Welcome back.....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4493825.stm

 

Defintely very exciting. They said on the radio this morning that they think there is a small breeding population.

 

Cooooool! the phoe..erm..wood pecker rises from the ashes

 

"It's like a funeral shroud has been pulled back, giving us a glimpse of a living bird, rising Lazarus-like from the grave."

I wish birds made me poetic. I read a similar article in mylocal paper, because the original researcher was local.

Cornell team find its 'Holy Grail' - Melanie Driscoll wedged the legs of her folding chair onto roots and cypress knees so that she wouldn't sink into the Arkansas swamp and tried not to let the cottonmouth snakes swimming near her feet divert her from scanning the sky. . .

I'm glad their are scientists that dedicade to preservation od species, but birds don't make me all excited... Maybe I'm jaded...

 

Arkansas swamp with cottonmouths (poisonous snakes) swimming around... I don't think I'll grab my binoculars and run over there.

 

That was just an unfortunate occurance of genetic mutation in the breeding pool, if it ever happens again, villagers with pitchforks will be waiting to take the F-ers down... I have a religious aversion ot Osmonds....

 

Eric was really excited. This has been quite a birding week for him. While we were in Bushnell, he came across a baby Great Horned Owl up in a tree. The little guy was just up there looking down at him. We all went up there and gawked at him (and he gawked back). It was quite cool. Besides that, we have a nesting Bewick's wren in our shed! As far as I understand, they are a western bird that occasionally will nest here in IL, though they are fairly rare, and it's been a bit of a big deal in Eric's birding circle. There are a few people interested in coming out to get a look at the nest (if we're able to make it back out there before the babies fledge).

 

That's the best news I've heard in a while. About time we got some good news for once.

The bad news is that numerous species are being made extict on a weekly basis.



The Osmonds' are just plain scary, i.m.o.

 

Yeah, but THAT population was'nt small enough.

 

lol - my first thought was that Eric would do a couple cartwheels, and then drive down there to try and see it. 'dem birders is a dedicated flock.