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	<title>Three Star Owl - Functional and Sculptural Clay Artwork with a Natural History &#187; birds</title>
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	<link>http://threestarowl.com</link>
	<description>Three Star Owl clay studio</description>
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			<item>
		<title>More prehistoric wildlife of the back porch</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/more-prehistoric-wildlife-of-the-back-porch</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/more-prehistoric-wildlife-of-the-back-porch#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:52:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cool bug!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=9850</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A centipede, a solifuge, now a dinosaur: all have recently made an appearance on our back porch.
Just now, I was sitting in the den with the sliding door open, when suddenly a winged dinosaur landed on the bricks right outside and ran up to the screen-door, its tail held high behind it like a velociraptor.
Greater [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/more-prehistoric-wildlife-of-the-back-porch/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Passing on the shnorr-gene</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/passing-on-the-shnorr-gene</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/passing-on-the-shnorr-gene#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 28 Aug 2010 05:13:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<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=9614</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hoover, the semi-tame African Collared Dove who hangs out in our neighborhood, has been a bachelor for a while.  But earlier this summer, we observed him in the company of a female dove who appeared to be a smallish Eurasian Collared Dove, a naturalized old world species that has become very numerous across the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/passing-on-the-shnorr-gene/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Another excellent tropical owl</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/another-excellent-tropical-owl</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/another-excellent-tropical-owl#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:29:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[owls]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=9556</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[(This post newly updated with better link to owl sound)

Here&#8217;s a Spectacled owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata), staring hard at us from its perch in the tropical lowlands of Sarapiquí in Costa Rica.  What could be more delightful than a cinnamon-and-cholcolate owl with white &#8220;spectacles?&#8221; 
I have the answer: one that makes a strange, rapidly pulsating noise [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/another-excellent-tropical-owl/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.owlpages.com/sounds/Pulsatrix-perspicillata-1.mp3" length="102817" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</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>in which I reveal my graphic petticoats along with an Orange-billed sparrow</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/in-which-i-reveal-my-graphic-petticoats-along-with-an-orange-billed-sparrow</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/in-which-i-reveal-my-graphic-petticoats-along-with-an-orange-billed-sparrow#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 25 Jul 2010 14:57:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=8555</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230; or, saving shots by going artsy&#8230;
Not all photos are created equal, especially if you&#8217;re an amateur photog like me who asks my competent but limited point-and-shoot digital camera to do things it wasn&#8217;t meant to do, like capture images of cryptic birds high in trees with too many leaves against the light on an [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/in-which-i-reveal-my-graphic-petticoats-along-with-an-orange-billed-sparrow/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</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[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>Life under the volcano</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/life-under-the-volcano</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/life-under-the-volcano#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:31:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rox]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=8202</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Three Star Owl blogging resumes after a hiatus of two weeks in Costa Rica&#8230;

Volcán Turrialba at dawn, from Rancho Naturalista (photo A.Shock).
In the view above only a small plume of steam and gas is visible from the most active of the three summit craters of the nearly 11,000 foot stratovolcano.  Its last major eruption was [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/life-under-the-volcano/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Mono birds and tufa</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/mono-birds-and-tufa</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/mono-birds-and-tufa#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Jun 2010 22:15:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nidification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rox]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=8154</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One of our destinations during the recent eastern California trip was the dramatic and amazing Mono Lake and its crumbly, gradually ephemeral tufa groves.  Tufa towers are mineral formations deposited underwater when calcium-rich spring water pours up into carbonate-rich lakewater.  The resulting mixture precipitates calcium-carbonate which builds upward into the lake water, sort of like [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/mono-birds-and-tufa/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</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>Rock-watching in the wind</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/rock-watching-in-the-wind</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/rock-watching-in-the-wind#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 29 May 2010 20:00:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[furbearers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nidification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rox]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=7917</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ 
