Bald Eagle photo courtesy of Greg Barnett and Record Searchlight
Both Patriot and Liberty were spotted close to their nest in a cottonwood stand Monday afternoon near Turtle Bay off Highway 44 in Redding, California, according to Teri Lhuillier, one of the eagles advocates. This eagle couple raised a pair of eaglets last year despite the construction on the bridge spanning the Sacramento River amid great controversy. A webcam has now been installed so we can all watch the action if Patriot and Liberty decide to use this nest for their next year’s brood.
This is a photo I took this summer while monitoring my nest boxes. These Tree Swallows love to stick their heads out of their houses when they hear an intruder approaching. Be sure to check out the other Camera Critters posts!
Whooping Cranes Migrating photo courtesy of Operation Migration
The survival of the Whooping Crane has been largely due to the efforts of Operation Migration and the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP). Back in 1941 there were less than 20 Whooping Cranes left on this planet. Due to the efforts of these organizations, there are now 529 Whooping Cranes, 72 being cared for by Operation Migration, including 12 breeding pairs.
This is an incredible success story of bird conservation and cooperation between the U.S. and Canada. The WCEP and Operation Migration are to be applauded for the great work they are doing to make it possible for all of us to witness a miracle of nature as the Whooping Cranes migrate from Canada and Wisconsin to Florida and the gulf coast. The 2008 flock is on their way! For you lucky folks in the East, you may be witness to this amazing feat first hand.
Update: Vickie Henderson has an entire photo series on the Whooping Crane with incredible photos and video of the parents raising a chick. You have got to see this!
Sailors Take Warning, Red Sky At Night, Sailor’s Delight is how the rest of the saying goes. The ancient proverb began long before humans could predict the weather with any accuracy and we relied on observation to try to decipher what kind of day we would have.
The amounts of water vapor and dust particles in the atmosphere are good indicators of weather conditions. They also determine which colors we will see in the sky. We see the longer red wavelengths of light travelling through the thickest part of the atmosphere at sunrise and sunset, when the sun is low on the horizon, denoting an atmosphere loaded with dust and moisture.
Storms and rains usually move from west to east. A reddish sky around sunrise means a lot of water vapor already present in the atmosphere. As clouds come in from the west, rainy weather is thus expected. This explains why “Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning”.
A reddish sky near dusk means that weather has improved in the upstream area to the west. Sunlight scattered by the atmosphere is reflected by clouds, making the sky red. As the clouds overhead have moved eastward, the weather is expected to improve. That explains why “Red sky at night, sailors delight”.
When I got up this morning and saw this gorgeous sky I was exstatic, knowing we should be getting some rain here by tonight 😉 See more great photos at Skywatch Friday
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