20-Apr-23, 08:02:46 AM
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23552
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Other Nature Related Information / Falcon Web Cams / Re: Canada Falcons: All but Rhea Mae & Tiago, (they have their own thread)
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on: 15-Feb-10, 10:04:56 AM
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$2,500 Fine And Hunting Ban For Shooting Bald Eagle
February 11, 2010 - International, National and Local News
Matt MacGillivray Reports:
Did you know that most (if not all) raptors are protected by law? In Ontario, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act protects hunting, trapping, or disturbing nests of most raptors including Peregrine Falcons. Most Canadian provinces and US states have a similar law. Breaking this law in Ontario can result in a fine up to $25,000 or a year in prison. A similar law, the Canadian National Parks Act, covers National Parks and can issue fines of up to $150,000 for disturbing birds including Peregrine Falcons, Gyrfalcons, Piping Plovers or Whooping Cranes.
If you stick to common sense, you will never be the subject of a Ministry of Natural Resources news story, as Shawn Bowes was earlier this year -
A Thunder Bay man has been fined $2,500 and prohibited from hunting for three years for shooting and killing a bald eagle. Shawn A. Bowes pleaded guilty to charges under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. The eagle carcass was forfeited to the Crown. Bowes’ firearm was seized by conservation officers and will be returned once his fine is paid.
Court heard that on June 1, 2009, conservation officers investigated a report of gunfire at Bowes’ property and discovered a decaying bald eagle carcass in his yard. Bowes admitted to shooting the eagle in the summer of 2008. The bald eagle is a specially protected raptor under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, and is protected from being hunted or trapped throughout Ontario. Bald eagles are also considered a species of special concern under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act. Justice of the Peace Ray Zuliani heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Thunder Bay, on August 5, 2009.
To report a natural resources violation, you can call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (1-877-847-7667) toll-free anytime or contact your local MNR office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
News story courtesty of MNR on August 27, 2009.
ETOBICOKE NEWS
!!! Angel doing well!
February 13, 2010 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Kathy Reports:
With reports of a possible skirmish between two raptors in the vicinity last evening, I decided to take a trip out to the site today to check on Angel. I found her dozing peacefuly on her usual perch. She has been visible at the site on a daily basis the past few weeks, in spite of the cold temperatures.
Her errant mate did pay a visit on Monday and there was some vocalization between them however no signs of any courtship rituals at all compared to last year at this time. He seems to be spending the bulk of his time at his other site the past few weeks and with news that the former resident male there will be extending his stay in rehab past mating season - I expect he will definitely be nesting there this year.
The question is will he attempt to nest here as well or can we expect a new mate for Angel. It is still early days and I expect in the next few weeks we should know the answer to that question as Angel is usually the first to lay her eggs in the city.
Stay tuned…
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23553
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Anything Else / Totally OT / Re: A friend of mine is in Antarctica building a new runway
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on: 15-Feb-10, 09:57:51 AM
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I'm going to miss  his pictures, as I know that I will never get to Antarctica. That said, what is he doing in NZ and will he be sending pictures?  New Zealand is where he will catch his flight to his next adventure. He's saying Fiji....who knows where Jeff will end up next. He'll be back here in April, where we'll all hook up and have a few   |
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23554
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Anything Else / Totally OT / Jeff Left Antarctica
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on: 15-Feb-10, 08:31:52 AM
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He is now in Christchurch, New Zealand. These are his last pics of Antarctica. He'll be back Aug 21, 2010.
Also pic of the Botanical Gardens where he is now. Big cry from the Ice. he was happy to see some green.
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23560
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Other Nature Related Information / Raptor Web Cams / Re: WCNC Eagle cam (NC) Savannah sitting on eggs
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on: 14-Feb-10, 03:18:10 PM
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On the Norfolk chat they said the weak one didn't make it...but I caught this pic of the survivor...looks good! 
Savannah is being a dedicated mom and has been sitting on her nest all morning.
Savannah left her nest for a short period of time Friday morning and an eaglet was spotted.
Savannah had three eggs in her nest. Officials at the Carolina Raptor Center said Savannah removed one of the eggs from the nest because it was not viable.
Officials expect the last egg to hatch Sunday or Monday.
The normal length of incubation for bald eagle eggs is 34-37 days. Keep a close eye on the eagle cam and you could see little eaglets!
OK, so now she has 1 mouth to feed...thanks Ei.  |
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23564
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Other Nature Related Information / General Nature Discussion / BIRDS CAN SHOW US THE WAY TO LOVE
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on: 14-Feb-10, 02:25:14 PM
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GIRLS should go birdwatching on Valentine’s Day to find out who they’ll fall in love with.
According to an ancient art called ornithomancy, the first bird an unmarried girl sees will predict her love life.
If she spots a swan, she could wed a writer or a dancer and he will be very loyal to her.
