Ealges Hunting Dogs?

Heard about this article from a co-worker, Cybil. It is of little value. But, the part about the Bald Eagle hunting dogs and then the residents outrage of it "snatching...baby swans" is interesting. I find the part about the dog hunting unlikely. Though the story reeks of urban legend, there could arise a situation where an eagle and a dog could have slugged it out.
But of all this, the best part is that Cybil, who lives in Annapolis, near Quiet Waters Park, said that her neighbors are now attributing vanishing cats to these Bald Eagles. Based on this article, no less.

Neighbors heard the barking but thought little of it. When Trubee got home, the racket was still going on. He went out back to find his dachshund Dicky in a rage, barking into the woods, and Moby, his Jack Russell, cowering on the ground, bleeding.

When Trubee probed the tree line to investigate, out hopped a young eagle that took flight for safety. The Jack Russell had more than 20 puncture wounds from repeated eagle attacks, Trubee said, and appears to owe its life to the brave dachshund that fought off the intruder.
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The eaglets weren't done marauding. A few weeks later, I'm told, folks down on the Heron Pond watched in horror as they snatched up a whole family of baby swans.

NRA Lobbyist Speaks Up On FL State Bird

I love when people humanize the behavior of a non-human to rediculous levels.


NRA lobbyist shoots down rival birds

Whenever someone suggests changing the Florida state bird, the National Rifle Association takes aim at the new critter. Well, not really the NRA, but Marion Hammer, the group’s chief state lobbyist and a definite capital powerhouse.

This time the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission asked schoolchildren to pick a new bird. More than 20,000 voted for the osprey, a raptor also known as the fish hawk.

That didn’t impress Hammer, who loves mockingbirds. And the fact that they are willing to fight larger birds that threaten their nests. “They are very protective of their family and of their territory,” she said. Hammer notes that in this dispute, she is talking for herself, not the NRA, even if she does use NRA-sounding arguments.

In 1999, more than 10,000 schoolchildren signed a petition to change the state bird to the Florida scrub jay. Supporters boasted about how it will eat peanuts right out of a person’s hand.

Hammer was unmoved. “Begging for food isn’t sweet,” she testified in a committee hearing. “It’s lazy, and it’s a welfare mentality.” Scrub jays had lots of other bad habits that disqualified them to represent Florida, she contended. “They eat the eggs of other birds,” she told lawmakers. “That’s robbery and murder.”
Posted by John Chamless at 04:54:52 PM on September 8, 2009
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Is Sibley Wrong?

The Sibley Guide To Birds Has Clearly Misidentified The Dark-Eyed Junco
From The Onion

I don't understand it. How could it have happened a third time? They've had two opportunities to correct it. But there it is, once again. The Sibley Guide To Birds, third printing, page 488: "The dark-eyed junco, a familiar visitor to wintertime bird feeders throughout much of North America, is a species of the junco genus of American finches."

Birds of Britian

found by Brent Burt

Warblers at work

The weather today is chaotic. Thunder storms and showers with sporatic moments of sunshine.
At the same time, the birds outside of the office, in woods that surround, were full of song. I couldn't help but take a peak with the binocs. So I found Common Yellowthroat, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, American Redstart, lots of Grey Catbirds. Also heard Red-eyed Vireo and Ovenbird.

A New Way to Communicate

Of coarse I've known about Twitter for over a year now. Only recently does it seem to have matured in the sense that its moving beyond the Tech community into mainstream. After all, Oprah is using it.
I've been thinking that it would make a great replacement for the old Listserve of bird sightings. Today, I was playing with it on my iPhone. (I apoligive if this is sounds i-snob, but things work so well on my iphone.) So you make a sighting, post a tweet with a picture and location and BAM! Those that follow you or are part of the community can get it. Now pair that with the Bird guide app and you got something.
Twitter is been a great way to find the local parties for a while. Maybe we can find a use for the older crowd.

Birding while Perking

For those that don't know, my day job is with the AA County Health Department. This time of year we do most of the perk tests for septic systems. Aside of the normal oppurtunity to get out on a nice spring day (actually it is just as likely to be cold and a downpour of rain), there is the chance to catch a little birding when one waits for a long perk test.

4/24 Outside of the Jugbay area, Lothian
Coopers Hawk
Chipping Sparrow
Common Yellowthroat

4/27 Fairview on the water
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Towhee
Osprey
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Cardinal
Northern Mockingbird
Blue Jay
Great Blue Heron
Spotted Sandpiper
Northern Rough-winged Swallow


4/28 Brooks Woods Rd, Lothian, Farm
Song Sparrow
Mourning Dove
Chipping Sparrow
American Goldfinch
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
American Robin