Before I’m willing to turn on the big stockwater tank and its heater for the wintertime, for some reason I procrastinate until my little tank is empty and the waterhose that feeds it is completely frozen. That happened today. Usually the hose freezes overnight, but thaws during the day so I can refill the tank …
Month: November 2008
Web Miscellany
The US faces an invasion from another alien species, the Madagascar hissing cockroach. In Rome, the city government is attempting to deal with a starling investation with a team of starling stalkers. Apparently with mixed results. I believe I know some falconers who’d be willing to take on the job for the $187,000 the city …
Cat’s Yellowstone Wolves, and others
Our own Cat Urbigkit has just published a book on the Yellowstone wolves and their reintroduction (so to speak as you will see.) She brings a unique perspective as she is both a sheepherder and a naturalist- observer, one who can appreciate big carnivores but doesn’t want them killing her sheep or her livelihood. Her …
Poem
THE HEAVEN OF ANIMALS Here they are. The soft eyes open.If they have lived in a woodIt is a wood.If they have lived on plainsIt is grass rollingUnder their feet forever. Having no souls, they have come,Anyway, beyond their knowing.Their instincts wholly bloomAnd they rise.The soft eyes open. To match them, the landscape flowers,outdoing, desperatelyOutdoing …
Altai Falcons
… are what the the old falconers called the Gyr- Saker crosses of the high deserts and lost mountains of Central Asia. Another common name, probably Turkic, is “Shunkar”. From her (enormous) size and color this female in the breeding center outside of Almaty has Gyr genes, but her head shape and long tail, like …
New Bird
Another male Gyr X Saker, but this one rather than a stout Gyr resembles a long, lean, long- tailed Saker. He weighs virtually the same. He is looking a bit nervous and indeed is wild for an imprint, but I suspect he’ll come around shortly. Update: Our friend Patrick “Terrierman” Burns asked some good questions …
Provocative Quote of the day
“The human race is the new Chicxulub meteor.” (Janeen of Smartdogs in comments at Atomic Nerds.)
Links
The mammoth genome has been sequenced from hair (I have some!) Real Pleistocene Park stuff. Actually you should scroll down Paleoblog for all manner of good things, from a Mongolian fiesta at Bozeman to new finds at the Deinocheirus site in Mongolia to the evolution–!– of minerals. At least some frogs are able to learn …
News and…
Been busy but not blogging. Some good news: the eagle book that occupied me (and drove me crazy) last year looks to have a new publisher. And another publisher in the same state is interested in doing a new edition of rage for falcons. I’ll keep you posted. And I have a new Gyr- Saker …
Checking Out the Neighborhood
This fellow decided to amble through the neighborhood at about 9:30 this morning, taking his time and checking out the happenings. He is the boss buck around here, and I’ve been trying to get a clear picture of him for some time. He has evidently already located the “invisible fence” line we have up for …