White-bellied Cinclodes. Habitat Loss. Spotted Owl. Cockfighting. Grooming.

White-bellied Cinclodes


"The White-bellied Cinclodes is the largest and rarest member of its genus, and is only found in treeless bogs or grasslands high in the Andes of central Peru. These birds are usually seen in pairs or small groups.
The primary threats to this cinclodes are illegal peat harvesting (the peat is gathered for mushroom farms elsewhere), mining operations, increased human populations, overgrazing, and free-roaming dogs. Conservation action is urgently needed, and ABC and ECOAN are now exploring opportunities with local mining companies to create new protected areas to enable better management of portions of the birds’ remaining habitat.
In 2007, ABC funded a search of 11 sites in Peru for this species. The search found 12 birds at only three locations, with the highest total (six) at Ticlio Pass. On a trip in June 2011, ABC and its Peruvian partner ECOAN observed fewer birds than usual, along with new signs of habitat degradation.
To view rare video footage of this species, click here."
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American Bird Conservancy's Domestic Habitat Programs


Whooping Cranes by Al Perry
"Habitat loss and poor habitat management remain the greatest threats to birds in the United States. In North America, vast areas of wetlands were drained prior to the middle of the 20th Century, most of the eastern forests were logged before 1900, and virtually all the tall-grass prairies have now been converted to agriculture, causing declines in birds dependent on those habitats.
ABC engages in broad-scale, partner-based work across the United States, using the best available conservation science, data, and planning, to conserve or expand millions of acres of public and private lands in order to benefit dozens of threatened bird species and hundreds more declining species.
ABC is a key player in Partners in Flight and the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, and provides leadership in several Joint Ventures. JVs are regional partnerships involving federal, state, and local government agencies, corporations, tribes, individuals, and a wide range of non-governmental organizations which advance conservation efforts and help identify local land use priorities. JVs provide coordination for conservation planning and implementation that benefit birds and other species using science-based goals and strategies, and a non-regulatory approach for achieving conservation. "
ABC also conducts on-the-ground habitat conservation initiatives for priority birds:
Northern Bobwhite
Marbled Murrelet and Spotted Owl
Interior Least Tern
Cavity-nesting birds (Lewis's Woodpecker, Flammulated Owl, White-headed Woodpecker)
Golden-winged Warbler
Birds in oak habitats
Western Bluebird
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Spotted Owl

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"The Northern subspecies of the Spotted Owl has received much media attention because of the ongoing, controversial logging of the old-growth forest that comprises its favored habitat. Up to 85 percent of its original habitat has been lost, which has led to ongoing population declines.
There are four recognized subspecies of this owl; the Northern and Mexican were listed under the Endangered Species Act in the 1990s, and areas of Critical Habitat were designated to help recover populations. Despite these actions, Northern Spotted Owl numbers continue to decline at a rate of 2.9 percent per year.
The biggest threat to the Spotted Owl is the loss and degradation of its habitat due to clear-cutting, fragmentation, and fire suppression. Competition with the more aggressive Barred Owl, which has spread west into Northern Spotted Owl territories, also poses a significant threat.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a final recovery plan for the Northern Spotted Owl in June 2011, with goals of protecting the best of its remaining habitat, actively managing forests to improve forest health, and reducing competition from Barred Owls."
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"This Bird New Network video by American Bird Conservancy (http://www.abcbirds.org/ highlights the Northern Spotted Owl, a threatened species that has been a symbol of the controversy over how to manage the remaining old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest."

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Video of Cruelty in The Lone Star State, Cockfighting.
And they even take their children!  Unfortunately it isn't just in TX.
http://humanesociety.org/news/multimedia/index.html?fr_chl=f42e3359c059f99def5af7a100609330b265f915&fr_story=d89443eed93d74934e078b175d7736167df9daa1&rf=cs
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Yesterday:

Jay and I were going to router the Formica on the cargo trailer's table, while we were waiting to find out when I was supposed to take Pal to his new 'Mom'.   After I had picked up Jay, just as we were pulling into my carport, my phone rang.  It was my SPCS boss saying that Pal wouldn't be leaving yesterday, maybe today. 

Well, I had booked to groom Mikey today, so I backed out the car, and we went to see if Sam wanted Mikey groomed.  Sam has had a stroke, and is difficult to understand, so he doesn't use his phone.   I have to go right past there to take Jay home, anyway.









I took Jay back home, and groomed Mikey, as Sam was happy to get the appointment bumped up a day.