Tuesday, 6. May 2008, 13:02:23
peregrine falcon, Canada, chicks
I was talking to my dad in Toronto last night and he was telling me about some Peregrine Falcons that were hatching in the middle of Toronto. The news people have a web cam and it shows the nest and chick hatching. A second video is a news interview and has some wonderful information as well!
http://www.canada.com/globaltv/ontario/story.html?id=79d502b0-6207-435b-adee-21d3b9266638&k=0
Thursday, 13. December 2007, 23:28:42
hens, chicks
I was watching a Christmas movie where they were singing, "if you can't sleep, count your blessings instead of sheep".
It reminded me of a book by Corrie Ten Boom. Her family hid a family of Jews during WWII in Holland and were subsequently found out and arrested, then sent to a concentration camp. She talked a lot about being thankful for everything and one night was leading a prayer and said thank you to God for the fleas. There was a large barrack that housed women and the fleas inside were very bad. Everyone had a large number of bites and it was difficult to sleep even after an exhausting day because of the flea bites. Someone questioned her about this and she said we are to give thanks for EVERYTHING. They found out afterwards that they were spared rigerous inspections because the guards didn't want to deal with the fleas, consequently, they had much more freedom than their flea-less counterparts.
I often think about this when bad or inconvenient things come into my life and I have to think that I am so glad I have such big things (in comparison to fleas) to be thankful for.
Wednesday, 25. April 2007, 15:41:10
abuse, chicks
I recently had two comments about this picture indicating that it was a mean, cruel thing to do to a chick. I'm sorry if the picture gave that impression and I would like to let everyone know that this baby doesn't suffer for anything. I understand someone being upset if they thought the chick had been abused. I would too.
First, this is his/her natural style. There are two others in the same brood that sport the same hairdo. I don't know if someone thought I had shaved the poor little guy or what, but rest assured, that is not the case.
He and all his hatch mates are well cared for. They get the usual chick starter to eat, which is blended specifically for the nutritional requirements of baby chicks, and clean, fresh water every day. They also get treats occassionally. They love oatmeal and spaghetti. They spend their day in a safe environment under a beautiful oak tree with a small house to go into in case of rain. At night, because they are so little, I gather them up and let them sleep in a big box the bathroom. I pick each one up at least twice a day and sing to it and tell it how beautiful it is. They are petted and loved all the time. This picture was taken just after I had finished spending time with him. They like to sit by the computer and I let them as long as they sit on a paper towel. When they decide to walk all over the desk, it's time for them to go back in with the others. I watch them carefully for any signs of illness or signs of another chick "picking" on them.
The reason they are penned up at the moment is because they are small and we have hawks that fly over most days. Once they outgrow "hawk-size", they will have the run of the yard with the other adults, but will be safely penned up at night because we do have other predators.
We deliberately set up my computers to face the window that overlooks the chicken yard. That way while I work, I can watch them.
No one will ever eat these guys. They are like part of the family. The cats are trained not to touch them and the dog is afraid of them. (she's afraid of EVERYTHING). So please don't worry about these guys. If I could think of anything more I could do for them, I would!
