Jots
Fragments image by CoolText.
Turns out, the amphibians (previously described as in severe world-wide decline) have their newly-emerging disorders, like our AIDS and SARS. Their healthcare system, however, is out of their hands. Everybody's talking about the weather, and it's killing salamanders. Also follow the link to Frogs: A Chorus of Color. Highly recommended.
And, did you know about the epidemic of conjuntivitis (pink eye) among birds--especially house finches? I learned about this often-fatal disease in birds--TA DA!--from a student last week. Here are two links to tell you how this newly-emerging disorder got started, and its likely end.
Comments
I had no idea that this is what I have been seeing. I've seen maybe 3-4 finches at my feeders with eye problems over the last year or so. I thought they had been in fights. Now I know. Thanks for the info.
Posted by: Trey | October 18, 2004 7:28 AM
Like Trey, I knew many of the house finches had an eye problem (from reading), but not what it was. I guess the fact that I know it is conjunctivitus that the finches have doesn't help the them, but it's more intellectually satisfying for me!
Posted by: Cop Car | October 18, 2004 9:15 AM
Your mention of conjunctivitis in house finches brought an explanation of what we at "The Hill" considered an almost impossible occurance. Our little Rottweiler, Miss Heidi - handicapped since a run-in with a Jeep almost two years ago and multiple surgeries to repair a fractured leg - constantly fusses with the birds and chipmunks that invade her back yard to visit the feeder. With her size and lumbering gate, though, she is considered relatively harmless. Imagine our amazement when a male house finch sat in the mandevilla fussing back at her. She lunged suddenly and caught the bird. We ran to rescue it, but without success. Examining the carcass we discovered the bird was blind in its right eye.
Posted by: Ken | October 18, 2004 10:16 AM
We saw the frogs exhibit at the AmerMuseNatHist a few weeks ago. Had the most fun looking for the Vietnamese moss frogs. Talk about camouflaged!!
So I hope your viewers will follow the frogs link. It is very well done.
lgh
Posted by: Larry Hunsucker | October 18, 2004 11:55 AM
I visited the frogs -- we had a lot of American Bullfrogs in the creek this year and they were very loud -- I didn't realize they were harmful to native animals.
Posted by: Terry2 | October 18, 2004 8:20 PM