When my Mother died in 1990, I requested donations and sent them to the National Arbor Day Foundation and Apple Trees were planted in (MO?) in honor of Mother.  Something is living on in her stead and we didn't have the waste and cost of hauling away flowers. 

Janet, there could not be a better tribute for your Mom. I must remember this... Imagine apple blossoms every spring, just for her...

On a lighter note... whenever you get going with some of your fun, silly stuff, all I can think of is that song from The Rocky Horror Show - "Dammit, Janet!" (Pretty much just remember the title, but there ya go... makes ME laugh!  )

Slainte!
Bobbie

[Plant a tree..........make a difference.]

Plant a tree..........make a difference. 

What about if I plant some green beans???

Slainte!
Bobbie

Here's a link for story and pic of a blue stork (Yes, that's what I said) that has turned up in Germany/Belgium. Maybe he is the kind that only brings Boy Babies...

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/04/blue-stork-finds-true-love.php

(We have a long holiday weekend here in Ireland, and I should be getting my seedlings planted. However, "holiday weekend" always means one thing in this part of the world: terrible weather. So here I am... freezing... wearing a fleece... and woolly socks...)

Slainte!
Bobbie

Before she slipped to outside she obtained from to the running stud, whereupon they both in obscurity disappeared. Vrouwtje stone owl used later of the occasion of inspecting the running stud egg. According to some spyglasses it seemed that she pecked to the eggs. At 1.22 man came in with a strong mouse (wam). At the beginning of the morning the first cockchafers were even invoked, 12 in sum! In short, hunger suffering is not real. Round half seven vanochtend a running stud which took its fixed stek on the eggs, comes. Those have cooled down moreover after 6 hours to the destiny left be, however, considerably. Aroused curiosity what brings the day of us today!

Here's a bad translation of what took place yesterday

Pretty much saying...maybe they are getting used to each other but maybe the Owl took a few pecks at the pigeons eggs. I did see her over there last night by the pigeons eggs. Time will tell.

Oh my, but that is SPLENDID!! Will we ever know what a "running stud" is???

Slainte!
Bobbie

Has anyone ever heard of the Goldman Environmental Prize? New to me, but this link tells about ordinary people doing extraordinary things at the grassroots level. Inspiring!

http://www.goldmanprize.org/

Slainte!
Bobbie

Here's a link to the New York Times with a story and first-ever photo of the Santa Marta sabrewing... a glorious little creature!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/science/13obbird.html

Slainte!
Bobbie

(And Yaaaaaay! I get the first post of the day!)

Having just finished a Marathon Voting Session (How good am I!?) - I gotta ask... and this is for the "foreigners" on the Forum... WHAT is a "Marriage Ref"??? (I assume we are talking Lowest Common Denominator here...)

Slainte!
Bobbie

Haha that today's word is "Pressure", Heidi!!

I'll get right on it... 

Slainte!
Bobbie

Hey, Donna in MS...

Chirpy Bird-Day to you!!

 
Slainte!

Bobbie

Thanks Bobbie! "herons on steroids" 

I KNOW!!

[Cranes set to return to skies after 400-year absence]

I don't think this BBC piece gives the species, but I would so love to see a crane! Any old crane would do! Last time I was at Montezuma, some were reported to be in the vicinity... did not appear to me, alas...

Anyway... here's the story...

Sainte!
Bobbie


Cranes set to return to skies after 400-year absence

By Jeremy Cooke, Environment correspondent, BBC News


Cranes have not been seen in the skies over Somerset for 400 years
They have been described as "herons on steroids".

Cranes, with their huge eight-feet wingspan, were once a common sight in wetlands across the country. But in the 1600s, a loss of habitat - coupled with relentless human persecution - made this charismatic species extinct in Britain.

And that is the way it has been for some 400 years.

In the 1980s, a tiny group of cranes established home in Norfolk. But the population there has struggled to survive, barely reaching anything like sustainable numbers.

So conservationists have decided to make a concerted effort to bring this striking species back to the British landscape.

In an ordinary looking shed tucked away at one end of the Wetland and Wildfowl Trust (WWT) in Slimbridge, are the first signs that the dream of bringing the cranes "home" is beginning to be realised.

This is the headquarters of The Great Crane Project, and inside they are playing a recorded soundtrack from the German countryside.

This week, the conservationists here are celebrating the fact that crane eggs - which they have brought in from the wild population in Germany - have been successfully hatched.

A soundtrack is designed to make them feel at home.

Nervous times
From these tiny beginnings, it is hoped that a new breeding population of cranes will be established in the Somerset wetlands.

Getting the eggs here was the first challenge. Because of the volcanic ash cloud, they had to be brought into the UK overland.

The first hatch happened within hours of the eggs arriving, which was a nervous times for Nigel Jarrett, WWT's head of breeding and conservation.

"We knew we would be cutting it fine, but we didn't know quite how close it was," he told BBC News.

"It really was a privilege to bring back such an iconic bird to Britain; they are back where they belong, almost like a long-lost friend."

The staff here seem utterly dedicated to the cause. The chicks will be cared for 24/7 by their surrogate parents, who go about their work dressed in baggy outfits and masks so the young cranes will retain their natural fear of humans - which may be crucial to their chances of survival in the wild.

But the task for the WWT is not just about feeding the cranes. It is also about educating them with lessons including how to forage for food, how to respond to danger and how to swim.

Once the chicks are old enough they will be transferred to the care of the RSPB in Somerset.

The plan is to release these first young cranes into the wild late this summer. Another 20 birds will follow in each of the next four years.

