:newyearbd:Have a great Birthday!!!!!

Lynne in New Hampshire

Thanks Lynne. 

and I have BIG feets too, I trip a lot.

[Look how big I am!]

Look how big I am!

Happy Bird-day Donna!

 

 

Thank you BC! 

In Mariah's case it would be hard to live up to the legend of  Kaver  .

Beauty shouldn't be so picky, or maybe Archer should get his tail feathers home.

No male could  ever measure up to Kaver. 

Wow nice......Come on Mariah and Beauty....find a date. 

[Thank you jeanne, (your too kind)...and thank you Kris. Oh and Janet sent me a great "SNOW" pic too... LOL.]

Thank you jeanne, (your too kind)...and thank you Kris. Oh and Janet sent me a great "SNOW" pic too... LOL.

An online “crane camera'' focused on the annual sandhill crane migration through Nebraska goes live Saturday.

The Crane Cam allows anyone connected to the Internet to view sandhill cranes at Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary near Gibbon, Neb., through streaming video. Log into www.rowesanctuary.org.

The online camera gives viewers around the world the opportunity to observe crane behavior and habits, said Ron Cone of Educational Service Unit 10 in Kearney. The camera is a collaborative project of Rowe Sanctuary and ESU 10. —

http://www.rowesanctuary.org/crane%20cam.html  Crane cam

I have no tolerance for animal cruelty. It is senseless and completely unnecessary. That's why I'm dedicating my column to The Humane Society of the United States and The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust that are offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for illegally plucking out the tail feathers of an injured golden eagle.

I broke the story Sunday on TheSpectrum.com and followed up with an article in Tuesday's print edition of the newspaper. To catch people up to speed who may not be aware of the case, on the weekend of Feb. 27, a golden eagle was hit by a car on state Route 50, just west of Salina. The male eagle, estimated to be 5- to 6-years-old, received injuries that include lacerations, bruising and a severe concussion. A representative from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources transported the eagle in a dog carrier to Martin Tyner, raptor rehabilitator and founder of the Southwest Wildlife Foundation.

The eagle had a band that Tyner was able to trace to Montana. During Tyner's assessment of the bird's band information, his wife Susan asked him what happened to its tail. Tyner examined the eagle and discovered all the tail feathers had been forcibly removed. Anyone found responsible for the heinous act may face up to a year in prison and fines of up to $100,000 because golden eagles are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

DWR Lt. Scott Dalebout said in a press release the case is being actively investigated in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These agencies need the public's help so please call with information about this case to the Help Stop Poaching hotline at 1-800-662-DEER (3337).

I don't think I could have said it any better than Kelly Peterson, HSUS Western Regional Director, so I will share her words: "The individual or individuals responsible for this callous act have an appalling disregard for both golden eagles and the laws in place to protect this iconic species. The Humane Society of the United States applauds the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources for their tireless work to find those responsible for this serious crime."

The only comment I'd like to add is appreciation to Tyner for his efforts to preserve the wildlife of Southern Utah. Thank you, Martin.

Money prolongs effort by at least 1 more year

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has granted the Yurok Tribe $200,000 to aid efforts to reintroduce California condors to the North Coast, where the birds have been absent for more than 100 years.

Yurok Tribe officials have been studying whether they can bring back the giant, endangered scavenger for at least the past year, and the federal dollars will help expand this research.

“This means the project is going to keep going for at least another year,� said Chris West, a senior biologist with the Yurok Tribe. “We have a few different activities that we’ll be able to start up with this.�

The tribe initially received $200,000 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2008 to fund the condor reintroduction project. That money was used to perform studies that analyzed how much lead and other contaminants might be in condor food sources, such as marine mammals and other carrion, and looked at what types of habitat would be available to the birds should they be be reintroduced.

With the additional $200,000 that was approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, West said these projects will be expanded, and include different studies, including one that will involve interviewing Yurok elders to find out what they have learned about condors when they used to live along the North Coast.

