Police say they have made preliminary overtures to a non-profit and the Orange County Human Relations Commission.
Despite ongoing protests that led to nine additional arrests over the weekend, Anaheim police said they are trying to start a dialogue with community groups to ease tensions over a spate of officer-involved shootings in the Orange County city.
Law enforcement officials have made very early overtures to the non-profit group Community Service Programs, Inc., and the Orange County Human Relations Commission, Anaheim Police Department spokesman Bob Dunn told NBC4 on Monday.
Police hope to be able to take those discussions further over the next couple of weeks as they seek to defuse community anger sparked by the deaths of Manuel Diaz, 25, and Joel Mathew Acevedo, 21, in separate incidents earlier this month.
"We're looking to dialogue with the community," Dunn said.
"We are 100 percent behind the process and we will wait for that process to take its course and then own whatever the results are," he added.
It was not yet clear, he said, what form those discussions would take. For example, community members might want to talk about the incidents with a facilitator present but without police participation for the first few meetings, Dunn said.
Anaheim police and protesters clash on Sunday, July 29, 2012 as tensions surrounding police shootings in the city intensify. Janet Kwak reports for the NBC4 News at 6:30 p.m. on July 29, 2012.
Diaz, who was unarmed, was shot and killed July 21 as he fled on foot from Anaheim police officers. His mother, Genevieve Huizar, contended that officers first shot Diaz in the leg, and then, as he lay on the ground, shot him in the head.
The next day, Acevedo was also shot and killed while fleeing Anaheim police. Officers later said In another incident last week, police fired at a burglary suspect, but he was unharmed.
The lead agency investigating the shootings is the Orange County District Attorney's office.
Protesters as well as the City Council have called for federal and state law enforcement agencies to step in, but spokesmen for the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's office and the State Office of Attorney General all say they have not yet opened formal investigation proceedings.
Signatures from an online petition started by Washington-based Presente.org are headed to the hands of the California Attorney General.
"It's over 17,000 at this point," said Arturo Carmona.
Still, officials at the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office say they are reviewing information on the case as they receive it from local prosecutors and others. And a representative of California Attorney General promised that the department would consider a petition asking the agency to open its own case.
"The FBI will review evidence and reports by the Orange County District Attorney's Office to determine whether further federal review and/or investigation is warranted," spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said in a prepared statement.
Protests over the shootings have rocked Anaheim for much of the past week.
"First thing that comes out of their mouth after one of these is, they're a gang member. They're human, everybody's human. We have a judicial system," said Anaheim resident Louisa Sanchez.
Corie Cline, whose brother was shot by Anaheim Police, is part of the group "Anaheim Crusaders," which is planning weekly protests outside the Anaheim Police Department's building.
"They're getting away with murder," Cline said.
On Sunday, seven adults and two youths were arrested after a protest near police headquarters grew raucous.
At one point, demonstrators said they were going to march on Disneyland.


Spectrum ballpen. Button action pallpen. White barrel with chrome trim. Coloured rubber grip. The quoted price includes: Printed 1 colour in 1 position. Ink colour: Black. Dimensions: 143mm long. Print area: 35 x 7mm.


Following recent news reports that marijuana will be legalized by July 1, 2018 in Canada, the Canadian Stock Market began a quick spike upwards in this area. Introduction of legislation legalizing marijuana will begin in April.
Its introduction into the House of Commons is expected to be viewed as a further stock industry catalyst. It is believed legislation will add momentum to the stock spike. The news of coming legislation gave a prominent, sector-wide boost to Canadian medical marijuana stocks, such as "Aurora Cannabis Inc". Its stocks jumped nine percent on Monday to $2.48 per share.
Executive Vice-President of "Aurora Cannabis Inc.", Cam Battley, has stated that sector growth such as this, will also open up opportunities for other businesses that are affected either directly or indirectly. Such companies would include those in the areas of research and information technology.
"Aurora Cannabis Inc", which had one of the biggest stock boosts is Alberta-based and is building a state-of-the-art facility at the Edmonton Airport, stretching to approximately the size of 16 football fields.
Canada's largest marijuana company, "Canopy Growth Corp", also jumped nine percent to $10.84, while lesser known companies, like "Organigram Holdings Inc.", managed to come up with an increase to $2.42 per share, after trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Monday.
Suggested word to investors is to take profits immediately as there may be a slower climb now that the announcement has been made. To predict slower profits in the future, however, is debatable and possibly premature.
A Federal task force set out an 80-recommendation and rules report in November for legalization. Companies are strongly urged to comply. This was met with a heavily positive reaction by Canada's licensed producers as it basically confirms that the present Health Canada system for medical marijuana will carry on with more strength and credibility. They also want to assert that they will be the prominent suppliers for marijuana used recreationally.
The Health Canada system has very stringent controls for what is a highly competitive and growing industry. Prices will be controlled by each Province individually, as well as distribution. Each Province will also have the option to establish age limits which may differ from the Federally suggested age of 18. Also presented in the recommendations are stipulations that for Canadians who wish to grow their own marijuana, that each household will be limited to four plants.
Reportedly, the Federal Government will likely introduce the legislation on or close to the significant date of April 20th (4/20). This has been a date adopted by marijuana aficionados as a historical, counter-culture day of significance, where in previous years, marijuana advocates have met in large numbers on Parliament Hill.
Do you recommend people invest in weed stocks solely after reading this article?
I wouldn't tell them not to after reading this article. Idiot!


General Practice is under severe and mounting pressure. There is a rising demand for appointments, with a 15% increase in the number of consultations evident from 2010 – 2015, coupled with a growing dissatisfaction from the public over the difficulty in accessing GP appointments. There is an ageing and increasingly diverse population, with more complex (and often multiple) conditions. There have been significant cuts to social care budgets, which has increased GP case loads. And there is an ongoing workforce recruitment and retention problem, with vacancies having risen by 10.5% in the last year.
Parents of young children are often more frequent users and likely to end up using A&E due to the perceived urgency of their needs, which are not always met in a timely fashion by Primary Care providers.
The challenge of not servicing these patients in a tailored way can create several issues. Decreased patient satisfaction may result from patients having to navigate their own way across multiple providers and care settings. This can also lead to care and advice being provided in an unsuitable and less cost effective setting.
The standard ten minute slot for GP appointments and associated funding mechanisms and incentive structures, leads to practices having to balance more time consuming patients with those that are more routine. This prevents GPs from being able to specialise or develop tailored models for any one group.
The funding allocation (on average c.£100 to £150 per head) with registration at one practice requiring a deregistration at another, discourages patient choice by 'punishing' patients for moving to try tailored, more focused service models.
Data is not joined-up across practices, making it harder to bring together information about patients that enables a fuller understanding of their needs.
All of this contributes to a model in which different patient needs are treated in the same way – irrespective of need – until they reach specialist or secondary care.
A new mindset is needed that identifies these different needs earlier and builds the insight and understanding to serve them. Many of the solutions being developed in General Practice are starting to encourage this mindset, however it cannot be done in isolation. To achieve a truly needs-based segmentation in the NHS, national and local solutions need to work together to drive a consistent move away from supply-led care, towards needs-led care.
Build deeper local patient knowledge and insight to enable local segmentation.
Using their wider workforce to support segmentation of the population, including using multi-disciplinary teams (nurses, physician associates, clinical pharmacists etc) to direct patients to the most appropriate professional.
Managing care across practice boundaries and work with neighbouring practices or federations to manage care. For example, access hubs could see the more 'straightforward' patients, whilst the local practice sees the more complex. Or practices in a group could specialise in particular areas of care such as mental health or diabetes.
As a tool for self-care / prevention, such as NHS Choices.
A new national commissioning and regulatory framework that acknowledges and removes the constraints of the current funding model and appointment slots. This will give CCGs the flexibility to develop appropriate solutions for the needs of their populations.
The move to an ACS (Accountable Care System) model within STPs is a positive step in this path, seeking to align funding to pathways rather than individual elements of service. For this to truly work, it needs to be genuinely supported by capable at-scale GP practices with the freedom and resilience to serve their patients in targeted and tailored ways. If this is achieved, then it will go some way to fixing the fragmented and strained General Practice landscape, in which patients fail to receive the value of care they want and need.


Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech recently named S. Ansar Ahmed, DVM, Ph.D., associate dean for research and graduate studies.
Dr. Ahmed, who currently serves as head of the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, will be filling the vacancy left by Roger Avery, Ph.D. The college reported that it will soon be searching for someone to head the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology.
Ahmed's new position becomes effective July 25.
As associate dean for research and graduate studies, Ahmed will be responsible for developing and administering the veterinary college's research and graduate education missions. He will partner with university-wide offices to integrate college research into university focus areas with particular emphasis on fostering interdisciplinary and translational research, expanding intramural and extramurally funded research, and developing the research infrastructure and expertise necessary to compete successfully for federal research project funding.
Ahmed will also oversee the college's biomedical and veterinary sciences M.S. and Ph.D. programs, as well as collaborative programs involving other colleges on campus and other universities.
Ahmed, who is also a professor of immunology, conducts research to better understand why the immune system launches misdirected attacks on its own tissues, leading to devastating chronic autoimmune diseases.
In particular, he is investigating why autoimmune disease occur more often in females than males; how small snippets of genetic material called microRNA regulate the immune system, especially in the production of inflammatory proteins; and how epigenetics and inflammation interact with the microbiome in lupus models.
He is looking at the complex interactions of external environmental factors, genetics and epigenetics on immune malfunctions that lead to chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases. Lupus, a debilitating disease with enormous health care costs, afflicts millions of people as well as domesticated species, such as dogs and cats, Virginia Tech noted.


