text:
March Species Seen
Stuart Healy Journal - March, 2008 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks. |
Bottom of Page |
This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries
are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
1 | ||||||
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
30 | 31 |
Saturday, March 1, 2008
First of two days of general birding with Tom Lewis and Norm Woolsey, both from Gilbert, AZ.
Today we visited Sulphur Springs Valley and the Mule Mountains. The weather was
close to ideal with clear skies and very little wind.
We began in the valley by checking the fields on Davis Road and Central Highway. Irrigation rig changes were in effect in the westernmost field on Davis and the field only seemed attractive to the large blackbird flock and raptors, including the clan of FERRUGINOUS HAWKS. However, the short, dry grass in the traditional best plover field on Central (2nd field north of Davis) had attracted a dozen or so LONG-BILLED CURLEWS and a handful of MOUNTAIN PLOVERS. Those plovers (or rather the lack of those plovers) cost me a couple of hundred miles yesterday!
We then worked the back roads for a little while seeing a large flock of SCALED QUAIL, a perched and unflinching ROADRUNNER, a perched up and singing BENDIRE'S THRASHER, CANYON TOWHEE, PYRRHULOXIA and the usual variety of sparrow species. Interestingly, we saw a sizeable group of LONG-BILLED CURLEWS in a grassy area with dense mesquite on Davis Road near McNeal (hardly expected habitat but I have witnessed it before).
Whitewater Draw produced the usual suspects (except Burrowing Owl) including a very tolerant GREAT HORNED OWL, perhaps the most gawked at LONG-EARED OWL currently in Arizona; and a handful of BARN OWLS (probably many more out of sight). A small group of white geese were present early and the main flock arrived at their "usual" mid morning time. I counted at least 5 ROSS'S, the hanger on GREATER WHITE-FRONTED and a couple of Blue Phase birds in the main body of (150ish) SNOW GEESE.
We didn't attempt to weed out every shorebird/wader present and noted 10+ AVOCETS, 1 WILSON'S SNIPE, a large group of LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, a couple of SPOTTED and scattered small groups of LEAST SANDPIPERS.
TREE SWALLOWS provided some evidence of impending spring. Raptors included SHARP-SHINNED, & COOPER'S and FERRUGINOUS HAWKS, the latter being quite scarce here.
It was a tad warm in the Mule Mountains in the early afternoon and activity was low compared to recent visits. BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW numbers were way down but we still managed to see a couple (perhaps they are already moving to higher elevation as spring approaches). A pair of ROCK WRENS were busy working on a nest beneath a pile of rocks. WHITE-WINGED DOVES and HUTTON'S VIREOS were singing. Spring is in most definitely in the air. Other species included RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW and SPOTTED TOWHEE. Missed Western Scrub-Jay.
75 species recorded:
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Out again today with Tom and Norm. We visited San Rafael Valley,
Patagonia Lake and Kino Springs. Another warmish day becoming extremely windy in
the afternoon.
When general birding, I normally wouldn't consider San Rafael Valley due to its low species diversity and often tough to find specialty birds. However, kites are always good to see and it's been a good year for Baird's Sparrow so I decided to push my luck one more time. I'm happy to say that the gamble worked and we had excellent scope views of a 2-3 BAIRD'S SPARROWS and 2-3 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS. We also saw 2 WHITE-TAILED KITES putting on a good show and a (briefly) perched MERLIN.
The burned area at the west end of the valley on the north side of FR58 is already greening up.
[Baird's Sparrow Notes: Today concludes my visits to San Rafael Valley for the winter season. It's been an excellent year to see Baird's and I was successful on 12 of 14 visits starting on October 3. Although I had two spectacular misses on January 1 and February 10, overall results were well above average. Numbers were impressive too -- on most visits I saw at least two or three; sometimes five or six; and a dozen on one occasion. Disclaimer (for those who may hire me in the future): your mileage may vary.]
I usually don't stop during the drive down Harshaw Canyon into Patagonia, but a stop today was very productive. In addition to the regular ACORN WOODPECKERS and MEXICAN JAYS, we had good looks at RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, a male EASTERN BLUEBIRD (singing), BRIDLED TITMICE (also singing), RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW and SPOTTED TOWHEE. Other singing species included RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, BEWICK'S WREN and HUTTON'S VIREO.
The snowbird population at Patagonia Lake is approaching its peak and I'll be happy to miss the Spring Break crowds that will soon be showing up while I'm in CA (no crowds there of course!). We saw a solid 55 species while wandering around (didn't walk the creek where Elegant Trogon was seen yesterday). Highlights were a stunning male BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD, EASTERN PHOEBE (my 43rd three phoebe species day in AZ) and VERMILION, GRAY & ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS.
The wintering flock of COMMON MERGANSERS was greatly reduced today and contained only one male among 30 or so females. A large flock of WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS and three flavors of swallows were further evidence that spring isn't far away.
An hour at Kino Springs was a little disappointing, although the wind had already started blowing hard by the time that we arrived (but nothing like the severe wind later in the day). Not content with whacking down all the weeds at the first pond, the powers that be have now swealed away the remainder and it was still burning as we birded around the pond. Species at Kino included GREEN HERON, a pair of BUFFLEHEADS (a species that I haven't seen very often at this location -- only 10 total records); GREAT HORNED OWL and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE.
As we drove back to Sierra Vista, BLACK VULTURES were circling over the roadside rest area and a PEREGRINE FALCON flashed across the road. Perhaps they are nesting here again for the second consecutive year.
91 species recorded:
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Out today with Nancy Waldron from Michigan, currently wintering in
Patagonia (our second outing, we birded together last month); and Marsha from
Oregon, also wintering in Patagonia. We took the road less traveled and birded
at St. David Monastery and in the Mule Mountains with no objectives other than
to enjoy the day. After a week with
above average temperatures, the past couple of days have seen overnight lows dip
below freezing in Sierra Vista. A reminder that it's really still winter despite
the fact that the great SE AZ migration event (known as a dribble, building to a
trickle) is underway. Today saw some improvement and after a chilly start the
afternoon was on the warm side.
Birding at the monastery was very pleasant and we saw a decent variety of species (but nothing unusual). The highlight was a singing NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET that was initially difficult to track down then foraged in a leafless mesquite at very close range for 5 minutes. I shot 50 images but all except the one that I published had a twig in the way or the shadow of a twig on the bird. Murphy at his finest.
We had a three goldfinch day in perhaps the exact reverse order that you might expect -- first AMERICAN GOLDFINCH then LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCH (sorry Phil!) and finally, LESSER GOLDFINCH. We saw only one individual of each species.
A silently foraging HUTTON'S VIREO at the main pond represented the least common location species (I only have 3 records in 3 different years in the last 16). Other species around the main pond and adjacent area included singing WHITE-WINGED DOVES, a heard only "rattling" BELTED KINGFISHER, a male VERMILION FLYCATCHER, ABERT'S TOWHEE and LINCOLN'S SPARROW. 40 species in all.
In the Mule Mountains we enjoyed the sunshine, views and a few birds of the oaks, chaparral and rocky habitat. After being scarce on Saturday, BLACK-CHINNED SPARROWS were common again today (well into double figures) but never came really close. I couldn't buy a WESTERN SCRUB-JAY on Saturday but quite a few were present today. Multiple ROCK WRENS were much in evidence and very entertaining. RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS were alternately elusive and then easy to see.
Most of the regulars were vocalizing and included CACTUS WREN, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, HUTTON'S VIREO and CANYON TOWHEE. A lone BREWER'S SPARROW seemed very out of place in this habitat. CHIPPING SPARROWS were abundant. Other regulars included BUSHTIT, SPOTTED TOWHEE, PYRRHULOXIA and LINCOLN'S SPARROW.
This was my last scheduled birding day in Southeast Arizona for March -- I head to California on Saturday for the remainder of the month. I expect to publish the journal while on the road, although I suspect updates will not be daily! See you when I see you. By the way, I've been using my new laptop for the past couple of weeks to iron out all the bugs before hitting the road. If you've seen (or see) any anomalies in the journal that seem computer related (not down to the loose nut behind the wheel), please let me know -- thanks.
60 species recorded:
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Today marks the start of a trip to California where I'll be until the
end of March. It's also the first of 6 days with Jim and Joan Clapp from Hebron,
KY who I've birded with on three previous occasions, twice in SE AZ and once in
the White Mountains. Today was mostly a driving day but we did get some birding
done. We began near Buckeye in Maricopa
County, AZ then drove to Ventura, CA. A brief report follows.
I was up at the crack of night to meet Jim and Joan in Tucson. After dropping my vehicle at the airport long term parking, we drove directly to the "thrasher spot" located at the intersection of Baseline Road and Salome Highway in Maricopa County. Years ago, this location was firmly "in the middle of nowhere". However, due to incessant development, it's now barely on the edge of nowhere. We began our search for LE CONTE'S THRASHER at 7:00am and first laid eyes on a bird at 7:30am. Over the next 15 minutes, the three of us managed brief views of the bird on several occasions as it easily evaded our advances (always on the ground and on the move). Apart from multiple pairs of BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHERS, the area was very quiet and a perched CRISSAL THRASHER was the only bird singing. 10 species in all.
We stayed around for a couple more hours and worked other areas without finding another individual. A somewhat hollow victory to get the trip underway -- but a victory nonetheless.
Now came the always fun drive (not!) via I-10, 210 and 101 to Ventura. The journey was uneventful and we arrived with about an hour of daylight remaining. We made good use of the time with a visit to Marina Park where we managed to pick up five target species -- CLARK'S GREBE, PELAGIC CORMORANT, BLACK OYSTERCATCHER, BLACK TURNSTONE and SURFBIRD. Conditions were excellent -- clear sky and zero wind. This landlubber sure hopes for more of the same for the boat ride tomorrow! Why couldn't it be Shore Scrub-Jay?
42 species recorded:
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Day 2 with Jim and Joan. The weather cooperated for our trip to Santa
Cruz Island (part of the Channel Islands National Park) and we had a very
successful outing. Even though it was calm on the mainland and on the Island, it
was fairly windy in the channel and quite choppy on the outbound journey.
Scanning for birds wasn't easy but we did find a few of interest. Very smooth
for the return journey and very few birds, which is usually the case. Best of
all, the world's most confirmed landlubber (me!) survived another trip without
generating any chum.
Before departure, a short spell of birding near the harbor produced a few common species including BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, WILLET, BLACK TURNSTONE and a large gathering of SANDERLINGS. A lone TREE SWALLOW was the first swallow of the trip.
The most common species on the journey to and from the island were WESTERN & CLARK'S GREBES and SURF SCOTER. Target species seen were BRANDT'S CORMORANT, 4 COMMON MURRES and 20+ PIGEON GUILLEMOTS. Other species included COMMON LOON, many BROWN PELICANS, BLACK OYSTERCATCHER, PELAGIC CORMORANT and the ever present WESTERN GULLS.
We arrived at Prisoner's Harbor at 11:00am and departed at 3:10pm, plenty of time to be on the island. It's a pity that all the ancillary stuff (like the boat ride! and picking up and dropping passengers at Scorpion Landing) mean that it's an all day job. Still, where else are you going to go to get that pesky jay? It's the nesting season for ISLAND SCRUB-JAY and I expected that we might have a little difficulty. However, despite the fact that we never heard a bird calling the entire time, we found our first bird (a fairly well concealed individual) shortly after landing and encountered several birds over a period of 4 hours on the island. Generally though, bird activity in the immediate vicinity of the landing area was quite low. Perhaps this was due to the work going on there -- a bunch of guys with chain saws clearing and burning brush and trees. It certainly diminished our experience and I can't imagine the birds liked it either.
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was perhaps the most common species on the island (many were singing and we took the time to see a couple of them). SONG SPARROWS were also quite numerous and vocal. Others present included a displaying ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD, a lone male ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRD, a surprise grunting VIRGINIA RAIL in the small marsh south of the pier (at least two were present); BLACK PHOEBE, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, HUTTON'S VIREO, BEWICK'S & HOUSE WRENS and SPOTTED TOWHEE. 22 species in all.
After I subsequently looked through the images that I shot while on the island, a bird that I thought was an ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD turned out to be a more interesting ANNA'S x RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD (or possibly ANNA'S x ALLEN'S). A little research on the web reveals that neither combination occurs very often. What can be seen of the back of the bird seems mostly rufous, so I'm going with the obvious Rufous. However, since the entire back can't be seen, the possibility of Allen's can't be ruled out. In fact, since Allen's breeds on the island and Rufous does not, you can perhaps make a case for Allen's being the more likely candidate. Nevertheless, I believe a migrant Rufous having a quickie is perhaps the best explanation. Any hummingbird experts please weigh in.
The drive north on 101 to Buellton was uneventful (a couple of RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS seen) and we arrived there at 7:00pm; tired, but well satisfied with the day. Excellent soup (as usual) at Pea Soup Andersen's.
48 species recorded:
Monday, March 10, 2008
Day 3 with Jim and Joan. Today we started near Solvang then birded
our way north with stops in Oceano, Morro Bay and several north coast locations;
returning to San Luis Obispo for an overnight stay. The excellent weather
conditions continued.
Alisal Canyon road has never let me down for YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE and it didn't take too long to see several birds early this morning. We also saw a few additional targets -- a large group of CALIFORNIA QUAIL at close range, excellent looks at a pair of CALIFORNIA TOWHEES and brief looks at NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER. Others were possible but we didn't linger. Also present were lots of ACORN WOODPECKERS, a few WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, WESTERN SCRUB-JAY and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE (a little on the early side). The area was very birdy
A few hours in the varied habitats at Oceano were quite productive and we added to our target tally with CALIFORNIA GULL (many), CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE (fairly common), a singing CALIFORNIA THRASHER, the often elusive WRENTIT and a GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW. Wrentit is usually easier to see here than most locations but it took quite some time to get a decent view today. The sparrow had just bathed and we watched it preen for a while. We improved on the views of a male NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER interacting with a DOWNY WOODPECKER. Others seen included BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, HUTTON'S VIREO, TOWNSEND'S WARBLER and the ubiquitous CALIFORNIA TOWHEE. 30+ species in all.
A stop on Coleman Drive in Morro Bay wasn't very productive but we did see PEREGRINE FALCON at the nest site on the rock. Birds in the bay included HORNED, EARED, WESTERN & CLARK'S GREBES, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER and PIGEON GUILLEMOT.
To the north of Morro Bay, a short time scanning from the pier in Cayucos paid off with a target PACIFIC LOON. Most of the species that we saw on Coleman Drive plus SANDERLING were also present here.