A few days ago, we drove far out into sage-covered lava rocks to check out some hot springs on the east side of the Sierra Nevada.  After walking to the top of the hill, walking around the next hill and between two other hills, seeing what birds were around and about, and while E [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/rock-watching-in-the-wind/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hoover at Sea</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/hoover-at-sea</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/hoover-at-sea#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 02 May 2010 15:21:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=7790</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hoover the feral African collared dove has solved the problem of how to drink from the swimming pool: board the chlorine float.  The health ramifications of this (for the bird) may be dubious, but watching him neatly land on a floating, bobbing object with a smallish deck area is a thing to behold.  He fastidiously [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/hoover-at-sea/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Another Spot the Bird, sort of</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/another-spot-the-bird-sort-of</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/another-spot-the-bird-sort-of#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Apr 2010 23:52:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spot the bird]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=7777</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here&#8217;s a swell photo of a Sora we saw at Tavasci Marsh last weekend.  I&#8217;ve categorized this as a Spot the Bird, but your eye will probably go right to it, since it&#8217;s out in the open.  The little rail had whinnied a couple of times &#8212; Sora make a sound very much like those [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/another-spot-the-bird-sort-of/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</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>And, speaking of owls&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/and-speaking-of-owls</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/and-speaking-of-owls#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Apr 2010 03:37:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[owls]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=7718</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230; and we were &#8212; always &#8212; this Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) was giving us the eye from our big backyard pine tree, right at sunset tonight.  The Gila woodpeckers, doves, and local hummers &#8212; both Anna&#8217;s and Black-chinned &#8212; were really ticked off at the eminence tigre, and zoomed and hovered threateningly.  I&#8217;m [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/and-speaking-of-owls/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Another Bird Spots You</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/another-bird-spots-you</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/another-bird-spots-you#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:14:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nidification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spot the bird]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=7691</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you&#8217;re not familiar with Gilded flickers (Colaptes chrysoides), they are large desert woodpeckers, closely associated with Saguaros.  They excavate their nest cavities in the trunks of the giant cactus.  They&#8217;re closely related to Red-shafted and Yellow-shafted flickers who inhabit the western and eastern U.S., respectively.  Flickers are flashy in coloration, being spotted and barred, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/another-bird-spots-you/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</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>Equal time: the Bird Spots YOU</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/equal-time-the-bird-spots-you</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/equal-time-the-bird-spots-you#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:21:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spot the bird]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=7598</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Just to even things up, here&#8217;s what it feels like to be BIRD-WATCHED:
(Photo E.Shock)
This is &#8220;Hoover&#8221; the semi-tame wild African collared dove who inhabits our neighborhood, wondering why we don&#8217;t have a handful of peanuts NOW.
To indulge in a moment of natural history, notice how the eye is set in a slightly pinched or narrow [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/equal-time-the-bird-spots-you/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Twofer Spot the Bird</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/twofer-spot-the-bird</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/twofer-spot-the-bird#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Apr 2010 18:56:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spot the bird]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=7545</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here are two new Spot the Bird photos.  The visual puzzle is the same in each: huge background, tiny bird.  No camouflage involved, none at all; just hiding against a big landscape.
The first photo of an enormous oaktree (?) in Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior Arizona, east of Phoenix, is a photo I took because [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/twofer-spot-the-bird/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</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>President&#8217;s Day: Hoover himself shows up</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/presidents-day-hoover-himself-shows-up</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/presidents-day-hoover-himself-shows-up#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:09:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<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=7281</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;Hoover&#8221; the semi-tame  African Collared Dove who inhabits our neighborhood came around for a handout of sunflower hearts and peanuts on Valentine&#8217;s Day.  It&#8217;s a bit of a sad story, in that he used to have a female companion, but no longer.  So far this spring he&#8217;s spent much of the day in plaintive calling [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/presidents-day-hoover-himself-shows-up/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>New!  Spot the Bird!</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/new-spot-the-bird</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/new-spot-the-bird#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:30:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spot the bird]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=7180</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A recent post, Spot the Pipit, inadvertently marked the inauguration of a series of themed posts in this webjournal: Spot the Bird. 
After posting Spot the Pipit, it occurred to me that in the Three Star Owl photo files were other pix which showed birds that were more or less hard to see, but which [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/new-spot-the-bird/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Spot the Pipit! plus: gallery of international pipits (a bird with a view)</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/spot-the-pipit-plus-gallery-of-international-pipits-a-bird-with-a-view</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/spot-the-pipit-plus-gallery-of-international-pipits-a-bird-with-a-view#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:54:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spot the bird]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=7012</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There&#8217;s a small bird in this photo of lakeside rocks.  Can you spot the pipit?
Sunday E and I watched an American pipit (Anthus rubescens; photo E.Shock) working its way along water&#8217;s edge at Burnt Corral on Apache Lake east of Phoenix, darting after flies. beetles, larvae and other yummies around the cobbles in the shallow [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/spot-the-pipit-plus-gallery-of-international-pipits-a-bird-with-a-view/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Two coatis hit the road&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/events/two-coatis-hit-the-road</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/events/two-coatis-hit-the-road#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:31:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[effigy vessels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=6929</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;but only one came back.
