The Lovely Little Hummingbird

Late spring signals the arrival of special spring visitors — those flighty little jewels called hummingbirds.

If you haven’t put your hummingbird feeder out yet, you may want to do it in the next few days, because those gorgeous birds will soon look for food and nesting sites.

Hummingbird experts recommend this recipe for your feeder: Use one part white cane sugar to four parts water. Some say boil the water, some say don’t boil the water, so take your pick.

Never use honey or artificial coloring, and store unused portions of your recipe in the refrigerator.

Always keep the feeder clean, not only replacing the sugar solution but washing all parts of the feeder every couple of days, because disease-causing mold appears quickly during hot, humid weather. (Would you eat food that had been left out for two days in summer heat?)

In addition to a feeder or two (a second one is needed if you have male hummingbirds engaging in territorial battles), fill your yard with plants that entice them. Although red flowers are supposed to attract them best, hummingbirds are enticed to many other colors, including blue, yellow and purple. Hummingbird flowers often have long tubes for their long bills and tongues.

Hummingbirds like to be around people and have no trouble flying close to where you sit, so put feeders and flowers close to where you can sit and enjoy them.

Their nests, on the other hand, are not easily seen, because they are so small and in out-of-the-way places like a small tree branch 10 to 20 feet tall. Shaped like an open cup, the nest of a ruby-throated hummingbird is fashioned from thistle and dandelion down, all secured with spider web and covered with lichens on the outside.

If you like to put out dryer lint, twine and other soft material for songbirds to use as nesting material, you may want to try the new Hummer Helper ready-made nesting material. One member of The Hummingbird Society testing it found 15 active hummingbirds nests within 100 feet of the bright-red wire frame holding the soft, fluffy stuff. You’ll find Hummer Helper and similar nesting products at local birding stores and online at sites such as http://www.songbirdessentials.com/.

PLANTS TO DRAW HUMMINGBIRDS

Azalea
Beautybush
Buckeyes
Butterfly bush
Chaste tree (vitex)
Glossy abelia
Hardy hibiscus
Mimosa
Wisteria
Flowers:
Ajuga
Bee balm
Begonia
Bellflower
Black-eyed Susan
Butterfly weed
Cardinal flower
Catmint
Cleome
Columbine
Coral bells
Daylily
Flowering tobacco
Gaillardia
Hollyhock
Hosta
Lantana
Petunia
Purple coneflower
Salvia
Verbena

Four Forty AM

Every morning, exactly at 4:40 the birds start tweeting outside! Not at 4:39 or 4:41, but 4:40 right on the dot. It's almost like an alarm goes off somewhere in nature and wakes all the birds up.

I noticed this last year as well, and may have even blogged about it. Now that I'm on the 2nd floor I'm much closer to the tree tops and hear them even better. Thank goodness they don't get the birds inside started, they wait for sunrise.

Something to look forward to. Chirping and tweeting birds.

Swine Flu

I have previously warned about bird flu and a possible pandemic. It seems that this newest flu has taken the World Health Organization by surprise. Here's a link to help you know what to do to prepare for any type of global virus or pandemic: http://www.pandemicflu.gov/health/whatyoucando.html

A unique strain of swine flu is the suspected killer of dozens of people in Mexico, where authorities closed schools, museums, libraries and theaters in the capital on Friday to try to contain an outbreak that has spurred concerns of a global flu epidemic.

The worrisome new virus — which combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before — also sickened at least eight people in Texas and California, though there have been no deaths in the U.S.

"We are very, very concerned," World Health Organization spokesman Thomas Abraham said. "We have what appears to be a novel virus and it has spread from human to human ... It's all hands on deck at the moment."

The outbreak caused alarm in Mexico, where more than 1,000 people have been sickened. Residents of the capital donned surgical masks and authorities ordered the most sweeping shutdown of public gathering places in a quarter century. President Felipe Calderon met with his Cabinet Friday to coordinate Mexico's response.

The WHO was convening an expert panel to consider whether to raise the pandemic alert level or issue travel advisories.

It might already be too late to contain the outbreak, a prominent U.S. pandemic flu expert said late Friday.

Given how quickly flu can spread around the globe, if these are the first signs of a pandemic, then there are probably cases incubating around the world already, said Dr. Michael Osterholm at the University of Minnesota.

