Bird List 🌅Sunrise Emoji               

    all yr: 2012-now          FOS in NY  

    Next: Saint Martin, Trinidad and Tobago.  More: <1>  trinidad_and_tobago.htm
    2019 Cayman Islands.  Iceland.  Baltic Sea ( Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, northeast Germany and Russia ) [link]   Barbados.
    2018 Tucson, AZ.  Pittsburgh, PA.  Bonaire & Curacao.  HK (trips to China).
    2017 Cayman Islands / Bonaire & Curacao / HK (1 day trip to China with Siu Ming)
    2016 celebrate birding 10 year anniversary - 決志:  矢志不渝 、堅定不移地 進行觀鳥, 成為一生一世的嗜好, 天長地久的興趣.
    2016 (Aug-):  HK
    2016 (Jan-Jul): Mexico (4/7)
    2015 (8/14-): Curacao / HK
    2015 (Jan-8/8) log: South Carolina / Seattle
    2014 log: Jamaica / Canadian Rockies / Curacao
    2013 log (New Orleans, Costa Maya, Belize City, Roatan, & Cozumel, HK, 1/2 day China with Siu Ming)        
    2012 (after Hurricane Sandy) log  
    2012 (Jul-before Hurricane Sandy) log  (Netherlands, UK, Scotland, Norway, Denmark) (birdList.b4_split2_b_and_c.htm)   
    2012 (Jan-Jun) log  (Costa Rica)  
    2011 log  (HK, Punta Cana) 
    2010 log  ( 1. Mar. Caribbean Cruise : Fort Lauderdale / Cozumel, Mexico / Cayman Islands ; 1b. HK ; 2. Nov. Caribbean Cruise : Puerto Rico / Half Moon Cay ) 
    2009 log  (Las Vegas; HK, Mainland China and Taiwan)  
    2008 log  (South Caribbean Cruise - Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Grenada, Bonaire & Aruba; Toronto; Palm Beach, Florida)   
    Photo and Video @ Punta Cana    pic01.htm  others   HK trips
    Note on Dragonfly and Damselfly   my insect spider list    Macro   butterflyMoth.htm   frog   kissena_rare_encounter.htm    Postings of NY Birding List
    Favorites in 2013   Favorites in 2012   Favorites in 2011  
    Bees   Wasps   Cricket   myInventory   myNationalPark.htm
    Costa Rica info   Costa Rica, 2012 - Photo    costa_rica_mybirdlist.htm
    Birding in Shetland Islands     Norway cruise     pc_stuff.htm    pc_stuff2.htm    Google Voice    t-mobile (6/2014)   多部未华子   cull_CanadaGeese_at_JBWR.htm
    samsung_s3600.note01.htm   smart_phone.htm   car_problem.htm   pedometer.htm
    http://www.nycgovparks.org/news/notices   Biblical_problems_caused_by_translation.htm   translation resource
    how_can_i_make_a_very_sharp_phot.htm   flash_wont_sync_in_slave_mode.htm   Camera/Camcorder for birding   cam4underwater   infrared_photography.htm
    snorkeling  
    comet_PANSTARRS.htm    Jamaica_bird.htm   2015plus_jamaica_trips.htm   Glacier   Hay fever   Glacier & Canadian Rockies  
    Curacao-1   Curacao-2   Bermuda   Cancun   Snorkeling Cozumel Reefs (El Cozumeleño Resort) 
    St. Maarten  St. Eustatius
    Saint Martin: The best snorkeling on the island lies on the French side, where the government religiously protects the calm waters, which are populated with schools of brilliantly colored fish. Find a tiny cove and explore the shallow reefs along its shores, especially in the northeastern underwater nature reserve.
    Barbados is called the land of flying fish.
    Cuba [mirror]  Ethiopia [Rockjumper's standard tours (as we classify this PNG tour) are aimed at the keen birder who wants to see as many birds and as much wildlife as possible without extreme effort or arduous hours in the field i.e. the average birder. src]  
    NewFoundLand
    South Carolina   Seattle   Bird in Arizona Desert
    Lead Adventures 3-Week Galapagos program - doc  
    Quito - Monastery of San Francisco - pic1  quito.htm
    The best month for me to visit Galapagos is probably Feb.   https://www.quasarex.com/blog/galapagos-climate-february-weather-in-the-galapagos-islands   https://www.quasarex.com/galapagos/when-to-visit
    List of whale and dolphin species        List of birds of HK   
    fb Post - 青衣島 譚炳文 1971   hksong_placeName.htm   根据哼唱的旋律找歌的网站 ( http://www.midomi.com/ )
    全膝關節置換術 (TKA)   飛蚊症
  
    How to Get Free Gogo Inflight WiFi : Click on “Watch for Free” in the Delta Studio to watch free movies. > Choose your movie and select "Watch Now." > asked if you have the Gogo app or need to download the app. > select the option to “Download on the App Store.” (or Google Play)  > Leave the App Store once Gogo takes you there.
  
