I thought this one was laugh-out-loud funny!

Agreed!   

YUP!!   

http://www.classbrain.com/artholiday/publish/tracking_santa.shtml

As of right now, he is in New Zealand  6:49am

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/09/gallery_glaciers/

The snowstorm that blanketed the East Coast this weekend was so big, it is even impressive from space. NASA’s Aqua satellite took this image centered on Washington, D.C., on Sunday with its MODIS instrument.

The blizzard shut down the federal government, stranded travelers, left hundreds of thousands without power and crushed the hopes of many retailers hoping for big sales during the weekend before Christmas.

The image covers 300 miles lengthwise. The two big rivers near the center are the Susquehanna (to the north) and Potomac rivers, which run into Chesapeake Bay. Washington, D.C., sits alongside the Potomac, just north of the river’s hook-shaped curve. The inlet to the north is Delaware Bay.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

By ELIZA WINSTON - Bulletin Staff Writer

The birds are watching Nancy Cox, waiting on her lawn and slowly chewing their way inside her Ridgeway home.

After a flock of almost 200 black vultures moved to Ridgeway this fall, Cox has had a steady stream of 30-35 large, hostile, hungry visitors each day.

“I can’t even sit down to eat at the table,� she said. “The vultures watch me through the window and fly into the doors trying to get into the house.�

Cox has the only home in her neighborhood with rubber roofing. But she may not have it much longer. The vultures are steadily ingesting the rubber, leaving Cox with a leaky roof and shaky nerves.

According to Scott Barras, state director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services Program, black vulture infestations are a common problem in Virginia.

He said the vultures often damage property because they enjoy picking on rubber, although no one is sure why.

They damage roofs by pulling off corners of shingles, and they chew off the rubber seals around exhaust pipes, Barras said. He added that they often pull the rubber blades off windshield wipers while damaging a vehicle’s paint with their large talons.

Cox said there are 30 to 35 vultures on her property each day, and they have been steadily picking away at her roof. Now, she said, part of her roof leaks when it rains, and she is worried about the winter weather.

Renee Hodges, a relative of Cox who helps care for her, said the birds are aggressive. They sit on Cox’s front porch and will not move when approached, she said.

“If I holler and scream at them, they will leave for a little while,� Cox said, “but they come back a few hours later. I lived on a farm for most of my life, and I never met an animal as stubborn as these vultures.�

Barras said black vultures can be hard to get rid of once they move into an area. They are not endangered, but all migratory birds in the United States are protected under federal law. It is illegal to kill them unless a kill permit is obtained through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, he said.

However, even if a kill permit is obtained, only a few of the birds may be killed, Barras said. There are other scare tactics that can be used in combination to try to get the birds to leave the area, but he said they take up to two weeks.

To effectively get the birds to leave, a number of different tools can be used, Barras said. They includes pyrotechnics, a special type of firework for nonlethal dispersal of animals; noisemakers; and paint-ball guns.

However, he said that if none of the methods are lethal, the birds may quickly realize they are not in danger and ignore the harassment. Also, Barras said the harassment techniques would have to be used all day for 10 days to two weeks to be successful, which would require a lot of manpower.

According to Cox, a man came to her property and fired shotgun blanks at the birds for eight days. Unfortunately, she said, they weren’t frightened away.

Cox said a kill permit would take four months to apply for and it would cost $50, which she said she does not have. Cox said she will turn 68 on Dec. 21 and lives on a limited income.

In addition to damaging property, Barras said, the vultures also may attack livestock, such as calves or lambs. Cox said she had two hens in her yard, but she fears one of them was taken by the vultures.

Barras said that black vultures divide their time between roosting and loafing. He explained that roosting is when the whole flock goes to the same trees at night to sleep. During the day, they loaf, or hang out, at a location near their roosting spot, he said.

He said Cox’s property may be where they are choosing to loaf, especially since there is so much rubber for them to nibble on. A few streets over on Vista View Lane, almost 200 birds were seen in the trees around 5 p.m. Thursday. This, Barras said, may be where they roost each night.

