A penguin that was found WAY off course in New Zealand is getting a lift back towards its flock. Here’s a counter point to the story. Someone posted it on the Birdchick Facebook wall and I think didn’t get the reaction from me he was expecting.
More buzz is coming out about Big Year, this movie writer is not sure birdwatching can be funny. Meanwhile, it looks like Fox has finally made their official movie page live.
An article about ptarmigan and how being faster makes you better at mating…glad I’m not married to a ptarmigan.
Popular Internet photos this week: Bald Blue Jay and albino Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
Book I’m loving this week is Avian Architecture
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I think perhaps the word you’re looking for is “mascot”? As in “‘Happy Feet’ has become a mascot for New Zealand bird conservation”.
I don’t think it’s just due to the economy. No matter how good the economy is, someone will object to someone’s use of their funds/resources/time.
The bald bird you linked to does look very odd; I can see why people ask about them. It looks like a very very small Skeksis.
My wife went to a Lutheran school for high school, for reasons completely unrelated to religion (her family is UCC). Parochial schools tend to be academically very good and not massively super-sports-centric.
I can’t wait to see _The Big Year_. The three principle actors have the chops to make it brilliant. I just hope the script and direction is up to it. Birders could certainly made to be funny; the question is can it be done without being stupid too.
Craig…before Catholic school I was in a Lutheran school for a couple of years. My family wasn’t Lutheran either. I swear I was not a troublemaker.
Bald birds totally look like Skeksis!
Princeton Field Guides’ “Birds of Europe – 2nd Edition” looks like it covers Israel.
I also love “Avian Architecture”. Very captivating for the curious.
The word I’ve always heard is ambassador. This penguin is an ambassador for New Zealand wild life conservation and penguins in general.
I agree with NBB in that there is always someone that will say there is a better way to spend money. Yes, rehabilitating this bird was expensive, but it may get people into conservation and lead to a better informed public. I think of it as an opportunity cost. Most people who are really into conservation/ecology understand that preserving habitat is the most important thing to do but these sorts of feel good, high profile stories are what get people to donate. Just like NBB said with charismatic megafauna. People donate to the WWF because of pandas and tigers but they are just ambassadors for all the other wildlife that is being protected.
I can’t wait to hear Steve Martin doing the rounds plugging this movie. His brief discussion of birding in the album write up of the song “rare bird alert” on his latest album is great (and his taking it serious).
“The movie is about competitive bird watching. Makes you want to see it, doesn’t it?”
Read the write-up in the album (CD), and then look up the NY Times article on the Gray Hooded Gull that was seen in Coney Island.
Re: Bear River Refuge – hope you have read, or can read, “Refuge” by Terry Tempest Williams from about 1991.