   

(3) 美國獨立精神製片獎

(4) etc.

一代宗師 - 章子怡:

92黑玫瑰對黑玫瑰

最佳女配角 馮寶寶

1/16/2019
英美兩國真是難兄難弟 , 大家在兩年前用民主選舉做出的决定雖然性質不同,但卻有難同當,兩年後都開花結果 –可惜都是惡果:  Brexit & 2018–2019 federal government shutdown.

Brexit, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "exit", is the impending withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. It follows the referendum of 23 June 2016 when 51.9 per cent of those who voted supported withdrawal.

On 15 January 2019, the House of Commons voted 432 to 202 against the deal. This is the largest majority against a United Kingdom government ever. Soon after, a motion of no confidence in Her Majesty's Government was tabled by the opposition.   (from wiki)

美國總統特朗普周五（25日）宣布與國會達成協議，暫時恢復聯邦政府運作三周，直至2月15日。參眾兩院通過議案後，特朗普隨即簽署法案，正式結束美國史上歷時最長的停擺。

On February 15, 2019, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in order to bypass the United States Congress, after being unsatisfied with a bipartisan border bill that had passed the House of Representatives and the Senate a day before.

A House Sparrow building a neat round nest in a tree is an odd and seldom-seen sight. Recently, in western North Dakota I watched a male House Sparrow busily constructing a round grass nest in the crotch of a coniferous tree, a location a robin might choose. This was at a I-94 rest stop in the midst of vast, treeless prairie. The building offered no nooks or crannies, the kind these birds often use. There were no signs to build behind, and no nest boxes or other cavities. Usual building sites were non-existent. I’ve always thought House Sparrows, an introduced species, were obiligate cavity nesters. I did find one Internet site, from the University of Michigan, that mentioned use of both deciduous and coniferous trees for non-cavity nest construction, but dozens of sites did not mention it. The nest, built entirely of long strands of grass, was about twice the size of a softball. The nest entrance was an obvious hole on one side of the structure.

2019成績單:
1. JBWR visit, 20+.  Last year, 13.  2011, 25.
2. Revisit 3 similar dragonflies: Blue Dasher,  Great Blue Skimmer, and  Eastern Pondhawk.  
3. 18-19 winter I have seen 13 species of ducks (fall short of the record 14 species last winter), lacking Pintail.
4.  Nice picture:   Shoveler -  <1> (Google Photos)   Northern Flicker - <1>   Least Tern -  <1>   Common Tern - <1>   Swan flapping wings -  <1>   <2>    Tree Swallow - <1>   <2>   2-HDR   Carolina Wren - 4/21    Mourning Dove - <1>   Tree Swallow -  <1>  <2>  <3>    Carolina Wren - 4/13   Canada Goose in flight -  <1>    Junco - 3/16     Dunlin - <2>   <3>
5. 19-20 winter (updated until 1/1/2020):
Redhead
Canvasback (male, 1/1/2020 at World's Fair Marina)
American Wigeon
Gadwall
Ruddy Duck
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser (1/1/2020 at World's Fair Marina; 11/9 probably)
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser (Martha Weintraub saw 2 at JBWR on 12 Dec 2019)
Ring-necked Duck
Northern Shoveler
Mallard
American Black Duck
Scaup (Greater Scaup + Lesser Scaup)
Wood Duck
Northern Pintail
Blue-winged Teal (seen at JBWR on 8/20/2011)
Green-winged Teal
Common Eider
White-winged Scoter (seen at Dead Horse Bay / Floyd Bennett Field on 1/8/2012)
Long-tailed Duck (seen at Fort Tilden [Riis Landing & coastal beach, the Atlantic shore] on 2/18/2012)

Note: During winter, location can be a deciding factor. Greater Scaup tend to choose saltwater bodies, while Lesser Scaup are found in freshwater zones further inland.  So try to see Lesser at Alley Pond Park.  src

World’s Fair Marina:  Canvasback flock up in winter, the only reliable spot for the species in Queens. Lots of Bufflehead, scaup of both species, and Red-breasted Mergansers ...

https://www.10000birds.com/setting-a-record-that-no-one-cares-about.htm

Address: 1 Marina Rd, Flushing, NY 11368

          Don Riepe says: “For its size, Jamaica Bay has the largest number of nesting barn owls in New York State.   In the early 1980’s, as a park ranger, I helped build and put up the many owl boxes in remote areas of the Jamaica Bay Refuge.  With help from American Littoral Society, volunteers, and raptor bander Chris Nadareski, we have placed about 20 of these boxes.  Each year, we band roughly 18-30 owlets.  Although rather odd in appearance, the owlets will grow up to be strikingly beautiful barn owls.  A study of pellets undertaken by the National Park Service showed their major prey as Norway rats and meadow voles (Cook 1986).  Since Jamaica Bay has ample shoreline, upland and three closed landfills, these mammals are abundant.  Providing nesting habitat for the bay’s barn owls helps to assure their future as a top predator in New York City.

