I went to San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary today and got some good shots of species I either haven’t seen before or haven’t been able to get a good shot of. A female Osprey was perched near a nesting box.  While I watched, two other Osprey in succession landed on her back, then hopped into the nest. Another birder (with a nice Canon 500mm f2 lens) said that, according to the docents, this Osprey was due to lay eggs March 1.

There are lots of hummingbirds down here, including Anna’s, Costa’s and this one:

which is an Allan’s hummingbird.

Also finally got a shot of a tree swallow, of which there are plenty, however this is the first one I have seen that isn’t on the wing. They are almost impossible to shoot while flying due to their speed and erratic flight paths.

The rest of the shots were various flycatchers, phoebes and a sparrow.

My first spot was one of the ponds. In the pond was a small flock of Double-Crested Cormorants. Although they are an ocean species, they like to frequent inland ponds that are stocked regularly with trout, as they seem to be easy pickings.

There were several egrets, including Great Egrets, Little Egrets, and Cattle egrets.

                 Great Egrets

They are obviously used to humans, as my proximity didn’t seem to bother them much. In other birding sights I have been to they are much more skittish.

This Cattle Egret was catching a little of the Santa Ana winds that we have had all weekend.

From there I wandered over to a little clearing that had brush and some small trees. Lots of Black Phoebes in this area, which is typical . Phoebes usually aren’t too skittish, and even when they do fly off, if you stay still they will usually return to the same spot.

They like tables, posts, wire fences and branches that are about 4 feet off the ground. When they alight, they make an elongated loop back to their perch.

This female Vermillion flycatcher wasn’t too difficult to spot as she hunted for seeds in the short grass.

I was in this spot at about 8am. My goal was to keep the sun behind me as I worked my way in a counterclockwise direction through this clearing. What I found was that by walking slowly and keeping my eyes open, I could get the birds moving into shootable positions. They stayed within this small area, so I just made several revolutions while I got the shots I wanted. This Flicker was harder to spot as he blended in well with the leaves surrounding him.

These Willow Flycatchers were cooperative as they worked themselves into a variety of positions;

I believe this is either a Ladderback or Nuthall’s woodpecker. Hard to tell from the angle.

This Anna’s hummingbird kept coming back to the same area so I was able to get a shot. The picture doesn’t really do justice to their actual size; she was maybe two inches long at most. They will sit still long enough for a shot, but focusing becomes an issue. They are olive and black so they really have to be in the light to get a sharp and interesting shot. Strangely, the ruby coloring around the head only appears at certain angles, and the turn their heads frequently, so pre-focusing and a quick trigger finger are required for a colorful shot.

On my way back to my truck I spotted what I thought was a nest wedged into some branched about four feet off the ground. When I got close enough I realized it was actually a colony of bees grouped so tightly together they formed a single mass. I got about 5 feet away, which is my minimum focusing distance anyway, and snapped a few shots. On-camera flash helped bring out the colors. I think the chill morning air kept them from buzzing around much. They didn’t seem especially upset at my presence.

I was pleased with the birding here. it’s a nice little park, with a good variety of birds common to the area, and they seem acclimated to people, which made for some good shots.

To see some more shots from this trip, go here.

Taken by the Ontario International Airport around 4:30 pm

According to the LA Times “Statistics show that 76% of 250 convictions overturned since 1989 because of DNA evidence involved mistaken eyewitness identification. A host of factors can lead to mistakes. Most are attributable to manipulation by the police, such as lineups or photo arrays in which the suspect is grouped with people who look nothing like him.”

Assuming the statistic cited is true (and that’s a big assumption, considering where the Times sources its material), the statement that most are attributable to police malfeasance is made up baloney. I’ve participated in a hundred of these photo lineups, known as “6 Packs”. I haven’t seen or been involved in any where the suspect is grouped with others who look nothing like him. In fact, the challenge is finding five other suspects who don’t look too much like him, thus confusing the witness and leading to no identification.

These photo lineups have to be submitted as evidence, so there would be no point in manipulating them in the manner suggested as it simply wouldn’t be allowed in court. In fact, the prosecutor would be mightily pissed if you gave him a photo lineup like that.

Where I have worked, not only do the suspects in the lineup have to look and be dressed reasonably similarly, they have to be standing in front of a same or similar backdrop.  The same sort of rules apply in actual lineups of the type we have all seen in police dramas, but are rarely used due top the expense and logistical considerations.

This new ruling does not prevent judges from excluding eyewitness testimony based on procedurally flawed police lineups. What it does do is shift the burden on judging the reliability of possibly flawed or weak civilian eyewitness testimony from the judge to the jury. Even the usually reliably liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said that judges shouldn’t be able to suppress eyewitness testimony in cases like Perry’s because the purpose of suppression is to deter police from manipulating eyewitness identifications.

