I’m starting to figure out my new camera gear!
Photos taken by and of Jeff Rusinow. Slideshow created with flickrSLiDR.
Birdgasm!
Okay, maybe that’s stretching it. But when you see hundreds of raptors fly over your yard over the course of the day (with some peak times of a rate of over 100 per hour!), it’s pretty darn exciting. I am slowly getting back into bird photography and took some photos toward the end of the day. Here’s one photo of a Merlin; these guys are often like bullets zipping through the sky at easily over 60 mph just above the tree line. You see them, and before you know it, they’re gone!
Release!
Big thanks to Crystal and Scott with the Wisconsin Humane Society for their help yesterday. Here’s a photo in the yard of the ‘release’ of a just-banded, rehabilitated Cedar Waxwing, which was joined by three other waxwings that were also just returned to the wild:
The storm has passed, but the raptors are just starting.
We’ve endured an unusual cut off low pressure system that hung around for over a week, with winds from the east almost the entire time. And incredible amounts of rain. But now, a strong front from the north has arrived, and with it, heavy winds………and RAPTORS zooming down the coast. Finally!
Trips Recap
Been traveling on both coasts the last few weeks. Some highlights, with photos taken from my iPhone:
At chef’s table at Rioja in Denver; terrific meal with head chef Jennifer Jasinki frequently roaming food prep stations and clearly in charge:
Located new life bird ABA #635 at Salton Sea - Yellow-footed Gull:
In NYC during Hurricane Irene weekend:
Radio City Music Hall (seeing the least impressive Cirque du Soleil for me to date):
The Pack at the White House
Yesterday flew to D.C. to attend President Obama’s welcoming of the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers at the White House. Some gentle trash-talking between the President and Charles Woodson! The President, an avid Bears fan: ”This hurts a little bit…you guys coming into my house to rub it in…enjoy it while it lasts!” 
On this boat trip off the coast of Monterrey, we were lucky to see three species of whales: Blue, Humpback and this Orca ‘Killer’ Whale, breaching!
[Flash 10 is required to watch video]
Last week I was part of an extraordinary four day birding trip in California hosted by The American Bird Conservancy, which started in San Benito County (Prairie Falcon, California Condor, Golden & Bald Eagle) and culminated in an 8 hour boat trip 18 miles off of Monterrey looking for pelagic birds (my six new lifers: Black-footed Albatross, Pink-footed Shearwater, Ashy and Fort-tailed Storm Petrel, South Polar Skua and Cassin’s Auklet). This video shows what it’s like to brave and bird the high seas (Ha! At least I thought so!).
Special thanks to the expert guiding of Mike Parr and the legendary Debi Shearwater (soon to be played by Angelica Houston in the upcoming movie ‘The Big Year’ about three birders trying to see as many birds as possible in the ABA Area in one year, starring Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson).
Fly fishing in the Northwoods
Last weekend learned how to fly fish for trout and bass in the Wisconsin Northwoods, with some limited success! Thanks Andrew and Diana for a great time.
Now Available on Kindle, iBook, Nook and Amazon!!
My book ‘What I Really Think - The Business Chapters’ is now available on Kindle; here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/What-Really-Think-Business-ebook/dp/B0056B6IOA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1308537102&sr=1-1
The book will soon also be available on iBooks and Nook. It’s companion book, ‘What I Really Think - The Deep End Chapters’, will also be available in e-book format in the next couple of weeks.
The photo above is the paperback, or perfectbound, proof of ‘What I Really Think - The Business Chapters’, that will be going to press in the next week (click on photo for larger image). Hopefully they will be at a bookstore near you in the not-to-distant future!
