A hen in Sri Lanka gave birth to a live, eggless chick but died from internal wounds in the process. Veterinarians claim to never have seen such an incident. The egg incubated inside the hen and the chick hatched prior to birth.
A Sri Lankan newspaper joked, "The chicken came first, not the egg."
© C Harris Lynn, 2012
The paranormal, the Supernatural, the odd and Unexplained
Featured Post
5 Cults from the 1960s and 1970s
By Nancy Wong - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44405530 America, and the Western World in ...
Showing posts with label ornithological. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ornithological. Show all posts
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Monday, August 23, 2010
Roy: Border Collie, Duckherder
A Northumberland border collie is training to make the English sheepdog team by herding ducks. Roy's 24-year-old owner, Emma Gray, says the Indian Runner ducks make for good training because they are slow and more predictable than sheep.
Roy has become a hit with visitors to the Morpeth farm, but Ms. Gray is hoping Roy is chosen to represent the UK in the International Sheep Dog Society (ISDS) World Trials. The competition is held every three years.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Roy has become a hit with visitors to the Morpeth farm, but Ms. Gray is hoping Roy is chosen to represent the UK in the International Sheep Dog Society (ISDS) World Trials. The competition is held every three years.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Friday, April 10, 2009
Darwin's Egg Rediscovered
Charles Darwin, considered the father of evolution, once traveled on the HMS Beagle, collecting eggs and other specimens throughout his trip. Amongst these were eggs from different birds. At one time, up to a dozen of these eggs were thought to exist, but none have ever been found... until now.
A volunteer at Cambridge University was sorting the eggs in the museum's collection when she came upon a small, brown egg that was cracked and bears the inscription, "C Darwin." The collections manager, Matt Lowe, was the first to realize the egg's importance. The museum's ornithological curator, Dr. Michael Brooke, traced the egg back through Professor Alfred Newton's notebooks. Newton was a zoologist and peer of Darwin's, who wrote about receiving the egg in the mail.
Newton's notes say Darwin packed the egg in too small a box, causing the crack. He goes on to say Darwin came across it in Uruguay and it is from the Common Tinamou, indigenous to those parts. Darwin originally mistook the bird for a partridge and wrote that its cooked meat was "most delicately white."
© C Harris Lynn, 2009
A volunteer at Cambridge University was sorting the eggs in the museum's collection when she came upon a small, brown egg that was cracked and bears the inscription, "C Darwin." The collections manager, Matt Lowe, was the first to realize the egg's importance. The museum's ornithological curator, Dr. Michael Brooke, traced the egg back through Professor Alfred Newton's notebooks. Newton was a zoologist and peer of Darwin's, who wrote about receiving the egg in the mail.
Newton's notes say Darwin packed the egg in too small a box, causing the crack. He goes on to say Darwin came across it in Uruguay and it is from the Common Tinamou, indigenous to those parts. Darwin originally mistook the bird for a partridge and wrote that its cooked meat was "most delicately white."
© C Harris Lynn, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Pink Pigeon at Blank Park Zoo
The Mauritius pigeon is pink, and is one of the rarest birds in the world. The endangered species numbers fewer than 50 in captivity and had fallen to less than half that in the 1970s. Now, a female Mauritius pink pigeon is at the Blank Park Zoo, awaiting a mate. Though zookeepers don't know where that mate will come from.
The bird is the rarest in the Des Moines zoo and came from San Antonio, where it hatched exactly one year ago. Thanks to the work of volunteers, there are nearly 400 pink pigeons living in the wild now. The Iowa zoo recently opened a glassed center for avians and has had much success breeding birds.
© C Harris Lynn, 2009
The bird is the rarest in the Des Moines zoo and came from San Antonio, where it hatched exactly one year ago. Thanks to the work of volunteers, there are nearly 400 pink pigeons living in the wild now. The Iowa zoo recently opened a glassed center for avians and has had much success breeding birds.
© C Harris Lynn, 2009
Sunday, December 21, 2008
White Christmas Robin
Believed to be the only albino robin in all of Britain, visitors are flocking (ha!) to get a glimpse of Snowflake, the robin. Albino robins are nearly unique in the wild, as their coloration makes them easy prey for predators, such as the sparrowhawk. But Snowflake has been ubiquitous amongst the cherry trees of Hampstead Heath this holiday season and has become a bit of a celebrity.
