Thank you for this topic. What a great idea. We share the world with a great many species, and simply because we have been granted the ability to be stewards of the earth, we need to care for the creatures - large and small - who share the planet with us. This is fantastic! Many thanks!

Now you are a member of the Geo family, you get a warm Hawaiian hug and leis for your new topic.

may we link this topic with springark? i love that we rehab both domestic and wild animals.

sure wolfie that;s fine with me. I do both and my house looks sometimes like a battlefield with all the little critters. You would not believe what my lion cubs did to my sofa. LOL BJ

i only rehabbed one animal--a stray who had been abused. we brought her around and she trusted us. she was such a sweetie pie. am very much interested in rehabbing dogs and birds. while visiting in-laws in conn, we made a day trip to vermont and went to their raptor rehabilitation center--i was amazed.

I'll request it in geobusiness. I have one link request pending. Woooohooo Wolfie you got a bunch of activity going now!

Hi all I can vouch for Brenda. She is also a John Denver fan and likes watching thunderstorms from her porch. I think there is a good future as veterinary medical science has come a long way. Rob

Thanks, Rob! I was going to Email you to find out if this BJ was the same Brenda who has talked with you in IM and who joined your groups in Yahoo. What a happy concidence that she is also a John Denver fan!

Marcia, Yep. One and the same. Poor Rob, he just can't seeem to get away from me. LOL I'm really enjoying Geo and hope to make many more new and wonderful friends. Yea, i'm a John Denver fan and have been since the beginning. (aging myself) Thanks again. BJ

You fit right in with us, BJ - something which is a real delight to me. You'll find this a lot like a warm family which is supportive and compassionate rather than combative. Wiggle those toes, or pop on your hiking boots and I can show you a live volcano or a dormant one with the most magical assortment of telescopes on it. You'll really love Hawaii.

Hi all We had a duckling that was abandoned by it's mother which we found on the Waimakariri river bed years ago. For reasons I cannot remember why, we called it Peep. Unfortunately Peep went missing one night after dinner and was found dead the following morning. Because we also had a dog we had to keep the two separate, which meant Mendi (our black labrador)was hopeless finding ducks or rabbits that we shot on shooting trips (Dad and Craig do duck shooting, while Dad takes me rabbit shooting. Rabbit shooting is all year round and done with a .22. Duck shooting is done with shotguns and is from early May-July). Rob

Guess who is going to be another student of the fine art of shoooting. I have an expert here to teach me and an assortment of things to shoot with. My prey? Clay targets eventually and paper ones to begin with. I suspect I will be less than expert even after much practice but there is a method in my madness. and a bit of respct from those who are mean enough to understand such things. I actually never thought I'd see the day when this might seem appealing. Killing things I cannot eat still seems wasterful so I am happy to aim at paper. If I don't lose the nerve to do it and he does not lose the nerve to teach me!

Marcia, many people think hunting is cruel but what is more cruel. Letting a population grow until it starves itself to death or dies from disease? I too, do not like to kill but I have seen what happens when animals are left to reproduce without having preditors to cull out the sick and the old. I do rehabbing, so i want to see wildlife flourish but until we can reintroduce their preditors than we will have to do the job. Brenda

You're right Brenda! And, the person offering to teach me this skill knows I will not use it on critters since wild boar and gamebirds are not my things to eat in Hawaii. Speaking of which, nothing like being in the middle of teh rural South of the US and seeing suchi bars and Chinese buffets! That is when I really look for thefast food stuff I recognize. I've eaten hominy (did not like it this time either!) and had hush-puppies (delicious!) I should have packed my handy can opener. I like unusual food but not in unusual places!

There are bears, wildcats, panthers (mountain lions)and all sorts of small game animals here. Deer and raccoon and opossum have been seen by me as well as wild turkeys and phesant. I am still looking for the elisive Bald eagle!

