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 PondMirror
excellent information on Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge -
http://www.nycaudubon.org/queens-birding/jamaica-bay-wildlife-refuge Ranger Ryan JBWR plant
Dragonfly-Damselfly-Queens-Brooklyn
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 ...
Golden Pond at Crocheron Park, Bayside, NY 11361 -
QCC Blog
map direction: Take I-295 N/Clearview Expy to 35th Ave.
Turn right onto 35th Ave.
American Legion Post 1404, Broad Channel, NY - 209
Cross Bay Blvd, Far Rockaway, New York 11693
Enterprise Park at Calverton (EPCAL)
2016 May 9 -
Atransit of Mercurywill occur. Full transit will
be visible in South America, Eastern North America, ...
September 1, 2016 -
Annular
Solar Eclipse will be visible from central Africa, Madagascar and
locations from the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The eclipse will be
partial for people in most of Africa.
info-1 Wi-Fi
vs Li-Fi vs Wi-Fi HaLow
1. Jamaica HS: Saturday from 2:00pm-6:00pm
16701 Gothic Drive, Jamaica NY 11432 (entrance on 168 street)
Facilities: four badminton indoor courts with hardwood floor and
permanent lines, heater during winter, big parking lot (can
accommodate about 60 cars), 10 minutes walk from F train at
169 street, three big benches around the courts.
Private/group training will be available from 2:00-3:00pm only with
additional cost
By one measure of activity called the ACE (Accumulated
Cyclone Energy) index, which adds each tropical storm or hurricane's
wind speed through its life cycle, the 2017 season is already a top 10
busiest season.
Through September 30, following the demise of former HurricaneMaria,
2017 was already the ninth most active Atlantic hurricane season of
record, according to statistics compiled byDr. Phil Klotzbach,
Colorado State tropical meteorologist.
Long-lived, intense hurricanes have a high ACE index, while short-lived,
weak tropical storms have a low value. The ACE of a season is the sum of
the ACE for each storm and takes into account the number, strength and
duration of all the tropical storms and hurricanes in the season.
According toa
National Hurricane Center report, only 1933 and 2004 had a faster
ACE pace through the end of September than 2017. As the graph above shows,
each of those seasons ended up a top five active season overall, with 1933
occupying the top spot.
2. In Oct, up to 10/28, we have:
Hurricane Nate & Hurricane Ophelia (On
October 14 at 11:00 a.m. AST (15:00 UTC), Ophelia unexpectedly
intensified to a Category 3 hurricane, making Ophelia the sixth major
hurricane of the season and the easternmost storm of such strength in the
Atlantic basin on record.).
4. Atlantic Hurricane in Nov Hurricane
Otto Crosses From Caribbean to Pacific
- Otto made landfall on Nov. 24 (Thanksgiving), 2016 in southern Nicaragua.
- Otto was the record latest-in-season hurricane landfall anywhere in the
Atlantic Basin.
- Otto was also the strongest Atlantic hurricane on satellite record this
late in the season.
- Maximum sustained winds were 115 mph at landfall, making Otto a Category
3 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Otto
intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 3 hurricane in
just 24 hours in the day leading up to landfall.
-
More November Perspective:
November Atlantic Basin tropical cyclones aren't all that unusual.
In November, tropical cyclones typically form where the waters are
warmest. Thus, one cluster of storms forming in November is in the western
Caribbean Sea.
A second broad area of formation is in a broad swath of the western and
central Atlantic Ocean, sometimes spinning off from an old frontal
boundary, sometimes transitioning from a cold-core low to a subtropical or
tropical cyclone.
...
Just eight years ago (2008), Hurricane
Paloma reached Category-4 intensity, the second-strongest November
hurricane of record, damaging or destroying nearly every building on
Cayman Brac, according to the
National Hurricane Center's final report.
The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season is
"extremely active," according to the definitions used by the
National Hurricane Center.
That's largely because there have been
excellent conditions for hurricanes to form: low wind shear and high
ocean temperatures.
This year will set some records but won't
necessarily be as bad as 2005.
6. Pacific 2017
TheAccumulated
Cyclone Energy (ACE)for
the 2017 Pacific typhoon season, as of 06:00 UTC October 29, is
148.6675 units.[nb
1] - so already a "Above-normal
season."
*2017:
not up-to-date? Or Only East Pacific, excluding
Central Pacific?
*Above-normal season: An ACE value above 135 (117% of the median),
provided at least two of the following three parameters exceed the
long-term average: number of tropical storms (16), hurricanes (9), and
major hurricanes (4).
Important memory in 2017:
- Visited JBWR 12 times, less than last year (14)
- See sea turtle everyday in the 7 full-day stay (excluding Sat the arrival
day & Sun the departure day) at Bonaire.
- Many first times in HK trip
- Play badminton at Jamaica HS once
- Nurse Shark at Cayman Island. Large green moray (6+ feet).
- Note: My car is reached 20th anniversary.
Next year ambition:
- back to badminton & table tennis.
- Use my own modem instead of the one from Spectrum.
