She's a beauty. Owls are so cool. Thanks

http://www.aviary.org/cons/falconcam_cl.php

Sometime over night she laid it.

[also in the article:]

Loyal as I am to Jack Donaghy-- er, I mean Alec Baldwin-- it seems obvious to me that Steve Martin was the more successful of Sunday's Oscar hosts, probably just a little because he's done it several times before. And as an Oscar veteran, Martin knows fully well how to capitalize on that buzz, and has taken the moment to join relative whippersnappers Owen Wilson and Jack Black in Big Year, a comedy about bird-watchers. Yeah, really.

As THR reports it, the project has been in development for ages at Fox 2000, and at one point Dustin Hoffman was on board for Martin's role. The film , based on the 1998 book The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession, follows three men who try to outdo each other in a bird-watching competition. The original nonfiction book apparently used the bird pursuit as a fairly bittersweet reflection of the mens' lives, but I can see the movie version quickly devolving into an escalating series of pranks that inevitably result in someone accidentally killing one of the rare birds. Please, for the sake of everyone's dignity-- not least the audience's-- don't let it go this way. We all know these three actors are capable of more, and given a script as intelligent as they are, they could make something pretty spectacular together.

also in the article:

A man holds a pair of binoculars, one hand wrapped around each side. His fingers are curled like fists, and they come together making a strong symbolic statement. You’re looking at a two-fisted bird watcher, buddy.

Birders were once portrayed as ladies in tweed and guys who looked like bookish nerds. But tough men and women are birding and they’re not tweedy or nerdy. They’re Army Rangers on patrol.

They stalk wild animals: Spring migrants that were in a South American jungle a month ago. Or winter visitors that crossed the Canadian tundra to get here.

Bobcats and bears are cool, and we see a few. But birds come in wild varieties, and spotting them is a physical and mental challenge; a two-fisted sport.

You just can’t hold a pair of binoculars up to your eyes without putting up your dukes. The two-fisted bird watcher is here. Maybe, the two-fisted bird watcher is you.

Those walking on beaches bordering City College are noticing a trend of sticky, dead birds, something an instructor who scours the sands for trash believes is the result of a chemical used to stimulate growth on nearby, charred hillsides.

This year's heavy rainstorms have been affecting the bird-life across the U.S., stumping both wildlife experts and researchers. Since the middle of January, countless Brown Pelicans have been coming ashore seriously ill or dead.

The Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network is currently caring for 40 of the birds found on local beaches in its small private care unit.

"(They are) steadily trickling in," said Julia Parker, director of animal affairs at Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network, "with more birds increasing after each rain."

The affected birds, according to Parker, have a sticky substance covering their feathers. This substance allows birds to swim but disables them from retaining body heat. They become too weak to fly and suffer from hypothermia and starvation.

Pelicans aren't the only birds suffering from this epidemic; others include seagulls, willets, sandpipers, and cormorants.

The Brown Pelican species was removed from both the state and federal endangered species lists in 2009. But, they may be coming dangerously close to extinction once again.

English Instructor Patricia Morrill has been organizing weekly beach cleanups with City College students since July. Her "Beach Angels" group picks up hundreds of pounds of debris from the beach every month. Their weekly trash-loads include bottle caps, post-consumer plastics, glass, shotgun shells, Styrofoam, hypodermic needles, as well as the occasional shopping cart.

And now, Morrill said she finds something else littered amongst the debris: dead birds.

Morrill said she knew something was wrong with the birds long before the issue was widespread.

"I was at the beach one day is late November and a pelican flew down to my feet, put his head back and just looked at me, shivering," she said. "I knew this poor animal was sending me the message that he was sick. I called the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network and they caught him."

Morrill said the bird's feathers were sticky.

Morrill described that immediately after a rainfall, there is an increase in the amount of dead birds washed ashore. Researchers, at a loss to explain the deaths of these sea birds, are looking at unusual ocean currents, the depletion of fish stocks, as well as temperature changes, toxic runoff and algae booms as possible causes.