          Don retired in 2003 from the National Park Service where he worked as a naturalist ranger and manager of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in NYC.  Currently employed as Jamaica Bay Guardian and Director of the Northeast Chapter for the American Littoral Society,  Don has written many articles on natural history and his photographs have been published in journals including Scientific American, National Wildlife, Audubon, and The New York Times.  He has an M.S. in Natural Resources Management from the University of New Hampshire and has taught a course in Wildlife Management at St. John’s University.  A long-time member of the Port Authority’s Bird Hazard Task Force, he also serves on the advisory board of NYC Audubon and is co-chair of the Brooklyn/Queens Jamaica Bay Task Force.

Ammophila wasp excavating a ground nest
Compare to Podalonia Thread-waisted wasp

Courtship feeding is frequently seen in terns. For instance, in an effort to lure females to their territories in the nesting area, a male Common Tern carries a fish around the breeding colony and displays it to prospective mates. After a pair bond is formed, during the "honeymoon period" the male tern actually feeds the female, and soon thereafter they begin to copulate. During the following five to ten days, both sexes feed themselves, but the male also frequently feeds the increasingly dependent female. For the few days prior to egg laying the female is fed almost exclusively by the male, but this activity declines rapidly as the second and third eggs are laid.

It is generally thought that courtship feeding serves more than a ceremonial or pair-bonding function -- that it provides the female with considerable nutritional benefit. In turn, the number of eggs and total clutch weight are partly determined by the female's nutritional status. Careful measurements suggest that the total weight of a Common Tern's clutch is correlated with the amount of food the male delivers, especially during the honeymoon. Male Common Terns in one Massachusetts colony were unable to deliver as much food to their mates as males in a second colony. In the colony where the males were less successful, the females laid fewer and lighter eggs. Thus the amount of food the male provides may limit female reproductive output.

If the female's nutritional status is so critical to her reproduction, why does she gradually stop feeding herself prior to egg laying? The probable answer is that she is too heavy to hunt efficiently. Before laying her three egg clutch a female Common Tern weighs half again as much as she does when not breeding. Terns forage by cruising at low speed and making precise dives at fishes. A female's additional weight would increase the energy requirements of flight, and perhaps make controlled dives too difficult.

This does not mean that improving the female's nutrition is the only function of courtship feeding. In gulls, it is also an important inducement to copulation (as it may be in the Common Tern). It may also serve to facilitate the formation of the pair bond and reduce aggression between the male and female. Still, when a male warbler, crossbill, chickadee, or tern is seen feeding a female, it seems apparent that he is increasing his own reproductive success by keeping her fat and healthy.

3 28
Governor Gore’s Bird Sanctuary:
   Blue-winged teal, a couple.
Spotts Beach

3 29
a.m. 
Spotts Beach
p.m. 
Sunset House - see nurse shark

3 30 Sat
Rum Point. Starfish Point.  see southern stingray.

3 31 Sun 
a.m. 
Rackam's Waterfront Restaurant & Bar see 20+ tarpons.  One is 3 feet plus, perhaps slightly smaller than the nurse shark. 
Burger King swim to outside reef
p.m.
Sunset House see shark 2 times so totally 3 times.
Bought take out Phad Thai from Orchid Thai restaurant.

4 1 Mon
a.m. Birdwatch 
Meagre Bay Pond & Pease Bay Pond
p.m. White House lunch (good food) and good snorkeling.  Have a very beautiful reef. See southern stingray (Hypanus americanus) 

4 2 Tue
a.m. see 2 sea turtles at Spotts Beach
Tip: airport is not busy.  2hr is enough. 3hr is not necessary.
Subway at Airport is cheap: six inch sandwich is just CI$7.
3:35pm flight with Cayman Airways 792, providing a light meal (curry chicken or pasta). But no movie. No WiFi.

Birds: Yellow-faced grassquit.  Bananaquit.

Highlight:
1. See 2 sea turtles at Spotts Beach.
2. See Nurse Shark 3 times at Sunset House.
3. See southern stingray many times at various places (Sunset House, Rum Point, Spotts Beach).
4. See 12 Starfish.
5. Swim out far to see cheeseburger reef.
6. See a squad of Squid (40+ or 50+).
7. Rum Point and White House are good places which may visit again.
8. See flounder perhaps Plate Fish (Bothus lunatus, sometimes known as Peacock Flounder 撻沙), nearly 3 feet puffer fish, probably Black Spotted Porcupine Fish (or called Spot-fin porcupinefish), etc.
9. See a large Lobster (at White House?).

Coldest Days (Low temps in °F) Ever in Chicago

#1 -27° January 20, 1985
#2 -26° January 10, 1982
#3 -25° January 16, 1982
#3 -25° December 24, 1983
#5 -23° January 30, 2019
#5 -23° December 24, 1872
#5 -23° January 17, 1982
#5 -23° January 19, 1985