Animals
S


Binoculars

Snowstorm brings Eurasian thrush to Apple River, Canada


Cape Breton Post
Tue, 03 Feb 2015 16:31 UTC
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This rare Fieldfare was spotted by Blaine and Kathleen Spicer in Apple River, Cumberland County, on Jan. 31, and again over the next two days.
Kathleen Spicer has seen a lot of different birds in her yard over the years, but very few in North America have been visited by a Fieldfare.

The robin-like European bird was first spotted by Spicer's husband Blaine in an apple tree in their yard during a snowstorm on Jan. 31, and was still being observed there as of Monday.

"Blaine saw it out the window and said, 'I don't know what this is,' so I grabbed my camera and stood on a chair to get a picture of it," aid Mrs. Spicer. "I thought maybe it was a Varied Thrush, because it had a robin shape. But when I looked at the picture, I knew it was something else."

Although she had never seen a Fieldfare before, there was something familiar about the bird. She grabbed a guidebook she had for European birds, and there one was right on the cover.
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Black Cat

Cougar attacks 45-pound dog in Placerville, California

Claire Doan
kcra.com
Sun, 01 Feb 2015 22:49 UTC
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A homeowner came face to face with a mountain lion early Sunday morning in a remote, wooded area of Placerville after it attacked her 45-pound dog.

Susan McPherson knew something was wrong after her dog, Mate, ran into the backyard at 3:30 a.m., and she did not hear his usual barking.

So she followed him - and spotted a mountain lion.

"I saw a large cat walking away," McPherson said. "I yelled at it. And he turned his head, and there was this gray dog (in the mountain lion's mouth) ... like a rag doll. So, I'm like, 'This can't be my dog.'"

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Snowflake Cold

Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil 'forecasts' 6 more weeks of winter


Morning Sun
Mon, 02 Feb 2015 22:13 UTC
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© AP Photo/Gene J. PuskarGroundhog Club handler Ron Ploucha, left, holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 129th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2015.
The handlers of Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, said Monday the furry rodent has forecast six more weeks of winter.

Members of the top hat-wearing Inner Circle announced the "prediction" Monday morning.

A German legend has it that if a furry rodent sees his shadow on Feb. 2, winter will last another six weeks. If not, spring comes early.
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Attention

150 sea turtles found dead in Mexican Pacific lagoon


Washington Times
Sun, 01 Feb 2015 21:22 UTC
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© ProfepaOne of the dead turtles in Guerrero Negro.
Cold temperatures are suspected of killing some 150 sea turtles found in a lagoon of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula.

Investigators with the federal environmental protection agency said Saturday the green sea turtles were found in the Ojo de Liebre lagoon, on the Pacific side of Baja California Sur state. The agency said it would be difficult to determine the exact cause of death due to the advanced state of decomposition of the remains.

The agency said a cold front that lowered temperatures in the region may have caused the deaths but investigators also would try to determine whether some sort of contamination might have played a role.

In mid-January, federal inspectors found the bodies of 14 gray whales at the lagoon, as well as 16 other sea turtles.

Source: Associated Press

Comment: See also these reports from the same region in January: 14 whales and 16 turtles wash up dead on Baja California Sur coast

554 dead seabirds and 4 sea lions found on beaches in Baja California, Mexico

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Binoculars

Another odd bird migration: Painted bunting turns up in Oakville, Canada

Emma Reilly
The Hamilton Spectator
Mon, 02 Feb 2015 16:44 UTC
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© Cathie Coward,The Hamilton Spectator

Painted Bunting: Meet the tiny bird that has been the big talk of local birders for the past month.
In a backyard in Oakville, there's a tiny, colourful bird that's setting hearts aflutter.

A painted bunting, which usually makes its home in the Southern U.S. and Mexico, mysteriously appeared in the Lakeshore Road East and Winston Churchill Boulevard area before Christmas. The rare creature has created quite a stir, drawing birders from across Ontario and lots of speculation among those who love small things with wings.

Hamiltonian Bruce Mackenzie, an avid birder and retired conservation area manager, thinks the painted bunting is a wild bird that got blown off course by a storm.
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Wolf

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

Priyangi Agarwal
The Times of India
Sun, 01 Feb 2015 20:03 UTC
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In what is becoming a serious menace, wild dogs attacked and killed a child on Saturday afternoon in Baheri tehsil, making him the third fatality of such an attack in almost a month. Over 10 children have also been injured in wild dog attacks in the past month. Ironically, while the attacks are continuing, district authorities continue to quibble over jurisdiction issues.

According to reports, daily wage labourer Anis Ahmed and his 15-year-old son Mujammil, residents of Lakhanpur village of Baheri, had gone to work at a local brick kiln. After some time, Anis went to his fields. When Mujammil did not join him after a long time, Anis went out to search for him.

