Animals
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Binoculars

Wrong time, wrong place: Purple gallinule bird found in Weston, Massachusetts


Metro West Daily News
Fri, 30 Jan 2015 17:46 UTC
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A purple gallinule was found near the 80-Acre Conservation Area near Hobbs Pond
A purple gallinule, a common marsh bird of Florida, made a wrong landing in Weston last week. Unable to withstand the cold temperatures and find food, its final resting place turned out to be 80-Acre Conservation Area near Hobbs Pond.

On Jan. 19, dog walker Susie Duff discovered the bird when her two dogs stopped to examine something about 20 feet off a trail. When she approached, she observed an "odd bird" sitting motionless, but alive on the ground.

Conservation Agent Michele Grzenda received the email on Monday night.

"Being an avid bird watcher, I'm always intrigued when I receive a mystery bird inquiry," Grzenda said. "Fortunately Susie was able to take a couple of pictures and attach them to the email she sent me. I took one look at the photo and quickly emailed back, 'Wow! Susie, you have to take me to that bird first thing tomorrow.' I suspected the bird would not last the night, since it was so approachable and far away from its normal habitat."
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Binoculars

Stunning rare duck from the Arctic seen in Aberdeen, UK


cfzwatcheroftheskies.blogspot.co.uk
Thu, 29 Jan 2015 20:16 UTC
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A stunning rare bird, hailing from the Arctic, has been spotted in Aberdeenshire.

The beautiful drake King Eider was found off St Combs in Aberdeenshire, on Wednesday.

Described as one of North America's most spectacular species, the King Eider forms large flocks during spring migration, sometimes exceeding 10,000 individuals, however, this duck appears to have been split from the flock.

Elsewhere a Ridgway's Cackling Goose was spotted at Castle Kennedy near Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway.

The rare goose is native to North America. It breeds in northern Canada and Alaska in a variety of tundra habitats.

Source: The Press and Journal
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Attention

Sick sea lions wash ashore at alarming rate, California

Paige Austin
Dana Point Patch
Thu, 29 Jan 2015 13:11 UTC
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The Pacific Marine Mammal Center will release a recently nursed-back-to-health sea lion back into the ocean at Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach Tuesday.

The center usually doesn't see any ill sea lions washing ashore this time of the year, but already more than two dozen have needed treatment by the only licensed agency in the county.

At most, two or three might end up on the beach and need a rescue, but the center has taken in 28 this month while 13 sea lion pups washed ashore in December, Executive Director Keith Matassa said.

Further alarming the center's experts is an influx of varying species, Matassa added.

"The difference this year is we're also seeing different species we don't normally see down here," Matassa said.

Comment: See also: 650 emaciated sea lion pups wash up on the California coast over last 2 months

2013 California sea lion unusual mortality event in California

Sea lion strandings pass 1,500 mark

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Cloud Precipitation

Hailstorm kills 300 birds in Ivaiporã, Brazil

Ivan Maldonado
North Tribune
Mon, 26 Jan 2015 12:51 UTC
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© Ivan Maldonado
A hailstorm that hit mainly south central Ivaiporã on Sunday night killed about 300 birds, including sparrows and doves.

According to information from the Environmental Secretariat, the hailstorm was located between the Plaza Henry Portelinha, near the Bank Brazil,on Bible Square, close to the bus station and Rio Grande Street South, near the State Barboza Ferraz College.

At first there was a suspicion of environmental crime, which was dismissed by Secretary of Environment Jayme Ayres, moreover, the birds were badly hurt. "We talked with the population living here in this region and they confirmed the hailstorm yesterday (Sunday) at about 23 hours. The dead birds were found only where the hail occurred. "

According to Ayres, just before the hail there was a strong wind that frightened the birds. "Frightened by the wind, they went looking for another shelter. It was when there was a hailstorm which ended up killing the birds, "said Ayres.
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Bizarro Earth

Rare megamouth shark washes up in the Philippines

Sarah Keartes
www.earthtouchnews.com
Tue, 27 Jan 2015 07:04 UTC
Bulbous head, 50 (yes, 50!) rows of tiny teeth, flabby body ... yep, it's a megamouth shark!
Megamouth Shark
© Manay Ning & Rosalina Sariola/Facebook
The 66th megamouth shark ever seen washed ashore this morning in Marigondon, a port in the Albay province of the Philippines. Initial reports suggest the shark (Megachasma pelagios) was approximately five metres (16 ft.) in length, but until a necropsy can be performed, the finer details about the animal (including the cause of death) will remain a mystery. Sightings like this are rare ... so rare, in fact, that when the first megamouth was spotted in 1976, a new shark family, genus and species had to be created!

