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	<title>Three Star Owl - Functional and Sculptural Clay Artwork with a Natural History &#187; birding</title>
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	<link>http://threestarowl.com</link>
	<description>Three Star Owl clay studio</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 21 May 2012 18:41:01 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Finding birds in Paris (or Spot the Bird Île de France edition) Part 1</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/birds/finding-birds-in-paris-or-spot-the-bird-ile-de-france-edition-part-1</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/birds/finding-birds-in-paris-or-spot-the-bird-ile-de-france-edition-part-1#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 23:20:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spot the bird]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=15158</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Let&#8217;s deal with this straight away: if you&#8217;re a birder tuning in to learn where to find birds in Paris, then, despite its clear title &#8220;Finding Birds in Paris&#8221;, I&#8217;m afraid this two-part post will disappoint.  It is not intended to offer technical advice about how many species of mésange you might see in the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/birds/finding-birds-in-paris-or-spot-the-bird-ile-de-france-edition-part-1/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A sketchy bird list</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/a-sketchy-bird-list</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/a-sketchy-bird-list#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:21:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[botany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drawn in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=15095</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Not keen on enacting the Mad Dogs and Englishmen scenario, E and I lounged for a couple of hours during the heat of the day in the shade of a wild palm grove last weekend.
&#60;&#60; Southwest Palm Grove, Tierra Blanca Mountains, Anza-Borrego State Park (photo A.Shock) 
This is a well-known oasis, and not terribly remote [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/a-sketchy-bird-list/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Crane-o-rama!</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/events/crane-o-rama</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/events/crane-o-rama#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:24:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=14615</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tens of thousands of Sandhill cranes winter in the fields and wetlands of far southeastern Arizona each year, and they have their own festival: Wings Over Willcox, held in mid-January by the historical community of Willcox, AZ. This year is the 19th Annual WOW Festival, and it&#8217;s part of SE Arizona&#8217;s celebration of the state [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/events/crane-o-rama/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Spot the Bird!</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/spot-the-bird</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/spot-the-bird#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Nov 2011 02:16:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spot the bird]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=14348</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Me: reminiscing about our trip to New Zealand a while back.  You: trying to Spot the Bird.
It shouldn&#8217;t be too hard, but here&#8217;s a hint: you&#8217;re looking for a parrot.  Now don&#8217;t go clicking on the photo to enlarge it right off the bat, you&#8217;ll make it too easy!  (And, by the way, it&#8217;s a [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/spot-the-bird/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Spot the bird (easy)</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/spot-the-bird-easy</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/spot-the-bird-easy#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Oct 2011 04:42:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spot the bird]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=14193</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yes, I realize that this is a very easy Spot the Bird.  Although it was hiding among the lower branches of a mesquite, the bird is very easy to spot, here in the photo.  But, driving past, not so easy.  And it doesn&#8217;t think it&#8217;s easy to spot.  The bird, a Greater Roadrunner, thinks it [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/spot-the-bird-easy/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Lousy pix but exciting bird!</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/lousy-pix-but-exciting-bird</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/lousy-pix-but-exciting-bird#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Feb 2011 10:38:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=11264</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Another update: going onto day three of &#8220;Bill&#8221; at the feeder.
Update: as of Tuesday late afternoon, the BBLH is still at our feeder, defending it against the local Anna&#8217;s hummers, happily zipping about under the pine and between our yard and the neighbor&#8217;s.
A series of rapid, smacking clicks and a rich chip caught my ear [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/lousy-pix-but-exciting-bird/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The key is the beak</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-key-is-the-beak</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-key-is-the-beak#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Jan 2011 23:52:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[botany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spot the bird]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=11195</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A while back, I posted the latest Spot the Bird, a shot of a Mexican wetland that contained hard-to-see birds.  It was a tough one.