“There wasn’t a whole lot of scientific inquiry into these things when these birds were in the Pacific Northwest so this will allow us to do some ethnographic studies,� West said. “That’s extremely important. There’s a lot of elders out there that have a lot of great information.�

The $200,000 is part of $2 million that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allocated to 12 different tribes in California and Nevada. It is part of the Tribal Wildlife Grant program that provides money exclusively to federally recognized American Indian tribes, and was created through the Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2002.

“Tribal Wildlife Grants are much more than a fiscal resource for tribes,� U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Acting Director Rowan Gould said in a statement. “The projects and partnerships supported by this program have enhanced our commitment to Native Americans and to the United States’ shared wildlife resources.�

There were a total of 137 proposals submitted during the grant cycle before being narrowed down to the 12 recipients.

“This is a great opportunity,� West said. “The Yurok Tribe is just really excited about being able to help put the wild world back into balance.�

The Yurok Tribe has targeted 2012 for reintroduction, but West admitted that it could be pushed back or the entire program canceled if it’s found condors couldn’t survive in this area.

“With wildlife work and these kind of assessments there’s nothing definite about anything,� West said. “A lot of this is a feasibility study, and we are in no way interested in putting birds out into an environment that’s not safe or into an environment where they can’t thrive.�

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7QsdkXI4uM  Video


Peregrine spotters in Indianapolis made this video today and posted it on YouTube

It is rated N for Nature, so if you don't want children to see birds of prey mating atop a tall building, you will want to prevent them.


The annual mating and parenting rituals of the peregrine falcons in Indianapolis are among the city and state's best events.

Peregrine falcons were first re-introduced in Indiana in 1991, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, which sponsors a nest cam and ledge cam in Indianapolis.

While the amount of airborne activity around Monument Circle may be sporadic, in the past few weeks the male and female exhibited mating behavior and nest preparation behavior at the customary tall landmarks.

Falcon spotters -- dedicated volunteer bird watchers and falcon reporters -- are frequently on the Circle and some may be willing to chat you up if you are Downtown looking at the skyline and tops of buildings.

Bring good binoculars.

In the past, the birds have visited many places and could be seen flying around the ledges of the L.S. Ayres building on the South Meridian Street side and above the monument statue, an allegorical figure called Victory.

These days, the official nest and scrape are located on the east side of the skyscraper with the giant lighted red key.

If the egg laying is successful and before the falcon chicks fledge, the DNR will conduct a semi-public banding of the birds, which means the chicks will be temporarily removed from the nest to have bands placed on their legs. These numbered bands allow for separate state and federal tracking and conservation programs for the birds.

http://www.nola.com/pets/index.ssf/2010/03/levee_builders_harassing_egret.html  Too long to post.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTtLr1VriIQ

[OF course, it has to be about my FAV....ssssnakes]

Florida officials are stepping up efforts to deal with the  python population in the Everglades, measures that include a special hunting season that  begins on state lands on Monday. But wildlife officials say that the big snakes, which prey on a number of threatened and endangered species from wading birds to wood rats, have reproduced faster than hunters can kill them.

Ken Salazar, the Interior secretary, recently announced efforts to ban the import or interstate transport of nine non-native snakes: four types of pythons, including the Burmese python, as well as boa constrictors and four kinds of anacondas.

What should be done to control the pythons’ spread, both in Everglades National Park and other Florida wild areas? What is the most effective way to kill them?

OF course, it has to be about my FAV....ssssnakes

This really is a problem in Fla. My sister said the snakes are now coming inland and preying on pets and nesting in yards. A real snake epidemic..(the reason I WILL NOT go).

Good morning all, woke up to the  shining in my window, was hoping for  . Not on the menu for today  but the are singing at my feeder which makes it a great day so far.

Thank you Aafke for my very special ~~KAVER~~ card. You know how much I  and miss him. Janet, Carla, Annette, MAK, thanks so much for the bday greetings. What a nice bunch of people here.

Now can I get down to business......posting my annoying morning news!!