Epidemiologists are particularly concerned because the only fatalities so far were in young people and adults.

The geographical spread of the outbreaks also concerned the WHO — while 13 of the 20 deaths were in Mexico City, the rest were spread across Mexico — four in central San Luis Potosi, two up near the U.S. border in Baja California, and one in southern Oaxaca state.

Scientists have long been concerned that a new flu virus could launch a worldwide pandemic of a killer disease. A new virus could evolve when different flu viruses infect a pig, a person or a bird, mingling their genetic material. The resulting hybrid could spread quickly because people would have no natural defenses against it.

The most notorious flu pandemic is thought to have killed at least 40 million people worldwide in 1918-19. Two other, less deadly flu pandemics struck in 1957 and 1968.

The Puppy Has Been Lei'd

Meet Bo, the Obama family's new puppy!!
How cute is he? And how excited do you think those girls are?

None of the Obama's have ever had a dog, can you believe that?
I am just so happy for them all!

20 Years Later - Still Reasons To Boycott Exxon/Mobil

Twenty years after the Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil in Alaska's Prince William Sound, oil persists in the region and, in some places, "is nearly as toxic as it was the first few weeks after the spill," according to the council overseeing restoration efforts.

"This Exxon Valdez oil is decreasing at a rate of 0-4 percent per year," the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council stated in a report marking Tuesday's 20th anniversary of the worst oil spill in U.S. waters. "At this rate, the remaining oil will take decades and possibly centuries to disappear entirely."

The council's findings come two decades after the March 24, 1989 disaster, when the single-hulled Exxon tanker hit a reef, emptying its contents into Alaskan waters. The spill contaminated more than 1,200 miles of shoreline and killed hundreds of thousands of seabirds and marine animals.

Captain convicted of misdemeanor
The council, made up of three state and three federal appointees, was created to administer the $900 million that Exxon paid to settle lawsuits filed after the accident, which also resulted in criminal charges against the ship's captain, Joseph Hazelwood.

Hazelwood, was accused but then acquitted on a charge of being drunk at the time. He was, however, convicted of negligent discharge of oil, a misdemeanor, and sentenced to a $50,000 fine and 1,000 hours of community service.

In the weeks and months following the spill, thousands of people tried to clean up the contamination. But two decades later, oil persists and is estimated to total around 20,000 gallons, according to the council. One of the lessons learned is that a spill's impacts can last a long time in a habitat with calm, cold waters like Prince William Sound, the council said.

"Following the oil and its impacts over the past 20 years has changed our understanding of the long-term damage from an oil spill," the council stated. "We know that risk assessment for future spills must consider what the total damages will be over a longer period of time, rather than only the acute damages in the days and weeks following a spill."

"One of the most stunning revelations" from studies over the last decade, the council said, "is that Exxon Valdez oil persists in the environment and, in places, is nearly as toxic as it was the first few weeks after the spill."

As a result, some sea otter populations as well as bird species have been slow to recover. Overall, some 200,000 seabirds and 4,000 otters were thought to have died from the contamination.

Oil found 450 miles away
Moreover, surveys "have documented lingering oil also on the Kenai Peninsula and the Katmai coast, over 450 miles away," according to the council.

None of that was expected "at the time of the spill or even ten years later," it added. "In 1999, beaches in the sound appeared clean on the surface. Some subsurface oil had been reported in a few places, but it was expected to decrease over time and most importantly, to have lost its toxicity due to weathering. A few species were not recovering at the expected rate in some areas, but continuing exposure to oil was not suspected as the primary cause."

It turns out that oil often got trapped in semi-enclosed bays for weeks, going up and down with the tide and some of it being pulled down into the sediment below the seabed.

"The cleanup efforts and natural processes, particularly in the winter, cleaned the oil out of the top 2-3 inches, where oxygen and water can flow," the council said, "but did little to affect the large patches of oil farther below the surface."

Sea otter concerns
That area is also biologically rich with mussels, clams and other marine life that help sustain sea otters and ducks.

"Sea otters usually have very small home ranges of a few square kilometers," the council said.

"In these small ranges, it is unlikely that the otters are avoiding areas of lingering oil when foraging.

As a result, "while overall population numbers in western Prince William Sound have recovered, local populations in heavily oiled areas have not recovered as quickly."

