Maybe-Bobby of Washington Square Park
Four Photos by Francois Portmann
http://www.fotoportmann.com/birds/
http://www.fotoportmann.com/birds/
http://www.fotoportmann.com/birds/
Francois Portmann managed to get over to Washington Square Park on Jan. 6 to try and take some photos of Bobby's New Girl. He got these and said if this was NG, she and Dominatrex aren't the same bird.
My take is that this bird is Bobby but I'm waiting for major WSP watchers to poll in on whether the bird is he to confirm. If so, than that's another kettle of fish altogether. This bird looks much more like a tiercel to me.
Smaller feet, rounder eyes, less beak depth, posture, expression, and smaller size.
In from Robin of Illinois, Whooping Crane Migration stopped by FFA. (Good Grief. Practical sense seems lacking here.)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45906825/ns/us_news-environment/
Much more to come from readers and invited contributors.
Donegal Browne
The whooping crane situation is more complicated than it looks.
ReplyDeleteOperation Migration (OM) has a polite explanation of the technicalities of it on their Field Journal at http://www.operationmigration.org/Field_Journal.html the post titled "2011 ULTRALIGHT-LED MIGRATION ON HOLD."
What they do not say is that in the middle of this year's migration, at the time when the cranes and project are most vulnerable, a former OM employee who was laid off in 2010 due to funding constraints lodged a complaint with the FAA that brought this about. He had not complained in the several years of his employment or after his layoff, until this worst time possible.
Why he would lodge a complaint now and at this horrible time (despite the sanguine remarks in the article link in your post, it is not clear what will happen next year if the cranes do not fly the rest of the migration route this year and get imprinted on it), I leave as an exercise to the reader. Here is more information:
http://cs.birdwatchingdaily.com/BRDCS/blogs/field_of_view/archive/2012/01/05/Cranes-spend-24th-day-grounded-in-Alabama-because-of-FAA-pilot_2D00_pay-rule.aspx
The nine cranes being led on migration form a significant part of the approximately 100 cranes in the Eastern Migratory Population, which is not yet self-sustaining, and represent an enormous investment in work and mostly private donations.
If people are concerned about Operation Migration and the cranes being able to proceed promptly, polite letters or email to the FAA asking for either a favorable ruling or a waiver covering this current migration would be very much appreciated.
Here is a petition that people may want to sign, asking the FAA to let Operation Migration complete the current trike-led migration of the yearling whooping cranes.
ReplyDeleteThere is a little glitch in the petition form - if you see no place for State, just Country, click on the Outside the US toggle next to it and the box will switch to State.
http://www.change.org/petitions/faa-allow-endangered-whooping-cranes-to-finish-migration-fix-permit-later