Snout's On Patrol Analysis

Birds appear frequently throughout the story, especially in times of crisis. The birds often present themselves as omens for dangers that lie ahead. For instance, when Robert's team takes a wrong turn, "the fog is full of noises" of birds (80). Then the birds fly out of the ditch and disappear. Robert and Poole know that "[t]here must be something terribly wrong...but neither one knew how to put it into words. The birds, being gone, had taken some mysterious presence with them. There was an awful sense of void--as if the world had been emptied" (81). The birds return and when Robert nears the collapsing dike, "one of the birds [flies] up and cut[s] across Robert's path" as if it is trying to prevent him from going any further. Robert does not heed the warning and almost dies in the sinking mud.

He wonders why the birds are just waiting in the sky as if they are waiting for a command, why they are restless, and he thinks it is strange that they are little birds and they are the type of the birds that normally keep to their own territory and don’t have a history of attacking people . When he looks out toward the coast, he sees the birds flocking in his direction and he believes that for some odd reason, they are going to come down to the

If there is a single attractive thing about Aberdeen, it would be the 98 square miles of surrounding estuaries, tidelands, and marshes that attract shorebirds by the hundreds of thousands. They come every April and May to rest and feed for the long trip north to their arctic and subarctic nesting areas. (165)

Every week, Oregonian Pat Johnston makes a 45-mile pilgrimage to Chehalem Mountain, she is on a serious mission. Her journey doesn't revolve around hiking, climbing, or mountain biking, however, she comes for the birds. During her weekly excursions, Johnston circles the mountain. Frequently stopping to check on the well-being of more than 30 bluebird nest boxes. And their

The wetlands of spring welcomes migrating shorebird species, including sandpipers, stilts, plovers, dunlins, curlews, and avocets. The colors of summer come alive with an array of birds atop trees with beautiful sounds filling the air. These include black-chinned, calliope, broad-tailed, red-tailed hawk, white-crowned sparrow, tanager and rufous hummingbird. Cranes and geese make their appearance in early fall, coyotes, northern shovelers dabble on the water, javelina, and mule deer idle or prance about in the open meadow, and wild turkeys trek in their roosting

The expansion of suburban developments are causing a problem for a particular group of songbirds called avoiders.

The last time I was here, a juvenile bald eagle was flying above the trail as I arrived. Once I went to the creek, an adult bald eagle flew just beyond me straight north along the creek bank. Just south of us were three deer grazing in the stream.

The first examination will be a brief assessment, firstly to make it is safe to approach the

A Great Blue Heron navigated the shoreline and several Mallards in search of breakfast, which coincidently sounded like a good idea. The views of the lake at not only this locale, but at each of our stops were excellent. There isn’t a proverbially bad seat in the house for observing waterfowl.

According to petfinder.com, during your first year owning a dog you may spend up to $10,350. Before buying a dog, people should review the financial commitment it takes. Cost wise, dogs can take a big chunk of money from your bank account. Dogs can be expensive because of vet and medical bills, grooming prices, and food and water are pricy necessities.

On Saturday February 4th, I took the tram ride exploring Circle B Bar Reserve. Susan was the tram driver; Nancy was the tour guide and volunteers John and his son were the spotters. We toured three ecosystems of the reserve: wetlands, oak hammock, and highland scrub. It was interesting to learn the history of how the area was once wetland and they paid ranchers to drain the area for cattle ranching. Years later the property was purchased by Polk County Commissioners and the Southwest Florida Management District as the area needed the wetland to filter the water system. As a result, the wetland has created a haven for birds and presently there are 230 plus species in the area and Circle B Bar Reserve has become one of the best places for

Instead, I could sit through multiple episodes of Six Feet Under on HBO or watch the birds eat all the seeds I toss out. Boreal and black-capped chickadees dot my back deck daily. Sometimes a few red-breasted nuthatches appear, along with sparrows and blue jays. The male hairy woodpecker has been known to grace my suet feeder as well. I often say to Ben, "Now that's one big pecker!" and he always rolls his eyes and refuses to laugh, although I think he may have smirked the first time I said it.

Imagine coming home, and opening the door to see a dog run up to you and greet you with barks and licks. A lot of people want a dog like that, or just a good dog; but what dog is right for you? If you’re a first time owner, you might want to steer clear of these three dogs: the Chow Chow, the Border Collie, and the Rottweiler or just plain Rottie. For now, let’s just see which one of these dogs is the easiest to have, and which is the hardest. We can find out by judging their behavior and trainability.

He's heard stories from his colleagues that airports could either be one of the saddest places on Earth, or places that could lead you to new and bigger opportunities.

Severely restricted inside the barren cages, the birds are unable to engage in nearly any of their natural habits, including nesting, perching, walking, dust bathing, foraging, or even spreading their wings” (HSUS, 2009).