PWP Building Services specialise in design & build contracts and have established a strong reputation for outstanding technical excellence, flexibility, and integrity over the last twenty years. Still proudly managed by its founders, the company today retains its original enthusiasm and commitment to customer satisfaction across all of their areas of expertise: heating & ventilation, plumbing, electrical systems, fire & security and data systems.
The company takes great care to guarantee on-time project delivery at a guaranteed maximum price whilst delivering quality and value every step of the way. No compromise is made. Technical excellence and the highest levels of customer service go without saying. But the company also prioritises health & safety and green technologies; and the fact that PWP Building Services has longstanding relationships with many of its customers is testament to their partnership approach.
The company believes passionately in creating a better environment for all by providing the most cost-effective and practical solutions for energy consumption and management in today's built environment. Markets include Education, Leisure & Culture, Facilities Management, Distribution & Logistics, Industrial, Offices & Accommodation, Healthcare and Fire & Security.


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You are at:Home»Body Image»Pakistani journalist Arfa fights body shaming in Dubai
Pakistani journalist Arfa fights body shaming in Dubai
By Islam and Eating Disorders on June 26, 2022 Body Image, Eating Disorders
"Self-love to me is being the best version of yourself," she told Arab News. "It's being kind to yourself and being self-aware. It's an ongoing journey and a choice you make every single day."
Please find below an article that was published in media bites. We share this for information and research purpose only. We thank Arfa for raising awareness of such a timely topic. Thank you for your excellent body of work Dear Arfa and good luck with everything you do in life. People with negative body image have a greater likelihood of developing an eating disorder and are more likely to suffer from feelings of depression, isolation, low self-esteem, and obsessions with weight loss.
DUBAI: Being plus size Arfa a journalist in Dubai faced bullying throughout her life now she is taking charge to spread positivity.
Born and raised in Dubai, 28-year-old Arfa Shahid is now a freelance journalist and model says it took her 7 years of depression to accept herself and now she wants to create awareness regarding body positivity.
Shahid, who claims to be the first Pakistani plus-sized TV reporter, formerly working with ARY News, often hosts motivational talks in Dubai. She has also set up an Instagram account, Hey, Arfa, where she coaches and motivates people on self-love.
"This is where I first started my journey and where I teach people to apply the principles of self-love and value themselves to reach their goals and be the best person themselves," she added.
Shahid is a model. She often criticizes the lack of clothing options available for plus size.
"I resorted to fashion blogging by sharing things I wear as a plus-sized person," she said. "I realized that as a result of being bullied all life long, people, such as myself, do not love themselves enough and suffer from confidence issues. This is also the reason why I decided to take my journey."
Recalling a childhood incident, Shahid said: "I was always a chubby kid and soon from being called a cute kid, the comments started becoming mean. I was still four or five when women in parties started shaming my mother, asking why she overfed me."
"I remember an Eid when I was just five," she continued. "All women at a party were only discussing my weight, and I locked myself up in a bathroom and cried my eyes out the entire day."
Shahid also recounted incidents in school where teachers body-shamed her.
"Incidents like these impacted me," she said. "I felt people were unkind, and I also started being unkind to myself."
She was left depressed by such incidents but fought back bravely. She has interviewed many local celebs in Pakistan to create awareness regarding body positivity.
"I think it will be inspiring to see people whom we take as our role models," she said. "Even famous people who we think are perfect in every way have their insecurities."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME) collaborative seed grant will foster new joint projects within the SBME to enable future external funding applications. Successful projects will be cross-disciplinary and be co-led by at least one SBME faculty member (core, joint and associate). The co-leads must be members of different Faculties (ie. the Faculty of Applied Science and the Faculty of Medicine). Funds can only be held by SBME faculty members.
Applications will be evaluated by the SBME Research Awards Committee, with evaluation based on scientific merit, innovation and novelty. Each award will be for $50,000/year for a maximum of 2 years. The second year of funding will be contingent on progress in year 1.
The full application is due by November 15th, 2018. Notice of decision will be sent within 30 business days. Funds will be made available in January 2019.
A Common CV in the CIHR Project Biosketch version for each co-lead – combined into one file for upload.


Network Administration | Horsham Computer Repair, Horsham Computer Maintenance, Horsham Data Recovery, Horsham Network Installation.
We're probably the most experienced Horsham network administration consultants for Windows-based systems. Our staff are Microsoft certified and experienced in Windows Server installation and administration, data backup, secure user access, printer management and data communications systems. This is especially relevant for our Support Contract customers, who are assured of having help constantly on-call.


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Book Review: Emma and her Daughter
Author: Linda Mitchelmore
Emma and her Daughter is the final book in a trilogy which started with To Turn Full Circle, which I haven't read, and continued with Emma: There's No Turning Back, which I have read.
This final chapter in the trilogy is set years later and much has happened that we have no knowledge of. I think you could quite easily and quite happily read this as a stand alone without missing too much.
Elements of the story do rely heavily on Emma: There's No Turning Back but where required we are brought up to speed on the relevant events from the past so that it jogs the memory, or would serve to flesh the back story for those who haven't read preceding books.
A widowed Emma returns to England from Canada with her reluctant teenaged daughter Fleur. They return to the same area Emma and her late husband left all those years ago and Emma is determined to make a new life there.
Elements of the story were quite predictable and even as the twists came into play you could guess what was going to happen relatively easily. There weren't a lot of surprises but that doesn't detract from interesting storytelling and characters you could grow attached to; and if you have read preceding volumes characters you are already attached to.
Emma left everything behind when she went to Canada with Seth and baby Fleur so there is quite a lot of history for her to return to. Fleur on the other hand knows nothing of England, she doesn't remember living there as a baby and is devastated to be leaving her life and her friends behind in Canada.
On her return to England Emma is after a new life, not necessarily a return to the one she left which is why she chooses not to rent the huge house she worked in before her departure. She rents a house, starts a business and looks up her oldest friend but she doesn't try to track down the person she probably wants to see the most.
It is interesting to read Emma's story and get a glimpse of what life was like for a woman in her day. Emma is a strong, capable, independent woman and she was very limited in what she could do by the period she lived in. She couldn't own property and people wouldn't associate with her because she was on her own. I think the thing that surprised me the most was that nurses weren't allowed to be married, I can't understand that and it would have made anyone with a passion for their work find it difficult to decide what their future might hold.
Emma and her Daughter held no surprises but it was a touching story of family and bonds that transcend blood, of a strong woman building her life her way and of friendship. It tells us that sometimes if things are meant to be they will be, eventually. This was an enjoyable read which nicely concluded Emma's story and tied up all the pieces of the puzzle.
Linda Mitchelmore can be found on Facebook, Twitter and her Website.
Emma and Her Daughter is available through Choc Lit digitally and will be available in paperback this December.
Tags: Choc Lit, emma, england, historical, linda mitchelmore, POPULAR FICTION, romance
VS Sassoon Diamond Shine Straightener
Recipe: Mexican Pork Ribs with White Beans and Pickled Onions


This project was created for an extra credit opportunity in BME 60A (Engineering Analysis/Design: Data Acquisition). Although it was a group project, my teammates allowed me to take the reins and code a very efficient, randomized autofocus algorithm.
You can read more about this project in our group report. The code can be found in the report and on my GitHub.


Planning on taking part in the racing?
If you're planning on competing at the Silverstone Classic, you should be able to find most of the information you need here. If the information below doesn't help you or your enquiry is more general, please get in touch.
Further detailed logistics relating to the Classic weekend will be shared closer to the event.


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Steve Mayer
Aeva Technologies Inc. (AEVA) is expecting -19.60% growth in the next quarter: What can investors do to maximize their returns?
Aeva Technologies Inc. (NYSE: AEVA) on January 24, 2023, started off the session at the price of $1.75, plunging -6.98% from the previous trading day. During the day, the shares moved up to $1.75 and dropped to $1.60 before settling in for the closing price of $1.72. Within the past 52 weeks, AEVA's price has moved between $1.17 and $5.68.
The company achieved an average annual earnings per share of -319.40%. With a float of $124.92 million, this company's outstanding shares have now reached $217.89 million.
Let's determine the extent of company efficiency that accounts for 227 employees. In terms of profitability, gross margin is +37.04, operating margin of -1124.51, and the pretax margin is -1099.60.
Aeva Technologies Inc. (AEVA) Insider Activity
Observing investor behavior towards Auto Parts industry stocks is more important than anything else. The insider ownership of Aeva Technologies Inc. is 0.10%, while institutional ownership is 41.50%. The most recent insider transaction that took place on Nov 17, was worth 23,312. In this transaction Director of this company sold 12,500 shares at a rate of $1.86, taking the stock ownership to the 12,500 shares. Before that another transaction happened on Sep 13, when Company's Chief Financial Officer sold 11,997 for $2.75, making the entire transaction worth $33,001. This insider now owns 192,797 shares in total.
Aeva Technologies Inc. (AEVA) Earnings and Forecasts
As on 6/29/2022, Multinational firm has announced its last quarter scores, in which it reported -$0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the period topping the consensus outlook (set at -$0.16) by $0. This company achieved a net margin of -1099.60 while generating a return on equity of -29.30. Wall Street market experts anticipate that the next fiscal year will bring earnings of -0.21 per share during the current fiscal year.
According to the Wall Street analysts, stocks earnings will be around -319.40% per share during the next fiscal year.
Aeva Technologies Inc. (NYSE: AEVA) Trading Performance Indicators
Aeva Technologies Inc. (AEVA) is currently performing well based on its current performance indicators. A quick ratio of 22.10 was reported for the most recent quarter. In addition, a publicly-traded company's price to sales ratio for the trailing twelve months stands at 48.77.
Technical Analysis of Aeva Technologies Inc. (AEVA)
Looking closely at Aeva Technologies Inc. (NYSE: AEVA), its last 5-days average volume was 1.01 million, which is a drop from its year-to-date volume of 1.24 million. As of the previous 9 days, the stock's Stochastic %D was 67.60%. Additionally, its Average True Range was 0.12.
During the past 100 days, Aeva Technologies Inc.'s (AEVA) raw stochastic average was set at 22.05%, which indicates a significant decrease from 68.80% during the past two weeks. Based on volatility metrics of the stock, it showed a historical volatility of 82.48% in the past 14 days, which was lower than the 89.33% volatility it showed in the past 100 days.
At the time of writing, stock's 50-day Moving Average is $1.5696, while its 200-day Moving Average is $2.6133. However, in the short run, Aeva Technologies Inc.'s stock first resistance to watch stands at $1.7000. Second resistance stands at $1.8000. The third major resistance level sits at $1.8500. If the price goes on to break the first support level at $1.5500, it is likely to go to the next support level at $1.5000. Should the price break the second support level, the third support level stands at $1.4000.
Aeva Technologies Inc. (NYSE: AEVA) Key Stats
Market capitalization of the company is 336.48 million based on 218,231K outstanding shares. Right now, sales total 9,270 K and income totals -101,880 K. The company made 1,370 K in profit during its latest quarter, and -36,500 K in sales during its previous quarter.
(AEVA)
AEVA Shares
AEVA Stock
Aeva Technologies Inc.
Aeva Technologies Inc. (NYSE: AEVA)
NYSE: AEVA
Orchid Island Capital Inc. (ORC) Open at price of $12.10: A Brand-New Opportunity for Investors
Orchid Island Capital Inc. (NYSE: ORC) open the trading on January 26, 2023, with great promise as it jumped 1.41% to $12.20. During the...
MicroVision Inc. (MVIS) Moves 1.20% Higher: These Numbers are Too Good to be True
Witnessing the stock's movement on the chart, on January 26, 2023, MicroVision Inc. (NASDAQ: MVIS) set off with pace as it heaved 1.20% to...
Centene Corporation (CNC) is set for another landmark as it hit the volume of 2.73 million
Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) established initial surge of 0.74% at $76.61, as the Stock market unbolted on January 26, 2023. During the day, the...
TechnipFMC plc (FTI) last month performance of 14.77% certainly makes it a sizzling prospect