Obama affirmative action pick Justice Sonya Sotomeyer claimed a broader purpose in the previous exclusion, apparently cut from whole cloth, as she was the only one who thought it, that it was designed to prevent any miscarriage of justice, whether emanating from police misconduct or eyewitness error. The LA Times concludes that it’s disappointing that her viewpoint didn’t convince a majority of the other justices. A majority? How about just one other one?

I recently added Day of the Jackal to Kindle on my Droid Pad. Not sure what prompted the purchase, because it’s been several years since I saw the movie. In any case, I downloaded it, fired it up, and spent most of the weekend reading it. It’s one of those books that grabs you, and forces you to take advantage of any spare moment to read it. Since I lug my pad with me almost anywhere, there were quite a few moments when I grabbed a few pages here and there. It’s an excellent book to curl up with while sipping hot English style tea in Starbucks.

The book is set in 1963. The French opposition to DeGalle, the OAS, has hired an anonymous Englishman to assassinate Degalle after several of their own botched attempts.  The man they hire is an interesting character. He’s described as a tall, thin, blond gentlemen. He is quiet and discreet, but intense. An insightful exchange occurs when he meets Goosen, a clandestine gunsmith, to lay out the specifications for the sniper rifle Goosen is to build. The exchange is quite cordial, and not unlike a conversation one might overhear at any gun store. When they finish the negotiation over price, Jackal warns Goosen against telling anyone about their business, “In the event that you should try to do so it is certain I shall hear about the inquiries. In that eventuality, you will die. On my return here, if there has been any attempt to contact the police or lay a trap, you will die. Is that understood?”

I like the character of the Jackal. He is understated, quiet but serious, and meticulous in planning the details of the assassination. At the same time, he is flexible enough to take advantage of the inevitable unforeseen events that come up as the story moves forward.

The book unfolds from the viewpoint of the Jackal, as he meticulously plans the assassination then later puts it in to play, the French security forces as they catch wind that some plot is afoot, and the English police branch MI-5 as they race to help their French colleagues identify the assassin, all the while hoping that he wont turn out to be an Englishman.

The French police inspector Lebel is put in charge of the investigation. He reminds me of Colombo. He’s rumpled, seemingly disorganized and not quite up to snuff, but in reality one step ahead of his superiors, who seem throughout the book to wonder if they really picked the right man for the job.

The story is told in two parts- the first half Forsyth goes into great detail the planning the Jackal does to set up the assassination, including the design and purchase of the gun, the scouting of locations, the preparation of disguises for the multiple personas the jackal will use. Meanwhile, the detailed and unglamorous groundwork of real detective work is detailed as the French police gradually piece together the plot. What could be tedious when done by some authors is really quite fascinating in Forsyth’s hands.

In the second part of the book the Jackal puts his plan into action. He travels into France by way of Italy, then works his way towards Paris, and ultimately, DeGalle. Meanwhile, the French and English police frantically track down leads, without actually knowing what, or who, or even if, some sinister plot is underway.

The book builds in intensity as the characters race towards their goals; the Jackal to the site where he plans to commit his crime, and Lebel and his forces, always a half step behind, until the ultimate showdown.

I like the fact that the locations, dialogue and tactics are dated. While many modern novels in this genre rely on technology as a character to the point that it becomes intrusive, The Day of the Jackal is a character study of an enigmatic killer and the dogged inspector tracking him.

One thing that we don’t learn is who the Jackal really is, and why he does these jobs. We never learn how he came to these skills, or anything about his background. Maybe that’s better left to the imagination, ultimately.

I liked this book a lot. I intend to read some of Forsyth’s other novels, although they may not grab me like this one did.

On a recent visit to the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary I got photos of a Costa’s Hummingbird, a Brown pelican, a Western Scrub Jay and a sunset. I’m looking for help or point me in the right direction on the other birds in this gallery.

http://www.seaandsageaudubon.org/SJWS/sjws.htm

These shots were taken at the Whitewater Preserve, about 45 miles east of San Bernardino. Pictured here is what I believe to be a flycatcher, although I’m not sure exactly which one. Anyone? I also photographed a Black Phoebe, what what I think is a Cordilleran or Pacific slope flycatcher, and a sparrow. Again, I am not sure which specific variation it is.

Asking for help in identifying these birds, from any experienced birders. Habitat for all was brush and low trees surrounding a pond.

Equipment: Canon D50, Sigma 100-300 f4 EX lens

These shots were taken at the Whitewater Preserve, about 45 miles east of San Bernardino. Pictured here is what I believe to be a flycatcher, although I’m not sure exactly which one. Anyone? I also photographed a Black Phoebe, what what I think is a Cordilleran or Pacific slope flycatcher, and a sparrow. Again, I am not sure which specific variation it is.

Asking for help in identifying these birds, from any experienced birders. Habitat for all was brush and low trees surrounding a pond.

http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-76753.html

But cats are cool…