Snow and rain showers continued during the day on Thursday, along with a cold, wet northerly wind. Hmm, there’s a reason why I am no longer a full-time hawkcounter. It’s because of days like this. However, despite the fact that Dane did not see a single migrant raptor, he did have a sighting that made it all worthwhile – and made we remember why I LOVED being a full-time hawkcounter: a fly-by Snowy Owl!

Speaking of Snowy Owls, I also received a report of a probable Snowy on a rooftop along Portland’s Eastern Promenade this morning (Friday, 3/21), so observers in the area should be on the lookout. Meanwhile, after a walk at Hedgehog Mountain Park – Brown Creepers were once again especially active, I stopped off at the Yarmouth Town Landing to enjoy the continuing Canvasbacks (5 drakes and 1 hen). A drake Lesser Scaup is now present as well, along with the continuing drake Ring-necked Duck. And finally, a quick stop at Sandy Point yielded a single Snow Bunting in the parking lot.

Today’s winds are downright brutal, with gusts up to 50mph being called for. Dane can’t be having too much fun on the mountain – unless another Snowy Owl flies by, of course. However, we can and do get some birds on westerly winds, so hopefully he won’t be skunked – as was the case yesterday. Diminishing winds and sunny skies are being predicted for the weekend, which will hopefully bring us a good flight.

In the news, I am happy to report that the New Jersey State Senate has now also approved a ban of the harvesting of Horseshoe Crabs – another important step in getting the moratorium in place in order to save the Red Knot.

After reading my blog last week - that included a brief rant about the feral cats and birds issue - I received an email from a woman in New Jersey who rehabilitates wildlife AND rescues feral cats. See, the issue is really about BOTH birds and cats, and the welfare of BOTH of them. She pointed me to two very good websites, and I highly recommend taking a look at them:

Trap-Neuter-Release Reality Check.
...and...
TAP (Trap-Alter-Protect) Homepage.

From the TAP homepage:
[Trap-neuter-release programs do] not protect cats. Furthermore, feral cat colony management (which takes place in an open system) does not protect wildlife. The goal of TAP is to remove felines from the environment by humanely trapping them, spaying or neutering (altering), and then socializing or taming for placement into loving homes or providing permanent sanctuary. TAPworks believes that TNR does not result in humane outcomes for our feline companion animals . . .

Now, completely off-topic (although on this birding blog, that talks about food and Rutgers football on a regular basis, what really is off-topic?), I found this article entitled “A Crude Case for War?” from the Washington Post to be quite good, and thought-provoking.