These bizarre deep-diving animals are characterised by their bulbous snouts, loose skin, poorly calcified skeletons and (of course) their mega-mouths, which extend upward beyond the eyes. Only two living specimens have ever been studied by researchers, so every find is a big deal for science.
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Attention

Elephant kills teenage girl in Assam, India


Business Standard
Wed, 21 Jan 2015 20:44 UTC
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© Yathin S Krishnappa, Wikimedia Commons
An elephant killed a girl at Ballamguri in Chirang district today.

The elephant, which came from the nearby Manas National Park, attacked the teenaged girl injuring her seriously, police officials said.

The girl, identified as Ramisa Khatun, succumbed to her injuries later at the Barpeta Medical College Hospital.

Source: Press Trust of India
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Roses

Family dogs kill 7-year-old boy in College Springs, Iowa

Mia De Graaf
Daily Mail, UK
Sat, 24 Jan 2015 18:32 UTC
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Killed: Malaki Mildward, seven, was mauled to death by the family's two six-month-old dogs (it is unclear if was the dogs in this photo)
A seven-year-old boy has been mauled to death by his family's two dogs.

Malaki Mildward died after two six-month-old canines attacked him on Thursday afternoon in College Springs, Iowa.

He was pronounced dead 50 minutes later.

Police were notified shortly before 5pm.

By the time they arrived within minutes, Malaki was not breathing, a report said.
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Wolf

Coyotes kill police horse in Lapeer County, Michigan

Roberto Acosta
mlive.com
Mon, 26 Jan 2015 15:43 UTC
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This photo shows a coyote that was spotted on the same farm where a horse from the Lapeer County Sheriff's Mounted Division was attacked and killed Sunday, Jan. 25 near the Lapeer-Oakland County border.
A Lapeer County Sheriff's Mounted Division Horse was attacked and killed Sunday, Jan. 25, by a pack of coyotes, not far from a home, a lieutenant said.

The attack took place around 3 p.m. on a farm near the area of East Oakwood and Hosner roads along the Lapeer-Oakland County border, said Lt. Bruce Osmon, head of the mounted unit.

Osmon said the horse was feeding around 20 feet from a barn and 70 feet from a home.

"All of a sudden (the owners) heard a commotion," he said.

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Attention

Series of dead and stranded bottlenose dolphins in the Philippines

Gabriel Cardinoza
newsinfo.inquirer.net
Tue, 27 Jan 2015 11:02 UTC
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© Flickr/Jeffk42.
Two bottlenose dolphins were found dead at the Tondaligan Beach here and on the shores of neighboring Binmaley town in Pangasinan province, in what has turned out to be a series of beaching in Lingayen Gulf since Monday.

Westly Rosario, chief of the National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center (NIFTDC) here, said one more dolphin was found dying at about 6 a.m. at the Lingayen beach in Lingayen town.

At 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Rosario said another dolphin beached just at the shoreline at the back of the NIFTDC.

Two more dolphins were found on the shores of the island village of Pugaro here at about 8 p.m. on the same day.
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Red Flag

6 unprovoked shark attacks off Californian coast in 2014

Veronica Rocha
Los Angeles Times
Mon, 26 Jan 2015 23:14 UTC
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© David Fleetham / Discovery ChannelThough being attacked by a shark like this great white is extremely unlikely, the number of unprovoked shark attacks worldwide has grown at a steady pace since 1900. According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, there were 39 reported shark attacks in California from 2001 to 2013.
A recent report says there were six unprovoked shark attacks along the U.S. Pacific Coast in 2014. All of them were in California, and all the sharks were great whites.

Four of the attacks occurred in October, one in July and another in December, according to the Shark Research Committee's recently released 2014 report. Remarkably, in all attacks, only two surfers were injured.

"I am surprised we don't have more of them," said Ralph Collier, the shark expert and researcher who wrote the report, which specifically looks at attacks that were deemed not to be provoked by humans.

Last July's shark attack in Manhattan Beach, for example, was not included. In that attack, long-distance swimmer Steve Robles was bitten by a 7-foot juvenile shark.
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