I'd turn their you-know-what's in free of charge.   

Me too gladly! 

[Congratulations to Donna for posting 1,000 times and achieving the rank of Falcon on the forum!]

Congratulations to Donna for posting 1,000 times and achieving the rank of Falcon on the forum!

  bguitar


She did it in 4 months. At this rate, she will have 2,000 posts and attain the first secret rank by April Fool's Day.

Thanx guys but OMG...how embarrassing. I didn't realize when I posted this morning that I had 1000 posts...I do  being a falcon though. Told ya's I'm a post freak.   

 

[Here we go again....why?]

The Humane Society of the United States is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for trapping a federally protected owl in Moodus last week.

Residents found the owl struggling on Clarke Gate Road in Moodus on Wednesday. A wildlife rehabilititor captured the bird and found a rusty leghold trap clamped tightly to the owl's foot.

The injury was so bad that the owl was euthanized Friday. Trapping a federally protected bird, such as a barred owl, is a federal offense under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Anyone with information about the case can call the Department of Environmental Protection at (860)424-3333.

Here we go again....why? Poor Owl.

For most people, the slow spiral of airborne vultures means that some unlucky animal has died. Now, in some regions of the world, vulture populations are dying. An American scientist is part of an international effort to save these massive scavengers. Ann Murray has the story:

It’s hard to get too excited about an ugly bird that eats dead, rotting flesh. Let’s face it, vultures don’t have a good rep. But vultures are amazing animals. They can eat 20% of their own body weight in one sitting. And they have digestive systems with special acids that will dissolve toxic bacteria and viruses. Meaning, vultures prevent the spread of killer diseases like rabies and anthrax when they scarf down the carcasses of sick animals.

“With the meat goes the disease.�

That’s Todd Katzner, Director of Conservation and Field Research at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh. Katzner says, sadly, with all the good vultures do, many species are in big trouble.

“Vultures are in dire conservation straits in much of the world because of things like habitat loss, poisoning and now these new problems like diclofenac.�

Diclofenac is a medicine given to sick livestock in central Asia. Vultures that eat livestock carcasses with traces of the drug almost always die of immediate kidney failure. It took scientists some time to figure that out. Katzner’s friend Vibhu Prakash, an Indian ornithologist, recognized the beginnings of this vulture die-off.

“This was almost 20 years ago that Vibhu started seeing vultures near Barrackpore, India. They were sitting in a tree with their heads hanging down .Eventually they’d just fall out of the tree and die on the ground.�

Since then, Indian white-backed vulture numbers have plummeted from 30 or 40 million birds to just thousands. This massive decline has left scientists scratching their heads about how many vultures are left in central and south Asia and other parts of the world. Because vultures move around a lot, it’s been hard to keep track of individuals. There’s never been an accurate total population count - anywhere. That’s where Katzner and the National Aviary come in.

For several years, Katzner and his field team have been traveling to mountainous grazing lands in Kazakhstan and the northern plains in Cambodia . Katzner says the one place vultures reliably congregate is at feeding sites.

“We ask people if any livestock have died .We drive up to those sites . Usually the vultures have been there. When vultures feed on the carcass they leave feathers everywhere. And when we go to the carcass, we’re able to pick up sometimes 500 or 1000 feathers.�

Once the feathers are collected, Katzner’s team extracts DNA from them to identify individual birds. The scientists will use this information to create population models. This new counting method is faster and more reliable than capturing, marking and recapturing birds.

Katzner expects researchers will use his feather- based system to count endangered vultures in other places. That includes here, in the United States, where California Condors are dying from lead poisoning.


Before I leave the Aviary, Katzner points out an American black vulture. She’s gobbling a breakfast of chick pieces and mice. Katzner hopes his work will help to keep other vultures happy and hungry. He says we all need ‘em on the job as nature’s cleanup crew.

Are these cameras synced? I see 2 falcons, one in the nest box and one on the ledge.

Yup...if you look at the color pic you can just make out the one in the nest tray...yippee!  Both are at home!

Ei...you always find the answer... THANKS!!

Are these cameras synced? I see 2 falcons, one in the nest box and one on the ledge.

These incredible pictures demonstrate how orca whales use a 'karate chop' to stun and then finish off killer sharks.

In a rare battle of beasts these images show how several populations of skilled killer whales around the world have learned how to overcome huge sharks, that most animals give a wide berth.

Using a combination of superior brain power and brute force, the highly-intelligent orcas are able to catch and eat what many think of as the ocean's top predators.

Moments before the deadly blow. The raised fin is about to come crashing down like a karate chop on a shark (circled). It has been driven to the surface by the orca before this coup de grace

No escape. A killer whale with a Mako shark in its grasp. After stunning the shark, the orca grasps the dazed creature and flips it upside down. When sharks are quickly flipped upside down, they enter a paralysed state known as 'tonic immobility' - making for an easy meal

[Happy Birthday to you Kris]

Happy Birthday to you Kris  

Have a great day Diana 

[Hey Donna, Went out to Pegasus yesterday,Penny wasn't there... Hopefully she has found a hole in the Ice or has moved on to the open water !!!!]

Thanks Donna (and Jeff) - these are great pictures.  Remember, the predators have to eat, too 

Just heard from Jeff on Penny the seal: Hey Donna,  Went out to Pegasus yesterday,Penny wasn't there... Hopefully she has found a hole in the Ice or has moved on to the open water !!!!

Good enough for me! 

Thanks Donna (and Jeff) - these are great pictures.  Remember, the predators have to eat, too 

  I know

http://www.break.com/index/strange-cat-door-surprise.html

http://www.break.com/index/siamese-crocodile-babies.html

http://www.break.com/index/maru-the-cat-vs-big-box.html

http://www.break.com/index/man-versus-chameleon-showdown.html

http://www.break.com/index/amazing-dolphin-pod-footage.html

I asked Jeff about Penny and he said it doesn't look good for her. He said she shouldn't have been out there alone and was going back yesterday to see if she was there or well...who knows. Maybe I don't want to know.

He did find some Adelie Penguins yesterday and said watching them reminded him of a bunch of kids just playing and having a good time. Here's some pics.


Also he said it's against the law to interfere with any animal that is in danger. I'm like WHAT??? That's so sad. I told him if I were there, I'd be in jail because I'd break all the rules. Who's gonna know on that big block of ice.

Unless I missed it, they didn't say if it's banded or not.

Janet, in the first article, it said they can't tell if it's M/F. So my guess would be unbanded.