Animals
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Binoculars

Ultra-rare bird from Eurasia seen over Newfoundland, Canada

Bruce Mactavish
The Telegram
Sat, 23 Jul 2016 18:51 UTC
Common swift (Apus apus)
© Wikimedia CommonsCommon swift (Apus apus)
The anything but common Common Swift spotted over Cape Race

In birding, like in any other sport, they say you have to be good to be lucky but sometimes nothing explains a great event other than pure simple luck.

A rare glimpse of a common swift, winging its way over Cape Race, NEwfoundland and Labrador.

Due to a compounding series of events Ken Knowles and I were driving through Portugal Cove South on the southern Avalon Peninsula at 1 p.m. on a Tuesday. There is a dead zone for cellphone reception between Renews and Portugal Cove South. The smartphoned chimed as we arrived back into the land of cellphones.

In the time it took to drive from Renews to Portugal Cove South a storm of emails and texts had been flying back and forth between birders in response to a photograph of a bird that Cliff Doran had taken at the Cape Race lighthouse. We checked out the picture on Cliff's Facebook page.

It was a swift. A somewhat blurry photo with the tail cut off.

Swifts are worldwide group of birds built for flying at breakneck speeds in search of airborne insects. They tend to hunt high above swallows and other fly-catching birds.

There are no swifts native to Newfoundland and Labrador.
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Black Cat

Woman gets out of car at Chinese Wildlife Park and is mauled to death by tiger


news18.com
Sun, 24 Jul 2016 15:32 UTC
Tiger attack
Siberian tigers at a Chinese wildlife park have mauled a woman to death while badly injuring one of her companion when they stepped out of their car.

Tigers at the Beijing Badaling Wildlife World pounced on one of the woman when she steeped out of her private car. Another woman tried to help her but was badly injured when she was attacked by another tiger, local media reported on Saturday.

Video of the incident suggested park rangers in a vehicle were on the scene within seconds, but they were unable to save the woman.

The local Yanqing district government has confirmed the tiger attack, saying the injured woman is being treated for her injuries.

Visitors are allowed to drive in their private vehicles in the wildlife park but are not allowed to step outside.


Source: Press Trust Of India
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Attention

Minke whale carcass washes up at St John's Point, Northern Ireland

David Young
Belfast Telegraph
Sat, 23 Jul 2016 19:38 UTC
The whale that washed up at St John’s Point
The whale that washed up at St John’s Point
The carcass of 26ft-long minke whale has washed ashore on rocks at St John's Point in County Down.

The body of the huge creature, which is believed to have been dead for around a week, was discovered by a member of the public on the foreshore near Killough.

A team from Newcastle Coastguard Station was sent to the scene to measure and photograph the body.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph last night, Ian Enlander, from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, said: "In the summer, minke whales move south from the west of Scotland into the Irish sea, where there is plenty of food for them.

"They're often sighted off Islandmagee as they migrate toward the Isle of Man.

"It appears that this young male minke died after its tail became entangled in some discarded fishing gear."
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Attention

Humpback whale found dead in Shoalwater Bay, Western Australia


9news.com.au
Sat, 23 Jul 2016 19:26 UTC
The humpback whale beached at Shoalwater Bay.
© Elle MitarosThe humpback whale beached at Shoalwater Bay.
A shark warning has been issued for Rockingham after a dead eight-metre humpback whale washed ashore in Shoalwater Bay.

The warning was issued this morning from Surf Life Saving WA, after a shark sighting was reported at around 10am off Port Kennedy beach.

The carcass beached on the sandbar between Seal Island and the mainland, after it was first reported around 500m off-shore. The Department of Parks and Wildlife reported a 2.5m tiger shark had been seen circling the dead whale before it beached.

A statement from the Department of Parks and Wildlife last night after the discovery of the carcass said it could have lured the shark.

"It is possible the decomposing carcass will act as an attractant that could lead to sharks coming close in to shore," the statement read.

The Department of Fisheries is monitoring the situation and providing advice to relevant authorities.
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Roses

Pack of dogs maul 3-year-old boy to death in Dilkon, Arizona

Mary Hudetz
abcnews.go.com
Sat, 23 Jul 2016 17:19 UTC
Dog attack victim Kayden Colter Begay
Dog attack victim Kayden Colter Begay
Shaken by a vicious dog mauling that killed a 3-year-old boy on the Navajo Nation, local leaders are expressing anger over the attack, saying encounters with stray and feral animals on the vast reservation are all too common and more could have been done to prevent the tragedy.

A report from the Navajo Nation Animal Control Program confirmed the child was attacked in the area of Dilkon, Arizona, on July 14 by a pack of dogs, but it does not list the dogs' breeds or indicate whether they were strays or had an owner. Citing the report, a spokeswoman for Navajo President Russell Begaye said five dogs mauled the boy before authorities arrived on the scene in response to a telephone message of a fatal canine attack.

