Most of us bird people, both the folks who feed birds and we who actively pursue them in the field, take pride in "knowing" the locals and being the experts of our own slice of habitat.

We are confident that the Goldfinches will show up at our feeders by Christmas, and we nod knowingly when our Brown Thrasher sings his first twilight song of spring. And, indeed, we weed-pullers and berry pickers and flower tenders are the experts of our own patches of ground.

But the very familiarity that we have with our own gardens and yards can lead to carelessness and complacency. I lived in our house for 20 years oblivious to the healthy population of glass snakes in the yard until I pulled two cold-stiffened beauties from the same bag of compost where they had been hibernating. Now, I doubt that anyone has ever made this comparison, but white-crowned sparrows are just like those legless lizards - at least they are in being overlooked.

My first White-crowned sparrows were foraging around a picnic table on the side of New Hampshire's breath-taking Kancamagus Highway during the height of New England's fiery fall color. I would have never seen them but for guy with binoculars pointed down hill instead of up at the trees - a sure sign of a birder. They were beautiful birds, large for sparrows, 6 inches from bill tip to tail and weighing in at 1 solid ounce. As you might imagine the adults have bright white crowns with contrasting black head stripes and solid gray throats - very handsome, indeed.

As any conscientious intermediate birder would, I checked my obvious identification in my Peterson's Guide to Eastern Birds and then ticked off the species on my life list at the beginning of the book. I left New Hampshire feeling secure that I now knew the White-crowned Sparrow, a resident bird of the cold slopes of central New Hampshire.

The next White-crowned Sparrow I saw was sitting in a with several other sparrow types in a thicket beside the Natchez Trace Parkway just North of the Ross Barnett Reservoir. Not that I recognized the critter, mind you. There was not a hint of crown on this bird, in fact I was hard pressed to find any field marks at all. I was busy wearing out the sparrow pages in my field guide by flipping them back and forth when a pickup truck coasted off the road, and a fellow birder climbed out with a nod in my direction. Once again, the binoculars gave him away.
Most of us bird people, both the folks who feed birds and we who actively pursue them in the field, take pride in "knowing" the locals and being the experts of our own slice of habitat.

We are confident that the Goldfinches will show up at our feeders by Christmas, and we nod knowingly when our Brown Thrasher sings his first twilight song of spring. And, indeed, we weed-pullers and berry pickers and flower tenders are the experts of our own patches of ground.

But the very familiarity that we have with our own gardens and yards can lead to carelessness and complacency. I lived in our house for 20 years oblivious to the healthy population of glass snakes in the yard until I pulled two cold-stiffened beauties from the same bag of compost where they had been hibernating. Now, I doubt that anyone has ever made this comparison, but white-crowned sparrows are just like those legless lizards - at least they are in being overlooked.

My first White-crowned sparrows were foraging around a picnic table on the side of New Hampshire's breath-taking Kancamagus Highway during the height of New England's fiery fall color. I would have never seen them but for guy with binoculars pointed down hill instead of up at the trees - a sure sign of a birder. They were beautiful birds, large for sparrows, 6 inches from bill tip to tail and weighing in at 1 solid ounce. As you might imagine the adults have bright white crowns with contrasting black head stripes and solid gray throats - very handsome, indeed.

As any conscientious intermediate birder would, I checked my obvious identification in my Peterson's Guide to Eastern Birds and then ticked off the species on my life list at the beginning of the book. I left New Hampshire feeling secure that I now knew the White-crowned Sparrow, a resident bird of the cold slopes of central New Hampshire.

The next White-crowned Sparrow I saw was sitting in a with several other sparrow types in a thicket beside the Natchez Trace Parkway just North of the Ross Barnett Reservoir. Not that I recognized the critter, mind you. There was not a hint of crown on this bird, in fact I was hard pressed to find any field marks at all. I was busy wearing out the sparrow pages in my field guide by flipping them back and forth when a pickup truck coasted off the road, and a fellow birder climbed out with a nod in my direction. Once again, the binoculars gave him away.

After admiring my display of page flipping dexterity for a while, he took pity on me. "It's amazing how plain juvenile White-crowned Sparrows can look this time of year, isn't it?"

Of course, I quickly agreed with the man. And back in my van, I carefully wrote, immature White-crowned Sparrow (no sign of crown). I drove home that day thankful for the kindness of birders and buoyed by seeing this rare northern bird so far South.