Well it's here....Baby time. LOL There is a few things I would like to say. If anybody comes across any baby birds or animals,please remember this. Parents of birds will come back even if you handle that babies. If you can see the nest and reach it,place the baby back in it and just watch it. If they haven't returned in about 4 hours contact your local vet for info as to where to send them to. it's against federal law for someone to raise any baby without a permit. My nursery is starting to becomw full. I just sent 15 baby possums out into the world and from the looks of it this is going to be a year for a bumper crop of babies.right now I've got 6 squirrels that came in today. someboody cut down the tree and now I've got them. They're trying to remove a family of groundhogs out from under a swimming pool tomorrow. I don't know if I'll get them or what.One year I had over 250 babies during the whole season. I've already had over 60 and w're not even into it fully yet.

i once found two baby birds who fell into a wheelbarrow after a heavy storm. they were sopping wet. hating to see them drown, i put them in a box with a towel so they could dry off. the first chance they got, they flew away (had them in a shed to protect them from neighborhood cats).

on the other hand, i found a baby robin who died within an hour (i did attempt to give it water as it was very hot that day) but then i left so mama bird could find it. kept watching from the windows but no one came. when i went out to check on it, the poor thing had given up. nowadays, i have no place for birds to nest (no trees) and my lone birdhouse remains empty. but my feeders are always busy!! thanks for the tips concerning federal law. us soft hearts are always wanting to save something but the best thing to do is to contact your local wildlife departments because they are equipped to handle the situations. sometimes we animal lovers can do more harm than good.

Mama Brenda is busy and no resting for the weary. How cute the little ones musgt be! I once returned a soggy little white-eye (bird) to the flock though not the one it originated in. HM brought home a little sodden bird in his hat and placed it on the dishwasher. I went to hang up the wet hat and heard an indignant "CHEEP!!!!" Imagine my amazement! This tiny ball of fluff was making such a loud cry that the white-eyes outside gathered at the screen porch to call back to her(?) Soon, the shock and wetness went away and this little bird was eased onto the porch. Then I closed the inside door and opened the outside door. The little one popped through the doorway and into the welcoming flock that was her new home. What a happy feeling that was!

We take in stray dogs and cats all the time here. After my old dog Molly ran away and go thit by a car, I felt it was crucial to help other dogs and cats find their owners and keep off the dangerous streets. About 5 months ago I was walking to the bus stop near my house on MacArther Blvd. MacArther Blvd is one of the most busiest streets in Orange County. All of a sudden this little Chihaua (can't spell) comes walking right up to me. I look around and see no one out of their houses except one person. I ask her but she said she didn't know who the dog belonged to. I was going to be late for school so I tried to call the dog over so I could take it back to my house. Suddenly, the dog darted out onto MacArther Blvd. I freaked out and thought about Molly's accident. I raced out into the street and scooped him up just as a huge truck roared by. That was close! I carried him back to my house and I put him outside on a leash with some water. Needless to say I was late for school, but I would rather be ate than seeing another body laying in the street again. Fortunatly, the little dog was picked up by his careless owner later that afternoon.

God durely looks after you, Julie! You have worn your guardian angel to a g\frazzle but they know you have the most tender of hearts. Please don't let us have to scoop YOU off of MacArthur Blvd. I've seen the traffic there. It never lets up!

Coming back from Tennessee on an early Sunday morning, we saw the wildlife that did not make is past Saturday night traffic. Several deer and a few smaller creatures like groundhog and opossum plus one raccoon. *sigh* It is not a happy situation but at least none were suffering and we hit nothing except for a few large juicy bugs...

Ionian birds The Ionian Islands (West Greece) are a very important flight path and stronghold for various migratory and resident birds. The very rare Elenoras Falcon Their rich vegetation and lush climate providing the ideal stop over for birds following their breeding routes from and to Africa. The dense macquis landscapes are especially favoured by the birds. http://www.earthseasky.org/birds.htm John

i love raptors! thanks john, if you visit springark, you'll find a topic for birds and one for falconry!

Well the nursery is starting to get filled. As soon as I get one group up and out here comes the next one. I just had a litter of groundhogs brought here. They are so cute. They grab their bottles and holds to them. You should see them when it's potty time..LOL Any way, new point. I just had one brought in so I'll give you a hint. I had a Blue Jay brought here that had a fight with a window.He's fine but if you find one here's somethings that might help you. First, put in a small box but make sure it's lying on it's stomache and not no it's back. If you don't turn him over HE will die. they can't breathe on their backs. Keep him warm and check on him regularly. He should be ready to take off in a few minutes. If however you should see blood coming out of his nose or mouth contact help.

thanks for the tip (kinda like gator eggs)...is this true for most wild birds? (parrots can sleep on their backs and breathe just fine).

yes but only if they are stunned. For some reason they can't get it to regulate for the first little bit after it happens but as they start to come around it becomes easier for them.

what an interesting fact!