Here&#8217;s the key.  The hidden birds are three Black-bellied whistling ducks, visible in the sea of green only by looking carefully for their bright coral-red bills, a tag of chestnut plumage, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-key-is-the-beak/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Year&#8217;s First New Bird</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-years-first-new-bird</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-years-first-new-bird#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 14 Jan 2011 22:44:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=11129</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last post was the New Year&#8217;s first bird &#8212; a frosty Costa&#8217;s hummingbird &#8212; but this one is the Year&#8217;s First New Bird, and it&#8217;s a hummer, too.
We just returned from Baja California, and in the mission village of San Javier on the dramatic east side of the Sierra de la Giganta in Baja California [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-years-first-new-bird/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Killdeer overshadows rock</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/killdeer-overshadows-rock</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/killdeer-overshadows-rock#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Dec 2010 15:26:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=11020</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
A looming Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) casts a long shadow in the late afternoon sun, standing on a bermed farm road east of Phoenix (photo A.Shock).  Despite its scientific name, it was being silent, and not vociferus at all.  And despite its common name, ungulates don&#8217;t have to worry, but you invertebrates? &#8212; quake in your [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/killdeer-overshadows-rock/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Owls dislike Autumn because&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/owls-dislike-autumn-because</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/owls-dislike-autumn-because#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:28:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[owls]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spot the bird]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=10998</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;it&#8217;s hard to hide in bright, falling foliage if you&#8217;re a flying tiger&#8230;
Here&#8217;s one of a pair of Great Horned Owls we happened upon yesterday in a cottonwood grove along the Verde River east of the Phoenix metro area.  We were scouting for Tuesday&#8217;s official Christmas Bird Count of the Rio Verde area, and accidentally [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/owls-dislike-autumn-because/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Key to the Goldfinches Spot the Bird</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/key-to-the-goldfinches-spot-the-bird</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/key-to-the-goldfinches-spot-the-bird#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Sep 2010 15:17:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spot the bird]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/key-to-the-goldfinches-spot-the-bird</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[SPOILER ALERT!!

Here are the three goldfinches in yesterday&#8217;s Spot the Bird, highlighted in color for ease of viewing.

]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/key-to-the-goldfinches-spot-the-bird/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Spot the bird: Lesser goldfinch fressing</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/spot-the-bird-lesser-goldfinch-fressing</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/spot-the-bird-lesser-goldfinch-fressing#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Sep 2010 18:21:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[botany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[growing things]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spot the bird]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=10358</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We planted sunflowers in the garden for the goldfinch; it seems to have worked.
Now that the flower heads are mature and seedful on the stalks, the bushes are crowded with Lesser goldfinch. There are lots more flowers in bloom, which will keep the hungry finches supplied into the fall or even early winter.  The [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/spot-the-bird-lesser-goldfinch-fressing/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>We interrupt this flamingo&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/we-interrupt-this-flamingo</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/we-interrupt-this-flamingo#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Sep 2010 20:25:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cranky owlet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nidification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[owls]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=10158</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;to bring you a tiny owlet.  From Pink to Dink, with hardly a blink.
