Grounds open daily, 10 am - 5 pm year-round.
Adriance Farmhouse Tour: Sat & Sun, 11-4
- Not processing the pictures taken. Only transfer to hard drive
without further action.
Favorite
photo -
11/11 - 灰喜鵲 (Azure-winged Magpie, Cyanopica
cyanus = Cyanopica cyana)
- HDR
10/31 - Yellow-rumped Warbler - <1>
10/24 - Hermit Thrush - <1> <2>
9/29-10/6 - Venezuelan Troupial - <1> <2> (close
up)
9/5 - Greater Yellowlegs - <1> <2>
8/15
- Twelve-spotted Skimmer - <1>
etc.
-
History of Camera:
2002 200萬
2006 710萬
2009 1200萬
2011 1600萬 無反 (GH2)
Olympus E-PL1
Redmi Note 2
2015 Christmas Panasonic DMC-TS30K
12/27/2015 (Sun)
12/26/2015 (Sat) pm
Kissena Park
Red-tailed Hawk catches a squirrel; a yummy meal; at the end, the (adult?)
hawk swallows the last big piece of the carcass.
Photo:
Red-tailed Hawk - <1>
12/25/2015 (Fri)
Valhalla
Panasonic TS30 / GH2
A wonderful Christmas family day -
Album (test drive of
the new Panasonic TS30)
12/24/2015 (Thu) Christmas Eve, at 4:45am 61F; predict to have 70F at
3pm. Hot!
-
The forecast low in New York City (Central Park) on Christmas Eve in the low 60s would
match its record high of 63 from 1996. By the afternoon, it should reach
the low 70s, shattering the record by ten degrees. ...
The warmth is indirectly linked to the very
strong El Nino event in which heat from abnormally warm waters in the
tropical Pacific is infused into weather patterns over North America.
In this case, the
flow of air around high pressure centered over Bermuda is pumping
deep tropical air straight up the East Coast.
The El Nino event along with sustained climate warming from greenhouse
gas emissions will result in 2015 becoming the warmest on record
globally by a large margin.
src
12/19/2015 (Sat) am, cold like winter but sunny
Kissena (Corridor) Park
Robins, many, are still here. Finally one Hooded Merganser.
Better late than never. No Northern Shoveler. Goldfinches.
Afternoon: at Emily Fong home, seeing many Juncos and Mourning Doves.
12/12/2015 (Sat) am / pm after Dim Sum, warm (60F; highest will be 64F in
the afternoon)
Kissena Park & JBWR (14th visit this year) / Kissena Park
My Mallard Day.
JBWR Visiting Center opening hour in winter: Wed-Sun 10-4.
am Kissena Park: Northern Shoveler (1 pair). Frog.
am JBWR: Hooded Merganser (1 pair). Green-winged Teal (a few).
American Black Duck (1 pair). Coot (a lot). Ducks and Geese in
thousands. A large flock of Starlings on power lines (or utility pole
wire). Robin (1). Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1). People saw
Meadowhawk (dragonfly) & Buckeye in early December.
pm Kissena Park:
(1) A male Mallard is busy to defend off other males from a
female.
(2) A energetic small young female Mallard dives into the water
many times while another small young male is watching at her. The
water is not deep so even 2 Canada Geese can reach the bottom by
dabbing. The 2 Mallards may be of first winter. After a while,
the young male decides to try. After a couple of attempts, he did it
though he cannot stay in the water as long as the female.
(3) Northern Shoveler (1 pair) still here.
(4) Cricket(s) still not give it up.