- birdwatching + photography trip to Japan with Wah Chan
- learn scuba diving
- birding in deserts (Sierra Vista) and among icebergs (Iceland)
Best pic in 2017:
Sea Turtle - 1/14 at Turtle Farm, Cayman Islands -
<1a> (red)
Nuthatch - 4/15 at Kissena Park -
<3>
Oystercatcher in flight - 7/15 at Nickerson Beach - <1>
八聲杜鵑 (塱原 Nov 10) -
male-1
1.
Contrary to common belief, it is possible and relatively easy to replace
a NiCd battery in a shaver: the appropriate replacement can be found on
the web from sites like "shaveroutletdotcom" for a modest $15 including
shipping and only a very basic amount of soldiering is required to
replace it. Shaveroutlet also has a free video on their site instructing
on how to do this.
2. Turn On Documents
in Settings on MIUI OS
Fix the problem that es file explorer cannot create folder:
go to settings > on the bottom choose installed apps > on the top
choose "ALL" > go to the bottom find Documents app (its in bottom
because disabled) > enabled it with pressing enable on the bottom
screen..
12/25/2017 (Mon) am, very windy
Baisley Pond Park
Baisley : Pied-billed Grebe. Ring-necked Duck (many).
Gadwall. American Wigeon. Coot. Shoveler. No Redhead
is seen. Great Blue Heron. Mourning Dove.
Photo:
Great Blue Heron -
Pied-billed Grebe -
Ring-necked Duck - <1><2>
American Wigeon - <1><2>
Mourning Dove - <1> 12/16/2017 (Sat) pm after Dim Sum [morning: car inspection]
Kissena Park
Pond is mostly frozen. Only a small part is allowed waterfowls to
swim.
12/9/2017 (Sat) am before snow becomes heavy [Today New York City
receives its first snow of the season] [Happy birthday to my 20-year-old
car!]
Kissena Park
Hooded Merganser (M+F). Wood Duck, 4 first-years (1 M and 3 F).
Great Blue Heron (1). Cormorant (1). Gulls. Northern
Flicker (1). Blue Jay (many).
Near home: Mockingbird.
Hooded Merganser (1 M, 1 F, 1 juvenile). Gulls. Goldfinch,
possibly; or Junco or just an immature or female House Sparrow
(P2230584.JPG). Cardinal. Mockingbird. White-throated
Sparrow. House Sparrow.
Photo:
Hooded Merganser - <1>
White-throated Sparrow
- <1>
Unknown, probably House Sparrow - <1>11/29/2017 (Wed)
On the way to work. Red Maple.
Note:
<1> Acer rubrum (red maple, also known
as swamp, water or soft maple)
<2>
北美紅楓
11/4/2017 (Sat) am / pm
JBWR (12th visit of this year) / Kissena Park
JBWR:
Towhee. Yellow-rumped Warbler. Junco (many).
Goldfinch. American Wigeon. Shoveler. Ruddy Duck (at West
Pond too). Hermit Thrush.
Kissena Park: Warbler (or female Golden-crowned Kinglet, less likely), very
close with us for a long period of time; but I bring no camera. I only
use Winnie's Redmi Note 4X taking some low-quality pictures.
Photo:
10/28/2017 (Sat) am / pm
Baisley Pond Park & Kissena Park / Kissena Corridor Park
Baisley : Gadwall. American Wigeon. Shoveler. Ruddy Duck.
Ring-billed Gull, possibly. No Redhead is seen.
Kissena : Nothing special.
Kissena Corridor : Kestrel. Hermit Thrush. 10/22/2017 (Sun) pm
Kissena Park
Wood Duck, juveniles: 2 M (in adult plumage) + 2 F. Seven babies
hatched in June (or July).
Seen by
Cesar Castillo on Sat May 06, 2017.
Photo:
Wood Duck - <1>edited by
https://www167.lunapic.com/editor/ (use Filter: HDR Lighting)
10/21/2017 (Sat) am / pm
JBWR (11th visit of this year) / Bear Mountain State Park - Seven Lakes
Drive (Harriman State Park)
JBWR - Peregrine Falcon. Kingfisher (female or immature).
Northern Flicker? Shoveler. Ruddy Duck. Little Blue Heron,
immature.
Lake Welch(?) / Seven Lakes -
Bear Mountain -
Note:
1.
Google "Seven Lakes foliage"
2. The best time of day to wend your way up the Seven Lakes Drive is early
morning or late afternoon, when the light bursts through the golden leaves
and light winds gently rustle the vibrant, fall-hued trees. Further along
the drive lies Lake Welch, an almost glass-like body of water that reflects
the colorful maples on the shoreline.
src10/14/2017 (Sat) am
Baisley Pond Park
Kinglet. Towhee. White-throated Sparrow. Song
Sparrow. Unknown Sparrow. Warbler? Double-crested
Cormorant. Coot. Hermit Thrush, probably.
10/7/2017 (Sat) am / pm
JBWR (10th visit of this year) / Kissena Park
JBWR - Northern Flicker. Flycatcher. Shoveler.
Kissena - Painted
Turtle (flatter)
and Red-eared
Slider. Dragonfly. Yellow-rumped Warbler.
Black-throated Blue Warbler, male.
Many Monarchs in both places.