Friday morning, I came home from delivering E to campus, and blissfully opened the back door to let in the first blast of coolish late summer air.  Instead of the usual morning quiet, the back yard was chattering with angry bird sounds: [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/we-interrupt-this-flamingo/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Good owls come in strange places</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/good-owls-come-in-strange-places</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/good-owls-come-in-strange-places#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:16:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[owls]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=8903</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I tell my non-birding friends that we saw quite a few owls in Costa Rica, many of them are surprised.  The common perception is that owls are indeed woodland creatures, but that&#8217;s &#8220;normal&#8221; woods &#8212;  not, you know, the &#8220;jungle.&#8221;  I suspect this monolithic concept of owls &#8212; where &#8220;owl&#8221; pretty much equals [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/good-owls-come-in-strange-places/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>&#8230;yes, more Great Potoo&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/yes-more-great-potoo</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/yes-more-great-potoo#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:57:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=8513</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Like most enthusiasts, birders can get excited about seemingly unexciting things.  As proof, first there was the Maroon-chested ground-dove, a seriously exciting species that most of my non-birding friends think looks like a &#8220;boring&#8221; Mourning dove, but was easily one of the most thrilling sightings of the entire Costa Rica trip, which was full [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/yes-more-great-potoo/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Great Potoo</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-great-potoo</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-great-potoo#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:57:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=8476</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[That&#8217;s almost all there is to say, except: here&#8217;s a picture of one, trying its best to look like a tree trunk, and doing an expert job of it:
I&#8217;ve always longed to see a Potoo, and when we got to Finca La Selva OTS (known to most North American birders as La Selva Research Station) [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-great-potoo/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Break from the tropics</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/break-from-the-tropics</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/break-from-the-tropics#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:44:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=8461</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yes, you guessed it, this is not a photo from the recent Costa Rica trip.  I thought a frosty retreat from the steamy tropics was in order, and decided to insert this flashback of a favorite photo and sighting from a 2004 trip to the Antarctica Peninsula: a Gentoo penguin parent about to feed [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/break-from-the-tropics/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Did you see a Resplendent quetzal&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/did-you-see-a-resplendent-quetzal</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/did-you-see-a-resplendent-quetzal#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:22:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drawn in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=8406</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
&#8230;when you were in Costa Rica?  Yes.



Did you get a photo of a Resplendent quetzal?  No.



And was the Quetzal resplendent?  Yes.

Resplendent quetzales (Pharomachrus cocinno) are glimmering emerald birds who inhabit the dense, wet montane and cloud forests of parts of Central America. The males have splendid iridescent fringed tail plumes which trail extravagantly behind them, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/did-you-see-a-resplendent-quetzal/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hordes of hummers</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/hoards-of-hummers</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/hoards-of-hummers#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:21:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=8348</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Living in Arizona there&#8217;s no room for complaint about the quantity and loveliness of the hummers which visit our yard feeders.  In the Phoenix area we have Costa&#8217;s and Anna&#8217;s year round, Black-chinned in summer, with Broad-tailed and Rufous making migratory appearances. I&#8217;ve seen a brilliant Broad-billed just two miles from here at the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/hoards-of-hummers/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>What you need for watching birds in Costa Rica</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/birds/what-you-need-for-watching-birds-in-costa-rica</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/birds/what-you-need-for-watching-birds-in-costa-rica#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 Jul 2010 02:22:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=8268</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here are some things you need to watch birds in Costa Rica, presented in no particular order:
A pack or bag with a waterproof stuff sack inside (I used a Sea to Summit drysack, lightweight, relatively durable, quite waterproof).  Trust me, the waterproof part will make your camera, checklist or notebook, and cookies happy.
Waterproof binoculars.  These [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/birds/what-you-need-for-watching-birds-in-costa-rica/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tiny owlets toot in trees</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/tiny-owlets-toot-in-trees</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/tiny-owlets-toot-in-trees#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:15:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[owls]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=8223</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[To say that pygmy owls are sparrow-like isn&#8217;t entirely true.  But it&#8217;s almost true.
To start with, there&#8217;s their size: they are Very Very Small (the technical term).  Almost sparrow-sized.  Perched in a conifer, they look like a tiny pinecone. Also, like sparrows, they&#8217;re largely diurnal, and can frequently be found glaring down from a high [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/tiny-owlets-toot-in-trees/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Boss in her office: &#8220;checking for lard&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-boss-in-her-office-checking-for-lard</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-boss-in-her-office-checking-for-lard#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:52:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[botany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[owls]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spot the bird]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=8101</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[[This is a Spot the Bird, although it's less of a quiz than a photo series. All photos A or E Shock.  Click to enlarge.]