Photo:
Mallard - bathing, raising up in the water, and
flapping its wings - <1>
<2>
Green-winged Teal - <1-w640>
<1-w1024>
Note:
(1)
December
Possibilities? (Posted
on December
1, 2015 ) - Were we spoiled by
November’s unseasonably warm weather in South Jersey — with so many daily
temperatures of 60+? We recorded 23 species for the month: black
swallowtail, spicebush swallowtail, cabbage white, clouded sulphur, orange
sulphur, cloudless sulphur, eastern tailed-blue, gray hairstreak, American
copper, pearl crescent, variegated fritillary, question mark, eastern comma,
mourning cloak, American lady, painted lady, common buckeye, red admiral,
monarch, common checkered skipper, fiery skipper, sachem, and Ocola
skipper. ... Over our seven years of logging, 2008-2014, we have
recorded fourteen species flying in December, although none has made it
every year. In fact, in 2010 winter freeze set in early and we did not log a
single butterfly of any species that December. ... Orange sulphur seems the
most reliable late flyer — with December records for all years except 2010
and a latest-ever date of 12-31-11. The next-most reliable species are
common buckeye, red admiral, American lady, and monarch which have each
appeared in five of our seven Decembers. ...
(2) Autumn Meadowhawks (Sympetrum vicinum) are a particularly hardy
species and in past years I have observed these tiny red beauties into
December.
Alexandria VA,
November 23, 2015
src
(3)
... did you ever notice that a bathing Mallard always ends by sitting up
in the water, flapping its wings, bending forward, and shaking its tail in
the air, often dipping its bill into the water? ...
Displays like this are often used to communicate with other birds.
src
(4)
Mallards have a huge variety of displays that can be fascinating to watch
and decipher. Most displays are ritualized versions of common motions:
males may face off with a head-bob, threaten an aggressor with an open
bill, or push against each other, breast to breast. Paired males defend
their territories with vigorous acrobatic chases. Males court females by
shaking or flicking the head side to side, looking over their shoulder, or
raising up in the water and flapping their wings. Several males often
gather around a female to display. A female encourages a male by nodding
her head back and forth or paddling with her head held low. src
(5) Mallard
Ducks Diving For Food:
... has only in recent years observed them diving for food. Other species
of ducks also seemingly adapted to a changing environment by diving for
food -- such as the Spot-billed Ducks.
Lack of traditional food sources may be the cause of this new feeding
behavior. They may also have learned and watched from diving ducks.
Mallard ducks in the Chitose River next to the Chitose Salmon Aquarium
were also seen diving for food. They appeared to be eating salmon eggs -
which are not usually part of their traditional diet. Following is the
relevant article: Mystery
as non-diving mallard ducks start searching for food underwater.
And also the video.
(6) "I have seen [Mallard] ducklings diving completely underwater
(and staying down for fifteen seconds) ..." "I once watched four
Mallard ducklings repeatedly diving straight down through four feet of clear
water to scavenge a carp carcass on the bottom. Jericho Park, Vancouver
Canada."
10000birds.com
(7)
Insect winter ecology -
wiki
si.edu
colostate.edu
- the best known insect migration is that of the monarch butterfly.
- Hibernation
as Adults. Many
insects hibernate as adults.
Lady bird beetles
are a well-known example, and are sometimes seen in great numbers in the
fall as they congregate at high elevations. Many large
wasps
seek shelter in the eaves and attics of houses or barns. Tree holes, leaf
litter, and under logs and rocks are common shelters for overwintering
adult insects. The
Mourning Cloak Butterfly
is usually the first butterfly that is noticed in the Spring, and this is
because it hibernates in tree holes or other shelters during the winter.
As in some insect larvae, it reduces the water content of its body, and
builds up glycerol which acts as an antifreeze.
Honey bees
stay in hives during the winter, and form clusters when temperatures fall.
They also are able to raise the temperature by vibrating wing muscles.
(8) Dragonfly Swarms, Wisconsin (2010) By The
BugLady: It’s been a remarkable year for dragonflies in southeastern
Wisconsin. They made the print and television news in early August, when
green darners, appearing in huge swarms ...
Some of our green darners migrate here, ushering in the dragonfly season
during the early days of spring. These migrants, nearing the end of their
journey both geographically and cosmically, lay eggs in the warming waters
and soon die.
Their eggs hatch into young called naiads (稚蟲 , i.e., 蜻蜓 若蟲), which spend
the summer under water, preying on their fellow aquatic invertebrates
(including quantities of equally aquatic mosquito larvae). The naiads
emerge as adults in late summer and migrate south in fall, and their
offspring will make the return journey to Wisconsin the following spring.