A peacock is the sign of a mate who will take pride in his appearance, while a robin signifies a man in uniform, especially a sailor, and a blue bird forecasts that her husband will make her smile.Kingfishers predict a partner with inherited wealth, while goldfinches are also omens of rich men.
Clap eyes on a canary and you could marry a doctor, or spot a common pigeon and your husband will love his home.
Anyone lucky enough to see a dove can be sure that their future marriage will be happy.
But if you want to hear wedding bells, avoid woodpeckers – they mean you might not get married at all. And a crow means you should leave your current fella.
A modern ornithomancy guide has been compiled by tourism bosses in Worcestershire who are holding a special Valentine’s Day birdwatching meeting.
Ornithologist Steve Whitehouse said: “I met my own wife while birdwatching and there are a lot of the birds from the list across Worcestershire.
“Who knows? Like-minded people might find romance among themselves.”
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23565
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Other Nature Related Information / General Nature Discussion / Valentine's Day: The wild side of loving
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on: 14-Feb-10, 02:22:42 PM
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St Valentine's Day: Even the most devoted animals indulge in a spot of hanky panky, says Angela Wintle.
The feast of St Valentine is upon us once more. The airwaves are full of Barry White, while Sweet Lips, preparing for tomorrow's Festival of Love, has almost certainly inscribed that tasteful A4-sized padded red heart card with promises of undying devotion to Snooky Pie.
Hopefully, this protestation of commitment will foreshadow a lifelong and mutually faithful bond, 'til death do them part. Sadly, the odds seem stacked against this.
In these days of "just-in-case" pre-nups, spiralling divorce rates and a growth in multi-partner singletons, we British are considerably less monogamous than we once were – a situation that would have enraged that irascible Victorian Anglican cleric and noted ornithologist the Rev Francis Orpen Morris, who urged his Yorkshire parishioners to look to the dunnock, a small hedge sparrow, as a model of fidelity to one's mate.
Alas, another disappointment would have awaited the vicar if he had been around long enough to study recent advances in genetic testing, which show that several species once praised for their monogamy are, in fact, enjoying copious amounts on the sly.
And these include the dunnock – especially the female, who zoologists have found to be particularly promiscuous. So
it would have been quite fortunate therefore, if the vicar's congregation weren't paying attention.
We humans seem to have a soft spot for species that are monogamous. When Warner Brothers promoted their film Free Willy, they made a point of saying that not only were whales majestic and gentle, but they mated for life, too. Greenpeace scientists have confirmed this.
If this is so, then whales are among comparatively few species able to maintain lifelong partnerships.
"The more research that goes on, the less monogamous wildlife seems to be," says naturalist Mike Russell, head of People and Wildlife at the Sussex Wildlife Trust. "It may just mean that a pair which have successfully mated, seek each other out the next year as they will want to mate with a partner they know has a good chance of breeding again successfully.
"The purpose of monogamy is that it provides a better chance of rearing young if there is proven success with a pair. It takes all the effort out of territorial and breeding displays."
Of course, it depends whether you're talking about social or sexual monogamy.
More than 90 per cent of birds are thought to be in socially monogamous relationships in which a male and female share a territory together and form pair bonds that may last a lifetime. These include swans, geese, hawks, parrots, albatrosses, pigeons, doves, puffins, ravens, barn owls and magpies.
Mammals don't match up as well: studies suggest that only about three per cent of the 4,000 species are socially monogamous, including gibbon apes, otters, wolves, prairie voles, beavers, bats, marmoset monkeys, lions, baboons, some species of seals, foxes and African antelopes.
So far so good, but then sex rears its ugly head and the picture gets murky – even among the apparently faithful bird kingdom.
Sexual monogamy, it seems, is extremely rare in the animal world, where the great majority of even happily partnered, socially monogamous species indulge in extra hanky-panky on the side.
Naturalists now estimate at least 30 per cent of the baby birds born in any nest have been fathered by a passing philandering male.
So view those bluebirds, devotedly billing and cooing on a million Valentine cards, with a cynical eye. They are said to have a sex life that rivals a television soap opera.
Mammals rarely stay sexually faithful and most species are no more monogamous than humans. With 90 per cent believed to be unfaithful, even the most seemingly devoted mates will play away given the chance.
There are a few exceptions: the tiny California field mouse never breeds with another mate at any time in its life. Meanwhile, the tiny male anglerfish takes commitment to the extreme by scenting out his chosen mate, biting her and then hanging on until his skin fuses to his partner so that their bodies grow together.
Mike Russell believes all this frenzied sexual activity is entirely understandable as creatures – of both sexes – inevitably follow their natural biological urges. "In all species, the overwhelming desire is to find a mate and successfully produce young. It has always been thought that males were more likely to philander because of the need to pass on genes, but DNA research has shown that females philander as well."
There is, however, a dissenting voice of disapproval in the form of a black vulture which has its own method of discouraging infidelity. If a philandering vulture is spotted in the act, all nearby vultures attack the bounder.
Happy Valentine's Day.
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