Photo:
Monarch
Yellow-rumped Warbler - <1>
9/24/2017 (Sun) pm; highest is 91F.
Kissena Corridor Park
Northern Flicker. Flycatcher. Flower Fly. Rabbit (2-3);
one is surely Eastern Cottontail (rusty nape patch is a key to id
cottontail).
9/23/2017 (Sat) am before Dim Sum / noon-12:45pm
Kissena (Corridor) Park
/ Kingsland Wildflowers (Annual Kingsland Wildflowers Festival)
Kissena - Butterfly.
Kingsland - Skipper.
GPS: Kingsland Wildflowers - 520 Kingsland Ave, Brooklyn 11222.
9/16/2017 (Sat) am / pm
JBWR (9th visit of this year) / Kissena Park
JBWR - Sand Wasp. Another wasp probably
Blue
Mud Wasp (Chalybion
californicum). Moth.
Wood Duck. Some shorebirds: Yellowlegs.
Kissena - Hummingbird. Damselfly. Amberwing.
Painted Turtle (flatter)
and Red-eared
Slider. Chimney Swift flock.
9/2 Sat - 9/12 Tue
Curacao / Bonaire
Divi Flamingo Beach Resort, Bonaire -
40 Julio A. Abraham Boulevard, Kralendijk
At CUR, wait for 30 min until passport
inspection. Then custom clearance is no wait. Then go-to
Departure. Insel air counter no wait and fast to get boarding
pass. Pay for Us $10 for tax on the top of the ticket. Go
through security and settle down at gate 7 at 3pm. Enjoy
sandwich and wait for the 4:55 flight.
9/3 (Sun)
9/4 (Mon)
9/5 (Tue)- Cruise ship day (Pullmantur
Zenith - probably Antilles and South
Caribbean cruise:
Colón (Panamá) - Cartagena de Indias - Navegación - Curaçao -
Kralendik (Bonaire) - Aruba - Navegación - Colón (Panamá)).
I go snorkeling with Woodwind.
The lady is Dee. She shows me the Christmas tree
worms. We see Squid.
9/6 (Wed)- Bonaire Day (Legal Holiday) - change hotel
1:30pm cancel rent car at Divi Flamingo
9/7 (Thu)
9/8 (Fri) - evening before sunset, see South
American Yellow Oriole(Gele
Troepiaal, Trupial Kacho).
9/9 (Sat) - Troupial
9/10 (Sun) – check out from hotel and go to CUR.Flight departure time is 7:55am but delayed to 9:30am.
Note:
(1) Seeing (juvenile) Sea Turtle 7 days (9/3 Sun - 9/9 Sat) straight in
Bonaire.
(2) Spotted & Smooth trunkfish
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_trunkfish
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smooth_trunkfish
(3) 9 yr ago we visited Pureocean. Winnie swim and I wait at the dinning
area.
(4)
Pic Album
(5) The regret 遺憾 :
a. No octopus, sea horse, starfish.
b. Not visited National Park, Donkey Sanctuary & Echo Dos Pos
Conservation Centre
c. Birdwatching event with STINAPA is cancelled.
(6) Coral Reef Creature ID CardFish_ID_Cards.htm
(7)
Bonaire, A Nature Lover’s Dream : Bonaire’s natural bounty include
flamingos that breed on the island, migratory birds, sea turtle nurseries,
protected coral reefs, and cacti that are pollinated by bats ... During a
dive off of Klein Bonaire with Woodwind
Snorkel and Sail I saw parrotfish, a frogfish, barracudas,
trumpetfish, blue angelfish, lionfish, and porcupine pufferfish, to name a
few. The fish were swimming in and around giant brain coral, stove pipe
sponges, staghorn coral, and gorgonian fan coral.
On a drive to the northern part of the island, I stopped by southern edge
of Goto Meer, a brackish lake with multiple observation points within
Bonaire’s Washington
Slagbaai National Park. From the viewpoint at the southern end of
Kaminda Goto, I saw brown pelicans, black-necked stilts, flamingos,
semi-palmated plovers, a crested caracara, a little green heron, common
ground doves, snowy egrets, a tricolored heron, white-cheeked pintails,
and a black-faced grassquit.
Flowering Cacti and Agave in Bloom
•••
Candle and prickly pear cacti also dot the landscape in the park; many
of the agave plants were in flower, which was a gorgeous sight to
behold. The tree-like agave flower extends vertically to what seemed
like over 10 feet tall, with radiant yellow blossoms; each flower can
grow into another agave plant.
Leaving the park and driving along Kaminda Goto on the way to Rincon, the
oldest settlement on Bonaire, my guide and I stopped at Dos Pos, or Two
Wells. Dos Pos has been designated as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife
International; here you'll find trails with gorgeous vistas of the
surrounding habitat.
We stopped because it’s an important breeding site for the yellow-shouldered
Amazon, a yellow-faced, green-bodied parrot measuring just over 13 inches.
The bird is locally and globally endangered, making it a rare sight.
Although I didn't spot one here, I did end up seeing quite a few during a
visit to Bonaire's Cadushy Distillery later in the trip. They were cute and
poofy, and I raised a glass of the island's famous cactus liqueur to
celebrate having seen these rare and beautiful birds in the wild.
