Jeff Rusinow

As the breeding season comes to a close this steamy summer, we were very fortunate to observe two cool highlights.  First, while I didn’t find the nest, I’m near positive that a pair of Canada Warblers had a nest by the stream in the dense brush; over the course of about 7 weeks, starting in mid-June, was able to regularly find either the male or female.  And how about this:

Not a great photo, taken from my iPhone, but the dark space in the back is the entrance to a Turkey Vulture nest!  In a pile of logs, on the shore.  Maybe you can see all the whitewash.  There was one young bird that hung around the nest for a couple weeks, then it moved on.  There was no record of a TV nest in the Wisconsin Breeder’s Survey done many years ago, so this is a pretty cool and unusual event.

This summer in Wisconsin we have experienced many intense storms that just don’t want to quit.  A few weeks ago we were heading back to Milwaukee from attending an event in Madison and witnessed a light show over the course of traveling 45 minutes that had hundreds and hundreds of lightning strikes; it was like watching Summerfest fireworks.  Here’s a radar of the intense storm system, stretching nearly the entire distance between the two cities:

And then there was this past week, where the intensity of the storm and it’s aftermath (a SUV in a huge sinkhole, major flooding throughout Milwaukee) made the national news.

If you don’t think that weather is getting more extreme, you don’t get out much.

In NYC for a night and watched a terrific show near Union Square, sort of a mix of Cirque du Soleil and a dance troupe.  No seats, the audience is sort of in this mosh pit!  In this photo, we are under this clear floor where the dancers perform in a shallow pool of water.  Unlike anything I’ve seen before:

Wow, what a day.  Met President Obama before his town hall meeting at the YMCA auditorium in Racine, Wisconsin, which included having a picture taken with him (to be sent later).  Up close, he looks good: his hair is grayer than the last time I saw him.  He seems rested!  What can I say, this guy seems to be handling all the stress really well.

We went to see Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers the last two nights at Summerfest, pictures below.  These two girls were sitting way back in the arena when the bands’s cameraman approached them and asked them if they were by themselves and if they wanted front row seats to the concert.  They jumped at the opportunity, ditching the fiance of one of them who was in the restroom, who no doubt soon received a text message ‘hey honey, sorry, we’re in the front row so we’ll see you after the concert’ or something to that effect.  A lot of pretty blondes in the front row the last couple of nights!

The best photo of Tom that I took:

And a shot of ZZ Top:

13 new species, a lot of interesting people, and some terrific sights.  Two more photos from the trip:

Feds reach milestone with TARP repayments surpassing debts

11 new species to my life list, with one more full day of birding to go.  Assorted photos:

Trip from Anchorage to Nome in a 737 that is front half cargo plane, back half passenger transport:

Guy next to me, native Alaskan, presumably there being no bakery where he’s headed, bringing along a sheet birthday cake under the seat!

Lunch at Nome - this has got to be the best view out of any Subway in the United States!

For the day, two new birds - Bar-tailed Godwit and Gyrfalcon.  Next two shots are the nesting site of the Gyrfalcon.  In second shot, can see one of the adults about 15 feet left of the nest (which in years past has been the nest of Golden Eagles, Rough-legged Hawks and Peregrine Falcons):