text:
Events held in both October and December, 2016.
Wings Over Water is one of the most unique wildlife and birding festivals in the country. The festival covers such a large area that it takes two events to do the area justice.
Wings Over Water takes place over a six counties in northeastern North Carolina. It includes six national wildlife refuges: Alligator River, Pea Island, Pocosin Lakes, Mattamuskeet, Mackay Island and Currituck National Wildlife Refuges. The area is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Outer Banks.
Located along the Atlantic flyway, large numbers of both resident and migratory birds can be seen in the varied habitats of the region. Over 400 bird species have been recorded in the area.
First Up – October 18-23
The 20th anniversary of the event kicks off on October 18th and runs through Sunday, October 23.
Visitors to the event will be able to participant in a wide variety of activities including birding, kayak tours, painting classes, photography tours/classes and night-time explorations.
Kenn Kaufman is the keynote speaker for this year's event. It is worth the trip just to hear Kenn speak.
Besides being a haven for birds, Wings Over Water participants have the potential of seeing a variety of reptiles, amphibians and mammals, including black bear, river otter, alligators and the endangered red wolf.
Encore Weekend: December 9-11
Encore week is especially for birders and photographers to enjoy seeing large flocks of migratory birds and waterfowl. Thousands of Green-winged Teal, Mallards, American Widgeons, American Black Ducks, Northern Pintails, Northern Shovelers, Ring-necked Ducks, and Tundra Swans can be seen during the winter.
Online registration is now open for both sections. Visit the event web site to register.
About the event:
Wings Over Water is an annual refuge fundraising event sponsored by Coastal Wildlife Refuge Society. The CWRS is a non-profit group who exist to support regional national wildlife refuges. Besides providing educational grants to schools, the CWRS is a part of many refuge support projects such as maintaining trails and signs and other refuge structures.
Research may reveal one reason for color morphs, but there is much to learn.
In some birds, such as the well-known Red-tailed Hawk, the same species can occur in two or more color types, or morphs. New research may reveal at least one reason for this.
Scientists studied Black Sparrowhawks in South Africa. The species has both a dark and a light color morph. Research indicates that the hunting success measured by how much food they brought to their chicks differed depending on light levels. Thus dark birds did better when it was darker and light birds did better when it was brighter.
"Our study is the first study to reveal support for the idea that color polymorphism is due to different morphs being better adapted to different light conditions," said Gareth Tate, PhD student at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute and lead author of the Ecology Letters study. "This is an important finding and helps evolutionary biologists understand how multiple color varieties can co-exist together in the face of natural selection."
Dr. Arjun Amar, supervising author of the paper added, "We think that dark morph birds capture more prey in duller conditions because they are better camouflaged against darker cloudier skies. Within our study area, high rainfall coincides with when the species is breeding, and this may also explain why we have so many of this usually rare colour type here."
In the United States the Red-tailed Hawk has highly variable plumage, including a very light phase, known as Krider's Red-tailed Hawk and a very dark phase known as Harlan's Hawk. Krider's and Harlan's were previously considered separate species. There is little in the literature suggesting reasons for the wide range of plumages.
The common White-throated Sparrow has a subtle plumage morph that effects mate choice. Individuals of the "white-striped" morph have primarily white and primarily black feathers in the median and lateral crown stripes. Individuals of the "tan-striped" morph have primarily tan and brown crown stripes.
The two forms are genetically determined. Individuals almost always mate with a bird of the opposite morph.
– Males of both color types prefer females with white stripes.
– Both types of females prefer tan-striped males.
– White-striped birds are more aggressive than tan-striped ones.
– White-striped females may be able to out-compete the tan-striped females for tan-striped males.
From the Bent Life History Series:
Investigations were made of behavioral differences between breeding adults of both types (of White-throated Sparrows) in Algonquin Park in order to determine at least some of the factors governing the assortative mating (Lowther, MS., and see also Voice). Experiments with tape recordings showed that white-striped males are more aggressive than tan-striped males toward singing individuals. Furthermore white-striped females sing, tan-striped females do not, and white-striped males act aggressively toward singing females, while tan-striped males do not. Finally, the trill note of a female elicits a copulatory excitation in males of both types, but when the trills are accompanied by songs of either males or females, this excitation of white-striped males is suppressed and is replaced by aggressive behavior. This is not true for tan-striped males, which were seen to copulate with their white-striped females, even when a tape recording of a strange male was being played.
While the research on the Black Sparrowhawk in South Africa may reveal one reason for color morphs of the same species, the situation is complex and much remains unknown.
Have another cold one in support of the birds.
Bird-friendly coffee has long been available for many years. The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center advertisers their coffee as the only 100% organic and shade-grown coffee but there are many other sources for bird-friendly coffee.
The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center has published an excellent article on the advantages of shade-grown coffee, including this excerpt:
"In study after study, habitat on shade-grown coffee farms outshone sun-grown coffee farms with increased numbers and species of birds as well as and improved bird habitat, soil protection/erosion control, carbon sequestration, natural pest control and improved pollination. While sun-grown systems can have higher yields, the shaded farms easily outperform them in sustainability measurements with the trees providing an array of ecological services that offer both direct and indirect "income/payback" to farmers and the environment."
But what about another popular drink – beer?
Just to be clear, we are not talking about feeding beer to birds, but about the ingredients in beer, much like the coffee beans used to make coffee.
Paul Baicich in the latest issue of his Great Birding Projects newsletter suggests that bird-friendly beer might be around the corner. Here's his insight into the possibility.
Is bird-friendly beer possible? Something you might not have considered…
It's not as outlandish as you might think. A "bird-friendly beer" really depends on how you look at beer ingredients and if they have content that actually helps birds.
Well, we are in luck. And whether you are a beer fan or not, this may be of interest.
Ingredients in beer may vary culturally in such countries as the Netherlands, Japan, Mexico, Great Britain, and Belgium, but in the U.S. most brands of beer have used barley as the main ingredient in brewing. It's the "adjunct" ingredients that may now draw our attention. "Adjunct" refers to any beer ingredient other than malted barley used to contribute sugar for fermentation (including sugar itself) in making beers.
Mass market beers, and even craft beers, use these adjunct ingredients. They can include wheat, rye, oats, corn, and rice. Of these, one element surely stands out: rice.
Since American rice in the United States is the most bird-compatible, mass-produced, popular crop in the country, it deserves special consideration. Although the total acreage of rice grown in the United States (c. 2.8 million acres) may be less than that used by some other crops – corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, and sorghum, for example – rice is actually critical for our wetland birds.
Today, American rice farms, many of them family farms, serve as "surrogate wetlands" to supplement natural wetlands that have decreased over time. Rice production creates a modest but essential replacement ecosystem, helping to ameliorate losses of native wetland habitat. It's important for waterfowl, shorebirds, long-legged waders, rails, and many other species.
Separating rice at processing mills results in "head rice" (whole-grain) and different grades of broken kernels, or "brewer's rice." In the past, most broken rice in the U.S. went to the beer industry. Today, most of the rice going into beer is whole-grain, while the dog-food industry uses the much of the broken rice.
Used properly in production, rice lightens the color and body of beer. It has been used much like corn has in beer, but it helps produce a drier product. Rice is very much about clean and dry drinkability. This may not be to your own particular taste, but pale lager still dominates the U.S. beer market, and grains that make beer lighter seem to be essential for most makers of pale lager.
Currently, Budweiser uses rice in its production. Indeed, the Budweiser bottle labels announce the rice content: "Brewed by our original process from the choicest hops, rice, and best barley malt." Among the larger brewers, Coors also uses rice, reportedly, less so. But with some of the biggest beer brands in the country – consider Budweiser, Miller and Coors – now owned by foreign investors, the future of beer here is still in flux. At the same time, local craft beers continue to grow, with some of them using rice in the brewing process.
So far, no major brand has pitched itself as a bird-friendly beer, but perhaps it's only time before that happens. And, yes, experts say that one could probably make beer from 100 percent rice, but it probably would be very bland!
Consider rice and wetland birds the next time you order up a brew or go shopping for a six-pack.
The Thrill of the Thaw – Cuba, birds, and us.
Birders are excited about the opportunity to return to Cuba. With over 370 species and 24 endemic species Cuba is top of the list for many birders. Cuba is home to the world's smallest Hummingbird, the Bee Hummingbird (about 2 inches long and weighing in at about .06 oz.). One of the last confirmed reports of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker comes from Cuba.
The following information is excerpted, with permission, from the Great Birding Projects newsletter.
"There isn't a week that goes by that we don't witness some changes in U.S.-Cuban relations. Indeed, in the last two weeks relating to Havana alone, we have seen the first high-end Miami-based cruise initiated, movie and TV filming, and even an elite fashion-design event (Channel). But there is a lot underway apart from Havana, and these are taking place in parts of Cuba where visitors can get a better understanding of the real Cuba. Increased U.S.-Cuban bird-connections through people-to-people and research-based bird activities have been underway and have actually been increasing. This is all very healthy.
Not only have there been regular mutual visits between ornithologists and conservationists, there have been creative exchanges dealing with raptor and songbird monitoring, youth education, feeder-interest, and much-needed field-equipment transfer. In fact, the next BirdCaribbean meeting – to be held in the summer of 2017 – is scheduled to take place in Cuba, at Topes in the Sierra del Escambray. This could represent another real breakthrough in dialogue and cooperation.
