Nobody Noticed

A 4PAD today.  Yesterday was waaay too intense for TPADing.  Anyway, it seems that nobody noticed, so no biggie.  Here are my 4 PADS:

Mountain Quail, Angeles National Forest.

Can y'all help me out again?  I'm too lazy to open the butterfly book.  Cory helped out.  It's a Golden Hairstreak.

California Sister, devouring a dead skunk.

Some Oak Titmice, getting together.

Why Even Bother

And thus continues the tired, sleepless mockery that is my life.  Today I saw bugs, and a few birds.  I left my bug book in the car and haven't even looked these up yet.

Some kind of Blue.

Poodle Dog Bush being devoured by some sort of native bee.

Mike Tyson The Wedding Singer

Pretty typical day.  I'm back in Palmdale now.  Greatest city in the world.  I ended today at the Lancaster sewage ponds with Jonfeen.  Pretty fun.  The migrants should start trickling in any day now.

Nice sexed-out Willet foraging in human waste.

Baby Tree Swallow, begging for more food.

Sleep When You're Dead

Let me sleep.  Here are two more from the Gannet Extravaganza.

Everybody loves puffins 

There was a constant stream of murres bringing fish back to the island.

Farewell Francisco

Airports like to make you wait a long time for everything.  I'm sitting in the terminal waiting to board, and there are some kind of maintenance issues.  I guess I'll be delayed an hour or so before retuning to beautiful Palmdale, CA.  Oh well, Palmdale will wait.  Until then, here's what I saw today during my brief return home to the city of St. Francisco:

Band-tailed Pigeon.  I think all of my previous photos of these are sub-par compared to this.  Mount Davidson, SF.
 

Clark's Grebe, Lake Merced.

Even More Glory And Fame Than Ever Before

Today was a GREAT SUCCESS!  Beyond all my wildest dreams, destiny beat upon my doorstep and gifted me with one of our earth's most beautiful sights.  Northern Gannet.  Here's what happened at the Farallon Islands today:

Unfortunately, we had to endure a whole bunch of this boring "whales jumping out of the water" crap before we were finally able to go look at the Glory that is a Northern Gannet off California.

Yeah, so the photo isn't as pretty as the Humpback above, but this is a photograph of the only Northern Gannet ever seen in the Pacific Ocean.  Ever.  I'm hoping it will still be on Southeast Farallon Island when I arrive on August 18th.

Bunting Partay

I am taking my first ever Flight To Chase A Vagrant tonight.  I fly up to The City in a few hours to catch a ride on Outer Limits to the Farallon Islands.  If all goes as planned, I will stare at a Northern Gannet with my eyes.  Please wish me luck.  Here's what I saw at work today:

This pretty female Lazuli Bunting couldn't escape the clutches of her Indigo Admirer.  The Indigo kept chasing the male Lazuli away from her when he would get too close.  I suspect they might be making some little hybrid bunting babies.

Here's the pushy male.  He is the same one that I poorly photographed a while back.

Moo.

I will now continue my downward spiral into nothingness.  I reach a new low point every day when I do TPAD lately.  Just pathetic.  Next thing you know, I'll be doing LA County Big Days for introduced bird species.  But for now, I bring you cows.

This one is art, and I call it "Cowstipation".

This one is just a cow.  Nothing to get excited about.  Just a waste of your time.  I apologize. 

Too Sucky Days In A Row

Worked too much today to create a decent TPAD.  I am sorry.  Here is the bottom of the barrel from my last trip up to the Angeles National Forest.

I looked this up and think I got it, but I'm hoping a smart nerd could help me out.  What butterfly is this?

Hairy Woodpecker.  Horrible photo, but I think it may be a TPAD first.

Driving?

There's really no need to read any further.  Nothing good will come of this.  No birds.  No critters of any kind.  Today's theme is Driving.  Sometimes your day starts out with a nice, beautiful morning drive.  Like today, when I came down out of the San Gabriels to find an ocean of clouds where LA used to be.

Angeles Crest Highway.

Then, as is often the case in Southern California, the day turns to shit.  And you end up with this:

Highway 57, with a nice smash-up.

Bug n' Bird

Hi.  It's time for me to go to bed now.  But here are two things I saw today.