(8)
https://www.birdscaribbean.org/2016/10/loving-the-lora-and-chasing-the-chuchubi-at-bonaires-caribbean-birding-trail-guide-training-workshop/8/26/2017 (Sat) am - Shorebird Festival
JBWR Blind at West Pond & East Pond, starting from south end
Short-billed
Dowitcher, juvenile. White-rumped
Sandpiper, one with a broken leg. Bald Eagle (1). Belted
Kingfisher (1). Little Blue Heron, juvenile so in white plumage
(2). Great Blue Heron snapping an eel. Osprey.
Semipalmated Sandpiper. Least Sandpiper. Semipalmated
Plover. Yellowlegs. Waxwing, juvenile.
Cicada, brownish orange in color.
Video:
Waxwing - 00016_juvenileWaxwing.MTS
8/19/2017 (Sat) am / pm after Dim Sum (hot but comfortable)
JBWR East Pond / Kissena Park
JBWR: Glossy Ibis (2 juveniles). Cormorant. Tern or Gull,
juveniles.
Shorebirds - Semipalmated Sandpiper. Least Sandpiper.
Semipalmated Plover. Yellowlegs. Pectoral Sandpiper.
Short-billed Dowitcher. Stilt Sandpiper?
Damselfly. Cicada.
Kissena: Dragonfly (Blue Dasher, male). Damselfly (an 1" orange one, a
small and short Orange Bluet; possibly female Eastern Forktail? No!).
Butterfly. Painted
Turtle and Red-eared
Slider. (Not a chance of
Yellow-eared slider?) Note of Orange Bluet:
segment 9 is all orange and orange eyespots connected, forming a bar(1).
7/22/2017 Sat 7am-1:15pm (door to door) hot and pretty sunny
Nickerson Beach (880 Lido Blvd, Lido Beach, NY 11561) & Oceanside
Nickerson Beach: Many Skimmers are still busy with incubating in
a cluster; while there are small groups of Skimmers at the beach and they
are so laid-back . No baby Skimmer is seen. Flock of Shorebirds.
Oceanside: ???-crowned Night Heron juvenile hunting fiddler
crabs. Seaside Dragonlet, a lot; more than last Sat; possibly the most
abundant encounter at this point of my life. Sand Wasp.
7/15/2017 Sat 6:45am-12:45pm (door to door)
Nickerson Beach (880 Lido Blvd, Lido Beach, NY 11561) & Oceanside
Nickerson Beach: Common Tern big babies, many. Least Tern babies
running around. Piping Plover babies. Oystercatcher
juveniles. Skimmers are incubating in a cluster; no baby is seen.
Oceanside: Black-crowned Night Heron (1). Seaside Dragonlet, a
lot of females pictured. Many pairs of dragonflies in tandem.
Sand Wasp (FOS; first recognized it at JBWR 7/14/2012) carries an insect
into burrow, comes out after about half an minute and covers the hole with
sand within seconds. Sand Wasps are seen at the site where I once saw
beautiful flowers of cactus (仙人掌). But an expert says it is Bembix not
Bicyrtes quadrifasciatus.
Photo:
Seaside Dragonlet, female
Sand Wasp (it isBembix) (Bicyrtes
quadrifasciatus) or
others (e.g., Genus Bembix)- <1>
Oystercatcher in flight - <1>
Common Tern
Least Tern
Barn Swallow
Osprey
Song Sparrow singing -
Video:
Sand Wasp (Bicyrtes
quadrifasciatus) -
Joined
Note: Bicyrtes generally
have abdominal bands that are straighter and don't quite meet at the dorsal
midline. Bembix:
Abdomen black with broad white, yellowish, or light bluish curving bands
that often meet at the dorsal midline.
Bicyrtes quadrifasciatus, the four-banded stink bug hunter wasp,
is a species of sand wasp in the family Crabronidae. It is found in North
America.
More about four-banded stink bug hunter wasp: http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Insects/four-banded_stink_bug_hunter_wasp.html I find the wings of four-banded stink bug hunter wasp are cleat
with some reflection of purple color. TheBembix
I saw at Oceanside does not have any purple color. 7/8/2017 Sat pm
Kissena Park
Waxwing. Black-crowned Night Heron (3). Goldfinch, male.
Glossy Ibis. Flycatcher. House Wren. Catbird (many).
Common Yellowthroat. Yellow Warbler. Cormorant. Tree
Swallow. Barn Swallow (2). Ospreys (1 adult and 2 juveniles).
Wasp.
Two pairs of dragonflies in tandem. Large butterflies, probably
Swallowtail. Winnie sees a Muskrat.
7/1/2017 Sat 7am-12:30pm (door to door) / afternoon after Dim Sum
Nickerson Beach (880 Lido Blvd, Lido Beach, NY 11561) & Oceanside /
Kissena Park (but because of thunderstorm, we don't stay at Kissena Park for
long)
Nickerson Beach: A lot of Common Tern babies. Least Tern babies
in a nest. Piping Plover babies. Oystercatcher babies. No
baby Black Skimmer is seen. Adult Black Skimmers of course are there.
