Recent Posts

1

Birds in the News / Re: News: Seabirds

« Last post by allikat on December 10, 2018, 20:52 »

Every time I see a story about an Albatross named Wisdom, brings not only a smile, but a proud tear for this species to my face!
She is one extraordinary and amazing bird that has caught our attention, and captured our hearts.
This is one strong determined bird that beats the environmental odds!
What an inspiration she is, and will always be!
Wisdom has taught us so many things about survival!
She is spectacular!

2

The Forum / Re: Access Problems?

« Last post by Alison on December 08, 2018, 14:58 »

Another access problem: when trying to access the site recently I have had messages that there is no connection to this site. Today it appeared to work okay.

Also, I am apparently being tracked by something from this site, since I have noticed that when visiting totally unrelated sites I have been seeing many local ads, news items, and events, all in Winnipeg. My theory is that this probably originates with the embedded Twitter posts on this forum, since Twitter tracks everyone everywhere.

3

The Forum / Re: Access Problems?

« Last post by Alison on December 08, 2018, 14:51 »

This one is a bit of a puzzle because the Forum doesn't care where the photos are coming from - Flickr, PBase, Picload, etc.  Some photo sites have limited folks' with accounts ability to share their photos on other sites as happened with Photobucket over the last couple of years.  I went to check on the Turcot/River's Edge photos and they are not on the photo site anymore under the name they had when they were added to the Forum.  Can't say how that happened because it happened on the photo site, not here.

As an aside for those who don't post photos much (unlike Alison who is better at it than I am!!), if you change the location or the filename or the photo site changes the filename, the link breaks, the photo site does not update the filenames everywhere the image was posted - would be nice but they do not.

It was always the case on Photobucket that if a photo was deleted from an album, everything else moved and previously posted photos would no longer show up in posts. Many people had this happen to them. I was always aware of that, and for that reason never deleted any photos.

For the same reason, I have never deleted any of my photos from Picload, and all my photos were uploaded as "never delete".

4

The Forum / Re: Access Problems?

« Last post by Alison on December 08, 2018, 14:40 »

The Messages section no longer has an Outbox.

This one I am going to have to check on, haven't done any updates or settings changes - or at least not ones that should have involved the Outbox.  Will get back to you all on this one for sure!

Follow-up: there was an update to the software that started updating to Forums on November 19th.  I can't see anything in the update changelogs back through to 2016 that is specifically about changing the name of the outbox.  What folks should see under My Messages now is "new message", "inbox" and "sent messages".  Though I can't be sure and don't have any documentation as a paper trail, it may be that when we made the big move over to v2 of the Forum last year, the new version included the change from "outbox" to "sent messages".  I'm afraid I hadn't noticed anything but I can see my sent PMs under "sent messages" so nothing seems to be lost other than the name of the folder.

If folks are seeing something else, please let me know so that I can check into this further.

And thank you to Alison for spotting this and asking the question!

Perhaps I did not state this clearly. I used the generic term "outbox" because I no longer have any kind of listing for "sent messages" under any name. The folder and the files of which I had saved copies were all gone.

5

Birds in the News / Re: News: Peregrines

« Last post by Alison on December 08, 2018, 14:32 »

December 4, 2018

A short update on Frisco from the Midwest Peregrine Society:

Just a follow-up post of the photo by Joe Hernandez of Texas, who informed us of "Frisco" b/g K/13, 2006 fledge from Lock and Dam, at his layover in North Padre Island. Whether Frisco will stay at Padre the entire winter or travel farther south, no one really knows. We just hope he returns safely to nest in Minnesota in 2019.

This update also has a beautiful photo of Frisco, a very handsome tiercel.

https://www.facebook.com/354352871260525/photos/a.359308187431660/2359148080780984/?type=3&theater

Frisco is the father of Genie, Triumph's mate at the Multifoods site (and former mate of Younger), and also the father of Hattie, the resident female at the Mayo Clinic.

6

Birds in the News / Re: News: Seabirds

« Last post by Alison on December 08, 2018, 13:31 »

Laysan albatross Wisdom is back!

December 7 2018

Wisdom, a 68-year-old Laysan albatross, has laid another egg with her longtime lover at the Midway Atoll national wildlife refuge



Photo: USFWS - Pacific Region

In sea mariner lore, an albatross is considered a good omen, and for almost seven decades, one bird has spread generations of blessings across the Pacific Ocean.

Wisdom, a 68-year-old Laysan albatross believed to be the world’s oldest known wild bird, has returned to her home at the Midway Atoll national wildlife refuge for yet another winter – and laid yet another egg to add to the already impressive brood that she has built up over an impressive lifetime.

Biologists with the US Fish and Wildlife Service think the almost-septuagenarian has birthed and raised as many as 36 chicks over the years. Should her latest egg with her longtime lover, Akeakamai, hatch, fledge and take to the open sea, it will be her 37th.

Wisdom was first banded in 1956 by biologist Chandler Robbins, who estimated that she was about five years old at the time. The biologist and bird met again in 2002 when he went to band her and recognized that she had been one of the 8,400 birds he recorded during his first season, 46 years previously.

Albatrosses are known for their long life spans and often outlive their researchers – Robbins died in 2017 at the age 98 – but what makes Wisdom unique is that researchers have been able to monitor her habits for so long. She may or may not be the oldest wild bird, but she is the oldest known wild bird, and her habits have been lovingly documented by the fish and wildlife service over social media.