We spent most of the afternoon along the north coast looking for gulls. The Elephant Seal Rookery area was the most productive site that we checked and here we tracked down GLAUCOUS and GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS. With persistent scanning, we saw at least two of each as plenty of gulls constantly flew to and fro amongst the many seals present. Other species present as we enjoyed the scenery included BRANDT'S & PELAGIC CORMORANTS, BRANT, BLACK TURNSTONE and BLACK OYSTERCATCHER.
An excellent day with 11 target species seen bringing the total so far to 23.
80 species recorded:
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Day 4 with Jim and Joan. In stark contrast to yesterday, today was
our least productive day to date (three target species seen). More of that good
weather though. A very brief report follows (sleep is good).
We pissed away the entire morning looking for the oft reported Eurasian Wigeon on the UCSB campus in Goleta. We checked Devereaux Slough and Campus Lagoon where we saw lots of birds but not the object of our obsession.
In the San Gabriel Mountains (not the most productive location at this time of year), we picked up WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER and OAK TITMOUSE.
We finished up with a short visit to East LA where we easily found SPOTTED DOVE; then slogged our way south to Irvine through commute traffic. Oh joy.
55 species recorded:
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Out again today with Jim and Joan. Day 5 was the only day of the
entire trip when
the birding logistics and travel logistics were in perfect harmony. We traveled
south through Orange and San Diego Counties and managed to find all six target
species that we sought. Another decent weather day, albeit quite cloudy for a
significant portion of the day. Brief reports are the order of the day for the
next couple of weeks.
We began at Crystal Cove State Park south of Newport Beach. The coastal scrub areas had plenty of activity but the rocky areas on the beach were almost devoid of birds. We were able to find several CALIFORNIA GNATCATCHERS with zero effort. The birds were calling spontaneously while perched in the open and afforded excellent looks. About 20 species noted during a short walk down to the beach including CALIFORNIA QUAIL, SPOTTED TOWHEE and CALIFORNIA TOWHEE.
Our next stop was Laguna Niguel Regional Park, a good location for TRICOLORED BLACKBIRD. Although we had to sort through a number of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, it didn't take long to track down a male and female foraging on the grass at close range. Excellent looks once again.
Leaving Orange County behind, we continued south to San Elijo Lagoon in San Diego County. Our only target here was a PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER that has been present for some time. Although our timing was good from a tidal standpoint (plenty of mudflats exposed), heat shimmer around midday resulted in fairly poor views. Fortunately, the bird was quite easy to pick out from the BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS with which it associates.
La Jolla (a.k.a. Touristville) was next on the agenda. Our timing here at high tide was just about perfect and WANDERING TATTLERS were easier to find than parking places. We had to settle for immature HEERMANN'S GULLS (found after some walking and scanning). Most adults have returned to Mexico to breed.
We finished up at South Bay Ecological Preserve north of Imperial Beach. I've never failed to find ELEGANT TERN here at this time of year and I'm happy to say that today was no exception. The birds were just starting to return to their loafing spot as the tide receded and we enjoyed comparison views with ROYAL TERNS. A large group of FORSTER'S TERNS were also present along with scads of BRANT.
70 species recorded:
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Day 6 and final day with Jim and Joan. Sadly, we were unable to
finish on a high note and our journey from San Diego to the Salton Sea went
unrewarded in terms of Yellow-footed Gull. It's been a poor winter for this
species with very few reports compared to normal. Furthermore, this is not a
good time to be looking for them as they drift back to Mexico to breed; so even
in a good year the numbers are low at this time..
We left San Diego in darkness in order to reach the sea when viewing conditions were favorable. The cloudy and cool weather helped and we had good viewing conditions through mid morning. We worked quite a few miles of habitat along the south shore in areas where birds are regularly seen without so much as a serious false alarm.
We noted RING-BILLED, CALIFORNIA and HERRING GULLS during the search; cute-as-ever BURROWING OWLS were along Sinclair Road; and a MERLIN was on highway 111 south of Calipatria.
Although this was obviously a disappointing end to our six day adventure, our overall success and enjoyment factor were both very good. We found 31 target species (30 was a nominal goal) and saw 157 species in the bargain. I start with my next client on Sunday so I have a couple of days to myself. What will I do? Go birding of course!
47 species recorded:
Friday, March 14, 2008
This morning I headed south from Carlsbad (where I'm staying for a
couple of nights) and spent my leisure time doing a little casual birding and photography at
San Elijo Lagoon. I focused on the water areas on the north side of the lagoon
then tried to photograph gulls at the beach with a modicum of success. I didn't spend any time on the trails looking
for landbirds nor did I look for the Pacific Golden-Plover. Conditions were
quite decent -- mostly sunny and calm through midday, then cloudy and a little
breezy by 2:00pm when I called it a day.
No surprises, just a nice selection of species to enjoy. Highlights were LITTLE BLUE HERON, a hybrid male EURASIAN x AMERICAN WIGEON, a male CANVASBACK, numerous delightful male BUFFLEHEADS, a female RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, a perched PEREGRINE FALCON, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, HEERMANN'S GULL (immature), CALIFORNIA GULL, BONAPARTE'S GULL, a large flock of ROYAL TERNS (couldn't find Elegant), HUTTON'S VIREO (a little out of place here I thought) and AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. As I was trying to photograph sparrows in a dark place, I was still able to fluke a half-decent image of a male BUFFLEHEAD taking flight despite the fact that the camera was set to a slow speed.
Although the Wigeon stood out from the crowd, it didn't show enough chestnut on the head nor enough gray on the flanks and back. Clearly a hybrid in my book.
Further up the coast, I stopped at South Carlsbad State Beach. In addition to the common gull species, I noted a small group of 11 SURFBIRDS at the end of the man made rock wall.
58 species recorded:
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Today I birded in several Orange County locations, spending most of
my time working on photography. At the end of the day I picked up my client for
the upcoming week in LA and we drove to Ventura. Although it was mostly sunny
after a cloudy start, from a birding standpoint the day was ruined by high
winds. Evening sprinkles in Ventura was the first rain since I arrived in
California a week ago.
I spent the first couple of hours at Doheny Beach studying gull plumages. As I was leaving, someone mentioned that Thayer's had been reported here but I found only the expected stuff -- WESTERN, CALIFORNIA, and RING-BILLED plus a lone BONAPARTE'S and a few immature GLAUCOUS-WINGED. The gulls were some distance away and I had to use my larger lens and a 2X converter (this plus low light translates into a poor image). Among the other species that I recorded were WESTERN GREBE, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, BLACK-NECKED STILT and NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW. About 30 species in the very limited geographical area that I covered.
My next stop was Crystal Cove State Park where it was already quite windy (but the light was much better). Despite lots of people present on this weekend day and the windy conditions, I didn't have any trouble at all locating CALIFORNIA GNATCATCHER perched close to a singing CALIFORNIA THRASHER. When I was here earlier in the week on Wednesday, I didn't see a single "rockpiper" working the rocky areas on the beach. Today I found almost the full set (tide timing is important) -- BLACK OYSTERCATCHER, WHIMBREL, WANDERING TATTLER, BLACK TURNSTONE and a SURFBIRD with well developed breeding plumage (a few were like this but most were still in all gray winter garb). Also present were BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, MARBLED GODWIT and WILLET. I spent a couple of hours trying to get the above images.
After a very brief stop at Huntington Beach Central Park (too windy), I
continued on to Bolsa Chica where it was even more windy. So much so, in fact,
that I couldn't use the scope and the many hundreds (thousands?) of birds out on
the distant flats went unidentified. Someone told me that a Reddish Egret was
present but I didn't see it. Species in the (relatively!) sheltered areas
included RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, LESSER SCAUP, DUNLIN, LONG-BILLED
CURLEW and CASPIAN TERN. I was able to photograph a
male SURF SCOTER at
close range (second
image with good detail of the bill) and a
female SURF SCOTER. 30 species in all.
59 species recorded:
Pied-billed, Eared & Western Grebes;
Brown Pelican,
Double-crested Cormorant,
Great & Snowy Egrets;
Am. Wigeon,
N. Shoveler,
Lesser Scaup,
Surf Scoter,
Red-breasted Merganser,
Ruddy Duck,
Turkey Vulture,
Sharp-shinned Hawk,
California Quail,
Am. Coot,
Black Oystercatcher,
Black-necked Stilt,
Black-bellied Plover,
Long-billed Dowitcher,
Marbled Godwit,
Long-billed Curlew,
Wandering Tattler,
Black Turnstone,
Western & Least Sandpipers;
Ring-billed, California, Glaucous-winged, Western & Bonaparte's Gulls;
Caspian Tern,
Rock Pigeon,
Anna's Hummingbird,
Black Phoebe,
N. Rough-winged Swallow,
Cedar Waxwing,
California Thrasher,
California Gnatcatcher,
Am. Crow,
Common Raven,
European Starling,
House Finch,
Yellow-rumped Warbler,
Common Yellowthroat,
Spotted & California Towhees;
Song Sparrow and
Brewer's Blackbird.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
First of five days with Brendan O'Sullivan from Mississauga, ON (a
first time client). Not
surprisingly, given the windy conditions yesterday, the Island Packers trip to
Santa Cruz Island was cancelled today. In fact, the wind was much worse this
morning and the sea conditions were more than I could have handled.
Consequently, the whole itinerary and motels now have to be changed to
accommodate rescheduling the boat trip for Tuesday. Not the most auspicious of
starts to the trip. Windy conditions prevailed everywhere that we visited
throughout the day and in the end we did extremely well to find a dozen target
species on a revamped day.
The windiest spot was Marina Park in Ventura where we struggled to use the scope and dodge the surf. Over an hour or so we weeded out CLARK'S GREBE from the many WESTERN'S; BRANDT'S & PELAGIC CORMORANTS, BLACK OYSTERCATCHER and a few BLACK TURNSTONES. We eventually found a flock of ~15 SURFBIRDS roosting high on the rocks.
Other species included HORNED GREBE, SURF SCOTER, WHIMBREL, RUDDY TURNSTONE and my first-of-season BARN SWALLOW.
It was a little calmer by the time we reach Solvang and we soon found YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIES on Alisal Road -- 8 birds all paired up. Here and in Nojoqui County Park we also picked up OAK TITMOUSE (many singing) and PACIFIC SLOPE FLYCATCHER (at least five). Among the other typical species for the area were WESTERN BLUEBIRD, NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER (heard only), WESTERN SCRUB JAY, HUTTON'S & WARBLING VIREOS, PURPLE FINCH and SPOTTED TOWHEE.
Reports of lowland wintering Red-breasted Sapsuckers have been few and far between so we decided to follow up on a recent report of a bird at Waller Park in Santa Maria. The reported presence of a female Hermit Warbler gave us added impetus. We spent the remainder of the afternoon at the park and found neither.
I've visited Waller Park a couple of times in years past for CACKLING GOOSE and a bird is still present along with SNOW and ROSS'S GEESE (although I think the Ross's is a hybrid). A combination of the constant wind, strong at times, and the mass of Sunday afternoon humanity (and the associated noise and activity) made birding difficult to say the least. We found evidence of the Sapsucker in the location where it was reported (fresh, running sap) but no bird. A flock containing CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES and TOWNSEND'S WARBLER gave us a couple of targets (stolen from tomorrow) but no sign of Hermit. A heard only NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER (three times) made the bird into an instant nemesis, but hopefully not for long.
A tough day that we managed to redeem despite circumstances that conspired against us.
64 species recorded:
Monday, March 17, 2008
Day 2 with Brendan saw a vast improvement in the weather -- not a
cloud in the sky all day and zero wind. We birded mostly in San Luis Obispo County at
Oceano, Montaña de Oro State Park and briefly
in Morro Bay; then checked Waller Park in Santa Maria (Santa Barbara County) before returning to
Our first bird of the day was a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK perched on a light pole on Broadway in Santa Maria. After a short journey north, we began birding at Oceano where it was a chilly 39 degrees. Oceano is one of the better locations to get good looks at WRENTIT and it didn't take too long to track down a pair of birds today (some mutual preening was observed). Although this species is widespread and extremely vocal in many places throughout southern California, it's not always easy to see well given its preferred habitat which is often dense and on steep terrain. The habitat at Oceano us relatively flat and not as dense. CALIFORNIA THRASHER was fairly easy to find in the same habitat for our fourth target bird success in short order (a little while earlier we had seen CALIFORNIA TOWHEE and a male NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER). A check of the pond produced GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL to get our morning off to a great start.
Other birds noted during our exertions in the dunes and a brief walk through the willows and pines included CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE, HUTTON'S VIREO, PURPLE FINCH, TOWNSEND'S WARBLER and SPOTTED TOWHEE. 40 species in about 90 minutes.
We moved on to Montaña de Oro, primarily to scan for alcids. Although we had instant success with PIGEON GUILLEMOT (conservatively 70 birds in breeding plumage below the bluffs), almost an hour of additional scanning didn't produce any further targets. We did see a couple of PACIFIC LOONS, RED-THROATED LOON, WESTERN & CLARK'S GREBES, BRANDT'S & PELAGIC CORMORANTS and a few BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS.
In the campground we soon added CALIFORNIA QUAIL (the lack of California Quail or California Towhee sightings yesterday is testimony to how windy it was). Also present in the campground were NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER, CALIFORNIA THRASHER, WRENTIT and GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW.
A quick check of the water from Coleman Drive in Morro Bay was unproductive for storm refugees; just a COMMON LOON and HORNED & EARED GREBES in close proximity for good comparison. PEREGRINE FALCON was at the nest on the rock.
After a brief lunch break, we traveled south to Santa Maria to the scene of yesterday's crime. Our persistence was instantly rewarded with good views of RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER in Waller Park (payback for yesterday's time and effort). The bird was foraging in a tamarisk at the Goodwin Street entrance.
We finished the day at Marina Park in Ventura. What a difference in the weather from yesterday with almost serene conditions (our boat trip tomorrow shouldn't be a problem). Although the hope of a cheap Wandering Tattler didn't materialize, we saw many SURFBIRDS, BLACK & RUDDY TURNSTONES, WHIMBREL and several BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS -- a pleasant conclusion to a successful day with 8 targets located. The best bird was a female BLACK SCOTER hanging with the Surf Scoters.
80 species recorded:
Red-throated, Pacific & Common Loons;
Pied-billed, Horned, Eared, Western & Clark's Grebes;
Brown Pelican,
Double-crested, Brandt's & Pelagic Cormorants;
Great Blue Heron,
Great & Snowy Egrets;
Black-crowned Night-Heron,
Black & Surf Scoters,
Ruddy Duck,
Turkey Vulture,
Red-shouldered & Red-tailed Hawks;
Am. Kestrel,
Peregrine Falcon,
California Quail,
Am. Coot,
Black Oystercatcher,
Marbled Godwit,
Ruddy & Black Turnstones;
Ring-billed, California, Glaucous-winged & Western Gulls;
Pigeon Guillemot,
Rock Pigeon,
Eurasian Collared-Dove,
Mourning Dove,
Anna's Hummingbird,
Belted Kingfisher,
Red-breasted Sapsucker,
Nuttall's Woodpecker,
Black Phoebe,
Tree & Violet-green Swallows;
Ruby-crowned Kinglet,
Bewick's & House Wrens;
California Thrasher,
Am. Robin,
Chestnut-backed Chickadee,
Loggerhead Shrike,
Western Scrub-Jay,
Yellow-billed Magpie,
Am. Crow,
European Starling,
House Sparrow,
Hutton's Vireo,
Purple & House Finches;
Lesser Goldfinch,
Yellow-rumped & Townsend's Warblers;
Common Yellowthroat,
Spotted & California Towhees;
Chipping, Song, White-crowned & Golden-crowned Sparrows;
Dark-eyed Junco,
Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds and
Western Meadowlark.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Day 3 with Brendan was a glorious day for the trip to Santa Cruz
Island -- completely clear sky, zero wind and, best of all, a calm sea. At the
end of the day we drove to Santa Ana in preparation for Orange and San Diego
County birding tomorrow. A long and tiring day = a short report.