BJ is a veritable ARK in her own home. Lovely image, John! I too love raptors. I see many more of them here than on Hawaii, but the one there is native and only seen in Hawaii. Anyone for an IO? Found only on the Big Island of Hawaii below 8,500 feet, the endangered `io, or Hawaiian Hawk, glides over the forest canopy preying on small birds, rodents, and insects. It is a symbol of royalty in Hawaiian legend.

Tbhe above is from http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/io.html

what a pretty raptor--is he really that yellow? as far as falcons go, kestrels are some pretty birds--they have lovely markings and are about the size of a dove.

No, not yellow at all and I thought the Bishop Museum would have a better picture. I'll find another to post. It is white where the photo looks yellow.

I really like falcons. BJ, do you ever get any falcons?

or any raptors for that matter? i am very much interested in falconry (which has its own topic)

I've work with a few hawk's. Mostly Red Tail's. I've alo had the joy of working with and releasing a female Golden Eagle. She was beautiful and watching her soar into the sky is a sight I will never forget. This morning as I was sitting on my front porcg watching the squirrels eating the peanuts we put in the trees, this Great Horned Owl dove from out of the tree next to the wall and grab a rat from under the tree and flew back up into the tree. These guys are amazing. You can hear them fly because their feathers are hollow and they make no sound when they fly. Brenda

I should say you can't hear them flying. LOL Brenda

no no, i understand, the swooping of the wings, and yet they are silent. don't know they're there until they're on top of you! in my old neighborhood, a hawk would spend some time hunting prey--the birds would send up quite a chatter and this bird just sat in the live oak waiting and watching. i used to see them outside my office window too. the blue jays would have a fit!

oh, they were red-tails too, my fave hawks. am not familiar with the raptors here in so cal, aside from kestrels, i've seen a few falcons but am not familiar enough to make a positive id.

You can't hear an owl when it's in flight. Their feathers are hollow so there is no sound until they are catching their prey. They desend so quickly and silently that they can not be heard. Unless you happen to be around and watching you will never know they have even been there. Brenda

i've only seen one wild owl in flight and that was waaaaaay cool!! we used to go out in the back country owl spotting. they're really spooky!

Rare vultures tagged and released by into the wild By Soteris Charalambous ON TUESDAY, a very rare Black vulture and two Griffon vultures were released by the Forestry Department after being captured, tagged, and fitted with transmitters, as part of the department's fauna conservation programme. According to Haris Nicolaou, Assistant Forest Officer at the Forestry Department, the presence of the Black vulture represents quite a fillip for Cyprus. "For the Black vulture to come to Cyprus and remain here for so long suggests the programme is going well. If we are lucky, others will come next winter with the possibility that they will start breeding," said Nicolaou. The bird is one of the largest birds of prey, weighing up to 13kg with a wingspan of three metres but has been virtually extinct in Cyprus for approximately 20 years. The last of them are believed to have been shot for target practice by Turkish soldiers camped in the Pentadactylos Mountain range years ago. This Black vulture is approximately two to three years old and arrived in December. It is believed to have flown from Turkey, Georgia or Ukraine, attempting to avoid the heavy winter conditions, and trapped at a cage in Ayios Ioannis in the Paphos District, tagged, and measured and then fitted with a transmitter to enable its movements and habits to be studied. Such practice mirrors a host of other European countries where the bird's numbers have dropped to virtual extinction. The fact that it arrived late last year having not been previously tagged is also a 'feather in the cap' for the island. "The black vulture is unique in Cyprus. It existed in large numbers during the 80s but became virtually extinct because of poisoning, illegal hunting and destruction of nesting sites," said Nicolaou. The forestry officer was also keen to emphasise the importance of the survival of the species. Often depicted as the harbingers of doom that swirl around helpless victims in Westerns, their true role is that of 'nature's noble caretakers' according to environmentalists. "They are very important creatures because they clean the eco-system. They are exclusively carrion feeders and they prevent the spreading of diseases because they only feed on carcasses and thus clean the eco-system. They have to be protected and helped to recover to its former numbers," said Nicolaou. In addition to the Black, two Griffon vultures were also released after being captured as part of a project launched 12 years ago by the Forestry department for the conservation of Griffon vultures. "We released them in accordance with an action plan launched by the UN two years ago which we co-operate with to help Griffon numbers recover," said Nicolaou, "They used to be very common 20 years ago but present numbers are down to 30-40 birds. During the 80s, there were more than 20 nesting sites, now there is only one. We are trying to encourage the birds to breed further inland at other fauna mating sites because they are very vulnerable. One poisoning could wipe out these birds forever." All three birds arrived on the island in good condition, but others that do not are kept and looked after until they are ready to survive in the wild again. It has been difficult to gauge quite how many vultures have been lost over the years because, "there wasn't anybody studying them 20 years ago but we know for sure from records of ornithologists in other countries and visitors here that they were in good numbers in Cyprus." http://www.goGreece.com/news/headlines/story.html?id=8660