Another population of green darners is home-grown, and their watches are
not synchronized with those of the migrants. Naiads of the resident green
darners spend the winter under the ice, feeding in slow motion on small
critters in the frigid water. They emerge in early summer, replacing the
dying adults of the migrating population, and they lay their eggs by mid
summer.
...
Unusually large summer dragonfly swarms were not unique to Wisconsin on
2010. The phenomenon was reported from Iowa to Vermont to Florida, and
points in between, with green darners a major player in most accounts and
with local experts offering a variety of explanations and assuring their
audiences that dragonflies are harmless to people, pets and livestock. In
general, weather gets the credit for producing huge numbers of insects.
There was an early, deep, insulating snowfall here before the wetlands
froze, which was favorable for the naiads and their prey. There was an
early spring – it got warm and it stayed warm, favoring abundant food for
growing naiads. July was hot and wet, and the rain filled low lying areas,
creating impromptu, fish-free nurseries for aquatic insects. The adult
dragonflies emerged a bit early, simultaneously with an explosion of
dragonfly food.
So, what were all those dragonflies doing up there? An aquatic
entomologist who blogs under the name of “ Dragonfly Woman ” is collecting
reports of dragonfly swarms (she invites people to send their observations
to her website at http://dragonflywoman.wordpress.com/).
She writes that where last year she was getting 30 hits per week on her
swarm pages, this year she is getting 500 hits. Dragonfly Woman divides
swarming behavior into low-altitude, static (mostly feeding) swarms and
high-altitude migratory swarms. Static swarms tend to be localized, with
groups of dragonflies of several species circling or flying in
figure-eights, no higher than about 20 feet off the ground. Static swarms
happen in mid-summer. If you look closely, you might see their small prey
just above the grass-tops. If there are lots of small static swarms, they
may be part of a larger super-swarm.
Dragonfly Woman describes migratory swarms as fast-moving "rivers of
hundreds of thousands of dragonflies all flying in a single direction and
covering large distances." There may be several species present, but one
species dominates. Only about a dozen of the 400 or so dragonfly species
in North America migrate; the rest live and die near their natal wetlands.
The same species that form migratory swarms are found in static swarms.
Scientists who study dragonfly migration find that dragonflies and birds
are on the same page. Tiny tracking devices that were glued to the
abdomens of green darners allowed the dragonflies to be tracked by air. It
was discovered that like birds, dragonflies use weather fronts to initiate
migration and will take advantage of a tail wind associated with a cold
front (but both avoid really windy days). Both will alternate flying and
resting days, and both follow visual landmarks. The cool weather in the
first week of September got both the dragonflies and monarch butterflies
started.
src
(9) So look like Green Darner adults which migrate to south in the onset
of winter do not live through the winter in their wintering grounds like
Monarch. They lay eggs in the wintering ground and die.
info-1
(10)
What you’re seeing is a flocking behavior called “staging,” which happens
in bird migration. Flocking offers birds protection from predators, and
sitting close together, or staging, does, too. While they might not be
actively migrating at the time you see them, their instinctually exhibit
migratory behaviors.
It is quite likely the swarming birds you’re seeing are European Starlings
at this time of year. Or, they could be grackles or a mix of species, such
as European Starlings, grackles, and Brown-headed Cowbirds.
(11) I saw hundreds of birds land on a telephone line and it seemed all were
facing in the same direction. Is anyone aware of a reason why?
Scientists believe the main reason that birds face the same way on a wire is
due to the direction of the wind. Birds have an easier time taking off and
landing facing the wind.
src
12/5/2015 (Sat) am / pm after Dim Sum, sunny & warm
Kissena (Corridor) Park
am: There are many Robins. They are still here. Ring-necked
Duck, male (1). Cricket (heard but just one). Finch-like
birds: probably House Finch.
pm: Ring-necked Duck still here.
