House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) Nest (Part 1)

Please note this story has a sad and tragic ending. If you do not like these kind of stories, feel free to skip this post. Happening at the same time as the destroyed mallard duck nest (blog post here), I had a pair of House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) nest in my backyard. Sadly, this story ended even sadder than the story about the ducks... I will be splitting this story into a 2 part post.

Full Resolution Photos and Prints: If you want to see full resolution photos or buy prints of any of the photos you see, they are up on my portfolio for viewing. To view my best backyard photography for 2013 and 2014, use this link. To view my best bird photos for 2014, use this link. To see all of my 2014 backyard photography photos, use this link.

Part 1 | Part 2 | 

Part 1 will just be the House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus), the eggs, and the nest. The chicks hatching will come in Part 2. First off, let me give you some background information... So roughly a week or 2 before the first photo, I noticed a pair of house finches building a nest right outside the door into my backyard. The birds seems to be very desperate to build the nest. The nest at the time kept getting blown down from the wind... The pair of house finches went looking for a new place to build a nest and tried out a few abandoned nests, but continued building this one. Feeling poor for the 2 birds, I went ahead and wired a piece of rope through their partially built nest, and moved it over around 1 feet to a place behind the post where it will be harder for the wind to blow it down. The 2 house finches, seemed a bit paranoid that I helped them, but not being able to find a new place for a nest, they decided to finally finish and nest in the nest I fixed for them.

 Photo shot on 3-25-2014. The first egg has been laid. Seeing how the male house finch brings back food for the female, I decided help them out a bit more. I poured a bit of my parakeet food right next to the nest. The male and female house finches seemed to have taken a bite once every few days of it, but they still seemed to prefer what the male one was finding. I really wanted these birds to survive... 

Photo shot on 3-26-2014. The female house finch incubating the egg. I set up my camera behind my window and took this photo. You can see the pink rope I wired through their nest to tie it in place. 

Photo shot on 3-26-2014. 2 eggs in the photo.  

 Photo shot on 3-27-2014. 3 eggs are in this photo. 

 Photo shot on 3-27-2014. There was around a 10 to 20 House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) in my yard and the surrounding yards. I decided to get some photos of them for my blog posts. The rest of these bird shots are taken on this day. 

This is a male House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus).

 On these 2 photos the female is on the left and the male is on the right. 

 On these 3 photos the female is on the left and the male is on the right. 

 Here is the female house finch that laid the eggs. I know because she flew back to the nest after I left. She was sure hard to spot in the trees!

 Photo shot on also 3-27-2014. Here is a photo of the nest. You can see how I positioned the nest, and the piece of rope I tied to the nest to secure it in place. 

 Photo shot on 3-28-2014. 4 eggs in the nest now. 

Photo shot on 3-29-2014. 5 eggs are in the nest now. I was hoping for a 6th egg, but it never came. I guess then this makes the story a bit less sad on the turn out...

I hope I didn't make you too sad with this story... Next time I have photos of the chicks being hatched and (as much as I hate to say it) dead. These are all the photos for today. Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Part 1 | Part 2 | 

A-Ma Temple, Penha Hill, & Lilau Square - Macau (Part 2)

In the month of December in 2013, I took a trip to China to visit relatives and to travel places and take photos. On this trip, I visited Jiangsu (江苏), Anhui (安徽), Hong Kong (香港), and Macau (澳门). I took many photos on this trip and I will be splitting them into many parts. I will do my best in these blog post to describe the photos, however due to the lack of map data for China (on Google) and my horrible Chinese, I may not be able to give you too much details on certain things. At the time of visit, the smog in China is very heavy. In many of the photos, you will see what looks to be fog or haze, but it is the smog (pollution) in China. Be warned, that the pollution in China is not at safe levels. I started coughing less than one week into the trip, and I did not recover until the beginning of March this year (2014). Many individuals in China had the same cough I got. If you haven't done so, you can view my vlogs here. I already posted all my vlogs (of the entire trip) on Youtube, but these photos will come out in parts.