There is a plus side to the foraging by otters, since digging in oiled areas does release the contaminants to the water, where they are diluted and dispersed.

Bird concerns
The American Bird Conservancy issued its own warning, stating that while many bird species have recovered several significant ones have not.

The spill killed 5-10 percent of the world's population of Kittlitz's Murrelets, the group said, a species whose numbers declined 99 percent from 1972 to 2004.

"Prior to the spill, the rate of decline was 18 percent per year, but since 1989 that rate has increased to 31 percent," the group stated. "The growing impact of global warming in the Arctic and the melting of glaciers, caused by the burning of oil and other fossil fuels, may also be a factor in this decline."

Two other species cited are: the Pigeon Guillemot, whose populations have steadily declined throughout the sound since the spill; and the Marbled Murrelet, which has not met the recovery objective of a stable population.

The group cited a faster transition to double-hulled oil tankers as the best protection for wildlife. Single-hulled tankers are still allowed in U.S. waters until 2015.

"A similar requirement for double-hulled tankers needs to be made globally to protect birds and other wildlife from future spills," said Michael Fry, the group's conservation director. "Additional marine reserves and no-go zones for tankers during sensitive breeding and staging seasons should also be implemented to protect the most vulnerable species."

Old Dog, New Trick

I'm a big fan of dogs and dog shows. Last night and tonight was the Westminster Dog Show in NYC. There were over 2,500 entries which ended with one dog being named Best In Show. That dog is a 10 year old Sussex Spaniel named Stump.

Stump hadn't been in a dog show for 5 years, he had just been hanging around at home when his handler decided last week to enter him.

He looks to be a worthy successor to Uno, the adorable beagle who was last years Best In Show!

After being named Best In Show, Stump did what I have Hannibal do, which is "sit pretty!" What a funny little guy.

Tweetie Bird

We had a pretty close call with our Tweetie Bird this past week.

I got Tweetie for Chelsea on her 8th birthday. Chelsea just turned 13 in August, so we've had Tweetie for quite some time.

Parakeets are funny and sweet birds. They have tons of personality and, other than the mess they make with their food and poop, are nothing but delight to have around. I've had several parakeets over the years.

The first parakeet I ever had was when I was a kid. I was devastated when, returning from a winter trip to Maine for school vacation, we returned home to find the heat had gone off and Kelly, our beautiful green parakeet, had frozen. That stayed with me over the years and I've always made sure that if I had to be away, my parakeet was safe from cold temperatures. I would either take the bird with me or leave it with a friend. Most of the time, however, my birds were safe at home because I had a low temperature monitor added to my security system. This way, if the temperature dropped to 55 degrees, I would be notified and be able to make arrangements to get the bird to a warm place.

Many years ago, in the late 80's, my friend Jude had one of his windows open in his 3rd floor apartment when a pretty green parakeet flew onto the windowsill. He had the parakeet in his house for several days, pooping all over the place as it flew around, when he asked me if I had a bird cage. I didn't, but I knew who did. I headed to Mr. Cooper's house where I had my pick of many cages because Lillian had always had birds. So I brought a bird cage to Jude's and then took the cage and the bird home with me. That bird, who I named Kelly (in remembrance of my childhood parakeet) was with me for several years. Kelly went on vacation with me to Cape Cod and several times to Maine. Kelly would also tattle on Hooke when he was acting up. I think Kelly realized that I would yell at him when he was trying to dig a hole through the couch, so when I was out of the room, Kelly would yell at him, which would really crack me up. Kelly ended up with a brain tumor (yes I took him to the vet's - twice.) She (or he) died in 1996 and Dennis and I buried her/him down by the pond near my red house.

My next parakeet was called Birdie. Birdie was given to me by my friend Becky and was a very happy, loud funny little character. I had Birdie for a few years and when he/she became ill, she died laying on my chest.

Now Tweetie is one of the funniest parakeets I've ever had. He or she (it's really hard to tell what sex a bird is) interacts with me all day long. Every now and then Tweetie will flap her/his wings as if she/he is flying away. I'll say "Tweetie, don't leave us, we love you, don't go anywhere" and then Tweetie will start squawking and talking back to me. It's very funny and I love it!

