Ibis – striking profile, cultural icon
January 18, 2010 by admin

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Over the past couple of months, I’ve presented a relatively complete overview of the heron family. It’s finally time to move on! This week we will take a look at the Ibis family, a very recognizable and culturally important bird, known throughout the world for its large curved bill.

Ibis are a group of long legged wading birds, and in the United States we have a few native species, as well as some wanderers from South America. We’ll cover them all here, starting with our cover bird, shown here, the White Ibis.

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Night Herons – Last but not least of the heron family
January 4, 2010 by admin

YCNH-9Happy New Year to all, and welcome back! Over the past several weeks, we’ve taken a look at a variety of Herons, and this week it is time to close the chapter on herons with two of my favorites – the Night Herons.

Night herons come in two varieties, the Black-Crowned Night Heron and the Yellow Crowned Night Heron. As their name would imply, both are primarily nocturnal feeders, although it is not uncommon to find them out and about in the daytime as well.

We’ll start with the Black-Crowned Night Heron. Small and stocky, these are some of the smallest herons, with a full-grown length of only 24-25” (64 cm). Found throughout much of the US and into parts of Canada, these birds are locally common but, due to their nocturnal habits and their tendency to prefer wet swamps and woods, may be less likely to be seen or noticed by the casual observer.

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Note the rather thick bill, and the dark, almost black, crown and back. The wispy white plume, found in mature birds, is longest and most dramatic in the breeding season (early spring through summer).

The juvenile is brown with white speckles and light under parts, and can be told from the young Yellow-Crowned by its lighter colors and paler yellow, thinner bill. The youngster below seems to have barely escaped becoming lunch for a gator:

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The Yellow-Crowned Night Heron is also a small, slight bird, about the same size as the Black-Crowned, but not as stocky. Note the overall gray body, with the pale yellow crown and cheeks, and the otherwise black head. The Yellow-Crowned Night Heron is also locally common, and can be seen regularly along estuaries and bays as well as deeper in the inland swamps.

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As with the juvenile Black-Crowned, the juvenile Yellow-Crowned is brown with white specks. Note the much thicker, darker bill, and the generally darker underside.

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The Yellow-Crowned Night Heron is a persistent hunter, and patience pays off when you find one on the prowl. I’ll end with a sequence of photos of a Yellow-Crowned doing what he does best:

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Happy Birding!

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Reflections on 2009
December 31, 2009 by admin

imageAs we close out 2009 and prepare to move into 2010, I wanted to end the year with a bit of reflection on the past twelve months. It has been a tough year for most people, and a year of reinvention and innovation for me.

From a technology standpoint, this has been an interesting time. For me, 2009, started with an initial foray into WordPress, leading to this blog, and 2009 has ended with an upgrade of my primary computer to Windows 7, an interesting and exciting migration. Apple TV has gotten iTunes and online media content off my computer and into my living room.

My iPhone has allowed me to become ultra-mobile, and the new and useful apps just keep coming. Add to that my Amazon Kindle e-book reader, along with my regular laptop computer, and I have a movable feast – the ability to read, write and create anywhere, anytime.

And the mobility has served me well – I’ve gained several new customers and, with that, the necessity of additional travel. In this tough economic environment, it is a privilege to be able to forge new customer relationships and develop new business, and despite the added strain of heavy travel, I’m thankful for the opportunities.

I’d like to send a warm thank you to my readers! I’ve received many helpful comments and constructive feedback on this blog during the past year, and for those of you who check back here regularly, thank you for taking the time to do so! I really appreciate that, with all the myriad information available on the web, you choose to read my ramblings. I promise to work hard in 2010 to focus a bit more to provide consistent and useful information.

And last but not least, I’m thankful for my wonderful family – my wife Carol, our children, and our grandchildren! We have grown this year in both closeness and in number, and our family has been and remains the foundation of my existence, the wellspring of my inner joy, and my safe port in the storm. I thank you for putting up with me!

Who knows what new experiences 2010 will bring? We are about to find out. Meanwhile, I wish you all a safe and prosperous New Year.

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Security news you can use – The updates keep rolling!
December 30, 2009 by admin

Keeping your system secure is a never ending battle. The evil-doers on the net are getting ever more sophisticated, and coming up with new ways to fool, cajole, trick or force you into downloading, running or loading software on your system that will compromise your system – at best, rendering it unusable, or at worst, invading your privacy, or even draining your bank account. It’s a Wild West frontier out there in the interwebs!

