http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/bird/ en-us Fri, 3 Jul 2009 00:32:05 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2284518/posts I got to the pond just as the marsh birds started coming in to drink and bathe. When the tide is high they can't feed efficiently, so they take a break. Roseate Spoonbills and a Great Egret. I got a lot of shots, it will take time to process them all. SELF http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2284518/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 00:32:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2279176/posts LONGMONT, Colo. — Police in Colorado have confiscated 53 baby birds from a 15-year-old boy who apparently took them from neighborhood nests and stored them in his bedroom. Police believe the boy had the birds for at least 24 hours. Authorities confiscated them on June 16 after his mother realized he had them and called animal control. "He and some other children in the neighborhood had been trying to feed them with little success," Longmont police Sgt. Dave Orr said. The birds included barn swallows, sparrows and a bluebird. Forty died, but the other 13 are recuperating at the Greenwood... AP via San Jose Mercury News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2279176/posts#comment Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:56:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2276824/posts SAN ANTONIO -- A dive-bombing bird has been going for hatless guys as they walk near a San Antonio deli. The manager of the McAlister's Deli says the bird doesn't seem to peck anyone, but Michael Sangiuliano says "it will sure scare the pants off you." WOAI-TV video posted Monday of the large, dark bird shows it swooping toward assorted males as they walk across a parking lot or try to enter vehicles. A couple of men say they were slightly scratched. FWST http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2276824/posts#comment Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:07:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2275556/posts Bird size is limited by the time it takes to replace feathers. An extinct bird the size of a Cessna airplane and weighing as much as an average human was one of the largest birds to have ever flown the friendly skies. Scientists have wondered how the bird, called Argentavis magnificens, could balloon to such heft (more than 150 pounds, or 70 kg) and still replace its feathers during a molt. Now, new research reveals the bird, which lived 6 million years ago in the Miocene epoch, likely molted all of its feathers at once during a long fast. usnews. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2275556/posts#comment Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:31:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2273947/posts June 17, 2009—The fossil hand of a long-necked, ostrich-like dinosaur recently found in China may help solve the mystery of how bird wings evolved from dinosaur limbs, according to a new study. The ancient digits belonged to a 159-million-year-old theropod dinosaur dubbed Limusaurus inextricabilis. Theropods are two-legged dinos thought to have given rise to modern birds. Although it was a distant relative of Tyrannosaurus rex, the newfound dinosaur was a small herbivore, said study co-author James Clark, a biologist at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The animal was about 5.6 feet (1.7 meters) long and had relatively short, clawless... NatGeo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2273947/posts#comment Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:50:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2263268/posts I’m trying to get to bedrock on conflicting assertions and policies related to free-ranging cats and songbirds. The American Bird Conservancy has posted a new video criticizing an array of programs across the country through which well-meaning animal lovers “trap, neuter and release” feral cats. Search the Web for “ trap, neuter, release” or “ feral cat coalition” and you’ll find such efforts from Indiana to Florida to Washington State. The idea is that, once sterilized, populations of wild cats will slowly decrease on their own accord by attrition. The video, and other experts on bird-cat interactions, strongly dispute this,... dotearth http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2263268/posts#comment Tue, 2 Jun 2009 22:03:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2258971/posts These are a few weeks old, the rains have kept me pretty much grounded. The rains also killed a bunch of the newly hatched chicks. Some of the birds will try again, but they'll have to beat hurricans season to pull it off.Cattle Egret, Bubulcus ibis and Wood Stork, Mycteria americana. SELF http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2258971/posts#comment Wed, 27 May 2009 12:39:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2253495/posts It’s hard to make it in the city. That’s true for people, but it applies to other species as well. Some animals thrive in urban settings, amid reduced habitat and increased predation, while others don’t. Scientists don’t know why, although it’s thought that certain species are more receptive to their environment and better at adapting themselves to it. In a study at the University of Florida, Douglas J. Levey, an evolutionary ecologist, and his colleagues show that mockingbirds quickly learn to recognize humans who are perceived as threats. nytimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2253495/posts#comment Mon, 18 May 2009 22:24:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2245490/posts Two California men were indicted today on federal charges that they illegally smuggled Asian songbirds into the country, most recently last month when one of the defendants, returning from a trip to Vietnam, was found with 14 live birds strapped to his legs. As seen in the below evidence photo, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents at Los Angeles International Airport discovered the birds under the pants of Sony Dong. According to a Department of Justice press release, CBP agents inspected Dong and "found bird feathers and droppings on his socks, as well as birds' tail feathers visible under his... The Smoking Gun http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2245490/posts#comment Wed, 6 May 2009 18:11:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2242759/posts They wouldn’t blow away the competition on ‘Dancing with the Stars’, but it turns out that some birds got rhythm. After studying a cockatoo that grooves to the Backstreet Boys and about 1,000 YouTube videos, scientists say they’ve documented for the first time that some animals “dance” to a musical beat. The results support a theory for why the human brain is wired for dancing. In lab studies of two parrots and close review of the YouTube videos, scientists looked for signs that animals were actually feeling the beat of music they heard. The verdict: Some parrots did, and maybe... The Times in India http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2242759/posts#comment Sat, 2 May 2009 16:43:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2241787/posts I spent a couple of hours by the little pond Thursday afternoon. It's the nearest source of freshwater to the saltmarsh, and it is a bird magnet. The ducks are Mottled Ducks, Anas fulvigula. They are close relatives to Mallards, but they don't migrate. they are adapted to breed in the saltmarshes. People have been feeding migratory Mallards for years, and as a result some of the Mallards don't fly North to breed. They stay here during breeding season, and have bred into the Mottled Duck line. It's hard to say just how much this has changed Mottled Duck genetics.... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2241787/posts#comment Fri, 1 May 2009 04:14:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2241407/posts See the youtube video, pretty cool http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7IZmRnAo6s The bird even head bangs !!! FoxNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2241407/posts#comment Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:22:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2222667/posts The ponds are brimming, green is showing up all over, the birds are nesting, give thanks, Spring is here! My yard crew was busy yesterday, I tested a new camera on them. I finally moved up to a DSLR, A SONY A-200. I'll just eat a lot of beans and rice this month to pay for it, LOL SELF http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2222667/posts#comment Sun, 5 Apr 2009 10:37:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2216470/posts We never saw the Sun today. I helped a friend who has a PR firm on a shoot, St.Augustine's royal family was trying on new costumes. They are on the way to Tallahassee to represent St. Augustine in a parade. I'll have pics of that when she finishes the project. The flowers are all in local yards, shot while riding down the streets. SELF http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2216470/posts#comment Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:31:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2214858/posts SYRACUSE, N.Y. - It's called a white-crested laughing thrush and it's bringing smiles to zookeepers in Syracuse. The Rosamond Gifford Zoo greeted a new bird March 7. The chick is named Zephyr. news.aol http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2214858/posts#comment Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:45:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2212203/posts New troubles for the company at the center of the nation’s salmonella scare have prompted Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. to expand its recall of wild bird food products. Scotts Co. LLC, a subsidiary of the Marysville-based lawn and garden giant, on Friday added seven products to the slate of suet wild bird food it recalled in February over concerns they might contain peanut meal bought from Lynchburg, Va.-based Peanut Corp. of America. The move comes after the beleaguered Peanut Corp. of America shut down a Texas facility over concerns of possible salmonella contamination. Peanut Corp. of America’s products, originally those from... bizjournals http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2212203/posts#comment Sun, 22 Mar 2009 20:49:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2208561/posts Spanish vultures are hungry, even starving — and the regional government in Madrid plans to do something about it. EU laws aimed at halting the spread of mad cow disease require the countryside to be kept clear of dead livestock even if they died of natural causes. But Juan Carlos Atienza of the Spanish Ornithological Organization says the lack of animal corpses since the law was introduced in Spain in 2002 has hit certain vultures very hard. Esperanza Aguirre, president of Madrid's regional government, said Monday the capital aims to ease the vultures' hunger by allowing some dead animals to... hostednews/ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2208561/posts#comment Tue, 17 Mar 2009 21:11:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2202837/posts Zippity Doo Dah Zippity Ay My oh my What a wonderful day. This flock of White Ibis will let me approach within 10 or 12 feet if I move slowly. They were resting quietly in a patch of little flowers. Scenes like this only come along occassionally. The dark birds are last years chicks. SELF http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2202837/posts#comment Mon, 9 Mar 2009 22:31:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2191182/posts A fun bird to watch. Only the White Ibis is seen around here commonly, although I've seen a couple of the related Glossy Ibis.White Ibis, Eudocimus albus SELF http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2191182/posts#comment Sun, 22 Feb 2009 05:57:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2189021/posts A bird suspected to be extinct was reportedly photographed for the first time in the Philippines, and then sold to a poultry market as food. FOX NEWS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2189021/posts#comment Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:18:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2188658/posts A rare quail from the Philippines was photographed for the first time before being sold as food at a poultry market, experts say.Found only on the island of Luzon, Worcester's buttonquail was known solely through drawings based on dated museum specimens collected several decades ago. Scientists had suspected the species—listed as "data deficient" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's 2008 Red List—was extinct.A TV crew documented the live bird in the market (above) before it was sold in January, according to the Agence France-Press news agency. nationalgeographic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2188658/posts#comment Wed, 18 Feb 2009 23:02:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2187145/posts The fish never saw it coming. Truly amazing. LiveLeak.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2187145/posts#comment Tue, 17 Feb 2009 02:00:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2186380/posts These guys spend a lot of time way out in the salt marsh, I don't get this close as often as I'd like. The heron was hunting little crabs and shrimp. The spread wings pose is typical, the shade created helps the heron see through the surface glare. It was very cloudy, sea fog starting in. I set the saturation on high, it is easier to desaturate a bit than to replace color not in the image. I'm never as pleased with the result, full sunlight can't be beat. The lake is surrounded by houses, the colors reflect on the... SELF http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2186380/posts#comment Sun, 15 Feb 2009 23:30:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2184591/posts I should wait but I ain't! The little female Boat tailed Grackles are a favorite of mine. They get tame really fast, doesn't take long until they're eating from your hand. They love Cheetos! SELF http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2184591/posts#comment Fri, 13 Feb 2009 03:36:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2181936/posts I set out to the C store, grandson in tow, to get a bag of ice. When I turned toward the hay fields near the agriculture center he never even blinked, he knows me too well to think I'll pass up a chance at a shot! What the heck, it only took a couple of minutes! SELF http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2181936/posts#comment Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:05:34 GMT