12/2013，我去中国旅游。我去了江苏、安徽、香港、和澳门玩。我会把照片分成很多部分。我的中文没有那么好，我不能翻译所有的东西。 我去中国的时候有很大的雾霾。我咳嗽咳了好几个月。我这次旅游也拍了一些视频，你可以在这里看。

Full Resolution Photos and Prints: If you want to see full resolution photos or buy prints of any of the photos you see, they are up on my portfolio for viewing. To view my best Macau photos from this trip, use this link. To view all of my photos from 2013 China trip, use this link.

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Here is part 2 of my Macau photos. Places in this blog post will include A-Ma Temple, Moorish Barracks, Lilau Square, and Penha Hill.

这是澳门第二部分。

First shot is from near A-Ma Temple. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 21 N 113 31 52 E   

Now a long exposure inside A-Ma Temple. A lot of tourists and Buddhists at the temple. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 11 N 113 31 52 E   

Still inside A-Ma Temple. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 11 N 113 31 53 E   

The view of Macau (澳门) and Zhuhai (珠海) from A-Ma Temple. Zhuhai (珠海) is the city right across the river and is no longer part of the special district.

珠海和澳门。

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 11 N 113 31 54 E    

Now I have a photo of the Moorish Barracks. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 16 N 113 31 58 E 

Another photo of the Moorish Barracks. 

A photo from Lilau Square. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 19 N 113 32 06 E 

A photo shot from near Lilau Square. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 18 N 113 32 05 E 

Now at Penha Hill. Here is the view of Macau (澳门) from Penha Hill. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 14 N 113 32 04 E 

A zoomed in shot of the view above. 

Still at Penha Hill. The tower on the left is the Macau Tower. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 12 N 113 32 06 E 

A photo of the Cathedral on Penha Hill. 

A photo of the cathedral. Some people were doing a photo shoot there. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 12 N 113 32 08 E 

An abstract shot of the cathedral facing up. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 13 N 113 32 07 E

A black and white process of the photo above. 

The view of Macau (澳门) from Penha Hill. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 12 N 113 32 08 E

Back for another photo of the cathedral after the people doing the photo shoots left. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 12 N 113 32 07 E

Another photo of the cathedral. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 12 N 113 32 08 E

HDR composition shot partially down Penha Hill. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 14 N 113 32 05 E

These are all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing them. Next time I will have more photos from Macau (澳门). Please don't forget to share with the blog post your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

下一次有跟多澳门特区的照片。

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Duck Nest and Eggs

Please note this story has a sad and tragic ending. If you do not like these kind of stories, feel free to skip this post. This story took place in April this year. There was a leak in our backyard swimming pool, so the pool wasn't being cleaned or filtered while we tried to find the leak. This caused the pool to turn green like a pond. This Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos) decided to take a dip in our pool, then continued to nest in our yard. It laid 9 eggs... This will only be about the ducks. Sadly, I also had a sad and tragic story about a house finch nest in my yard too that happened at the same time. That will come in a future post very soon.

Full Resolution Photos and Prints: If you want to see full resolution photos or buy prints of any of the photos you see, they are up on my portfolio for viewing. To view my best backyard photography for 2013 and 2014, use this link. To see all of my 2014 backyard photography photos, use this link.

Photo shot on 4-10-2014. I noticed a week or 2 back that the duck came for a swim in my pool a few times. I found the nest near the fence of my yard after the mother duck waddled out and flew away as I got out into my yard. 7 eggs are in this photo. 

Photo shot on 4-11-2014. The mother duck stayed well hidden behind the goji berry plant. 

 Photo shot on 4-11-2014. 8 eggs are in this photo. 

Photo shot on 4-12-2014. 9 eggs are in this photo. This night, I heard some scratching noises in the backyard. They were loud. I was about to go check on the yard, but I heard neighbors talking (for a short while). I thought they were probably having a party... After they stopped talking, so did the scratching, but I didn't suspect a thing. 