Fantastic! I am still on the hunt for my first eagle. They are hiding in plain sight in the area south of us. I just need to SEE them!

don't look too hard and then you will!

Are these golden eagles or bald eagles? Or both?

You can tell fall is here and winter can not be far away. Our colony of vultures have moved from behind my house to ths cliffs. I will miss seeing them come in at night and soaring until they land in thye trees. this year we hit a record of 87. It is so wierd to see these birds flocked around my kennel at night. It's even more cool to see and hear them take off in the morning. They will return after the last frost. You should see the pics I have of them in the trees. BJ

Fall definitely rolled in here today, Brrrr. Yesterday was warmand sunny. There is a pack of dogs? hyennas? ??? down by the creek last night.

Depending where you're at, I would venture a guess and say a pack of coyotos BJ

Brenda, your picture of Nanook is ready to post. Met up with a huge flock of birds last month. I had forgotten how migrating birds do that. Like something out of Alfred Hitchcock. It is winter everywhere now. Cold and wet most places I know of. Where is more snow?!

Marcia Do you still have it or do i need to resend it to you. Also, i have some of the babies i raised this summer. Brenda

I emailed you how to find it on the internet so you can post it. Or did you wish for me to send you the command string so you can. I have the photo both on Spring's Hard drive (here at Geo) and on my computer. I'll email you the command. Be sure to center it so it looks good!

Marcia, I just e-mailed you back. Love, i am one of the few who has no idea what on earth you are talking about. Ask Rob....LOL He gave up on my ages ago. Brenda

*Grin* remember I knew nothing when this whole conference was plopped into my lap and I had to populate it with topics and images. We all have to learn.Will email you right away.*HUGS*

ok!!!!!! how do i get it from point A to point B....I'm going crazy. if i click here it goes there and then i can't find where i put the first thing. AGGGGGGGGG.Computers and me just don't like each other. i do better with a cage of lion cubs then I do with this little monster. It's possessed and i know it knows more then me. Brenda

If you highlight from right to left it won't boot the url.

Hi all, I know this isn't where this should go but since i'm not to sure where to put it, this is for all of you out there with kids. you grown-up ones might like this as well. It's my Christmas gift to you all. God bless you all for helping me through a very rough and hard year. Love you guys, Brenda http://www.noradsanta.org

I was going to post that, too My Dear you are brilliant. I had forgotten. Yes, NASA and NORAD will be tracking Santa Claus as he makes his magical trip around the world. It makes me smile to think of it.

hi all, well snow and ice have hit here, bringing with it lows of around 1 degrees. All critters are bedded down with the exceeption of some very stubborn ducks who prefer to be in the lake then on the island. Hence, early morning rescues of chopping them out of the ice and thawing them out. it's the only time you can get near them...lol someday, i hope they learn. Brenda

OH my!!! Brenda! *HUGS* They are lucky to have your tender care as we are to have you post. Keep warm!

hi all, Hope all is well. babies here are doing fine. it's snowing again as it has for almost every weekend sincethe first of January. Last weekend we got 6 inches and more due on Sunday. We're having to rescue and bring in several birds what with the below feezing temps we've been having. not to mention the -35 wind chills we've been having. we bring them in,thaw them out and then let them go. I'm running out of bird food...LOL most of the time we go through 50 pounds every 2 weeks but with this last cold spell we're using around a 100 pounds a week. you would not think such little things could each so much. the deer are up to over 200 pounds of feed a week. altho i have a feeling they are getting some help from the local wildlife.LOL i think i'm going to write a book and call it Mrs. Dolittle..LOL Nobody would believe half of what goes on when you get started with these guys. Brenda

Phyl and Steve put up a birdhouse out in the middle of the field by our home. The idea is to attarct birds that keep the grasshopper population down in he summer. I'll keep you posted on wether it works or not (as in, if the birds show up and then eat the grasshopppers).

