Subject: Moscow, ID ramblings
Date: Jul 8 07:41:08 1997
From: Patrick Scott - scott931 at uidaho.edu



We spotted a Belted Kingfisher along the power lines between Moscow and
Pullman, checking out Paradise Creek with an intense look. Couldn't tell
whether he was actively fishing or just deciding whether the chlorine
level was right (apparently Moscow's Ghormley Pool has recently been
leaking a lot of chlorinated water into the creek).

We've been following the life of a certain Canada Goose at the Lewiston
Levee whose collar reads 24CW. We met him last year and noted his amazing
ability to "bonk" his head; he flips it up and down, side to side, then
hangs it along the water to hiss and stick his tongue out (all of this
when another goose gets too close, especially in proximity to his would-be
breakfast of bread). He and his mate (prhaps she and her mate, but 24CW's
neck seems to be noticably more robust) had two goslings this season which
are now almost ready to fledge. All of them, the goslings and the mate,
have begun "bonking" with the idiosyncratic regularity of 24CW.

There's also a duckling at the Lewiston Levees which has been darted in
the head with some sort of dart gun. This is the second bird we've seen
like this; the first had gotten the dart in her eye. This one has it
sticking out of the back of its head. I'm wondering--have any other
Tweeters seen this sort of thing happen and what measures would they
suggest to prevent it from happening? It seems like there's some sicko who
gets off on wounding birds that can't fly.

Well, that's enough ramblings for now!

-Pat
Moscow, ID