 Photo shot on 4-13-2014. In the morning, I knew the duck nest was raided by wildlife (most likely a raccoon as there are many in this neighborhood). The nest was no longer there and the eggs was everywhere. Thinking back to the night before, the neighbors was definitely not having a party, but came out to check on the commotion. 

Photos shot on Photo shot on 4-13-2014. More photos of the eggs scattered everywhere. I saw the mother duck come back twice that day. I was hoping she'd come back to reclaim the nest... On 4-14-2014, I did not see her come back so I went ahead and bought equipment to make a DIY egg incubator just in case from Home Depot... I know the mother duck has not started incubating the eggs yet as she has been laying them at night, and leaving during the day, so the eggs was good for probably 3-4 more days. I decided to leave them for another 2 nights to see if she'd come back. A decision I'd regret...

Photo shot on 4-16-2014. The animals (most likely raccoons) came back for food. There were no survivors. I'm guessing they must have attacked the house finch nest too as that was roughly around when the house finch parents had died (the photos of this will be in a future post as this one is on the duck nest). 

Photos shot on 4-16-2014. One last photo of the broken eggs scattered in a mess. 

I hope I didn't make you too sad with this story... This is how nature operates and it is probably best for the wildlife if no humans intervene... These are all the photos for today. Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Scenery & Street Photography - Macau (Part 1)

In the month of December in 2013, I took a trip to China to visit relatives and to travel places and take photos. On this trip, I visited Jiangsu (江苏), Anhui (安徽), Hong Kong (香港), and Macau (澳门). I took many photos on this trip and I will be splitting them into many parts. I will do my best in these blog post to describe the photos, however due to the lack of map data for China (on Google) and my horrible Chinese, I may not be able to give you too much details on certain things. At the time of visit, the smog in China is very heavy. In many of the photos, you will see what looks to be fog or haze, but it is the smog (pollution) in China. Be warned, that the pollution in China is not at safe levels. I started coughing less than one week into the trip, and I did not recover until the beginning of March this year (2014). Many individuals in China had the same cough I got. If you haven't done so, you can view my vlogs here. I already posted all my vlogs (of the entire trip) on Youtube, but these photos will come out in parts.

12/2013，我去中国旅游。我去了江苏、安徽、香港、和澳门玩。我会把照片分成很多部分。我的中文没有那么好，我不能翻译所有的东西。 我去中国的时候有很大的雾霾。我咳嗽咳了好几个月。我这次旅游也拍了一些视频，你可以在这里看。

Full Resolution Photos and Prints: If you want to see full resolution photos or buy prints of any of the photos you see, they are up on my portfolio for viewing. To view my best Macau photos from this trip, use this link. To view all of my photos from 2013 China trip, use this link.

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I begin my Macau (澳门) photos. The photos for today will be random scenery, street photography shots, and some night long exposures.

我今天开始我在澳门拍的照片。

First photo is shot at Lotus Square. This is the official flower of Macau (奥门). 

Look who found Waldo! LOL I had to get a photo of this hotel...

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 38 N 113 33 09 E   

   A black and white process of the photo above. 

Long exposure of the streets. Since many of the names of roads in Macau is in Portuguese, I am unable to label a lot of things since I don't speak the language. 

  Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 33 N 113 33 00 E

   A black and white process of the photo above.  

The special dual license plates on some of the cars in Macau. Some cars have two license plates. One of them for the Macau's license plate database, and the other one is for the Chinese government database. I think these dual license plate systems is probably issued to cars who transit through the border often.  

 A shot of Grand Lisboa. 

  Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 25 N 113 32 37 E

    A black and white process of the photo above.  

 Here is an abstract type shot of the lights on Grand Lisboa. 

    A black and white process of the photo above.   

Another photo of the Grand Lisboa from a little bit further back. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 24 N 113 32 36 E

Bank of China building. 

Another shot of the Grand Lisboa. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 21 N 113 32 37 E

Another long exposure street photography shot somewhere random in Macau (澳门). 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 22 11 30 N 113 32 52 E

   A black and white process of the photo above.  

These are all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing them. Next time I will have more photos from Macau (澳门). Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

下一次有跟多澳门特区的照片。

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