You are browsing the archives of 2006 April.

My good friend Eran just returned from a visit to Israel. Eran belongs to that surprisingly large segment of the population that looks on birding with bemusement rather than interest, but he is a generous soul. Since I couldn’t be with him to appreciate the birds of Israel, he brought some back to me in [...]

Yesterday, April 9, was my birthday, an occasion that allotted me an array of indulgences, from Pecan-Raisin French Toast for breakfast (with real maple syrup, naturally) to an assortment of festive physiological pollutants throughout the day. I like to share my special day with family and with friends, but whatever the itinerary, part of it [...]

09 April 2006
Poultry Flu - UK government’s chief scientific adviser says, Risk of human flu outbreak ‘low’
 
Article adapted from BBC News Online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4893366.stm)
Published: 09 April 2006

The chances of bird flu virus mutating into a form that spreads between humans are “very low”, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser has said.

Speaking on ITV1’s Jonathan Dimbleby [...]

(Thanks to Katie at the wonderful Bogbumper for inspiring this post).

There is an advert on TV here in the UK for a brand of photocopier which has a manager of a small business walking into an office in which a cat is sat in front of an easel supposedly adding daubs of paint to a [...]

While sitting at my desk yesterday, I gazed out the window, as is my habit, just as a large black bird flew by. I don’t usually pay attention to passing crows, but this bird had that something special that made me sit up and take notice. It was bigger than a crow, heavier, and sported [...]

Placerita Canyon, Frank G Bonelli Regional County Park, Franklin Canyon Reservoir, and Sepulveda BasinCalifornia, USA

02 April 2006
 

Placerita Canyon

 
I spent yesterday (02 April) birding in the Placerita Canyon State Park (the site of the first gold strike in California apparently), the Frank G Bonelli Regional County Park (named incidentally for an LA County Supervisor and not [...]

Sara and I realized our interest in birding just three scant years ago, and what a time it’s been. We have, as regular readers of this blog know, learned a lot in that time. However, this spring is the first in which I feel attuned to the rhythms of returning birds. The knowledge of which [...]