And then I started birding with Larry Morgan. Larry was even greener than I was, and I happy to give any help I could. But I soon found out that what Larry lacked in experience he more than made up for in sheer native brain power honed by years of delivering the U.S. mail. And Larry had a secret weapon as a birder - he wasn't an expert. He didn't know what to expect in the field, so he was open to everything. On our first field trip together Larry spotted a rare winter vagrant Ash-throated Flycatcher that I would have never expected and would have overlooked.

So when Larry mentioned something about White-crowned Sparrows at his pond, I was skeptical, but intrigued. And that day for the very first time I turned to the back of my field guide and actually looked at range map for White-crowned Sparrows. I was shocked to see that White Crowns do not breed in New Hampshire. Those Kancamagus birds were passing though, just like I was. They nest in the far northern land of stunted trees and high alpine slopes out west. And the bigger surprise was that the wintering range of the White-crowned Sparrow includes all of Mississippi.

Before the week was out, I stood with Larry at his pond watching curious White-crowned Sparrows watch us from the thick brush. And before another week had come and gone I had found three White-crowns in my very own backyard. So, beware of experts, especially when they are standing in your own shoes.

[I LOVE THIS PIC!!!]

Several dozen great blue herons were perched on pilings in the Pend Oreille River at Usk, Washington Tuesday. Area birding enthusiasts said this is the time of year large groups of the giant birds can be seen migrating and resting in certain areas, such as the Pack River Delta along Lake Pend Oreille. Soon they will disperse in smaller groups to nesting rookeries in cottonwoods or other woodlands near water.




I LOVE THIS PIC!!!

(POSTED: 3/4/10) A 46-year-old bird enthusiast from Zion visited the Nachusa Grasslands a few weeks back with one main goal: catch a glimpse of a rare prairie falcon that had been spotted in the Downstate preserve.

Camera, binoculars and spotting scope in tow, Eric Walters ended up with something else: snapshots of a golden eagle hunting seemingly impossible prey -- a grown white-tailed deer.

"It was really, really exciting to see one," Walters said, referring to the golden eagle. "And to see one hunting, going for a kill -- I've never seen that before. And then to see a golden try to take something out significantly heavier . . . hunting a deer is off the charts."

It appears the deer got away, though perhaps with a few scrapes from the bird's razor-like talons.

And Walters -- whose day job is in IT at Discover card -- got away with what he regards as the pictures of a lifetime.

Using a digital Canon 50D, he captured the bird hovering, descending and pursuing the stunned deer. The shots spanned just about 35 seconds, but they've already created quite a buzz in "birder" circles, since Walters posted them on the Illinois Birders' Forum.

"I have seen one golden in Illinois [in the wild] and that was the sighting of my life, period," said Jacques Nuzzo, program director of the Illinois Raptor Center, a Decatur-based rehabilitation and educational center focusing primarily on birds of prey. "For this guy to be in that space at that time, man oh man, and he got photographs? . . . He's either real awesome or real lucky."

Goldens are fairly common out West but rare in Illinois, experts said. "You're only going to see them during migration, and it's not like a flock of them come through," said the raptor center's executive director, Jane Seitz.

They're often confused with younger bald eagles because of their coloring.

Golden eagles, which are federally protected, can grow to 12 or more pounds with a wing span of seven-plus feet. They're also found in parts of Europe, Asia and Africa, and still are used by some falconers to hunt. (They can strike at speeds of well over 100 mph.)

While rodents are a big part of the golden eagle diet, they also will attack "mountain sheep, squirrels, caribou, coyotes, cranes, swans, immature peregrine falcons, snakes, frogs and fish," according to the Carolina Raptor Center, which puts their hunting "success rate" at about 30 percent.

While it's not unheard of for a golden to go after a deer, it's certainly unusual, experts said.

"It's not typical, it's not something they're normally going to do," said Brian Millsap, an eagle, owl and hawk expert with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Albuquerque. But, "it's certainly not out of the question."

"When they get really hungry, when things are extremely tight, they'll take all kinds of things," said Millsap. "I've watched golden eagles take pronghorn antelope out West."

As another indication how word has spread about Walters' photos -- snapped Feb. 13 near the border of Ogle and Lee counties, two hours west of Chicago -- Millsap said he heard about them before even being contacted by a reporter.

