I love this job

Yesterday I received a call from a woman who said she had a "snowy white owl" which had fallen from his nest. We get calls all the time from people who think they have a hawk, an eagle, an owl or even a CONDOR -- it usually turns out that they have a pigeon or a grackle. Not this time!

This lady, we'll call her Joan, has three palm trees planted in a triangle which have created a massive "bird apartment building" because the shaggy parts have grown together and she doesn't let the trimmers cut above a certain level. It's really an excellent place for nests.

Joan has had Barn owls nesting in her palm trees for 25+ years. Every year, a baby or two falls from the nest. This is not unusual -- survival rates, on average, for wild bird babies is only 50%. Sometimes they survive the 40-foot drop, sometimes not. This little guy did!

I just had to share the picture of the baby Barn owl I rescued last night because he is just TOO CUTE! Okay, he has a face only a mother (and a wild bird rehabber) would love. Still, he's a baby, and who doesn't love baby animals (if you don't like animals, feel free to piss off).

BirdCams

For those of you who enjoy watching birds via internet, here are some cams to explore:

National Conservation Training Center Bald Eagle Cam
and their blog

Beakspeak.com list of birdcams (TONS of links!)

Screech owl nest box

Starling and sparrow nest in Madrid, Spain

Birdhouse Network nestbox cams

Osprey cam on the Anacostia River in D. C.

Evanston [IL] Public Library Peregrine cam

The [Barn] Owl Cam

Robin's nest

Stork nest (in German)

Blue tit nest box (stop giggling!) in Devon, England
this site has a video diary which requires Windows Media Player

WildCam.com has lots of different cams, including African Waterhole

A cam in Warsaw, Poland

Pics to enjoy

Smellie Katt, our Sphynx. She is 3 years old. While the Sphynx breed is technically hairless, they do all have "fuzz" -- although Smellie has more than most! Her feet are very fuzzy, like slippers! When the winter comes around, she gets round patches of longer wavy hair on her sides, and down her spine. Her tail is always furry, though, and the hair is kinky, like a bad perm, with a FOOF on the tip!

This is my special baby, Pepper. Her nickname is "Poo" and she was born 28 July 1998. She is an Italian Greyhound, and looks basically like a rat on stilts! Poo loves to take naps with me, sleeping under the covers curled up against my tummy. She likes to go get the mail, either in the car or walking, and when her Grammy (my mom) comes over, she squeals and jumps around with excitement!

My "son" Joey Valentine is also an Italian Greyhound, born 13 November 2004. He is a goofy dog, loves to fetch (incessantly), and is over the moon for "his baby" Amelia (see below). His barker doesn't work right, so sometimes no sound comes out at all, and other times he sounds like a seal! Joey loves to give me hugs and kisses!

This is my mini Dachshund, Amelia Jellybean. She was born 23 November 2005. She is red with hazel eyes, and the most adorable fat baby belly!!! She is very determined, and brave, as well as very smart. She is also tiny -- she won't be more than 8 pounds!