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I was living in the hope that Richard Crossley would set it right with his brilliant new book, but alas even he decided to not shake the boat or upset the powers that be. Kenn Kaufmann, David Sibley, Pete Dunne, Corey Finger and – it seems the rest of the American birding world have it all wrong.
Simple and straightforward enough, right? Alas – both Trinidad and Tobago each have two Myiarchus flycatchers. Notorious for being difficult to identify, the ideal situation would be to have no possible overlap of species.
In fact, if you’re anywhere but Antarctica right now and eager to see the surprisingly rich animal life at the southern pole, you might appreciate Chimu’s contest for a free 11-day Antarctica cruise. If you’re struggling with horrendous summer heat, a trip to Antarctica might sound good to you.
And while it was to be a work (ministry) trip, I had still managed to schedule it right during the migratory peak along these two major corridors. But, alas, the Novel Coronavirus did not respect my plans. That trip was to take my wife and I to Turkey, Jordan, and southern Spain, with stopovers near Paris.
Alas, our trip to the sea was not to be! Since our trip was meant to leave from Cabuya, we were in the right place for this fine year bird. The trip began with plans made by world birder Pirjo Lakso to see if we could do a repeat of the fantastic pelagic trip we did in April, earlier this year. Arctic Tern from Cemetery Island.
And the rootballs are at just the right point. The melon seedling on the upper right is an inevitable product of using homemade compost.). Alas, I have found no viable acorns anywhere this past year — just as I am figuring out how to get oak seedlings to survive. I’m really excited about these. Yellow-winged Cacique.
The Ala Shan Redstart (which I will not call Przevalski’s Redstart, see my juvenile rants about the evil Mr Przevalski in earlier editions of this blog) is a very attractive bird and – as many attractive birds – listed as Near Threatened. Rufous-necked Snowfinches can look very photogenic with the right background.
In the morning, still sleepy, we enter the jungle, where a sounder of Indian Boars (a long-maned subspecies Sus scrofa cristatus ) is watching us, standing among the first trees, right next to the road. Among teak and bamboo thickets, a winding forest road takes us deeper into the enchanted Snake Jungle, but alas, not a Tiger in sight.
Back to the Zrenjanin Road and continue another 15 km / 9 mi, and by the end of the Centa village turn into an inconspicuous dirt road leading to the Veliki Alas fish farm (north of the village). Before that, on a rather sharp right bend, 1.8 If there were rains recently, this section of 0.3 We continued on to Sakule.
Alas, our Western Gull was nowhere to be found! While pondering how we could get more views into those fish shops and wondering if we could a better angle for scanning the flat roofs of Puntarenas, a bird casually flew just past us, right on the shore near the busy ferry.
Alas, we’re also intimately acquainted with darker emotions; the lust in our hearts alone (for lifers and optics, naturally) exacts a heavy emotional toll. But the envy that gnaws at me right now stems not from the thought of the 9,000+ birds that I haven’t yet seen that others have.
Looks like a scaup of some sort, but it’s not quite right My bird certainly had the peaked crown characteristic of a Lesser Scaup; the feathers on its head looked black at a distance, while closer inspection revealed a purple sheen. Lesser Scaup has only a slight black tip to the beak, while this bird had a clear black band.
But alas, my garden Wilsons have not been seen here on the 4th of April. A pair of Warbling Vireos are regular client right now, and we have also had visits from Black-headed Grosbeaks and a Northern Beardless Tyrannulet this year. But my “Wilsons” really were Wilsons: Wilson’s Warblers , to be exact.
My own best bird was Caspian Tern , right on time along Lake Ontario. Corey’s best bird of the weekend was a wicked Chuck-will’s-widow at Prospect Park on Saturday. He actually got a good look at this cryptic caprimulgid, that lucky sod!
A forest trail with enclosing vines and branches on either side gradually ascended to a point where the foliage gave way to giant boulders, and here I immediately knew I was in the right place to see this iconic species. After all, there were already rocks. Nevertheless, it was still a magical experience sitting in the jungle.
But when the season is right, I will certainly see lots of Lucifer Hummingbirds , Broad-billed Hummingbirds , and the similar but paler endemic Dusky Hummingbirds. Alas, we mostly get females; the males winter along the coast. But things get really interesting when I go down to the tropical scrub of the Tierra Caliente.
But alas for Aderman no such need exists today. One species is found higher than all -- right up to the snow at 17,000 feet -- the Ecuadorian or Chimborazo Hillstar … www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWLyYw7LmQM
And, alas, heat is one thing Mexico’s Pacific coast has in excess. But it does have a very modest hotel right by the water, which made it easy for me to bird at the break of dawn. My wife hates heat. But this past week, my wife travelled to the U.S. to visit her elderly father. Bathing there is definitely discouraged!
In my case, I had to format my excel sheet just so, a considerable task because when I dabbled in Birdstack (gone, alas, but not forgotten) I adopted its formatting as well as the more fluid International Ornithological Congress (IOC) taxonomy , both of which were inimical to that of eBird. Worst of all were all the hyphen issues.
After some brief birding along the trails at PANACAM Lodge the following day, we drove to La Tigra National Park which sits right above the capital city of Tegucigalpa. Alas, our time here was over too soon. the species suffering most from deforestation).
Alas, the beer is only available on draft in Texas for a limited time, far out of range for me in New York. Certainly – before this review, at least – I had never actually bought a box. But I really would’ve jumped at a chance to try this beer, if only to review a beer infused with the world’s best-known bird-inspired candy.
Then, the birding excitement got notched up a gear when a Great Jacamar called right next to us and proceeded to fly in and perch directly over the trail! This fancy antpitta is, alas, rare and more difficult to find in Costa Rica than ever. Hitoy is one of the only remaining reliable spots and we had fine looks at a male.