Here are some feral date palms, growing wild at a substantial oasis in Death Valley, CA.  The date palm is Phoenix dactylifera (&#8220;finger-bearing&#8221;), but in this case we could call it [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-boss-in-her-office-checking-for-lard/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Lichen with legs</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/lichen-with-legs</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/lichen-with-legs#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 09 May 2010 15:28:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=7827</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday was a rich day; with all sensory input oddly and schizophrenically split between very early and very late.  The day ended after midnight with a fun and funky evening at the CD drop party for the Groove Noodles, a friend&#8217;s band.  But it started before dawn in the outdoors, on Queen Creek and in [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/lichen-with-legs/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Three Star Owl at Verde Birdy</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/events/three-star-owl-at-verde-birdy</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/events/three-star-owl-at-verde-birdy#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:47:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cranky owlet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[effigy vessels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=7739</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here are a few images from last weekend&#8217;s event at the Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival.  If you haven&#8217;t checked out the Verde Valley in north central Arizona, you should &#8212; it&#8217;s beautiful green country, with big trees and lots of year-round water like the Verde River, as well as surrounding mountains, good restaurants, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/events/three-star-owl-at-verde-birdy/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Three Star Owl at Verde Birdy this week</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/events/three-star-owl-at-verde-birdy-this-week</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/events/three-star-owl-at-verde-birdy-this-week#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:53:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=7708</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Later this week is the Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival in Cottonwood Arizona.  The event is held each year in Dead Horse Ranch State park, which is OPEN (unlike some other Arizona state parks!).

Three Star Owl will be there, with a pithy assortment of one of a kind, hand made clay items from Gila [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/events/three-star-owl-at-verde-birdy-this-week/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Bendire&#8217;s thrasher in Papago Park</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/bendires-thrasher-in-papago-park-2</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/bendires-thrasher-in-papago-park-2#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:35:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Papago Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=7660</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Some things always amaze me.  One of them is why there are so many different Thrasher species in the arid Southwestern U.S.
Most of us who live in the Low Desert are used to two of the more common thrashers: the ubiquitous Northern mockingbird, its slender gray-and-white profile often seen  on high perches, singing its [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/bendires-thrasher-in-papago-park-2/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Spot the bird answers</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/spot-the-bird-answers</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/spot-the-bird-answers#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Apr 2010 00:15:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spot the bird]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=7629</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s time to post the Spot the Bird answers from the Twofer Spot the Bird a couple days ago &#8212; thanks to everyone who got back to Three Star Owl with your observations.  Finding the birds seemed to be fairly easy; ID&#8217;ing only a little less so. These two key photos are click-onable to embiggen, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/spot-the-bird-answers/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Aerial talon-show over Papago Park</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/aerial-talon-show-over-papago-park</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/aerial-talon-show-over-papago-park#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 27 Mar 2010 21:10:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Papago Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nidification]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=7437</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Had a nice morning walk in Papago Park (Phoenix AZ) this morning &#8212; the spring air was breezy and clear, and the high skies brought out a number of aerial show-offs.  The main attraction was a Peregrine falcon, spiraling and soaring between the two largest buttes in the Park and the Army National Guard reservation, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/aerial-talon-show-over-papago-park/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Rio Salado in early spring</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/rio-salado-in-early-spring</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/rio-salado-in-early-spring#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:11:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[botany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[furbearers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=7304</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Today I actually got outdoors to breathe air, soak up sunbeams, and take a look at what&#8217;s up, and what&#8217;s in the air.  It&#8217;d been awhile, and I thought I&#8217;d celebrate by passing along some of what&#8217;s happening along the Salt River, smack in the middle of the City of Phoenix, AZ.
&#60;&#60; green Goodding&#8217;s willows, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/rio-salado-in-early-spring/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Winging over to Willcox</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/events/winging-over-to-willcox</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/events/winging-over-to-willcox#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 15 Jan 2010 03:31:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=6909</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Three Star Owl is spending this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Willcox, AZ, for the annual Wings Over Willcox festival.  If you&#8217;re in the area, stop by the Willcox Community Center, and see what&#8217;s up.
