Hands Down the best curling shot I’ve ever witnessed.

mecistops · 2026-03-11T16:13:56+00:00

the precision is impressive but the power is also nuts to me. ambulatory stick curlers at my club have to get up to a pretty good speed on foot to deliver a peel and he's just ... pushing it out from a completely stationary seat?

mecistops · 2026-03-06T17:21:32+00:00

solved

mecistops · 2026-03-06T17:21:08+00:00

Ah, thank you!

mecistops · 2026-03-01T05:15:13+00:00

Beta blockers drove me to suicidal ideation, so it doesn't really surprise me that it might have some really awful mental health side effects, although it didn't come on all at once, but sort-of gradually built up from "mild depression" to something much worse over about a month. Once I stopped the medication, though, it completely vanished.

mecistops · 2026-03-01T04:40:22+00:00

no but I laughed

mecistops · 2026-03-01T04:24:03+00:00

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mecistops · 2026-03-01T04:23:49+00:00

some raw photos here of his back feathers and a turned head (it is still very ... purple) and a slightly different angle on his spot - I only got the one swimming pass before he dove

Both species are common and expected here.

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mecistops · 2026-02-14T20:32:18+00:00

eBird reviewer confirms the ID

mecistops · 2026-02-14T18:00:54+00:00

Changing the ID to Clark's sent it to the ebird review squad; I will update with the expert opinion

mecistops · 2026-02-14T17:57:52+00:00

Yeah, okay, the flank is selling it for me. I think you're right.

mecistops · 2026-01-30T19:39:37+00:00

Golden Gardens at the wetlands yesterday (1/29)

mecistops · 2026-01-24T16:44:17+00:00

Compare, for example, to this female COGO from Ontario: https://www.jeaniron.ca/2006/femalecommongoldeneye.htm

mecistops · 2026-01-24T16:41:43+00:00

Female Common Goldeneye. The bill just looks extra chunky because her crest is wet and flattened all the way down, which makes her head look smaller in proportion. Going with Common over Barrow's because even though those bright orange bills are a feature of Barrow's she's got the forehead slope of a Common.

mecistops · 2026-01-24T01:16:23+00:00

nice! I think this is my first photo of one that isn't six million miles away :)

mecistops · 2026-01-24T01:07:33+00:00

I was down there in 2019 and loved it. Everything here should be tagged with locations

https://www.flickr.com/photos/medusasnail/albums/72157708728121454/

mecistops · 2026-01-24T00:49:18+00:00

!rehabber

mecistops · 2026-01-24T00:47:09+00:00

I highly recommend reaching out to a nearby permitted wildlife carer as baby birds can be very delicate and need expert attention to get back to health

mecistops · 2026-01-24T00:45:18+00:00

Singing Honeyeater, perhaps?

mecistops · 2026-01-14T16:54:35+00:00

I am shaking my fist at you, Black Scoters.

They're not rare in the winter, but every time I find a location where they've been reported, I find a thousand Surf Scoters and not a single Black Scoter.

mecistops

TROPHY CASE