However, a new explanation for this crisis is now being tested. Hyrdomulch, which is a combination of 60 percent wood fibers, 40 percent paper and an organic tackifier or "glue" mixed with water, is now a subject for consideration.

John Heil of the U.S. Forest Service disagreed.

"Hydromulch is made from an organic based substance called 'guar,'" he said. "It's water-soluble and shouldn't stick to the bird's feathers. I doubt it's the cause."

"We don't know if it's Hydromulch," said Parker. "We've sent in some feather samples to be tested but what it is we still don't know."

Dr. Adam Green, assistant professor in biology and program coordinator of environmental studies at City College, said right now, "there is no clear cause" of why the sea birds are dying. But Green suspects that it is combination of factors.

"High rain levels may be flushing more contaminants, including phosphate rich fire retardant, oil from roads, and who knows what else, into coastal marine zones," he said. "High nutrient loads (nitrogen and phosphates) can contribute to harmful algal blooms that can cause neurotoxicity in pelicans through the food chain. Oils and other compounds could affect the pelicans feathers and account for the hypothermia."

Morrill, on the other hand, is convinced that only Hydromulch is to blame.

"This problem started in January and we haven't had this problem before. You have to use common sense. What happened this year that hasn't happened before?" Morrill said. "Cities are spraying Hydromulch."

Though the direct cause remains a mystery, she continues to encourage students and everyone alike to reach out and try to put an end to this problem, starting with cleaning up our beaches.

"One hour. One beach. Once a week." she said, referring to the Beach Angel's slogan.

The Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network is also asking for help.

"Our food bill to care for these birds is astronomical," said Parker. "About $1,000 every two weeks, so donations are greatly appreciated."

This month, the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network is having a volunteer orientation to train new volunteers.

A lawsuit filed by a conservation group Thursday blames Texas environmental regulators for a record die-off of endangered whooping cranes, alleging that water-use policies left the birds starving and without water.WHAT THE SUIT ALLEGES

The Aransas Project suit, filed in federal court in Corpus Christi, alleges that the 23 deaths in the 2008-09 South Texas wintering season occurred because the state allowed too much water to be drawn during a drought from rivers that feed the birds' habitat. That left the birds without enough fresh water, a violation of the Endangered Species Act, the suit alleges.

TCEQ: EFFECTS UNCERTAIN

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality declined to comment on specifics of the lawsuit. But agency spokesman Terry Clawson said it's far from certain how low freshwater inflows caused by drought affected the cranes. The agency has worked over the years to preserve the habitat, Clawson said, and is reviewing studies that "indicate that there are a number of factors that affect the dominant food resources of the whooping crane, including freshwater inflows, salinity, tides and temperature."

ABOUT WHOOPING CRANES

There are about 400 remaining wild whooping cranes, which are the tallest birds in North America at about 5 ½ feet. The 264-bird flock at issue is the only one that migrates without human help, making the 2,500-mile trip between Canada and South Texas twice a year. The birds' wintertime home is the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, just northeast of Corpus Christi.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Federal prosecutors have filed charges against the owner of a California restaurant and its sushi chef that marine mammal activists say served illegal whale meat.

Typhoon Restaurant Inc., which owns The Hump restaurant in Santa Monica, and Kiyoshiro Yamamoto, a 45-year-old Culver City resident, were charged Wednesday with illegally selling an endangered species product, a misdemeanor.

Two undercover diners requested whale as part of an $600 omakase (oh-mah-KAH'-say) or chef's choice, meal. The young women were working with the producers of the Oscar-winning documentary, "The Cove," to record the whole meal.

They pocketed a sample, and genetic testing confirmed that it was meat from the endangered Sei whale.

If convicted, Yamamoto could face a year in prison and a fine of $100,000. The company could be fined $200,000.