If you are in the area, be on the lookout for the fellow, "You'd have to be a very lucky person to ever see another live white robin in the wild. This is a unique and magical experience."
Robins have a special connection to Christmas and began appearing on Christmas cards in the 19th-Century, according to research conducted by author, David Lack. Check out the pictures and learn more in this article from the Sunday Express.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
If you are in the area, be on the lookout for the fellow, "You'd have to be a very lucky person to ever see another live white robin in the wild. This is a unique and magical experience."
Robins have a special connection to Christmas and began appearing on Christmas cards in the 19th-Century, according to research conducted by author, David Lack. Check out the pictures and learn more in this article from the Sunday Express.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Firemen Attempt to Rescue Plastic Owl
After being alerted that an owl perched on a telephone pole had not moved in days, fire crews and RSPCA workers arrived on the scene. They shouted at the bird for nearly a 1/2-hour without response and finally climbed the pole. To discover the owl was actually a plastic replica placed there by the telephone company!
The plastic owl is used to deter woodpeckers and other birds from perching on the poles. Obviously, better communications between departments is needed, but since this story is getting major online media attention, I have a feeling the mistake will not be repeated too often.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
The plastic owl is used to deter woodpeckers and other birds from perching on the poles. Obviously, better communications between departments is needed, but since this story is getting major online media attention, I have a feeling the mistake will not be repeated too often.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Sea Eagles Eat Sheep
Sheep farmers in remote Northern Scotland are upset over a conservation plan that has been releasing once extinct sea eagles into the region because they feast on lambs up to one year old.
While they claim to have lost up to 200 lambs over the last five years, conservationists question that number. The sea eagles have a wingspan of up to 8-9' and can weigh up to nearly 20 lbs. Conservationists began releasing them back into the area in 1975, after they had been extinct in the region for most of the 20th-Century.
The eagles are a source of income for the area, bringing in tourists. Large sheep bones were found in nests, but conservationists say they were of a size to suggest they had been scavenged. They called the reported number of missing lambs "extremely surprising."
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
While they claim to have lost up to 200 lambs over the last five years, conservationists question that number. The sea eagles have a wingspan of up to 8-9' and can weigh up to nearly 20 lbs. Conservationists began releasing them back into the area in 1975, after they had been extinct in the region for most of the 20th-Century.
The eagles are a source of income for the area, bringing in tourists. Large sheep bones were found in nests, but conservationists say they were of a size to suggest they had been scavenged. They called the reported number of missing lambs "extremely surprising."
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Pterodactyl in Wenatchee, Washington?
A 29-year old man from Wenatchee, Washington, wrecked his car on a lightpole in December of last year. When police investigating the crash asked him what happened, he said, "Pterodactyl."
Witnesses claim the man veered into oncoming traffic before plowing into the lightpole and police found "a minimal amount of alcohol" in his system. None of the crash witnesses reported any airborne objects, whether or not any were present.
While most likely a drunken incident, this is far from the first time the prehistoric pterodactyl has been reported in modern times. In particular, reports persist in the Southwestern United States (notably Arizona and Texas) to this day. Some cryptozoologists and phenomenalists have even suggested that the infamous Mothman sightings of the 1960s may have been related to a pterodactyl(s).
Most recently, the Sci-Fi Channel hit series, Destination Truth, caught something on camera in Rio Branco where the local populace has been complaining of a "winged monster." Whatever it was had bright, red eyes, just as reported.
As noted, Washington is quite a ways out of the pterodactyl's normal stamping grounds, but the center of Batsquatch activity.
Source: Olyblog
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Witnesses claim the man veered into oncoming traffic before plowing into the lightpole and police found "a minimal amount of alcohol" in his system. None of the crash witnesses reported any airborne objects, whether or not any were present.
While most likely a drunken incident, this is far from the first time the prehistoric pterodactyl has been reported in modern times. In particular, reports persist in the Southwestern United States (notably Arizona and Texas) to this day. Some cryptozoologists and phenomenalists have even suggested that the infamous Mothman sightings of the 1960s may have been related to a pterodactyl(s).
