Animals
S


Wolf

Couple attacked by their pit bull in Costa Mesa, California


cbslocal.com
Fri, 20 Feb 2015 18:13 UTC
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© Southern Coubyies News ServiceA couple's dog was taken by Costa Mesa animal control officers after severely biting both of them Friday evening in Costa Mesa.
A Costa Mesa couple was attacked by their own pit bull Friday evening, authorities said.

The couple was driving their pit bull through a shopping center in Costa Mesa on their way to Huntington Beach when the dog turned on them.

Authorities said the couple both sustained serious injuries. Witnesses said both were bitten repeatedly in the arms.

The attack occurred just before 7 p.m. in the 1100 block of Victoria Street.

The husband was driving, his wife was a passenger. They said the dog attacked inexplicably.
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Binoculars

Rare Arctic gyrfalcon located in Ulster County, NY

D. Bruce Yolton
urbanhawks.blogs.com
Mon, 16 Feb 2015 21:33 UTC
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© D. Bruce YoltonGyrfalcon
I went up to Ulster County, NY to see the Gyrfalcon that has around for a few weeks. The bird, which depending on the day has been easy to find or hard to find, was very cooperative today.

In addition to the Gyrfalcon, I was able to photograph a Short-eared Owl. Definitely worth driving for four hours!


Comment: See also:

Rare Arctic gyrfalcon found in Wells Harbor, Maine

Rare Arctic gyrfalcon seen in Madbury, New Hampshire

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Binoculars

Wrong place, wrong time: Rare hooded oriole seen in Charlotte, North Carolina

Taylor Piephoff
Charlotte Observer
Thu, 19 Feb 2015 20:43 UTC
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A big part of finding birds is being in the right place at the right time. When the birds show up, you have to be there. Last Friday, local birder John Brammer looked out his window and saw a large yellow bird that he did not recognize. He had the presence of mind to snap off a series of great photos for the next 15 minutes. Then the bird departed.

Local birders pored over online photos of immature male orioles (there are not all that many, by the way), and identified it as a hooded oriole, a bird native to the Southwest and Pacific coast.
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Binoculars

Snowy Owl seen in Hungary for the first time since 1891


hungarytoday.hu
Thu, 19 Feb 2015 17:42 UTC
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© Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society/József Mészáros and Dénes LaczikSnowy owl
A snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) has been photographed in Hungary's southern Baranya county for the second time since records began, the Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society has said. The only previous occasion the cold-loving animal has been spotted in Hungary was in 1891.

The owl was photographed at the settlement of Bóly in Baranya county, after which bird-watchers from the ornithological society travelled to the scene to verify the sighting. Subsequently, several observers arrived to the area and a large number of good-quality photographs were taken.
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Question

Mystery surrounds the death of 20 mute swans in Chester-le-Street, UK

Tom Wilkinson
Daily Mirror, UK
Thu, 19 Feb 2015 16:36 UTC
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© PAMystery: At least 20 swans have been found dead
At least 20 swans have died mysteriously of illness or poison on the river Wear in Chester-le-Street, Co Durham, in the last month.

The RSPCA has asked the public to be vigilant after swans died on a stretch of river in the past few weeks.

It is unclear whether the birds that live on the River Wear in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, have been being deliberately or accidentally poisoned, or if they have succumbed to natural illness.

There are about 100 swans on that section of the Wear which passes through Riverside Park, and it is popular for children to feed the inquisitive swans.
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Info

Lead shot legacy: Estimated 50 trumpeter swans poisoned in Carnation, Washington

Gary Chittim
king5.com
Wed, 18 Feb 2015 15:43 UTC
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© KingTrumpeter swan
What started as a few reports of dead trumpeter swans in the Snoqualmie Valley has turned into much more. Dozens of birds are dead and many more are terminally ill in an area near Carnation along the Snoqualmie River.

Experts believe it to be a massive case of lead poisoning.

