[Little Egret escapes the harsh Irish winter - by quite some distance!]

Little Egret escapes the harsh Irish winter - by quite some distance!

The colonisation of Little Egrets to Ireland and their subsequent success and spread across the country has thrilled birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts for the past 20 years.  A colour ringing scheme operated for the past two years in Galway is now providing further fascinating insights into the movements of these birds from their natal colonies.

From a total of 40 birds fitted with colour rings with individual digits, there have already been 12 re-sightings reported from birdwatchers around the country.  The most impressive journey, however, has been that of a Little Egret which was ringed by BirdWatch Ireland staff member John Lusby in its nest last summer in Galway Bay and which was subsequently spotted by a Finnish birder in the Azores in Portugal in October, a trip of 2,133km!  Given the extreme winter weather we experienced, this was probably a wise move.

John Lusby notes: “The Little Egret situation in Ireland is incredibly interesting.  Breeding was only confirmed for the first time in 1997, but since then the population has thrived and their numbers and range are continuing to increase.  The Bird Atlas is showing us just how quickly birds are gaining a foothold in different parts of the country, with new colonies being discovered every year.  Until we started this colour ringing scheme, however, it was impossible to monitor the movements of individual birds and it is quite remarkable that our birds are travelling as far as the Azores.â€�

This work will continue during 2011... Each bird has two colour rings, a black darvic with a letter above the left knee and a yellow darvic with a letter/number above the right knee.  The position of these rings makes them fairly easy to see and read... This study of a pioneering breeding bird, which only started breeding in Ireland less than 20 years ago - and was only proved to breed in county Galway in 2009 - is part of a wider, joint study by both Irish and UK ringers.

(from BirdWatch Ireland)

A fine and fascinating essay from a recent New York Times.

"Honoring the dead is good. We can do it by protecting the living."

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/dying-for-discovery/?hp

Magical place, the Donana...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12231819

Bobbie

The saw-whet owl pic is adorable!

I'm in love!
 

"I feel if I give up looking for her that I would have failed her, and yet I feel if I probe too much I may be dishonoring all the beauty she brought throughout the many years she spent with us."

Well-written piece, isn't it? Those wild things sure do get into our hearts.

No doubt!

I can't read the drivel that Linc writes - he needs a human girlfriend!

Did I miss something??

As we are all pretty good at voting, here's a link to voting for natural history photos. I am thinking that Paul's RT Hawk simply HAS to be entered for next year/2011!

Will be interested to hear who voted for what... (Hope I can remember my own votes!)

Bobbie

http://my.nature.org/photography/2010-photo-contest.html

                                       Can you imagine that!?  

I KNOW! Part of me wanted to laugh about a silly dog like a Chihuahua - tho I LOVE dogs of whatever variety, and it is not Chico's fault that he is one! - or cry that the owl might have been injured.

Seriously, tho - hope the poor owl has found other food sources or someone is bound to be out looking for it!

"I feel if I give up looking for her that I would have failed her, and yet I feel if I probe too much I may be dishonoring all the beauty she brought throughout the many years she spent with us."

Well-written piece, isn't it? Those wild things sure do get into our hearts.

Unfortunately, the tarantula`s illegal traffic is a big problem.
It is great to know he was arrested
It is hard to understand how people who said  love the animals contribute to their problems looking for them as pets...
Mirta

Mirta and others - I did not mean to sound flippant about this! ANY smuggling of ANY wild thing is utterly abhorrent to me. I know we tease each other about our phobias, but the serious side cannot be ignored. That spider is quite lovely! Imagine sending them through the post. Horrid man!

Good luck, Abby-Girl! Poor wee thing.

Here's an associated story from 10,000 Birds... Good series of posts.

http://palemaleirregulars.blogspot.com/2011/01/where-is-lola-mate-of-pale-male.html

Bobbie

I'll pass thank you! 
[/quote]

Thought you might!

[A Chihuahua has been attacked by an owl.]

Not sure whether to laugh or cry here...

A Chihuahua has been attacked by an owl.

Tiny mutt Chico – who weighs just four pounds – was being taken for a late night walk by his owner George Kalomiris in the Chicago suburb of Crystal Lake, Illinois, when the predatory bird swooped.

The great horned owl tried to grab the pooch in his talons but Chico was luckily wearing a doggy coat which prevented the winged hunter from latching on to him fully.

Quick-thinking George lunged at the bird which then got caught in his pet’s leash before eventually fleeing.

Relieved George said: “Good thing I had a hold of the leash. Thank God he had the coat. Otherwise he might have been hurt."

Chico suffered a minor puncture wound and some bruises and scratches and is now refusing to go out for walks at night.

If you are a Phorum Phobic, do not read this! 

All I can say is: Miss Muffit better watch where she sits!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12233607

http://10000birds.com/sandhill-hunt-theyre-voting-now.htm

Wish there were something we could do!