"To capture that on film is great," Millsap said. "What that tells you is there's the average thing that any critter does, and there are the extremes that you don't see that often -- but they're there."

Walters, who grew up in Glen Ellyn, still is amazed not only that he captured the hunt on camera, but that the eagle tried to pull it off.

"From our point of view it's real ballsy, but from the eagle's perspective, I believe he really thought he could do it."

[Caption: A redheaded woodpecker has been hanging out recently in Oradell. This kind of woodpecker is a threatened species in New Jersey because its woodlands habitat is disappearing.]

A gorgeous redhead has been hanging out in a park in Oradell for several months, and it just might be a sign of great things to come.

A redheaded woodpecker has been hanging out recently in Oradell. This kind of woodpecker is a threatened species in New Jersey because its woodlands habitat is disappearing.

The redhead in question is a woodpecker — on New Jersey's threatened list. "This is a beautiful bird, red from the shoulders up, with a distinctive solid black and white body," says Patrick Scheuer, senior naturalist at New Jersey Audubon's Lorrimer Sanctuary in Franklin Lakes. "Being a redhead myself, I guess I'm a bit partial."

The redheaded woodpecker, about the size of a robin, is fairly rare for northern New Jersey, particularly this time of year. An immature redhead was seen in late December and early January at Campgaw Reservation in Mahwah, and a pair hung out near the Ridgewood Duck Pond some years back. But sightings are typically few and far between on this side of the Great Swamp in central Jersey.

The Oradell redhead, an adult, has been working the dead trees along the closed portion of Elm Street on Van Buskirk Island since the Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 19. If the bird is still there, it should be fairly easy to see across the street from the old waterworks. It likes to work high up along the trunks of the trees from the water's edge to a big dead tree by the roadway.

The bird is there because that patch of park has the type of habitat that has been disappearing in North Jersey.

"These birds require open dry woodlands with fairly mature trees, and we've lost a lot of that habitat to housing and other development over the years," says Scheuer.

Although no nesting behavior has been observed as of late February, Scheuer is optimistic: "It would be neat to have a nesting pair this far north because it would mean their numbers are rebounding. Hopefully, we'll see more in the future."

But Scheuer cautions that seeing a woodpecker with a bright red head doesn't mean you've seen a redheaded woodpecker. "We get a lot of calls at Lorrimer from people who say they've seen a redheaded woodpecker, and it invariably turns out that they saw a red-bellied woodpecker – which also has a red head."

That brings up one of the cardinal (no pun intended) rules of bird-watching: When you hear hoof beats, think horses — not zebras.

In other words, when you see a bird you can't identify immediately, consider the most likely possibility first. Chances are far greater that the woodpecker with the red head in your back yard is a red-bellied.

* Tip o' the day: If you go to Oradell's Van Buskirk Island in search of the redheaded woodpecker, keep an eye to the sky – you might see a bald eagle as well. They have been roosting at the nearby Oradell Reservoir.

Caption: A redheaded woodpecker has been hanging out recently in Oradell. This kind of woodpecker is a threatened species in New Jersey because its woodlands habitat is disappearing.

Here’s a cool picture of an albino Red-tailed Hawk that was taken here in Greenwich. Thanks to Jennifer Braverman for sending in the photo and for giving me permission to use the image. She relayed to me that it didn’t seem keen to pose for photos, but I think the snap gives a pretty good idea of just how white this particular bird is. A pretty incredible looking individual.

Poisoning is threatening Ireland's bird of prey populations
March 2010. The recent death of a Golden Eagle has once again highlighted the serious threat posed by the reckless misuse of poisons to Ireland's fragile bird of prey populations, as well as to the wider environment.

A Golden Eagle corpse was recovered on the 18th February 2010 on the Sligo/Leitrim border at Truskmore Mountain. Analysis revealed that the bird had died as a result of feeding on a lamb carcass which was left exposed on the side of the mountain and which had deliberately been laced with Nitroxynil, a widely available toxin. The eagle was a juvenile male known as Conall after the Irish for Donegal, Tír Chonaill. This bird captured the imagination of the country, when, in 2009, he became one of the first wild Golden eagles to be hatched in Ireland for over 100 years, following the establishment of the Golden Eagle Trust's reintroduction project.