A lone trumpeter swan appears perfectly fine as it floats in a Snoqualmie River side channel, but it's in serious trouble.

"The only good news is, it's not raining," said Martha Jordan, coordinator with Washington Swan Stewards.

Jordan is going after that swan like she has dozens more just like it since a lead poisoning die off began late last month.

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Attention

800 dead Olive Ridley turtles found on Odisha coast, India


Odisha Sun Times
Thu, 19 Feb 2015 15:23 UTC
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Dead Oliver Ridley turtles
The Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in Odisha's Kendrapara district, considered to be the largest rookery of the endangered Oliver Ridley turtles, has turned into a mass graveyard of these endangered species as hundreds of carcasses were spotted ashore.

Around 800 Olive Ridley turtles were found dead along Barunei, Pentha, Satabhaya, Gahirmatha, Babubali river mouth and other places during the ongoing mass nesting season by February 15, a forest department official said.

However, unofficial estimates put the toll over 5000, raising concern among environmentalists.
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Attention

Boar kills woman in Kerala, India

Stephan Kayyar
daijiworld.com
Fri, 13 Feb 2015 20:02 UTC
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Wild boar.
A woman has died after being attacked by a boar at Kubdaje near Badiadka.

The deceased person is Ayesha (55), wife of late Abdul Rahiman.

As per reports, at around 7.30 am on Tuesday, February 13, Ayesha was attacked by a boar when she ventured out from her house. When she reached the front side of the house, the boar jumped into her. Mohammed, her son managed to chase the boar.

Ayesha was given first aid in the Badiyadka hospital and was immediately rushed to a hospital in Mangaluru. But she breathed her last on the way due to grave injuries inflicted on her.

The boar which went to a nearby shed later belonging to Prakash also attacked a buffalo there. The baffalo sustained deep injuries on its shoulder. When villagers came to the shed, the boar ran into the nearesr forest.

Wild boar presence in the locality has created problems for the villagers who cannot move out freely these days.
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Wolf

Eight-year-old boy attacked by pack of dogs in Baheri, India

Priyangi Agarwal
The Times of India
Wed, 18 Feb 2015 18:20 UTC
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Feral dogs in India
After a brief lull, another child has been attacked by a pack of stray dogs while he was on his way home from a rice mill in Rurki village of Baheri district on Tuesday evening.

According to reports, the pack mauled the eight-year-old boy and dragged him towards a sugarcane field. However, a few passersby heard his cries for help and rushed to his aid. The mill workers, armed with bamboo sticks, hit the dogs and shooed them away.

The minor sustained serious injuries on his neck, head, legs and arms. He was admitted to a community health centre (CHC) in Baheri but was later referred to district hospital where he is currently undergoing treatment.

Starting from January 15, pack of stray dogs have killed four children and seriously injured more than ten to date.

Comment: See also:

Feral dogs kill 5-yr-old in Bareilly, India: Third fatality in a month of 10 attacks

Pack of stray dogs maul 17-month-old boy outside his house in Bangalore, India

Indore reports at least 50 dog bite cases daily, India

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Binoculars

Striped sparrow resident in Mexico turns up 700 miles from home for the first time in the US

Claire Osborn
Austin American-Stateman
Wed, 18 Feb 2015 16:56 UTC
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© Austin American-StatemanThe striped sparrow has been seen mixed in with a variety of other small birds feeding on crushed pecans and other food resources, with plenty of water nearby from a Williamson County creek.
Richard Kostecke stood on the side of a Williamson County road for more than two hours peering on and off through a telescope. Then he quietly said, "I've got it."

Right in the middle of his lens was a bird never before seen in the wild in the United States.

The striped sparrow, recognizable by a black mask-like stripe on its head, was perched on a shrub 200 feet away on a sunny February afternoon. It was 700 miles away from its home in the western mountain ranges of Mexico, said Kostecke, the associate director of conservation for the Nature Conservancy in Texas.
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