(Detail of an oval vessel with a Sandhill Crane repoussé and carved in low relief, 10.5&#8243;, stoneware, A.Shock 2009)

]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/events/winging-over-to-willcox/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Four calling owls, three quail hens, two Inca doves&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/four-calling-owls-three-quail-hens-two-inca-doves</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/four-calling-owls-three-quail-hens-two-inca-doves#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:10:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environment/activism/politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=6634</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;and a Phainopepla in a Palo Verde tree.
As around the turn of every new year, Christmas Bird Counts are happening across America.  Under the auspices of the Audubon Society winter bird distribution and population information is compiled, collected by volunteers, most of whom are not ornithologists but people with a non-professional &#8212;  although sometimes [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/four-calling-owls-three-quail-hens-two-inca-doves/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hey, it&#8217;s a Wrentit!</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/hey-its-a-wrentit</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/hey-its-a-wrentit#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:27:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=6272</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Can&#8217;t resist posting this swell picture by E of a Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata), a veritable Dinky Dude not of the Desert, but of West Coast scrub and inland chaparral.
(left, Wrentit, photo E. Shock)
It may have subdued plumage, but how can anyone not like a skulking, big-headed, tiny bird with white eyes, who is the only [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/hey-its-a-wrentit/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why it&#8217;s called a Ring-necked duck</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/why-its-called-a-ring-necked-duck</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/why-its-called-a-ring-necked-duck#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:11:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=6014</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Although the days are still hot here in the Phoenix area, there are signs that summer is sliding into fall: migrating Red-tailed hawks soaring over the park this morning, and over Papago Buttes a couple of accipiters (probably Cooper&#8217;s hawks) swirling through a cloud of White-throated swifts, hoping for a quick fistful of breakfast on [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/why-its-called-a-ring-necked-duck/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Is birding green?</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/environmentactivism/is-birding-green</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/environmentactivism/is-birding-green#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2009 18:41:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environment/activism/politics]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=5771</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Telegraph website of the UK has posted a short column hastily summarizing a research paper concluding that Birding Is Not Green, especially competitive birding and twitching.  The Telegraph article is not very in-depth, refers mostly to Britain (although the issues are largely common to the US as well, and the primary author is at [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/environmentactivism/is-birding-green/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tweaking Tiny Tins: making mini watercolor kits from mint boxes</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/tweaking-tiny-tins-making-mini-watercolor-kits-from-mint-boxes</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/tweaking-tiny-tins-making-mini-watercolor-kits-from-mint-boxes#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:24:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=5026</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Everybody in the world has posted their version of the Miniature Watercolor Box, usually ingeniously created from any flat metal tin, often Altoids, sometimes Velamints, or others (see here, here, and here, just for a few examples of many).  These projects are all well-described and illustrated. I hereby add my version, but will only add [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/tweaking-tiny-tins-making-mini-watercolor-kits-from-mint-boxes/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Howdy from Sierra Vista, Arizona</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/events/howdy-from-sierra-vista-arizona</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/events/howdy-from-sierra-vista-arizona#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:09:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=5553</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Gaze upon Sierra Vista, in south eastern Arizona, where the beautiful Huachuca Mountains beetle over the fast food restaurants and motels of the busy town.  Not visible in this shot, but also beetling, is the everpresent and mysterious white surveillance blimp.  One day, I will find out about the white blimp.  Maybe today.

The natural beauty [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/events/howdy-from-sierra-vista-arizona/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hallux, Retrix and Feak&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/etymology/hallux-retrix-and-feak</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/etymology/hallux-retrix-and-feak#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 26 Jul 2009 19:42:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=5395</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
&#8230;are not a Victorian law firm.
