Thanks for posting this!  I hope they have a better year this year.

I know too after losing our cat, Toby, 4 months ago because of severe arthritis.  He was losing his ability to walk and the pain pills weren't helping anymore so it was time to let him go. He was only 13 yrs old and the most wonderful pet- beautiful and very affectionate. I miss him everyday. 

Xiao Liwu being silly during his 20th health exam! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv1SzpckDlo#ws

http://www.wildcarebayarea.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Animal_Emails_Opossum_Story_October2012

[Haya Settles Inby stewartfalcon It has been a month since Haya was released at Pt. Pinole Regional Park. As readers of this blog know, she became self-sufficient almost immediately. What a wonderful reward for those who worked so hard to get her back in the wild!Now the signal from telemetry transmitter has faded but not before Haya settled in to a pattern of regular perches and a hunting territory at the periphery of her old nesting territory. She favors an area centered on the building at 333 Hegenberger south of the Fruitvale Bridge. Observers find her habitually using the same perches and have seen her eating on several occasions. Views of her bands confirm her identity.Thanks to many dedicated observers, we are learning more about a rebounding peregrine falcon population in the San Francisco Bay Area and in the case of Haya, the dynamics of territorial behavior at one site as well. In the new year, I am grateful to those many observers and for the opportunity they have all provided to witness a successful release and a robust peregrine falcon population after its brush with extinction.]

Haya update:

  Haya Settles In
by stewartfalcon 

It has been a month since Haya was released at Pt. Pinole Regional Park. As readers of this blog know, she became self-sufficient almost immediately. What a wonderful reward for those who worked so hard to get her back in the wild!

Now the signal from telemetry transmitter has faded but not before Haya settled in to a pattern of regular perches and a hunting territory at the periphery of her old nesting territory. She favors an area centered on the building at 333 Hegenberger south of the Fruitvale Bridge. Observers find her habitually using the same perches and have seen her eating on several occasions. Views of her bands confirm her identity.

Thanks to many dedicated observers, we are learning more about a rebounding peregrine falcon population in the San Francisco Bay Area and in the case of Haya, the dynamics of territorial behavior at one site as well. In the new year, I am grateful to those many observers and for the opportunity they have all provided to witness a successful release and a robust peregrine falcon population after its brush with extinction.

 
                             

[So sad to report that the tree service went to the Garden on Thursday morning and on orders from the USDA removed both new nests our eagles were building. When will this nonsense stop?]

Posted on their FB page: 

So sad to report that the tree service went to the Garden on Thursday morning and on orders from the USDA removed both new nests our eagles were building. When will this nonsense stop?

A little video for you in this time of Christmas and New Year!  

A GIGGLE with the GOATS Jingle Bells Holiday Performance

That was really cute! 

  

With all the snow, our feeders were very busy today with all kinds of birds coming and going and it didn't take long for our first winter hawk to arrive!  After all the birds disappeared really fast, it sat on our clothesline pole for quite a while before it finally took off without a catch.

[I so sorry to see that the youngest PPO owlet suddenly took ill. Here is what I saw. It seemed fine yesterday. Then this morning it appeared to be sleeping in the back corner but did not get up all day even when PPO tried to feed it. She fretted over it between feeding the other owlet but finally at about 12:30am Wednesday(nest time) appeared to decide that it would no longer respond and carried its inert body to the front of the nest where we could see that it was no longer alive. She has moved it a couple of more times as I write this and may remove it from the nest by morning. My condolences to all the chatters who love this little owl and especially to Tracy and Allan. Rest in peace little Rosie (as some of us had taken to calling her/him) PPO appears to be taking it in stride and concentrating on caring for the remaining owlet. What a trooper!]

Here is the FB posting by someone that follows the webcam:

I so sorry to see that the youngest PPO owlet suddenly took ill. Here is what I saw. It seemed fine yesterday. Then this morning it appeared to be sleeping in the back corner but did not get up all day even when PPO tried to feed it. She fretted over it between feeding the other owlet but finally at about 12:30am Wednesday(nest time) appeared to decide that it would no longer respond and carried its inert body to the front of the nest where we could see that it was no longer alive. She has moved it a couple of more times as I write this and may remove it from the nest by morning. My condolences to all the chatters who love this little owl and especially to Tracy and Allan. Rest in peace little Rosie (as some of us had taken to calling her/him) PPO appears to be taking it in stride and concentrating on caring for the remaining owlet. What a trooper!

Thank you, Kris. That is pretty much what I saw happen early Wednesday morning (nest time). Mom is looking after the surviving owlet; I saw him/her being fed, and Mom also had something to eat.

One of the owlets was larger than the other, and always seemed to be a little more active.

You're welcome, Alison.  It's so sad to lose one-I hope the other one continues to thrive.

[I so sorry to see that the youngest PPO owlet suddenly took ill. Here is what I saw. It seemed fine yesterday. Then this morning it appeared to be sleeping in the back corner but did not get up all day even when PPO tried to feed it. She fretted over it between feeding the other owlet but finally at about 12:30am Wednesday(nest time) appeared to decide that it would no longer respond and carried its inert body to the front of the nest where we could see that it was no longer alive. She has moved it a couple of more times as I write this and may remove it from the nest by morning. My condolences to all the chatters who love this little owl and especially to Tracy and Allan. Rest in peace little Rosie (as some of us had taken to calling her/him) PPO appears to be taking it in stride and concentrating on caring for the remaining owlet. What a trooper!]

So very sad . . . I had checked the blog, and there was no update there, but it looked as if the other little owlet was on the left of the pic. Mom came in at least twice and kept trying to get a response from the owlet, and tried to move her, then left again, looking distraught. The surviving owlet looks lost; they were always together.

Here is the FB posting by someone that follows the webcam:

I so sorry to see that the youngest PPO owlet suddenly took ill. Here is what I saw. It seemed fine yesterday. Then this morning it appeared to be sleeping in the back corner but did not get up all day even when PPO tried to feed it. She fretted over it between feeding the other owlet but finally at about 12:30am Wednesday(nest time) appeared to decide that it would no longer respond and carried its inert body to the front of the nest where we could see that it was no longer alive. She has moved it a couple of more times as I write this and may remove it from the nest by morning. My condolences to all the chatters who love this little owl and especially to Tracy and Allan. Rest in peace little Rosie (as some of us had taken to calling her/him) PPO appears to be taking it in stride and concentrating on caring for the remaining owlet. What a trooper!

It's difficult to get a good look at the little ones, but today I have only seen one owlet. I am concerned that something might possibly have happened to the other owlet. I hope I am wrong; I have checked several times, and still see only one owlet moving around.

            

I just read on their FB page that little Rosie (what people were calling her) passed away this AM.   

 

http://youtu.be/5LB-qbWSLHQ