Variable Checkerspot (I think).  There are hella out right now.

Costa's Hummingbird.  Look, she's molting.  Cute, right?

Plus One, ABAPBYL

It was a fun day up in the mountains.  Looked for bird nests without success.  Added to my ABA photo big year list.  Fully legit.  I am back in Palmdale for the night, where I belong.

Easily my best Cal Thrasher photo.  Chilao Campground, Angeles National Forest.

White-headed Woodpecker (female I think).  Angeles National Forest.

Corn Chips And Fur Coats

Most of today was spent burning my skin on Venice Beach.  I momentarily fed the seagulls and occasionally scanned the open ocean, but mostly I had a very non-birdy day.

This Heermann's Gull was brave enough to come near my towel for a bite of corn chips.

This man wasn't interested in corn chips, but he did sport a very impressive fur coat.  I thought it noteworthy enough to snap a photo.

Brown And Gray

Sixth day sleepiness. I feel it deep in my bones.  The weight of TPAD hangs heavy on my shoulders.  I don't know how much longer I can hold out.

I learned today that Barn Owls live in several inches of their own filth before they finally fledge.  Gross!

Bank swallow.  Death Valley.  Retro, but a TPAD first.

Another Day Another Dollar

Same old shit.

Another Lark Sparrow.

American Goldfinch, showing nicely.

Pristine San Gabriel

I found hecka nests today and even got a life bird!  I just got back from watching Moonlight Kingdom. Very nice, I like.

Barn Swallows, San Gabriel River.  In typical San Gabriel habitat.

Orange Bishop, San Gabe Riv.  My first.

No Need To Get All Cray

I found a rare bird today.  I was happy and excited but also sad because it was on private property, meaning I couldn't really tell people about it.  Plus it's just an Indigo Bunting.  Nothing to get all cray excited about.

I couldn't even get close enough for a great photograph. 

This guy was much more obliging.  

Oldness

I spent the whole day standing in the sun in an old burn in the Angeles National Forest.  It was painful, but I earned many dollhairs.  I did not remove my camera from its case, so I have gone through old photos and picked a few that I wanted you all to see.  I'll try and make tomorrow a bit more interesting.

I'm pretty sure this is the first Sabine's Gull for TPAD, that's the only reason I included this.

I call this one "Teenage Parenthood", and it is art.  I was a bit afraid to take it, I didn't want them to catch me. But this happened at Apollo Park, CA.  Where dreams come true.

This Cat Tore This OCWA's Face Off

Saw some weird things today.  Nothing really happened.  I move into a really bad hotel with gross stains and stuff like that.  So that's cool.

The photographer dropped dead after staring this cat in the eye for too long.  Cursed.  I wonder how many birds this disgusting animal has murdered.

Longest billed Orange-crowned Warbler.  Ever.

Sultry 24

There were very many High and Low lights of the party where Sultry turned 24 years old  Here are two of them:

This man was definitely the best part of the party.  His  facial hair was the best in three counties.

A. Searcy takes the sport of swimming pool zip lining farther than anyone in the entire world.

Just Another Day Countin' Birds For The Man

Whatsup fools.  It's just about time to go out to dinner, so I'm gonna make this fast.  I'm glad the weekend is finally here.  Sultry's birthday is tomorrow, so that should be fun.  Here are the highlights of my day:

Hutton's Vireo, with nice bright highlights.  

Remember the Pacslope on nest from a few weeks ago?  http://toophotosaday.blogspot.com/2012/05/steer-with-knee.html Well it turned into these three little Pacslopes.

Let An Old Man Sleep

I'm in bed.  Stop bothering me.

holes (art) 

Forthern Nlicker.

Week Almost Over

I managed some decent shots of swifts today.  I didn't get around to doing much else.  I saw no MEGA, as I was hoping.  Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

Green Heron, enjoying the trash on the Santa Ana River. 

White-throated Swift.  Elegant and regal.

Anaheim, Tustin Ave.

The river by my house has lots of waterbirds.  Nothing cray, but it'll do.  For now.  I'm really hoping that tomorrow somebody finds a MEGA.  Im in the mood to see something incredible.

Snowy Egrets desperately trying not to be sucked over the falls.

Forster's Tern, showing very nicely in the light of the setting sun.