20-Apr-23, 07:17:16 AM
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Other Nature Related Information / General Nature Discussion / Students make new home for family of owls: Florida
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on: 22-Nov-09, 07:10:15 AM
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SUNRISE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Students at a South Florida school are giving a new home to a family owls who have invaded their school football field.
Students at Piper High in Sunrise took matters into their own hands Thursday morning by giving a pair of burrowing owls a place to call home. "I thought it was awesome that the school wanted to get involved in something like this instead of just moving them off the premises," said student Josh Koenig.
We first met Stan and Gladys a few weeks ago, when news broke that the pair had decided to make the high school's football field their new "love nest."
The owls are listed as a species of special concern, so the school football team are not able to use the field to play or practice.
An avian advocacy group called Project Perch came into action and decided to help the school out. "We provide the supplies, and the kids do all the work, and it's like a real life hoot. It's like these guys trying to save the owls," said Kelly Heffernan.
Students installed an artificial burrow made with a six-foot long PVC pipe on the side of the field's track. "That's the goal of the artificial burrow, to provide them a safe burrow that's already started for them. If it's in tough fill or hard soil, we make it a little bit longer. We try and dig out the end of it. It just makes their job a little bit easier and gives them safety right from the start," said Heffernan.
Student Tiffany Lachhonna is excited to be able to have hands-on experience with these types of birds. "I think this is a very big deal for our school because we've never had something this wonderful happen, and it's a great opportunity to help out our environment," she said.
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24468
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Other Nature Related Information / General Nature Discussion / Wild gobblers hanging out for a free meal
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on: 22-Nov-09, 07:06:42 AM
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With Thanksgiving around the corner, you'd think turkeys would be lying low.
But in recent weeks, some wild gobblers in Lancaster County and Jersey City have brazenly stopped traffic, perched on a roof, even hopped on cars at a tollbooth.
Are they trying to make nice with humans at this critical time of year? Pretending to be pets? Looking to be fed rather than fed on?
Actually, turkeys are a lot like deer, but with two legs, wings, feathers, and a beak. What the wildlife have in common is that their populations are growing in residential areas.
"Turkeys roam these woods 365 days a year," said Julio Santiago, former vice president of the New Jersey chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. "They don't care what holiday it is."
Problems arise when people start feeding them.
"If you see a wild turkey in your front yard and give him bread, guess what? He's your friend," Santiago said.
Last week in Mountville, Lancaster County, two turkeys tried to buddy up to customers and employees at B&J Automotive.
They sat on the building roof and watched traffic on busy Route 462, tailgated on the back of a truck, and wandered into the middle of the street.
"People blow their horns and flash lights, and the [turkeys] just look at them," said Joe Miller, who owns the shop.
He said the birds show up every year about this time. They're getting pushed out of the woods by more and more housing developments.
Another bird, dubbed "Tammy" by New Jersey Turnpike toll collectors, had been hanging around the tollbooths at the 14B interchange in Jersey City and freaking out motorists by running in front of their vehicles. It even jumped on tollbooth employees' parked cars. Staff from the state Division of Fish and Wildlife caught Tammy on Wednesday after the bird had eluded authorities the weekend before.
Turnpike spokesman Joe Orlando said Tammy was taken to the Popcorn Zoo in Lacey Township, Ocean County. It's a no-kill facility.
"Now they've got a national celebrity animal," Orlando said. After media attention grew, the curious started showing up to take Tammy's photo or be photographed with Tammy.
Orlando said Tammy first showed up in the spring, disappeared, and returned in September and stuck around.
"She'd come around the toll plaza. They started giving her some water. Who would want to leave that?" Orlando said.
Not all birds are as friendly as Tammy.
In September, a local cameraman shot a video of five turkeys that appeared to be menacing a young boy near Brookmead Drive in Cherry Hill. A woman, presumably the boy's mother, snatched him out of harm's way and ran away screaming.
The video was posted on YouTube and as of yesterday had received nearly 200,000 hits.
The animals were rounded up by the township animal control officer.
"We had some turkeys that had gone wild - literally," Cherry Hill spokesman Dan Keashen said.
Keashen said turkeys aren't usually violent. "But apparently these turkeys were being harassed by kids in the neighborhood. They were pretty riled up," he said.