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Reviews | Written by Stephen Pierce 26/11/2019
POKÉMON COLLECTIBLES
POKÉMON COLLECTIBLES / AUTHOR: LISA COURTNEY / PUBLISHER: AMBERLEY / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
For those of us who were kids in the nineties, it was hard to not be taken in with the mania that was Pokémon, which launched in Japan as two games: Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green and soon turned into a global phenomenon.
Pokémon Collectables, by Lisa Courtney, is a guide to the vast array of Pokémon merchandise that has been released over the years, including some of the more bizarre items, for example, a Slowbro Christmas tree tail decoration. Heinz got into the Pokémon mania by promoting Pokémon 2000 with Pokémon-shaped pasta and there was also Calypso berry blast drink, figures, marbles, and plush toys. There is literally something for everyone who collects the little critters. One of the highlights of the book for this writer was seeing the Micro Machines playsets that were released, which you could connect together with small bridges.
The book serves the nostalgia market especially well, especially those who have been with the series for the beginning. One of the only omissions here is that in the UK in the late nineties you could buy Pokémon sweets from any corner shop that included a Pokémon figure inside, what made these special was that they came in a hard plastic Pokéball. The toy you would get inside was random, with no way of being able to tell what was inside. The book does mention the sweets, but doesn't mention the ones that came in the Pokéball.
This will cater to anyone who wants to take a trip down memory lane or to see what over kinds of merchandise was released. The only downside is that it caters specifically to the long-time fans of the show and not so much the new fans as a lot of the merchandise is now vintage. However, it serves as a good history lesson to those just getting into the series be it video game, trading cards, anime.
For the collectors out there that gotta catch'em all.
THE LAST DAY / AUTHOR: ANDREW HUNTER MURRAY / PUBLISHER: HUTCHINSON / ...
YOU LET ME IN
YOU LET ME IN / AUTHOR: CAMILLA BRUCE / PUBLISHER: BANTAM PRESS / RELEASE ...
THE LAST DAY / AUTHOR: ANDREW HUNTER MURRAY / PUBLISHER: HUTCHINSON / RELEASE DATE: 6TH FEBRUARY The world is on the edge of collapse. I...
YOU LET ME IN / AUTHOR: CAMILLA BRUCE / PUBLISHER: BANTAM PRESS / RELEASE DATE: 5TH MARCH Cassandra Tipp has disappeared. 74 years old. ...


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Concerns over outsourcing care to help those with disabilities
Concern has been sparked among staff and families in regards to the possible outsourcing of a pioneering all-age disability social work service.
Independent Futures, which Staffordshire council is in the process of setting up, is aimed to provide assessments and brokerage for people of all ages with learning disabilities or autism and those under 18 with a physical or sensory impairment. The service has been designed to provide disabled people with more seamless care via the allocation of a single key worker to people and their families. The worker will work with a person with lifelong conditions from childhood through to adulthood. It is also believed that Independent Futures will help to promote independence for disabled people, reduce bureaucracy and avoid crisis management through the provision of lifelong support planning. It is also designed to improve support to people do not meet eligibility criteria.
It is initially being launched as an in-house service the councils is currently considering whether it should be outsourced in the future, either as a new social enterprise run in part by staff and services users or through a sale to a private company. There will be a consultation launched later in the year on how the service should be developed.
Unison's Staffordshire council branch have said that it backs the aims of Independent Futures but are concerned about the consequences of the service being externalised.
"Our members believe in the overriding principles of Independent Futures, the provision of quality, consistent social care as part of an all-age service, without the traditional split of adults'/children's services, however members remain concerned at the overhanging threat of potential externalisation at some future point, which could mean social care being provided from a number of routes which would not be directly accountable to the community," said branch secretary Steve Elsey.
It is feared that externalisation will weaken the accountability of the service to local residents and a social enterprise would struggle to manage the administrative and staffing costs of the service more cheaply than the council, which could benefit from economies of scale.
In plans published earlier this year for Independent Futures it was claimed that possible benefits of externalising the service included a more entrepreneurial approach, access to commercial opportunities and funding streams not open to the council as well as increased efficiency and flexibility in operations. However the council have stressed that no decisions had been taken.
"Independent Futures Staffordshire was set up as a limited company by Staffordshire County Council last year purely as a precautionary measure to ensure that the name and company structure would be in place should it be decided that Independent Futures will be run as a stand-alone service," said Robbie Marshall, cabinet member for health and wellbeing. "Incorporating a limited company is a simple procedure that takes very little time and is simply part of good planning for every eventuality. No decision has been made as to how Independent Futures will be run or indeed whether it will be run externally or in-house. As a result, the company is currently dormant."
He added: "Ultimately Independent Futures is about improving outcomes for people with disabilities across Staffordshire and we will develop the very best solution to achieve that aim."
It is predicted that Independent Futures will have around 190 full-time equivalent staff, 84 of whom will be key workers and 57 social workers and is currently in the process of recruiting staff. It will be initially set up in Newcastle before being rolled out across the country.
Young people with learning disabilities more likely to be abused
A group of children's charities have said that young people with disabilities have the "same vulnerabilities" as all young people but face extra "barriers" to getting protection or support,...
Success for a disability sport programme
The programme ran for three weeks and included multi-sport camps at Aberdeen Sports Village, reports the Mearns Leader. Chair of Aberdeenshire Council's Education, Learning and Leisure Committee...
Hartlepool to open a disability centre
Work has begun on the Hartlepool Borough Council project which aims to provide the Centre for Independent Living on the site of the current Havelock Centre in Burbank, reports The Hartlepool Mail.It...
Reform for care of adults with learning disabilities criticised for being slow
Following the care home abuse scandal at Winterbourne, Sir Stephen Bubb headed a review into care home abuse, which was published in November, reports the BBC.England's chief nursing officer said...
Campaigners warn that people with disabilities are losing rights due to government cuts
Charities are concerned that the rights of people with learning disabilities to live independent lives are slipping due to government cuts to benefits and social care, reports the Guardian. A letter...
Concern over disability benefits following council change
On the 30th of June a £500m Independent Living Fund will be in the control of local authorities, leaving people fearing how the benefit allowance for disabled adults will be affected, reports the...
Victims of disability hate crime are being let down
Police, prosecutors and probations services have failed to bring in need change over the past two years, a report by the Criminal Justice Inspectorate has found, reports the BBC.The CPS, police and...
New initiative to support young people with disabilities
Liberty Staffordshire Community Interest Company have been developed to maximise opportunities for young people due to growing concern they could be left isolated following the withdrawal of...
How technology is helping people with disabilities
At the exhibit people presented all-terrain wheelchairs, adapted smartphone for people whose fingers can't cope with normal devices, wheelchairs that allow the user to become level with the people...
Charities call for action on accessible housing
Leonard Cheshire Disability charity has told The Yorkshire Post that the lack of housing which is accessible for people with disabilities must become and election issue and is calling for the...
How to fund Housing Support and Social Care Services "Alot of information in a short time, good for me because I travelled a long way. So I feel the journey was worthwhile." C.T - People First Dorset