That was when he saw Mujammil being attacked by a pack of dogs near the brick kiln. He somehow managed to chase away the dogs by attacking them with a spade but was not able to save his son, who was declared brought dead at a hospital.

Comment: Other recent notable attacks by packs of feral dogs on people -

Denison, Texas woman attacked and severely injured by dog pack

Man likely to have died from a dog pack attack in Madison, North Carolina

Pack of feral dogs attack 2 children, killing one, Nanfang, China

Feral dog pack found to have killed woman on Wyoming Indian reservation

Man found dead near New Mexico reservation may have been attacked by dog pack

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

Nine people killed by feral dog attacks in Rumbek, Sudan

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Black Cat

Cougar attacks pipeline worker near Grande Prairie, Canada

Alexa Huffman
Grande Prairie Daily Herald-Tribune
Sun, 01 Feb 2015 18:49 UTC
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Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers are currently investigating a cougar attack involving a pipeline worker south of Grande Prairie Friday.

According to Dan Laville, an Alberta Justice and Solicitor General spokesperson, at around 3 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30, a cougar attacked a male pipeline worker, approximately 90 kilometres south of Grande Prairie.

Laville says a co-worker came to the victim's aid and was able to stop to the attack. The workers called 9-1-1. RCMP officers responded to the call and shot a cougar near the scene of the attack.

The Fish and Wildlife officers that are investigating the incident are using DNA analysis to confirm the cougar shot is the same animal involved in the attack.

Both workers sustained injuries and Laville says the injuries did not appear to be life threatening.

Comment: See also these other reports of cougar attacks on humans in 2014: A third cougar attack within a month leaves six-year-old California boy injured

Some wild animals are losing fear of humans: Biologist recovering after cougar assault in Grand Prairie, Alberta

Teenager attacked by cougar in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta

From 2013: Man fights off cougar with skateboard; Parks Canada tracking animal

Cougar attack in British Columbia leaves woman in critical condition

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Attention

Elephants attack tourists' car in Thailand

Leon Siciliano
Daily Telegraph
Wed, 28 Jan 2015 16:58 UTC
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© Newsflare
A dramatic video has been posted online of a group of elephants charging towards a car in Thailand.

In the footage, captured by a Thai tour guide near Nakhon Ratchasima province late last month, a family of three elephants appear from trees at the side of the road and begin charging.

Who knew elephants could move so fast? Certainly not the tourists who seemed very calm until the huge animal was bearing down on them.

Tourists inside the car can be heard speaking in German and urging the driver to move quickly.

According to the filmer, the elephant was trying to defend its calf from the cars that were on their territory.

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Wolf

3-year-old child attacked by family dog in Kaikohe, New Zealand

Peter de Graaf
The New Zealand Herald
Sat, 31 Jan 2015 16:04 UTC
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A child has been injured in a dog attack in Kaikohe.
A 3-year-old child has been injured in a dog attack at a Kaikohe home.

The child was attacked by the family pet and rushed by family members to Kaikohe's St John Ambulance station on Tuesday evening. Police and animal control were called to the Tui St address.

St John Far North manager Ben Lockie said the child, whose injuries were described as moderate, was taken to Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa and from there to Whangarei Hospital.

Far North District Council field compliance manager Barry Webb said the dog, a registered American bulldog, was chained up and police were at the scene when the animal control officer arrived.

"It is now in the council pound while we await the family's return. We will then have an opportunity to get statements and discuss with them where we go to next," he said.

Source: The Northern Advocate
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Binoculars

Gull from northern oceans turns up for the first time in Odisha, India


The New Indian Express
Sat, 31 Jan 2015 20:40 UTC
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Black-legged kittiwake
A black-legged kittiwake, a gull which is found in the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, has been sighted in Odisha for the first time. A team of Wild Orissa recorded the bird on Balasore coast last week.

Rissa Tridractyla, as the species is known, was spotted by bird expert Nanda Kishore Bhujabal and photographer Chinmaya Bhujabal in a water tank in the coastal district during a survey.

The team members observed the lone bird closely and took its photographs for analysis. The winged visitor had a white head and body; its back was grey and wings tipped with solid black. It had black legs and a bill which had dull greenish yellow colourations. Its distinct black legs and dull greenish yellow bill was what made it different from other gull species found in Odisha.

"Since this species is not mentioned in any bird manuals on India, it was a bit difficult to confirm its identification," said Nanda Kishore. While its physical features did not match with any gull species found in Odisha, literature available were examined and institutions were consulted which led to the conclusion that it was a Black-legged Kittiwake.
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