Unfortunately, he said, getting the birds to move away will take a lot of manpower to discourage them around the clock for up to two weeks. However, if nothing is done, they could continue to hang around the area for decades, he said.

That is not welcome news for Cox.

“It makes me sick to put up with those things,� she said, “They are so ugly, so scary and so big.�

 

[The Jocassee falcons are one of only two pairs of nesting peregrine falcons known to be in the state.]

JOCASSEE GORGES — A new overlook in the Jocassee Gorges offers visitors one of the area’s most beautiful spots to enjoy the scenery while giving two parents some peace and quiet.

Visitors to the Jocassee Gorges area may be aware that two peregrine falcons have been calling Jumping-Off Rock home since at least 2008.

Gorges officials took steps to protect the nesting site, said Mark Hall, who oversees the 43,500-acre site for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

While exploring the area after a wildfire last

year, Hall was interrupted.

“These birds started squawking at me,� he said. “It surprised me, so I took a second look and said, ‘My goodness, those are falcons.’�

Further viewing revealed that the birds weren’t just passing through — they had a nest in the Jocassee Gorges.

Hall realized that the nest’s proximity to Horsepasture Road and Jumping-Off Rock might cause some problems for the birds.

“Everybody who goes down there wants to go out and walk out on Jumping-Off Rock,� he said.

Discovering the falcons spurred officials to make a decision on the popular lookout spot.

“We’ve always had concerns, because Jumping-Off Rock’s kind of a dangerous spot,� Hall said. “It can get icy, and it’s an easy place to have an accident.

“When the falcons showed up, we decided that factor, combined with the safety issue, gave us a good reason to go ahead and restrict access to the site."

Officials closed off access to Jumping-Off Rock, in order to give the birds a chance to thrive, Hall said.

The falcons were nesting directly under Jumping-Off Rock, “where everybody goes,� he said.

“We know that peregrines are susceptible to disturbance, especially from directly overhead,� he said.

Hall consulted with falcon experts, who told him that the birds require peace during the first year after they pick a nesting site.

“So that first year we just closed everything off,� he said.

That move drew criticism from many, who questioned the need to close off access to that portion of the Gorges for the birds.

“We didn’t want to take any chance on running them off,� Hall said.

Experts said that after the first year, preventing disturbances wouldn’t be as critical to the birds’ well-being and the health of the nest

During that first year, officials decided on a long-term solution that would benefit the falcons, their young and visitors to the area.

A new overlook has been created 250 yards away from Jumping-Off Rock.

“It’s really nice, beautiful,� Hall said.

“Most people agree it’s probably more striking and impressive than the old one.

“I was pleased with the way it worked out,� he continued. “People can still see the lake, have that impressive view. They can also sit out to the side and watch the falcons, which is pretty cool too.�

This past spring, officials reopened the area to allow traffic to travel back and forth past Jumping-Off Rock.

Hall was initially worried that allowing access again may have harmed the birds.

After the road was re-opened, Hall was concerned because the falcons behavior changed — and he didn’t see any chicks.

“I was disappointed … maybe the traffic had disturbed the birds and had some effect on them,� Hall said.

But the birds hadn’t left — they only shifted their nest site, possibly due to the new traffic.

“They may have abandoned their eggs, or they were eaten by ravens,� he said.

Hall and other officials recently rappelled down Jumping-Off Rock and discovered the new nesting site

“From a distance, we could determine where the falcons had shifted their nest site to,� he said. “It told us some more about how they operate.�

Some years ago, SC DNR tried to encourage falcons to nest in the area, by creating a space for them and even providing them some food.

That effort was only successful for a few years, so it’s gratifying for officials to see the Jocassee pair doing so well, Hall said.

“It’s quite a success story for Jocassee,� he said. “It’s such an impressive conservation area, and we’re trying to do all the right things.�

Peregrine falcons are no longer on the endangered species list, but there are only 4,000 breeding pairs currently in North America.