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A RELIGION WITHOUT A SOUL
If you needed more evidence of the inherent hatred of humanity and life that is implicit (and explicit) in the religion of Islam, then read this article fron The Guardian:
The pickup halted in Kidal, the far-flung Malian desert town that is home to members of the Grammy award-winning band Tinariwen. Seven AK47-toting militiamen got out and marched to the family home of a local musician. He wasn't home, but the message delivered to his sister was chilling: "If you speak to him, tell him that if he ever shows his face in this town again, we'll cut off all the fingers he uses to play his guitar with."
The gang then removed guitars, amplifiers, speakers, microphones and a drum kit from the house, doused them with petrol, and set them ablaze. In northern Mali, religious war has been declared on music.
When a rabble of different Islamist groups took control of the region in April there were fears that its rich culture would suffer. But no one imagined that music would almost cease to exist – not in Mali, a country that has become internationally renowned for its sound.
"Music regulates the life of every Malian," adds Cheich Tidiane Seck, a prolific Malian musician and producer. "From the cradle to the grave. From ancient times right up to today. A Mali without music? No … I mean … give me another one!""Culture is our petrol," says Toumani Diabaté, the Malian kora player who has collaborated with Damon Albarn and Björk, to name but a few. "Music is our mineral wealth. There isn't a single major music prize in the world today that hasn't been won by a Malian artist."
And yet that is the bland reality dawning on this once joy-filled land. International observers claim the leaders of the three armed Islamic groups who now control the northern Malian cities of Timbuktu, Kidal and Gao are motivated by money and power rather the dream of a caliphate in the Sahel. There are strong ties between these groups and the less than holy interests of major drug-traffickers and arms smugglers.
But many of the mujahideen who have zoned in on the conflict from all over the Muslim world are fired by an unquestionable religious zeal. The same goes for Iyad Ag Ghaly, a Touareg strongman and born-again Salafist, who founded the Ansar-ud-Deen movement at the end of last year.
An official decree banning all western music was issued on 22 August by a heavily bearded Islamist spokesman in the city of Gao. "We don't want the music of Satan. Qur'anic verses must take its place. Sharia demands it," the decree says.
The ban comes in the context of a horrifically literal and gratuitous application of Sharia law in all aspects of daily life. Militiamen are cutting off the hands and feet of thieves or stoning adulterers. Smokers, alcohol drinkers and women who are not properly attired are being publicly whipped. As one well-known Touareg musician from Kidal says: "There's a lack of joy. No one is dancing. There are no parties. Everybody's under this kind of spell. It's strange."
It's not at all strange. It's the joyless existence that Islam wants to impose on the entire world--and if you haven't noticed, then you've been asleep for the last decade or more.
At The Corner, Andrew McCarthy weighs in:
The Guardian attributes the atrocious penalties to the "menace of al-Qaida"; it also notes, however, that the "ban [on music] comes in the context of a horrifically literal and gratuitous application of Sharia law in all aspects of daily life."
Much as I hate to be the bearer of bad news, al Qaeda did not make up sharia law. Islam did. And in the West, it is a key tenet of due process that law is imposed literally — ambiguous laws violate the principle that people of ordinary intelligence must be on fair notice of what is prohibited. There's nothing "gratuitous" about applying as it is written.
We can keep our heads tucked snug in the sand, or we can recognize the source of the problem.
Many people in this country prefer to keep their heads in the sand. Many people, including our current President prefer to talk about some ridiculous "war on women" that those eeeeeevilllll Republicans are waging. But it is Islam that is waging the real war on women, as Martha McSally reminds us:
I'm a woman warrior. I've been fighting for women's rights and women's equality my whole life.
You want to talk about a war on women? Walk in my shoes down the streets of Kabul. Walk in my shoes down the streets of Riyadh; where women have to be covered up. Where they're stoned, where they're honor killed if they've been raped , where they can't drive and they can't travel without the permission of a male relative.
That's a war on women.
She is absolutely correct, but I would go even a step further: Islam represents not only an anti-woman agenda, it promotes a fully anti-human, anti-life, anti-joy and anti-peace agenda. The blood-thirsty god Islam worships thrives on human nisery,suffering and death; Allah revels in destruction and chaos, and his followers never fail to disappoint.
Anything that brings joy or that elevates the spirit, must be banned. Anyone who disagrees will be mercilessly killed.
I have already discussed how humor is almost non existent in the Muslim world ( except for the cruel and sadistic variety whose goal is to demonize non-Muslims).
Let me be clear: I do not believe that Muslims are bad or inherently evil. I believe they are every bit as human as Jews or Christins or Hindus or Buddhists. However, that reality has nothing to do with the supposed "wonderfulness" or "peacefulness" of the Islamic idology they embrace, which as far as I can tell caters to and fosters the absolute worse aspects of human nature.
The ideology of Islam has one purpose and one purpose only: to deny and ultimaely eradicate the essence of any human good. It is a religion that destroys the soul.
Amd. instead of standing up for the good and best within the human spirit; instead of standing firm for the values of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness; the current President of the United States is busy demonizing Republicans even as he accommodates and appeases the real monsters of the world whose nuclear dreams will enable them to facilitate the spread of their viscious misogyny; and to enslave the minds of everyone--whether female or male.
[Political cartoons by Gary McCoy]
rittenberryrachele said...
An excellent post with very good points & the McCarthy article as well as the 'war on women' article were interesting & informative.
Your post has excellent points, I enjoyed it as well as the McCarthy article & the 'war on women' article; it's refreshing to read the truth, as ugly as it is as opposed to a lie or a glossed over version of the truth.
waltj said...
Remember the meaning of the word Islam: to submit. Islamic theology holds that man is so inherently rebellious and disobedient to the will of the all-powerful allah, represented by the sharia, that man must be forced to comply. Those who do the forcing are self-appointed groups like Ansar ud-Deen, the Taliban, al-Shabaab, and others of that persuasion. And no, there is no room for music, dance, or fun in this view, nor for women who do anything other than to obey their husbands, fathers, or brothers. As you note, not all Muslims subscribe to this austere vision of their religion, but those who do have guns and are more than willing to use them.
17Your comments about the evil nature of islam's god are correct. Those that want to investigate the claims of any religion should start with the character and nature of the God they worship. Christianity's God invites you to accept His rule. Allah demands you submit to his rule.
Geoffrey Britain said...
"There are no jokes in Islam. There is no humor in Islam. There is no fun in Islam. There can be no fun [or] joy in whatever is serious." Ayatollah Khomeini
"In fact, Islam is probably among the most anti-human religions ever devised, and the soulless god it worships appears to love human misery,suffering and death"
Had Satan himself wished to create a 'religion' could he have found a better example to emulate than Islam?
It's been said that the best way to lie is to only tell the part of the truth that supports the lie.
In that vein, the Arabic word 'Islam' does translate into "to submit" and God does seek our wills voluntary submission to his but God asks us to align our will voluntarily with his because we are as blind, lost children and he the sighted, loving parent who seeks to protect and guide us into the light. Always respecting our free will. It is reconnection with the divine that our souls and spirit seek but only by aligning our wills with God's will can we enter into the gates of heaven. "No man may come on to the Father but through me" (the way, [the spirit] that I show). the Christ
"There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way."" C.S. Lewis
Fantastic article.
You speak the truth where so many are too afraid.
Charles said...
Yes, those evil Republicans are engaging in a war on women, mentioned over and over again.
Yet, a young girl in Pakistan is targeted for simply believing that girls are entitled to an education and Obama's says what about this young girl who was nearly killed?
MissJean said...
I read the article, but the comments were depressing. A lot saying that this is the result of religion - all religion - and ignoring that the musicians are Muslim. I wonder if they know that the atheist Lenin stopped listening to music because it made him feel as if he shouldn't kill, or that the atheist Ché Guevara hated music and musicians. This tendency to wipe out the beautiful - whether it's the Puritan banning Christmas or the atheist suing to stop school bands from playing pieces by Mozart and Bach - is crushing.
Have you ever read Nicolas Berdyaev? He wrote about thought control by totalitarian states - in his time, secular states. What I remember most was his paradox that the new "orthodoxies" would look like devil-worship (deliberately choosing evil over good) or idolatry (setting up a person or object as central to existence).
I think that Islam already has idolatry in the way they venerate their prophet Mohammed and their holy book (yet call Jews and Christians "people of the book").
The banning of music seems to fall under choosing evil and opposing good. The fanatics are destroying the admirable aspects of their culture. Take the tombs of the Muslim holy men that were recently razed or the deliberate flooding of pre-Christian Babylonian sites in Iran - they destroy their own historical record. When they subjugate women and end the education of girls, they cultivate ignorance and breed suffering in their own communities.
IF IT'S YOUR FIRST TIME....
IRAN IS VOTING FOR OBAMA ! WHAT A SURPRISE
I'VE GOT A LITTLE LIST (AND IT'S IN A BINDER)
DANCING ON OSAMA'S GRAVE, BELIEVING AL QAEDA WAS ...
AND HE'S FUNNY TOO!
OBAMA MEETS THE BITCH
BEYOND THE RULE OF REASON
ONE GENERATION AWAY
PROOF POSITIVE THAT WOMEN HAVE ACHIEVED FULL EQUA...
MORAL QUALMS---AND THE LACK THEREOF
DARK CAVES OF THE MIND
THE VINDICTIVE TRUTH


