Spring has Sprung

Check out this youtube video my sort-of son-in-law's father sent me.  The bird is a hummingbird again, but really worth the video.  I've been springing around everywhere trying to get myself organized, but alas, I always seem to need more time, and we all know how limited time is - it waits for no one.  CSTs this week.  I hope our students take it seriously and try their best. 

" http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/xHkq1edcbk4?rel=0"

Falcons

I saw this on the news last night.  Go to See It On Tv - ABC Channel 7

Nest Cam - San Francisco

This view of Peregrine Falcons is possible because biologists at UC Santa Cruz and Cornell University collaborated in the mid-1970s to restore a nearly extinct Peregrine Falcon population. At the time, two pairs were known in California—none could be found nesting east of the Mississippi River.
Widespread use of the persistent pesticide, DDT, contaminated the environment worldwide resulting in eggshell thinning that decimated the Peregrine population. DDT was banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1972. For the next three decades, the U. C. Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group bred falcons in large aviaries, hatched thin-shelled eggs, climbed to the Cliffside nests of these birds, and restored the California population to an estimated 250 pairs—up from just 2 pairs.
We celebrate this extraordinary success story with the falcon nest camera view of wild nature as it unfolds above city streets. We share the story with school students by presenting school assemblies and with the community by engaging the participation of a large network of UC Santa Cruz students and community volunteers who assist with our ongoing baseline research on this species.
To learn more and be a part of an ongoing discussion about these birds, join the Yahoo! Group at: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/SF_PGE_Falcons/.

Falcon nest cameras and discussion groups are a compelling gateway activity where people can gain an appreciation of nature. Together, the nest cameras and discussion groups provide entertainment, wonder, and learning, about nature through an intimate look at iconic birds. They also put wildlife in the headlines stimulating interest community-wide. The discussion group is moderated by a university professor who is also an experienced field biologist specializing in birds of prey. Many teachers use the cameras and discussion groups as teaching tools.

It's been a week already?

I'm still playing catsup, so this will be a bird from the past.  I went for a tiny hike with our classroom students on a field trip, but forgot to take my camera.  We really didn't see any birds although the scouts had built houses for bluebirds.  I think we were just way too noisy.   We did see ground squirrels and jack rabbits and the leftovers from cows and horses. This swam was staying at a fancy hotel on Aruba.  The service rivaled ours on the ship.  I think she was taking the yoga class offered on our days at sea. 

Black Swans are primarily black-feathered birds, with white flight feathers. The bill is bright red, with a pale bar and tip; and legs and feet are greyish-black. Cobs (males) are slightly larger than pens (females), with a longer and straighter bill. Cygnets (immature birds) are a greyish-brown with pale-edged feathers.^[2]
A mature Black Swan measures between 110 and 142 centimetres (43 and 56 in) in length and weighs 3.7–9 kilograms (8.2–20 lb). Its wing span is between 1.6 and 2 metres (5.2 and 6.6 ft).^[2][3] The neck is long (relatively the longest neck among the swans) and curved in an "S"-shape.
The Black Swan utters a musical and far reaching bugle-like sound, called either on the water or in flight, as well as a range of softer crooning notes. It can also whistle, especially when disturbed while breeding and nesting.^[2][4]
When swimming, Black Swans hold their necks arched or erect, and often carry their feathers or wings raised in an aggressive display. In flight, a wedge of Black Swans will form as a line or a V, with the individual birds flying strongly with undulating long necks, making whistling sounds with their wings and baying, bugling or trumpeting calls.^[2]

Checking out the birds in the Caribbean

These little fellows I will call the buffet penguins.  Their origins are from an eggplant and avocado.  They live on cruise ships --  ok, ok --just having a little fun.  I just returned from a cruise in the Caribbean where I practiced doing nothing.  It was hard work, but I give myself an A- because the first week I was still talking work when someone would ask me about my profession.  After that, there was some serious deck lounging and paperback reading going on.  When off on an excursion snorkeling, I worked on sunning and learning how to get tipsy on rum punch and margaritas.  I think my travel mates were proud of the good job I did at all these skills and someday invite me back for a repeat performance.

This hummingbird was taken while we toured Diamond Botanical Gardens on the island of St. Lucia.  I believe it is the purple-throated carib.
Hummingbird Metabolism and Survival & Flight Adaption - Interesting Information
With the exception of insects, hummingbirds have the highest  metabolism rate of any animal on earth (high breathing rate, high heart rate, high body temperature).
Because of their "extreme" metabolism, the active hummingbirds require frequent feedings throughout the day - every ten to fifteen minutes and potentially visiting 1,000 flowers a day, lapping up nectar at the rate of 13 licks per second. They have to eat up to half of its body mass and drink roughly eight times its body mass each day. In preparation for an impending migration, hummingbirds may consume 3 up to 10 times their body weight in food - about 14,000 calories per kilogram - per day. (Humans consume, on average, 26 calories per kilogram per day). Before migration, hummingbirds will almost double their weight as they store up fat to serve as fuel and hence increasing their potential flying time.
The hummingbird has the largest heart in proportion to its body- and has the highest heartbeat rate. Their hearts pump about 1,200 times per minute in flight and 200 beats per minute at rest– making it the fastest beating heart of all animals - except for the pygmy shrew with a recorded heartbeat of up to 1511 times per minute. (A shrew is a small animal that resembles a mouse – it occurs in Asia.) Their wings beat seventy times each second; and their hovering flight used by them to gather nectar requires staggering amounts of energy. Their daytime body temperature ranges from 105° to 108°F (40.5° to 42.2°C).