Hall said the Jocassee falcons have given birth to four chicks, two this year and two in 2008.

The Jocassee falcons are one of only two pairs of nesting peregrine falcons known to be in the state.      ~WOW~

A PAIR of spotted eagle owls, who nested in the pot plant of a Johannesburg townhouse, are celebrities in the publishing world.

Their owl family of four stars in a book called Pot Plant Owl, which was published by the townhouse owners last month, and records the 54-day drama.

Pot Plant Owl was so happy with the accommodation that she returned in October, a year later, to nest on the Eccles’ balcony again in her favourite pot plant.

It all began on an early August morning last year when Allan and Tracy Eccles woke up to find a spotted eagle owl crouching in the ficus tree pot plant, hiding from two crows. The owl had chosen well — the balcony belonged to keen bird enthusiasts, one of whom had conducted bird tours in the Okavango delta in Botswana.

“We thought, oh sweet, isn’t it nice that we have her for one day,� recalls Tracy.

That evening she and her husband were watering the plants on the balcony when they discovered an egg in the pot plant.

Her husband suggested they leave the egg there and contact a wildlife rehabilitation centre. The response? “You’ve lost your balcony,� FreeMe’s senior clinic manager Nicci Wright told them.

“The female spotted eagle owl has chosen your balcony and your pot plant to lay her eggs. She will lay one egg every three to four days until her clutch is laid and she will sit on the eggs for the incubation period to begin.

“If all goes well the female will return every year to within a few metres of the same nesting spot and raise her chicks,� said Wright.

The couple set up a hide in their bedroom to observe and document the movements of Pot Plant Owl and her family every day. The resulting book tells the tale of Big Chick and Little Chick learning how to eat, hunt and fly, and Pappa, the ever-protective male owl, hunting for his family and keeping an eye on them, albeit from a distance.

Once, Allan assumed it was safe to water the plants on the balcony when Pot Plant Owl had left her nest for moment.

“Out of nowhere — thud! — a big whack on the side of my head. The male swoops down and hits me, sending my head sideways with the force of his talons. When Tracy arrives home my ear and head are still bleeding profusely,� he writes.

For Tracy, the worst moments were the loss of the third chick, whom the Eccles believe was snatched by a crow on day eight, and the day one of the chicks fell off the balcony and went missing.

The chicks’ learning-to-fly lessons were a highlight, she says.

“The night that they actually left us, Big Chick flew up to the roof. Little Chick watched, and we held our breath, and she just made it to the roof. That’s when we knew we were probably not seeing them again. It was a lovely moment, but bitter sweet.�

The Eccles waited to see if their owl family would return this year, but August came and went. “Then, on the morning of October 4, Allan went to the curtains and shouted: ‘We’ve got an owl back, we’ve got an owl back!’�

Three eggs have been laid this season and Pappa is back again to support his family. Sapa

Pictures: Peregrine falcon release in Hampton


http://www.dailypress.com/news/hampton/dp-falcon-release-1222-photos,0,2778125.photogallery   

That squirrel was NUTS!  Get it?  Nuts?   

Got it!   

GOOD! 

While letting her dogs out this am..this is what she found. How cute Cindy.

Bill Uhrich: Rufous hummingbird still hanging around Hamburg feeder

Reading, PA -  There's always a pleasant surprise in store when I answer the phone here at work.

A couple of weeks ago, Wayne Wagner of Hamburg called with a question: How long should I leave my hummingbird feeder up?

Hummingbird bander Scott Weidensaul holds an immature female rufous hummingbird he banded at the home of Wayne Wagner in Hamburg.
For the last decade, I've been urging backyard birders to keep their hummingbird feeders up through at least Thanksgiving in case a rufous hummingbird, those Western vagrants that have appeared in Berks annually during late fall, should show up.

I said he might want to bring it in at night so it doesn't freeze, and then he interrupted me: "Because there's this hummingbird that's still been coming around since all the other ones left in September."

