For all you owl aficionados, here's the perfect gown!

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/owl-dress

Gayle

(for chris)

Wonderful drawing, Dale!  Chris will enjoy that.

Nice to see you here, Glenn.  Like Mark Twain, the reports of your death were greatly exaggerated!  Sorry to hear about staff cutbacks at Santa Cruz.  I have enjoyed your outstanding photographs for years.  Thank you for sharing them so liberally.

Gayle
(Just down the Peninsula in Millbrae!)

Our local PBS station, in association with others including the Point Reyes Bird Observatory, have produced an informative and beautiful study of migration on the Pacific Flyway.  It is well worth a look.

http://www.kqed.org/quest/television/the-great-migration

Gayle

Two of the Direct Autumn Release chicks have established a nest.

http://www.savingcranes.org/firstactivedarnestconfirmedmay52010.html

Other nesting news is not so optimistic,

Gayle

Here is a video of the San Francisco eyases at feeding time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgb4TzaCa0o

Gayle

Paul, thanks for posting this link.  Glen Nevill has recorded many families of eyases over the years.  Glen Stewart of the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group did the banding.  He had a busy day.  He had first banded the San Jose eyases.  He reached that site by rappelling down from the roof of that building.  This one was easier to reach!  Both peregrine families are much beloved by Bay Area residents and have been featured in all the local media.  We are so lucky!

Gayle

I have just seen an awe inspiring and informative program "Iceland Volcano Eruption"  on the National Geographic Channel.  It will be rebroadcast at 8:00 PM PDT this evening and Saturday morning 7:00 AM PDT.  Well worth the time and eyesight!

Carol, glad you found this to be informative.  Yes, the crane watchers have unique challenges!  This is a subject near and dear to me.

Gayle

Gayle - Have you ever joined the crane watch?  Sounds like it would be very interesting.

No Carol, I am 2,000 miles away from either end of the migration!  I support the effort in other ways.

The correct terminology is whooping crane.  Whoopers are Euroopean swans akin to our trumpeter swans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whooper_Swan

Gayle

I have read all the articles I could find about these cranes.  They appear to be Eurasian cranes.  Here is the BBC article which contains a video of the hatching chick:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10089022.stm

And another which contains the reference to Eurasian cranes:

http://www.wwt.org.uk/our-work/wetland-wildlife/eurasian-cranes

The model for rearing them is that of the International Crane Foundation.

Eurasian cranes photos attached.

Gayle

Carol, glad you found this to be informative.  Yes, the crane watchers have unique challenges!  This is a subject near and dear to me.

Gayle

You are one talented dude, Lou!

Gayle

More astonishing photographs from Iceland:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/more_from_eyjafjallajokull.html

Gayle

Anne, please accept my sincere condolences.

Gayle