Here are 4 more.

Rick Remington has given me permission to post a few of his peregrine photos for your pleasure. The beach is Evanston, IL; the one of the peregrine flying with the flicker prey is a different bird from another series (Montrose Beach in Chicago), which, as Rick told me, "ran in the Sunday September 25th Chicago Sun Times and the flight shot will be featured as the photo of the week in Birdwatching Magazine starting next week."  I am posting a second set of 4 different photos in the first "reply" to this post. Enjoy!

Handling a Heteropteryx female
I recommend viewing it full-screen

Happy Birthday!!!  Hope it was wonderful, wishing you a strong year.

Is this going to turn into another one of those debates over the constitutional right to arm bears?

no constitutionals with bare arms here in Chicago tonight, that's for sure. we might get frost.
Maybe it's warmer in Ohio

I wonder if Karen's bear was the shooter.

right, excuse me; I misspoke. If more bears carried tranquilizer guns those deputies would be alive.

I giggled in spite of myself at the way this sentence was worded:
"He wouldn't say how Thompson died but said several aggressive animals were near his body when deputies arrived and had to be shot." 

Patti, that is a splendid sentence. It has many unrelated topics about which we will never know anything for sure, but I would assume that if more people carried tranquilizer guns those poor deputies would be alive today.

The Big Year is opening this weekend.
I hope it's OK. I hope it's funny.
Audubon Magazine has written about it a few times:
http://www.audubonmagazine.org/articles/birds/big-screen
a preview:
http://tinyurl.com/3ruyh63

Nice coopers hawk on my dad's birdbath, eyeing the feeders wing's length from him (or her).

Those feeders are a regular Old Country Buffet: cardinals, redwing blackbirds, sparrows of many descriptions, house finches, goldfinches, doves, bluejays, waxwings and even bluebirds sometimes . . . mallards come to eat what falls from the feeders . . . all sorts of stuff. Lots and lots more.

not yesterday, though . . .

just Mr. Coop.  Go figure

did see Canada Geese in great numbers all over the place.
 

In my experience there's actually something to what they say, that it's more delicious the closer your pub is to St James's Gate...

brilliant!
He selects sounds so . . . omnivorously . . . animals, construction equipment, construction workers . . . all good . . . makes you wonder what sounds they edited out

Aafke - I'm just transfixed by the flower photos. The orange poppy, the dahlia, all of them... splendid!!!
Really fine melon too - that last shot?  Wow. Thanks for taking the time to share these!!!

This little owl woke up just to say..............

Happy Birthday Dale!!

Oh my goodness is he a nice owl.
Thanks again, everyone, for the terrific wishes!!

[Thanks, all!!!!]

Oh HO!! What a fantastic batch of birthday greetings!
Thanks, all!!!!
On my way home from Quebec City.
Chicago had better behave itself.

Nora,

I hope you're getting around more easily and painlessly -
wishing you a GREAT birthday, a speedy recovery and much love.

Dale