Oceanside: Yellow-crowned Night Heron (1). Seaside Dragonlet, a
lot.
Kissena Park: 2 pair of Bluets (both males are blue in color) in
tandem. Northern Flicker.
6/28/2017 (Wed) pm
Kissena Corridor Park
Damselfly. Wasps. Eastern Cottontail.
Butterfly: Skippers (a large one, probably Silver-spotted Skipper; and small
ones). Yellow. White. Tiny [smaller than Cabbage White]. etc.
6/10/2017 (Sat) am / pm after Dim Sum (hot, pm 90+ F)
JBWR / Kissena Park
JBWR: Waxwing (FOS). Goldfinch. Oystercatcher (3).
Wren. Catbird (many). Common Yellowthroat. Yellow
Warbler. Glossy Ibis. Cormorant. Tern. A untypical
Duck/Mallard, possibly hybrid. etc.
Damselfly (Fragile Forktail, male). Dragonfly (Blue Dasher,
male). Butterfly.
Kissena: Baltimore Oriole bathing. Grackle feeding juvenile.
Hybrid Goose Family, gang of 4 without the white girl.
Damselfly. Painted Turtle and Red-eared
Slider.
6/3/2017 (Sat) am / pm after Dim Sum
Broad Channel American Park & JBWR / Kissena Park
West Pond: Ospreys (adults and those fledged from the other nest: I
saw 5; a guy saw 8). 2 chicks are still in the nest on the platform.
Kissena: Swifts. Orange Bluet or other damselfly in orange color. One
pair of damselflies is flying in tandem. Cowbird, M & F.
Dragonfly (FOS?).
Summer Conference
Woodpecker.
5/20/2017 (Sat) am
JBWR / Broad Channel American Park
Breach is closed and the trail is re-opened. I walked a full circle
around West Pond.
Broad Channel : nothing.
Yellow Warbler (FOS). Boat-tailed Grackle, male (100% sure; not Common
Grackle). Spotted Sandpiper. Black-bellied Plover.
Semipalmated Plover and other shorebirds (probably Semipalmated
Sandpiper).
Glossy Ibis. Towhee. House Finch. House Wren.
Possibly Carolina Wren. Cowbird, male. Killdeer (after so many
years), Flycatcher. Carpenter Bee.
Eastern
Tent Caterpillars. Laughing Gull. Herring Gull.
Tern. Canada Goose family. Black Duck. Cormorant.
Catbird. RWBB. Mourning Dove. Cardinal.
Starling. Song Sparrow. Brant.
Wish to see: Scarlet Tanager (last confirmed observation: 5/6/2012 (Sun))
Photo:
House Wren -
5/14/2017 Sun afternoon after Mother day lunch in Chinatown
Crocheron Park
Swan is still incubating in nest. Red-bellied Woodpeckers
fighting. Catbird.
4/29/2017 Sat 7am-12pm (door to door) / afternoon after Dim Sum
Nickerson Beach (880 Lido Blvd, Lido Beach, NY 11561) & Oceanside /
Kissena Park
Morning at Nickerson Beach, it is cloudy and windy, feel like winter.
At noon and afternoon, it is hot (~80F) like summer. At 5pm, it feels like
84F.
Nickerson: Oystercatchers(FOS), many, some look like have been paired.
Piping Plover (2) (FOS). Willets (FOS). Sanderlings (FOS), I
think. Gulls. Crows (one is Raven?). On the way driving to
the beach, see a Boat-tailed Grackle (FOS), I think. Song Sparrow
singing.
Oceanside: Clapper Rail, first time see it calling. Semipalmated
Sandpipers. Least Sandpipers (2+). Terns, probably Common.
Barn and Tree Swallows. Butterfly. Osprey (laying 3 eggs).
Peregrine Falcon (3 chicks are hatched but from the video I can only see 2
are being fed by a parent).
Kissena: Many blooming Cherry Trees. Look like a Boat-tailed
Grackle. Many Catbirds. Baltimore Oriole (FOS), very
beautiful. Cormorant (1). Yellow-rumped Warbler (a few, at least
one male in breeding plumage). Downy Woodpecker. Mute Swan
couple.
Photo:
Clapper Rail -
Tree Swallow - competing rivals.
Oystercatcher -
Catbird -
Cherry Tree -
4/18/2017 Tue afternoon
Kissena (Corridor) Park
Common Grackle mating. Pheasant, male (many good picture). Wren
singing for minutes. Yellow-rumped Warbler male in breeding
plumage? Cormorants (5).
Photo:
Pheasant -
Common Grackle -
Wren -
4/16/2017 Sun afternoon - 2:30pm 88F
Crocheron Park (Golden Pond, John Golden Park section, etc.)
Swan incubating (or may be not until all eggs are laid) her 6 (or 5?) eggs
in nest. Mallard couple; female is a sitting duck possibly
incubating. Northern Flicker. Common Grackles (possibly
Boat-tailed?).
Morning around home: Bumble or Carpenter Bee.