Two dogs were shot and killed on site, and the other three were euthanized at an animal shelter in Fort Defiance, Arizona, according to the report. All of the dogs tested negative for rabies.

"People have told me that they had reported on these dogs before, but nobody came around until (the attack) happened," said Cecil Hubbell, president of the Navajo Nation's Wide Ruins Chapter, where the boy lived with his mother. "People overlook these things. They don't check up on it, and now we got a 3-year-old boy that is gone."
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Question

Dozens of seagulls found dead at Bay Beach, Wisconsin

Raquel Lamal
nbc26.com
Wed, 20 Jul 2016 11:03 UTC
Dead gull
It's not the scenic view Nancy O'Kelley had in mind while trying to enjoy Bay Beach.

"I was disappointed you hate to walk up to the beach and see dead birds," said O'Kelley.
Wildlife experts say the die off isn't unusual.

"At this time of year the parents don't take care of them any longer so this is the really tough time of year for young gulls," explained Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary director, Mike Reed.

Wildlife experts say the reason so many gulls are landing near Bay Beach is because they nest at Renard island, which is very close to the shoreline.


Comment: See also: What's killing hundreds of young gulls in Buffalo, New York?

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Smiley

Extremely chilled out manatee makes friends with paddleboarder in Florida

Anneta Konstantinides
Daily Mail
Sun, 17 Jul 2016 10:53 UTC
The manatee was happy to chill out with Celine and her friend, floating with the pair for a moment before he swam away
The manatee was happy to chill out with Celine and her friend, floating with the pair for a moment before he swam away
Two Florida girls got a sweet summer surprise when they went out paddleboarding - and made a new friend.

Celine Chasteen couldn't believe it when a manatee swam right up to her and put his flippers on her board.

At first Celine had thought the manatee was a rock in the distance as she paddled through the waters of Jupiter.

'But then they started moving,' she told The Dodo.

'The next thing I know, there's a manatee putting his flippers on my board.'

The manatee was happy to chill out with Celine and her friend, floating with the pair for a moment before he swam away.

'It was so cool,' Celine said. 'I've never experienced anything like that before.'

'I thought he was really cute. He was really nice. I hope he drops by again.'

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Attention

Dead dolphins, whales wash up on beaches in Nassau County, Florida

Frank Powers
news4jax.com
Thu, 21 Jul 2016 18:15 UTC
Dead dolphin found on Flagler Beach
Dead dolphin found on Flagler Beach
It has been a sad week for marine mammal researchers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

A dead kogia whale calf washed up at Fort Clinch in Nassau County Monday. Then a dead kogia whale was found dead in the area Tuesday.

There were three dead dolphins found on area beaches this week, including one found on Flagler Beach. Another was found in the St. Johns River.

The deaths are not believed to be connected.

Dead kogia whale calf
Dead kogia whale calf
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Attention

Decomposing 22-ton whale washes up onshore again on Southern California coast

Lyndsay Winkley
Los Angeles Times
Mon, 18 Jul 2016 15:12 UTC
decomposing whale
© Nelvin C. Cepeda | San Diego Union-TribuneA decomposing whale carcass found in Encinitas in San Diego County is likely of Wally the humpback, a familiar sight along the coast of Orange and Los Angeles counties.
Wally, the dearly departed humpback whale, seems unwilling to leave the Southern California coast — even in death.

Efforts to push the carcass out to sea have been thwarted, with the remains emerging back on various beaches every few days.

Now, a whale carcass found on a San Diego County beach over the weekend is likely that of Wally.

A construction crew attempted Sunday to cut up and remove the decomposing whale from Grandview Beach in Encinitas, since lifeguards didn't have a boat big enough to haul it to sea. Work was halted when part of a forklift snapped off during the effort.
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Fish

Thousands of dead fish found at Mosquito Creek, Trinidad

Carolyn Kissoon
Trinidad Express.
Wed, 20 Jul 2016 13:02 UTC
Dead fishes seen floating along the Gulf of Paria coast near Mosquito Creek in La Romaine on Wednesday.
© Trevor WatsonDead fishes seen floating along the Gulf of Paria coast near Mosquito Creek in La Romaine on Wednesday.
Thousands of dead and dying fish washed ashore in the Gulf of Paria, near Mosquito Creek, yesterday.

And local fishermen are demanding a thorough investigation into what caused the marine life to die.

Residents said dead fish, including mullet and herring, were seen among the rocks and on the coastline on Tuesday night.

But by daybreak yesterday, thousands of fish were seen floating in the waters off the Gulf of Paria.

Fisherman Alvin La Borde said, "I received a call this morning that thousands of dead fish were in the waters off Mosquito Creek. This is nothing new, we have been experiencing this in La Brea and other areas in the south western peninsular for the past three years."
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