Photo:
Ring-necked Duck -
11/28/2015 (Sat) am / around noontime after Dim Sum, cloudy but warm
Kissena (Corridor) Park
am:
A lot of Robins are still here. Goldfinches, many.
Kinglet. Woodpecker. Sparrows (White-throated, Song).
Cardinals, many. Mockingbird. Blue Jay, heard. Starlings,
many. Mourning Doves, many. Mallards, many: males are all in
their most beautiful breeding plumage. Frog (1).
Gulls (2-3). No Hooded Merganser [FOS record: 12/3/2011,
11/12/2012 (Mon) and 11/8/2014 (Sat) ]. No Shoveler.
noon: More Ring-billed Gulls [FOS record: 11/15/2014 (Sat)]. And
crickets are still here broadcasting their love message.
Photo:
Goldfinch
11/4 (Wed) - 11/24 (Tue)
HK
11/3 (Tue) CX 0841 9am [hk time is 10pm]
11/5 (Thu) Nam Long Shan 南朗山
11/6 (Fri) Kowloon Park - 褐翅鴉鵑
11/6 (Fri) 骨
科醫生
苗
延舜 -
俊匯專科醫療中心 九龍尖沙咀彌敦道26號東企業廣場26樓 預約電話:26841000
11/6 (Fri) CMS 40 of
1975 : 益新美食館 - 灣仔軒尼斯道48-62號上海實業大廈地庫 -
Picasa
11/7 (Sat) Morning - 尖鼻咀 birdwatching :
集合地點:天水圍天澤商場,面對輕鐵天逸站的門口; direction: MTR 中環/香港 >南昌>元朗 > 輕鐵 761P >
天逸
11/7 (Sat) early
afternoon - 元朗南生圍
11/7 (Sun) Church. Bought TV (HK$ 2990)
for mom from Fortress Store.
11/8 (Mon) Meet Ruth & Dr. Chow
11/10 (Tue) Disneyland - Picasa
11/11 (Wed) 集成中心 (C C Wu Building) -
軒尼詩道302~308號 (next to 298 Computer Center) - 灰喜鵲 白頸鴉 褐翅鴉鵑
11/11 (Wed) 米埔 / 塱原濕地
(Long Valley Wetland)
11/12 (Thu) Meet Bessie Lau & Jeff Ho
11/13 (Fri) Ping Pong - starting from
P1850708.JPG / 長洲 [first Fri evening after lunar calendar Oct. 2]
11/14 (Sat) 屯門公園 / 九龍寨城公園 (Kowloon Walled
City Park) -
fb-Hoopoe3
Hoopoe-3
Hoopoe-2
Hoopoe-1
雖然今次香港之旅只過了一半,但心感不枉此行。有很多第一次: 踏足 Disneyland, 體驗4D影音, 觀賞及拍到戴勝(Hoopoe) ,
朱背啄花鳥(Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker)及其他 -
fb
11/15 (Sun)
11/16 (Mon) Visit medical doctor at
Causeway Bay ($197)
11/17 (Tue) 紅咀藍鵲 (Red-billed Blue Magpie)
11/18 (Wed)
11/19 (Thu)
11/20 (Fri)
11/21 (Sat) 香港公園 觀鳥園(Edward Youde Aviary)
紅咀相思 (Red-billed Leiothrix)
11/22 (Sun) 6pm 城景國際 樂雅軒
11/23 (Mon) Fresh Modern Kitchen,
中環荷李活道56號中發大廈地下C舖
11/24 (Tue) Nam Long Shan 南朗山
Photo:
紅咀相思 (Red-billed Leiothrix) - <1>
爪哇禾雀 (Java sparrow) -
长冠八哥 (Bali Myna) -
冠鸠 -
灰喜鵲 (Azure-winged Magpie,
Cyanopica cyanus = Cyanopica cyana) - <1>
<2>
(HDR)
Note:
(1) Bus 75: The first bus from Shum Wan:
Mon - Fri 05:10am -
06:10am - every 15 min
Sat 05:10am - 06:40am
- every 15 min
Sun 05:10am - 07:40am
- every 14~16 min
http://www.nwstbus.com.hk/routesearch.aspx?t=1446759047610&intLangID=2
http://www.nwstbus.com.hk/pda/routeinfo.aspx?intLangID=1&searchtype=1&routenumber=75&route=75&routetype=D&company=5
10/31/2015 (Sat) am
Kissena (Corridor) Park
Rudy-crowned Kinglets still here. Yellow-rumped Warbler. Junco.