"After the nest has been built, which typically takes 2-3 weeks, the egg
laying process begins with an egg being laid every 12-24 hours. Once all
the eggs have been laid, which can take 2-3 weeks, they will all be
incubated (ie sat on to start the growth process) at the same time with
hatching usually 42 days (6 weeks) later"
src
4/15/2017 (Sat) am sunny / pm after Dim Sum (with Bill)
JBWR / Kissena Park
Brants. Cowbird, male (1). Towhees singing. Tree
Swallows. Crows. Bumble Bee? Warblers (possibly
Yellow-rumped male in breeding plumage). Carolina Wrens.
Laughing Gulls. Catbird (1). Ruddy Ducks. Butterfly
(1). Goldfinch. White-throated Sparrow singing. Probably
Song Sparrow singing.
Kissena: A Nuthatch comes very close to us. Cormorants (5).
Common Grackles (many).
Note:
1. Why do squirrels sometimes stop in the middle of the road and wait for
the car to come close to start running across, or back to where it started?
The squirrel population's reckless use of the highway is also putting a
lot of pressure on drivers who cannot figure out which way they will
move.
"The only thing that is predictable when you approach a squirrel in the
road is that it will act unpredictably,'' Good said. ``A squirrel may
get three-quarters across the road and then run back the other way
because it thinks it will be safer in the tree it has just come from.''
Another common reaction is for the squirrel to skip the Michael Jordan
routine in favor of a Tiananmen Square strategy that involves standing
in the middle of the road and staring down the approaching heavy armor.
Good saidsquirrels do that because they see the automobile as a
predator, and their reaction to predators in the wild is either to run
or freeze.
"A squirrel in the road is not as stupid as it appears to be,'' Barclay
said. "As a car approaches, it may be getting different signals from its
ears and eyes. Sounds may be bouncing off the sides of the road and
confusing it. It makes them easy targets.''
src
4/9/2017 (Sun) pm - Weekend of Northern Flicker
Cunningham Park / Kissena Corridor Park
Corridor: a flycatcher, probably Eastern Phoebe, with a faint yellow
part of its breast/belly. Warbler? Mourning Doves.
Mockingbirds (many and singing). Northern Flicker & Downy
Woodpecker again. Female RWBB (1).
Photo:
Flycatcher -
Mockingbird -
Female RWBB
- in flight
- perching on a branch
4/8/2017 (Sat) 7-9am / pm after Dim Sum
Baisley Pond Park / Kissena Park
Baisley: Gadwalls. Ruddy Ducks. Shoveler. Mallards. Coots. Mute Swan.
Gulls. Downy Woodpecker. Northern Flicker. Titmouse. Female RWBB (1). Male
RWBBs (a lot, conk-la-ree!). Barnacle Geese. Cormorant (in beautiful
breeding plumage with 2 crests). Clipping Sparrow. House Sparrow. Song
Sparrow. White-throated Sparrow. Savannah Sparrow? Great Egret. Mockingbird.
Starling (one eating earthworm).
Kissena: Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1). No gulls. Cormorants
(3). A large flock of Common Grackles is seen while leaving the car on
the way to Dim Sum.
Photo:
Gadwall / Coot -
Ruddy Duck -
Male RWBB
- singing with tail pull out in fan shape
- others
Downy Woodpecker - <1><2><3>
Northern Flicker -
Titmouse -
Cormorant -
cowbird, catbird, fox sparrow, grasshopper sparrow, fish crow, cattle egret,
herring gull, BARNACLE
GOOSE, turtle dove, turkey vulture, snake eagle, sparrow hawk, eagle owl,
...
Animals with Double Animal Names:
ALLIGATOR SNAPPING TURTLE
GOPHER TORTOISE
SHEEPDOG
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
SLOTH BEAR
ANT BEAR SPIDER CRAB ANT LION HORSE FLY SPIDER MONKEY APHID LION HORSE
MACKEREL SQUIRREL MONKEY BARNACLE GOOSE HORSELEECH TIGER BEETLE BATFISH
KANGAROO RAT TIGER MOTH BOARFISH LEOPARD FROG TIGER SHARK BUFFALO FISH
LEOPARD SEAL TIGER SHRIMP BUTTERFLY FISH MOLE CRICKET TURKEY BUZZARD CATFISH
MULE DEER TURKEY VULTURE DEER FLY OTTERHOUND VIPERFISH DOGFISH OWL MONKEY
WHALE SHARK ELEPHANT SEAL PARROT FISH WOLF EEL ELKHOUND PORCUPINE FISH WOLF
SPIDER FLEA BEETLE RACCOON DOG WOLFHOUND FOX TERRIER RAT SNAKE ZEBRA
BUTTERFLY FOXHOUND RHINOCEROS BEETLE ZEBRA FINCH GOATFISH SCORPION FISH
ZEBRAFISH GOPHER SNAKE SCORPION FLY
src
leopard shark,
and
here4/2/2017 (Sun) pm, sunny and warm (63F)
Alley Pond Park
Downy Woodpecker. Red-bellied Woodpecker. Chickadee. Robin
(a lot). Mourning Dove. Hawk, not look like Red-tailed.
Merlin?
4/1/2017 (Sat) pm
Kissena Park
Pied-billed Grebe (1).
