http://wavelit.com Peguin escapes Killer Whales http://wavelit.com/media/1181/Lucky_Penguin/ http://wavelit.com/media/1181/Lucky_Penguin/ Getting ready to leave http://wavelit.com/media/1180/hannibal/ http://wavelit.com/media/1180/hannibal/ Got a couple more pics 11/12/08 http://wavelit.com/media/1179/Hannibal_or_his_mate/ http://wavelit.com/media/1179/Hannibal_or_his_mate/ Not sure but may be him http://wavelit.com/media/1155/HANNIBAL_???/ http://wavelit.com/media/1155/HANNIBAL_???/ MAYBE TINY & INDY???? http://wavelit.com/media/1152/2_OF_THE_3_BOT_BARN_OWLS/ http://wavelit.com/media/1152/2_OF_THE_3_BOT_BARN_OWLS/ Just a few pics of mom http://wavelit.com/media/1128/GREAT_RIVER/ http://wavelit.com/media/1128/GREAT_RIVER/ Watch and hear the egg cracking - Truly Incredible! A Cardinal hatching, caught on video June 2008 by Doug Mitchell - http://www.mitchgroup.com/2008/06/cardinal-hatchi.html "Having grown up in Southern California, unless we went to the mountains camping, our exposure to "nature" was pretty slim. Well here in Iowa, we "foreigners" are still pretty amazed at things that may be common to Midwest natives. I was using the hedge trimmer a few weeks ago and as I buzzed up in a straight line, I exposed a small bird nest with 3 eggs inside. Thankfully I didn't disturb it. As I examined the nest it became clear why I'd begun to see a male cardinal posting up on my car and in the trees around my house. Shortly afterwards a little Internet research made me realize that the female had also been nearby for a while. We started watching the nest as its only about 4 feet off the ground and just outside our garage door. A couple of days ago, my wife happened to be taking a few pictures and noticed that one egg had hatched. Then, as if on cue a few days later, she went to take another picture and actually caught the last of the eggs hatching! Happy to say so far, all three seem to be doubling in size daily and now have fuzz on them." http://wavelit.com/media/1125/Cardinal_Hatching_Caught_on_Video,_June_2008/ http://wavelit.com/media/1125/Cardinal_Hatching_Caught_on_Video,_June_2008/ HUMMINGBIRDS The Hummingbird nest is the size of a USA quarter. As far as is known, male hummingbirds do not take part in nesting. Most species make a cup-shaped nest on the branch of a tree or shrub. Two white eggs are laid which, despite being the smallest of all bird eggs, are in fact large relative to the hummingbird's adult size. Incubation typically lasts 12–19 days. The nest varies in size relative to species, from smaller than half of a walnut shell to several centimetres in diameter. Hummingbirds are birds in the family Trochilidae, and are endemic to the Americas. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings 15–80 times per second - depending on the species. They can fly backwards, and are the only group of birds able to do so. Their English name derives from the characteristic hum made by their wings. Hummingbirds do not spend all day flying, as the energy costs of this would be prohibitive; the majority of their activity consists simply of sitting or perching. Hummingbirds feed in many small meals, consuming many small invertebrates and up to five times their own body weight in nectar each day. They spend an average of 10-15% of their time feeding and 75-80% sitting and digesting.The Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is the smallest bird in the world, weighing 1.8g (0.06oz) and measuring about 5 CM (2in). A typical North American hummingbird, such as the Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus), weighs approximately 3g (0.106 ounces) and has a length of 10–12 CM (3.5–4 inches). The largest hummingbird is the Giant Hummingbird (Patagona gigas), with some weighing as much as 24g (0.85 oz) and measuring 21.5 CM (8.5in). There has been a Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) nest in this exact spot for the last four years. It's under the porch roof of the Starr Ranch bunkhouse. Hummingbird link: http://www.starrranch.org/stream_bchu.shtml Audubon California Starr Ranch Sanctuary 100 Bell Canyon Road Trabuco Canyon, CA 92679 http://www.starrranch.org/index.html Starr Ranch Sanctuary is a 4,000 acre preserve owned and operated by the National Audubon Society. It is located in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains in the mild and semi-arid Mediterranean climate of south-eastern Orange County, California, approximately 60 miles south-east of Los Angeles. The Ranch lies in unincorporated Orange County and is bordered by the Cleveland National Forest on the north and east, the Ronald W. Caspers Regional Park on the south and the developments of Dove Canyon and Coto de Caza on the west. The larger community of Rancho Santa Margarita is 3 miles northwest of the Sanctuary, and the city of San Juan Capistrano is 10 miles to the southwest. http://wavelit.com/media/1118/Hummingbirds_-_Starr_Ranch_Sanctuary,_CA/ http://wavelit.com/media/1118/Hummingbirds_-_Starr_Ranch_Sanctuary,_CA/ All credit goes to www.nestcams.org http://watch.birds.cornell.edu/nestcams/camera/view?show=forum&cameraID=C100044 Northern Cardinal Female Singing - Location: Glenham, NY 2008 Timeline First Egg Date: Aug 22 Clutch Size: 3 Incubation: Aug 24 http://wavelit.com/media/1112/Northern_Cardinal_Female_Singing/ http://wavelit.com/media/1112/Northern_Cardinal_Female_Singing/ Playing kissy Face http://wavelit.com/media/1110/Scout_and_Orville_{OHIO_FALCONS}/ http://wavelit.com/media/1110/Scout_and_Orville_{OHIO_FALCONS}/