Only stayed a few

Yay.........awesome news Janet!! 

These two squirrels looked like astronauts after putting coconut shells on their heads.
The pair look more like starved spacemen tucking into the tropical treats at the back of Jane Robert's home in Fareham, Hants.

Miss Roberts, 46, leaves out two coconuts a week and suspends them on pieces of string from her washing line and watches her furry friends dig in. She said: "The first time I saw them feeding I nearly died laughing, they looked like a pair of astronauts and even now I can not stop chuckling every time I see them.

"I make a large hole in the coconut so they can get to the flesh. They cannot get enough of them.

"I worry they might get stuck up there one day but they are clever little things."

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local/animals&id=7319116  Video news

Aggressive Red-Tailed Hawk Evicted


STONINGTON, Conn. (AP and WTIC) - Authorities say they have removed the nest of an aggressive red-tailed hawk that attacked at least five people recently, including a woman who needed medical care after being cut on the head.

Police say animal control officers donning riot masks and gloves were hoisted 60 feet into the air with a fire truck Tuesday to remove the hawk's nest from a tree along Carriage Drive.

Officials say the hawk has snatched a hat off a boy's head, snagged headphones from a man on a lawnmower and even attacked a car. Last week, it gashed a woman's head so deeply that she was checked at a local hospital.

Officials hope the hawk will rebuild its nest in a less populated area.

Amazing little guy. Thanks jeanne, great story.

The following is a DEC press release.

Last year proved to be a record-setter year for peregrine falcons in many productivity categories according to a new report released today by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). DEC surveys found that there were 73 territorial pairs of state endangered peregrine falcons present in the state in 2009, with 42 pairs recorded upstate. That’s a slight increase from 2008, when 67 pairs were recorded statewide.

Also in 2009, 61 pairs bred and produced 132 young, also slightly up from 2008.

“The 2009 report shows that it was a successful year for New York State’s efforts to restore our peregrine falcon population,� DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis said. “The record-breaking numbers are a positive sign not only for the environment but also for the work carried out by DEC’s endangered species program.�

New York State has the largest population of peregrines in the eastern United States.

Peregrines raise one to five young in nests located mainly on cliffs, bridges and buildings. They are known for their high speed - over 200 mph - dives on their bird prey.

These birds had disappeared as nesting birds from the eastern United States by the early 1960’s due to pesticide (DDT) residues which caused eggshell thinning. Once DDT use was banned in the United States, an experimental restoration program began involving widespread releases of captive raised birds from the Peregrine Fund, a global non-profit organization focused on conserving birds of prey. Through this program, 169 young peregrines were released in New York State, from the mid -1970’s through the late 1980s.

In 1983, the first new pairs nested at two bridges in New York City, and in 1985 two pairs returned to nest on Adirondack cliffs. The population has grown steadily since then. There are now about 20 pairs in the metro New York area and 27 in the Adirondacks, a pair at every major bridge between New York City and Albany, and about 10 pairs scattered through the rest of the state.

At many of the urban nest locations, wooden nest trays have been placed to increase the falcons’ productivity. Peregrine falcons do not build nests of sticks like most raptors, but instead lay their brownish eggs in whatever substrate is available. Protection and management is necessary to ontinue this species’ success in New York, which means working with building and bridge authorities so that whenever possible their work is done in a way that does not negatively impact nesting peregrine falcons. DEC has had excellent cooperation from many agencies and volunteers in protecting, managing and monitoring this endangered species.

In the Capital Region, a pair of nesting birds can be seen at the Dunn Memorial Bridge during the spring and summer seasons. A webcam operates during the nesting season at this site and several others in New York State. For links to these sites and other information, including a link to view the new 2009 peregrine falcon report in full text, visit the DEC website.

[Happy Birthday Dawn, hope you have a Doggone fun day!]

Happy Birthday Dawn, hope you have a Doggone fun day!