Thanks to everybody who came by Three Star Owl at Wings Over Willcox &#8212; the show was a very good one for &#8220;the owl&#8221;.  Cranes were seen, friends were met and re-met, many clay pieces found good new homes.  And thanks also to the organizers of the Festival, who have a [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/events/two-coatis-hit-the-road/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Picture of purples past</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/picture-of-purples-past</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/picture-of-purples-past#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:56:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<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=6825</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is the very week many Costa&#8217;s hummingbirds leave our yard.  I know this because I&#8217;m keeping track,  not out of obsessiveness, or possessiveness (well, maybe a little&#8230;), but because each winter I participate in the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology&#8217;s Project Feeder Watch.  Like Christmas bird counts, it&#8217;s a way for science to harness [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/picture-of-purples-past/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</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>A close brush with a hunter</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/a-close-brush-with-a-hunter</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/a-close-brush-with-a-hunter#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:57:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<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=6533</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Weeks out of &#8220;swim-season&#8221;, our pool is a bit dishevelled right now: a recent windstorm, a bit of a chemical imbalance, a bit of neglect, made it time to brush the pool.  It&#8217;s a task that in itself isn&#8217;t huge fun in cold weather &#8212; cold wet aluminum chills the paws fast! &#8212; but does [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/a-close-brush-with-a-hunter/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Happy Thanksgiving!</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/birds/happy-thanksgiving</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/birds/happy-thanksgiving#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:34:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=6460</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
(Photo by E.Shock)
]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/birds/happy-thanksgiving/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A first year Cooper&#8217;s hawk&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/a-first-year-coopers-hawk</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/a-first-year-coopers-hawk#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:44:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Papago Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=6373</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;is bent on both mayhem and mischief.
She was lurking at the north entrance to Papago Park early Saturday morning, in the low spot where the White-crowned sparrows, House finches, and Mourning doves are usually found in great numbers on chilly winter mornings.  She even swooped over our heads on her way up to the top [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/a-first-year-coopers-hawk/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Still Lousy: Costa contra Costa</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/still-lousy-costa-contra-costa</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/still-lousy-costa-contra-costa#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:01:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<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=6305</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The post-breeding influx of Costa&#8217;s hummingbirds in our Phoenix-area yard continues.  This tough little desert hummer is present at the feeders year round, but the population goes up noticeably between about June and December.  Most of the birds we see are males, some in fully developed adult plumage, some with scraggly purple moustaches just growing in.  [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/still-lousy-costa-contra-costa/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</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>Is this the offending foam?</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/is-this-the-offending-foam</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/is-this-the-offending-foam#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:11:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<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=6179</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On last weekend&#8217;s trip to the Oregon coast, E and I noticed the beaches were festooned with unsupported sea-foam, churned up by the waves.  This might have been the slimy foam that&#8217;s currently causing major problems for sea birds along the Oregon coast.  The foam, a result of an off-shore algal bloom, coats the bird&#8217;s [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/is-this-the-offending-foam/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Redcaps and Redthroats: &#8217;shrooms and loons&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/redcaps-and-redthroats-shrooms-and-loons</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/redcaps-and-redthroats-shrooms-and-loons#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:07:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[botany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=6153</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;on the northwest Oregon coast.
It&#8217;s not very much like the Sonoran Desert here. Everything&#8217;s either wet or damp, and when it rains it&#8217;s not a pounding monsoonal deluge that ends quickly, but a steady long-term soaking, which might last hours, days, or the rest of the year.  Things that live here are water-loving organisms, like [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/redcaps-and-redthroats-shrooms-and-loons/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Flaming flamingo</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/birds/flaming-flamingo</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/birds/flaming-flamingo#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:49:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=6049</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Late afternoon light makes this Flamingo at the Phoenix Zoo fiery pink. (Photo E.Shock)
]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/birds/flaming-flamingo/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>The pulchritude of vulturitude, or&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-pulchritude-of-vulturitude-or</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-pulchritude-of-vulturitude-or#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:25:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<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=5922</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;things are more colorful in the tropics.

Let&#8217;s unofficially extend International Vulture Awareness &#8220;Day&#8221; to &#8220;Weekend&#8221;, just so we can examine the glorious elegance that is the facial skin of the Lesser Yellow-Headed Vulture, a cousin of the widely distributed Turkey vulture that most of us Norte Americaños are familiar with.
You could argue that the King [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-pulchritude-of-vulturitude-or/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Who needs vultures?  Everybody needs vultures!</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/who-needs-vultures-everybody-needs-vultures</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/who-needs-vultures-everybody-needs-vultures#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 06 Sep 2009 01:01:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environment/activism/politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=5912</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[International Vulture Awareness day is Sept. 5
Vultures and condors are really useful in your niche or ecosystem.  What to do with that pesky roadkill, thawed winterkill, shot-winged quarry, victims of natural disaster, contagion, or warfare, or any other squishy, odiferous and past-its-prime meaty object?  Just leave it to vultures &#8212; it&#8217;s easy, quick, FREE, and [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/who-needs-vultures-everybody-needs-vultures/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</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>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Lord of the Fly(catchers)</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/lord-of-the-flycatchers</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/lord-of-the-flycatchers#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:24:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=5362</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Late each spring, later than most other neotropical migrants, the Brown-crested flycatchers (Myiarchus tyrannulus) return to our neighborhood (and other places in southern Arizona) from their wintering grounds in Mexico.
