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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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May 27, 2014 - 10:57pm PT
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Nice Dave! Wrentit looks really good.
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BrassNuts
Trad climber
Save your a_s, reach for the brass...
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May 27, 2014 - 11:16pm PT
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Baby Coopers - cool Reilly! I saw a Coopers nest in CO National Monument last week, but no buzzing :-)
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little Z
Trad climber
un cafetal en Naranjo
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May 29, 2014 - 01:53am PT
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love the coop story and photos Reilly, very funny (I'm laughing with you...)
BN, thanks for rationing out your amazing photos. Can't wait to see what's next.
Just got back from a pelagic. A friend's wife's uncle owns a commercial fishing boat based out of Quepos on the central Pacific coast and it was free for a few days so we got nine birders together and headed out into the briney for a 17 hour cruise. The boat was docked in a little bay that only communicates to the ocean at high tide so we had to leave port at 01:30. It was a no frills trip - all the boat's fishing gear was still stowed on deck, the boat was slow (averaged about 8 kn) and had a noisy motor, but the price was right ($75 a head vs about $120 for a sport fishing boat). Inca Tern was first reported in Costa Rica this January. There have now been 5 reports, an indication that this might be an interesting El Niņo year, so we were all anxious to see what else might be out there. Turns out we didn't get anything unexpected, but did see some nice birds. Only my second time for Tahiti Petrel, and finally picked up a Sooty Shearwater (as in 1 bird!) for my country list. Amazing as I was used to seeing those by the 1000s off the Washington coast. Thanks to Kevin Easley for the bird photos.
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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May 29, 2014 - 08:07pm PT
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Cool pelagic species!
Yes we had Sootys here as well on last pelagic.
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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May 29, 2014 - 10:40pm PT
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Love the feet on that booby!!!!
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Bob D'A
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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I'm in Portal right now and had a killer morning. This place is really cool , my third time here and have it a little dialed. They were banding hummingbirds this AM at the research center. Lots of birds geeks out.
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Bald Eagle with a fish flew over the casa today in Esco. Probably going to the nest from Lake Hodges. Really cool!
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BrassNuts
Trad climber
Save your a_s, reach for the brass...
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Monday night bird bump...
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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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I complained about my lens, and a much more digital/optically knowledgeable friend
(also, he doesn't drink) came over a to check it out. He brought resolution charts,
but right off the bat said "Your focus is off/funny, see if there is a firmware upgrade
for your lens". I did and after a little work, I upgraded the firmware (see appendix).
There were some very obvious improvements, the #1 being it stopped thrashing in
and out of focus and then settling on some bizarre focus point. Anyway I swear that
by placebo effect or not, I am better able to pick the focus point and it focuses quicker.
The release notes said that the image stabilization would be improved,
but that wasn't as obvious to me. To whit, her are some photos of birds in the air.
And, there is room for improvement.
Before that, while climbing(!!!) up in Leavenworth I saw a Nashville Warbler
and in the local Montlake fill a Lazuli Bunting. No photos for those, though.
OK, it's a big bird (begins with Os...), but I rarely get flying bird photos.
And an even bigger bird common around here
Not a great photo, but it got the focus better than it had been getting
with cruft in the foreground.
They are shy birds.
Howto from http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3150387
Just place the *.lin file in the root directory of the SD card, not in any folder.
Put the 100-300 lens on the camera and make sure the battery is fully charged.
Power on the camera and press the "Play" button - the one with the triangle on it.
When the message about upgrade comes up move the cursor to the
Yes position and press the central button (menu/set).
Don't touch any buttons while the upgrade is going on. After a minute or so it is done.
That is about it.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Ha! Very timely Wendell! I was about to post the latest on 'my' Coopers but I'm having major
Puter issues so no pics. But suffice it to say Mrs Cooper has the hood majorly terrorized! The
people closest won't leave their front door without brollies! LOL! Mrs Cooper has drawn blood
on at least two people and bonked at least three others! She has come for me half a dozen
times but I fend her off with the 300mm. It is sooo freaking awesome to see her coming
straight at you'!!!!!!!
