The next super predator?

The height of boredom is..... Anyone seen this hawk around? Maybe it was my UFO. Like I said in my welcome message I blog for my own amusement. If you get a chuckle all the better. Have a great weekend!

It helps when you pay attention...

I had to post this final picture in the vulture series. I mentioned a UFO hawk passing to the right in the one set. Well I looked at the pictures and actually realized that the hawk was sitting on pole all along as I was snapping pictures of the vultures on the ground. What kind of birder am I if you don't even notice the hawk? To my defense I was taking these pictures from my car and I had to keep track of all the crazy New Jersey drivers around me. Do you believe my excuse?

Black & Turkey Vultures

The sequence of the pictures is outta wack. The top picture I snapped right at the end not expecting much. If you look closely the picture actually has a UFO in it. As I snapped it I notice something darting to the right. I think it was a red tailed hawk although I didn't get a decent look at it. Keep snapping you never know what will turn up!

The deer was THIS big - I promise

I drove past this deer kill (car vs. deer) this afternoon and the Turkey vultures were out sunning themselves. The light was awesome for pictures so I snapped a few. The carcass (or what's left of it) also has some Black vultures on it. I will post a few more pics in another post.

CSI: Who killed the Cardinal

Check out Julie's cool CSI work on a cardinal kill.

Should dogs be allowed in wildlife areas?

I have a poll up on my blog (right side bar top) that was partly inspired by Susan gets native post I'm gonna git you sucka. To summarize Susan ran into a rude dog owner who ignored her request to put his dog on a leash. This made me wonder whether dogs should be allowed in wildlife areas at all. Just to be clear I'm talking about areas that are set aside for wildlife rather than people/dog parks. I'm sure that many people have an opinion on this so pop onto my blog and cast your vote. I would also love to hear your comments. I'll share my opinions once the voting is closed.

African bird series

I have been thinking about writing a couple of posts about the birds I was fortunate enough to see in South Africa. I haven't been back for over 7 years now and this will be a nice way to remember some of the cooler things I saw there. Would anyone be interested? I'll probably do it anyway, but I thought I would see if there are any voters either yip or nope.

Most people haven't been lucky enough to head out to Africa and this way you get to read some short snippets on cool birds from the comfort of your living room. BTW, I haven't come across many Southern African bird blogs, so if you find any please share them with me.

Packers Superbowl bound?

Ok, so we are still very far away from the Superbowl with the Seahawks and most probably the Cowboys looming, but can you blame a Packers' fan for being excited.

This season has been phenomenal with the Packers only playing two bad games with a third being decided by a weather disaster. I think the Packers learnt a valuable lesson in their loss to the Cowboys and I hope that this helps them when they face the Cowboys at home. Sorry, getting ahead of myself again. The Cowboys will need to overcome the resurgent Giants. Amazingly, Mr Nervous (Eli) has played two very good games back to back. Regardless I expect the Giants to implode should they be fortunate to beat the Cowboys this weekend. Having said that, I will be supporting Big Blue and hoping for an upset especially based on the fact that Brett has never beaten Dallas at home.

As for the Seahawks, they looked good in the wild card playoff but I expect Brett and his offensive line to be able to absorb all the pressure and to get the ball to the receivers for great yards after carry (YAC). This approach has been extremely effective for Green Bay's offensive which has been affectionately called the YAC attack. Even if you're not a sports fan I can highly recommend switching on the TV to watch history in the making. Watch a 38 year old guy who hasn't missed a game at his position since starting in 1992 and you'll see a truly great player who epitomizes the best that professional sport has to offer. Don't take my word for it, watch the game!