Cuba is instrumental for inter-American bird populations. Over 370 species of birds have been recorded on the island, including over two dozen species which are endemic to Cuba. Due to its large land area and geographical position within the Caribbean, Cuba is a real stand-out. More than 160 species will pass through the island during migration or spend the winter on the island.
If you are interested in a bird-study trip to Cuba later this year (3-15 November), a trip designed for 14 people and led by excellent leaders, check out an itinerary developed by the Caribbean Conservation Trust. (If you want more specific details, including hints on alternate trips, e-mail Paul Baicich.)
At the same time, the wonderful book by Nils Navarro, Endemic Birds of Cuba: A Comprehensive Field Guide, was published last year and is available through Ediciones Nuevos Mundos.
Great Birding Projects is a vehicle to promote a creative approach to bird-related editing, education, tourism, and marketing. GBP functions as a bridge to an innovative engagement between people and birds. You can access all previous issues of the GBP bulletin on the GBP website here.
Paul J. Baicich
Great Birding Projects,
P.O. Box 404
Oxon Hill, MD 20750
Over 1,900 species have been recorded in Colombia!
Colombia leads the world in avian biodiversity. With a species count approaching 2,000, almost 20 % of all bird species on Earth can be found in a country less than twice the size of Texas. It includes 76 known breeding endemics.
Geographically, Colombia is the "top" country of South America, the first country below Panama. It is a short two hour flight from Miami. The nation boasts spectacular natural beauty – the Andes mountains, the Amazon rain forest, beautiful coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, and the La Guajira Desert.
Ecologically, Colombia is considered one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries, and of these, the most biodiverse per square kilometer. Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world, lagging only after Brazil which is approximately 7 times bigger.
Recent years have seen a dramatic change in the country. It has become a much safer country to visit and and now attracts over 4 million visitors a year.
Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world, lagging only after Brazil which is approximately 7 times bigger.
Visiting birders face the tough but exciting decision of where to go first. Distinct areas include the Andean Region, the Amazon region, and both the Pacific and Caribbean areas. The birding is terrific everywhere.
Use of a local tour company or bird guide is essential in seeing the most birds and remaining safe.
Top guides and tour companies include:
The Kirtland's Warbler Alliance will the Kirtland's Warbler Home Opener on Friday, June 3 at the Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center on beautiful Higgins Lake. (Northeast Michigan). The program runs from 6:30pm-9:00pm and includes a silent auction, presentation by Dr. Nathan Cooper of the Smithsonian Institute on migration routes of the Kirtland's Warbler.
Festivities continue on Saturday, June 4 with the Kirtland's Warbler Festival at the Community Recreation, Activities and Fitness (C.R.A.F.) Center. The Kirtland's Warbler Festival will include a wide array of nature-based activities developed around the official theme "Healthy Habitats. Healthy Communities." From Kirtland's Warbler tours in the jack pine forest and presentations about bird feeders and rare wildlife of Northeast Michigan, to a 5K race and kayak trip, the Festival aims to highlight and embody the connections that are formed between one's community and the natural world surrounding it.
The endangered Kirtland's Warbler has a limited nesting range, primarily in northern Michigan. Loss of habitat and predation by the Brown-headed Cowbird once dropped estimates of known breeding pairs to less than 200. Concerted efforts by many groups have helped produce a strong recovery for the still endangered species.
Birders wishing to view the Kirtland's Warbler Can take tours offered by the U.S. Forest Service and the Michigan Audubon society, in addition to attending the Alliance Weekened. Most male Kirtland's warblers arrive on the breeding grounds between May 1st and May 18th (means range between May 12th and May 15th), with the first females arriving a week or so after the first males. The best period for seeing the warbler is during late May and the month of June. After July 1, viewing opportunities diminish.
History of the discovery of the Kirtland's Warbler, from the Bent Life History Series:
"Kirtland's warbler was not described until 1852; yet the earliest scientific specimen was collected by Dr. Samuel Cabot, Jr., aboard ship near Abaca Island of the Bahamas in the second week of October 1841. Cabot, however, was on his way with John L. Stephens to Yucatan, and he became so preoccupied with his studies of the spectacular tropical birds of a country then entirely untouched by ornithologists that the little Bahaman warbler skin, brought back to Boston and deposited in his collection, remained unnoticed for more than 20 years (Baird, 1865).
On May 13, 1851, Charles Pease at Cleveland collected a male of the still unnamed warbler and gave the specimen to his father-in-law, Jared P. Kirtland, the well-known naturalist. A few days later, Spencer F. Baird, returning to Washington from a scientific meeting in Cincinnati, stopped a day in Cleveland with his friend Kirtland and was given the specimen to take back to the Smithsonian Institution. The next year (1852) Baird published his description of the new warbler, naming it Sylvicola kirtlandii in honor of Dr. Kirtland, "a gentleman to whom, more than [to] any one living, we are indebted for a knowledge of the Natural History of the Mississippi Valley."
The complete account is available here.
Kirtland Warbler Tours
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Michigan Audubon
Last Friday I finished the last of my three Christmas Bird Counts: Chicago Lakefront, Evanston North Shore, and Waukegan. These are the ones I organize and have been doing for decades. The time I spend on these counts- before, during, and after- largely define the holiday season for me. There are some who like to do counts on a more intermittent basis or prefer the allure of new places: counts for which they have no emotional connection and at the completion of the day there are few if any lingering attachments. To each his or her own.
Chicago Lakefront, on December 25, yielded several birds not ever seen before on the count. At La Rabida, the Gyllenhaals spotted a small white goose in with the Canadas. It indeed was a Ross's. And as some went to get closer looks of the goose, Eric G. looked up and there perched above us was a merlin. We also had very close views of a one-eyed red-tailed hawk (pictured). Later we learned, the northern party (including the Williamsons and Josh Engel) found a palm and an orange-crowned warbler at Montrose and a gray catbird in a Navy Pier parking garage. Mid-morning, I was texted that Channel Two (WBBM) wanted to meet the group for an interview. We met by Shedd Aquarium as the camera whirred and Aaron and I answered questions.
I am not used to two CBCs in a row, but on the very next day I met my two companions, Jane and Dave Bunker, at my regular spot at 6:45. (My concern of being on two consecutive CBCs is rendered insignificant by Kelly McKay, whom I was with on Lakefront, famous for his CBC marathons that require full participation on 24 consecutive counts) Our first locations are a stream leaving a water treatment plant and the plant itself. With warm temperatures and open water everywhere, the paucity of waterfowl was not surprising, as they had no compunction to concentrate. We did wind up with one species that was missed by everyone else on the count: in amidst a flock of 250 Canada geese there were six cackling geese.
The Waukegan CBC, on January 1 as always, started at 5 am when I met Stefanie Altneu and Tim Wallace at Old School Forest Preserve for two hours of owling. The night air had a temperature reading in the teens, accentuated by a hearty wind. We usually find one or two screech owls at the parking lot by the gate but after an hour we failed to find a single one. It is bad for morale to put in that kind of effort without any results, but fortunately over the course of the final hour before dawn we wound up with three screechies (had nice views of one) and two great-horneds.
The Monday before the January 1 Waukegan CBC saw a heavy ice storm. That was followed by light snow and plunging temperatures that created a hazardous glaze over the ground. The Des Plaines River was also high, at places inundating the Des Plaines River trail we hike along during the first five or so hours of the count. Tim dropped Stefanie and me off at 176 (from which we start our walk north) and he met us at a canoe launch a half hour away. At one point, we encountered a bulging surface of untrammeled ice flanked by partially frozen water. I opted to wade and crunch my way through the shin deep water, preferring getting soaked over falling. Stef dropped to her hands and knees and crawled across the treacherous ice. (My pants froze, and so every time I took a step it sounded as if I was dragging something.) But the walk was productive, as we found golden-crowned kinglets and yellow-rumped warblers. In most years, when the Des Plaines is within its banks, we leave the trail and follow the river's winding course. This usually produces a kingfisher or great-blue heron, but our inability to leave the trail caused us to miss these species, assuming the birds were even present. Land birds were also in low numbers, most notably hairy woodpecker which we failed to hear or see altogether.
The best birds, though, were in the afternoon. There is an open pine tract that we cover every year. One species that we almost always get there is red-breasted nuthatch. Despite playing screech owl calls, however, we missed it (indeed, no field party encountered one anywhere). But this year it yielded a real gem: Stef spotted a ruby-crowned kinglet flitting in low shrubbery. We all saw it well, and it is likely the first time the species has been seen on the count. We parked cars at Independence Grove, and thus scanned the lake several times over the day. There were lots of Canada geese, coots, and a nice variety of ducks. As late afternoon was about to segue into dusk, we made our last visit and I spied two swans not far off: two gorgeous trumpeters. Tim took some great photos.
Saturday had me going on a half-day field trip led by George Andrejko (a Chicago native, it turns out), a photographer for the Arizona Fish and Game Department. The focus of the trip was to enhance the participant's photographic skills (modern cameras are so complicated now that while I can do maybe five things with it, someone thoroughly knowledge could probably perform a hundred). Our destination was Ft. Huachuca. One of our first birds was a trogon that flew across the road but we never found it again. George spent some time with me and I did learn more about Nikons than I knew before (that is his brand as well.) We also found some very accommodating Arizona sisters, a not uncommon but drop-dead gorgeous butterfly. (Also had a great shot of a two-spotted forester moth).