Interestingly, Mr Cooper doesn't seem to fly cover. He is around and I think he is helping to
put the bacon on the table but it is only the missus that does the strafing. Perhaps he is the
High CAP (combat air patrol).
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Stand down DMT! Of course you're right but thankfully we still have the
Migratory Bird Act of 1918. The 'Brollie People' did call Animal Control
who informed them of a higher power and advised them to break out the brollies.
Here's the missus just after she strafed me - she really laid into me for
being a pussy and ducking. I told her that trash talkin' was for SuperTopo.
Then I ran like a girl. See that hind claw? Yikers!!!!!!!
]
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Bob D'A
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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A few from the past week. Great shot Reilly.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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So I'm sitting here all mellow and I hear a truck pull up across the street.
I look out there...WTF?
The Coopers' nest is just behind the truck, in the public median! The
house in the picture is The Brollies'. The dad is a real jerk, all the
neighbors have had run-ins with him. His wife is nice but I'm like,
"Oh no you don't, you fat phuk!"
I get on the horn to the Monrovia PD and fill them in on the subtleties of
the Migratory Bird Act and that they had better show up tout de suite or
I'm throwing it down big time with the tree trimmers. They're all, "Well,
you need to call the Pasadena Humane Society." So I call them but that
is like calling a wall but I did get them to say they would send someone as
well as call the MPD to reinforce the seriousness of violating the MBA. By
now, ten minutes later, the tree trimmer is all kitted up and nobody has
shown so I get in his grill and tell him in no uncertain terms that he ain't
goin' up that tree. He is being a real jerk and being very vague in his
Spanglish. So I get on the horn with the LA office of the US Fish and Wildlife
Service. OMG, their receptionist is why government does not work. Do
the terms 'dumber than dirt' and 'when does my pension start?' have any gravitas?
After I finally make her aware of the situation she said 'they' would call
MPD to further clarify the MBA and that they would send an agent. By now
some more neighbors, of the good ilk, are out and the tree trimmers are
looking kind of insecure. The nice lady upon whose median the tree actually
grows comes across the street to my side and Mrs Cooper nails her in the face!!!!!!!!!!
Right then the MPD shows up
and they get freaked so they call the MFD!
The MFD medics proceed to freak her out to the point she is about to climb
into the meat wagon!
Granted, Mrs Cooper did get her right in the forehead but, rabies, really?
So the MPD guys get calmed down, but one of them almost got nailed, and they
get the tree trimmers to move their truck down the street and say they won't
use the chipper. I'm good with that!
Oh, did I mention they then claimed they were only going to trim the trees
in the back around the Edison lines? Why didn't they tell me that when I
was inches from decking them? I know Rudi Brollie called them, this is
way too much of a coincidence. I might go deck Rudi just for good measure.
So things calm down and finally Fish and Feathers shows up...
She tells me it is OK if they use the chipper and that they could even trim
the actual tree as long as it isn't the limb the nest is on. OMG, whose side
are you on? Last time I call them. I think the best thing was getting the
three neighbor ladies out; thems my Krew!
Pasadena Humane never did show up. They're like tits on a boar hog.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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DON'T PHUK WITH MY BOIDS BRO!
Actually, she missed having an eye put out by a hair more than ONE INCH!
The sad part is that she is #2 Boid Luvver!
signed,
The Unrepentant
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BrassNuts
Trad climber
Save your a_s, reach for the brass...
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Wow, bird drama in the Reilly hood! Pretty wild scene out there, glad the neighbor didn't lose a peeper and the tree dorks didn't take down the nest area branches. Them Coops is serious eh?
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Bob D'A
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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Great drama Reilly.
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Bob D'A
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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A few more from Portal, AZ
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Bob D'A
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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A few more from my trip.
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