That's pretty cool.

I immediately e-mailed Scott Weidensaul, the Schuylkill County naturalist and author who has been the area's rufous hummingbird banding expert, and he arranged with Wayne to capture and band the bird the next day.

Scott e-mailed: "Success! I was at the Wagners' about 10 a.m. today and caught the hummingbird almost immediately - an adult female rufous, now carrying band L04106. She also sat nicely on my palm for a last couple of frames before zipping off.

"The Wagners were not home, unfortunately, but I talked with Wayne to let him know. I also mentioned that she was extremely fat, which suggests to me that she's tanked up and ready to head south - birds only lay on fat loads like that when they're readying to migrate, so I'm not sure how much longer she'll be around.

" After all, this is a species that now summers as far north as central Alaska (they've shown up in Fairbanks and Denali NP in the past couple of years), and they can handle a lot of snow and cold without much problem. I banded one Jan. 14 last winter in Perry County, when overnight lows were in the single digits. That bird disappeared when the lows fell to minus-8, but whether it died or simply decided to head south, I can't say.

"One thing to mention, if you would, is that I do this work in cooperation with the Hummer/Bird Study Group in Alabama, which coordinates a lot of the winter hummingbird banding in the East; Web page is www.hummingbirdsplus.org."

The rufous hummingbird in Robeson Township is still visiting Harold Lebo's feeder.

Although the Reading Christmas Bird Count was held Sunday, we still have three area counts in which birders can participate, even backyard bird watchers.

This week, on Sunday, both the Hamburg and Elverson counts will be held. To participate, call the compilers: Laurie Goodrich for Hamburg at 570-943-3411, ext. 106, and Bob Cook for Elverson at 610-286-9919. The Bernville count will be held Jan. 2, and the compiler is Ed Barrell at 610-926-2962.

All of the counts need records from the feeder watchers.

We'll have to see whether that Hamburg rufous hangs around that long for a Christmas count first.

 Squirrel Tempting Fate?
December 21, 2009 - International, National and Local News
Matt MacGillivray Reports:

Jerry Rogers, of Okaloosa County, Flordia, sent us a few pictures of what we can only describe as the bravest squirrel or smartest squirrel we have ever seen.

We concluded that this is the smartest squirrel, because he was able to identify the difference between a Coopers Hawk which will occasionally eat squirrels, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk who generally hunts birds, or much smaller mammals.

This time of year, we get many reports of raptors hunting in backyards. Unfortunately, Peregrine Falcons are not a raptor that you will find in your backyard. Peregrines hunt from perches, or in flight, high above their prey and will mostly hunt other birds. This means you will generally not see them hunting in your backyard.

If you want to see a Peregrine, come out during the fledge season to one of our accessible Peregrine nesting locations, or read about it, or watch our live peregrine cameras to see lots of Peregrine activity up close!

Thanks for the photos Jerry!

[And I get excited over a Chicadee. bguitar. Lucky you Janet. . When are you leaving for NC?]

I might be able to get up there one day next week. 

News Flash:   No pictures, because of the shoveling thing, but we had a Bald Eagle    in the backyard around noon on Sunday!

And I get excited over a Chicadee.  bguitar. Lucky you Janet.  . When are you leaving for NC?

[Just last week here in NJ I watched as about 1000 or more starlings flew overhead.. they just kept coming and coming in dark clouds of birds over the buildings. It was something.]

Just last week here in NJ I watched as about 1000 or more starlings flew overhead.. they just kept coming and coming in dark clouds of birds over the buildings. It was something.

I saw a couple clouds of them on Friday while filling my feeder...first for me seeing the formations moving all in 1 direction. Totally amazing sight. It's like a Herring ball..

http://www.naturesdomain.us/2009/11/01/the-eagles-of-conowingo/

some great pics here

http://www.naturesdomain.us/2009/10/31/eagles-and-wildlife-at-conowingo-dam-and-elk-neck-state-park-maryland/   and here