Sunday was Robin's last day of vacation so Cindy and I arranged to meet her and Travis, as well as Gary and his wife, for lunch in Green Valley, just south of Tucson. Cindy and I arose early to do some birding at Madera Canyon in the Santa Ritas. One bird which I have not seen in decades was the varied bunting, a stunning finch whose US range is limited to AZ, NM, and western TX. It is not particularly rare but I have just tended to miss it. Bob Behrstock told us that a good place for it is near the Coronado National Forest center just before you ascend towards Madera. Cindy and I walked over to the kiosk and to our amazement read that the bird of the week was: varied bunting. We proceeded down the path and Cindy pointed to a small bird atop a shrub and said, "hey, that looks like a bunting." Indeed it was a varied bunting. Seconds later, Bob Behrstock's voice was heard proclaiming, "there is your varied bunting." I wish all birds were that easy. (Bob was leading a tour and happened to arrive the same time we did.)
Up into Madera Canyon we ventured, stopping at the humming bird feeders at the lodge. It was a great opportunity to use the info offered by George and I took what I think are some pretty nice photos. While immersed in the birds, I heard my name called. This time it was from a totally unexpected source: Theresa Schwinghammer, from Indiana who provided me with some valuable passenger pigeon information some years ago and we have become cyber friends. But it took a trip to Arizona for us to finally meet.
After lunch with family and old friends, Cindy and I drove back to Han to settle in in our new digs at the Casa de San Pedro. Patrick and Karl are wonderful hosts and that night Cindy and I were the only guests. Last year I entered a swimming pool for the first time since the early 1990s but I couldn't pass up this unusual opportunity. (It was encouraging that I can still sort of swim) Cindy spotted a great horned owl in the trees overlooking the pool and it was heavenly floating on one's back while staring at the clear desert sky.
Our final day had us heading to my favorite mountain range, the Chiracauhas. On our way to the visitor center, we saw a freshly killed skunk by the side of the road. There are four species in the area and so we stopped. It was either a hooded (a southwest specialty) or a striped. We stopped at the visitor center and I asked the naturalist about the skunks. During our conversation, I mentioned that the last time I visited the center, there was a big commotion due to a black-tailed rattlesnake curled up just inside the entrance. It turns out she was on duty that same day and shared my recollection of her colleague coaxing the snake into a safer space out of doors. Our goal was drive up to Rustler Park, containing ponderosa pines and such specialties as olive warbler and Mexican chickadee, and then descend to Portal with its famous humming bird feeders. But I was most disappointed, indeed saddened, to learn that a forest fire in 2011 burned many thousands of acres of highland forest including Rustler Park (although I am told our target birds could still be found). Making matters worse, the denuding of vegetation made for more severe road washouts such that it is impossible now to get beyond Rustler. We decided to go up as far as we could. A little ways up the road we reached a dried washout filled with rocks: we crossed but grimaced every time we heard the thuds against the bottom of the car. Next we crossed a wet and muddy section. Things seemed to be getting more severe the higher we went so we decided not to brave the next challenge, a combination of deeper water and more rocks. We probably could have crossed but not knowing how much worse things would be before arriving at our destination we turned back.
Bob's group stayed at the bed and breakfast that night so Patrick and Karl hosted a special dinner for them. We were invited to join and so even our last evening of the trip was particularly memorable. As I said to start, I really love southeast Arizona.
From a natural history perspective, southeast Arizona may be my favorite part of any of the 48 states I have visited. I just love the "sky islands," those isolated mountain ranges rising above the desert lowlands: in a two hour or so drive you can traverse several of Merriam's life zones, from desert to ponderosa pine forests. The Chiricahuas, Huachuca's, Santa Rita's and other local ranges provide unique opportunities to see birds, mammals, F herps, and other taxa that do not occur elsewhere in the country. I was particularly excited, then, when last year I was invited to present the key note talk at Southwest Wings, a birding and nature festival centered in Sierra Vista. In addition to nature, my sister and her family live in Rio Rico and I have not seen them since 2008. And to top it off, this trip spanned the period from July 28 to August 4, well before Cindy's school season starts and thus enabling her to come along.
Through the miracle of Facebook, I have reconnected with several people I have not seen since elementary school. One of these people is Gary Kipnis who now lives in Tucson. So the very first thing we did after leaving the airport with our car rental was meeting Gary for lunch. It was fun chatting about highlights of the intervening decades.
Then it was down to Rio Rico, where my sister Robin lives. She, like Cindy, is a special education teacher (and has been her entire career) so she also was available, as school for her did not begin for another week. Her spouse, Alberto, was working but my nephew Travis, a student, was present. They also have three pugs, long Robin's favorite breed. We spent the afternoon before we all headed towards Nogales for dinner and the motel where Cindy and I were staying for the night. Robin has a longtime colleague and friend named Maria who joined us the following day for a tour of Nogales. We were originally going to cross the border into Nogales, Sonora but there had been heavy flooding so we stayed on the US side. That was Wednesday and we would see Robin and Travis again when they drove the hour to Sierra Vista to hear my talk, Saturday night. Spending time with Robin and Travis was a real joy and hopefully they will fly north to the land of great lakes in the not too distant future.
That second morning before meeting Robin, Travis, and Maria, Cindy and I left early for our first birding of the trip. We headed to Sonoita to enjoy Paton's Center for Hummingbirds (now maintained by the Tucson Audubon Society) and The Nature Conservancy's Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve. August is the monsoon season in southeast Arizona and the road to the two preserves looked impassable for our low clearance car, but fortunately the washout was very close to Patons which abuts the TNC property so we were able to enjoy the former and could bird at least a portion of the latter. The first exciting moment was when the shrill call of a hawk reached our ears and I thought it was likely a gray hawk. A gray hawk did indeed fly over and land in a tree where we saw it well. (Adding to the fun was that all these southwest Arizona specialties were lifers for Cindy) We walked back to Paton's and parked ourselves there for an hour or so. Common southwest specialties like Abert's towhee, gila woodpeckers, phainopeplas, pyryloxias, and broad-billed humming birds were conspicuous.
After spending mid morning and late afternoon with Robin, Travis, and Maria, we drove the hour or so to Sierra Vista to register for Southwest Wings. We met Gordon Lewis, Sally Rosen, Ann Gallus, and the other folks who make this wonderful festival possible. On to Hereford where Bob Behrstock lives with his partner Karen. They have added a water feature to their backyard and have turned it into an oasis of biological diversity. To date they have recorded over 175 species of birds and 114 butterflies in this small space. Bob's knowledge of birds, insects, herps, fish, and plants make him a superb field tour leader, something he has done professionally for a good many years now. (Here is a link to his fascinating web-site http://www.naturewideimages.com/)
This summer has seen an unprecedented number of plain-capped starthroats in Arizona. This ,hummingbird typical ranges from western Mexico south to Costa Rico. Fortunately, one decided to take up residence in Bob's backyard and after a most pleasant wait, the bird appeared in all of its glory. It would be my one life bird of the trip. Not unusual, but we were also treated to a Clark's spiny lizard that lounged on Bob's back screen.
The festival had us staying at a lovely large house on the road to Ramsay Canyon. The first night we had it all to ourselves and assumed that would be the case for the duration. But we learned the following night that we had six roommates: three homo sapiens, one black vulture, one aplomado falcon, and one kestrel. This was the contingent from the Liberty Wildlife Rehab Center based in Phoenix. They are regulars to the festival. (One member of the group is a graduate of West Point and we had a stimulating discussion of military history.)
Bob and I were to co-lead a festival field trip the next morning. Our destination was Las Cinegas National Conservation Area. (The trip was filled so Cindy participated on another trip that focused on the history and birds of Fort Huachuca: one highlight for her was having good views of elegant trogons.) Las Cienegas is 45,000 acres of what was originally two ranches. Quoting from its web-site, the area includes "five of the rarest habitat types in the American Southwest: cienegas (marshlands), cottonwood-willow riparian forests, sacaton grasslands, mesquite bosques, and semi-desert grasslands." We had 62 species including yellow-billed cuckoo (populations in Arizona are deemed federally threatened), gray hawk, Botteri's, Cassins, and black-throated sparrows. Our stop at Cottonwood Pond yielded the federally endangered Gila topminnow. We returned via Pategonia where we spent quality time at Patons. This time a violet crowned humming bird put in a prolonged appearance. We also saw the nesting thick-billed kingbird at the Patagonia rest stop.
On Friday Cindy and I were on our own and we headed up to Ramsay Canyon. Back in 1972, when I first visited there was a guest facility with lots of hummingbird feeder. It was called Mile Hi and it was owned and operated by the Peabody's. Now it is owned by the Nature Conservancy and not one of the personnel were familiar with either Mile Hi or the Peabody's. Among the many lifers I saw on that first trip there with my parents many decades ago was a sulfur bellied flycatcher and Arizona (then brown-backed) woodpecker. They were among the first birds we saw on this trip too. There was a nesting tufted flycatcher in the canyon but getting there required a long and very steep hike. We did reach the spot where a flame-colored tanager (which I have seen in AZ before) and may have seen the bird.