Two weeks ago on a Thursday night I noticed that Tweetie had his/her back to us. Vanessa was over with Jaelyn for dinner. I thought that Tweetie was tired, but every day since Tweetie got much worse. I found myself watching him/her constantly and hoping that he/she would get better. I also monitored how much food Tweetie ate and it was very, very little. Two days ago, I thought for sure it would be Tweetie's last day. Then yesterday Tweetie started to be a little more active and ate some food. Today Tweetie is pretty much back to normal, which I am just so happy about.

I'm going to keep a close eye on him/her and hope that whatever the problem was, it's long gone.

Polar Bear vs Sled Dogs

Anybody who has ever stopped by to visit my blog has probably noticed that I'm pretty crazy about polar bears. Tonight I received the following story and pictures in an email from my friend Faith. I thought this would be a good way to share with all of you how incredibly fabulous polar bears are and why we should go above and beyond to protect these magnificent creatures!

If you don't already think animals are far more spiritually advanced than we humans, think again. Here are Norbert Rosing's striking images of a wild polar bear coming upon tethered sled dogs in the wilds of Canada's Hudson Bay. The photographer was sure that he was going to see the end of his dogs when the polar bear wandered in, but...

The polar bear returned every night that week to play with the dogs.

Remember...things are not always what they seem.

Another Great Dog Story

Missti Lavallee of Erie, ND, had been a soldier in the U.S. Army Combat Military Police Corps for nearly a decade when she was injured in the line of duty and told she would never walk again. Not one to give up, Lavallee made the life-changing decision to bring home Lara, a 12-week-old blue heeler/shepherd mix, and train her as her therapy dog.

In the first few months, Lara learned to assist her human by reminding her to take her medicine and fetching Lavallee’s husband when she needed his assistance. Lara even figured out—all on her own—how to test the temperature of Lavallee’s bath water. But the real turning point was when Lavallee lost circulation in her legs—so badly they were turning purple—and the shepherd mix climbed into bed and lay on her legs. “Her breathing and her soft fur heated up my legs—slow enough not to cause more pain, but fast enough to relieve the pain I was in,” Lavallee recalls.

Lara soon knew instinctively when Lavallee needed her legs warmed, and was right there to help. Little by little, as Lavallee’s circulation improved, Lara encouraged her mom to get out of her wheelchair and walk alongside her as they played hide-and-seek with her two daughters.

“Doing the 'seeking' with Lara gave me motivation to get up and walk alongside her, no matter how hard it was or how much it hurt,” Lavallee tells us.

This former soldier believes her amazing dog encouraged her to focus on her and the kids instead of on the pain. “Lara did what four doctors in two countries could not—after about eight months, I began to walk!” Lavallee says. “Let me say that again because it feels so good. Thanks to my blue heeler/shepherd mix, I can now walk!” That winter, for the first time in a long time, Lavallee was able to go outside and play with her two daughters.

Lara’s assistance extends beyond the physical. She’s also a nanny! “I don’t have to worry about the kids fighting with each other,” says Lavallee. “Lara is quick to get between them and tell them to knock it off with one ‘Woof! She’s tough! Being a female soldier, I learned that the words ‘I can't’ and ‘No’ are fighting words—and Lara helped me win the fight.”

Great Dog Story

Omar Eduardo Rivera worked on the 71st floor of the World Trade Center until September 11, 2001. On that day, Rivera, who is blind, was at his job as a computer technician with his dog Dorado under his desk.

When two hijacked planes hit the towers, Rivera knew it would take him a long time to evacuate the building.*“I thought I was lost forever—the noise and the heat were terrifying—but I had to give Dorado the chance of escape. So I unclipped his lead, ruffled his head, gave him a nudge and ordered Dorado to go.”

The dog was swept downstairs by the crowd of people. A few minutes later, Rivera felt the dog nuzzling his legs. He had come back up the staircase! Dorado and a co-worker helped Rivera climb down 70 flights, a trip that took an hour.

Shortly after they emerged at ground level, the building collapsed. Rivera declared he owes his life to his companion and best friend, Dorado

Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires

For those of us who grew up in the 60's and 70's, Smokey The Bear was often seen on the TV in commercials telling us how to be safe in the forest. He's kept a low profile lately, and now is making up for lost time. Here he is welcoming folks into the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. He sure is cute!