Most recently, the Sci-Fi Channel hit series, Destination Truth, caught something on camera in Rio Branco where the local populace has been complaining of a "winged monster." Whatever it was had bright, red eyes, just as reported.
As noted, Washington is quite a ways out of the pterodactyl's normal stamping grounds, but the center of Batsquatch activity.
Source: Olyblog
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Climate Changes Endangering Birds
Climate changes have affected one-in-eight species of birds, according to a new global study.
Droughts and other extreme weather stresses key habitats and significantly threatens over 1000 avian species. Eight were put on the Critically Endangered list this year.
The list is compiled and reviewed every four years by Birdlife International, a conservation charity. Conservationists suggested we heed recent trends toward less carbon emissions and lessening our "carbon footprint." But though climate changes have been most important, other factors are also at-play.
For the full article, click here.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Droughts and other extreme weather stresses key habitats and significantly threatens over 1000 avian species. Eight were put on the Critically Endangered list this year.
The list is compiled and reviewed every four years by Birdlife International, a conservation charity. Conservationists suggested we heed recent trends toward less carbon emissions and lessening our "carbon footprint." But though climate changes have been most important, other factors are also at-play.
For the full article, click here.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Mail Carriers Hounded by Turkeys
Postal workers in Madison, Wisconsin can brave the elements and face the dogs, it's the turkeys that are getting them ruffled!
The area reports that 5-10 wild turkeys have been pestering mail carriers, pecking them with their beaks, even scratching them. One flew into a mail truck and attacked the driver.
The mailmen armed themselves with water pistols, which worked for a while, but the birds grew accustomed to it, so they began carrying long sticks and appealed to the regional wildlife conservatory. Experts note the aggressive behavior is tied to the birds' breeding season and theorize the turkeys may be attracted to the red, white, and blue colors of the workers' uniforms and trucks.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
The area reports that 5-10 wild turkeys have been pestering mail carriers, pecking them with their beaks, even scratching them. One flew into a mail truck and attacked the driver.
The mailmen armed themselves with water pistols, which worked for a while, but the birds grew accustomed to it, so they began carrying long sticks and appealed to the regional wildlife conservatory. Experts note the aggressive behavior is tied to the birds' breeding season and theorize the turkeys may be attracted to the red, white, and blue colors of the workers' uniforms and trucks.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Monday, November 26, 2007
Thunderbirds
One of the better episodes of MonsterQuest last night dealt with Thunderbirds. The episode was entitled "Birdzilla," which was pretty cool.
Various traditions are attached to Thunderbirds, but the general consensus is that they were gigantic, predatory birds with massive wingspans that often preceded great thunderstorms. The other, generally agreed-upon, trait is that they sometimes kidnapped small children. Some accounts even have them terrorizing grown men, but these are far more rare.
Like so many of these cryptozoological oddities, accounts of Thunderbirds began in ancient times -- well, ancient to us, anyway. In fact, there's no way to know exactly how far back such stories go because the white man only started hearing them from Native Americans during exploration of the New World, so there is no recording of accounts prior to then. At the very least, we know that reports of giant birds attacking men and small children go back to at least the 16th-17th Centuries.
There was a resurgence of Thunderbird sightings in the mid to late -1970s, with at least one famous attack on a small boy taking place in a Mid-Western state. Further, not only does photographic evidence of some of these creatures exist, actual motion picture evidence of at least two of them was taken in 1977!
The interesting thing about this particular episode of MonsterQuest was that, while no real conclusions were made (see previous entry), even the pedants were stumped! They couldn't find two experts who agreed on anything when it came to what sort of bird could have attacked a 10-year old boy, nor what species of bird(s) were shown on that piece of film.
Now, I'm a weird sort: When any, relatively intelligent or observant, person tells me he saw something out of the ordinary, I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt. I'm not saying that I automatically accept that he saw something Unexplained; I'm saying that, if he says it's so, then the next step is to start researching the subject -- not dismiss it out-of-hand. Further, I tend to give eyewitnesses who have practical experience with the wildlife in their area more credence than some nerd who spends all day in a cloistered room looking through a microscope.
