I and the Bird #45

I've been away from cyberspace lately, except for an occasional short visit, so I've missed developments at I and the Bird. The most recent edition is up at Journey through Grace, a birthday celebration for host Jayne's 45th birthday. It's another wonderful selection of the best of recent bird and birding blogging, but what's striking about it for me is how many new blogs are represented.

Mike at 10,000 Birds recently wrote a metablog post about nature and birder blogging (see also John's thoughts on the matter at A DC Birding Blog), acknowledging that we are a small niche in the great blogosphere--but the growth seems to me to be exponential.

Check out I and the Bird #45 and you'll see what I mean.

Friday Turkey

Jake in the Yard (courtesy of Bill Newman)

All aboard the Friday Ark!

Happy Birthday, PZ Myers!!

Today the great defender of evolution and lover of all things cephalopodic, Professor Myers of Pharyngula is fifty!

I came across Pharyngula early on in my forays into the blogosphere (2005), while searching for science and nature blogs, and have been a faithful reader ever since. I was dismayed to learn that the threat to science education in the United States is real, heartened to see science defended so passionately, fascinated by the beautiful images of ocotopuses and squids, and interested and entertained by the rest of the eclectic selection of science and political posts offered by the erudite and often funny PZ Myers.

So on this, his special day, at the threshold of the second half of life (one I will reach in a few short months), I salute him. And take this opportunity to recommend that the few people who might come across this small blog who have not visited Pharyngula, rush on over!!

Happy Birthday, PZ! And may there be many more.

Circus of the Spineless #17: The Symbology of Invertebrates

The circus is back in town: Circus of the Spineless #17: The Symbology of Invertebrates. Learn the meanings we've associated with spiders and snails, squids and butterflies, and the rest. Enjoy the great collection of the best of recent invertebrate blogging. Go to The Voltage Gate, now!!

Groundhog Day in Thomasburg

Had a searcher this morning looking to know how Groundhog Day in Canada worked out. The page that came up was my archive page from last February (here's a link to the relevant post). Well, that's just wrong. So I thought I'd better put up a report on the situation today. (And take the opportunity to correct an error in the earlier post--the identification of a prickly ash as a black locust...)

Were a groundhog to emerge in Thomasburg this morning it would definitely not see its shadow. Wiarton Willie, concurs.

Light snow continues.
As I wrote last year, to us the prediction of six more weeks of winter sounds more like a promise than a curse. End of winter in the middle of March? Sounds good to me. Especially this year when we had no winter until just a few short weeks ago--six more's a cakewalk. So when the groundhog predicts an early spring instead, I hardly know what to make of it.

But maybe the groundhog isn't really a good prognosticator. The Straight Dope suggests perhaps it's more often wrong than right. What?!?

My raptor problem, part 37

Part 37? This is the same problem over and over. I still have no eye for the raptors--each identification beyond the few I know in context in which I know them (Northern Harrier flying over a field, Red-tailed Hawk sitting on a post, tree, etc. over a highway in winter, American Kestrel on a wire...) is a struggle.

A neighbour sent me this photo taken in Thomasburg a week ago of what he has tentatively identified as a female Northern Harrier. The white terminal band on the tail in particular makes me think that it is probably a first-year Cooper's Hawk....but I have no confidence in this identification.

Who am I?
Can you help us?

Submitted to the Friday Ark

photo courtesy of Mike Mills

I and the Bird at A Snail's Eye View

I and the Bird #41 is up at A Snail's Eye View. Go for the introduction, a celebration of Australia's first field guide, What Bird is That? published in 1931, illustrated in glorious colour. Then stay for the graciously hosted, diverse collection of the best of recent bird and birder blogging from around the world.


I and the Bird #42 will be hosted by Neurophilsopher's Blog on February 8th.