Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Archives for April 14, 2007

Sweden’s Smallest Owl

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Hi Jennifer,

We run a small animal rehab centre north of Stockhom in Sweden. Due to some problems with rooms, activity has slowed downed a bit. Usually we have about 1200 patients each year – all species of birds and small mammals (mostly hedgehogs). Mortality rate is about 50 percent. This is not too bad as the patients usually arrive in a pretty bad shape.

I’m sending you a pictures from the centre of a Sparrow owl, Glaucidium passerinum. This is Sweden’s smallest owl.

ANsparrow hawk.jpg

The owls are are not much bigger than a sparrow, but very greedy bird which eats prey much larger than themselves!

This individual suffered from a broken wing.

Cheers,

Ann Novek.

A Few Thoughts

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I apologise for not posting very much over the last week. I have been somewhat preoccupied with my trip to Indonesia. I am leaving next Thursday for 10 days.

I am not sure whether I will have good internet access while I am away. I will be visiting Buyat Bay in North Sulawesi. This is the place where mining giant Newmont is accused of dumping mine waste which some claim poisoned the local fishing village and coral reef.

I have of course, prepared for trips before without slowing down with the blog postings, but I shall admit to finding some of the discussion here a little bit repetitive of late.

Perhaps, I am also slightly taken a back by the extent to which public discussion on environmental issues in Australia is now so totally dominated by global warming hysteria. Of course, this is not always the case at this blog.

But I do find it quite extraordinary, for example, that the Australian government is going to get involved in forestry issues in Indonesia, not because of the intrinsic value of these forests, but to “save the world” from climate change.

I did enjoyed watching the expression change on the face of this journalist as she interviewed climate change sceptic Professor Ian Plimer:

http://www.video.news.com.au/newsinteractive/videopage/videoplayer/?channel=National+News&clipid=1094_102085&bitrate=300&format=wmp

Professor Ian Plimer, a geologist from Adelaide University, is apparently unaware that there is a “consensus” amongst scientists on climate change.

Anyway, the number of blog postings from me might slow down a little for the next little while.

I invite readers and commentator to send me in potential guest posts. Make sure the text is self explanatory and include relevant links. Readers also like wildlife photographs, and its best if the photographs are already in jpg format and a suitable size for the blog.