We picked up the three expected target species -- on the boat trip we saw over 20 COMMON MURRES (most on the return journey), a few Pacific White-sided Dolphins (somewhat uncommon I'm led to believe) and several Gray Whales. On the island (Prisoner's Harbor) we found ISLAND SCRUB-JAY without any trouble, two pairs of them in fact. Unlike last week, one bird was vocalizing. Checking hummingbirds paid off with a male ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRD.
Interesting birds on the island were an adult BALD EAGLE, continuing VIRGINIA RAIL (at least two) and GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW. Other species present included lots of ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, HUTTON'S VIREO and newly arrived BARN SWALLOWS. 35 species recorded on the island near the landing site.
The boat journey and various harbors produced a fair number of species with noticeably more loon activity today. COMMON and PACIFIC LOONS were particularly numerous and a close swimming RED-THROATED LOON checked out the boat at Scorpion Landing. A five grebe day was dominated by WESTERN & CLARK'S GREBE'S, both species were abundant in the channel. SURF SCOTER, BRANDT'S CORMORANT and PELAGIC CORMORANT were all common. We also saw perhaps 10 PIGEON GUILLEMOTS.
56 species recorded:
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Day 4 with Brendan. Another beautiful and calm day along the coast
after some early morning clouds. We birded at Crystal Cove State Park and Laguna
Niguel in Orange County; San Elijo Lagoon in San Diego County; and finished up in
East LA. We managed to find 5 out of 6 species sought (dipped on Tricolored
Blackbird). Yet another long day, much of it in heavy traffic, means another
short report.
We started at Crystal Cove State Park where we had excellent views of CALIFORNIA GNATCATCHER within minutes of arriving. We then had to spend a little time walking along the beach to the most distant rocks to find 3 WANDERING TATTLERS roosting at high tide. Most of the common "rockpipers" were present along with a GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL.
Next, we visited Laguna Niguel Regional Park where we struck out on Tricolored Blackbird (ditto for a second visit later in the day). Last week it took no time at all to get great looks. That's birding. Nothing of particular note seen save for a trip first male BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.
A journey south to San Elijo Lagoon produced ELEGANT TERN and PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER. The views were not very good, especially of the plover, although I saw the bird well in flight. Seeing both species here saved us the pain of a drive further south beyond San Diego.
Our final target of the day was SPOTTED DOVE, seen well in East LA after about 30 minutes of searching. Fading light made for a nervous finish to the proceedings since we didn't want to have to look for the bird again tomorrow.
75 species recorded:
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Fifth and final day with Brendan saw us down to just one hard target
species. Due to the lack of Yellow-footed Gull sightings at Salton Sea, we had
cancelled our visit there (especially after we were forced to reschedule the
Santa Cruz Island trip earlier in the week). Consequently, today was our easiest
day so far. Morning fog soon burned off and it was another very pleasant, albeit
slightly cooler day.
We started with a visit to Whittier Narrows Recreation Area (close to our overnight location) to follow up on a recent Tricolored Blackbird report. Not only did we not find any, we didn't find a single blackbird of any flavor, just GREAT TAILED GRACKLES. We noted about 30 species walking around the greens and ponds. Two AMERICAN WHITE-PELICANS looked a little out of place with the domestic geese. A couple of BULLOCK'S ORIOLES were present.
WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER was easy to find in the San Gabriel Mountains where there was a little more activity than last week. We drove as far as the road closure point in the snow zone before leaving the mountains. Other species included ACORN (numerous) and HAIRY WOODPECKERS, PYGMY NUTHATCH, WRENTIT, MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, OAK TITMOUSE and STELLER'S JAY.
An afternoon trip to Point Vicente on the Palos Verdes Peninsula to scan for offshore stuff was pleasant but not particularly productive. Species noted streaming north included a few PACIFIC & COMMON LOONS and many SURF SCOTERS. Also seen were CASPIAN TERN and a smaller unidentified Tern, probably Forster's. We were informed by a local that over 20 Gray Whales had been sighted here yesterday. None for us today.
Over the five days, we found 29 of the 30 hard target species that we actively sought (missed Tricolored Blackbird); and saw a total of 139 species in the process.
55 species recorded:
Friday, March 21, 2008
First of 5 days with David Patick from Huntington, WV, who I've
birded with on one previous occasion. David has spent a little time
in San Diego County so our target list lacks a few of the typical California
specialty species. I picked him up near LAX at 7:00am and we birded in East LA,
the Hansen Dam area near Sylmar, in the San Gabriel Mountains; and after a drive
north, in Ventura. We enjoyed a beautiful
weather day and managed 9 target species by the time we quit at 7:30pm.
The day began well with a relatively traffic free drive to East LA where we quickly picked up 3 SPOTTED DOVES in no time at all.
Next, we followed up on a recent post by Kimball Garrett on LAbirds and traveled to Hansen Dam. It didn't take long to find several LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCHES mixed in with many LESSER GOLDFINCHES. Thanks, Kimball!
For the second successive day, I drove the windy Angeles Crest Highway into to the San Gabriel Mountains. Target successes here were MOUNTAIN QUAIL, WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER (4 birds including 3 females), 5 BAND-TAILED PIGEONS and great looks at a singing WRENTIT in a location where they are typically harder to see well.
Birding the breakwaters at Marina Park in Ventura was very productive. Two sessions before and after a dinner break yielded 3 targets -- a lone BLACK OYSTERCATCHER, many SURFBIRDS and a WANDERING TATTLER (good views after much searching and very little daylight remaining). Other species included COMMON LOON, WESTERN GREBE, CLARK'S GREBE (this is currently an excellent location to study Western and Clark's together); a continuing female BLACK SCOTER, WHIMBREL, RUDDY & BLACK TURNSTONES, SANDERLING and FORSTER'S TERN. 30 species in all.
Good Friday was certainly a good Friday for us.
67 species recorded:
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Day 2 with David was scheduled for the trip to Santa Cruz Island and
we couldn't have picked a better day. The weather, birds and marine mammals all
cooperated and a full boatload of Island Packers customers enjoyed a great trip.
We managed a total of 7 targets for trip.
ISLAND SCRUB-JAY was far less obvious today than on two recent trips and we only saw two birds, possibly three, over the course of five hours at Prisoner's Harbor (10:00am-3:00pm). Over the years I've made enough trips to the island to have learned the areas favored by the jays. Consequently, although the birds were completely silent today, the strategy of focusing on those areas paid off well. As far as I know, none were seen on the guided hike on Nature Conservancy property.
We also had excellent views of an adult male ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRD and I obtained a couple of decent images from close range (here's a rear view showing the extent of the green on the back). A lone GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW briefly posed before disappearing into dense shrubbery.
An 8:00am departure from Ventura (an hour earlier than the two recent trips) made for a chilly ride (even though the temperature on land was quite reasonable) and we saw very little on the outbound journey save for a single Gray Whale. The return was a much different story -- first we chased a couple of Humpback Whales then had a spectacular encounter with 2000 Common Dolphins that thrilled the masses as the captain stayed with them for about 15 minutes. We saw a few species with wings -- three HEERMANN'S GULLS flew across the boat during the journey from Prisoner's to Scorpion and we saw a PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER and several XANTUS'S MURRELETS on the ride back to Ventura. Other species included abundant WESTERN & CLARK'S GREBES, numerous PIGEON GUILLEMOTS and COMMON MURRES plus regular harbor birds such as SURFBIRD and WHIMBREL.
A very enjoyable day plus more of that delicious Pea Soup at the end.
51 species recorded:
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Day 3 with David was a much revamped day as I changed the itinerary
to take advantage of the fact that we were ahead of our "hard" target schedule.
Consequently, we were able to chase a few "soft" target species. Another great
weather day (high 70s in places) for Easter Sunday; and lots of people around!
Brief reports remain the norm as I cannot find that elusive 25th hour.
We began near Solvang shortly after sunrise where it was a chilly 36 degrees. Nevertheless, we didn't have any trouble locating YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE on Alisal Road and were on our way north in no time at all.
CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE was initially very silent at Oceano and it took a little while to find. However, finding the bird is really a forgone conclusion at this location. A walk around the willows and a packed Campground was eventually successful but we dipped on Nuttall's Woodpecker choosing to get one elsewhere.
Next, we drove to our furthest destination which was the Elephant Seal Rookery north of Hearst Castle on highway 1. The viewing masses had zero impact on our quest for THAYER'S GULL and the investment in driving time paid off after a fair amount of sifting through the motley collection of gulls.
Onward -- a drive southeast to Santa Margarita immediately produced the long staying LEWIS'S WOODPECKER in regular spot on Pozo Road (1.8 miles from Hwy 58).
Our next destination was the pasture adjacent to the Guadalupe Wastewater Treatment Plant. Amazingly, we saw the 2 continuing PACIFIC-GOLDEN PLOVERS before seeing the more common BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS. Excellent views, but just a little too far away for photos. The next target was a little more problematical and we had to sift through hundreds of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS before getting killer looks at TRICOLORED BLACKBIRD (at least three present). A "flock" of a dozen or so GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS were also foraging in the pasture.
Our final destination of the day was Waller Park in Santa Maria. I thought the place was packed last Sunday but today you could hardly move as the local residents enjoyed the afternoon. However, I'm happy to say that, once again, there was zero impact on our results. After being rudely interrupted by NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER, we immediately found RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER in exactly (to the inch) the same place on the same tree as a week ago.
An excellent end to an excellent day that saw us pick up 8 target species. David now needs just one more to reach 500. The pressure is on.
71 species recorded:
Pied-billed & Western Grebes;
Brown Pelican,
Double-crested Cormorant,
Great & Snowy Egrets;
Black-crowned Night-Heron,
Am. Wigeon,
Green-winged & Cinnamon Teal;
N. Shoveler,
Turkey Vulture,
Red-shouldered & Red-tailed Hawks;
Am. Kestrel,
Am. Coot,
Am. Avocet,
Pacific Golden-Plover,
Black-bellied Plover,
Long-billed Dowitcher,
Greater Yellowlegs,
Least Sandpiper,
Ring-billed, California, Glaucous-winged, Western & Thayer's Gulls;
Rock Pigeon,
Eurasian Collared-Dove,
Mourning Dove,
Anna's Hummingbird,
Lewis's, Acorn & Nuttall's Woodpeckers;
Red-breasted Sapsucker,
Black Phoebe,
Cliff Swallow,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet,
Cedar Waxwing,
Bewick's & House Wrens;
N. Mockingbird,
Am. Robin,
Chestnut-backed Chickadee,
Oak Titmouse,
Western Scrub-Jay,
Yellow-billed Magpie,
Am. Crow,
European Starling,
House Sparrow,
Hutton's Vireo,
Purple & House Finches;
Am. Goldfinch,
Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped & Townsend's Warblers;
Common Yellowthroat,
Spotted & California Towhees;
Song, White-crowned & Golden-crowned Sparrows;
Red-winged, Tricolored & Brewer's Blackbirds;
Western Meadowlark and
Great-tailed Grackle.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Day 4 with David. Another day of changes and lots of driving. After
good success with target species, we decided to include a trip to the Salton Sea
tomorrow (after initially removing it from the itinerary due to the scarceness
of Yellow-footed Gull). From our overnight stopover in Buellton (and more
delicious soup at Pea Soup Andersen's, my third such partaking of the trip),
today we journeyed south down to San Diego then east to El Centro. Along the way
we found two of three targets. Great weather continues.
Our first destination was the UCSB campus in Goleta where two hours of persistent searching eventually produced the continuing male EURASIAN WIGEON. Not a bad bird for David's 500th ABA species (has been a nemesis for him). During the search we recorded 45 species on campus including CINNAMON TEAL, GREATER SCAUP, several crowd-pleasing BUFFLEHEADS, a couple of CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS and newly arrived HOODED ORIOLES.
Next followed a couple of strikeouts on Snowy Plover at Bolsa Chica south of Huntington Beach and at South Bay Preserve in San Diego. However, we did pick up ELEGANT TERN which was perhaps a forgone conclusion.
64 species recorded:
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Fifth and final day with David turned out extremely well despite
missing Snowy Plover again. It was another long day with lots of driving but we
had great success at the Salton Sea and in the San Jacinto Mountains with two
difficult targets seen. It was a little windy in the mountains but I still can't
really complain about the weather.
Our decision to try for "the gull" was vindicated by a recent sighting report. It took about 90 minutes to find an adult YELLOW-FOOTED GULL at Obsidian Butte (a regular spot for this species) at the second time of asking. We didn't see the bird on the first pass and looked elsewhere for a little while. Shortly after we returned, I spotted the bird standing on a rock and we had wonderful looks in the chilly morning air before heat shimmer became a problem. A minute later the bird was out of sight for a few minutes showing how easy it is to miss despite the fact that it's so large and obvious when not obstructed by rocks, pelicans and cormorants. An adult HEERMANN'S GULL was a noteworthy sighting in the same location (relatively scarce at the Sea).
Next came an unrewarded search for Snowy Plover at several south and west shore locations. The only bird of note was a GULL-BILLED TERN at the Poe Road access (a presumed recent arrival). Regular species recorded as we searched included both Pelicans, scads of CATTLE EGRETS, WHITE-FACED IBIS, CLAPPER RAIL, many CASPIAN TERNS and a BURROWING OWL. Among the species noted at the Wister Unit were LUCY'S WARBLER and several BULLOCK'S ORIOLES.
More driving was the next order of business as we slogged through traffic in the desert cities to the San Jacinto Mountains. I'm happy to say that our efforts were well rewarded with excellent views of a pair of PINYON JAYS as they went about their business of nest building. Persistence and careful listening were the keys to success. The location was on Butterfly Peak Road off the "Palms to Pines" Highway (route 74), not far from a recent sighting and just a couple of miles from where I found jays last year in April.
Even more driving was on the menu now as we drove back to LAX. However, two good birds mitigated 14 hours and 400+ miles of travel. Whatever it takes.
During our five days together, we picked up 28 target species which was an excellent return considering that David had already birded in Southern California and picked the low hanging fruit. Of the birds that we actively sought, Snowy Plover was the only miss. 164 species in all.
77 species recorded:
Pied-billed, Eared & Western Grebes;
Am. White & Brown Pelicans;
Double-crested Cormorant,
Great Blue Heron,
Great, Snowy & Cattle Egrets;
White-faced Ibis,
Canada Goose,
N. Pintail,
Cinnamon Teal,
N. Shoveler,
Ruddy Duck,
Turkey Vulture,
N. Harrier,
Red-tailed Hawk,
Am. Kestrel,
Gambel's Quail,
Clapper Rail,
Am. Coot,
Black-necked Stilt,
Am. Avocet,
Black-bellied Plover,
Long-billed Dowitcher,
Long-billed Curlew,
Greater Yellowlegs,
Least Sandpiper,
Heermann's, Ring-billed, California & Yellow-footed Gulls;
Gull-billed & Caspian Terns;
Rock & Band-tailed Pigeons;
Eurasian Collared-Dove,
Mourning & White-winged Doves;
Burrowing Owl,
Belted Kingfisher,
Ladder-backed & Hairy Woodpeckers;
Black Phoebe,
Western Kingbird,
N. Rough-winged & Cliff Swallows;
House & Marsh Wrens;
N. Mockingbird,
Western Bluebird,
Am. Robin,
Mountain Chickadee,
Oak Titmouse,
Pygmy Nuthatch,
Western Scrub-Jay,
Pinyon Jay,
Am. Crow,
Common Raven,
European Starling,
House Finch,
Orange-crowned, Lucy's & Yellow-rumped Warblers;
Common Yellowthroat,
Savannah & Song Sparrows;
Dark-eyed Junco,
Red-winged Blackbird,
Western Meadowlark,
Great-tailed Grackle and
Bullock's Oriole.
Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
1 | ||||||
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
30 | 31 |
This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries
are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Tuesday, March 25, 2008
March Species Seen |
Stuart Healy Journal - March, 2008 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks. |
Top of Page |


