Tuesday, June 20, 2006

This is why I do it.

Look at these photos below. Just a few that I took last week... and there have been many others... of completely different creatures in the park where I work.
Yet I also pass at LEAST one road kill every day while driving in. Usually an armadillo or a raccoon... the other day it was a hawk. A friggin' HAWK! And don't forget the time we had the dead bobcat...
I also see where development is taking over. Corners that used to have trees are now empty... waiting for a house. Soon we will not be able to see the stars anymore...
Sometimes I wish I were smarter... that I had more influence... that there was some way to get people to see what they are doing.




Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Katie

Since Katie is disturbed by my lack of posting the last several days, this post is for her.
Sorry it isn't more exciting dear. If I had those photos from Katrina's camera... well, then we could add some spice to the blog world!

I went on a quest for inspiration... I needed something to write about.
This is what I came up with:

The headline actually caught my eye first.
Park and DNR Staff ‘Hack’ Young Falcons
Hack??!?!
That word motivated me to click on the link and read the rest of the story.

Turns out that “hacking is the process of placing young falcons in a structure and caring for the birds in a manner that minimizes human exposure until they are mature enough to fly”.
In fact, the birdies are placed in an artificial aerie or hack box which simulates nesting and feeding conditions on steep rock cliffs – prey is dropped into the box through a tube so the birds don’t see or associate people with the food. This cage-like structure also protects the birds from predators during the pre-flight period while allowing them to acclimate to and imprint on the Gorge. When they are ready to ‘fledge’ (fly), they are released from the box, but will return for occasional feedings until their hunting skills allow them to survive on their own.

You can visit the park’s website at http://www.nps.gov/neri, where photos and updates will monitor the birds’ progress.
AND adult peregrines are now nesting on cliffs in Shenandoah National Park where live webcam images of the nest can be seen on the Internet at http://www.nps.gov/shen/cams/

Personally, I think that lil baby peregrine looks like it is made out of cotton!! : )

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Name those movies!!

Supposedly there are 100 movies represented in this photo. I'd love to see if we can get them all!
I'll start us off:
1. Napoleon Dynamite
2. Big Fish
3. Big Foot
4. 12 Monkeys
5. Four Weddings and a Funeral
6. Clockwork Orange
7. Dances with Wolves
8. Pete's Dragon
9. Boomerang
10. Ghost
11. Crash
12. Saw (2?)
13. Toy Story
14. Taxi
15. One Hour Photo
16. Scorpion King
17. Boomerang
18. Twister
19. Bend it Like Beckham (CG)
20. Titanic (CG)
21. Airplane
22. Casino (Ivy)
23. Jaws (Ivy)
24. Phone Booth (Ivy)
25. Beetlejuice
26. Sword in the Stone
27. Pink Panther
28. American Graffiti
29. Broken Arrow
30. Jumanji
31. XXX
32. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
33. The Birds (Katie)
34. The Crow (Katie)
35. The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (Katie)
36. Dune (Katie)
37. Stealth (Katie)
38. The Fly
39. The Hills Have Eyes (Maki)
40. Red Eye (Maki)
41. Snake Eyes (Maki)
42. The Ring (Maki)
43. The Rock (Maki)
44. Castle in the Sky (Maki)
45. Man in the Moon (Maki)
46. Red Dragon (Maki)
47. Green Card
48. Anaconda (Tom)
49. 21 Grams (Tom)
50. Money Pit (Tom)
51. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (Tom)
52. Jackass (Tom)
53. Shark Tale (Tom)
54. Swordfish (Tom)
55. The Pacifier (Tom)
56. Anchorman (Tom)
57. Blazing Saddles (Tom)
58. Tears of the Sun (Tom)
59. The Jacket (Tom)
60. Chicken Run (Tom)
61. Goldeneye (Tom)
62. The Thin Red Line (Tom)
63. Seven (Tony)
64. Thirteen (Tom)
65. Flipper (Tony)
66. Alien (Tony)
67. Mona Lisa Smile (Tony)
68. Cocktail (Tony)
69. Bullet (Tony)
70. Bounce (Tony)
71. Chopper (Tony)
72. Matador (Tony)
73. Raging Bull (Tony)
74. Darkroom (Tony)
75. Domino (Tony)
76. The Shadow (Tony)
77. Timecop (Tony)
78. Volcano (Tony)
79. Cold Mountain (Tony)
80. Bad Santa (Tom)
81. Barbed Wire (Tom)
82. Manequin (Tom)
83. Jarhead (Tom)
84. Stripes (Tony)
85. Toy Soldiers (Tom)
86. Geronimo (Tony)
87. Hook (Tom)
88. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Tom)
89. Stiletto (Tom)
90. The Lady in Red (Tony)
91. Bird on a Wire (Brad)
92. Taxi Driver (Brad)
93. Puff the Magic Dragon (Brad)