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www.hww.ca > English > Wildlife > Mammals > Snowshoe Hare
Photo: Daniel Dagenais
Photo: Gordon Court
This animal
can advance up to 3 m in one bound and travel as fast as 45 km an hour
has up to four litters of young each year
can reach great numbers—as many as 500 or 600 per square kilometre
lives in every province and territory in Canada
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Description | Habitat and Habits | Range | Feeding | Breeding | Conservation | Resources
The snowshoe hare Lepus americanus, one of our commonest forest mammals, is found only in North America. It is shy and secretive, often undetected in summer, but its distinctive tracks and well-used trails ("runways" or "leads") become conspicuous with the first snowfall.
Well-adapted to its environment, the snowshoe hare travels on large, generously furred hind feet, which allow it to move easily over the snow. In soft snow, the four long toes of each foot are spread widely, increasing the size of these "snowshoes" still more. A seasonal variation in fur colour is another remarkable adaptation: from grey-brown in summer, the fur becomes almost pure white in midwinter. The coat is composed of three layers: the dense, silky slate-grey underfur; longer, buff-tipped hairs; and the long coarser guard hairs. The alteration of the coat colour, brought about by a gradual shedding and replacement of the outer guard hairs twice yearly, is triggered by seasonal changes in day length.
The snowshoe hare moults twice a year, beginning in August or September and in March or April. Generally, the hind feet retain patches of white fur into the summer. In the humid coastal zones of southwestern British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, where snow is infrequent, snowshoe hares remain brown throughout the year.
The snowshoe hare's ears are smaller than most hares'. The ears contain many veins, which help to regulate body temperature; for example, desert hares have very large ears with almost no fur, so the blood can cool in the slightest breeze. Because snowshoe hares live in cold environments, they do not need such big ears to help lower their body temperatures.
Female snowshoe hares are often slightly larger than males. Adult snowshoe hares typically weigh 1.2 to 1.6 kg; the hares are usually heaviest during the peak and early decline of the population cycle.
Signs and sounds
Snowshoe hares are generally silent, but they can show annoyance by snorting. On the rare occasions when they are caught, they utter a high-pitched squeal, which sometimes causes surprised hunters to drop them. During the breeding season, bucks and does (males and females) make a kind of a clicking noise to each other. Does also use this sound to call their young to them for nursing.
Habitat and Habits
The snowshoe hare lives in boreal forest, the northernmost forest in the Northern Hemisphere. Its range also extends into mountains in the United States. In eastern Canada and mountainous areas, the forest is predominantly coniferous (spruce and fir), whereas over large expanses of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, the forest is mainly deciduous (aspen and balsam poplar). Snowshoe hares use many forest types. Overall, they prefer areas with a dense understory, or layer of plants below the main canopy of the forest, whether that is formed by young trees or by tall shrubs. This cover helps to protect them from predators and provide them with food.
The home range of a snowshoe hare—the area within which it normally lives—is approximately 6 to 10 ha. Within that range, the hare has an intricate network of trails that criss-cross its territory. These trails, which take the hares between feeding and resting places, are well-travelled, both by the hares and by other species, like squirrels, porcupines, and skunks. Major runways follow the same routes in summer and in winter, and the snowshoe hares keep the trails well-maintained, quickly clipping off stems and leaves which begin to block the runways; they may need these routes to escape predators.
Snowshoe hares are very active between sundown and dawn, and they remain active all winter. Rain, snow, or wind often markedly reduce the hares' activity. During the daytime, the snowshoe hare rests quietly in sheltered spots called "forms," under a bush, stump, or log. It dozes fitfully and grooms itself by licking its fur, but it is always alert.
If it is threatened, the snowshoe hare may freeze to take advantage of its camouflaging coloration, or it may flee. Snowshoe hares younger than two weeks, which cannot yet move swiftly, remain immobile. Older snowshoe hares are likely to flee; often, they will see predators before being seen, and can move away undetected. They travel by bounding, sometimes covering 3 m at a time, and they can travel as fast as 45 km/h. This is one way in which hares differ from rabbits—while hares are likely to run to escape predators, rabbits will dash to underground warrens and hide in them; hares rarely go underground. Linked to this difference in behaviour are some anatomical differences, including the hare's bigger heart, which helps it run.
Unique characteristics
The spectacular cyclic fluctuations of snowshoe hare populations are well known. These remarkably regular fluctuations, which are about 10 years long, can be traced back over 200 years in the fur records of the Hudson's Bay Company. At the population peak, hares can be extremely abundant, reaching densities of 500 to 600 hares per square kilometre. Population peaks occur roughly at about the same time, throughout the snowshoe hare's range, although the timing of peaks may vary by one to three years between regions. Population declines are largely caused by predation.
Distribution of the snowshoe hare
The snowshoe hare is found in every province and territory in Canada. It lives in the boreal forest and the southern extensions of this forest, along the Appalachian Mountains in the east and the Rocky and Cascade mountains in the west. The snowshoe hare is found as far south as North Carolina, New Mexico, and California. To the north, it reaches the Arctic Ocean in the willow swales, or depressions, of the Mackenzie River delta.
Snowshoe hares consume a variety of herbaceous plants during the summer, including species like vetch, strawberry, fireweed, lupine, bluebell, and some grasses. They also eat many leaves from shrubs. Their winter diet consists of small twigs, buds, and bark from many coniferous and deciduous species. Their geographic range is so large that snowshoe hares in different regions may have completely different diets, depending entirely on the local forest type.
The hares often stand to clip shrubs up to 45 cm from the ground, and as the snow builds, they can clip higher and higher. In peak population years, snowshoe hares may kill saplings and shrubs by girdling, or taking rings of bark from the plants. Snowshoe hares occasionally scavenge meat from the carcasses of other animals. Most small herbivores, including mice, voles, and rabbits, will eat meat occasionally if it is available—good sources of protein are rare in plant foods, so most herbivores eat meat when they can.
Snowshoe hares start breeding during the spring after their birth. The breeding season begins about mid-March with courtship parades. Each female is receptive to males for about 24 hours, first in March, and then the day after giving birth to each litter—two to four times during the summer. During that day, females and males often travel together while foraging, with interludes of active chasing and jumping over each other. Females often breed with several males.
The first litter is usually born in May after a 36-day gestation period. Litters contain anywhere from one to 13 young. The first litter in each summer is usually the smallest, with three to four young. The second litter is often the largest, with an average size of four to seven young.
Snowshoe hares are born fully furred with their eyes open, and they are capable of hopping about almost immediately. Such precociousness is characteristic of hares in general, and is in marked contrast to young rabbits, which are born naked and blind. Young snowshoe hares nurse only once a day, usually in the evening, and are self-supporting at three to four weeks of age. They weigh between 45 and 75 g at birth, gain 450 g within a month, and reach the average adult weight of 1.4 kg by five months.
The snowshoe hare suffers from many diseases—viral, bacterial, and parasitic. It is also the victim of many predators: among the most common are the Canada lynx, red fox, coyote, mink, Great Horned Owl, and Northern Goshawk. Snowshoe hares younger than two weeks of age are killed primarily by red squirrels and ground squirrels. Between 1 percent and 40 percent of snowshoe hares survive each year; the rate varies with the 10-year population cycle. Although snowshoe hares can live to six years old, very few survive that long; they are extremely lucky if they make it to their second summer of breeding.
The snowshoe hare is the most important small game animal in Canada. It is a mainstay in larders of Aboriginal peoples, and on the island of Newfoundland, where it was introduced in the 1870s, thousands of snowshoe hares are snared each year for meat, and they are sold in markets. In the Prairie provinces, on the other hand, non-Aboriginals are reluctant to eat hares. This prejudice apparently stems from the widespread belief that the animals harbour a mysterious disease which causes their cyclic decline.
As one of the dominant herbivores and key prey species within the boreal forest, the snowshoe hare contributes to this ecosystem's diversity. Because they are a frequent prey item, snowshoe hares are critical to maintaining the food web in our forests; indeed, research in Yukon has demonstrated that the snowshoe hare may be a keystone, or central, species. Logging, fire, habitat conversion, and global warming are changing the distribution and quality of forested habitats. The 10-year cycle in snowshoe hares and their predators is a unique, dominant, and large-scale pattern in Canadian forests, and we do not know how habitat alteration will affect it.
Yukon Department of Renewable Resources Mammal Series
Banfield, A. W. F. 1974. The mammals of Canada. University of Toronto Press, Toronto.
Hall, E. R. 1981. The mammals of North America, 2nd ed. John Wiley and Sons, New York.
Hodges, K. E., C. J. Krebs, D. S. Hik, C. I. Stefan, E. A. Gillis, and C. E. Doyle. 2001. Snowshoe hare demography. In Ecosystem Dynamics of the Boreal Forest: the Kluane Project. C. J. Krebs, S. Boutin, and R. Boonstra, eds. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Hodges, K. E. 2000. The ecology of snowshoe hares in northern boreal forests. In Ecology and Conservation of Lynx in the United States. L. F. Ruggiero, K. B. Aubry, S. W. Buskirk, G. M. Koehler, C. J. Krebs, K. S. McKelvey, and J. R. Squires, eds. University Press of Colorado, Boulder. (Also available at the Parks Canada, Snowshoe Hare - An Important Herbivore)
Hodges, K. E. 2000. Ecology of snowshoe hares in southern boreal and montane forests. In Ecology and Conservation of Lynx in the United States. L. F. Ruggiero, K. B. Aubry, S. W. Buskirk, G. M. Koehler, C. J. Krebs, K. S. McKelvey, and J. R. Squires, eds. University Press of Colorado, Boulder. (Also available at the Parks Canada, Snowshoe Hare - An Important Herbivore)
Krebs, C. J., R. Boonstra, S. Boutin and A. R. E. Sinclair. 2001. What drives the 10-year cycle of snowshoe hares? BioScience 51:25-35.
Krebs, C. J., S. Boutin, R. Boonstra, A. R. E. Sinclair, J. N. M. Smith, M. R. T. Dale, K. Martin and R. Turkington. 1995. Impact of food and predation on the snowshoe hare cycle. Science 269:1112-1115.
© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of the Environment, 1974, 1980, 2002, 2005. All rights reserved.
Catalogue number CW69-4/44-2003E-IN
Text: L.B. Keith
Revision: Karen E. Hodges, 2002
Editing: Maureen Kavanagh, 2002, 2005
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Keith Williams Common Raven Common Raven (15 seconds) Common Raven (Youth) Common Raven Common Raven (30 seconds)
Common Raven showing its hackles and large beak