text:
Christopher Corona
Nov 6, 2013
Shantel Demand
Oct 30, 2013
Home » News » Crime
Merrimack woman charged with lying about home invasion
Police say Mary Watson, 42, of 62 Bates Road, called police on June 30 reporting that three men had entered her residence through the basement and were causing damage to the inside of the home.
When authorities arrived to investigate, they were told that the men had fled the area into the surrounding woods. Local and state police began a search of the area, however a canine was not able to locate anyone.
"While at the scene, Merrimack detectives were able to piece evidence together that led them to believe the report was false," police said in a release. "Watson later admitted to making up the report of the home invasion, and that she in fact had caused the damage herself."
She was arrested Saturday and charged with providing a false report to law enforcement. Watson is free on $1,500 personal recognizance bail, and will be arraigned July 16 at the 9th Circuit Court, Merrimack Division.
- Delayed sexual assault trial to start today - 0
- Manchester man charged in series of store robberies - 0
- Fugitive convicted of stabbing Manchester man in heart in '96 - 0
- Two charged with selling heroin in Nashua - 0
- 'Fugitive of the week' arrested in Hooksett - 0
- Dover police arrest 3 on drug charges - 8
- Manchester woman accused of driving on sidewalk chasing boyfriend - 17
- Vehicle stops in Manchester yield 3 drug arrests - 5
- Pelham had employed finance head charged with embezzlement - 0
Winchester man files to plead guilty in crash that killed his brother
READER COMMENTS: 0- Dave D'Onofrio's Patriots Notebook: Incredible win tempered by loss of Gronkowski - 0
- National champion SNHU booters return home to big welcome - 0
- Allen Lessels' UNH Notebook: Football team on to SE Louisiana - 0
- Nashua aldermen set to vote on contract for teachers - 0
- Katie McQuaid's Scene in Manchester: Let there be Christmas lights - 0
- Plea deal possible in Littleton murder - 0
- New UNH logo draws mixed reactions - 0
- Gilmanton library may shut down if it doesn't get funding - 0
- Father not convinced girl in video is Abigail Hernandez - 0
Snow deal: Plows, snow blowers, shovels all have their benefits and drawbacks
READER COMMENTS: 0- Should applicants for jobless benefits have to pass a drug test?
- Yes
- 78%
- No
- 22%
- Total Votes: 1424