Please read this article. http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=26562§ion=NEWS&subsection=FOCUS&year=2003&month=2&day=21 I can't believe someone would do such a horrible thing like that. There was only 80 birds left in the wild of CA and AZ. Now there is only 79 left. I hope they catch who ever it is that did this cruel deed. And I hope they get more than having to pay a $100,000 fine and a year in jail. This is awful! I hate to think that this poor bird will go extint during my lifetime. Its such a magnificint bird. I put a few websites down below so you can learn a bit about these amazing birds and their struggle to survive. http://www.lazoo.org/cstats.htm http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/condors.html

This sounds like the demise of the Dodo. Only a few were left, and rather than try to breed them, they were killed so the selfish men could have specimens for their collections!!! Mankind never ceases to amaze me with its greed. I am happy that not all fall into this category. Thanks for posting it, Julie! Are you also feeding squirrels, Brenda? They can outeat the birds rather impressively.

Mount St. Helens Update | September 29, 2004 5:30 P.M., PDT | | | | | | Increased seismicity overnight prompted raising the alert level to | | Volcano Advisory (Alert Level 2) at 10:40 A.M., PDT, this morning. | | Throughout the day the seismic energy level has remained at an | | elevated with a rate of 3-4 events per minute including an increase in | | the number of events between Magnitude 2 and 3. All earthquake | | locations are still shallow and in or below the lava dome. In | | addition, initial data from the GPS instrument on the lava dome that | | was repaired Monday morning suggest that the site moved a few inches | | northward Monday and Tuesday, but has since been stable. Such movement | | is not surprising in light of the high seismicity levels. A USGS field | | crew continued their deployment of GPS equipment today in order to | | monitor any ground movement on the lava dome, crater floor, or lower | | slopes of the volcano. Another gas flight this morning produced a | | result of no significant volcanic gas detected, as was the case on | | Monday. Two press conferences were held at CVO to update the media. | | Tomorrow's field work includes continued GPS deployments. | | | | | | The current hazard outlook is unchanged from that outlined in this | | morning's Volcano Advisory. Updated wind forecasts from the National | | Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration coupled with an eruption | | model indicate that the wind direction will shift from northwesterly | | to northeasterly tonight. Therefore any ash clouds produced tonight | | will drift southwestward. | | | | | | Confusion at this morning's press briefing at CVO regarding Alert | | Levels resulted in numerous calls to emergency management agencies | | from the public about which is the correct level. We are at Alert | | Level Two?Volcano Advisory. Explanation of the alert-level scheme can | | be found on the "News and Current Events" web site below. | | | | | | For past updates and notices see past updates at: | | http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Cascades/CurrentActivity/framework | | .html | | | | | | A few photographs of recent fieldwork and of the volcano can be | | obtained from: | | http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/News/framework.html | | | | | | Daily updates of earthquake data and other information can be found on | | the WORLD WIDE WEB at URL: | | | | | | http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/MSH/CurrentActivity | | (CVO Menu - Monthly Summaries and Updates) | | | | | | and | | | | | | http://www.pnsn.org/HELENS/welcome.html | | (University of Washington - Earthquake Update) | | | | | | Our "News and Current Events" webpage now contains "Quick Links" to | | the current update, current photos, and the University of Washington | | Mount St. Helens seismic page, plus other useful "Background" webpages | | on Mount St. Helens, including an explanation of the Cascade Range | | alert-level scheme. | | http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/News/ | |

Currently the MSH state is in low level steam eruptions according to the evening news. I will be checking this often!

oops this should be on another topic...

is this topic still linked to springark?

not sure. Where is Springbok???

springbok? marcia, dear, springARK *giggle* oh, it's soooo good to see you here!!!

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooh I misssd that completely. I guess I was distracted by the resident archaeology who is currently editing two journals and readying them for the publishers. I get to read the articles first. How good is that?!

I miss you, Wolfie! (I finally have a laptop fast enough to keep up with my needs. Thia is very good and means I will not go missing again.)