Mute Swan (a pair). Cormorant (5, FOS), one is beautiful in breeding
plumage; it swallows a big fish. Shoveler (a pair). Blue Jay
(1).
3/25/2017 (Sat) am, warm, spring finally arrived / pm, cooler, cloudy
with occasional light rain, feel more like winter and like the morning
spring is gone.
JBWR /
Queens County Farm Museum , pm: Kissena Park
Tree Swallow (FOS). Fox Sparrow. Snow Geese (many,
migrating). Canada Geese. Cardinal. Chickadee. Hairy
Woodpecker. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1). Robin (many).
Mockingbird. Ruddy Duck. Mallard. Shoveler (many).
Osprey (FOS). RWBB. Song Sparrow, calling or singing?
White-throated Sparrow. Junco. Mourning Dove.
Crow. Gulls.
Kissena Park: Ring-necked Duck (2 males). Northern Pintail (1 male); I
don't think I am mistaken; not likely one of the hybrids (Pintail + Mallard
or others) which have been resident for years.
Photo:
Robin -
3/11/2017 (Sat) 10-11am, cold
Queens County Farm Museum
Killdeer (1, FOS 第一次). Mourning Dove (many). Robin (a couple at
museum and 1 near home when I walk back home from my car). Junco
(1+). Cardinal heard only. White-throated Sparrow. Hawk.
Photo:
Killdeer - <1>
(fb)
Mourning Dove - <1>
Robin - <1>
Cat - <1>
A winter weather roller coaster
1. 2/8 (Wed) - Temperatures are forecast to hit a record-breaking 65 degrees
early Wednesday — and then plummet to freezing by the end of the day as a
major storm system brings four to eight inches of snow.
2. 3/4 (Sat) to 3/8 (Wed) - High temp (F) : 30 39 44 58 60. Right now
14F at 8am 3/5 (Sun). Wild chill 5F.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- What's your
weather preference? Rain? Snow? Sun? Spring? Winter?
This week (3/6-3/10) we could see a bit
of everything, forecasters say.
The weather should be mostly
sunny Monday (3/6) with temperatures in the low-to-mid 40s, but
that will change Tuesday, with rain and fog in the morning. Temperatures
should reach the 50s.
Wednesday should bring a warming trend,
with temperatures topping 60 degrees. By evening, however, temperatures
will begin to fall.
It will be more seasonal Thursday
and Friday with temps in the 30s [*the low temp.], and we could see some
snowflakes although no accumulation is expected.
The week's weather roller coaster for
Staten Islanders is the result of snow and ice storms in the Midwest
clashing with warm air coming up from the South, according to
AccuWeather.
src
2/25/2017 (Sat) am & pm, very warm and sunny
Kissena (Corridor) Park
RWBB (1 male, FOS). Robin (6, eat earthworm). Grackle (quite a
lot, FOS). Junco (1+). Great Blue Heron (1).
Cardinal. White-throated Sparrow. Ring-billed Gull (a
lot). Blue Jay (3). Gadwall (1 male). Kestrel (1
pair). Mute Swan (1 pair). Mockingbird. Nuthatch.
Chickadee. Hybrid goose family gang of 5. 1 unknown hawk-like
bird. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1).
Photo:
Chickadee - <1> (not
look like Nuthatch)
2/19/2017 (Sun) afternoon, very warm and sunny
Forest Park
Robin (1).
2/18/2017 (Sat) morning, warm and sunny
Kissena (Corridor) Park
Robin (1). Red-tailed Hawk (1). Junco (1). Great Blue
Heron (1). Hooded Merganser (M+F). Northern Shoveler (1
male). Downy Woodpecker (1). Red-bellied Woodpecker
(1). Cardinal. RWBB (heard only). White-throated
Sparrow. Ring-billed Gull (a lot). etc.
11 Wed - eat at Calypso Grill. Visit 3 public beaches on one day,
finding that they all have parking.
12 Thu - Botanic Park, lunch for Winnie is cup noodle. Bodden Town Cemetery
/ The White House - good snorkeling. Urobatis yellow stingray.
13 Fri - the wreck of the Gamma. Burger King good place for even Winnie
snorkeling - see a large almost one foot puffer fish. See flounder
perhaps Plate Fish (Bothus
lunatus, sometimes known as Peacock Flounder 撻沙) at Cemetery Beach
late afternoon.
14 Sat - Turtle Farm - chasing a pair of Red-Legged Honeycreepers.
15 Sun - THE WRECK OF THE CALI, swim from Rackam's
restaurant.
16 Mon - Stingray City. Smith Cove.
17 Tue - Sunset House
The green moray is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae, found
in the western Atlantic from New Jersey, Bermuda, and the northern Gulf of
Mexico to Brazil, at depths down to 40 m. Its length is up to 2.5 m.
The nurse shark is a shark in the family Ginglymostomatidae. Nurse sharks
can reach a length of 3.08 m, and are native to warmer parts of the Atlantic
and East Pacific.
3 feet puffer fish, probably Black Spotted Porcupine Fish (or
called Spot-fin porcupinefish).