subset: commoncrawl


text:
"Forget the numbers, forget the reviews & the editors this and the awards just look at that picture!"
4.5 starson by thegreenmenacePros: Black is darker than anythign I have ever seen on a screen!
Cons: expensive, dusty, 720p just makes me feel funny
Summary: I went to Best Buy to purchase the new Sony DLP 60a2020 but out of the corner of my eye I saw this beast, the picture quality on this 720p set is better than any other 1080p set under $3000, you don't need numbers, and editors, and awards to tell you that, just look at the picture, in HD, 720/1080 and SD it just looks better. Period.
I have had it now for 3 weeks and no complaints yet, I have Comcast cable and my XBOX360 running on it all the time and the picture is amazing! I attribute my Madden ranking to this TV.
The only reason I gave it a 9 is because it is expensive and the speakers should come separately as an optional add-on so I don't have to pay for them, who buys a 3000 TV and uses the TV speakers?
- 1 reply to this review
You shouldn't even buy $300 television and use the built in speakers. Altec Lansing speakers plugged into the headphone jack make all the difference!


text:
« A Decline in Public Support For Suicide Bombing |
Blog Home Page
| Two new carriers for the Royal Navy »
July 26, 2007 John Doe Intimidation is Dead - Long Live the KingIn what must be celebrated as a major victory for both sanity and safety, the Improving America's Security Act of 2007 will, indeed, include liability protections for citizens reporting suspicious activity they fear may be linked to terrorism. As you'll likely recall, The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) responded to last November's Flying Imams Scam by backing civil litigation naming unnamed (John Doe) "whistleblowers" (who dutifully saw something and said something) as co-defendants. While unabashedly frivolous, the potential hazards of such a suit were by no means lost on most security conscious Americans. Thankfully, this included ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security, Rep. Peter King (R-NY), who quickly drafted a proviso to shield the vigilant from such blatant intimidation-by-tort. King's so-called "John Doe provision" of the so-called "Sept. 11 Security Bill" passed the House in March by an overwhelming and decidedly bipartisan vote. But the Senate proved a much harder sell, with many PC-minded Democrats echoing Pat Leahy's reckless concern that such an amendment "could invite racial and religious profiling." The Senate Judiciary Chairman and other Tolerance-Over-Public-Safety Dems -- including Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers - have used every technical procedure at their disposal to scuttle this crucial anti-terrorism addition. But, thanks in large part to King's resolve and willingness to accept silly "compromise language" specifying immunity only to "good-faith" informants - John Doe Lives. What's more, whenever signed by the President, the bill will be retroactive to November, 2006 - affording immunity to those wrongfully persecuted by the bogus CAIR lawsuit. In announcing the inclusion of his provision in both the House (HR 1) and Senate (S 4) versions of the bill today, the deservedly jubilant King proclaimed that:
Hear hear -- and long live the (Peter) King. |
Recent Articles
Blog Posts


text:
I was in Stevens Point for a convention and most motels were booked up but the Point had space available so I took it. This mom & pop motel is attractive from the street and overall is pretty well maintained. The room was clean and the brick construction helps with sound deadening so the room was very quiet. The first... More
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Booking.com, Priceline, Orbitz, Travelocity and Cheap Tickets so you can book your Point Motel reservations with confidence. We help millions of travellers each month to find the perfect hotel for both holiday and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.


text:
You're leaving Wedding Paper Divas to see the Deal of the Day at our parent site, Tiny Prints.
"Loved the cards...they are gorgeous and unique! However, the paper appears creamier on screen then it does in reality and I don't love that the envelopes are pure white, because my invitation suite was ecru. Nevertheless, I love the cards themselves and am happy overall with my purchase."
"I have never received as many compliments on something like I did on these thank you's. The printing and picture quality was amazing! Wedding Paper Divas NEVER lets me down!"
"This is a simple design, classy, and fits in with our wedding theme. The quality was perfect when the cards arrived and delivery was even sooner than expected."
"My fiance and I selected this card to use for a couples shower. We customized it by making the background behind the "thank you" in a fuchsia color and then having a solid smoke border that was not as thick as the original design. We thought it was very cute, simple, and clean looking - much to our style! Paper quality is good and we thought it was the perfect size."
"This design is so bright and cheery. I cannot wait for my friends and family to receive these thank you cards. They will surely put a smile on anyones face!"


