What an excellent video Carol. She reminds me of many kids just before they have to come out of the water. Just 1 more dip...1 more. Amazing..thanks so much. How far was that from the nest box? If it's close, she can sneak away when Archer babysits for a quiet dip. 

It's very close Donna. 1 city block from Times square building. Bridge would be only thing blocking a view of her from the nestbox.

Thanks MAK.....good, she can go whenever she wants...and there will be more HOT days coming up. "Can someone please move the bridge"? 

TOFINO, B.C. - More than 160 people lined up in the small Vancouver Island town of Tofino on Saturday for a chance to appear as extras alongside Steve Martin, Owen Wilson and Jack Black in a movie about bird watchers.

The big-name comic actors are set to star in "The Big Year," a movie based on a book by Mark Obmascik that follows three avid bird watchers competing to spot the rarest bird in North America.

Film crews will be in Tofino between May 10 and May 15.

The casting agency in charge of selecting the paid extras started interviews half an hour early because so many people had already lined up.

"We started a little early because we had people here right when we got here,� said casting assistant Paula Ancil. "So once we put down some tables, we figured we might as well get started."

Interviews started around 9:30 a.m., and by noon the parking lot at the Tofino Community Hall was still packed with trucks and cars.

Inside the community centre, hopefuls filled out paperwork and formed a long line to have their photos taken. Some applicants were asked if they got sea sickness and motion sickness.

Ancil said the casting company is looking for a "core group" of people older than 16 who can work for the entire shoot.

The casting company also recently announced it was looking for men who thought they looked like Martin, Wilson and Black.

Ancil said director David Frankel, who also directed "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Marley and Me," will hand-pick the successful applicants.

"I wanted to see if I could get a part as an extra," said Ron Wilson, one of the applicants. "I’ve been wanting to do this for a while. I’m sort of retired, so it’s a good way to fill the hours."

The filming is expected to draw more than 150 crew members to town.

[In a first for Allegheny County, pair sets up nest in Crescent]

In a first for Allegheny County, pair sets up nest in Crescent

The bald eagle's return from the brink of regional extinction is one of Pennsylvania's greatest conservation triumphs. But on Thursday, a pair of eagles that have set up a nest in Allegheny County were a no-show for their photo op.

Despite precautions, including attempts to observe the birds from some 400 yards across a valley, no one was home when members of the Pennsylvania Game Commission shuttled reporters to the first confirmed eagle nest in Allegheny County in decades. At the request of the commission, the specific location of the nest, atop a white ash tree in Crescent, is being withheld to keep people away from the site.

The nesting pair have been observed sporadically at the site for several weeks. Wildlife Conservation Officer Gary Fujak said their attempt to reproduce this year may have failed, but they could return next year to try again.

"We believe this is a resident pair, not migrating eagles, and by the size of the nest [about 4 feet in diameter] it may have been built last year, but we didn't know about it," he said. "It sometimes takes several years for eagles to successfully breed, and the fact that they're only sighted here sometimes may indicate that this is a failed nesting site."

Eagles can weigh up to 14 pounds; their wingspan can stretch to 7 feet. Females grow larger than the males, and both sexes attain their distinctive white heads and tails at 5 years of age. Courtship occurs in winter, and while it is not conclusive they are believed to bond for life. One to three eggs are laid from February through April and hatch in the spring. Bald eagles can live up to 30 years.

A landowner across a valley from the Allegheny County nesting site, who asked not to be identified to help protect the location, said he was at first startled by the fly-over of a bird with a 6-foot wingspan.

"It's like a pterodactyl flying over," he said. "To be on the outskirts of a city like Pittsburgh, known for its industry and steel mills, and to have this wildlife, it's unique."

Tom Fazi, education and information officer of the Game Commission's southwest regional office, called it "pretty cool."

"It's a testament to the fact that the [Allegheny County] ecosystem has recovered to the point that these birds could even live here in the first place," he said. "This would have been unheard of a few years ago. They have an excellent source of food with fish from the river nearby, and since they returned to the nest this year we believe they're comfortable with the distant presence of people."

As human populations expand into more remote areas, human-animal contacts are on the rise. But Mr. Fazi said this case is unusual because it's the eagles who are encroaching on a human population center.

Todd Katzner, the National Aviary's director of conservation, said eagles have been sighted in Allegheny County for several years, but this is the first confirmed nesting site. Editor and co-author of the newly published book, "The Eagle Watchers" (Cornell University Press), Mr. Katzner said the eagles' commitment to the county marks a milestone in the region's environmental recovery.

"They've been around, it's not unusual to see them, but to have eagles engaged in breeding behavior and building the next generation here is a new kettle of fish," he said. "This suggests the birds have reached a level of acceptance of humans, and there's a sufficiently high population density of other eagles in nearby counties, that they feel it's better to be around us than in the other eagles' territories."

