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Chat - Wednesday, July 29, 2009; Spooky Wednesday
Topic Started: Jul 29 2009, 02:34 AM (1,795 Views)
Artsy Mom
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Glad you enjoyed the pelicans Vickie and Kathie. Here is one all you California dwellers will really appreciate. :D

Dedicated guardians care for Piping Plovers :**: :><: :><: :**:

Posted Image

Piping plovers in their natural habitat at Grand Beach. Volunteers will use the ID bands on their legs to keep track of them during next spring's migration.

By: Arielle Godbout for the Winnipeg Free Press 29/07/2009 1:00 AM

GRAND BEACH -- Each summer, Matt Tebbutt drives nine hours from his home in Minnesota to Manitoba, where he spends all of June and July at his cabin in Grand Marais.

Tebbutt, whose father was originally from Winnipeg, said he'd limit his visit to a couple weeks if it weren't for the piping plovers -- small, white birds that could fit in the palm of his hand.

Tebbutt is one of about 60 volunteer guardians who watch over the endangered birds as they nest in the white sand of Grand Beach and this year -- for the first time ever -- at Gimli Beach.

"How often do you get to see an endangered species in its natural habitat?" Tebbutt asked fondly, looking over to where one of this year's chicks scurried across the beach.

Alex Froese, co-ordinator of the Manitoba Piping Plover Recovery Program, said her staff counted nine adult birds in the province this year, while hobby bird-watchers reported a possible four other sightings.

And that's all. Nine piping plovers -- a sharp drop from the 80 adult birds counted in 1991.

The plover problem began in the early 1900s, said Froese, when the birds were hunted for their feathers and eggs. The birds' recovery from near extinction has been threatened by the loss of their natural habitat and human interference, she explained.

That's why Manitoba Conservation began the recovery program in 2002. A small number of staff, aided by a handful of loyal volunteers, monitors the plovers from early morning to late at night during the nesting period in June, and for the 20 to 25 days after the chicks hatch, when they're most vulnerable.

Tebbutt has been a plover guardian for three years, and spent about 20 to 30 hours each week watching over the two nests, and later the chicks, at Grand Beach this year.

He admitted it's easy to become attached to the birds, and recounted a day in early July when he discovered two chicks had disappeared during the night. Tebbutt said he was devastated, especially since he had worked the late shift that night, which ended at 9:30 p.m.

"You second-guess yourself, and think 'If I had been there, would things have been OK?'" he said. Sometimes, he even dreams about the plovers at night -- a phenomenon Froese admitted to as well.

While Tebbutt will volunteer for eight hours a day at the beach, he said the only tough part is the end of July, when the chicks begin preparing for their migration to the Gulf of Mexico.

"It's very depressing now when they're big kids and they can be on their own," he said. "To me, it's the end of the summer when the birds fly away and I have to go home."

While Froese said the recovery program has been successful in keeping the chicks safe from predators and beach goers, there have not been substantially higher numbers of piping plovers arriving each year to nest in Manitoba.

She said the birds hatched in Manitoba might not be surviving the migration, or could be nesting in Alberta, Saskatchewan or the U.S.

This year, the six surviving chicks at Grand Beach and the three at Gimli have been fitted with ID bands, so they can be identified wherever they show up next. "Hopefully next year we'll have a bird show up with a Manitoba band, and that would be fantastic," Tebbutt said.
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Cricket
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Christopher I love your New Sonic Hedgehog. You are very talented in Art, and hope you pursue that in school.

Bandit sweetie you may have to leave home to get grocery's.

Marti I want the poster with the Jet. I'd love to shake up this neighborhood.

A little stormy here with thunder. Some Red Cells on Radar.

Going out later for a Mani/Pedi to cut these daggers off. Too long to work or type with anymore.

Going out tonight with a couple of patients. Going to try to turn them on to Sushi/Sashimi. Having Hibachi.

LaLa Mountain Lion's. :8O:
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Topa Topa Hikers
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ojailala,Jul 29 2009
09:10 AM
Thanks Hiker.. You should take a horn yourself....while hiking.. lucky you have seen many lions.. I've seen just one....

I have a shreaking whistle that's ear piercing with a compass incase I get lost.
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Cricket
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George any News on the Eagle Cap with wings yet??
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LeicaEagle
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Cricket,Jul 29 2009
11:01 AM
George any News on the Eagle Cap with wings yet??

No, i wont order it until friday afternoon. I had to set things in motion to transfer funds for the month into one of my accounts and then will transfer it to the account i use for online purchases.

