Assorted Photos

Bald eagles in Assateague Channel

Occupied!

Black lion

Panda dolphins

Sea otter with meal

Nearby in Colorado (Photos)

Bald eagles in Boulder County

View of the Indian Peaks in autumn

Settlers' Park in Boulder

Snow is still on the mountain tops in Summit County

Great blue heron successfully fishing at Wonderland Lake

My Super Bowl Ad Critique

It's 23 degrees and sunny here - but it's 13 degrees in Denver.  The sun and natural evaporation caused the snow to "shrink", or compact, to only about a 10-inch deep cover in the back yard.  Nedi is out bounding through it, and coming back in to shake the excess snow off his legs and belly.  Lovey is sitting in the cat tree and observing the birds and squirrels outside.  We are expecting more snow beginning this afternoon or evening - with snow flurries continuing through noon tomorrow.  We might get another 2 to 3 inches of accumulation.  As soon as I get this posted, I'll be heading out to walk Remy and Rosie; I'll be wearing my snow boots and my Yak Trax.
  I was happy to see the Giants win the Super Bowl, even though it was difficult to root against Brandon Spikes and Aaron Hernandez.  I have to say that the half-time show did not hold my attention - I checked my e-mail and visited the necessary room.  Because of that, I got a few glimpses of Madonna, but I totally missed M.I.A.'s "up yours" gesture - and I'm fine with that.  I have to admit that the ads this year were a great disappointment.  I liked the 2-minute Chrysler ad with Clint Eastwood; I liked the music of the H & M ad for David Beckham's underwear; I had to laugh at the Tax Act ad about the little boy having to relieve himself.  The Coca Cola polar bear ads were charming.  I guess my favorite ad would be the Bud Light ad about the rescue dog named We-Go.  The Pepsi ad with Elton John (who was the only person I recognized) left my mouth hanging open.  Maybe if I had ever seen the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", the Honda CRV ad with Matthew Broderick might have struck a chord - but it was fairly boring to me.  Having seen the VW ads well before the program itself, they were disappointing.  I have to admit I enjoyed the Doritos ad with the dog who buried the cat and then paid off the male owner with Doritos, after showing him a note that read, "You didn't see Nuthing."  I figured out what would happen with the Doritos Slingshot baby as soon as I saw the springs....
  Maybe now that the football season is over, I'll get back to my critter tales...   I will leave you with the URL to a fantastic web site: http://www.wvec.com/eaglecam   If you enjoy nature and birds, this is a superior site that originates from the Norfolk (Virginia) Botanical Garden.  On the left side of your monitor is a live feed from cameras looking at an American Bald Eagle nest; on the right is a moderated chat room that can, and will, describe anything and everything about eagles, their prey, and their life cycle.  It's a great way to enjoy a day!

More Snow?

We actually reached 34 degrees yesterday, and Nedi spent the afternoon running like a maniac from inside the apartment out to the fence, through the snow, and back.  I slept in this morning, having read until 2 a.m.  I awoke at 8:30 to find 4 new inches of snow on the ground, and it's still falling.  The snow is supposed to stop around 6 tonight, and then start back up Sunday evening and snow through Monday.  But the temperature is forecast to be almost 40 on Tuesday - The owners of Rosie and Remy and I have already had a talk, and agree that I'll walk the kids again late Tuesday morning, after I see my psychiatrist.    Other than taking out the trash and the dirty kitty litter each morning, I've stayed inside since the snow began.  But I'll have to go to the grocery store today or tomorrow to get kitty crunchies and some more Coca-Cola.
In the news:  The female eagle NX, who lost her mother to a plane, and was then raised at the Wildlife Center of Virginia near Waynesboro, has been found  injured.  NX was spotted in the middle of the road near Ophelia, at 10:45 p.m. Thursday night.  Her siblings were released in July, while she went out on her own in August.  She has been taken to a wildlife rehabilitator in the Northern Neck of Virginia, with a reported "wing droop and blood in her mouth."  ..... And I'm happy to report that the three college students who beat a raccoon to death with a baseball bat, hockey stick and machete were all charged with aggravated animal cruelty.  They will face trial on January 19, and I hope they are severely punished.

Mourning an American Icon

I have been watching, along with thousands of people around the world, the two American bald eagles at the Norfolk Botanical Garden on the "eagle-cam." We have watched the mother sit on three eggs, seen the eggs hatch, and watched the babies being fed, and then feeding themselves. Tuesday, the eaglets lost their Mom. "The plane strike happened sometime between 8:30 and 8:50 a.m. A US Airways regional jet coming from Philadelphia was preparing to land at 8:50 when the pilot reported the bird strike.
Shank (Who is Shank? Is it the pilot, or a spokesman for the Norfolk airport?) says the eagle was reportedly feeding at Lake Whitehurst with another eagle when the strike was reported. The plane landed safely and no one was hurt, said Shank. He added that there was minor damage to the aircraft. Shank told WVEC.com that this is the second eagle strike in several weeks and fourth in 10 years; the others occurring in 2005 and 2002. Shank said the airport is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife office to see if anything can be done to protect airline passengers and wildlife.
The mother's remains are still at Norfolk Airport in a refrigerator until the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials decide what to do with them. He notes that the Norfolk Botanical Garden would like to have it mounted for display and that process has been started.

Wildlife Center Of Virginia Eaglet Care Plan:

The three eaglets will be placed in an artificial nest that has been constructed in the Center’s 200-foot eagle flight cage. Other adult Bald Eagle patients may also be in this enclosure. While the chicks will be separated by a physical barrier from direct contact with other eagles, the eaglets will be able to see other eagles flying and feeding. As they begin to fledge, the barrier will be removed and the young eagles will have full access to the long enclosure, to build their wing strength and to learn to fly. The goal would be to get the young eagles ready for release back into the wild in late summer."

While the father eagle fed the eaglets late Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning, it was decided that he would be unable to meet the feeding needs of the three eaglets, whose appetites will increase exponentially within the next few weeks. It was decided by wildlife experts that it was best to move the hatchlings to the Wildlife Center in Waynesboro. - Goodbye, Mama. We're doing our best to save your babies.