They are delightfully specific bird-related terms: it seems that falconers and ornithologists, like the French, have a different word for everything.
You can talk about a raptor&#8217;s &#8220;thumb&#8221;, meaning the strong digit that in most birds is at the back of the foot, and people will know what you mean.  But [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/etymology/hallux-retrix-and-feak/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Lousy with Costa&#8217;s</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/lousy-with-costas</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/lousy-with-costas#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:46:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=5275</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When the Gophersnake made its appearance, I was about to post on Costa&#8217;s hummingbirds, because &#8220;informal censusing&#8221; (= what we see in the yard) indicates that this is the season when the Costa&#8217;s hummer population is highest in our Phoenix area yard: we are lousy with Costa&#8217;s right now.
I would guess it has something to [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/lousy-with-costas/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>Springtime do-over in Sedona (with Bonus Wild Hen nidification)</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/springtime-do-over-in-sedona-with-bonus-wild-hen-nidification</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/springtime-do-over-in-sedona-with-bonus-wild-hen-nidification#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:28:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[botany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drawn in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nidification]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=4859</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We missed some of Spring in the desert this year, so last weekend we went in search of it under the Mogollon Rim: Sunday found us hiking along the West Fork of Oak Creek in Sedona.  It&#8217;s one of the more popular trails in that popular area, and at times it&#8217;s mobbed by clusters of [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/springtime-do-over-in-sedona-with-bonus-wild-hen-nidification/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Tubenoses, Albatross Elbows and Muttonbirds</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/tubenoses-albatross-elbows-and-muttonbird</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/tubenoses-albatross-elbows-and-muttonbird#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 May 2009 03:00:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Zealand]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=4370</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One thing the Southern Hemisphere does well is sea birds.  Albatrosses, gannets, penguins, prions, storm petrels, diving petrels, gadfly petrels, giant petrels, shearwaters, skuas, mollymawks, and more occur in baffling numbers of species (and nomenclature).  Normally, many of these birds are found well out to sea, over the deepwater pelagic zones.  But in tectonically active [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/tubenoses-albatross-elbows-and-muttonbird/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>When is a Wood Hen a Beach Bunny?</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/when-is-a-wood-hen-a-beach-bunny</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/when-is-a-wood-hen-a-beach-bunny#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2009 06:27:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=4249</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When it&#8217;s a Weka (pronounced &#8220;wehkkah&#8221;, Gallirallus australis), a biggish flightless endemic NZ rail.
If you&#8217;ve ever tried to see a rail in the US, you know it can be an exercise in frustration, since our rails are furtive and well-camouflaged wetlands birds.  Designed to slip secretly through reeds and sedges (as in &#8220;thin as a&#8230;&#8221;), [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/when-is-a-wood-hen-a-beach-bunny/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Is it possible to see a Kiwi?</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/is-it-possible-to-see-a-kiwi</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/is-it-possible-to-see-a-kiwi#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 26 Apr 2009 22:35:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[botany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=4158</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yes, and we did!  Also very large eels that live in very small streams, and giant crickets called Weta.  Moreporks (New Zealand&#8217;s only native owl) made themselves heard, although not seen.

The kiwi on the right is carved from Kauri, the huge New Zealand tree which isn&#8217;t like any other tree I&#8217;ve ever seen.  The [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/is-it-possible-to-see-a-kiwi/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Increments: Stacked Toad Teapot Effigy FINAL Finale</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/events/increments-stacked-toad-teapot-effigy-final-finale</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/events/increments-stacked-toad-teapot-effigy-final-finale#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2009 22:31:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[effigy vessels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=3749</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As I mentioned previously, there are two pieces of mine in the NCECA &#8220;Potters as Sculptors; Sculptors as Potters&#8221; show currently up at Mesa Community College (see the Three Star Owl Events page for details).  One of them is the long-evolving &#8220;Toadstack&#8221; (the other is Venomosity which can currently be viewed on the Home page.) [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/events/increments-stacked-toad-teapot-effigy-final-finale/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>Unapologetic peddling of excellent objects: Three Star Owl Magnets &#8212; Everyone needs some!</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/unapologetic-peddling-of-excellent-objects-three-star-owl-magnets-everyone-needs-some</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/unapologetic-peddling-of-excellent-objects-three-star-owl-magnets-everyone-needs-some#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 04 Apr 2009 16:48:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=3823</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[And they&#8217;re not just for birders.
