is this one belching?

Who knows, maybe he's making the race car sound....(like the kids do)

Belching.......

<a href="http://shakymon.com/thruway/archive/Camera1/20090829/Camera1_20090829-0633.jpg?" target=_blank><img src="http://shakymon.com/thruway/archive/Camera1_Thumbnail/20090829/Camera1_Thumbnail_20090829-0633.jpg?" >[/url]<a href="http://shakymon.com/thruway/archive/MainCamera_HighRes/20090829/MainCamera_HighRes_20090829-0634.jpg?" target=_blank><img src="http://shakymon.com/thruway/archive/MainCamera_Thumbnail/20090829/MainCamera_Thumbnail_20090829-0634.jpg?" >[/url]<a href="http://shakymon.com/thruway/archive/MainCamera_HighRes/20090829/MainCamera_HighRes_20090829-0635.jpg?" target=_blank><img src="http://shakymon.com/thruway/archive/MainCamera_Thumbnail/20090829/MainCamera_Thumbnail_20090829-0635.jpg?" >[/url]

Nice they do come by for a visit.

Donna

Environmental enthusiasts should be able to observe loggerhead sea turtles hatching and emerging from their nest, via this live streaming “turtle webcamâ€� installed on a private beach on Big Pine Key in the Lower Florida Keys. The camera, funded by the Florida Keys Tourist Development Council, was previously trained on a nest (Nest #1)  that was expected to hatch between Aug. 17 and Aug. 25, yet no hatchlings emerged. A second nest  of eggs (Nest #2) hatched during the nighttime hours on Aug. 27.  Due to natural predation by nearby raccoons, a small number of hatchlings were scavenged. Permitted beach surveyors excavated loggerhead Nest #2 and found a total of 84 eggs. Of these, 80 hatched successfully, including one live hatchling discovered and released during excavation,  and four unfertilized eggs.The camera is expected to be focused on a third nest with eggs projected to hatch during the nighttime hours sometime between Sept. 1 and Sept. 8.

It is important to note that in any turtle nest hatchings, natural predation by other animals - raccoons, seagulls, ghost crabs, even feral cats - is a normal occurrence. Viewers should understand this is a possibility, and to not be alarmed in the event this happens during such an extraordinary natural event. 

Lucky people...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY-uDYvpQaU

Lou

Phew!!!!!!!!!! Amazing!

Donna

Amazing time motion photography of Nepenthes, a carnivorous plant..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzBfXaZ7euY

  Now that's some plant. Yikes!!!

Thanks,

Donna

I haven't kept up on all the events over the past year.  What is the update on Linn?        ???

There hasn't been any since last year Bonnie when she was spotted at the hack Box.

Donna

And this is Malou now.
I couldn't send the pictures at the same post.
  greetings Aafke

She's a beautiful Boxer Aafke. I have never seen one uncropped. Nice.

Donna

[Poor Jack, hope he's OK,Donna]

!!! August Update
August 28, 2009 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Kathy Reports:

Jack (the resident male) has not been seen at all since the violent storm and tornado’s we had.   Although sightings of him had been infrequent prior to the storm, he was usually around after bad weather and would spend a few days at this nest site. 

In another interesting turn of events, Elena - our female juvenile can now be seen almost daily since the storm perching on Jack’s usual spot.  Early mornings usually finds her and Angel having breakfast together or sitting quietly together.  Both male juveniles have been gone for a few weeks now, out exploring the world no doubt and I had assumed that Elena had gone with them but she turned up the morning after the storm and has been seen daily since then.

Angel has been out hunting and defending the territory on her own lately.   The other day I witnessed her attacking a very large bird - they were both too far up for me to identify the possible predator without binoculars - but the other bird didn’t even flinch when she started diving at it.  She did succeed in driving it out however it was more like he just leisurely flew out as she kacked and attacked.  The other bird was much larger than she was.

I have also observed that she has been having some difficulty maintaining her balance lately - I’m not sure if she has injured one of her talons but even when she lands on the cam, she has trouble securing herself and yesterday spent several minutes trying to get herself into place.

This morning Angel is nowhere to be seen as of yet, out getting breakfast no doubt and Elena is on Jack’s usual perch.

Poor Jack, hope he's OK,

Donna

!!! Update on Pittsburgh Pete
August 25, 2009 - Burlington - Lift Bridge
Kathy Reports:

I found this article on a great site run by Kate St. John down in Pittsburgh.  The site is called ‘Outside My Window’ and not only does she report on the falcons there but on various other species and wonders of nature!  I thought longtime time fans of Pete would like to know how he is faring.