Goldfinches. Flycatcher? RWBB. Sparrows (White-throated,
Song, House). Cricket (heard but just a few).
Photo:
Yellow-rumped Warbler - <1>
<2>
<3>
Goldfinch - <1>
Rudy-crowned Kinglet -
Note about Robin:
Q. How
do robins prepare for winter?
A. In October they start
seriously adding down feathers to improve their insulation for winter.
Also, summer food supplies have diminished; there are still plenty of
berries around to eat, but robins get seriously on the move in search of
plentiful food supplies for the coming winter. They start seriously
moving in October. Back on October 1, 1988, birdwatchers counted over
60,000 robins migrating over Duluth in northern Minnesota, so that's
serious migration. But in fall and winter, robins don't stay in a single
spot for long — they wander about searching for new sources of
still-fresh fruits.
Q. Why
do robins molt just before they are about to migrate south?
A. They
molt so they will have fresh feathers for their flight. These fresh
feathers will also be very good for insulating them from the winter
cold. Robins start molting their flight feathers in mid-June, and have
finished molting them by early September. They molt their body feathers
from late July into October. One by one, each feather is pushed out by a
new one. Most feathers last for a whole year. If a feather gets pulled
out when the robin isn't molting, that feather gets replaced fairly
quickly.
src
10/24/2015 (Sat) 10:30-12:30, cloudy
Kissena (Corridor) Park
Rudy-crowned Kinglet (1). Goldfinch (2+). Pheasant (3 M + 1
F). Flycatcher, probably Phoebe. Hawk, not Kestrel nor
Red-tailed; look like male Northern Harrier or Accipiter (Sharp-shinned or
Cooper's Hawk). Hermit Thrush. Female RWBB. Sparrows
(White-throated, Song, House). Wasp (1). Cricket (many).
Photo:
Hermit Thrush -
<1>
<2>
Color
of Fall
(c.f. 11/15/2014)
10/17/2015 (Sat) am, sunny but cold like winter
Kissena Park
Rudy-crowned Kinglet still there.
10/12/2015 (Mon) afternoon after lunch, sunny
Kissena Park
Rudy-crowned Kinglet. Yellow-rumped Warbler? Unknown Warbler.
Photo:
Rudy-crowned Kinglet -
Yellow-rumped Warbler / Unknown Warbler -
10/10/2015 (Sat) afternoon, sunny
Westchester - 墓園墳場
Clipping Sparrow (a flock). Blue Jay. Mockingbird.
9/29/2015 - 10/6/2015
Curacao, Netherlands
Antilles
- note
facebook
Marriott Beach Resort house reef:
incirrate octopus.
Shete Boka National Park:
Map
Boka
Pistol - <1a>
<1b>
Jaanchies:
Willemstad downtown:
Sea Aquarium:
Playa Lagun:
Photo:
Venezuelan Troupial -
<1>
<2> (close up)
Trupial Kacho, a Yellow Oriole - <1>
Black-faced Grassquit (Tiaris bicolor sharpei)
[info-1]
- <1> (female
or juvenile)
Frigatebird
Bananaquit
hermit crab - <1>
baby Iguana
lizard
Note:
(1)
incirrate octopus species are found in reefs and other shallower seafloor
habitats. wiki
(2) [added on 8/2016] we did not go to Kleine Knip (Knip Beach / Playa
Chichi) - clearest
bluest waters in the world (clear, warm and calm waters)
This is one of the larger/largest beaches (200-300 m) and it is very
popular with locals on weekends to the point where parking was very
difficult and spilling out onto the road....very busy. Note that while
this beach is called Kleine Knip on this TripAdvisor posting and Knip on
the map, the large busy beach people are reviewing is called Knip Playa
Abou on the road signs (not to be confused with Cas Abou which is
considerably further south of here). And on the road in, there is an
earlier turnoff to a separate smaller uncrowded beach where there is good
snorkeling along the rocks on both sides; this beach is listed as Klein
Knip on local map but referred to as Playa Chichi on road signs.
tripadvisor
9/27/2015 (Sun) Super Moon Eclipse
9/26/2015 (Sat) morning, sunny
JBWR
Big John's: Northern Flicker (2).