The evening's festivities featured a showing of From Billions to None: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction, the documentary David Mrazek and I made, so we had to get back in time for that. Among the people who came to see it were Patrick Dome and Karl Schmidt, owners and operators of a gorgeous bed and breakfast that caters to birders (and others) called Casa de San Pedro. It is almost on the banks of the San Pedro River. Patrick in a most gracious gesture had earlier offered Cindy and me two nights at the lodge as his guest when the festival ended. (http://www.bedandbirds.com/).
Horicon Marsh, about an hour northwest of Madison, spans 32,000 acres, making it one of the largest cattail marshes in the United States. The northern two-thirds is a National Wildlife Refuge while the southern third is a Wisconsin State Wildlife Area. With its size and richness, Horicon sustains healthy populations of wetland breeding birds that are barely present in the Chicago region anymore. I had not been up there for a while and Tim Wallace, who lives an hour north of me, visits regularly so it seemed a worthy destination for a day-long field excursion.
A wonderful sight is had as you reach the lip of a vast and shallow declivity, carved out of limestone by the last glacier incursion and filled with meltwater that gave birth to the wetland. We traversed the north end first along Route 49. We saw a few yellow-headed blackbirds but not the numbers I expected: likely the singing and posturing of males had ebbed by June , the date of the trip. We pulled over to the side of the road to identify the large floating mats of ducks. There were mallards, blue-winged teal, shovellers, gadwall, ruddy ducks, and redheads. (The concentration of redheads was a major reason the marsh was declared a national wildlife refuge in 1941: more redheads nest here than anywhere east of the Mississippi.) Forester terns and black terns are virtually gone from northern Illinois but they thrive at Horicon.
In previous years, Tim had seen white-faced ibis and black-necked stilts. Horicon is the only place in Wisconsin where stilts nest and I am still amazed that the species now nests in goodly numbers in various places in the Midwest. We did not see any of these species on this trip. The number of white pelicans, another relatively recent arrival as a breeding species, are tremendous. They maybe the most conspicuous bird on the refuge.
And then we come to three special cranes: Grasshopper, a male whooping crane; his unnamed mate who is a female sandhill; and their single progeny, Whoopsie. A couple of years ago, crane conservationists decided on yet another strategy to increase the numbers of this endangered species. Rather than picking breeding and wintering grounds for the birds, scientists have adopted the Direct Fall Release of captive raised individuals. The cranes are being "trained" in Princeton, Wisconsin and then released in the fall at Horicon Marsh to find the sites they themselves find most supportive. Grasshopper is such a bird and his return to Horicon was deemed a good thing until it became clear he had bred with a sandhill. Interbreeding between the two species is what ruined the first effort to create a new flock back in: whooping cranes eggs were placed under sandhills at Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Idaho with the hope they would follow the foster parents south to Bosque del Apache and back. But despite the best laid plans, the whoopers imprinted on the sandhills and then mated with them. Authorities are closely monitoring Grasshopper and his family but the bottom line is clear: Grasshopper's genetic material is too valuable to share with a member of the world's most abundant crane species.
Besides Grasshopper, there might be as many as four other whooping cranes at Horicon this summer (it seems to depend on whom you talk to). We were given directions to an area often frequented by the Grasshopper clan. Tim has seen whoopers here before so was familiar with the side road from where they can often be observed. After looking around without success, we were ready to move on when a car pulled up. We started chatting with the birder/photographer who emerged. Vaughn Compton, from Denver, was also looking for the crane. After a while, the three of us concluded Grasshopper was not intending to be seen, so once more everyone began the process of leaving. And once more, a new car came down the road and parked in our midst. This time, Rick Vant Hoff, a local birder who is a volunteer with the International Crane Foundation and active in the whooping crane training program, joined the conversation and shared lots of information on the status of local whoopers. As we listened, Vaughn spotted the objects of our search as they landed in the field that is their normal haunts. They were a ways off but the their visages are clear in Vaughn's photo.
I have been following the efforts to restore whooping cranes to numbers where their future existence need not be in question. One conclusion that their history makes clear: it was a lot easier to nearly wipe them out than to bring them back.


text:
F.F.Fight Desire
Enjoy another game from Hentai Comic series by Crimson & Durandal. Select one of the 8 available characters: Rinoa, Yuna, Ashe, Rosa, Celes, Yuffie, Tina or Faris. Click, play and enjoy all of them. Enjoy their boobies and asses as you strip them scene by scene.Vizualizări: 470536
Blonde in BDSM Chains
Another nice game with girl in chains. This time we have some blonde bitch named Ashuri. So first of all remove all her clothes. Then play with her tits and holes. After that as a real master you'll be able to fuck her.Vizualizări: 361157
Mortal Kumbat
GET OVER HERE SLUT! Battle your way through various levels fucking your enemies into submission. Deliver hot ninja sluts fatalities with your massive cock and watch their insides explode.Vizualizări: 2016
J-Girl Train 3
Prepare yourself for another hard sex game from J-Girl series. Select one of available girls: Mikado, Karin, Kotegawa and Sephiria. Then click through the story and start playing. Your task is to fill blue bar and do not let the red one to fill. Sometimes it's enough to click on the wrong spot and game is over. Wait for Next button to appear and proceed to next scene.Vizualizări: 591344
Zesika Pai
Another great game from Dancing Queen series. This time you play with Zesika (Jessica or whatever). Some clown, or who the hell knows what he is, is trying to fuck her. You have to go through all chapters and 3 mini games to see that. Just use navigation panel on your right and enjoy the movie.Vizualizări: 230054
F.F.Fight Ultimate
Another (when I say another I mean another fucking great game) episode with our favourite girls: Tifa Lockhart, Celes Chere and Yuffie Kisaragi. Select one of them, fight against them to reach the bonus scenes and enjoy the gallery. Remember that you have not only to attack them, but protect yourself, too. Just use your mouse to control the game.Vizualizări: 303453
BDSM Slave Alena
Alena is really hot brunette with perfectly shaped body. She's pretty stupid, as she's walking alone in the night around the empty streets. But luckily for you, she'll get caught and trapped at some BDSM dungeon, where big black guy will fuck her really hard.Vizualizări: 270544
Zesika Ex
This is another episode from Dancing Queen series. This time you can play and watch story about Jessica, also known as Zesika. She's hot brunette with ponytail and big boobs. There are also some mini games between chapters so enjoy them. Use Navigation panel at your right side.Vizualizări: 208508
Sexial Battle D2
Another hard clicking game with Crimson Girls: Jessica (Zesika), Kenja, Setia and Marnya. To progress the game you have to find the right spot to fill the first counter. Second counter CAN NOT reach value of 365. The easiest way to find hotspots in each scene is to use power ups from second small window (You'll see some lines and numbers). There you can sometimes select some tools and many more. Then just find the hotspot and you'll pass the scene.Vizualizări: 394533
Milk Plant Battle Girl 2
Previously I've been adding many parts of this game separately. Now I can add the entire game. Select the episode about this sexy spy girl and start playing with her boobs. Milk her like a cow with lots of different toys and your own hands.Vizualizări: 237599
Kanzen Koryaku F
Are you ready for another one hot game from Kanzen Koryaku series? This time you can select from 4 heroines: Tifa, Ridia, Yuna and Rosa. All of them are hot as hell with nice boobs and pretty faces. You can not pretty much do things in this game, sometimes you have to choose from options and click on their body parts. Otherwise use navigation bar.Vizualizări: 303525
J-Girl Ecstasy
To be completely honest this game is really hard. In this episode from J-Girl series you can select one of the characters: Lala, Lenalee, Rinslet or Mikuni. Your task is to click on the right parts of their bodies to fill the bar at the left side. The problem is that you can not fill the right side bar. Then it'll be game over. For example with Lala you can start by clicking on her tail, and make combos with other parts.Vizualizări: 370395
Chimera Ingoku
Scientists always experiment with animals or other dummies while developing something. Now you're at the sex toy laboratory or something like that. And of course, they need some test subject. That's what this story is all about. The girl tries to escape from the lab. Meanwhile professor fucks her few times in different rooms and positions.Vizualizări: 248509
Fighting of Ecstasy (full version)
First you have to fight and beat two super hot girls: Shira*ui Mai from K*F and Kasumi from D*A! After that you'll be able to enjoy their bodies and sex with them. To beat your opponent you have to attack in the right order using certain styles. Fill the red bar and then use red attack button to undress her and unlock bonus scenes. These endings depends on whether you achieve a Standard KO or an Ecstasy KO.Vizualizări: 453846
Shokushu Ryoujyoku Gakuen
Another great tentacle sex game where those monsters are fucking sexy school girls. Watch how they torture and violate sweet and innocent holes of these girls. This game includes a lot of pictures and animations. Game is also voiced in Japanese.Vizualizări: 210431
Horny Nurses: Bye Bye Virginity
Probably you have seen these horny nurses. In this episode you can take away the virginity from one of them. Your cock is ready, because you are already getting a blowjob from one of the nurses. Just put your big dick inside her fresh and untouched pussy. Game also works in full screen mode.Vizualizări: 178010
Rivalries 2
This part is strongly related to previous part of Rivalries. To play this part you have to finish the first part and enter the code. I can give you one of my codes just for start - 35145467. All babes: Angelica, Lola and Evelyn still want to taste Chris's cock. But don't get caught by Richard. As previously enter "house" to see some hint.Vizualizări: 301216