text:
Makes you miss the driving in NH, huh? Your best 20 miles so far.
Long day of driving, traffic jam
Trip Start
Jul 16, 2010
Trip End
Aug 15, 2010
(Jana) Tuesday 8:45 pm – Okay, Kevin's back in the driver's seat and we're moving again. Almost a three-hour traffic jam! We just drove by the rollover. Guess he was hauling trash and it covered both lanes. What a huge mess and the truck was pretty smashed. Hope the driver is okay. Oh my, it is now pouring and hard to see. Those pour workers cleaning up trash! We have an appointment to get the A/C checked at a Camping World in Springfield Missouri on Thursday morning. We'll need to make up some time between here and there. Kevin is a saint to drive in this storm right now. Staying at a Wal-Mart somewhere tonight. Take care everyone.
497 miles today, avg. speed 49.6 mph, travel time 9:40, total miles for trip 1,250


text:
I'm traveling this morning so I thought it would be a good time to post my 2012 trillium photos. The early spring has brought out these beauties at the earliest time since I moved to Morton Grove.
All of these photographs were taken within a few feet of each other in Linne Woods.
The most common trillium in the Chicago area is the white trillium
A few more blossoms.
And finally a red trillium. The speckled leaf coloring makes up for the less attractive bloom.
Technorati tags: Illinois photography photos Morton Grove nature wildflowers botany


text:
Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human DevelopmentDr. James Fowler has asked these questions, and others like them, of nearly six hundred people. He has talked with men, women, and children of all ages, from four to eighty-eight, including Jews, Catholics, Protestants, agnostics, and atheists. In many cases, the interviews became in-depth conversations that provided rare, intimate glimpses into the various ways our lives have meaning and purpose, windows into what this books calls faith. Faith, as approached here, is not necessarily religious, nor is it to be equated with belief. Rather, faith is a person's way of leaning into and making sense of life. More verb that noun, faith is the dynamic system of images, values, and commitments that guide one's life. It is thus universal: everyone who chooses to go on living operated by some basic faith. Building on the contributions of such key thinkers as Piaget, Erikson, and Kohlberg, Fowler draws on a wide range of scholarship, literature, and firsthand research to present expertly and engagingly the six stages that emerge in working out the meaning of our lives--from the intuitive, imitative faith of childhood through conventional and then more independent faith to the universalizing, self-transcending faith of full maturity. Stages of Faith helps us to understand our own pilgrimage of faith, the passages of our own quest for meaning and value. |
What people are saying - Write a review
User ratings
5 stars |
| ||
4 stars |
| ||
3 stars |
| ||
2 stars |
| ||
1 star |
Review: Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development
User Review - GoodreadsFascinating read. Technical in places (to be honest, I skipped over some areas), but don't let that dissuade you from reading it. If nothing else, the final chapter - Faith on Earth - makes the whole book worth reading.
Review: Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development
User Review - Sue Wickham - GoodreadsRead this YEARS ago and was pleased to find it still available. It looks seriously at human development and the way we grapple with questions of faith regardless of religious tradition. An excellent resource for any religious practitioner. Read full review
Related books
Christian Perspectives on Faith Development: A Reader Jeff Astley,Leslie J. Francis Limited preview - 1992 |


text:
WORLD heritage site Petra and the stunning desert of Wadi Rum are Jordan's best known tourist sites. But there's more to Jordan than these two marvels. Treat this country as a "by-the-way destination" and you'll miss discovering one of the Middle East's most captivating countries. Putri Zanina gives some suggestions on what you should see and do in Jordan.
1. Wadi Rum
This is the desert where Lawrence Of Arabia once held sway and where much of the 1962 movie of the same title was filmed. The real T.E. Lawrence, British archaeologist, adventurer and military strategist, called Wadi Rum his "private resort" in his book, The Seven Pillars Of Wisdom (1927). Indeed, just pick a spot in this vast sea of stunning orange-red sand and you'll find your own speck of private space. Whether you blaze the dusty desert trail on a camel or in a jeep, you'll get a taste of rugged desert life.
The sand, the star-spangled night sky and the giant rock formations that rise from the sand dunes will move you the way they have moved travellers for centuries. You'll be "swallowed" by the Rum's immense majesty and its "silence" will lull you into a state of humility.
2. Petra
Probe Petra's mysteries and you'll be even more mystified. How did ancient men even begin to build a whole "city" of colossal architecture in arid, mountainous desert land and equip it with an intriguing water conduit system? Palaces, tombs, temples, theatres and more are hewn from massive sandstone hills.
Petra, which means stone, is one of the wonders of the ancient world and one of the places "you must see before you die".
The whole city that's cut out of rock, looks like a magical fluke of nature. The capital of the ancient Nabatean Kingdom was said to have been built with the help of spirits. The area's best-known poet, Dean Burgon, described it as a "rose-red city half as old as time". It has a predominantly pinkish-red facade. In fact, the sandstone walls with their contours smoothed by erosion over the years, have rock veins in shades that range from reddish-gold to pink and lilac.
Petra's wondrous structures include the As-Siq (deep, narrow gorge) and Al-Khazneh or Treasury, which is Petra's most beautiful monument, marking the 1st Century BC tomb of a Nabatean king.
3. Jordan Valley
This is also one of Jordan's amazing places, if not the world's. Geographically, it's the lowest point on Earth (just over 400 metres below sea level). Within the valley are several rivers, including Jordan River. The valley is believed to have been the home to biblical cities including Sodom and Gomorrah. Eighty per cent of places mentioned in the old testament of the Bible are located in Jordan.
If you travel for religious pursuits, this is a must-go place. Muslims will find the tombs of several companions of Prophet Muhammad here.
The area opposite the world's oldest village, Jericho, is most significant for Christians, as they believe it to be the spot where Jesus Christ was baptised by John the Baptist. Christians from all over the world still come to this site to be baptised. The Baptist's settlement — Bethany Beyond The Jordan — extends between Tell-al-Kharrar (Elijah Hill) and John The Baptist Church area on the east bank of Jordan River. In summer, the river water is just waist high and as narrow as the old two-lane trunk roads in Malaysia. Across a stretch of the river near John The Baptist Church lies Israel, which is so near and yet beyond reach behind the fences. Several worshippers from the Israel side get into the river where a priest baptises them. The scene is perhaps reminiscent of what took place ages ago.
4. Mount Nebo
Go to the top of Mount Nebo and see, as Prophet Moses did, the panorama of the "promised land", including the Jordan River Valley, the Dead Sea, Jericho and Jerusalem, referred to as the Holy Land.
Christians make a pilgrimage to Mount Nebo where there's a church commemorating the death of Moses. There's also a mammoth serpentine cross symbolic of Moses's bronze serpent.
Mount Nebo is near Madaba, a city renowned for mosaic art. Madaba's real masterpiece can be seen in the Orthodox Church of Saint George — the 6th Century AD giant mosaic map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land.
5. Dead Sea
The air around the Dead Sea has been found to be eight per cent richer in oxygen than elsewhere. That's because the Dead Sea area is located on the Earth's lowest point. Combine the clean air with the therapeutic benefits of the natural salt, mineral-rich water and mud, and you have the whole sea for a truly fantastic spa — a fact that has been known since ancient times when visitors to the area included Cleopatra, the famously beautiful Egyptian queen.
Spa resorts in the area are becoming increasingly popular for wellness holidays. These resorts also have sea-facing outdoor terraces that make for lovely al fresco dining in the evening. At some stretches of the coastline, you can see the twinkling lights of the West Bank just across the narrow channel of the sea.
6. The Citadel, Amman
If you only have a short time in Amman, the capital of Jordan, make it a point to visit The Citadel, an excellent place to learn about the city's history and much of Jordan's as well. A national historic site and home to the highly informative Jordan Archaeological Museum, The Citadel sits on the highest hill in Amman, Jebel al-Qala'a (about 850m above sea level). From there, you get a panoramic view of Amman, dubbed the White City for its facade seen from afar looks like a canvas of white, beige and ochre. The buildings are built using mainly roughly hewn or lightly veined white stones and marbles.
The Citadel is a treasure trove of evidence of occupation since the Neolithic period, the Bronze and Iron Ages (circa 1800 BC) through to the Roman and early Islamic period. Amman and its surrounding regions were ruled by several superpowers of the Middle East in ancient times: Assyria (8th Century BC), Babylonia (6th Century), the Ptolemies, the Seleucids (3rd century BC), Rome (1st century BC), and the Umayyads (7th century AD).
Historic structures, tombs, arches, walls, water systems and other ruins including the Umayyad Palace (circa AD 720) and Roman Temple Of Hercules (162-166 AD) can be seen at The Citadel. At the foot of Jebel al-Qala'a is the 5,000-seat Roman theatre, another legacy of the Romans, then under the rule of Pompey the Great.
7. Jerash
It's not surprising that the Greeks and Romans in the old days settled in the northern parts of Jordan, particularly Jerash, which is greener and slightly cooler with a Mediterranean-like ambience in contrast with the arid deserts in the south. The Romans recreated a mini Rome in Jerash, complete with theatres, colonnaded streets, towering arches and temples, and hippodrome.
The Jerash Roman hippodrome is a sandy, open course where Roman army march, gladiator fights and chariot racing performances are held twice daily at 11am and 2pm (except on Tuesday, while on Friday, only the morning show is available). Tickets for the 45-minute show cost JOD12 (RM54) for adults, and JOD2 for children aged 5-12 years old. It's worth paying the money to see the legacy of Romans coming alive within the ruins.
8. Aqaba
If you think that Jordanians don't know how to party, then you haven't been to the southern port city of Aqaba with the indigo-blue Red Sea just off its shores. Bikini-clad, auburn-haired girls and bronze, tanned men parade on beaches lined with world-class resorts, beach clubs and recreation centres offering cruises and snorkelling and diving trips.
Aqaba is fast developing with mammoth projects such as Tala Bay with holiday homes, golf courses, marinas and hotels. Its appeal is its proximity to Aqaba's main diving sites, considered one of the world's best diving spots with well preserved coral reefs.
For a cruise of the Aqaba Gulf, join Fun — Sun cruise on the 270-seater White Prince Yacht for sightseeing, dining, dancing and more.
9. Shopping
There are souvenir shops at major tourist attractions and at rest stops along the long road between Amman/Dead Sea to Petra but for more excitement and colour, go to the souqs in the old part of Amman, near the King Hussein Mosque. The bargaining here is as lively as the blend of modern and traditional items on sale.
Good Jordanian souvenirs include Bedouin crafts such as embroidered cloths and beaded jewellery, silver jewellery with traditional designs, decorated sand bottles, and art pieces and functional items made of mosaic tiles. And not forgetting the high quality Dead Sea products including bath salts, and mud-based soaps and beauty products.
10. Camping, Bedouin-style
Relax under the star-lit desert sky over Wadi Rum in Bedouin tents with vivid-coloured rugs, cushions and blankets. Enjoy campfire meal with Arabian music and dances, and if you like, smoke a shisha while you lounge in the half darkness. Your main meal is the traditional Bedouin dish called zarb — lamb or chicken slowly cooked for one to two hours in underground sealed fire pits. The food spread includes traditional mansaf lamb, pita bread, hummus, labneh (traditional Arab yogurt dip), and fresh and pickled vegetables.
One of the camping sites that offers just a glimpse of desert life is Jabal Rum Camp at the fringe of Wadi Rum. It has readily pitched tents, equipped with beds and electric lights — not authentic Bedouin tents but most travellers appreciate these conveniences in the desert.