East Pond: Peregrine Falcon. Belted Kingfisher, male.
Damselfly.
West: Black-crowned Night Heron (many). Osprey. Great Blue
Heron. Boat-tailed (or Common?) Grackle on the treetop calling.
Photo:
Peregrine Falcon -
9/19/2015 (Sat) morning / afternoon after Dim Sum, sunny
JBWR / Kissena Park
Big John's: Cardinal. Brown Thrasher (3). Common
Yellowthroat. Yellow-rumped Warbler. Catbird. Mourning
Dove. Waterthrush.
East Pond: Swan, a lot. Glimpse one
Katydid (bush cricket).
West: see a small bird with a special call; probably NOT Red-eyed
Vireo? heard Towhee.
Damselfly, many.
Kissena: no hummingbird.
Photo:
Cricket (inside Men's Room) -
Waterthrush -
Note:
Find out I can park my car inside Floyd Bennett Field & get 1-day permit
for free to Breezy Point.
9/16/2015 (Wed) pm, sunny (80+°C)
Kissena Corridor Park /
Kissena Park
Hummingbirds. Waterthrush. Pheasant. Frog Tadpoles (3),
with body length of almost 1/2 inch.
Wasps (many species). Flower Fly (black, a bee mimic).
Grasshopper. Skipper (a small one and it seems new to me,
probably Common Checkered-Skipper or White Checkered-Skipper) and other
butterflies. Female Amberwing. Cicadas heard.
Photo:
Hummingbird
Pheasant
Amberwing, female
Amberwing, male
Skipper -
<1>
Grasshopper
Wasp
Flower Fly -
<1>
<2>
<3>
<4>
Tadpole
Note:
(1) Bullfrog Tadpoles -
Bullfrog tadpoles, known scientifically as Rane
Catesbeiana,
are native to eastern North America and can be found as far north as
Canada and as far south as Florida.
Tadpoles are as easy to spot as their much larger parents. While much
larger than tadpoles of other frog species (they range up to a sizable 15
centimeters in length), they tend to sport the very same coloration of
their parents – skin that is very dark green, almost black to the human
eye.
The Bullfrog tadpole’s appearance is distinct and one of the reasons why
it is easy to spot (its color is another reason). The tadpole has an
arrowhead-shaped body with a dorsal fin that actually begins behind its
body. And while it is small in size compared to adult Bullfrogs, the
Bullfrog tadpole is actually quite large compared to adult frogs of other
species.
Additionally, Bullfrog tadpoles mature much more slowly than tadpoles of
other species. While the tadpoles of competing species may complete
metamorphosis in as little as just a few short months, Bullfrog tadpoles
can remain in the same state for as long as one to two years before they
actually become adult frogs.
src
(2) Bullfrogs
in supermarket in Shanghai
(3) Tadpoles
- images of Northern Green Frog (Rana clamitans), American Bullfrog
(Rana catesbeiana) & other frogs.
(11) Bee Mimics:
Flies
are one of the most common bee mimics in Illinois, and often very well
disguised. Even so, there are two simple ways to tell a fly mimic from a
bee. First, look at the wings: bees have four
wings,
but flies have two
wings.
Second, look at the antennae: bees have elbowed antennae, while many flies
have short, stubby, or hair-thin antennae. If you can't see the antennae,
you're probably looking at a fly.
Drone
flies, or hover
flies, look and sound very similar to bees. When flying, their wings
and antennae can be very difficult to observe - but their behavior will be
very different from a bee. These flies hover and move erratically; bees
generally move slowly from flower to flower, and do not hover in one
place.