When a Cherokee Indian who has lived in the same area his entire life and knows its legends, flora, fauna, and landscape tells me he knows what a Turkey Vulture is, and what he saw was not a Turkey Vulture, I take that into consideration. It certainly carries more weight for me than when some Ornithologist clear across the country takes a brief look at a few seconds of film and "debunks" it.
But I digress.
There have also been reports of great birds since the 1970s, and there are great swaths of wilderness in North America, and throughout the world that have never been fully explored, and probably never will be. I heard one guy talking about how these birds would fly, and so they would have to be seen -- well, they have been!
See, the problem isn't that these giant birds are making themselves scarce; the problem is that the Poindexters who receive millions of dollars a year to study Bald Eagles spend all their time looking at mites under microscopes and discussing the migration of field mice, so they've fooled themselves into thinking that absolutely nothing outside their little bubble could possibly exist without them already knowing it.
And this is true of these "professionals" when it comes to basically all cryptozoological pursuits. They also discredit laymen, and researchers who do all the work, in order to lay claim to these discoveries.
But I love Thunderbirds and I have been trying to get a post or two out about them out for a while now. If I get a chance today, I'll try to bring you some accounts of Thunderbirds from some of the sources I have (see sidebar).
Various traditions are attached to Thunderbirds, but the general consensus is that they were gigantic, predatory birds with massive wingspans that often preceded great thunderstorms. The other, generally agreed-upon, trait is that they sometimes kidnapped small children. Some accounts even have them terrorizing grown men, but these are far more rare.
Like so many of these cryptozoological oddities, accounts of Thunderbirds began in ancient times -- well, ancient to us, anyway. In fact, there's no way to know exactly how far back such stories go because the white man only started hearing them from Native Americans during exploration of the New World, so there is no recording of accounts prior to then. At the very least, we know that reports of giant birds attacking men and small children go back to at least the 16th-17th Centuries.
There was a resurgence of Thunderbird sightings in the mid to late -1970s, with at least one famous attack on a small boy taking place in a Mid-Western state. Further, not only does photographic evidence of some of these creatures exist, actual motion picture evidence of at least two of them was taken in 1977!
The interesting thing about this particular episode of MonsterQuest was that, while no real conclusions were made (see previous entry), even the pedants were stumped! They couldn't find two experts who agreed on anything when it came to what sort of bird could have attacked a 10-year old boy, nor what species of bird(s) were shown on that piece of film.
Now, I'm a weird sort: When any, relatively intelligent or observant, person tells me he saw something out of the ordinary, I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt. I'm not saying that I automatically accept that he saw something Unexplained; I'm saying that, if he says it's so, then the next step is to start researching the subject -- not dismiss it out-of-hand. Further, I tend to give eyewitnesses who have practical experience with the wildlife in their area more credence than some nerd who spends all day in a cloistered room looking through a microscope.
When a Cherokee Indian who has lived in the same area his entire life and knows its legends, flora, fauna, and landscape tells me he knows what a Turkey Vulture is, and what he saw was not a Turkey Vulture, I take that into consideration. It certainly carries more weight for me than when some Ornithologist clear across the country takes a brief look at a few seconds of film and "debunks" it.
But I digress.
There have also been reports of great birds since the 1970s, and there are great swaths of wilderness in North America, and throughout the world that have never been fully explored, and probably never will be. I heard one guy talking about how these birds would fly, and so they would have to be seen -- well, they have been!
See, the problem isn't that these giant birds are making themselves scarce; the problem is that the Poindexters who receive millions of dollars a year to study Bald Eagles spend all their time looking at mites under microscopes and discussing the migration of field mice, so they've fooled themselves into thinking that absolutely nothing outside their little bubble could possibly exist without them already knowing it.
And this is true of these "professionals" when it comes to basically all cryptozoological pursuits. They also discredit laymen, and researchers who do all the work, in order to lay claim to these discoveries.
But I love Thunderbirds and I have been trying to get a post or two out about them out for a while now. If I get a chance today, I'll try to bring you some accounts of Thunderbirds from some of the sources I have (see sidebar).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)