Smokey The Bear has had many advances over the years, it seems. He now can drive and his ride of choice looks to be an ATV quad. I'm sure that a bear with his high standards has a license and insurance for his safety.

But wait!! It looks like Smokey has a truck!! Wow, he rides ATV's and drives a pick-up truck? You know, there's something women like in a pick-up man, uh, bear! However, it looks like there may be a problem. Or maybe Smokey's just doing a little preventative maintenance.

Holy Smokes!! (Pardon the pun.) It looks like he really has gotten around, now he's picked-up a woman (or has she picked him up?) She really is looking quite pleased with herself and she IS giving a thumbs up!

But Wait!! She's taking Smokey The Bear away, just as he has re-emerged from his self imposed hibernation!! Though he looks like he might be trying to get away. Or she probably laid hard on the gas and he's falling off?

Ah, Smokey, we're gonna miss you. But we hope you have a happily ever after with this woman who kidnapped, uh, took you away.

PS. SMOKEY THE BEAR IS MY FRIEND, JOE, WHO WORKS IN THE FOREST EVERY SUMMER AND HAS FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS. GOOD JOB, JOSEPH!!

Cute, Cute And More Cute

I get most (90%) of my news on the internet. This started when the idiot was running for president and as only gotten more prevalent as the years have passed. I also rarely watch TV, other than the shows that I record. So, today I read that the Today show had a Cutest Puppy in America contest. And here are the pictures I found. I could not resist sharing them.

This is my winner. They look like polar bears!
This is their winner, he reminds me of Emilee when she wants something from me! And here's all the rest:

Look at the eyes on these beautiful babies.
This is my 1st runner up, so freakin cute!

I'd love to have a dog whose ears stand up!

Wrinkly cuteness.
Sweetness and snow.

He looks like he'll be trouble when he's older!
Is that Hookey or Hannibal as puppies? Could be either!
This guy looks like a stuffed animal!
My nephew Matthew loves Yorkies!

Gotta love a smiling Golden.
I want them ALL!!!!

Oil Trumps Whales

Northern right whale with calf, Eubalaena glacialis. Photo: Georgia Department of Natural Resources

The Bush administration wants to open 5.6 million acres in the Bering Sea off Alaska to oil and gas leasing, including an area north of the Aleutian Islands near Bristol Bay designated critical habitat for the North Pacific right whale. The proposal was published in Tuesday's Federal Register by the Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS), as reported by the Center for Biological Diversity. North Pacific right whales once ranged from California to Alaska and across the North Pacific to Russia and Japan. They were decimated by commercial whaling and remain the most endangered large whale in the world. Fewer than 50 individuals remain in the Bering Sea population.

"Drilling in Bristol Bay would be drilling through the heart of the most important habitat of the most endangered whale on the planet," said Brendan Cummings of the Center for Biological Diversity. “If the North Pacific right whale is to have any chance of survival, we must protect its critical habitat, not auction it off to oil companies." The CBD reports the leasing proposal was made the same day the National Marine Fisheries Service, another federal agency, published a final rule in the Federal Register naming portions of the lease area as critical habitat for the North Pacific right whale. Ooops.

"Unfortunately, for the right whale it’s one step forward, two steps back," said Cummings. "One branch of the federal government is acting to protect the critical habitat of the North Pacific right whale, while another branch is simultaneously proposing to destroy it." It's also reminiscent of the recent MMS decision to lease important polar bear habitat in the Chukchi Sea at the same time the US Fish and Wildlife Service was considering offering the bears protection under the Endangered Species Act. Both agencies are part of Dirk Kempthorne's Department of the Oilterior, uhm, Interior.

The latest leasing proposal would sell the North Aleutian Basin lease in 2011… One more reason we need the Right President to protect the Right Whales. Not to mention the right one to wean us off the oil economy rather than enable it.

Julia Whitty is Mother Jones' environmental correspondent, lecturer, and 2008 winner of the Kiriyama Prize and the John Burroughs Medal Award. You can read from her new book, The Fragile Edge, and other writings, here.

Absolutely Unbelieveable

You HAVE to watch this video, it is awesome:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He7Ge7Sogrk

Seal Hunt

I just found out recently that Canada still allows seal hunting - as of tomorrow the seal hunting season is open for business, and a nasty business it is, to be sure.

