Recently in birds Category

The Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society has issued a public awareness notice about that plastic Easter "grass" that comes in all the baskets and winds up in many Easter egg hunts.

It seems that the grass can be picked up by Bluebirds and other cavity nesters such as Tree

Swallows that build their nests out of grass.

They weave it into their nests, but the material can be dangerous to adults and chicks alike. Birds get tangled in the strong plastic grass and get trapped, unable to leave the nest to feed or fly away.





If you want to help spread the word about this little-known danger, here's how you can help:

Now in its third year, the Bluebird Nest Box Project has first-hand experience with this danger, especially in the spring. Our nest box monitors have continually removed strands that have been woven into the nests, as well as picked up and disposed of in clusters found on the ground.

This year, in an attempt to educate the public about this danger, we're working with the staff at Harbor (Ken Malloy - Regional) Park to get the word out. We've created an informational flier on poles and picnic tables, and the nest box monitors will be giving them to park visitors during our weekly nest box checks.

The flier is available on our website at:

http://pvsb-audubon.org/bluebirdproject.html or click here.

You can help by either passing the word to family and friends or by joining the group at Harbor Park to hand out fliers. Go to the website for contact information.

And if you see the plastic grass lying in a park or your yard, pick it up!

Here's another article on the topic.

Bluebirds are pictured below.

I was enjoying a startingly beautiful sunset at a friend's house on the Palos Verdes Peninsula the other night. We were enjoying a glass of wine and watching a dolphin dancing in the water.

 All of a sudden, I heard this horrible screaming sound. It sounded horrible. It sounded like somebody was pulling the hair out of a child's head. It sounded exactly like my dog, but multiplied by a hundred.

What's that ghastly sound? I asked my friend.

"Oh," she said, "that's just the peafowl. They do that all the time."

It seems that others have noticed the noise (and the constant pooping too). My colleague Melissa Pamer has an article about the horrible animals. They're causing problems again in Rancho Palos Verdes. Here's the start:

While some locals appreciate their rich coloring and luxuriant plumage, other complain about their ear-splitting shrieks and copious excrement.

Today, peacocks and peahens are back in the spotlight on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, where the birds have been known to ruffle feathers.

The Rancho Palos Verdes City Council tonight will consider what to do about the creatures known collectively as peafowl.

In recent years, the city has seen an uptick in complaints about the birds. A recent peafowl "census" showed the population up 53 percent since a count in 2000.

 

 

 

While some locals appreciate their rich coloring and luxuriant plumage, other complain about their ear-splitting shrieks and copious excrement.

Today, peacocks and peahens are back in the spotlight on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, where the birds have been known to ruffle feathers.

The Rancho Palos Verdes City Council tonight will consider what to do about the creatures known collectively as peafowl.

In recent years, the city has seen an uptick in complaints about the birds. A recent peafowl "census" showed the population up 53 percent since a count in 2000.

People were upset when the Beatles were awarded the MBE, but I guess standards have lowered since the 1960s, even in the realms of knighthood.

According to a BBC story, a penguin has been knighted by Norwegians. The video is classic.

Penguin Nils Olav has been an honorary member and mascot of the Norwegian King's Guard since 1972.

Over the years, he has been promoted through the ranks after being adopted by Royal Guard who visited the zoo.

During the ceremony, Nils had a sword dubbed on each side of his head, where his shoulders should be, to confirm his regimental knighthood.

A crowd of several hundred people joined the 130 guardsmen at the zoo. A citation from King Harald the Fifth of Norway was read out, which described Nils as a penguin "in every way qualified to receive the honour and dignity of knighthood".

Burgess Meredith was unavalable for comment. 

Peter Wallerstein is familiar to beach communities as the guy who rescues lost, abandoned or trapped sea mammals. I imagine that over the years, his Marine Animal Rescue has saved thousands of seals and sea lions.

But Peter has apparently been spreading his wings lately. In his most recent e-mail to us, he recounts how he saved a couple of birds from South Bay streets -- a breat blue heron in Marina del Rey and a pelican in Lawndale.

Here are their pictures. For non-bird experts like me who can't tell a canary from a crow, the heron is the top pic.

 

I just got finished one post about a parrot and then found this. This isn't a political blog, so I'm posting it only because I think it's amusing, not because the bird is an Obama supporter. If you know any animals that can say 'McCain," "Clinton" or even "Barr," let me know.

 

We're generally all about dogs (and sometimes cats) here at South Bay Pets. But we're expanding. Here's a story about an animal that isn't even a mammal.

  A parrot in Japan got lost, but managed to tell his rescuers where he lived.

"I'm Mr. Yosuke Nakamura," the bird told the veterinarian, according to Uemura. The parrot also provided his full home address, down to the street number, and even entertained the hospital staff by singing songs.

If my dog or cat learned how to speak, well, I'd have to leave the state.