White-tailed eagle and Red kite
In addition to the Golden Eagle project, reintroduced populations of White-tailed eagle and Red kite have also been established in Ireland following their extinction due to human persecution, and BirdWatch Ireland assists with each of these projects. The needless death of this juvenile eagle in the North West is unfortunately just one incident of many which threaten the return of these birds to their rightful place in the Irish countryside. A total of nine Golden eagles, White-tailed eagles and Red kites have been poisoned in Ireland over the past two and a half years. In each case the cause has been the use of poison meat baits. This gives serious cause for concern, not only for the reintroduced birds of prey but for other protected bird species, as well as for the wider countryside.

Poisoned baits
In some parts of the country, especially in sheep-rearing areas, a small number of farmers leave out poisoned meat baits in an attempt to control foxes and crows. It is illegal under the Animal By-Product Regulations to knowingly leave dead livestock above ground; however, provided that the intention is to kill a fox, it is lawful to lay out poison on other meat baits (other than a livestock carcass), under certain conditions. These regulations clearly do not provide adequate safeguards to prevent the inevitable poisoning of birds of prey and as such are in clear contravention of the EU Birds Directive.

John Lusby, Raptor Conservation Officer with BirdWatch Ireland said, "Irish legislation covering the use of poisons needs to be reassessed urgently. Poison meat baits are completely indiscriminate in their effects, and leaving these lethal substances exposed in the countryside will not only affect the species being targeted, but also a wide range of other wildlife and potentially even humans and pets."

Real problem is worse
As predators at the top of the food chain, birds of prey provide a valuable insight into the health of the local environment, making the recent deaths of nine of the reintroduced birds even more worrying. John Lusby added, "The poisoning of the reintroduced birds of prey has received much public and media attention due to the high profile of these projects. Given the number of fatalities, one can only imagine the devastating impacts poisoning is having on other scavenging bird of prey species such as the Buzzard. These birds do not carry radio transmitters, and so their deaths are likely to go largely unnoticed".
Lorcan O'Toole, Project Manager of the Golden Eagle re-introduction project, took this photo of 'Callan'.

Alan Lauder, Head of Conservation with BirdWatch Ireland stated, "We fully appreciate the need for farmers to control pest species in certain situations. Although the majority of farmers do so in an environmentally friendly way, unfortunately the small number of landowners who continue to misuse poisoned meat baits are responsible for bringing farming into disrepute, damaging wildlife and as a result ultimately threatening tourism and farm incomes. BirdWatch Ireland is calling for a complete ban on the use of poisoned meat baits in Ireland."

Alan Lauder also commented, "A major problem in relation to the use of poisoned meat baits is awareness, both of the legislation surrounding their use and also of the potentially devastating effects they can have. Most people have a great respect for birds such as the Buzzard and might not realise that by placing poison baits they may be killing them, as well as a whole host of other wildlife".

Owls at risk
Scavenging birds of prey are not the only species at risk from poisoning. Barn Owl, Kestrel and Long-eared Owl populations are likely to be negatively impacted by secondary poisoning. Second-generation rodenticides, which are used to control rats and mice, have the potential to affect certain predatory bird species, particularly those that feed on small mammals. The Barn Owl population in particular has declined in Ireland in recent times. The increased use of rodenticides has been widely implicated as a contributing factor in this decline. John Lusby stated, "The problem occurs when raptors such as Barn Owls feed on rodents which have ingested rat poison. The compounds used in certain rat poisons nowadays are extremely toxic and build up in the bird's body, ultimately killing it."

BirdWatch Ireland is calling on the Irish Government to step up to its responsibilities to the people, wildlife and unique natural environment of Ireland, as well those imposed on it under EU law, and to properly legislate against the indiscriminate and improperly controlled use of poisons in agriculture.

Are you serious? Those two pics look completely different. So both the pics I posted are both Beauty?? Amazing Joyce. I'm impressed with your findings. Thanks, now I can rest easier. 

 

HOLMES BEACH — Two rescued baby blue herons are “doing fine and eating like pigs.�

That was the observation Tuesday of Gail Straight of Wildlife Inc., who has been taking care of the chicks since their nest was displaced when the tree it was in was cut down.