Photo: USFWS - Pacific Region

Wisdom has managed to raise a number of chicks who have gone on to raise chicks of their own, she has also faced hardship. In 2015, her egg was reported missing, which biologists say is just what happens sometimes.

But her fertile contributions to the continuation of her species make every homecoming a celebration for scientists. Last year, they observed a chick that she fledged in 2001 setting up a nest just a few feet away. It was the first time one of her chicks had been documented returning to nest.

“Midway Atoll’s habitat doesn’t just contain millions of birds, it contains countless generations and families of albatrosses,” Kelly Goodale, a fish and wildlife service refuge biologist, said in a blogpost. “If you can imagine when Wisdom returns home, she is likely surrounded by what were once her chicks and potentially their chicks.”

For the complete article:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/07/worlds-oldest-bird-lays-egg-wisdom-albatross

7

Photo Galleries / Re: Dennis @ PhotosbyDennis

« Last post by Jazzerkins on December 07, 2018, 18:41 »

I received my calendar.  As always, Dennis, the pictures are spectacular!  Thank you for the effort you put into the Peregrines year round.

8

Photo Galleries / Re: Dennis @ PhotosbyDennis

« Last post by photosbydennis on December 06, 2018, 14:38 »

Thank you all who have supported my efforts by again ordering calendars this year. You should have or will shortly receive them in the mail as there may have been some delay with the postal service.
It's always a challenge to choose only 13 photos to highlight the year...hopefully everyone enjoys 

Cheers !
Dennis

9

Birds in the News / Re: News: Peregrines

« Last post by The Peregrine Chick on December 03, 2018, 23:24 »

The who was Frisco from Minnesota and here's what I found out about him.

Here's what Jackie had to say on the Midwest Peregrine Society Facebook page:

State coordinators get phone calls at all hours of the day (and sometimes night), throughout the year. During the "off season" October-February, most of those phone calls can be dreaded, because of the probability of a bird being found injured during their migratory wanderings.

However, today one of those phone calls turned out to be a happy call. Manitoba coordinator Tracy Maconachie had received word from a photographer in Texas of a banded peregrine. When he sent the photo to Tracy, she immediately looked the band up in our data base and discovered that Frisco, 2006 hatch from Minnesota, was alive and well! This was the first time we learned of his winter wanderings, ~1400 miles from home.

This was especially good news since Frisco had been brought to The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota on two separate occasions in 2018 during the late winter, with every indication of being poisoned. A tiercel peregrine was identified on Frisco's traditional nesting territory this summer, but a full band confirmation couldn't be made, and no further sightings had been done.

While we wait for approval from the photographer in Texas to use his photo, we thought we would post some images of Frisco from his banding on May 26, 2006 as well as his defensive flying in 2009 when on territory in Minneapolis.

We want to thank all of the photographers who submit images to us. The information greatly enhances our knowledge of the birds. Keep the photos coming!

10

Birds in the News / Re: News: Peregrines

« Last post by The Peregrine Chick on December 03, 2018, 23:23 »

Had a little springtime mystery peregrine fun on the weekend.  The photographer that spotted Bridget at this time last year sent me a photo of another banded bird.  Not ours, but it is still fun tracking down who is who

The who was Frisco from Minnesota and here's what I found out about him.

• 2006 - hatched from a wild nest at the Lock & Dam nestsite in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Parents were unbanded birds so can't give you any background on them.
• 2009 - nested with Gypsy (2005 Sartell Paper Mill, MN) at the Cedar Riverside Apartment building in Minneapolis - 3 chick fledged: 2 males, 1 female.
• 2010 - returned to nest with Gypsy but at a new nestbox nearby on the Riverview Terrace Building in Minneapolis - 3 chicks fledged: 2 males, 1 female.
• 2011 - returned & after checking out the University of Minnesota campus, nested again with Gypsy at Riverview Terrace - 3 chicks fledged: 2 males, 1 female.
• 2012 - returned to nest on the Mayo Building at the University of Minnesota campus - April mate was Gypsy, but come banding time in early June had new mate Seapro (2009 Port Washington, WI) - 4 chicks:  1 male, 3 females.
• 2013 - returned to nest with Seapro at Mayo Building/University of Minnesota - 3 chicks: 1 male, 2 females.
• 2014 - returned to nest with Seapro at Mayo Building/University of Minnesota - 3 chicks: 3 females.
• 2015 - returned to nest with Seapro at Mayo Building/University of Minnesota - 4 chicks: 1 male, 3 females.
• 2016 - returned to nest with Seapro at Mayo Building/University of Minnesota - 4 chicks: 3 males, 1 female.
• 2017 - returned to nest with Seapro but at new site at Cedar Riverside Apartment building in Minneapolis - 4 chicks: 2 males, 2 females.
• 2018 - according to the notes he was recovered twice first in February, then again in March both times in a "near moribund condition", perhaps due to some kind of toxicity, he was released both times near where he'd been recovered.  He was not spotted at any of his usual haunts through the breeding season & no one reported seeing him ... until November when he was spotted twice on Padre Island by the photographer looking hale and hearty!

For those who were counting - he's twelve years old, has had two mates and produced/raised (as of 2017), 31 chicks that fledged - 14 males, 17 females.
A nice impressive record by anyone's standards!

He was one of the first birds Jackie banded and has always been a favourite of hers ... she was thrilled to hear he hadn't just survived but that he appears to be thriving down south.  Hopefully that means she will be seeing him again next spring in Minnesota.