Story about crazy friends continues. This time Chris visits his friend Richard. Richard is a father of Lola (remember her from previous games). Lola would love to fuck with him again and suggests her girlfriend Evelyn to loose her virginity with Chris. Also there's Richard's hot new wife Angelica who also wants to fuck with Chris. Just type "house" when you don't know what to do and you'll see some hint.Vizualizări: 229819
J-Girl Train 2
Second part of train sex game from Crimson & Durandal. This time you can select one from the four hot chicks: Orihime, Rangiku, Haruna or Sephiria. But it will not be so easy. Your task is to fill the bar at the left side by clicking on a certain parts of their bodies, but keep an eye on the bar on the right side (don't fill it). You can use some special features to reduce fill level of the bar by selecting some actions from top right corner.Vizualizări: 470218
Mega Cumshot
Get ready for a long series of cumshots. This cute large breasted girl will get covered by a cover of cum from lot of guys. At the end even her mother could not recognize her. Just click your mouse to progress the game and click on the cumshot button when it appears.Vizualizări: 157826
Tentacles School 5
This sex animated game is about few school girls trapped in a world of evil. Tentacle monsters are torturing them and fucking all of their fucking holes. Meet three girls: gymnast Emi, cheerleader Risa, sailor uniform wearing Aya. Use navigation panel to switch between scenes and chapters.Vizualizări: 281311
J Girl Impulse
Another great free sex game from Crimson & Durandal series. This time you can play with three hot girls: Nefertari Bibi, Nico Robin and Nami. Your task is to click on their sensitive body parts to earn points and progress to next scene. After you'll finish some part all pictures will appear in extra gallery, so check them out.Vizualizări: 484097
Train Anime Mai
If you take a look at few Japanese adult games then you'll see that they all are crazy about having public sex in the train :) As you understand this game is about group sex in the train. At the beginning Mai will resist those guys, so gently touch her legs and only then touch something else. Enjoy a lot of sex in this hot free sex game.Vizualizări: 467583
Skull Girls: Filia
Some new adult game from Hentai Zone Archive. This short sex game is a parody about 2D fighting game Skullgirls. All you have to do is to watch how Filia gets fucked by a lot of tentacles. Press the yellow arrow buttons to proceed.Vizualizări: 236549
Resistance Tifa
Tifa is sexy as always. Another game from these series where you have to force Tifa to have sex with you in different ways. Click on the action labels as they appear. But keep that in mind, that this game has several story lines and can end differently. So try to remember your decisions during the game to reach all endings.Vizualizări: 330667
Crimson Girls
Warning, totally huge game. You'll have to spend hours to finish it with 4 available girls: Honey, Love, Nana and Flower. All of them are hot and you have to act as a sexual maniac to fuck them one by one. Just click on the screen, boobs, pussies, hands, legs and many more to progress the game. In touching scenes your task is to fill the biggest red bar, not the small one. After you finish with some of the girls, the you'll be able to see her in gallery or play that chapter again. Enjoy!Vizualizări: 433289
DQ Nightmare
Are you ready for some hot torture, aggressive sex, BDSM stuff and many more with Dancing Queen heroines? Select one of the girls: Bianca, Jessica, Barbara or Mireyu and have a lot of hot moments with them. Basically you have to use your mouse to progress the game. In some scenes you'll have to click on certain body parts to pass the scene.Vizualizări: 337423
Fighting of Ecstasy 2009
In this 2D fighting sex game you have to fight against two hot girls: Black Rose and Shion. Black Rose is the Queen of the world women's wrestling. Shion has a strong mind and knows everything about body art - she's a ninja. You have to go through practice first. Then select normal mode and after that you'll unlock free mode. Click on the 3 circled points to defend or attack.Vizualizări: 317654
Kunoiti 3
In this Hentai game you're going to fuck some female ninja babe. First of all play with her body by clicking on it several times until opens the next scene. At the end she'll get fucked by some tentacle monster and some really big guy with huge black cock.Vizualizări: 155768
A day with Dillion
Dillion Harper is one of the cutest, sexiest and most popular porn babes in the world of adult entertainment. And she's your girlfriend for the day. What is she like? How kinky is she in bed when she's off camera? How many times can you make her cum? Make the right moves, impress her and her sexy best friend and you'll find out the answers to these questions...and then some more.Vizualizări: 2016
Kanzen Koryaku Yuna
This game from Kanzen Koryaku series brings you opportunity to play with sexy brunette Yuna. Your task is to click on her boobs, pussy, asshole and other body parts to fill the bar on the right side and unlock next scene.Vizualizări: 170476
Monsters of the Sea 2
Second part of fantastic sex novel about Sea Monsters fucking human girls. Story is written in Japanese, but basically you can understand what is all about. Click navigation buttons to switch between scenes. Animations will load separately from the game. When you hear new sounds, or see the same picture in background, or texts don't change - please, wait a minute and you'll see super hot animations.Vizualizări: 514092
- Reitingul curent 3.97/5
- Reitingul curent 3.97/5
- Reitingul curent 3.97/5
- Reitingul curent 3.97/5
- Reitingul curent 3.97/5

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Going all Digital isn't all bad ;)
I figured I should put in a topic for supportive comments as well ;)
While I am not a huge fan of reading a magazine in digital form. Digital format is ok if:
1) We can always get access to the PDF.
2) At some point soon other formats will be supported (for kindles, etc)
3) You aren't pulling a Conde Nast and tracking how much time we are looking at each page, tracking every click, generally being a big-brother.
I read the following magazines (in no particular order)
1) Linux Journal
2) Model Airplane News
3) Flying Models
3) New Yorker
4) Atlantic
5) Harpers
The New Yorker has an iPad app, but tracks every click you make. And doesn't offer PDF!
None of the others has gone digital only (yet?).
Harpers.org has the cleanest interface for finding and downloading PDF's of articles (which is fine by me).
But having a paper magazine is the best! I can carry it with me, without worry of water, theft, dropping it. It doesn't need charging, I can read it in the sun, at the beach. And it is light, easy to hold.
Why not charge a bit more for the paper version?
Just some thoughts,
Good luck,
Digital Suggestions
Like many others I will miss the print magazine, but I think I could get pretty excited about a well done digital format. ePub would be my vote currently for the magazine with what little I know, and I'm interested in trying the LJ Android app soon too. From what I've seen of Wired Magazine's iPad app, it has some nice features. Maybe some of those features might be good inspiration for future LJ digital magazine formats and/or Android apps?
The video at the bottom of the following link is an Adobe ad, but it shows how the Wired iPad app works (especially the navigation).
Here's a video review of the Wired app too.
Water Damage
Paper copies are actually more susceptible to permanent damage due to exposure to liquids versus a kindle.
Trending Topics
Fast/Flexible Linux OS Recovery
On Demand Now
In this live one-hour webinar, learn how to enhance your existing backup strategies for complete disaster recovery preparedness using Storix System Backup Administrator (SBAdmin), a highly flexible full-system recovery solution for UNIX and Linux systems.
Join Linux Journal's Shawn Powers and David Huffman, President/CEO, Storix, Inc.
Free to Linux Journal readers.Register Now!
|July 2016 Issue of Linux Journal
|Jul 01, 2016
|Tibbo Technology's Tibbo Project System
|Jul 01, 2016
|July 2016 Video Preview
|Jun 30, 2016
|Client-Side Performance
|Jun 30, 2016
|Peppermint 7 Released
|Jun 29, 2016
|Libarchive Security Flaw Discovered
|Jun 28, 2016
- Download "Linux Management with Red Hat Satellite: Measuring Business Impact and ROI"
- July 2016 Issue of Linux Journal
- Tibbo Technology's Tibbo Project System
- Client-Side Performance
- Sony Settles in Linux Battle
- Peppermint 7 Released
- Libarchive Security Flaw Discovered
- Profiles and RC Files
- Git 2.9 Released
- Snappy Moves to New Platforms
Geek Guides
With all the industry talk about the benefits of Linux on Power and all the performance advantages offered by its open architecture, you may be considering a move in that direction. If you are thinking about analytics, big data and cloud computing, you would be right to evaluate Power. The idea of using commodity x86 hardware and replacing it every three years is an outdated cost model. It doesn't consider the total cost of ownership, and it doesn't consider the advantage of real processing power, high-availability and multithreading like a demon.
This ebook takes a look at some of the practical applications of the Linux on Power platform and ways you might bring all the performance power of this open architecture to bear for your organization. There are no smoke and mirrors here—just hard, cold, empirical evidence provided by independent sources. I also consider some innovative ways Linux on Power will be used in the future.Get the Guide


text:
Port Angeles Local Singles interested in Online Dating
|On Plentyoffish.com you message thousands of other local singles. Online dating via plentyoffish doesn't cost you a dime. Paid dating sites can end up costing you hundreds of dollars a year without a single date. If you are looking for free online dating in Port Angeles than sign up right now! Over 1,500,000 Daters login every day to Plentyoffish.com, we are the market leader in Canada, UK, Australia, US, Ireland and New Zealand, so come meet and chat with other Port Angeles singles Register HERE
C'est bonYou want fun? I got fun. You want to laugh, I have bad puns and dad jokes. You want awkward and sarcasm, that's perfect. You want to be yourself around someone? Terrific
Victoria British Columbia Last_known_romantic 28 Single Man Seeking Women
Let's go fishingI'm an easy going girl that enjoys a random outdoor adventures. I've camped at sombrio & elephant lake so far for 2016 and looking add to the list :)I have a job that I love and just purchased m
Langford British Columbia missy.xo.xo 29 Single Woman Seeking Men
Experience what you can while you can.My goal is to try everything I possibly can once and have a lot of fun doing it. Usually down for any adventure no matter how weird.