(12) Mimicry
in hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae): a field test of the competitive
mimicry hypothesis -
Although most studies on the evolution of mimicry and warning coloration
in insects have considered predators as the major selective force, it is
possible that competition for food resources could also facilitate
selection for these conspicuous signals. For example, when warningly
colored social wasps visit flowers, then they frequently behave
aggressively toward heterospecifics, and they also attack and feed on
other flying insects. Under these conditions, a resemblance to a wasp
might provide a mimetic hoverfly with improved access to floral resources
by reducing the frequency with which it is disturbed by other pollinators.
We experimentally evaluated whether wasp-like colors and patterns were
important in preventing other flower visitors from sharing the same flower
resource, using pairwise presentations of both natural and artificial prey
in the field. Flower visitors were more likely to visit unoccupied flowers
compared with the flowers pinned with either natural or artificial
specimens in 2 plant species with different inflorescences. However,
flower visitors did not show a significantly reduced rate of visitation to
flowers pinned with specimens bearing wasp-like colors and patterns
compared with the flowers occupied by similar-sized specimens that were
nonmimetic. Overall, we found no compelling evidence in this study to
support the contention that wasp-like warning signals of hoverflies
prevent other flower visitors from sharing flower resources, although
insects showed a greater tendency to avoid visiting flowers pinned with a
wasp compared with flowers pinned with a nonmimetic fly.
(13) Picture found on Web:
Wasp
mimicking hoverfly (Conopidae)
(14) Wasp-mimicking
fly - Physocephala tibialis
:
mimicking the constricted waist that is supposedly one of the diagnostic
characters of Hymenoptera (wasp-waist).
(15) Two
kinds of bee mimics -
a. syrphid/flower/hover fly: they eat nectar and/or
pollen; pollinators; they do not bite or sting, although they may land
on you because they like the taste of your sweat. Some people mistakenly
call these little flies "Sweat bees", which is actually a family of bees
(Halictidae). *Remember: flower fly is not sweat bee.
Bombyliid
flies too. They have exceptionally long proboscises, which they use
for probing flowers for nectar. They are fairly adorable, as far as flies
go; essentially they are little round fuzzy balls. Maybe, just maybe, they
are my favorite representative of that sometimes despicable (read:
mosquitoes) order of Diptera. More on wiki.
b. mimics bees for a different purpose: to eat them! By perfectly imitating
a bee, a predator can sneak up on a bee. The Asilid (Robber flies) family of
flies is one example.
Another example -
Ornate
Sniper Fly (Chrysopilus ornatus)? Does this species in
particular specialize on bees?
This species of the family
Rhagionidae is found over most of the northeastern U.S. and adjacent
southern Canada.
Plumage
abnormalities
There are several different forms of plumage abnormality centred on
altered amounts of pigment. These include leucism
and albinism (where there is loss of the
pigment melanin), melanism (in which the amount and/or distribution of
dark-coloured melanin pigment is often elevated), erythrism (where a
chestnut-red pigment replaces certain other pigments) and flavism (where
there is an excess of yellow pigment). Both erythrism and flavism are
thought to be rare compared with leucism and melanism.
暗綠繡眼鳥 --- ( 白化 )
9/5/2015 (Sat) 11am-1pm, sunny (80°C)
JBWR East Pond
Greater Yellowlegs (1), run frantically to chase small fish.
Semipalmated Sandpiper (gray body & blackish legs). Least
Sandpiper (brown body & greenish or yellowish
legs). Semipalmated Plover. Peregrine Falcon.
Damselflies and Dragonflies.
Photo:
Greater Yellowlegs -
<1>
<2>
Semipalmated Sandpiper -
Least Sandpiper -
Id - 2
Semipalmated & 1 Least
Semipalmated Plover -
Twelve-spotted Skimmer (female or immature male)
-
Damselfly (Bluet?) mating -
Cormorants in flight -
Ducks in flight -
Note:
(1) Peregrine
Falcons: Too Much of a Comeback? (August 2010) -
Now [i.e., 2010], according to the New
York State Department of Environmental Conservation, which still
lists peregrines as endangered in New York State, New York City “has
probably the largest urban population of peregrine falcons anywhere, and
peregrines nest on every Hudson River bridge south of Albany.”