People were also feeding them, which would make them want to stick around, he said.
The turkeys were taken to a farm in Franklin Township, Gloucester County, where they are living the free-range life, eating insects and other parasites the farmer doesn't want.
"As far as I know, they're not going to be dinner," Keashen said.
U.S. Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Carol Bannerman said the department had not received many complaints about turkeys attacking people in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. But she noted that in mating season, males might attack a reflective surface such as a car window because they think they see a rival.
"They're no different from a guy in a bar with five beautiful women," Santiago said, "and the husband walks in."
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24469
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Other Nature Related Information / General Nature Discussion / Golden Eagles now migrating through Pa.
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on: 22-Nov-09, 07:00:51 AM
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The best chance each year to see a golden eagle in Pennsylvania is right about now, according to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary on the Schuylkill-Berks county line near Kempton.
The big raptors are now migrating south through the state from breeding grounds in northern Canada.
According to the sanctuary's period e-alert for this week, the most golden eagles ever counted in one day from the lookouts along the Kittatinny Ridge came on Nov. 20, 2003, when 31 were recorded. That was more than double the sanctuary's typical one-day high each year, which comes in around 15.
The largest season total was 164, recorded at the sanctuary in 1998.
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24470
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Anything Else / Totally OT / Re: Rochester, NY and Owings, MD Temps
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on: 22-Nov-09, 05:53:51 AM
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This is the first time that I have seen this - the temperature in Rochester, NY is exactly the same (44 F) here in Owings, MD. The Weather Channel says it is clear here - I'm not going outside to verify!   |
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24475
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Other Nature Related Information / General Nature Discussion / Rare eagle found shot dead was killed in Northern Ireland
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on: 21-Nov-09, 06:40:34 AM
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A ninth white-tailed sea eagle has been killed since the project to reintroduce the birds of prey began two years ago.
The scientist in charge of the project in Co Kerry believes the eagle was shot in Northern Ireland, and brings to nine the number of eagles that have died of man-led causes, with most of them dying from poisoning.
The PSNI and wildlife groups in Northern Ireland are involved in the investigation into the reported shooting of the female eagle which was found by kayakers floating on Lough Neagh, Co Antrim, in mid-October.
Examination of the eagle's transmitter indicated that it had been shot. Golden eagles became extinct in Ireland in the 1950s, but the reintroduction of them to the Republic has seen the birds return to the north.
Dr Allan Mee, who was previously involved with the successful re-introduction of condors in North America, yesterday said 55 eagles had so far been brought from Norway -- where they are already becoming a major tourist attraction -- to the Killarney National Park, Co Kerry.
"Up until now the eagles have spent months at a time safely in Northern Ireland before returning to Kerry," Dr Mee said.
The ambitious project, backed by the Republic's National Parks and Wildlife Service along with the Golden Eagle Trust, plans to re-introduce 100 of the birds which were last recorded in Ireland -- off the coasts of Co Kerry and Co Mayo -- in 1898.
Dr Mee said he strongly believed the people would not accept eagles being driven to extinction by illegal shooting and poisoning once again.
"For me the survival of these birds and the success of the reintroduction programms is a test of how far we have come as a people."
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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: 20-Nov-09, 11:50:35 PM
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Another great Steel City Safari
November 20, 2009 - International, National and Local News
Matt MacGillivray Reports:
We had a great turnout for the Steel City Safari, at Mohawk College in Hamilton, this past Sunday. Our 4th year attending, the CPF one of many attendees who brought interesting animals for children and adults alike to see up close. The event was an amazing success!
Nova
Joining Marion, Tracy and Bruce at the booth were a few of our educators - Alex, a female western Great Horned Owl, Falon, a female Peregrine Falcon, and our newest and youngest educator, Nova, a male Peregrine Falcon less than a year old.
It was great to meet everyone who dropped by the booth. If you missed us at the Steel City Safari, we will be attending the Toronto Motorcycle Show, December 11 to 13. Come by the booth and meet the educators.
CPF is visiting schools all around southern Ontario with educators like Alex, Falon and Nova. Contact us if you want Project School Visit to stop at your school.
The fluff in the pic is Nova as a baby.
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