Through the 1950s and 1960s, the lingering presence of DDT and other chemicals throughout the food chain devastated populations of bald eagles and other avian predators across the country. In 1980, Pennsylvania had only three nesting pairs.

Their Pennsylvania recovery began in 1983 when the state acquired eaglets from Saskatchewan, Canada, and stocked them at nesting sites near Harrisburg and Pymatuning. Following a national trend, the birds rebounded. By 2000, 48 eagle nests were confirmed in Pennsylvania.

The bald eagle was removed from the federal Endangered Species Act in 2006, but it remains protected through the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940, which mandates heavy fines for individuals and companies that bother the birds. Killing, injuring and harassing the animals is prohibited -- with a few exceptions, even the possession of eagle feathers is banned.

Today, said Mr. Fazi, more than 150 eagle nests are in the state.

It's unknown if the Allegheny County eagles are descended from the stocked Canadian birds or are migrants from other areas.

"We don't care," said Mr. Fazi. "It's enough that we know our program was successful."

 (April 29) -- With oil from a destroyed rig gushing into the Gulf of Mexico at an estimated rate of 210,000 gallons per day, the effects on wildlife will almost certainly be profound.

The April 20 explosion of a BP rig killed 11 people and eventually led to the platform's sinking about 50 miles off the Louisiana coast. But now the ensuing spill threatens 445 species of fish, 45 species of mammals, 32 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 134 species of birds, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries told AOL News. And when the massive oil slick makes landfall in Louisiana on Friday, it will hit 10 wildlife refuges or management areas, such as the Gulf Islands National Seashore.

"The challenge with this type of oil is it's going to float, and, depending on what the wind and waves do, it may stick around for a while," National Oceanic Atmospheric Association spokesman Tom Brosnan said at a news conference today. "And as you get closer to the shorelines, you tend to find richer life."

Bottlenose dolphins may come into contact with floating oil from the Gulf spill when they surface for air.

Here then, is a small sampling of animals that will be affected as the oil continues to spread.

Sea Creatures

Already a critically endangered species, the bluefin tuna comes to the Gulf of Mexico between April and June in order to spawn. Its eggs' viability would be plummet upon coming into contact with oil.

Mammals that must surface for air, such as the bottlenose dolphin and the sperm whale, are likely to encounter patches of floating oil in the process.

Bivalves like oysters will be especially sensitive to the spill. "Mainly that's because they can't move," Karen Foote, a marine biologist at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, told AOL News.

Known as a "sea cow," the endangered West Indian manatee migrates along the Gulf Coast in search of warm water. Eating sea grass and other plants it finds in the shallows, the mammal may find its food sources contaminated when oil reaches the shoreline.

Like other endangered species, the West Indian Manatee may see its food supply dwindle when the spill reaches the Gulf shoreline.

The Gulf manhaden represents the third largest fishery in the United States. Because it is a filter feeder -- meaning it circulates water through its system in order to strain out food -- the oil poses a severe threat to its health, and also to the fish oil business it supports, the Telegraph reported.

Land Creatures

Several bird species frequent the gulf region, some stopping to lay eggs and others simply to feed. Along the Louisiana shoreline, for instance, 5 million migratory birds stop and nest in the network of coastal marshes each year. According to LiveScience, when oil coats a bird's feathers it is no longer able to repel water or trap air, resulting in the bird's death by hypothermia.

Louisiana's state bird, the brown pelican, is no longer on the endangered species list but has just begun its nesting season on the barrier islands.

As many as 96 species of migratory songbirds, such as warblers, buntings and swallows, make stops along the gulf shore on their annual journey from the United States to Central and South America,
The brown pelican, the state bird of Louisiana, lays its eggs on the barrier islands where the oil spill is scheduled to arrive first.

Beach nesting birds, such as royal terns, sandpipers and snowy plovers, will be negatively impacted as tar balls begin rolling in.

Shore birds like the reddish egret, whose population is already in decline, rely on catching small fish in the shallows, the New York Times reported. If those fish don't survive as the oil advances, it's unlikely the egret will, either.

Reptiles

Both endangered species, the loggerhead turtle and the Kemp's ridley turtle come to the gulf to feed beginning in May, and lay their eggs along the coast's beaches.

In addition, the endangered diamondback terrapin, which is found in the marshes of Alabama, may see its food supply compromised when the oil slick washes ashore, Al.com reported.

Even the alligator, an animal that is not now in danger of extinction, may encounter a steep decline in the fish it feeds on in the brackish estuaries that border the gulf.

He has not been given a name, just a green tag that denotes him as Number One. Though he resides alone for now, there are thousands more green tags ready and waiting for those who will surely come to join him.

Bewildered, hungry and still a little sticky, the first bird plucked from the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico has become the face of the disaster, a feathered icon with the power to sway political agendas and corporate fortunes, and command media attention like a Hollywood celebrity.