Tony Jarrett, the RSPB's spokesman in South-West England, said: "Mission accomplished for me is going to be seeing flocks of wild, flying cranes over the Somerset levels, a sight we haven't seen in well over 400 years."

The crane reintroduction is seen by many conservationists as an important and encouraging indication that the British countryside is now in a fit state to support such an iconic species.

reminds me of that marvelous spatuletail hummingbird snapping his tail! (http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8338000/8338728.stm)

A wonderful video! Thank you for sharing.

Dale, I see that video clip is part of the BBC series, "Life". If anyone has not see this, rush right out there and get it! Utterly amazing footage in every programme.

Slainte!
Bobbie

[Llamas act as bouncers for chicks at Merseyside reserve]

The BBC has been busy today... imagine THIS one!!

Slainte!
Bobbie

Llamas act as bouncers for chicks at Merseyside reserve

Llamas have been drafted in to protect eggs and chicks of wading birds at a Merseyside nature park. The two highly territorial camelids, called Willy and Jack, are being used to scare off predators at the Marshside reserve in Southport. Recruited by the RSPB, the South American creatures are known for their aggressive behaviour when threatened.

Graham Clarkson, RSPB Marshside warden, hopes the llamas will keep animals such as foxes at bay. He said: "Llamas are territorial and should chase away animals like foxes that can eat lapwing and redshank eggs and chicks. We hope it will make a difference to how successful the birds are this year. It is particularly important that they do well as the populations of these breeding birds are threatened in the UK, so we will be monitoring the outcome of this experiment carefully."

It is hoped their slightly erratic behaviour, along with the groaning noises and the sound they make when afraid or angry, will be a deterrent. They are also known to spit at and attack each other when provoked, but are gentle creatures when calm.

Lapwing and redshank, which nest at Marshside, are among those under threat in the UK. The llama and its relative the alpaca are already used as livestock guards to protect lambs and sheep from predators.

The Prince of Wales uses alpacas to protect his lambs from foxes during lambing season at Highgrove, his Gloucestershire estate.

Local grazier Gill Baker, who provides the cattle to graze the marsh, said: "The 'boys' are a great hit with locals and visitors to the reserve. They will hopefully do a great job looking after the birds and can live quite harmoniously with the cows there."

[Common snipe 'flies the flag' in search for love]

From the BBC today... I have heard this "drumming of the snipe" in the West of Ireland, and it is a most remarkable sound.

Slainte!
Bobbie


Common snipe 'flies the flag' in search for love

By Mark Kinver Science and environment reporter, BBC News

High-speed video has revealed for the first time how male common snipes - a species of wading bird - generate their distinctive drumming mating calls.

A team of UK researchers found the birds' tail feathers "flapped like a flag" in the wind, something that had not been seen before.

When attempting to attract a potential mate, the males perform a dive to create the drumming noise. The findings appear in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

Drag show
"The exciting thing was that the video revealed that the tail feather actually flaps backwards and forwards," said co-author Roland Ennos, from the University of Manchester's Faculty of Life Sciences.

COMMON SNIPE FACTS
Scientific name: Gallinago gallinago
Length: 23-28cm
Wingspan: 39-45cm
Found across the UK
UK breeding pairs: 59,300
Eats small invertebrates, including worms and larvae
(Source: RSPB)

"The tail feather has special adaptations, which means its acts just like a flag blowing in the wind, which has not been seen before," he told BBC News.

Dr Ennos said that people previously thought the feathers were particularly strong to generate the sound during courtship displays. "Most tail feathers are rigid, so would be stiff in the wind in order to provide aerodynamic lift."

But, he explained, the snipes' (Capella gallinago gallinago) "special line of weakness" in its feathers resulted in drag, and actually slowed the birds down.

"Therefore, by going fast and making a lot of noise, the bird is showing prospective mates how fit it is."

The males have a "special tail feather that it can stick out", Dr Ennnos said.

"The feathers have a weakened hinge region in their rear vane. The birds dive to increase their speed and make a more attractive higher-pitched sound."

During its courtship display, the male climbed to an altitude of about 50m (165 feet) before diving at about 40 degrees with its two outer tail feathers extended.

The researchers found that when the male birds reached a speed of 50km/h (31mph), the outer feathers produced an audible sound.

The feathers continued to produce the sound until the bird reached speeds of more than 86km/h (53mph).

All of a flutter
The team reported that the drumming was created by an "aeroelastic flutter", a self-feeding, potentially destructive vibration. Dr Ennos said it was an aeroelastic flutter that caused the Tacoma Narrows suspension bridge in the US to famously wobble and collapse in November 1940, just a few months after it opened.

The team decided to investigate how the snipes created the drumming sound after reading research by US researchers, who also used high-speed video to show that a species of hummingbird produced its chirping call with feathers, not vocally.

"In order to measure the frequency of sound that the feather made, we simply stuck a feather in a wind tunnel," said Dr Ennos. "But to capture the footage, that was more tricky. The wind tunnel was very dark and we could not get enough light. So we put the feather in front of a hair dryer and filmed it when it was fluttering."

He said the findings could be used to shed light on how different species of snipe produce different pitched calls.

"Some species do have narrower tail feathers, and these have higher pitched calls. Our findings could help to explain this."

Doesn't she look like one of those things from the 60s, to keep the extra roll of toilet paper in?

She does AND I know people who still use those things!

WHAT?! You mean we are NOT supposed to use them??? (This is the kind of thing we can get while we wait...) :

Slainte!
Bobbie

I keep my extras (like a dozen) in a cabinet above the john - my Aunt Murial crochets the extra TP dolls!   

I love your Aunt Murial! We all need someone like her in our lives. (And... just how big is that cabinet???)