With that, let’s take a look at some of the recent updates and developments ion security news:

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Bird portrait retouching – from good to great
December 29, 2009 by admin

We see loads of tutorials online teaching aspiring photographers how to retouch portraits of people, but it’s not very common to see one that deals with our avian friends. Nevertheless, retouching in bird photography is every bit as important (maybe more so) than retouching people. Since most birds haven’t had the chance to apply makeup before the shoot, we’re going to have to give them a little bit of help in post production to have them looking their best!

So, join me as we apply a little bit of makeup, mascara, and maybe even (gasp) a little plastic surgery as we retouch our bird portrait – and take it from good to great.

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Green Heron – Small, but packed with color
December 28, 2009 by admin

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This week, we’ll take a look at one of the smallest herons – the Green Heron. This slight bird, when full grown, measures only about 44cm (just under 18”), and with its small size and variegated color, tends to easily blend in with the background.

Once you spot one, they are easily recognized – from the head, neck and breast ranging from a brownish to reddish color, the greenish feathers on the wings and back, and the bright legs (which range from a yellow to vivid orange color), this bird is not easily mistaken for anyone else!

As with other herons we’ve reviewed in recent weeks, this one is also a resident of the swamps and wetlands. We in Florida are lucky enough to have them all year around, but most of the US sees the Green Heron only as a winter visitor. They tend to summer in Mexico and Central America, and are spotted as a migratory visitor in the southwestern states of Arizona and New Mexico, as well as parts of California and Texas.

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Painting a Christmas Tree in Photoshop
December 22, 2009 by admin

Christmas-Tree Over in the NAPP forums, last Christmas a user asked about creating textures of pine needles or straw to be able to draw a Christmas Tree. I offered a simple solution using the brush engine, and after a few requests, and enhancements (adding snow) decided to create this tutorial. I posted it on the forums at that time, but now have decided to post it online here for all to share.

Merry Christmas! I hope you’ll enjoy this!

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The Tricolored Heron – He’s blue, too
December 21, 2009 by admin

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I’ve been somewhat remiss in posting here lately – December has presented the dual challenge of getting ready for the holidays, combined with a rather aggressive travel schedule for me. However, I am back on track now, and will finish out this year with a couple of new postings discussing the remainder of the heron family – starting with the Tricolored Heron.

Formerly known as the Louisiana Heron (and I don’t know who changed the name, as I think it was just fine as it was), this is the third blue heron in our lineup. Recall that we have looked at the Great Blue Heron, followed by the Little Blue Heron. This third in line is often confused with the Little Blue Heron, but stick with me here and I’ll give you a few pointers for identification. Once you know what to look for, telling the two apart will be easy. Amaze your friends!

 

 

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Flash! Another patchy Tuesday has come and gone
December 9, 2009 by admin

Yesterday was the second Tuesday of the month, and by now you should know just what that means… another set of security updates for Microsoft products. This week also sees us with some other notable updates to some Adobe products, and you’ll want to take note of these as well.

Remember that security updates are a fact of life these days. It isn’t an indication that the software manufacturers are creating shoddy product; rather, it is a sign that they are discovering flaws and repairing them in an effort to stay ahead of the malicious communities out there in the wild and untamed internet world. Security is an ongoing process these days.

We’ll start with Adobe this time.

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Little Blue Herons – Who says they aren’t great, too?
December 8, 2009 by admin

LBH-4 Today we continue our exploration of the heron tribe by taking a look at the Little Blue Heron. A smallish heron, this bird is typically found in freshwater lakes, ponds and waterways, but also strays into salt marshes and estuaries. While not as ubiquitous and typically not as gregarious as its larger cousin, I wonder who decided which one should be given the title “great?”

These quiet little wading birds inhabit most of the eastern half of the US, as well as most of Central America and part of South America as well. They tend to associate with other herons, feeding on fish, crustaceans and insects as they pick their way methodically along the shorelines of waterways and marshes.

With their coloration, these herons are easy to overlook; often while scanning a canal, river or lake shore, you won’t see them at first – then suddenly there is one, no – two, no – three or more of them hidden in the weeds at the water’s edge.

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