The Common Raven Corvus corax is one of the heaviest passerine birds and the largest of all the songbirds. It is easily recognizable because of its size (between 54 and 67 centimetres long, with a wingspan of 115 to 150 cm, and weighing between 0.69 and two kilograms) and its black plumage with purple or violet lustre. It has a ruff of feathers on the throat, which are called 'hackles', and a wide, robust bill. When in flight, it has a wedge-shaped tail, with longer feathers in the middle. While females may be a bit smaller, both sexes are very similar. The size of an adult raven may also vary according to its habitat, as subspecies from colder areas are often larger.
A raven may live up to 21 years in the wild, making it one of the species with the longest lifespan in all passerine birds.
The Common Raven is often mistaken for an American Crow in southern Canada and the United States. Both birds are from the same genus (order of passerine birds, corvid family –like jays, magpies and nutcrackers, Corvus genus) and have a similar colouring. But the American Crow is smaller (with a wingspan of about 75 cm) and has a fan-shaped tail when in flight (with no longer feathers). It also has a narrower bill and lacks the raven's hackles. Their cries are different: the raven produces a low croaking sound, while the crow has a higher pitched cawing cry. While adult ravens tend to live alone or in pairs, crows are more often observed in larger groups.
Common Raven vs American Crow
August Linnman Atlantic Cod Atlantic Cod (Youth) Atlantic Cod (15 seconds) Atlantic Cod (30 seconds) Atlantic Cod
The Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) is a medium to large saltwater fish: generally averaging two to three kilograms in weight and about 65 to 100 centimetres in length, the largest cod on record weighed about 100 kg and was more than 180 cm long! Individuals living closer to shore tend to be smaller than their offshore relatives, but male and female cod are not different in size, wherever they live.
The Atlantic Cod shares some of its physical features with the two other species of its genus, or group of species, named Gadus. The Pacific Cod and Alaska Pollock also have three rounded dorsal fins and two anal fins. They also have small pelvic fins right under their gills, and barbels (or whiskers) on their chins. Both Pacific and Atlantic Cod have a white line on each side of their bodies from the gills to their tails, or pectoral fins. This line is actually a sensory organ that helps fish detect vibrations in the water.
The colour of an Atlantic Cod is often darker on its top than on its belly, which is silver, white or cream-coloured. Its exact colour varies between individuals and seems to depend on its habitat in order to camouflage, or blend in: when there's lots of algae around, a cod can be reddish to greenish in colour, while a paler grey colour is more common closer to the sandy bottom of the ocean. In rocky areas, a cod may be a darker brown colour. Cod are often mottled, or have a lot of darker blotches or spots.
The Atlantic Cod may live as long as 25 years.
Moira Brown, New England Aquarium North Atlantic Right Whale North Atlantic Right Whale North Atlantic Right Whale (Youth) North Atlantic Right Whale (30 seconds) North Atlantic Right Whale (15 seconds)
The North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalæna glacialis) is one of the rarest of the large whales. It can weigh up to 63,500 kilograms and measure up to 16 metres. That's the length of a transport truck and twice the weight! Females tend to be a bit larger than males – measuring, on average, one metre longer. Considering its weight, it's fairly short, giving it a stocky, rotund appearance. Its head makes up about a fourth of its body length, and its mouth is characterized by its arched, or highly curved, jaw. The Right Whale's head is partially covered in what is called callosities (black or grey raised patches of roughened skin) on its upper and lower jaws, and around its eyes and blowhole. These callosities can appear white or cream as small cyamid crustaceans, called "whale lice", attach themselves to them. Its skin is otherwise smooth and black, but some individuals have white patches on their bellies and chin. Under the whale's skin, a blubber layer of sometimes more than 30 centimetres thick helps it to stay warm in the cold water and store energy. It has large, triangular flippers, or pectoral fins. Its tail, also called flukes or caudal fins, is broad (six m wide from tip to tip!), smooth and black. That's almost the same size as the Blue Whale's tail, even though Right Whales are just over half their size. Unlike most other large whales, it has no dorsal fin.
For a variety of reasons, including its rarity, scientists know very little about this rather large animal. For example, there is little data on the longevity of Right Whales, but photo identification on living whales and the analysis of ear bones and eyes on dead individuals can be used to estimate age. It is believed that they live at least 70 years, maybe even over 100 years, since closely related species can live as long.
The Right Whale has a bit of an unusual name. It is thought to have been named by whalers as the "right" whale to hunt due to its convenient tendencies to swim close to shore and float when dead. Its name in French is more straightforward; baleine noire, the black whale.
Parks Canada / Parcs Canada American Eel Ocean Commotion (webisode)
The American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) is a fascinating migratory fish with a very complex life cycle. Like salmon, it lives both in freshwater and saltwater. But its life-cycle is exactly the reverse of salmon's: the eel is a catadromous species. It is born in saltwater and migrating to freshwater to grow and mature before returning to saltwater to spawn and die. The American Eel can live as long as 50 years.
It is a long, slender fish that can grow longer than one metre in length and 7.5 kilograms in weight. Males tend to be smaller than females, reaching a size of about 0.4 m. With its small pectoral fins right behind its gills, absence of pelvic fins, long dorsal and ventral fins and the thin coat of mucus on its tiny scales, the adult eel slightly resembles a slimy snake but are in fact true fish. Adult eels vary in coloration, from olive green and brown to greenish-yellow, with a light gray or white belly. Females are lighter in colour than males. Large females turn dark grey or silver when they mature.
It is known by a variety of names in Canada, including: the Atlantic Eel, the Common Eel, the Silver Eel, the Yellow Eel, the Bronze Eel and Easgann in Irish Gaelic. In Indigenous languages, like Mi'kmaq, it is known as k'at or g'at, the Algonquins call it pimzi or pimizi, in Ojibwe bimizi, in Cree Kinebikoinkosew and the Seneca call it goda:noh.
The American Eel is the only representative of its genus (or group of related species) in North America, but it does have a close relative which shares the same spawning area: the European Eel. Both have similar lifecycles but different distributions in freshwater systems except in Iceland, where both (and hybrids of both species) can be found.
Thinkstock North American Lobster North American Lobster North American Lobster (30-seconds) North American Lobster (youth) North American Lobster (15-seconds)
The American Lobster (Homarus americanus) is a marine invertebrate which inhabits our Atlantic coastal waters. As an invertebrate, it lacks bones, but it does have an external shell, or exoskeleton, making it an arthropod like spiders and insects. Its body is divided in two parts: the cephalothorax (its head and body) and its abdomen, or tail. On its head, the lobster has eyes that are very sensitive to movement and light, which help it to spot predators and prey, but are unable to see colours and clear images. It also has three pairs of antennae, a large one and two smaller ones, which are its main sensory organs and act a bit like our nose and fingers. These antennae are able to smell the water to locate prey and touch elements in the lobster's environment so it can find its way. The lobster's mouth is located just below its eyes. Around its mouth are small appendages called maxillipeds and mandibles which help direct food to the mouth and chew. Food is then brought to the first of the lobster's two stomachs, which is just inside its mouth! The lobster's respiratory system is made of gills, like fish, which are situated on each side of its cephalothorax.
The lobster's legs are also found on the cephalothorax. Lobsters have ten legs, making them decapod (ten-legged) crustaceans, a group to which shrimp and crabs also belong (other arthropods have a different number of legs, like spiders, which have eight, and insects, which have six). Four pairs of these legs are used mainly to walk and are called pereiopods. The remaining pair, at the front of the cephalothorax, are called chelipeds and each of those limbs ends with a claw. These claws help the lobster defend itself, but also capture and consume its prey. Each claw serves a different purpose: the bigger, blunter one is used for crushing, and the smaller one with sharper edges, for cutting. The claw used for crushing can be on the lobster's right or left side, making it "right-handed" or "left-handed". When a lobster's limb, claw or antennae becomes damaged or lost, it is regrown when the lobster moults, a process called autotomy or regeneration. Hairs on the lobster's legs and claws also act as sensory organs and are able to smell.
J.J. Cadiz Barn Swallow Barn Swallow (60 seconds) Barn Swallow (30 seconds)
Barn Swallow (photo by J.J. Cadiz)
The Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) is a medium-sized songbird, about the size of a sparrow. It measures between 15 and 18 centimeters (cm) in length and 29 to 32 cm in wingspan, and weighs between 15 and 20 grams (g). But while it is average-sized, it's far from average-looking! Its back and tail plumage is a distinctive steely, iridescent blue, with light brown or rust belly and a chestnut-coloured throat and forehead. Their long forked tail and pointed wings also make them easily recognizable. It's these wings, tail and streamlined bodies that make their fast, acrobatic flight possible. Both sexes may look similar, but females are typically not as brightly coloured and have shorter tails than males. When perched, this swallow looks almost conical because of its flat, short head, very short neck and its long body.
Although the average lifespan of a Barn Swallow is about four years, a North American individual older than eight years and a European individual older than 16 years have been observed.
Sights and sounds:
Like all swallows, the Barn Swallow is diurnal –it is active during the day, from dusk to dawn. It is an agile flyer that creates very acrobatic patterns in flight. It can fly from very close to the ground or water to more than 30 m heights. The species may be the fastest swallow, as it's been recorded at speeds close to 75 kilometers per hour (km/h). When not in flight, the Barn Swallow can be observed perched on fences, wires, TV antennas or dead branches.
Both male and female Barn Swallows sing both individually and in groups in a wide variety of twitters, warbles, whirrs and chirps. They give a loud call when threatened, to which other swallows will react, leaving their nests to defend the area.
Thinkstock Freshwater Turtles Freshwater Turtles (30 seconds) Freshwater Turtles Species at Risk in Canada (30 seconds) Species at Risk in Canada (60 seconds) Canada's Peatlands (30 seconds) Canada's Peatlands (60 seconds) Leatherback Seaturtle (30 seconds) Leatherback Seaturtle (60 seconds) Wetlands (30 seconds) expired Wetlands (60 seconds) expired
Stinkpot