text:
Posts Tagged 'Babylon'
Moody's, S&P affirms Babylon bond rating
by John Callegari Published: August 29, 2013
Tags: Babylon, bond ratings, Fitch Ratings, Long Island, Moody's, Standard & Poors, Town of Babylon
Standard & Poor's Rating Services assigned Babylon's general obligation bonds AA+, while Moody's assigned Babylon a grade of Aa2.
Plane lands on LI highway; no injuries reported
by The Associated Press Published: May 2, 2013
Tags: Babylon, Long Island, plane landing, route 231
Authorities say no injuries have been reported after a small plane landed on Route 231 in Babylon on Long Island.
Sandy cleanup work in 3 LI towns probed
by The Associated Press Published: April 9, 2013
Tags: Babylon, Brookhaven, FEMA, Hurricane Sandy, Islip, Long Island, Subpoena, Suffolk County District Attorney Tom Spota
The Suffolk County district attorney's office has issued subpoenas to three Long Island towns as it investigates how local governments spent tens of millions of taxpayers' money on Sandy cleanup.
Suffolk Legis. OKs $1.7M for Wyandanch Rising
by John Callegari Published: March 21, 2013
Tags: Babylon, funding, Long Island, Suffolk County, Suffolk County Legislature, Wyandanch, Wyandanch Rising
Wyandanch Rising got a boost Tuesday in the form of a $1.7 million cash infusion from the Suffolk County Legislature.
Babylon: No sand replacement by summer
by The Associated Press Published: February 5, 2013
Tags: Babylon, beaches, Hurricane Sandy, Long Island, sand, sand replacement
Babylon Deputy Town Supervisor Tony Martinez said Gilgo, Cedar and Overlook beaches lost a total of 200,000 cubic yards of sand. Replacing it could cost $10 million.
Bellone creates economic development committee
by John Callegari Published: December 20, 2012
Tags: Astoria Federal Savings, Babylon, economic development committee, Long Island, Suffolk County, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone
The committee will help Bellone craft pro-growth policies that foster job creation within Suffolk County, as well as improving ties with the business community.
The Buddy system
by LIBN Staff Published: November 12, 2012
Tags: Babylon, Ben's Kosher Deli, Bud Harrelson, Drink, food, Long Island Ducks, New York Mets, sports
Meet Bud Harrelson at Ben's Kosher Deli for their anniversary.
Kilwins finds LI sweet spot
by David Winzelberg Published: August 16, 2012
Tags: Babylon, candy, caramels, Chocolate, Chocolate Lady, chocolatier, Cocoa bean, confectioner, confections, cremes, Fannie May, food, franchise, fudge, ice cream, Kilwins, Retail, sweets, truffles, Wall Street Journal
Kilwins, founded in 1947, offers handmade chocolates, fudge and ice cream, and is in the midst of an expansion here.
Gold Coast Bank opens Farmingdale branch
by Claude Solnik Published: June 7, 2012
Tags: Babylon, bank branches, bank locations, Farmingdale, Gold Coast Bank, ribbon cutting
Islandia-based Gold Coast Bank has opened a branch in Farmingdale, its fourth location. The bank a few weeks ago cut the ribbon on the 2,800-square-foot location on Allen Boulevard, joining sites in Islandia, Setauket and Huntington. Sandy Buttacy was appointed manager of the branch, which offers the use of its conference room free to bank [...]
3 Long Island towns eye clamming restrictions
by The Associated Press Published: May 17, 2012
Tags: Babylon, Brookhaven, clamming, Islip, Long Island, restrictions
Lawmakers in the three towns on Long Island's Great South Bay are considering new restrictions on clamming. According to Newsday, a recent Suffolk County report found the bay's hard clam population is barely sustainable. Overharvesting during the 1970s is widely blamed. But baymen claim that water quality is a bigger problem. The new rules are [...]


text:
- November 21, 2012
- 12:28 p.m.
- Suggest removal
- Reply to this post
Geneyuss writes:
Aw come on you guys! Can't you see that this is just another misguided, good catholic latino boy? It just looks like the catechism didn't stick real good that's all. I mean after all he did turn himself in right? The guy was just trying to have a little fun that's all!You can't just expect him to stand-by and get ripped-off can you?
Want to participate in the conversation? Become a subscriber today. Subscribers can read and comment on any story, anytime. Non-subscribers will only be able to view comments on select stories.


text:
04 September 2003 06:14 [Source: ICIS news]
SINGAPORE (CNI)-- SKC, a sister company of South Korea's SK Corp, will start operations at its new polyester liquid crystal display (LCD) film plant in Wujang, China , on 23 September, a spokesman told CNI on Thursday.
The plant, which will produce 10m sq metre/year of LCD film, is the company's first wholly-owned facility in China. It has several existing joint ventures. The spokesman said feedstock from the plant would be sourced from SKC's existing operations in South Korea.
SKC, South Korea's top polyester film producer, has plans to expand its speciality coating business. Earlier this month, the company said it had designated its display material business as its next key business unit in which to strengthen investments.
SKC, which specialises in production of videotapes, CD and recordable media, currently controls 75% of Korea's LCD film material market and hopes to become one of the world's major suppliers to electronic component manufacturers by the year 2005.
For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.
Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.
ICIS news FREE TRIAL |
Get access to breaking chemical news as it happens. |
ICIS Global Petrochemical Index (IPEX) |
ICIS Global Petrochemical Index (IPEX). Download the free tabular data and a chart of the historical index |
Asian Chemical Connections


text:
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- A landlocked country of central Europe. Settled by Celtic tribes, the region was conquered (15 B.C.-A.D. 10) by the Romans and later (8th century) by Charlemagne, who made it a border state of the Carolingian Empire. In the 13th century, Austria passed to the Hapsburg family and remained the core of their vast holdings until the dissolution of Austria-Hungary in 1918, when Austria became a republic. Annexed by Adolf Hitler in 1938, Austria regained full sovereignty in 1955. Vienna is the capital and the largest city. Population: 8,200,000.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- proper n. A country in Central Europe, a member state of the European Union. Official name: Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich).
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- n. a mountainous republic in central Europe; under the Habsburgs (1278-1918) Austria maintained control of the Holy Roman Empire and was a leader in European politics until the 19th century
From Latin Austria; a Latinization of Germanic ostar ("eastern"), from Proto-Germanic *austra ("eastern"), from the Proto-Indo-European *aus- ("to shine") (see aurora, dawn). The Latin is short for (Marchia) austriaca ("eastern borderland"). More at eastern. (Wiktionary)


text:
Researchers at Kansas State University have affirmed the potential benefit of wet corn gluten feed in dairy rations. But improved milk yield is not due to improvements in the rumen environment, they say. Rather, it is due to increased dry matter intake.
"Increased (dry matter intake) is likely caused by decreased rumen fill due to feeding a source of NDF with smaller particles and a more rapid disappearance rate," they write in the November's Journal of Dairy Science.
Unlocking the benefits of wet corn gluten feed
Related Articles
No matching related articles at this time.
Sponsored Links
- Calif. dairy steals the show on 'Undercover Boss'
- Fleeing suspect falls face-first in cow manure
- Slow music boosts milk production
- Precision dairy technologies galore: What to do?
- Another study shows that carbohydrate, not fat, is the culprit
- College Aggies Online Program scholarship winner announced


text:
Ookami no Kuchi: Wolfsmund
MT Rating: 33.0163 (Rank: 5255) |Series Added: 2011-03-06
Type: Manga
Artist(s): KUJI Mitsuhisa
Status in Home Country: Ongoing - 4 Volumes
Scanslation Status: Ongoing
Summary Updated: 2012-12-17| Last File Added: 2013-10-01
Genre(s) : Action, Drama, Historical, Seinen, Tragedy
- Ookami no Kuchi Wolfsmund
- Vorufusumunto
- Wolf's Mouth: Wolfsmund
- Wolfsmund
From Kotonoha
Wolfsmund is a dark historical manga set in the early 14th century of Europe (Switzerland). The story revolves around the eponymous fortress in the St. Gotthard Pass which is ruled by a sadistic tyrant. Basically, each chapter deals with characters who for some reason have to cross the pass and who end up getting interrogated by the mentioned tyrant.
What sets this manga apart is the fact that there's rarely a happy ending for our protagonists. The author pulls no punches to show us just how brutal and inhuman the Middle Ages really were.
Scan Groups : Kotonoha
Forum Topic : No Topic Assigned
Members Following: 216
Times Favorited: 34
User Ratings: 9.36 (Weighted) 9.21 (Unweighted) (22 votes) View Graph
Other series you might be interested in: View More
Series |
MT Rating (Rank) |
Vagabond |
46.87 (36)
Vinland Saga |
40.60 (108)
Eden |
37.73 (210)
Historie |
35.87 (392)
Note: You can download the original versions of these files by signing up for a free account!
Pages 1
File | Date Added |
Ookami no Kuchi: Wolfsmund v01 c01-03 | 2012-03-14 |
Ookami no Kuchi: Wolfsmund v02 c04-06 | 2013-10-01 |
Pages 1
Monthly Goal: $900
Current Total: $119.43
Percent of Goal:
Curious who donates to us or what we spend the donations on? Click here to find out!
Community Login


text:
Latest Blog Posts
- UK Essays offers 50% off your dissertation proposal
- Spotlight on: The Customer team
- You should see what we've done!
- Are You Experienced?
- Six reasons why going to university is worth the hefty tuition fee
- Preparing for a Master's Dissertation
- Win a luxury hamper!
- Student loans - how to spend them wisely
- Infographic - The Recipe for The Perfect Essay
- Geoffrey Obita & All Answers


text:
- November 1, 2012
- 12:27 p.m.
- Suggest removal
- Reply to this post
Davidh239 writes:
So we should dismiss all the flubs and misstatements from David Axelrod, the current mayor of Chicago, Jessie Jackson, Rev. Wright and all the other bozos and our current VP Mr. Biden ?
Your choice based on 1 issue politics and the statement of a few stupid republicans is just 1 of the reasons we are in the trouble that we currently find ourselves.
Politics aside, some people are very narrow minded.
Want to participate in the conversation? Become a subscriber today. Subscribers can read and comment on any story, anytime. Non-subscribers will only be able to view comments on select stories.