Lesser Roadrunner is another spectacular species of the thorn forest scrub of the Aguan Valley, which we observed at length right along the main road! Alas, the trip was over too soon but I left with a very positive impression of Honduras with its interesting biogeography, beautiful preserves, rich biodiversity, and hospitable people.
To be honest, quetzals aren’t seen that often right at Myriam’s but they are seen just down the road. We even heard one sing briefly across the street from the restaurant (alas, it did not come closer for a view)! Myriam’s Quetzales ! Are they her’s? Can there be a more enticing name than for a place that that?
Alas, I only heard this super cool caprimulgid, but did get buzzed by a swift Malaysian Eared Nightjar. If you can parse the subtle differences in his photo below, you’ll see the bird on the left is a dark morph Oriental Honey Buzzard, but the bird on the right is a pale morph Changeable Hawk-Eagle.
The lake is a private property, run by the Mika Alas fish farm company and visitors must ask for permission in advance ( management contacts ). Four eBird hotspots located at the top and the slopes of the mountain have listed 85 species so far, but without any waterbirds, this is impressive in its own right.
When you enter the Kozara Floodplain, you can explore both left and right hand side, but going left offers a greater choice of habitats and a larger area. Tactics: Aim for early mornings and from the end of April, carry an insect repellent for mosquitoes. eBird list. More: 10000birds.com/all-my-patches.htm. Bus: 95, 96 & 104. eBird list.
Pygmy Cormorant is easy to observe, in winter from the banks of the Sava and the right, urbanised bank of the Danube River, also around the Veliko Ratno Island Reserve (#1, visible from the riverbanks); in spring best viewed in wetlands along the levees at the left (northern) bank of the Danube.
Although it is right on a busy road once you walk into the lobby it is peaceful and quiet. We hoped that a Lesser Roadrunner would show up…but alas it was not meant to be. I imagined a wool-clad nun sitting in the sweltering heat beside a candle carefully studying the Bible and humming to herself in the wee hours of the night.
I might have to add the Dallas airport staff to the list of things Buffon was right about. Alas, those sightings will be for another time as the weather had thrown a spanner in the works: half a meter of snow had closed off our intended destination. I flew into Denver from Mexico.
With traits allegedly unique to humans running out, philosophers and scientists claimed that only humans have minds complex enough to allow a sense of self-consciousness or self-identity, but, alas, chimpanzees and other animals demonstrated significant degrees of self-consciousness too. Check out the rest and let me know what you think.
mikey, my stance can be seen in the posts about Project Treadstone (and if you type Project Treadstone into the Google Search box just below my half-blind, diabetic greyhound, Violet Rays, on the right, you'll get a dozen more posts).
Alas, the bird had flown. Alas, this year was the first since Mike started birding that he didn’t see a single lifer. Tragic, right? So, when my friend Saul stopped me as I was heading out of the Santa Ana parking lot to tell me that he had just seen a Rose-throated Becard a few feet away, I immediately did a u-turn.
Alas, mine were sub-standard. And this one’s was definitely when a bird briefly took wing just to the left of our path, only to settle right back down to the ground. A Mangrove Cuckoo gave us unexpectedly decent views, with the added perk that Paso Ancho is far inland from where this beautiful bird can supposedly be seen.
Alas, I can’t retire just yet, but that hasn’t stopped CRM systems from becoming a heated topic of debate. To make the right choice, using the system, instead of making assumptions on what benefits it can bring onboard, is key.It When taking a closer look, there are objective reasons for the plight of CRM.
In fact, we saw two species of monkey, our only sloths, lots of coatis, and my rarest ever mammal sighting—a Jaguarundi —right on site. Yes, that’s Panama City to the right. Old Gamboa Road, a new destination for me, was the biggest revelation; I found some of the specialties of this site, though alas not all. Great Egret.
Alas, it was not to be. They’re not the Lammergeyer – they’re not even close, as the Lammergeyer dwells alone in the genus Gypaetus – but the Egyptian Vulture and Cinereous Vulture are worthy birds in their own right. Then I sent him a picture to explain my excitement. Lammergeyers!
Which leaves me with quite a few choices – practically the entire tropical belt, right? Many of them are heavenly islands, alas, with 100 or less bird species. So, beside a lot of birds and the sunny sky, I want the coldest thing to experience year-round to be my beer.
Broad-billed, White-eared, Berylline, Green-breasted Mango , and of course the Magnificent Hummingbird were all names I longed to have right there alongside my paltry two species. Alas, our adventure has only carried us to the southern half of Baja California. This did result in a few new species. Male Costa’s at Playa Coyote.
36, if my counting is right and there has been no very recent split or lump. I can sometimes hear Hwamei singing here in my compound in Shanghai – alas, these are then cage birds, as the species is popular as a caged bird for its singing. Fortunately, most of the birds are free though (photos from Shanghai and Tianmushan).
In the English translation, the story is titled “Little Fable”: “Alas,” said the mouse, “the whole world is growing smaller every day. ” “You only need to change your direction,” said the cat, and ate it up.
It’s one thing to add some seed, suet and fruit to the grocery list right before a snow storm hits…but if you feel stressed because you have to make your own personal mix of seed for your birds six times a day or you have personally failed and perhaps sentences some birds to certain starvation in your yard? The city of Monticello?
The campus has a pond (above), partially covered by hyacinths full of Northern Jacanas , where I tried to spot at least one caiman (alas, without success), a botanical garden and manicured grounds (with quite a few Green Ibises ) together with a souvenir shop. Since I wanted to buy some genuine tastes of Costa Rica, we continued to C.A.T.I.E.
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