In Kazakhstan, when nature photographer Oleg Belyalov finally decided that we were serious naturalists, he wanted to make sure we saw the best birds. We had been out for a long day, so he took us to one of the clear little trout streams that flow through Almaty, where, in a bush on the bank, …
New Bird
We are getting a young Gyr/Anatum/Barbary from Bill Meeker this week. He is about the size of a pigeon, and just fledged….
Fall Fishing
Fall on the Margaree, October 13, 2021 Source Fall Run Margaree Salmon The weather here the last 2 weeks was perfect but not so great for salmon fishing. The water was low most places. I took my friend down to an unfished pool on a local river that runs though my land. No water, no …
Gallagher responds to Ivory Bill status
Gallagher responds to Ivory Bill status The government’s pending plan to declare the bird extinct comes too soon and ignores recent compelling evidence, writes Tim Gallagher, a bird expert who believes he saw an Ivory-bill in 2004. Still on the woodpecker theme, this priceless pic of a pileated woodpecker being a PITA is too good …
Malaria Vaccine
Malaria Vaccine I remember Steve saying how unpleasant it was when he had malaria.
Jaguar attacks on dogs.
Source I haven’t heard of this with jaguars before, that I remember, but it is a logical response of big cats to possible prey. Tigers and leopards are well known practioners. My concern is it might be used to thwart jaguar conservation in the U.S.
SIDNEY LONG: Spirit of the Plains (1897).
A very evocative image of cranes. I see it pop up, sometimes. My guess is that there are some crane lovers here. That, and the loaded comic subtext, is too good to pass up.
Thagomizer
Just passing by. Doedicurus clavicaudatus was a giant armadillo from central South America, with fossils being found in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. They reached an average weight of 1,400 kg, had spiked tail clubs and may have remained around until as recently as 7,000 years ago, meaning it certainly coexisted with both humans and other …
Running the Gantlet
An example of one of Valerius Geist’s predator pits that he theorized were common in the North American Pleistocene? An update. Many folks imagine Pleistocene-environments to resemble the modern day Serengeti, but this was not always the case. During cold dry climatic phases large areas may have hosted scarce wildlife populations restricted to shrinking water …
Damascus Pattern
Source One of the best Damascus Patterns on a double’s barrels I have seen.