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spot-fin_porcupinefish Plate FishPeacock Flounders or other flounders. Bothus
lunatus is a
Lefteye flounder. There are
Righteye flounders.
info-1
Trumpet fish
Juvenile French Angelfish, probably not juvenile gray
angelfish. Look like
this.
mirrorsrc
18 Wed
Cowfish - may not be on 17
Blue Tang -
Acanthurus
coeruleus is a surgeonfish found commonly in
the Atlantic Ocean. It can grow up to 39 centimetres (15 in)
long.[2] Common names include Atlantic blue tang, blue
barber, blue doctor, blue doctorfish, blue tang, blue
tang surgeonfish, yellow barber, and yellow doctorfish.
Juvenile French Angelfish, probably not juvenile gray angelfish.
Photo:
Sea Turtle - 14 at Turtle Farm -
<1a>
(red)
<1b> (transfer to
green/blue)
Red-Legged Honeycreeper -
Monk Parakeet -
Cuban Parrot
(Amazona
leucocephala)
- Grand Cayman Parrot (Amazona leucocephala caymanensis) -
Greater Antillean Grackle
(Quiscalus
niger caymanensis)
- <1>
Tern -
Stingray City -
Google Drive Google Photo 1
Note:
(1) Iguanas have right of way on the roads in Little Cayman.
Cayman's
Local Animals
(2) Travefy's
plan
(3)
Thecaymanbutterflies.orgweb site will help you
identify the butterflies and understand how they make the best of their
very harsh environment to survive. src
(4) Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park -
Cayman
Islands Government Television (CIGTV)
(5) Virtual Bird Guidesrc
(6) Common bird: Greater Antillean Grackle
(Ching chings, Blacksmith)Quiscalus
niger.
(7) The hickatee Trachemys decussata angusta is a
medium-sized freshwater turtle, also called a “slider”. They can be found
in fresh and brackish water pools around the islands. Hickatees are
most commonly seen poking their heads out from beneath the waterline, in
order to draw breath. They are also commonly seen basking on rocks,
mangrove roots and partially submerged tree stumps, to heat their bodies
in the sunshine.
(8) 5
Minute Photoshop Edit - Underwater Photography - Techniques
(9) http://www.alertdiver.com/myths_and_truths_about_sharks
Step 5 – Improve the Color
Now we can start on the color improvement stage. This will help to remove
the blue ‘cast’ typical in most underwater photos, helping to restore a
more natural and vivid color tone to the photo.
1. Channel Mixer
My first step is to go into the Layer menu. Select New
Adjustment Layer. On the drop-down menu, then select Channel
Mixer. Select ‘Ok‘ to save this layer. This
opens a new adjustment box.
The Channel Mixer allows Photoshop to ‘transfer’ color/pixel
information from one color (red, green or blue) into another
color. The photo is missing red color (as most underwater
photos do). To improve the red spectrum of lighting,
just experiment with raising either the green or blue values.
If you raise one value, you must decrease the other (i.e. raise
green, decrease blue) to prevent over-saturation.
(10) http://www.vivid-pix.com/restorehttp://www.vivid-pix.com/land-sea
(11) The regret 遺憾 :
a. Cali Wreck not fully tour
b. Cemetery Beach not fully tour- not sure see the near shore reef or not
c. no Blue Iguana
d. no octopus, wild sea turtle, starfish
e. no Barkers National Park
(12)
Turtle Farm from this cruise
guy. Lots of photos.
(13)
The Cayman Islands parrots are two sub-species of the Cuban Parrot
(Amazona Leucocephala).
Cayman's parrots have iridescent green feathers with darker edges over the
body, a white eye ring, red cheeks, black ear patches and brilliant blue
wing feathers which are only obvious when the bird is in flight. The tail
has blue outer edges, with some red and yellowish-green underneath.
The Grand Cayman Parrot (Amazona leucocephala caymanensis) also has a pink
flush to its whitish forehead.
The Cayman Brac Parrot (Amazona leucocephala hesterna) is slightly
smaller, with more black trim on its green feathers. The crown is pure
white, and there is a large maroon area on the abdomen. It is now found
only on Cayman Brac. Although it used to inhabit Little Cayman, it was
apparently wiped out from there by the 1932 hurricane.
src
(14) Parking:
in George Town : behind Bayshore Mall (Kirk Freeport). It is
always easy to get a spot there. It is pay parking but if you shop in any of
the Bayshore stores they will validate. The street parking is actually free
but unless you chance upon one straight away, you can spend a lot of time
looking for one. (2016 info)
(15) 二齒魨科 (Porcupinefish) - They are sometimes collectively
called pufferfish, not to be confused with the morphologically
similar and closely related Tetraodontidae
(鷄泡魚 - 四齒魨科), which are more commonly given this name. [baidu]
(16) 河魨(英語:Puffer fish)，常作河豚，古名肺魚，俗稱氣鼓魚、氣泡魚、吹肚魚、雞泡魚、青郎君、刺䲅等[1][2]，一般泛指魨
形目中二齒魨科、三
齒魨科、四齒魨科以及箱魨科所屬的魚類。
wiki
1/1/2017 (Sun) morning
On the way from home to subway
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/birdoncactus-575956c55f9b5892e8fae14d.JPG)