Call me paranoid, but when i buy on line, i have one account that i keep only what the total is for the purchase. When I buy an item, i will move the funds into that account and wait for the money to be debited from it. This way, an unscrupulous person cant hijack my account and take me to the cleaners.
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iggle
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I love Plovers, Penny! I see them often on my noontime walks around the Mugu lagoons. Sometimes one will walk/flutter about 20 ft. ahead of me, piping away, like she is leading me away from her nest. But it's a little late in the season for that. I think she's just teasing me!

George - I got a reply to my email about the eagle hats. They still have a few left with the flashing eyes, if you're interested! rofl BTW - that's a smart idea on the separate account for online purchases....

I'm glad you take care of yourself when you're out hiking alone, Cathy. That whistle ought to keep any predator far away - even human ones! I'd love to see that lion!
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Artsy Mom
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iggle,Jul 29 2009
10:30 AM
Gorgeous white pelican picture, Penny!  It looks like a painting.  White pelicans hang out in Morro Bay too and when my mom lived there I got lots of pictures of them out on the bay.  I don't recall the black streak on the head though, so maybe there are different types?

Kathie I believe they are the same bird. The American White Pelican or Rough-billed Pelican.

Posted Image

Adults on their nests, already in non-breeding plumage (note dark nape) and yearlings have some dark feathers on their wings as well.

Posted Image

Adults in breeding plumage. Note "horn" on bright orange bill.

These images and info from Wikipedia
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LeicaEagle
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Speaking of The Plover, there are several communities along the jersey shore who have natural dunes and they do have to close down the beaches for Nesting Plovers who do their thing in the dunes like many teenagers used to do. At least the plovers are given a chance and some privacy to hatch the ploverettes! :)^

edited I found the following article on monitoring of the piping plover on the jersey shore dunes from The NY Times

Monitoring the Nests of Piping Plovers in NJ


There was a report too of the theft of eggs from a nest in Sandy Hook, NJ :'(
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Topa Topa Hikers
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iggle,Jul 29 2009
11:06 AM

I'm glad you take care of yourself when you're out hiking alone, Cathy. That whistle ought to keep any predator far away - even human ones! I'd love to see that lion!

Iggles I am very cautious if I see a lion.

I've seen 6 that I can remember..This last one looked like an african female, it had a very beautful face.

Lala If you come across another lion, I hope you are camera ready, I'm never camera ready..

That would be an awesome photo I'd love to take, and it would be the only shooting I'd ever do at a lion.

OK< BBL :}^
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iggle
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Huh. I must've seen the Morro Bay pelicans at some intermediate stage. The bright orange beak and no black looks right, but I'd think I would've noticed the 'horn' on the beak. At any rate, they are beautiful and I love the way they gather in rafts and herd the fish so that everyone gets some.

If I were confronted with a lion, I'm not sure my camera would be my first thought. But I bet it would for Lala! "Cherish the experience" is what I always tell myself when I miss a great wildlife shot...
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Artsy Mom
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LeicaEagle,Jul 29 2009
11:15 AM
Speaking of The Plover, there are several communities along the jersey shore who have natural dunes and they do have to close down the beaches for Nesting Plovers who do their thing in the dunes like many teenagers used to do.  At least the plovers are given a chance and some privacy to hatch the ploverettes! :)^

edited I found the following article on monitoring of the piping plover on the jersey shore dunes from The NY Times

Monitoring the Nests of Piping Plovers in NJ

There was a report too of the theft of eggs from a nest in Sandy Hook, NJ :'(

Interesting article George. At Grand Beach the sand dunes are white and very high and just teeming with people once the weather gets warm. No dune buggies allowed thank goodness but there are all the other issues. We haven't been there in years because it is a 2 1/2 hour drive from here...do-able in one day but one really needs to rent a cabin or stay in one of the camp grounds...spots fill up FAST so you have to know when you want to go in early spring when the snow is still on the ground :P

Lockport, on the other hand is only a 20 minute drive. We were there a few weeks ago but missed the pelican feeding frenzy. We will have to go again soon before they finish off all the fish :lol:
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summer818
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Penny loved the plover story and their cute little faces. :wub: You find the best stuff! :)^
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adklaurie
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I think most wild animals will not harm humans unless they feel threatened or unless they are sick. We had a bear walk through the yard at camp one day a few years ago. We were all outside, men were playing horseshoes, girls were just hanging out at the dock. Cute little bear just walked by the men on to the next camp like we weren't even there. It was really cool, we were all looking at each other with our mouths open. :lol: :o

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adklaurie
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Hey Peetie, where are you these days??? I miss you???
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Artsy Mom
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summer818,Jul 29 2009
11:40 AM
Penny loved the plover story and their cute little faces. :wub:  You find the best stuff!  :)^

Those pelican and plover stories weren't too hard to find Vickie because they were both in my newspaper today rofl rofl rofl
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