Despite global opposition, Canada's sealers are gearing up to slaughter the first of 275,000 seals tomorrow. They kill mostly babies - for their fur.

Here's a link to the Humane Society: http://www.hsus.org/

The Endangered Polar Bear

The Interior Department's inspector general has begun a preliminary investigation into why the department has delayed for nearly two months a decision on listing the polar bear as threatened because of the loss of Arctic sea ice.

A recommendation to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne was to have been made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on whether to declare the bear threatened in early January. But when the deadline came, the agency said it needed another month, a timetable that also was not met.

A spokesman for the department's inspector general's office said a case had been opened in response to a letter from several environmental groups. He said the preliminary inquiry would determine whether a full-fledged investigation is warranted.

Last September a series of reports from the U.S. Geological Survey predicted that as much as two-thirds of the polar bear population could disappear by mid-century because of the loss of sea ice attributed to climate change.

Environmentalists have argued that politics is involved. They cite the decision to proceed with an auction for oil and gas leases in early February in the Alaska's Chukchi Sea. The sea ice in those waters provides a key habitat for polar bears.

Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., who held a hearing in January on the polar bear listing, said "this internal investigation is needed and long overdue.

"Given this administration's closeness with the oil industry, its history of politicizing scientific decisions ... I am wary of the integrity of this process," said Markey in a statement.

The Joys Of Hybernation

The Commonwealth had their annual inventory of black bears this week and a new mother bear and her cubs were discovered. The cubs are just 5 weeks old!

Flocke

I truly love animals and besides the dog, which is my favorite - I love bears. Any documentaries on polar, grizzly or black bears are watched over and over by me (and sometimes visiting nieces and nephews.)

Did you know there are only 8 species of bears? They are truly amazing creatures and it's sad that, except for the black bear, they are endangered - especially the polar bear.

So while I'm not crazy about them living in captivity, it's nice to read about them, especially the cubs when they are born. It's also nice to know that some good can happen in Nuremberg. acdc

NUREMBERG, Germany - In the end, the official name for Nuremberg zoo’s celebrity baby polar bear was no surprise at all.

The 6½-pound bundle of fluff that zookeepers dubbed Flocke, or Flake — as in snowflake — will be called ... Flocke.

“The most important thing leading to this decision was that was the name that the zookeepers, based on their first impressions, gave her,” Nuremberg Mayor Ulrich Maly told a news conference.

Some 50,000 name suggestions came in from around the world in e-mails, which also showed strong support for keeping the name Flocke, Maly said.

The 5-week-old cub attained star status after being taken from her mother, Vera, on Jan. 8 amid concerns that she could harm or even kill the newborn.

The Bavarian city’s zoo made the decision to bottle-feed the cub and not return her to her mother after keepers spotted Vera carrying the cub around in her jaws and tossing it around her enclosure.

On the polar bear’s Internet home page, the zoo thanked all those who participated for “the many creative and original suggestions.”

Little more than a year ago, another polar bear club in Germany — Knut — was hand-raised by his keepers in Berlin and became a celebrity after being rescued when his mother rejected him.

Mass-circulation daily Bild already has asked of the new cub: “Will she become Mrs. Knut?”

Zookeeper Harald Hager told reporters Flocke was doing well but was, well, a little boring. “Outside of eating and sleeping, she’s doing nothing at the moment.”

Bengal Tiger Habitat Destruction

Habitat destruction is forcing India's endangered tigers to new grounds, including high mountains which have a sufficient prey base but are not known to be the natural home of the big cats.

With forests in the foothills being built over and cleared for farming, wildlife experts say tigers are being increasingly spotted in high altitudes in India's northeast and west.

But they say tigers could still be as endangered in their new environment and are not as adaptable as leopards.

India's wildlife crisis, highlighted best by the dwindling tiger and lion population, has caused huge national concern, pushing authorities to declare new measures to save the cats.

Experts say increasing human interference such as development, encroachment and destruction of habitat, as well as poaching, are the main threats to animals across India, from the Himalayas to Indian Ocean islands.

India is thought to be home to half the world's surviving tigers, but according to a census in 2001 and 2002, their numbers have dwindled to between 1,300 and 1,500 from 40,000 a century ago.