Victoria British Columbia PartyOfTheLife 26 Single Man Seeking Women
Long term starts with a coffee and a walk.Tall, fit, active, and financially secure, stable. New to this. Be gentle. Way too much to list and this will be a changing work in progress. Very active and open guy. I do have a
Langford British Columbia mxmedic909 51 Single Man Seeking Women
Almost ThereI like to be active ,but downtime is also important.Not sure when I want to retire, I work in Education.so lots of time off. I like travelling and am a good travelling companion. So far I have had an
Victoria British Columbia jam62 66 Single Man Seeking Women
¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·. }/{(((•>I am looking for a smart woman who is capable of making a first contact. I am not going to spend my time sending messages into the void, you have to let me know that you are interested.
Victoria British Columbia express0000 33 Single Man Seeking Women
The only 100% Free dating service. Register HERE to use this Free Dating Service, and start contacting other users for free
So Many People think I am a nice guy.-I like to ride my bicycle around Victoria very carefully!-like to go painting with either water colour or oil paints.-I try and walk everywhere I can in Victoria.-like t
Victoria British Columbia iamsmartandsexy 50 Single Man Seeking Women
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30


text:
Deep South Desire [Mark Me: Scratch Me, Bite Me, Love Me] (Siren Publishing Classic Manlove)by Shawn Bailey
Mark Me [Siren Classic ManLove: Erotic Alternative Romance, M/M, HEA] It was bad enough to have some guy try to hit on him in the men's room of the video arcade last night, but to wake up and find two tattoos on his body is just too much. Who in the hell is this Dimitri person? And why is his name tattooed on my butt? Trey and the other friends have pulled some pretty mean pranks on Eli in the past, but this is just too much. Dimitri takes one look at that handsome sleeping face and just can't resist branding his name across Eli's bottom. Maybe it is the way Eli had turned down his advances earlier that night that spurs him to do such a childish thing. Or maybe he just hopes the preppy violinist will seek him out to remove the tattoos and he'll get another chance to gaze into those big hazel eyes. ** Scratch Me, Bite Me, Love Me [Siren Classic ManLove: Erotic Alternative Paranormal Romance, M/M, shape-shifters, HEA] Investigative reporter Ian Jackson thought he'd seen just about everything until he happens upon a young man skinny-dipping in a pond in the woods. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Ian enjoys taking the gorgeous man's picture-secretly-until four wolves interrupt the forbidden fun. Moments later both the blond cutie and the wolves disappear. Blaise Durant was having a ball allowing the handsome photographer to take his picture, until his brother Buckley and a couple of his cousins showed up and ruined everything. Things don't get any better for him when his older brother Corbin, the leader of the local Loup Garou, finds out what happened. Corbin forbids Blaise to ever see the photographer again. Blaise has never listened to Corbin before. What makes him think he's going to start now? Blaise wants Ian so bad he can taste him, but will quenching his thirst put the entire Loup Garou nation in jeopardy? ** A Siren Erotic Romance
Product Details
- 9781622421497
- Publisher:
- Siren Publishing
- Publication date:
- 11/06/2012
- Pages:
- 218
- Product dimensions:
- 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.46(d)
Customer Reviews
Average Review:
and post it to your social network
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
See all customer reviews >


text:
Samsung NX500
Sony CyberShot HX90
Canon PowerShot G3 X
Panasonic DMC-FZ330
Nikon Coolpix P900
Olympus Stylus 1s
News Headlines
Digital Cameras
Digital Camera Ratings
New Digital Camera
Digital Camera Reviews
Camera Reviews
Nikon SLR Reviews
Camera Housings
Digital Camera Compare
Digital Photo Gallery
Mobile Phones
Banner Advertising
Camera quick selector
Acer (18)
AgfaPhoto (54)
BenQ (108)
Canon (322)
Casio (154)
Concord (41)
Contax (5)
Epson (11)
Fujifilm (369)
Jenoptik (48)
Kodak (182)
Konica (18)
Konica-Minolta (23)
Kyocera (17)
Leica (43)
Minolta (25)
Minox (47)
Nikon (280)
Olympus (292)
Panasonic (262)
Pentax (145)
Praktica (121)
Ricoh (73)
Rollei (119)
Samsung (287)
Sanyo (81)
Sigma (16)
Sony (309)
Toshiba (19)
Vivitar (43)
Yakumo (26)
Photography News
Camera Reviews
Canon Selphy ES2
Ralf Jurrien : September 27th 2007 - 11:15 CET
Canon Selphy ES2 photo printer :
Digital photographers and scrapbookers now have even more creative options for printing their photographs - Canon USA, Inc., has just announced the Selphy ES2 Compact Photo Printer, the latest addition to the popular Selphy line of Canon compact photo printers. Combining new creative functions with advanced usability, the Selphy ES2 Compact Photo Printer features an easy-to-use operation panel, a three-inch LCD monitor and multiple creative options for photos, including frames, clip art and image effects. With the Easy-Photo Pack cartridge, ink and paper come together in one integrated system, making the Selphy ES2 Compact Photo Printer easy to operate and convenient.
Canon ES2 compact photo printer
Further, the Canon Selphy ES2 photo printer offers the same great compact, stylish package that Selphy printer users appreciate, while enabling consumers to create amazing prints without a computer. "This Selphy ES2 photo printer is ideal for anyone who hopes to produce long-lasting images that include a personal touch," said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. "The Canon Selphy ES2 Compact Photo Printer offers advanced creative functions that are perfect for holiday photos and scrapbooks. With its unique design and simplicity, it is an attractive option for making great prints."
Canon Selphy ES2 photo printer - Print functions
The new Canon Selphy ES2 Photo Printer offers new print functions, which allows consumers to personalize photos for a variety of creative needs. Users can choose from a selection of 16 different templates to frame postcard-sized photos. Frames can add a little pizzazz to birthday, holiday or seasonal photographs. Additionally, the Selphy ES2 Compact Photo Printer features new clip art options that allow users to add illustrations to any photo. With nine different stamps to choose from, any picture can be enhanced and given extra personality-stars for the birthday girl, dolphins for vacation photos or even hearts for photos of loved ones. The printer also offers select Image Effects, allowing users to soften the focus of photos, fade or soften the edges, and also add star lights, which are bright points in the image that are stretched out into star-shaped lights.
Selphy ES2 printer - Image options
This photo printer offers users a variety of paper types and photo styles to choose from, including 4 x 6 inch postcard-sized prints, 2 x 3 inch credit card-sized prints, and even 4 x 6 inch black-and-white prints. Its wide range of creative offerings allows consumers to personalize their photos to produce a custom look. The enhanced image options are perfect for scrapbookers who want to add special embellishments to their books or for sending one-of-a-kind postcards and photos to family and friends.
Canon Selphy printer ES2 - LCD screen
The Canon Selphy ES2 Compact Photo Printer illustrates Canon's ongoing commitment to develop user-friendly products that provide intuitive operation. The printer offers an Easy-Scroll Wheel for a smooth transition between functions and a large three-inch, high-definition LCD screen that can be tilted upward for easy on-screen viewing. The Easy Photo Pack system is a simple way to load paper and ink simultaneously with no mess or fuss, allowing users to simply pop the cartridge into place and print immediately after turning the power on.
Canon Selphy ES2 photo printer - Price
This photo printer offers advanced functions to correct photos - Portrait Image Optimizer detects faces within a photo and helps to correct them for brightness and contrast automatically, so pictures of that first birthday party or soccer game come out crisp. The printer also features automatic red eye correction to help eliminate the dreaded "monster" look in photos. The Canon Selphy ES2 Compact Photo Printer will be available for an estimated selling price of $199.99.
Canon USA
Canon USA, Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc., a top patent holder of technology, ranking third overall in the US in 2006, with global revenues of $34.9 billion, is listed as one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies in America and is on the 2006 BusinessWeek list of "Top 100 Brands."