Brightly colored, biologically faithful yet spirited portraits of native birds, reptiles, and mammals, Three Star Owl Magnets will stick firmly to your fridge or your uncle&#8217;s steel cranial plate.  Celebrate a life-bird, a yard-bird, or a favorite bird, insect, reptile, amphibian or mammal &#8212; if I don&#8217;t have it in [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/unapologetic-peddling-of-excellent-objects-three-star-owl-magnets-everyone-needs-some/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>From the San Diego Bird Festival</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/events/from-the-san-diego-bird-festival</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/events/from-the-san-diego-bird-festival#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2009 01:27:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=2978</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Late post (Sunday 8 March 2009): 
Hello from San Diego, where today is the last day of the San Diego Audubon Bird Festival.  Things have been busy here, and I haven&#8217;t had a chance to post until now.  The Festival is at the Marina Conference Center right on Mission Bay &#8212; here&#8217;s a shot of [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/events/from-the-san-diego-bird-festival/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>San Diego Audubon Bird Festival</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/events/san-diego-audubon-bird-festival</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/events/san-diego-audubon-bird-festival#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Mar 2009 02:21:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=2963</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is the week of the San Diego Birding Festival at the Marina Conference Center right on Mission Bay.  The keynote speaker will be David Allen Sibley, the artist and author of the Sibley field guides to the birds of North America, which are considered some of the top field guides available.  Many of the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/events/san-diego-audubon-bird-festival/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Scoter addendum &#8212; the Arizona angle</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/scoter-addendum</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/scoter-addendum#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:58:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=2866</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In the last post on scoters, I forgot to add that there is a surprising Arizona angle to these sea ducks. Some years, one or two are found wintering or in transition on desert lakes around and about the state.  They are categorized as &#8220;casual&#8221; here.  This winter (Dec. &#8216;08), there was a handful of [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/scoter-addendum/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Three Star Owl is Guest Blogger on Birdchick.com!</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/three-star-owl-is-guest-blogger-on-birdchickcom</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/three-star-owl-is-guest-blogger-on-birdchickcom#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:15:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cranky owlet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[owls]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=2714</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Great news!  Sharon Stiteler of Birdchick.com fame ran a contest for guest-bloggers while she&#8217;s out of the country, and Three Star Owl is her selection for Friday&#8217;s guest post!  Regular Three Star Owl readers will recognize the entry as a post from this web journal, Vertical Napping Bark, which is one of my favorites because [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/three-star-owl-is-guest-blogger-on-birdchickcom/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Life bird at the Mall: the Salt River at Tempe Town Lake</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/life-bird-at-the-mall-the-salt-river-at-tempe-town-lake</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/life-bird-at-the-mall-the-salt-river-at-tempe-town-lake#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:13:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=2298</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Internet emailing list services &#8212; &#8220;listserves&#8221; &#8212; are an excellent way for birders to spread the word about what&#8217;s being seen in the area, and useful information about how to get there, which tree it was sitting in last, and which landowners show up with cookies and which with a shotgun.  But a birder cannot [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/life-bird-at-the-mall-the-salt-river-at-tempe-town-lake/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>Greetings from Willcox</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/events/greetings-from-willcox</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/events/greetings-from-willcox#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Jan 2009 05:20:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=2004</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Fortunately, I was able to hook up with V on her scouting trip this morning, and this is where we went: the dawn lift-off of Sandhill cranes just south of the town of Willcox, AZ.