Here in Kate’s own words is the update and I’ve included the link so you can all see a current photo of him and keep track of his progress!

Pittsburgh Pete, as he was nicknamed in Canada, has been through a lot in his three years.  He was born at Pittsburgh’s Gulf Tower in 2006 and flew to Burlington, Ontario where he nested successfully at the Lift Bridge in 2008.  At the end of that nesting season he was gravely injured by a rival peregrine.  He recovered from that injury but was attacked again, lost his nest site and nearly lost his life.  He ended up in rehab last November at the aviary of Judy Bailey, an Animal Control Officer for the City of Hamilton, Ontario.

Though he’s received the best of medical care Pete has never fully recovered from his injuries.  He has no detectable head or wing injury but he has seizures so he can’t be released into the wild.

As soon as his health improved Judy tried to find Pete a permanent home but it was hard to place him because of his seizures.  His luck turned recently when Mountsberg Conservation in Flamborough, Ontario said they would take him for their Bird of Prey education program if he will sit quietly on the glove.  All Pete has to do is learn a new skill and get clearance from Canada’s Ministry of Natural Resources.

 :falcon:To be an educational bird Pete needs to accept human contact from his trainers and tolerate humans nearby, so Judy is teaching him how.  She writes, “He took to being tethered remarkably well!  The day after I jessed him, he walked about a foot to my glove, latched on with one foot and ate the quail. By the 3rd or 4th day he hopped onto the glove and ate. Within a few days I was able to pet his feet, legs and belly. He’s not thrilled but he tolerates it. He will still get a bit antsy, at times, when I get close to the perch/booth, however, he quickly settles and eyes the glove. He’ll get very vocal with me at times!!  …Incidentally, I have not witnessed a seizure since he has been tethered!!â€�

This is great news because Pete’s future hangs on his ability learn these lessons.  I think he can do it.  Pete’s a very resilient bird. 

http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2009/08/14/pittsburgh-pete-learns-a-new-skill/

...Or, is this a Cooper's Hawk?

I did a Google image search of both and it's hard to tell if this is a juvie Sharpie or Coop.

What do you think? Here's a collage of some of the pics:

Lou

Love the collage Lou! Beautiful

Donna

OMG!!  I guess if I got emails like that I would BLOCK  her!!  Thank goodness I don't have one that takes time to do things like that!  Wonder what you can do back?? 

I'm used to it, I get them every day, snake pics....and she wonders why I won't go for a visit. She's really a good sis and she just wants to "BUG" me...and she does. I'll get her one day.

Donna

Carolyn Belknap, an avid birder with a camp on Fourth Lake, took several photos of the pelican, one of which appears here. She had heard about the bird from e-mails on the Northern New York Birds online-discussion group.
Judi, here's more on the Pelican

“My encounter was pretty much dumb luck,â€� she wrote the Explorer.  â€�I was kayaking with my ten-year-old niece and two visitors. My niece suggested we go across the lake, so we paddled to Eagle Creek, a small creek off of the north shore of Fourth Lake right across from our camp. The pelican was on a dock at the entrance to the creek, waiting for us. I was fortunate to have my good camera with me. The pelican was standing so still, that at first I didn’t register that it was alive!â€�

A few days after the initial sightings, the bird turned up on Lows Lake. Jeff Nadler, whose bird photos often appear in the Explorer, said the bird jumped onto the kayak of a friend’s daughter, apparently hoping for a handout.

The pelican is banded, so birders are hoping to find out where it came from.

Cindy also included this message:

cuddle up a little closer.....tonight look under your sheets for me........ha ha he he ha

And you all wonder why I'll never get over the snake in the sheet thing. My OLDER, (thinks she's funny) sister sends these to me every day in email!!!

The story goes: he landed on a Kayaker's boat, he wasn't eagerly ready to leave so they captured him, took him to a vet and will be transported to a rehabber. Adirondack, NY

Donna

Wow!  Did the article say anything about what, if any, injuries this baby had?   

Judi, no, they said there were no visible injuries but he just landed on the Kayak and stayed...there may or may not be anything wrong except he just didn't fly when approached. I think they are just being cautious and letting him have a check up. I hope to read more about him.

Donna

The story goes: he landed on a Kayaker's boat, he wasn't eagerly ready to leave so they captured him, took him to a vet and will be transported to a rehabber. Adirondack, NY

Donna