Canon printers
Canon Selphy printer
Samsung printers
Sanyo Xacti HD700
Network surveillance cameras
News by brand:
News by category:
News by brand and category:
Canon Printers
Latest Canon announcements
Canon EOS Rebel T6 entry-level DSLR camera
Canon PowerShot ELPH 360 HS
Canon PowerShot ELPH 190 IS
Canon PowerShot ELPH 180
Canon EOS 1300D
Canon smartphone app update
Canon EOS 80D
Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II
Canon PowerShot SX720 HS
Canon EF-S 18-135mm zoom lens
Canon 80D accessories
Canon IXUS digital cameras
Canon SELPHY CP1200 printer
Canon LEGRIA HF camcorder serie
Canon professional handheld video cameras
Latest news headlines
Fujifilm Instax Share SP-2 smartphone printer
Sandisk iXpand for Apple smartphones and tablets
Hasselblad X1D medium format camera
LG X Android phones
LG Stylus 2 Plus smartphone
Samsung GPS sports band and cord-free fitness earbud
Pentax K-70 weather-resistant DSLR camera
Sony Xperia XA Ultra Android phone
Canon PowerShot SX620 HS
Canon EOS Rebel T6 entry-level DSLR camera
LG Stylo 2 smartphone with Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Leica M-D digital rangefinder camera
HTC One M9 Prime Camera Edition
Lenovo ZUK Z2 Pro Android phone
ZTE Blade L5 Plus budget phone
Digital cameras
Mobile phones


text:
|By PR Newswire
Article Rating:
|April 11, 2013 11:01 AM EDT
DUSSELDORF, Germany, April 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Insufficient technical and analytical know-how is the most imminent challenge when it comes to the use of big data according to the BARC Big Data Survey 2012/2013, sponsored by Teradata (NYSE: TDC), the world's leading analytic data solutions company. While most companies intend to invest in big data technologies, a lack of human resources and know-how keeps them from gaining deeper insights. Thirty-eight percent of the respondents associated big data with Teradata and Teradata Aster, placing the company among the most popular vendors. BARC is a leading independent software industry analyst firm based in Germany.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120412/CL86658LOGO )
The BARC Big Data survey was conducted in the second half of 2012 with companies in major European software markets in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Great Britain. The questions were answered online by 274 decision makers in IT and other departments from various industries and different sizes of enterprises. The survey shows that most companies are well aware of the potential value of big data as well as the challenges it brings along. As prime reasons driving the demand for big data solutions, 72 percent of participants see the need to gain control over the exponentially growing volumes of data in their organizations, 75 percent mentioned the new and better possibilities for data analysis arising from such technologies. Two-thirds (66 percent) of the respondents already have identified the value of so-called polystructured data from different sources, such as social media, sensors or weblogs. Only seven percent saw no urgent need for action with regard to big data.
According to the survey, European companies not only have identified their big data issues, but are also willing to invest substantially in the new technologies that will allow for in-depth analysis. The participants stated that their companies spend most of their big data budgets on software, followed by hardware, and consulting. Interestingly, the companies who stated they make more efficient use of their data compared to competitors were not among those with the highest expenditure for big data technologies. The companies considered as "laggards" with regard to their big data usage plan to make investments for big data in all areas above average. This may implicate they are already aware of their need for action and want to catch up with their competitors, according to the study.
Companies expect big data technologies not only to store and analyze their data in a profound and reliable way; they also want them to do it as quick as possible. Today, 27 percent of the companies' data are updated for reporting, monitoring and analysis once in a month, 45 percent are updated on a daily basis. However, only four percent of the data can be analyzed in near-real time (data available within less than five seconds). According to the study, there is a clear trend towards updating in shorter time intervals. In the future, the interrogated companies plan to integrate 17 percent of their data in less than a minute – up from eight percent today.
"The survey shows that beyond the current hype, big data has already become a reality in today's data-driven enterprises," said Andreas Geissler, country manager for Germany, Teradata. "As the concept of big data covers a multitude of data sources, formats and dimensions, it appears quite logical that demand for integrated analytics solutions like Teradata's Unified Data Architecture™ is growing and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future."
Teradata just recently introduced its Unified Data Architecture™ (UDA). This simple architecture provides business analysts with access to the complementary value of Teradata, Teradata Aster and open source Hadoop. For the first time, they are able to store and refine detailed and have the ability to quickly run accurate analytics against all of their data at the same time.
Relevant News Links
- Download the BARC Big Data Survey 2012/2013 (requires free registration)
- Teradata UDA Resource Page: analyst reports, research, white papers, news items
- Web page for the Teradata® Unified Data Architecture™
- UDA Podcast and Brief: Turning data into profit with Teradata Unified Data Architecture
About BARC
Business Application Research Center — BARC — is a leading independent software industry analyst delivering information to more than 1000 customers each year. For over ten years, BARC has specialized in core research areas including Data Management, Business Intelligence and Enterprise Content Management. In April 2011, BARC merged with Le Centre d'expertise des Progiciels (CXP), France's largest business software analyst to form one group of companies. With more than 80 employees (40 analysts) and around 2000 operating companies as customers, the merger creates Europe's largest enterprise software analyst firm with offices in Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. CXP complements BARC's expertise in software markets for BI, DM and ECM with its extensive knowledge of technology for IT Service Management, HR, ERP and CRM.
About Teradata
Teradata Corporation (NYSE: TDC) is the world's leading analytic data solutions company, focused on integrated data warehousing, big data analytics, and business applications. Teradata's innovative products and services deliver data integration and business insight to empower organizations to achieve competitive advantage. Visit teradata.com for details.
Get to know Teradata:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/teradatanews
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Teradata
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/teradata
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/teradata/products
Teradata is a trademark or registered trademark of Teradata Corporation in the United States and other countries.
SOURCE Teradata
Internet of @ThingsExpo, taking place November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, is co-located with the 19th International Cloud Expo and will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world and ThingsExpo Silicon Valley Call for Papers is now open.
Jun. 24, 2016 04:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,043
Machine Learning helps make complex systems more efficient. By applying advanced Machine Learning techniques such as Cognitive Fingerprinting, wind project operators can utilize these tools to learn from collected data, detect regular patterns, and optimize their own operations. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Stuart Gillen, Director of Business Development at SparkCognition, discussed how research has demonstrated the value of Machine Learning in delivering next generation analytics to imp...
Jun. 24, 2016 02:15 PM EDT Reads: 325
SYS-CON Events announced today that ReadyTalk, a leading provider of online conferencing and webinar services, has been named Vendor Presentation Sponsor at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. ReadyTalk delivers audio and web conferencing services that inspire collaboration and enable the Future of Work for today's increasingly digital and mobile workforce. By combining intuitive, innovative tec...
Jun. 24, 2016 01:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,282
Amazon has gradually rolled out parts of its IoT offerings, but these are just the tip of the iceberg. In addition to optimizing their backend AWS offerings, Amazon is laying the ground work to be a major force in IoT - especially in the connected home and office. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Chris Kocher, founder and managing director of Grey Heron, explained how Amazon is extending its reach to become a major force in IoT by building on its dominant cloud IoT platform, its Dash Button strat...
Jun. 24, 2016 12:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,528
Connected devices and the industrial internet are growing exponentially every year with Cisco expecting 50 billion devices to be in operation by 2020. In this period of growth, location-based insights are becoming invaluable to many businesses as they adopt new connected technologies. Knowing when and where these devices connect from is critical for a number of scenarios in supply chain management, disaster management, emergency response, M2M, location marketing and more. In his session at @Th...
Jun. 24, 2016 12:00 PM EDT Reads: 688
The cloud market growth today is largely in public clouds. While there is a lot of spend in IT departments in virtualization, these aren't yet translating into a true "cloud" experience within the enterprise. What is stopping the growth of the "private cloud" market? In his general session at 18th Cloud Expo, Nara Rajagopalan, CEO of Accelerite, explored the challenges in deploying, managing, and getting adoption for a private cloud within an enterprise. What are the key differences between wh...
Jun. 24, 2016 11:15 AM EDT Reads: 561
It is one thing to build single industrial IoT applications, but what will it take to build the Smart Cities and truly society changing applications of the future? The technology won't be the problem, it will be the number of parties that need to work together and be aligned in their motivation to succeed. In his Day 2 Keynote at @ThingsExpo, Henrik Kenani Dahlgren, Portfolio Marketing Manager at Ericsson, discussed how to plan to cooperate, partner, and form lasting all-star teams to change t...
Jun. 24, 2016 11:00 AM EDT Reads: 921
In his keynote at 18th Cloud Expo, Andrew Keys, Co-Founder of ConsenSys Enterprise, provided an overview of the evolution of the Internet and the Database and the future of their combination – the Blockchain. Andrew Keys is Co-Founder of ConsenSys Enterprise. He comes to ConsenSys Enterprise with capital markets, technology and entrepreneurial experience. Previously, he worked for UBS investment bank in equities analysis. Later, he was responsible for the creation and distribution of life sett...
Jun. 24, 2016 10:30 AM EDT Reads: 846
19th Cloud Expo, taking place November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world. Cloud computing is now being embraced by a majority of enterprises of all sizes. Yesterday's debate about public vs. private has transformed into the reality of hybrid cloud: a recent survey shows that 74% of enterprises have a hybrid cloud strategy. Meanwhile, 94% of enterpri...
Jun. 24, 2016 09:45 AM EDT Reads: 1,142
There are several IoTs: the Industrial Internet, Consumer Wearables, Wearables and Healthcare, Supply Chains, and the movement toward Smart Grids, Cities, Regions, and Nations. There are competing communications standards every step of the way, a bewildering array of sensors and devices, and an entire world of competing data analytics platforms. To some this appears to be chaos. In this power panel at @ThingsExpo, moderated by Conference Chair Roger Strukhoff, Bradley Holt, Developer Advocate a...
Jun. 24, 2016 09:30 AM EDT Reads: 562
SYS-CON Events announced today that Bsquare has been named "Silver Sponsor" of SYS-CON's @ThingsExpo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. For more than two decades, Bsquare has helped its customers extract business value from a broad array of physical assets by making them intelligent, connecting them, and using the data they generate to optimize business processes.
Jun. 24, 2016 09:30 AM EDT Reads: 1,091
There is little doubt that Big Data solutions will have an increasing role in the Enterprise IT mainstream over time. Big Data at Cloud Expo - to be held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA - has announced its Call for Papers is open. Cloud computing is being adopted in one form or another by 94% of enterprises today. Tens of billions of new devices are being connected to The Internet of Things. And Big Data is driving this bus. An exponential increase is...