Above is a photo of a small fraction of the cranes flying out from the ice-crusted ponds where they spent the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/events/greetings-from-willcox/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>Three Star Owl at Wings Over Willcox</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/events/three-star-owl-at-wings-over-willcox</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/events/three-star-owl-at-wings-over-willcox#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:04:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=1971</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For those of you within range of southeastern Arizona, consider visiting the annual Wings Over Willcox Nature Festival this weekend.  Held in the historic community of Willcox, this event celebrates the yearly return of tens of thousands of Sandhill cranes to the Sulphur Springs Valley in southeastern Arizona.  The rich Chihuahuan desertscrub and grasslands are [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/events/three-star-owl-at-wings-over-willcox/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Yard list &#8212; Miss Thang</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/yard-list-miss-thang</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/yard-list-miss-thang#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Nov 2008 17:23:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=1345</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Meet Miss Thang.  She is a female Costa&#8217;s hummingbird (Calypte costae), and unlike her purple-mustachioed male counterpart, she&#8217;s a plain green-gray above, and a plain gray-white below, with a chunky round body, almost no tail, and no neck at all.  She holds territory right outside our front door, as Queen of the Desert Garden.  The [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/yard-list-miss-thang/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>Fierce-footed Cooper&#8217;s Hawk &#8212; Yard list</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/fierce-footed-coopers-hawk-yard-list</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/fierce-footed-coopers-hawk-yard-list#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:59:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=1158</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A couple of mornings ago, we saw our first Cooper&#8217;s hawk of the season, swooping nimbly around the big backyard mesquite in an unsuccessful attempt at snagging a dove or finch from the feeders under the tree.  It lit on the utility pole in the alley and, having an itchy face, primly scratched itself [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/fierce-footed-coopers-hawk-yard-list/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Migration nation</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/migration-nation</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/migration-nation#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2008 01:30:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=976</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There is a gap in Three Star Owl postings between Cranky Owlet hears autumn and the Canyon Wren post.  This is because for nearly two weeks I was in Mexico, looking at birds. Though the trip had long been planned and paid for, it was a strange thing to be doing while the US [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/migration-nation/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>New things in the yard and in the season: Canyon wren!</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/new-things-in-the-yard-and-in-the-season-canyon-wren</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/new-things-in-the-yard-and-in-the-season-canyon-wren#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:49:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=955</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There are wrens in our desert world.  Big, raucous, busy Cactus wrens are always here. And there are wrens that pass through: eye-browed and long-tailed Bewick&#8217;s wrens in spring and fall; a Rock wren usually comes around a few times in the winter, and even a House wren once, on its way to its [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/new-things-in-the-yard-and-in-the-season-canyon-wren/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Isabelline California towhee in Huntington Beach Central Park</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/isabelline-california-towhee-in-huntington-beach-central-park</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/isabelline-california-towhee-in-huntington-beach-central-park#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:28:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=558</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Sunday, Aug 31 2008, while birding in the middle of the Civil War (or at least a re-enactment of it), I saw a sandy-beige bird feeding on the lawn at the edge of a brushy area in Huntington Beach Central Park.  It was consorting with two typically-plumaged California towhees, and it appeared to [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/isabelline-california-towhee-in-huntington-beach-central-park/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Accidental residents: reddish egrets and green sea turtles</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/three-star-owl/accidental-residents-reddish-egrets-and-green-sea-turtles</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/three-star-owl/accidental-residents-reddish-egrets-and-green-sea-turtles#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:40:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environment/activism/politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=516</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve just returned from a visit to the parental home in coastal Orange County California, where my mother still lives.  The house is walking distance from the beach &#8212; all during the Labor Day weekend, we could smell the beach fires and hear the engines of small planes dragging ad banners low along the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/three-star-owl/accidental-residents-reddish-egrets-and-green-sea-turtles/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
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