Of course, Peregrine Falcons are awesome
birds and it is certainly better that they exist and persist in the
eastern United States then the alternative, but I have to wonder what the
presence of year-round Peregrine Falcons is doing to the
populations of shorebirds, puddle ducks, and other species that make their
way through New York City on migration each year. A recent visit to
Jamaica Bay’s East Pond gave me an inkling. ...
As the tide came in and filled the Jamaica Bay
basin more and more shorebirds came in to roost at the East Pond, as they
do at every high tide. Roosting conserves energy when the birds
can’t actively feed, and helps them to fatten up for the next stage of
their long migration. It also gives birders like a me a chance to search
through the flocks hoping to find rarities. But the shorebirds get
no rest and the birders get no chance to sift through the thousands of
birds when a Peregrine Falcon is hunting in the area.
(2) Least
Sandpiper
mirror | Semipalmated
Sandpiper
mirror
8/29/2015 (Sat) afternoon after Dim Sum, sunny & hot
Kissena Park
Black-and-white Warbler.
Wasps, one looks like Cicada Killer. Blue Dasher. As usual, many
Damselflies and Eastern Amberwings.
Photo:
Wasp
Black-and-white Warbler
Blue Dasher
8/23/2015 (Sun)
青仁黑豆, 羅漢果半個(連殼), 陳皮 煮水兩小時.
羅漢果:
Info-1
Info-2
Info-3
Info-4
Info-5
吞食黑豆是否可行﹖
生吞黑豆的功效主要在取其排氣功能,提高新陳代謝,改善部份皮膚病。但中藥書提到黑豆應熟食,不宜生食及炒食,因為生的黑豆含有影響蛋白質吸收的胰蛋白酵素抑制劑、抑制生
長的血球凝集素以及降低碘吸收的甲狀腺腫素,這些物質經烹煮後皆可破壞,才不會對身體有不良影響。此外黑豆不適於空腹時食用,生硬
的黑豆含高纖維不易消化,空腹會過度刺激胃壁,胃病變者易導致疼痛、腸阻塞、腹瀉等不適的症狀。所以年紀大及身體虛弱者不宜食用。
src
8/22/2015 (Sat) afternoon after Dim Sum, sunny & hot
Kissena Park
Redstart. House Sparrow, juvenile molting to adult male plumage.
Blue Dasher mating and ovipositing. As usual, many Damselflies and
Eastern Amberwings.
8/15/2015 (Sat) afternoon after Dim Sum, sunny & hot
Kissena Park
處處聞鳴蟬
Brown-headed Cowbird, juvenile, somewhat tame.
Common Whitetail. Twelve-spotted Skimmer. Blue Dasher.
Damselfly (Bluet? Forktail?).
Photo:
Cowbird -
Common Whitetail -
Twelve-spotted Skimmer -
<1>
Damselfly -
Somebody blog
8/14/2015 (Fri)
Unknown mammal - escaped illegal pet @ Jamaica Bay East Pond Trail -
See more at:
http://birding.aba.org/message.php?mesid=970661&MLID=NY01&MLNM=New%20York#sthash.AjC4Ar6K.dpuf
"Yesterday I found this mammal resting at the top of trees to the left of
the blind at Big John's Pond. It seems to be a an escaped or released
illegal pet." - See more at:
http://birding.aba.org/message.php?mesid=970597&MLID=NY01&MLNM=New%20York#sthash.y8ee3EJt.dpuf
Just
got off the phone with FWS law enforcement. Since kinkajous
are not a protected species, and are commonly bred in the US it was most
likely not smuggled in. She agrees that it most likely became too much for
someone and they just dumped it. - See more at:
http://birding.aba.org/message.php?mesid=970669&MLID=NY01&MLNM=New%20York#sthash.9jA4HojN.dpuf