Jun. 24, 2016 08:45 AM EDT Reads: 1,186
Internet of @ThingsExpo, taking place November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, is co-located with 19th Cloud Expo and will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world. The Internet of Things (IoT) is the most profound change in personal and enterprise IT since the creation of the Worldwide Web more than 20 years ago. All major researchers estimate there will be tens of billions devices - comp...
Jun. 24, 2016 08:45 AM EDT Reads: 1,091
A strange thing is happening along the way to the Internet of Things, namely far too many devices to work with and manage. It has become clear that we'll need much higher efficiency user experiences that can allow us to more easily and scalably work with the thousands of devices that will soon be in each of our lives. Enter the conversational interface revolution, combining bots we can literally talk with, gesture to, and even direct with our thoughts, with embedded artificial intelligence, wh...
Jun. 24, 2016 08:30 AM EDT Reads: 760
Cognitive Computing is becoming the foundation for a new generation of solutions that have the potential to transform business. Unlike traditional approaches to building solutions, a cognitive computing approach allows the data to help determine the way applications are designed. This contrasts with conventional software development that begins with defining logic based on the current way a business operates. In her session at 18th Cloud Expo, Judith S. Hurwitz, President and CEO of Hurwitz & ...
Jun. 24, 2016 08:15 AM EDT Reads: 1,396
Cloud computing is being adopted in one form or another by 94% of enterprises today. Tens of billions of new devices are being connected to The Internet of Things. And Big Data is driving this bus. An exponential increase is expected in the amount of information being processed, managed, analyzed, and acted upon by enterprise IT. This amazing is not part of some distant future - it is happening today. One report shows a 650% increase in enterprise data by 2020. Other estimates are even higher....
Jun. 24, 2016 08:15 AM EDT Reads: 1,169
In his general session at 18th Cloud Expo, Lee Atchison, Principal Cloud Architect and Advocate at New Relic, discussed cloud as a 'better data center' and how it adds new capacity (faster) and improves application availability (redundancy). The cloud is a 'Dynamic Tool for Dynamic Apps' and resource allocation is an integral part of your application architecture, so use only the resources you need and allocate /de-allocate resources on the fly.
Jun. 24, 2016 07:30 AM EDT Reads: 941
The 19th International Cloud Expo has announced that its Call for Papers is open. Cloud Expo, to be held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, brings together Cloud Computing, Big Data, Internet of Things, DevOps, Digital Transformation, Microservices and WebRTC to one location. With cloud computing driving a higher percentage of enterprise IT budgets every year, it becomes increasingly important to plant your flag in this fast-expanding business opportuni...
Jun. 24, 2016 07:15 AM EDT Reads: 1,142
industrial company for a multi-year contract initially valued at over $4.0 million. In addition to DataV software, Bsquare will also provide comprehensive systems integration, support and maintenance services. DataV leverages advanced data analytics, predictive reasoning, data-driven diagnostics, and automated orchestration of remediation actions in order to improve asset uptime while reducing service and warranty costs.
Jun. 22, 2016 11:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,328
Vidyo, Inc., has joined the Alliance for Open Media. The Alliance for Open Media is a non-profit organization working to define and develop media technologies that address the need for an open standard for video compression and delivery over the web. As a member of the Alliance, Vidyo will collaborate with industry leaders in pursuit of an open and royalty-free AOMedia Video codec, AV1. Vidyo's contributions to the organization will bring to bear its long history of expertise in codec technolo...
Jun. 19, 2016 12:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,218


text:
Mighty crops from little microbes grow
Relevant offers
Biodiscovery, A New Zealand biotech company that has spent most of its existence flying under the radar, is about to make a big noise globally.
The company founded by Peter Wigley and Andy Broadwell attracted seed capital from Silicon Valley venture capital firm Khosla Ventures in 2011 after it first made the breakthrough on its microbe biotechnology that can significantly enhance plant productivity. The process uses naturally occurring micro-organisms to improve crops, including higher yields, improved nutrient utilisation, tolerance to pests or diseases and resistance to drought.
Following successful field trials last year on maize crops in Pukekohe, just south of Auckland, the company and its US backers have created a new model to take the microbes to global markets. It has formed a parent company, BioConsortia, and appointed a new chief executive, Marcus Meadows-Smith, to help the company grow bigger, faster.
Meadows-Smith has already been there, done that as chief executive of biopesticide company AgraQuest which sold to Bayer Crop Science in mid-2012 for US$425 million.
"The greatest challenge we face in agriculture is how to sustainably produce more food per acre," said Meadows-Smith. "I believe BioConsortia has all the right tools and technology to make a significant contribution to mainstream agriculture."
Headhunted for the role, Meadows-Smith said despite his 30 years in the industry, he hadn't heard of BioDiscovery's work before as it had flown under the radar.
"It wasn't important to me where the technology company was from; it was important that the technology had created something unique," he said. "There are a lot of people doing research in this microbial area but I believe this has the edge.
"I couldn't find a company as good as this anywhere else in the world."
BioConsortia's headquarters, including a research and development facility that initially will match the 13 R&D staff in New Zealand, will be in California. Meadows-Smith has a farm there, growing grapes and olives, after owning a livestock farm, stocked with kunekune (a domestic New Zealand pig), in his native UK. He said it made sense to base the global company in the United States, which is one of the world's largest agricultural markets, and further field trials will be held there and in New Zealand.
BioDiscovery has had $4 million in funding from Khosla Ventures but its latest annual report to the year ending March 31, 2013, shows it made a $1.8 million loss. Auditor Grant Thornton flagged the company as dependent on capital fundraising and future revenue to continue as a going concern. Details of a new round of fundraising, which will involve Khosla and other investors, is due to be announced in a few weeks. Wigley said he and Broadwell will retain a small stake in the group, after holding 12.79 per cent each in the Kiwi company.
It's been a long journey to commercialisation for the scientists who work out of a no-frills basement laboratory in Parnell and Wigley admitted they have deliberately kept out of the limelight to date.
They originally housed Kiwi clean technology star LanzaTech (now operating further down the corridor) which also attracted funding from Khosla. The US fund invests internationally in what it calls "black swan ideas" - high impact innovations that are beyond the realm of normal expectations. Wigley and LanzaTech co-founder Sean Simpson have small stakes in each other's companies.
Wigley will continue to head the New Zealand R&D team and he's confident in the new chief executive's ability to lead the next stage of expansion and commercialisation because he "understands the potential of the technology".
Meadows-Smith is already talking with prospective collaborators including some big international players in the seed, crop protection and fertiliser markets.
The initial field trials at Pukekohe produced a 6 to 8 per cent improvement in the yield of the maize crop despite a once-in-50-year drought and similar wet. In the laboratory the patented technology has shown an even higher percentage improvement in a range of crops - tomatoes, wheat, maize, rice, and rye grass. The technology has also proven effective in boosting other plant traits such as sugar content.
Meadows-Smith said a range of collaborations would be used to take the technology to market, which meant the backers needed to put up "tens of millions of dollars rather than hundreds of millions" to commercialise it.
BioConsortia develops products from microbes that are selected as consortia, rather than single or a mix/stack of microbes discovered through individual assays. That means the group of different species of microbes act together as a community rather than alone. The technology uses the latest genomic techniques and can be applied to a range of plants – either conventional or genetically modified crops. But BioConsortia's technology has nothing to do with genetic modification. Microbes and microbial products are used for biofertilisers, biopesticides and probiotics with the healthcare sector accounting for around 60 per cent of their use.
- Sunday Star Times
Sponsored links
Manawatu farmers enjoy spoils of warm winter
Protestors take anti-Ruataniwha dam message to council chambers
Farmer refuses to pay $224,000 for a bridge to access his land
Hawke's Bay gets its first decent drop of rain in months
We drive Volkswagen's grunty new Amarok V6
Rivers won't poison swimmers: Federated Farmers
Support for Holy Cow dairy business after devastating Tb test
Marlborough dairy farmer Phillip Woolley seeks to retain farms
Well cared-for livestock produce more milk and meat - US academic
Wyndham dairy farmers work with community to restore wetland
New Zealand sheep milk gelato makes it to finals of global dairy awards
Rotokare halo project enhances a Taranaki treasure and its surrounds
Taranaki farmers encouraged to recycle their plastic
Sky TV customers won't be forced on to Vodafone, companies tell regulator
Whanganui tops first-home affordability ratings
Stonewood Homes use Wellington Lions to show company 'alive and well'
Facebook news feed changes to rank posts from friends and family above 'liked' pages
Godfather of legal highs Matt Bowden moves to Thailand, leaves creditors in limbo
A fashion critique of the New Zealand Olympic uniform for Rio 2016
Judge slams 'professional incompetence' of police, as bus driver sentenced for fatal crash
Farmer refuses to pay $224,000 for a bridge to access his land
Indian couple accused of faking widely praised Everest climb
Why the sun has lost its spots - and what that means for us
Cooks Beach liquor store worker nails knife-wielding thief
Peter Snell Olympics singlet sold to Te Papa not the one worn in the gold medal-winning run
Rosemary McLeod: It's not Mike Hosking's wealth and sportscar that alienates him
Her friend's brutal murder was unsolved for decades. This is how she helped find the killer