The northern gannet in question was rescued close to the spot where the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and collapsed nearly two weeks ago, this catastrophe’s ground zero. He is now residing in a hangar in Fort Jackson, Louisiana, that has been converted into a bird hospital at BP’s expense, ready to receive an influx. “He is representative of the spill. He is going to be the symbol. He has a unique story,� said Jay Holcomb, executive director of the International Bird Rescue Research Centre (IBRRC) in California, who is heading the rescue facility.

The bird was initially plucked to safety by the crew of a field operation boat dealing with the aftermath of the rig explosion. Smothered in oil, which is poisonous when ingested and strips birds of their insulation, he swam to the vessel and hopped on to a pole that they held out for him.
“This bird is lucky, he found a boat. He would have drowned otherwise, he would have been dead in an hour,� said Mr Holcomb, as he introduced the lone gannet to a throng of 60-plus media representatives. “He is good as gannets can be,� he said, adding after a pause: “And they’re mean.�

The hospital is staffed by experts from the IBRRC and from Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research, specialists in cleaning birds of contaminants. They will give each casualty that is brought here a full physical, blood tests, nourishment in the form of protein shakes and fish, and plenty of rest before subjecting them to a series of dunkings in detergent.

Efforts are continuing to protect 34,000 birds on the barrier islands that sit to the east of this spot, using booms to keep the oil away from them and their nests and chicks. But water may wash over the booms, driven by high winds and spring tides. The hospital staff expect to see as many as 30 species, and face unique difficulties with the birds’ rehabilitation that they are still trying to resolve. “Usually in an oil spill situation we can determine how long it will take to clean up the environment and hold the birds until it is safe to release them. With this spill, it is still ongoing and getting worse, so release is complicated. You do not want them to get oiled again and come back, but you also cannot tell a bird ‘Go and live on the west coast’.�

The leak involves light, sweet crude, which is thinner than the heavy, highly viscous oil involved in the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster, and can therefore appear less dramatic. Yet its environmental implications are as devastating.

While larger ocean dwellers such as whales, turtles and bluefin tuna can sense trouble and may be able to flee, smaller life forms such as plankton and smaller fish will be engulfed. Because they are eaten by other creatures, the poisonous oil enters the food chain.

Bob Thomas, of the Centre for Environmental Communication at Loyola University in New Orleans, said: “Worst-case scenarios almost never happen. In this case, almost everybody I have known with technical knowledge of oil spills, people who have worked in the industry 30, 40 years, well, they say this is the worst-case scenario . . . it is upon us. I never feel comfortable being Chicken Little, but I have looked at this every way I can and I have at this point at least mild despair, if not sinking depression.�

He added: “When people see a picture of an oiled bird, they gasp. Well, just think about that oil well — that sucker is spewing right now, 24/7. They can go out there all they want to and collect the oil, but it’s still coming out the ground. There’s not an end in sight.�

Rescue boats cannot easily scour the area for stricken birds and animals because of rough weather, limited accessibility and safety considerations.

Professor Thomas added: “There’s all this wildlife out there that you don’t see on land and they’ve been dealing with this leak since April 20, so what’s happening to it? I can imagine, but I don’t want to.� He added: “BP would be really stupid if they weren’t pursuing this recovery at warp speed.�

Tom MacKenzie, of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, said: “This has the potential for being devastating for the wildlife but there are many factors that may influence that; the tides, the currents, the winds. But we can’t boom the entire coast. If the oil continues to come in as projected, we expect it to hit the booms — we hope they hold.�

A northern gannet bird is hydrated by members of Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research

pic speaks for it's self

Maybe he's imitating the "Great Tit"    bada bing!

Now, THAT was a Jersey Thing!     Bad Girl!   

I know! 

Archer comes a callin at 5:37
Who goes there?
Back in
Still there at 6:55

pic speaks for it's self

Maybe he's imitating the "Great Tit"    bada bing!

Hi Donna. Spirit and Roger are in Montreal not in Buffalo. Nicole

YIKES!!! I have heat stroke! Sorry.

What an excellent video Carol. She reminds me of many kids just before they have to come out of the water. Just 1 more dip...1 more. Amazing..thanks so much. How far was that from the nest box? If it's close, she can sneak away when Archer babysits for a quiet dip. 

Yikes...Archer. Nice shot leaving
Wonder if they think Bread N Butter when they pass each other? 

[A HOT momma!]

A HOT momma!
up again and what is that on the egg?? Doesn't look like a crack, who knows. ???

Sounds great and relaxing...thank you. 

Yay, someone there to keep us informed. Thanks for the observations Wind. Look forward to your next post and maybe some pics. Welcome!
*****

Psssst!  Don't tell anyone.  It's a big secret.   

Wind is Linda W...   

    should have known by the name Wind.... She's tricky! 

A panting Beauty
Archer left at 5:12