text:
Is there anything left to say about Mohandas K. Gandhi that has not already been said? If the sheer volume of writing by and about Gandhi is any indication, the answer is a resounding no. Consider the section of any university library where the books on Gandhi are located. There is, first of all, the works of the very prolific man himself. His Collected Works — autobiography, political treatises, letters, newspaper articles — now run to more than 100 thick volumes. The sheer weight and often contradictory nature of his output is both an archival goldmine and a great challenge for ... Read More
Finding a New Gandhi in the Book 'Great Soul'
August 2, 2011 • By Sameer Pandya •
More like this: Culture, Mediator Tags: Book Reviews, Books, History, Nationalism
Does Old Glory Have a Dark Side?
December 17, 2008 • By Lee Drutman •
Early in the presidential campaign that was, Barack Obama's initial reluctance to wear a flag pin caused some opponents to question his patriotism. After all, some conservatives argued, the flag is the quintessential symbol of American patriotism, and by not wearing it on his lapel, well, one could only assume ... But are the stars and stripes as much a symbol of patriotism as many make them out to be? Probably not, according to some new research on the effects of exposure to the American flag. Experiments conducted by Markus Kemmelmeier, a professor of social psychology at the University ... Read More
More like this: Culture, Culture & Society Tags: American Flag, Barack Obama, Civics, Nationalism, Patriotism, Stars and Stripes


text:
Filtered Cigars
Smoking Accessories
Pipe Tobacco
Electronic Cigarettes
Domestic Cigars
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Entire Site
Filtered Cigars
Smoking Accessories
Pipe Tobacco
Electronic Cigarettes
Domestic Cigars
Order By Phone: 1-866-297-2462
Largest Selection of Little Cigars on the Internet!
Filtered Cigars
All the top cigar brands at all the right prices. Shop now for the best prices on your favorite brands of Premium, Domestic, and Little Cigars. Find a better price on an item at another site? Call or contact us and we'll beat that price on
Cigar Humidors
Cigars - Premium
Filtered Cigars
Smoking Accessories
Large selection of Smoking Accessories from zippo lighters, to a large assortment of rolling papers. We have it all.
Air Fresheners
Cigar Cases
Cigar Cutters
Cigar Humidifiers
Cigar Humidors
Cigar Hygrometers
Ed Hardy Lighters
Herb Grinder
Rolling Papers & Tubes
RYO Injectors
Zippo Lighters
Pipe Tobacco
Pipe Accessories
Pipe Tobacco
Rolling Papers & Tubes
RYO Accessories
Electronic Cigarettes
Disposable Electronic Cigarettes
Electronic Cigarette Accessories
Electronic Cigarettes Starter Kits
Refill Cartridges
Domestic Cigars
Domestic Cigars
Email Product Information
Your e-mail address:
Your friend's e-mail:
A Product from BuyLittleCigars.com
Beach Palm Vanilla 100 Little Cigars
Warm, mellow and smooth, Beach Palm's Vanilla 100 Little Cigars offer an easy, satisfying smoke every time. Rolled in India with natural tobacco, these little cigars have a musky flavor, a nice draw and they stay lit.


text:
Following a long and distinguished record over many years, the School continues to provide a research home to outstanding scientists of today.
Since 2000 several members and former members of the School including Tim Hunt, Martin Evans, Roger Tsien, Elizabeth Blackburn, the late Bob Edwards and most recently John Gurdon have been awarded a Nobel Prize. Current staff have received many other awards and some of the most recent are mentioned here.
In 2011 awards included the Royal Society Buchanan Medal for Steve Jackson and the Colworth Prize Lecture of the Society for General Microbiology for George Salmond. Trevor Robbins and Barry Everitt were joint recipients of the American Psychological Association Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award. Lora Heisler won the Obesity Society Lilly Scientific Achievement Award. Christine Holt won the Remedios Caro Almela Prize for Developmental Neurobiology. Andrew Balmford was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society together with several colleagues in other Schools and our Partner Institutes who were made Fellows. Nearer the end of the year Peter Leadlay was awarded the Inhoffen Medal, Usha Goswami the British Psychological Society President's Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychological Knowledge and Barry Everitt the Distinguished Achievement Award from the European Behavioural Pharmacology Society.
In the 2012 New Year's Honours Trevor Robbins was awarded a CBE for services to medical research. The Biochemical Society announced that its 2013 award winners include Tony Kouzarides, awarded the Novartis Medal and Prize while Sir Tom Blundell receives the Biochemical Society Award. George Salmond was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Alfonso Martinez Arias was awarded the Waddington Medal by the British Society of Developmental Biology. Together with other colleagues in the University, Tony Kouzarides was made a Fellow of the Royal Society while Kevin Brindle was made a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Timothy Clutton-Brock was awarded the Royal Society Darwin Medal and Claire Spottiswoode received a L'Oreal-Unesco UK and Ireland Fellowship for Women in Science. More recently Barry Everitt was awarded the British Association for Psychopharmacology Lifetime Achievement Award and Sir David Baulcombe received the Balzan Prize for epigenetics. The Royal College of Pathologists awarded its Gold Research Medal to Katherine Hughes.
Continuing with 2013, Eric Miska has been awarded the British Society for Cell Biology Hooke Medal, Ming Du has been awarded the Goudie lecture and medal by the Pathological Society and Robin Irvine has received the Van Deenen medal from the Institute of Biomembranes in Utrecht. George Salmond has been elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology while Jennifer Nichols was one of twelve women honoured for their outstanding contributions to science at Suffrage Science: 2013. Peter McNaughton and Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz have been elected Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Jenny Clack has been made an honorary Doctor of Science by the University of Chicago and has been awarded the T. Neville George medal by the Glasgow Geological Society. Henry Disney has been awarded Honorary Membership of the Freshwater Biological Association. Usha Goswami has been elected Fellow of the British Academy. The British Society of Audiology has given Chairman's Awards for outstanding contributions to hearing research and to the training of researchers in auditory science to Brian Moore, Brian Glasberg, Tom Baer, and Michael Stone. James Locke has been awarded the Merrimack-CSB2 Prize in Systems Biology. Colin Taylor has been elected to the Academia Europaea and Tony Kouzarides has won the Heinrich Wieland Prize, which honours outstanding research on biologically active molecules and systems in the fields of chemistry, biochemistry and physiology.
On their own web sites Departments celebrate many other achievements of their students and staff in teaching, research and in presenting their work via a range of media.


text:
Guitarist Kim Thayil Says Soundgarden's "King Animal" Features Tracks Written for Pearl Jam
Guitarist Kim Thayil says that Soundgarden's first album in over 15 years, King Animal, includes songs that drummer Matt Cameron had originally written for Pearl Jam.
"[Matt] had some songs which he had demoed that he wanted us to learn," Thayil tells The Phoenix. "He thought these songs were Soundgarden-like and that they might have been more appropriate for us than Pearl Jam and he wanted to hear us play them."
Thayil adds that rehearsing Cameron's tracks in the studio sparked the band's desire to create King Animal. "We had a blast [in the studio] and we love the songs and other ideas were coming out," he explains. "[Frontman] Chris [Cornell] had some, I had some, [bassist] Ben [Shepherd] had some and we just started jamming."
Soundgarden is currently on a North American tour supporting King Animal. Visit SoundgardenWorld.com to view the full itinerary.


text:
Last response: in Systems
Related resources:
- ForumNew to building ($1,000 budget)
- Forum[Solved] Dell Inspiron 1525 Laptop Computer
- ForumAlready got a PC, got $700. Better go for a laptop or a PC?
- ForumHelp building a custom laptop
- ForumWhats the best gaming laptop I can buy for $900?
- ForumWhat kind of laptop can i expect for approximately $900AUD and what should I get
- ForumI wanna build a laptop from scratch
- ForumWhere to buy parts for a custom build laptop?
- Forum[Solved] Laptop AMD A6 or Intel i3 can't decide have to buy today (10/15/2011)!
- ForumHow to on activate bluetooth if there is hardware problem in dell nseries laptop
- More resources
Read discussions in other Systems categories


text:
The spot where it all started. A mixed crowd -- old and young, male and female, beautiful and fabulous -- makes this an easy place to begin. Duck in to relive a defining moment in queer history, then stay for one of the rotating theme nights or upstairs dance parties. And ladies, it's catering to lesbians much more since new ownership took over in 2007.
- © Frommer's 2013
Ask a local about Stonewall Bar
Locals have answered 131 questions about New York City.
Ask New York City Locals about Stonewall Bar
Other features:
Cocktail Bars,Extra Late,Gay & Lesbian,Nightclubs,Bars & Pubs
- Details
- visit website
- tel: 212 436 0950
- 53 Christopher Street
- (at Seventh Avenue)
- New York, NY 10014
Greenwich Village & the West Village Hours:
- 2:30p-4a M-Su
- User Rating


text:
Breaking News
Fighting Ovarian Cancer -- and Winning
New treatments and techniques are helping boost survival rates for ovarian cancer -- and Julie McMullen and Elaine Becker are living proof. Julie was diagnosed with ovarian cancer while she was still in her 20s, and Allegheny Health Network's Dr. Thomas Krivak tailored her treatments in a way that preserved her fertility, with positive results. Elaine Becker, a patient of Allegheny Health Network's Dr. Fredric Price, is a 10-year-plus survivor of ovarian cancer, a disease that killed her mother at a young age. Elaine says "knowledge is power," and her niece, Emily Liszka, is using knowledge about her family background to make decisions about her future. This moving and thought-provoking segment from WQED-TV may change how you look at ovarian cancer.
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Drug allows surgeons to better see brain tumors
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
!By Luis Fabregas, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
A drug that illuminates brain tumor cells is allowing surgeons to better remove hard-to-visualize tumors, and could become standard treatment within five years, Allegheny General Hospital surgeons said Thursday.
The North Side hospital is one of four medical centers in the United States studying the compound known as 5-aminolevulinic acid, or ALA. Patients in Germany who received it survived an additional four months, said Dr. Matthew R. Quigley, director of neuro-oncology at AGH.
"I wouldn't want to go back to doing surgery without this drug," Quigley said.
The drug has been used in the brain surgeries of 12 AGH patients enrolled in a clinical trial approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It worked in about half the cases, all of which involved patients with high-grade gliomas, common brain tumors that are notoriously difficult to take out.
Enzymes in those malignant tumors allow the drug to give off a red glow when illuminated by a blue light, Quigley said. That allows surgeons to remove as much tumor as possible.
AGH has received approval to use the drug on 50 patients. The hospital typically sees 60 to 70 patients who are newly diagnosed with gliomas, the type of tumor that afflicted the late Sen. Ted Kennedy.
John Rotella, 73, of Bridgeville received the treatment on Jan. 5, four days after being diagnosed with a glioma. Doctors told him they removed the majority of the golf ball-sized tumor, something he hopes will improve his survival odds.
"I still need some chemo and radiation, but I feel absolutely great," he said.


text:
We provide an extensive range of car tuning services and performance upgrades, from engine control unit tuning to race car construction, development and support. Our workshop facilities are equipped with specialist workshop equipment including Dyno Dynamics and Dynapack Dynamometers, tuning, diagnostic equipment and wheel alignment hoists.
Our research and development is extensive, incorporating the best suppliers of car tuning products from around the world. The combination of our racing activities and experience in after-market car modifications and performance tuning ensures our road car packages are the best available. Three decades of race winning experience has demonstrated that if a component or modification stands up to the stresses of a race circuit, our clients can rely on many kilometres of trouble free performance on the road.
evolve technik car tuners clients can expect the same attention to detail that we apply to our championship winning race cars. Our testing and fabrication capability makes evolve technik the best choice for quality, high-performance car modifications. This includes 'back-to-back' dyno testing of engine control unit software and other performance modifications. As part of our service as car tuners, we can supply our tuning packages and arrange fitting at selected specialist workshops Australia-wide.
As part of our service, we can supply our tuning packages and arrange fitting at selected specialist workshops Australia-wide.