Freshwater turtles are reptiles, like snakes, crocodilians and lizards. Like other reptiles, they are ectothermic, or "cold-blooded", meaning that their internal temperature matches that of their surroundings. They also have a scaly skin, enabling them, as opposed to most amphibians, to live outside of water. Also like many reptile species, turtles lay eggs (they are oviparous). But what makes them different to other reptiles is that turtles have a shell. This shell, composed of a carapace in the back and a plastron on the belly, is made of bony plates. These bones are covered by horny scutes made of keratin (like human fingernails) or leathery skin, depending on the species. All Canadian freshwater turtles can retreat in their shells and hide their entire body except the Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina). This shell is considered perhaps the most efficient form of armour in the animal kingdom, as adult turtles are very likely to survive from one year to the next. Indeed, turtles have an impressively long life for such small animals. For example, the Blanding's Turtle (Emydoidea blandingi) can live for more than 70 years! Most other species can live for more than 20 years.
There are about 320 species of turtles throughout the world, inhabiting a great variety of terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems on every continent except Antarctica and its waters. In Canada, eight native species of freshwater turtles (and four species of marine turtles) can be observed. Another species, the Pacific Pond Turtle (Clemmys marmorata), is now Extirpated, having disappeared from its Canadian range. Also, the Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina) has either such a small population that it is nearly Extirpated, or the few individuals found in Canada are actually pets released in the wild. More research is needed to know if these turtles are still native individuals. Finally, the Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), has been introduced to Canada as released pets and, thus, is not a native species.
Thinkstock Little Brown Bat Little Brown Bat (60 seconds) Little Brown Bat (30 seconds) Bats (30 seconds) Bats (60 seconds)
The Little Brown Bat, or Little Brown Myotis (Myotis lucifugus) weighs between 7 and 9 g, and has a wingspan of between 25 and 27 cm. Females tend to be slightly larger than males but are otherwise identical. As its name implies, it is pale tan to reddish or dark brown with a slightly paler belly, and ears and wings that are dark brown to black.
Contrary to popular belief, Little Brown Bats, like all other bats, are not blind. Still, since they are nocturnal and must navigate in the darkness, they are one of the few terrestrial mammals that use echolocation to gather information on their surroundings and where prey are situated. The echolocation calls they make, similar to clicking noises, bounce off objects and this echo is processed by the bat to get the information they need. These noises are at a very high frequency, and so cannot be heard by humans.
Glenn Williams Narwhal Narwhal (30 seconds) - expired Narwhal (60 seconds)
Narwhals (Monodon monoceros) are considered medium-sized odontocetes, or toothed whales (the largest being the sperm whale, and the smallest, the harbour porpoise), being of a similar size to the beluga, its close relative. Males can grow up to 6.2 m -the average size being 4.7 m- and weigh about 1,600 kg. Females tend to be smaller, with an average size of 4 m and a maximum size of 5.1 m and weigh around 900 kg. A newborn calf is about 1.6 m long and weighs about 80 kilograms. The narwhal has a deep layer of fat, or blubber, about 10 cm thick, which forms about one-third of the animal's weight and acts as insulation in the cold Arctic waters.
Like belugas, they have a small head, a stocky body and short, round flippers. Narwhals lack a dorsal fin on their backs, but they do have a dorsal ridge about 5 cm high that covers about half their backs. This ridge can be used by researchers to differentiate one narwhal from another. It is thought that the absence of dorsal fin actually helps the narwhal navigate among sea ice. Unlike other cetaceans –the order which comprises all whales–, narwhals have convex tail flukes, or tail fins.
These whales have a mottled black and white, grey or brownish back, but the rest of the body (mainly its underside) is white. Newborn narwhal calves are pale grey to light brownish, developing the adult darker colouring at about 4 years old. As they grow older, they will progressively become paler again. The narwhal's colouring gives researchers an idea about how old an individual is. Some may live up to 100 years, but most probably live to be 60 years of age.
The narwhal's most striking feature is undoubtedly its tusk. This long, spiral upper incisor tooth (one of the two teeth narwhals have) grows out from the animal's upper jaw, and can measure up to 3 m and weigh up to 10 kg. Although the second, smaller incisor tooth often remains embedded in the skull, it rarely but on occasion develops into a second tusk. Tusks typically grow only on males, but a few females have also been observed with short tusks. The function of the tusk remains a mystery, but several hypotheses have been proposed. Many experts believe that it is a secondary sexual character, similar to deer antlers. Thus, the length of the tusk may indicate social rank through dominance hierarchies and assist in competition for access to females. Indeed, there are indications that the tusks are used by male narwhals for fighting each other or perhaps other species, like the beluga or killer whale. A high quantity of tubules and nerve endings in the pulp –the soft tissue inside teeth – of the tusk have at least one scientist thinking that it could be a highly sensitive sensory organ, able to detect subtle changes in temperature, salinity or pressure. Narwhals have not been observed using their tusk to break sea ice, despite popular belief. Narwhals do occasionally break the tip of their tusk though which can never be repaired. This is more often seen in old animals and gives more evidence that the tusk might be used for sexual competition. The tusk grows all throughout a male's lifespan but slows down with age.
Laurenz Baars Downy Woodpecker Boreal Forest (30 seconds) Boreal Forest (60 seconds) Wildlife in Winter (30 seconds) Wildlife in Winter (60 seconds)
Of the 198 species of woodpeckers worldwide, 13 are found in Canada. The smallest and perhaps most familiar species in Canada is the Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens. It is also the most common woodpecker in eastern North America.
This woodpecker is black and white with a broad white stripe down the back from the shoulders to the rump. Its wings are checkered in a black and white pattern that shows through on the wings' undersides, and the breast and flanks are white. The crown of the head is black; the cheeks and neck are adorned with black and white lines. Male and female Downy Woodpeckers are about the same size, weighing from 21 to 28 g. The male has a small scarlet patch, like a red pompom, at the back of the crown.
The Downy Woodpecker looks much like the larger Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus, but there are some differences between them. The Downy's outer tail feathers are barred with black, unlike the Hairy Woodpecker's, which are all white. The Downy is about 6 cm smaller than the Hairy, measuring only 15 to 18 cm from the tip of its bill to the tip of its tail. And the Downy's bill is shorter than its head, whereas the Hairy's bill is as long as or longer than its head length. The Downy's name refers to the soft white feathers of the white strip on the lower back, which differ from the more hairlike feathers on the Hairy Woodpecker.
Woodpeckers are a family of birds sharing several characteristics that separate them from other avian families. Most of the special features of their anatomy are associated with the ability to dig holes in wood. The straight, chisel-shaped bill is formed of strong bone overlaid with a hard covering and is quite broad at the nostrils in order to spread the force of pecking. A covering of feathers over the nostrils keeps out pieces of wood and wood powder. The pelvic bones are wide, allowing for attachment of muscles strong enough to move and hold the tail, which is important for climbing.
Another special anatomical trait of woodpeckers is the long, barbed tongue that searches crevices and cracks for food. The salivary glands produce a sticky, glue-like substance that coats the tongue and, along with the barbs, makes the tongue an efficient device for capturing insects.
As early as February or March a Downy Woodpecker pair indicate that they are occupying their nesting site by flying around it and by drumming short, fast tattoos with their bills on dry twigs or other resonant objects scattered about the territory. The drumming serves as a means of communication between the members of the pair as well. Downys also have a variety of calls. They utter a tick, tchick, tcherrick, and both the male and the female add a sharp whinnying call during the nesting season.
Hatchlings give a low, rhythmic pip note, which seems to indicate contentment. When a parent enters the nest cavity, the nestlings utter a rasping begging call, which becomes stronger and longer as the chicks mature.
Thinkstock Roseate Tern Roseate Tern Video Ocean Commotion (webisode) Species at Risk in Canada (30 seconds) Species at Risk in Canada (60 seconds)
The Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii is a seabird that resembles a small gull, but it has the typically slender body, short legs, and long, pointed wings of all terns. It is closely related to the Common Tern Sterna hirundo and the Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaeaand is frequently found in their company. For these reasons, the Roseate Tern is not easy to identify (see drawings). It is a paler grey than Arctic and Common terns, and its tail streamers are considerably longer.
The adult Roseate Tern is 33 to 34 cm in length and has a wingspan of 72 to 80 cm. At a weight of approximately 100 to 120 g, an adult is slightly smaller than a Mourning Dove. It has a black forehead and nape, and its upper wing is a pale grey. Its tail is white with deeply forked outer feathers that give the impression of long streamers when the bird is in flight. The underside of the tern is white, tinged with pink early in the breeding season; however, this pale rosy tint is not a good field mark, or identification characteristic, because it varies from bird to bird, and the colour tends to be bleached out by the sun. The legs and feet are reddish, and the bill is mostly black, although bills of breeding birds may be red at the base. Male and female birds look alike. The head of the nonbreeding adult is mottled black and white.
The juvenile Roseate Tern has a mottled greyish back and rump and dark bill and legs. Chicks are unevenly covered with down, giving them a spiky appearance; their legs are dark purplish to black.
All terns have a harsh cry, but the Roseate Tern has a distinctive, two-syllable call — kir-rick. This is often the best way of confirming its presence at a colony.
Mark Williams Snowy Owl Snowy Owl (15 seconds) Snowy Owl (Youth) Snowy Owl (30 seconds) Snowy Owl Snowy Owl Video Boreal Forest (30 seconds) Boreal Forest (60 seconds) Tundra (30 seconds) Tundra (60 seconds) Wildlife in Winter (30 seconds) Wildlife in Winter (60 seconds)
One of the heaviest of North American owls, the Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus stands nearly half a metre tall, with a wingspan of almost 1.5 m. As is the case with most diurnal birds of prey—those that are active during the day—the female is larger and heavier than the male. The average weight of the female is 2.3 kg compared to 1.8 kg for the male.
Adult males may be almost pure white in colour. Adult females are darker, their white feathers barred with dark brown. First-year birds of both sexes are more darkly marked than their adult counterparts. Immature males resemble adult females, and immature females are heavily barred and may appear dark grey when seen from a distance. The light coloration of Snowy Owls provides camouflage when the owls are perched on snow, but this advantage is lost in summer. As spring approaches and the ground becomes bare, Snowy Owls move to sit on patches of snow or ice. No one knows whether they do this to camouflage themselves or whether they are merely keeping insects away or staying cool.
A dense layer of down, overlaid with thick feathering, insulates the Snowy Owl's entire body, including the legs and toes, and enables the bird to maintain a body temperature of 38 to 40°C, even when the air temperature reaches -50°C. In strong wind, Snowy Owls may seek shelter by crouching on the ground behind a windbreak, such as a pile of stones, snowdrift, or bale of hay.
