Hi all,
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A TOWNSEND?S SOLITAIRE, the only one we?ve ever noticed in 22 years at our homesite, showed up to take a bath in our artificial backyard creek, Butyl Creek, today.? This is in residential Beacon Hill, Seattle. ?Mediocre pictures can be found at
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http://ednewbold.com/sightings.html
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The Solitaire capped a big BATHING DAY that?involved over an hour of constant splashing in which many individuals of 16 species all took a bath.? In addition to the Solitaire, there were untold numbers of American Robins,? plus Dark-eyed Juncos, Golden-crowned Sparrows, House Sparrows, House Finch, some American Goldfinch, Ruby-cowned Kinglets, Black-capped Chickadees, Anna?s Hummingbirds, an (unusual here) Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Song Sparrows, Fox Sparrows and Spotted Towhee, two Steller?s Jays and a troop of European Starlings.? (We don?t feed, except the Hummers).
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In another matter that?s not appropriate for tweeters except that the FUTURE OF BIRDS hangs in it?s balance, the new issue of World Birdwatch (Dec. 2008) has a feature on Biofuels titled Driving to Disaster.? This article describes the huge damage being done to the world?s birdlife by biofuel production.? The largescale destruction of the bird-rich South American Cerrado, the conversion of Southeast Asian and African rainforests to biofuel-producing Palm Oil, and the destruction of European agricultural set-asides are all touched on.? The authors are also critical of so-called second generation biofuels and of the absurd claims of biofuel proponents that biofuels reduce greenhouse gases.
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I personally find it ironic that one of the greatest threats to bird biodiversity today is not the aspirations of the world?s newly minted billions of people to live well or even feed themselves, but a political mandate-and-subsidy program developed mostly in Europe and America, cloaked with a ?do-gooder? aura, and?often?backed by corrupt or inattentive environmental organizations.
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Thanks all,
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Ed Newbold? ednewbold1 at yahoo.com ?residential Beacon Hill Seattle
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