Raptor redux: Bald is beautiful

10 great places to see our nation's iconic bird
By Rob Lovitt
Travel writer
MSNBC contributor

I've always longed to see a bald eagle, and, according to this article there are lots of them right up the road in Maine. I'm thinking of taking a ride...

Break out the binoculars and spotting scopes — the bald eagle is back, and now’s the time to see them. Populations are rising, leaves are falling (making for easier viewing) and, with winter approaching, it’s prime time for sightings.

The 10 states below, for example, have the highest populations of nesting pairs, a crucial factor in the government’s decision to remove the bird from the Endangered Species List. And for the next several months, they’ll be feeding, flying and posing for photographs from coast to coast. (Note: States are listed in descending order by nesting pairs, not by the numbers that congregate in any one locale.)

Alaska Each fall, the world’s largest gathering of bald eagles takes place when more than 3,000 birds congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve near Haines. Roadside pullouts, interpretive sites and raised boardwalks make it easy to the catch the avian action, while an annual festival (November 7–11 this year) offers educational workshops, guided excursions and demonstrations with live birds.

Minnesota Fifty-five miles south of the Twin Cities, the city of Red Wing attracts eagles thanks to a local steam plant that keeps the Mississippi ice-free. Resident eagles can be seen year-round — head to Colvill Park or Bay Point Park — with migrating birds showing up in early November. Volunteers with spotting scopes are on hand many weekends during February and March. The new National Eagle Center in Wabasha, 30 miles south, is also worth a visit.

Florida With approximately 1,200 nesting pairs, Florida is flush with bald eagles, although they don’t congregate in any one area. Nevertheless, several natural areas outside Orlando offer good, year-round viewing opportunities with Lake Kissimmee State Park, east of Lake Wales, considered among the best.

Wisconsin Just outside Madison, the Wisconsin River flows through the twin villages of Sauk City and Prairie du Sac where high bluffs and a hydro-electric plant keep the river sheltered and ice-free. Bald eagles begin arriving in mid-November; by January, there may be 200–300. During Bald Eagle Watching Days (January 19–20), visitors can experience live-bird displays, guided bus tours and tastings of nearby Wollersheim Winery’s Eagle White wine.

Washington Every winter, 500 or more eagles make their way to the Skagit River to feed on spawned-out chum salmon (M’m! M’m! Good!). The most popular stretch is along Highway 20 between Marblemount and Rockport, with the best viewing between Christmas and mid-January. Visit the Skagit River Interpretive Center in Rockport, take an eagle-viewing raft trip and, if your schedule allows, attend the Upper Skagit Bald Eagle Festival January 26–27.

Virginia In 1969, the federal government created the first national wildlife refuge established specifically for the protection of bald eagles. Today, the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, 18 miles south of Washington, D.C., is the winter home to 50 or more birds. From November to March, the Great Marsh Trail provides the best viewing opportunities as the birds court, breed and prepare their nests for April hatches.

Michigan With its open water and abundant waterfowl, the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge, outside Saginaw, attracts migrating bald eagles throughout the winter and early spring. To see them, follow the Ferguson Bayou Trail two miles to Grefe Tower, a 10-foot-high platform overlooking marshes, pools and grassland.

Oregon/California Several states have more resident bald eagles, but the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges Complex on the Oregon-California border draws more birds than any other single spot in the lower 48. Highlights include early-morning “fly-outs” as large numbers of eagles leave their night roosts in the Bear Valley Refuge and the annual Winter Wings Festival in Klamath Falls, which will take place February 15–17.

Maine Thanks to it's extensive coastline (almost 3,500 miles!), Maine has more bald eagles than the rest of New England combined, with the heaviest concentrations Downeast between Lubec and Calais. Cobscook Bay State Park and the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge both have resident eagles; the refuge also features an observation deck with spotting scopes trained on an aerie right next to Route 1.

Maryland The Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on the state’s Eastern Shore is home to the largest nesting population of bald eagles in the eastern U.S. outside Florida. Visitors can usually view the birds along the refuge’s Wildlife Drive or from a second-floor observation deck in the Visitor Center. The refuge also hosts an annual Eagle Festival in March, which features live birds, “eagle prowls” and Native American presentations.