Dave Hughes Ruffed Grouse Ruffed Grouse Video Boreal Forest (30 seconds) Boreal Forest (60 seconds)
The scientific name for the Ruffed Grouse is Bonasa umbellus. Both terms are from the Latin: Bonasa means good when roasted and umbellus, a sunshade. This refers to the ruff or dark-coloured neck feathers that are particularly large in the male. When he is in display before the female, these are erected and surround his head almost like an umbrella. By nodding his head and ruffs, and spreading his tail and strutting, the male identifies himself to the female and encourages her advances.
The male Ruffed Grouse is about the size of a bantam chicken and weighs about 500 g. The females are smaller. Unlike the chicken, the grouse has a broad flat tail that is usually held down but that may be erected and spread into a half circle.
The dappled and barred plumage ranges in colour from pale grey through sombre red to rich mahogany. In the east, most grouse are predominantly grey, although some are red. Greys are in the majority in the central parts of the continent, and on the west coast most grouse are reddish brown.
The colours worn by the grouse are related to their habitat: the dark-coloured grouse inhabit dark forest, as on the coast; grey grouse live in lighter bush. This camouflage helps protect the grouse from their predators.
Males are hard to tell from females at a distance, but they are larger with larger ruffs and a longer tail. In the male the broad band of dark colour in the tail is usually unbroken.
The Ruffed Grouse is frequently called the "partridge." This leads to confusion with the Gray, or Hungarian, Partridge, which was introduced to Canada from Europe. The Ruffed Grouse is only distantly related to the Gray Partridge, which is a bird of open areas, not woodlands.
Guy L. Brun Semipalmated Sandpiper Wetlands (30 seconds) expired Wetlands (60 seconds) expired Wetland Wonderland (webisode)
The Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla, only about 30 g in weight and 14 cm long, is one of Canada's smallest shorebirds. Its name comes from the partial webs between its toes. Males and females are identical in rather plain brown or grey plumage although females are slightly larger. The species can be difficult to distinguish from other small sandpipers.
Semipalmated Sandpipers moult, or shed, their body feathers twice a year. The change to the greyish-brown fall-winter plumage usually starts on the breeding grounds and is completed after arrival on the non-breeding area. The moult that takes place on the non-breeding area prior to spring migration gives them a slightly brighter (more brown) breeding plumage. Adults moult their flight feathers (wings and tail) gradually—retaining the ability to fly at all times—and only once per year, usually in the non-breeding area.
Some juveniles do not replace any flight feathers in their first winter, as these are quite new. Others, however, moult some of the outermost primaries (outer wing feathers), which are important for flight and wear most rapidly.
The Semipalmated Sandpiper's voice is a single note chit or cheh.
Alex Borbely Coho Salmon Pacific Salmon Pacific Salmon (Youth) Pacific Salmon (30 seconds) Pacific Salmon (15 seconds) Rainforest (60 seconds) Rainforest (30 seconds) Ocean Commotion (webisode)
Adult coho salmon have silvery sides and metallic blue backs with irregular black spots. Spawning males have bright red sides, and bright green backs and heads, with darker colouration on their bellies. The fish have hooked jaws and sharp teeth. Young coho salmon are aggressive, territorial and often vibrantly coloured, with a large orange anal fin edged in black and white.
Jean-Daniel Gagné Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, and Northern Goshawk Species at Risk in Canada (30 seconds) Species at Risk in Canada (60 seconds) Boreal Forest (30 seconds) Boreal Forest (60 seconds)
Of the 19 species of raptors, or birds of prey, in Canada, three are Accipiters. Accipiters are small to medium-sized hawks of swift flight that occur around the world. The Canadian species are the Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus, the Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii, and the Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis. The Sharp-shinned Hawk is found in North, Central, and South America, the Cooper's Hawk only in North America, and the Northern Goshawk on five continents.
Accipiters can be distinguished from other types of hawks by their flight silhouettes (see sketch). Like the buteos (e.g., the Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis) and harriers (the Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus is the only Canadian harrier), the accipitrine hawks have rounded wings; however, these are shorter than in the other two groups. In contrast, the wings of another group of hawks, the falcons, such as the Kestrel or Sparrow Hawk Falco sparverius, are pointed.
All accipiters generally have similar colouring, small heads, long tails, and short rounded wings. The female of each species grows larger than the male. They range in size from the small male Sharp-shinned Hawk, which is smaller than a gull, to the large female Northern Goshawk, which at 55 to 66 cm is larger than a crow. The Cooper's Hawk is intermediate in size; the male Cooper's is easily confused with the female Sharp-shinned Hawk, and the female Cooper's Hawk is almost as large as the male Northern Goshawk. There are distinguishing characteristics—for example, the shape of the tail is square for the Sharp-shinned Hawk, rounded for the Cooper's Hawk, and almost square for the Northern Goshawk—but identification is difficult.
Lindy Martin Tundra Swan Wetlands (30 seconds) expired Wetlands (60 seconds) expired Wetland Wonderland (webisode) Tundra (30 seconds) Tundra (60 seconds)
The Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus, formerly known as the Whistling Swan, is a large bird with white plumage and black legs, feet, and beak. However, when it is feeding in iron-rich areas, the feathers on its head and neck may take on a reddish tinge.
The male weighs on average 7.5 kg and can measure 1.3 m from bill to tail. The adult female is about the same size as the male but weighs slightly less, about 6.3 kg. The young of the year are smaller than the adults and have grey plumage, pinkish beaks with black tips, and pink legs and feet. It takes at least two years for adult plumage to grow in.
There are seven species of swans in the world. Two of these, the Tundra Swan and the Trumpeter Swan C. buccinator, are native to North America; their respective populations comprise 140 000 and 16 000 individuals. One non-native species, the Mute Swan, is found in North America,. People brought Mute Swans from Europe and Asia for ornamental display in parks and zoos, and now this species is found in the wild in certain parts of the continent. The Tundra Swan is the most common of the three species of swan found in Canada.
Although Trumpeter Swans are slightly larger than Tundra Swans, it is very difficult to tell the two species apart. At close range, a small yellow mark at the base of the bill, close to the eye, can be seen on the Tundra Swan. There is no such mark on the Trumpeter Swan.
Although very similar in appearance, the Trumpeter Swan and the Tundra Swan have quite different voices. The Trumpeter Swan has a deep, resonant, brassy, trumpet-like voice; the voice of the Tundra Swan is softer and more melodious.
The Tundra Swan's former name "whistling swan" referred to the sound made by the slow, powerful beating of the wings in flight, and not to the voice of the bird. The call is pitched lower than a whistle and more closely resembles a blowing or tearing sound.
When thousands of birds are concentrated at a migratory staging point, the level of sound is very high, particularly at night when much of the social activity takes place.
Shorebirds Killdeer Video Piping Plover Video Wetlands (30 seconds) expired Wetlands (60 seconds) expired Wetland Wonderland (webisode) Species at Risk in Canada (30 seconds) Species at Risk in Canada (60 seconds)
Shorebirds form one of the most interesting, important, and spectacular groups of birds in Canada. They comprise a diverse group of species, including the plovers, oystercatchers, avocets, stilts, turnstones, sandpipers, yellowlegs, snipes, godwits, curlews, and phalaropes.
To the uninitiated, many species of shorebirds, especially the smaller sandpipers, appear confusingly similar, representing variations on a design involving long legs, a long bill, sharp, dynamic wings, and a streamlined body. These design features all reflect the lifestyle for which the birds are adapted—long legs for wading in water or on mudflats or marshes, the long bill for searching for tiny animal and insect prey by probing into Arctic tundra or a variety of substrates, and long wings and a streamlined body for swift flight over long distances.
Seabirds Common Loon (30 seconds) Common Loon (60 seconds) Harlequin Duck Video Herring Gull Video Northern Gannet Video Roseate Tern Video Ocean Commotion (webisode) Species at Risk in Canada (30 seconds) Species at Risk in Canada (60 seconds)
Everyone who has visited the coast is familiar with gulls, those graceful, long-winged birds that throng the beaches and harbours and boldly beg for scraps. The gulls are a family of birds that live mainly at sea, either along the shore, or out in the ocean itself. Worldwide, there are more than 350 species of birds that live either partially or exclusively at sea, and these are generally known as "seabirds."
The table below lists the 14 families of marine birds and the approximate number of species in each (the exact number of species is continually being revised as genetic research reveals that some very similar-looking birds are so different in their genetic makeup that they constitute different species). All species belonging to the albatross, auk, frigatebird, gannet, penguin, petrel, and storm-petrel families feed exclusively at sea. In addition, many species of cormorants, grebes, gulls, jaegers, loons, pelicans and terns feed either entirely or mainly at sea. The Phalaropes are the only shorebirds that feed at sea.
Families of birds in which all species feed either entirely of partially at sea and the approximate number of species in each family appear below (from http://www.worldbirdnames.org/ioc-lists/master-list/). The number of species that breed in Canada are shown in parentheses. Ducks and grebes that feed at sea are not included.
Chorus Frogs
Chorus Frogs (Youth)
Chorus Frogs (15 seconds)
Common Raven (Youth)
Common Raven (15 seconds)
Snowy Owl (15 seconds)
Snowy Owl (Youth)
American Bison (30 seconds)
American Bison (Youth)
Atlantic Cod (Youth)
Atlantic Cod (15 seconds)


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Stage Chat / Tickets / Musical / Falsettos /
Falsettos - West End
Broadway musical Falsettos to receive its long-awaited UK premiere this summer at The Other Palace
Falsettos on the West End! All about Falsettos in London - tickets, summary, running time, seating plan and all the information you need. Book the best, cheap and last minute discont tickets to see Falsettos on the West End in London in 2019
The double Tony Award winning Falsettos is a hilarious and poignant look at a modern family revolving around the life of a gay man Marvin, his wife, his lover, his soon to be bar mitzvahed son, their psychiatrist, and the lesbians neighbours.
Originally created under the spectre of the AIDS crisis, this ground-breaking musical about family dynamics manages to remain buoyant and satirically perceptive even as it moves towards its heartbreaking conclusion.
Selladoor Productions, producers of 9 to 5 The Musical, Big Fish, American Idiot and Avenue Q, bring Falsettos to London for the very first time serving as a timely reminder that love really is the most beautiful thing in the world.
Music & Lyrics by William Finn
Book by William Finn and James Lapine
Starts Friday, 30 August 2019
Ends Saturday, 23 November 2019
Venue Other Palace
Address 12 Palace Street, London, SW1E 5JA
Nearest Tube Victoria
Recommended age 13+