Joel Weatherly Photography

Warblers are migrating in large numbers right now. The current wildfire and smoke situation seems to be having an impact on their movements and mortality as a few warblers have shown up in unusual places and some mass die-offs have been reported down south.

The smoke made photography a bit tricky, but the birds were out in impressive numbers. This berry patch was quite a hit among the White-crowned Sparrows.

A Solitary Sandpiper draped in autumn hues.

Pine Siskins, House Finches, and Common Grackles filled my backyard with activity this afternoon.

Back in May, I noticed that one of my local White-tailed Jackrabbits had received a large wound on its back. Now, four months later, this hare seems to be healing up nicely with only a ruffled patch of fur as evidence of its battle-scars.

A Yellow-rumped Warbler catching an evening snack.

Dragonfly mating is quite the process. These two Cherry-faced Meadowhawks were flying about in their distinctive "wheel" or "heart" formation. The male is grasping the back of the female's head with his cerci, and the female is curling her abdomen to contact his secondary copulatory apparatus.

After this evenings rain burst, a lovely stacker rainbow was visible. This HDR image has been enhanced a lot to show some interesting features of this rainbow. The brightest band is the primary bow, extending from the violet edge of that bow are supernumerary bands. Separating the primary bow from the higher and fainter secondary bow is Alexanders dark band. Some nice mammatus were also visible.

As an emergency vehicle with sirens sounding passed within earshot, this coyote and its companions began to howl. It was interesting to observe urban coyotes responding to the city's soundscape.

Last night the Moon and Mars were in conjunction. If you were in the right place, you could even watch a lunar occultation of Mars. Passing clouds reduced my view's sharpness, but these two were more than bright enough to pierce through the haze.

Heres a recent photo featuring one of my favourite summertime constellations, Lyra. One of Lyras most notable features is the Ring Nebula, a planetary nebula, near the "bottom" of the constellation (the greenish spot).

I had a lot of Pine Siskins hanging about my backyard this afternoon. They are fun little characters to watch.

After this evening's rain burst, a lovely stacker rainbow was visible. This HDR image has been enhanced a lot to show some interesting features of this rainbow. The brightest band is the primary bow, extending from the violet edge of that bow are supernumerary bands. Separating the primary bow from the higher and fainter secondary bow is Alexander's dark band. Some nice mammatus were also visible.

Here are a couple of warblers that I have been seeing a lot of over these past few days.

This Song Sparrow got a bit distracted during our photoshoot.

I see Swainsons Hawks on an almost daily basis as they patrol my local freeway. This one was nice enough to sit for a quick portrait.

Aglais milberti, the fire-rim tortoise shell, showing its eyespots.

A Says Phoebe consuming its latest catch.

Here's a recent photo featuring one of my favourite summertime constellations, Lyra. One of Lyra's most notable features is the Ring Nebula, a planetary nebula, near the "bottom" of the constellation (the greenish spot).

One more view of the Clay-coloured Sparrow that I saw on the weekend.

This Clay-coloured Sparrow was entertaining to watch as it collected snacks among the Astragalus cicer and thistles.

I see Swainson's Hawks on an almost daily basis as they patrol my local freeway. This one was nice enough to sit for a quick portrait.

Its always exciting when the auroras turn multicoloured. Located on the left, beneath the Big Dipper, is comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE).

A Say's Phoebe consuming its latest catch.

I was happy to see this little Spotted Sandpiper this afternoon.

A Tennesee Warbler showing off its agility.

Last night I saw lots of green. C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)s coma has taken on a distinct green hue due to diatomic carbon. The aurora borealis grew bright enough to turn clouds green and bathe the foggy landscape in their glow. Additionally, I captured one (and observed numerous) meteors, one sported a distinctly greenish hue.

One of my favourite "little brown birds," a White-throated Sparrow.

C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) in dawns glow. It was neat to watch clouds of different altitudes, including noctilucent clouds some 80 km up, drift across the horizon.

This coyote barked at us before disappearing into the brush.

This Red-eyed Vireo did a good job blending in with the foliage. It looks like it caught a crane fly for a snack.

A Clay-coloured Sparrow that I saw this morning.

It's always exciting when the auroras turn multicoloured. Located on the left, beneath the Big Dipper, is comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE).

Last night I turned my attention towards a few deep sky objects to test a recently arrived lens.

Last night I saw lots of green. C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)'s coma has taken on a distinct green hue due to diatomic carbon. The aurora borealis grew bright enough to turn clouds green and bathe the foggy landscape in their glow. Additionally, I captured one (and observed numerous) meteors, one sported a distinctly greenish hue.

I intended to do some comet chasing, but I got a bit distracted. The auroras significantly washed out C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE), but it is still somewhat visible below Ursa Major. Many more photos to come.

Todays Sun at the moment of solstice.

One of my local House Finches. These little birds have lovely songs.

This is the latest batch of 60 SpaceX Starlink satellites. Last night marks my quickest time spotting them after launch at 6 hours 23 minutes. They were still tightly grouped and low in altitude making for a fantastic sight.

C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) in dawn's glow. It was neat to watch clouds of different altitudes, including noctilucent clouds some 80 km up, drift across the horizon.

Last night was an incredible night for stargazing. Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) was my main focus, but the noctilucent clouds, planets, and International Space Station were all great to see as well.

This morning, I got my first glimpse of comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE). Clouds greatly hampered visibility, but it was briefly visible to the naked eye and was a lovely sight in binoculars. Hopefully, we will get clearer skies soon.

A flegling American Robin that has been hanging around my neighbourhood recently.

This Chipping Sparrow has been a delightful addition to my backyard avian audioscape.

Today's Sun at the moment of solstice.