“We found three,� Straight said, “but one had a broken wing and internal injuries and died within a couple of hours.�

The nest was in a stand of Australian pines being removed for improvement at the Kingfish Boat Ramp on the north side of Manatee Avenue at the western end of the Anna Maria Island Bridge.

Ed Straight, Gail’s husband and partner in the 23-year-old animal rescue operation, said he got a call at about 10:15 a.m. Feb. 14 about the birds and sent a volunteer out to pick them up.

“When I got there, branches were scattered around and the tree trunk was cut and stacked,� Straight said. “But the nest was sitting on the seawall where the neighbors said they found it when they called us.�

He said the volunteer found the birds still in the nest when he arrived.

The tree removal was done as part of the seawall repair work Manatee County had contracted to have done at the boat ramp.

“It’s unfortunate,� said Manatee County Commissioner Carol Whitmore, who lives in Holmes Beach. “These people didn’t do it intentionally but should have been more careful.�

Holmes Beach resident and animal lover Lynda Heimburger said it “just made me sick� when she found out about the chicks, especially the one that died.

“They should have been more careful,� Heimburger said. “Anyone could have seen the nests.�

She said the county, as well as the contractor, should have checked to see if there were any nests before cutting the trees.

“Let’s see how they pass the buck,� Heimburger said. “This is a big deal, not only the state but the federal agency is checking into it.�

She said she heard it was a violation of the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which can result in a fine up to $15,000 and six months in jail.

The blue heron is a federally protected bird species, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Web site, and the treaty protects migratory species.

Janet Ryder, a spokeswoman at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Law Enforcement Division office in Groveland, said the agency’s policy was to not to confirm or deny whether an investigation into any incident was in progress.

Gail Straight said her organization will care for the two chicks until they are able to fend for themselves in the wild.

“Their parents feed them for quite a while,� she said. “We’ll have them for two to three months.�

Raising the chicks is not a problem. They will learn to eat and fly on their own, Straight said.

The real problem will be finding a location to release them because other blue herons are very territorial and will attack them, she said.

Remember Haiti, the hawk that was hit by a vehicle??? Well...   

GRAFTON —  The euthanization of an injured red-tailed hawk has sparked a debate between modern veterinary medicine and alternative holistic treatments.

The hawk was rescued by the Hopkinton police and fire departments in late January after it was hit by a car, and taken to the Main Street Animal Services of Hopkinton for treatment. There it was named Haiti.

It was later turned over to a falconer, who was asked by the state Division of Fisheries & Wildlife to relinquish the injured hawk to Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. It was put to death last week.

Officials at the Cummings School said the decision to euthanize was made after weeks of observation and out of the best interest of the severely injured bird.

Meanwhile, MASH issued a news release saying a licensed veterinarian, Dr. Margo Roman, who it said has 32 years of clinical experience, treated the bird at MASH with homeopathic remedies and alternative therapies such as herbs, Reiki and ozone therapy.

“During the seven days at MASH, significant improvement had been noted and in Dr. Roman's opinion, more time was needed before a thorough evaluation could be made as to the destiny of the bird,� according to the MASH statement.

The hawk was brought to the Cummings School blind in one eye and functionally blind in another, said Tom Keppeler, spokesman for the Cummings School, adding that vision is key to the survival of a bird of prey, such as a red-tailed hawk.

“It was suffering, It was disoriented,� said Mr. Keppeler, adding that a necropsy revealed the bird had severe brain damage.

Veterinarians at the Cummings School campus treat more than a 100 red-tailed hawks each year, and the decision to euthanize was based on experience and three weeks of observing Haiti, said Mr. Keppeler.

“I think we made the right decision,� said Mr. Keppeler, noting that the school will soon release two rehabilitated red-tailed hawks back into the wild. “Our goal is to minimize the suffering of animals of all varieties as humanely and kindly as possible as we can, and sometimes that includes euthanasia.�

MASH, however, maintains the bird might have continued to improve with alternative therapies provided free by MASH. Those therapies would have included continued ozone therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

“Tufts Veterinary School maintained the attitude that if they could not help the bird, then no one should attempt to. Thus the bird was killed,� according to MASH. “Haiti the red-tail hawk was saved by the community of Hopkinton and this was a wrongful death that was committed due to the university's closed-minded attitude to integrative therapies.�

Actually, my home city of Waterbury is quite safe by urban standards. Unless you’re a pigeon, a starling or a House Sparrow. Hawks have discovered the bounty available in city settings, not just in Connecticut but around North America. Waterbury now supports a fine crop of raptors each winter, primarily Accipiters in search of birds. In my Sunday newspaper column I wrote about an immature Cooper’s Hawk that’s taken up residence in the heart of downtown, not surprisingly near a bird feeder set up near a law office. Paralegal Laura Johnson got the accompanying photo of the thriving Cooper’s Hawk, which was also noted and photographed by Kenny Curran, who lives in the area. Cooper’s Hawks, and their smaller and very similar relative the Sharp-shinned Hawk, are scattered around the city in winter. They aren’t alone. A Peregrine Falcon is often seen perched on billboards along Interstate 84, usually near the “mixmaster,â€� and Merlins  show up occasionally. Both are also bird-eaters. Red-tailed Hawks and the occasional Red-shouldered Hawk prefer rodents. One winter a Red-tailed Hawk took up residence around the Green and proved a source of excitement at the city bus stops there.

Alabama Wildlife Center's Raptor Coordinator Jessie Griswold removes a head covering on a Peregrine Falcon found in Fairfield in October with a broken bone in it's right wing. The center repaired the break and will now take him to Florida for more an extensive rehabilitation so he can be eventually returned to the wild. (The Birmingham News, Hal Yeager)

He's just a baby!   

[So many eagles out there now.....this is good news!]

Ohio's Bald Eagles Begin Incubating Eggs

OAK HARBOR, OH - Ohio's bald eagle nesting season is underway with at least two eagle pairs already incubating eggs, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources,  Division of Wildlife.
 
An eagle pair in Huron County began sitting on eggs February 1. Another pair in Ashtabula County began incubation on February 5. Wildlife biologists anticipate the Huron County eggs will hatch sometime on or around March 7.

During the recently completed aerial mid-winter survey of bald eagles, biologists observed 121 birds throughout the state.    Eagles are continuing to expand their range around the state, establishing nesting territories in central and southern Ohio.
 
"Thanks to good management and the support of Ohioans who purchased bald eagle license plates and contributed to the Wildlife Diversity and Endangered Species tax check-off, these majestic birds are once again thriving in our state," said David M. Graham, chief of the Division of Wildlife.

Ohio's bald eagle population grew from only four nesting pairs along the southwestern Lake Erie shore 31 years ago, to a record 215 eagle nests in 2009.  In 2009, 197 eaglets were produced from 113 nests.
 
The Division of Wildlife staff and a dedicated group of trained volunteers monitor existing nests during the season and continue to look for nests that may as yet be undiscovered.
 
Anyone who observes eagles building a new nest should contact the county wildlife officer, a wildlife district office, 1-800-WILDLIFE or wildohio.com. Individuals are reminded that state and federal laws protect bald eagles and their nest sites. Any type of disturbance around a nest could cause the birds to abandon the site or discourage them from using the nest in the future.
 
Bald eagles range over great distances until mature enough to breed at 3 to 4 years of age. They usually return to nest within 100 miles of where they were raised. Although eagles generally keep the same mate, if one of the pair should die the other will find another mate. An eagle's life span in the wild is about 15 to 20 years.
 
Bald eagles build huge nests in the tops of tall trees near water, often reusing the nest year after year.  Nests may reach 10 feet in diameter and weigh as much as 2,000 pounds.  Eagles lay two to three eggs once a year. The eggs hatch in about 35 days.
 
The young will fly within three months, but remain under the care of the adults for another seven to 10 weeks. Immature eagles are mottled brown in color and do not acquire their signature white head and tail feathers until age 5 or 6.

So many eagles out there now.....this is good news!

[Is lunch a mouse?]

Thanks!     Love the snowy (gee, late-breaking news flash)! 

Is lunch a mouse?

Not for me!!   

http://www.wunderground.com/wximage/viewsingleimage.html?mode=singleimage&handle=beanhead&number=135&album_id=83&thumbstart=0&gallery=#slideanchor  Notice the prey

For 6 years, I have been making QuickTime movies from the daily images of the nest box cameras.

http://rfalconcam.com/rfc-main/archiveDailies.php

I am wondering if people think they are worth continuing. Please take a moment to answer the poll.

Their great to watch during hatching and feeding..and the music is so in tune with the quickies!