They are relatively large tyrant flycatchers, about the size of the more familiar Cardinal, but unlike Cardinals they&#8217;re not usually seen on or even terribly close [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/lord-of-the-flycatchers/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<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>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A favorite slinky neighbor&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/a-favorite-slinky-neighbor</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/a-favorite-slinky-neighbor#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:40:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=5235</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;was patrolling our yard yesterday, an overcast Thursday morning.
I was working in the studio and noticed yard birds scolding harshly.  But my brain was busy with clay, and it only spared enough attention to ID the calls &#8212; cactus wren, verdin, curve-billed thrasher &#8212; and forgot to be curious about what was setting them off.  [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/a-favorite-slinky-neighbor/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A new batch of &#8220;Songbird&#8221; mugs is underway</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/events/a-new-batch-of-songbird-mugs-is-underway</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/events/a-new-batch-of-songbird-mugs-is-underway#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:40:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=4554</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m now in heavy production mode for the upcoming Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival in southeastern Arizona (see Events for details).  Some of the objects I&#8217;m making in small batches are smooth-surfaced mugs for glazing bird portraits on.  Flat-bottomed, hand-built (as opposed to wheel-thrown), and intended for daily use, these mugs have proven popular [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/events/a-new-batch-of-songbird-mugs-is-underway/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Desert Dove-o-rama: White-winged doves</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/desert-dove-o-rama-white-winged-doves</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/desert-dove-o-rama-white-winged-doves#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:00:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></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=5098</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Arriving in the spring, they lurk like vultures for weeks on the crowns of blooming saguaros, waiting for the flowers to swell into fat green fruits.  When they do, the White winged doves (Zenaida asiatica) rip them open with their strong fruit-ripping beaks, exposing the sweet red fruit and feasting greedily.  Sometimes several doves will [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/desert-dove-o-rama-white-winged-doves/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Festival of Desert Doves: the Other Collared Dove</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/festival-of-desert-doves-the-other-collared-dove</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/festival-of-desert-doves-the-other-collared-dove#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:08:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></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=5015</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) has an agenda well-befitting a Columbid: &#8220;Must Colonize New World.&#8221; 
Actually, it started before that, and a lot farther east: a native of central Asia, the Collared Dove had populated Europe as far west as Great Britain by the 1950s.  By the early &#8217;80s, a population had taken hold [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/festival-of-desert-doves-the-other-collared-dove/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Festival of Desert Doves: African Collared Dove</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/festival-of-desert-doves-african-collared-dove</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/festival-of-desert-doves-african-collared-dove#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 14 Jun 2009 16:47:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></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=4953</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The desert suburbs of Phoenix are Columbid-rich, that is, there are many species of doves and pigeons.  Yesterday I was putting out seed in a neighbor&#8217;s gravel drive just before sunset.  The area is quite open, and at that time of day it fills with fat, free-loading doves and pigeons who are used to being [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/festival-of-desert-doves-african-collared-dove/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<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[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>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>One of the best things we DIDN&#8217;T see in New Zealand&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/one-of-the-best-things-we-didnt-see-in-new-zealand</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/one-of-the-best-things-we-didnt-see-in-new-zealand#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:02:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[owls]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Zealand]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=4455</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;was a Ruru, or Morepork (Ninox novaeseelandiae).

It&#8217;s NZ&#8217;s only remaining native owl (the Laughing owl was last recorded in 1914), and is fairly common in many habitats, even parks and gardens, but is especially numerous in tracts of native bush.  We heard them several places, mostly in the Kauri Forest while on a night walk [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/one-of-the-best-things-we-didnt-see-in-new-zealand/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Gamboling Gambel&#8217;s Quailets</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/gamboling-gambels-quailets</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/gamboling-gambels-quailets#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 30 May 2009 04:09:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=4758</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In our area, the first Gambel&#8217;s quail chicks of the year usually start showing up in early May,  clustered around their parents under the mesquite trees in the yard, pecking expertly at the ground like the precocial youngsters they are.  This year, since we weren&#8217;t around then, we missed the &#8220;nebula phase&#8221; of their [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/gamboling-gambels-quailets/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Harakeke rules!</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/harakeke-rules</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/harakeke-rules#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 24 May 2009 00:26:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[botany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Zealand]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=4527</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Living in Southern California as a kid, I was familiar with the massive, blade-leafed clumping plant widely used in landscaping called Flax, or New Zealand Flax.  So I shouldn&#8217;t have been surprised to see it growing everywhere in New Zealand, right?  Still, my first dim thought was, &#8220;Oh, they landscape with it here, too, just [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/harakeke-rules/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>So what about the Hen?</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/so-what-about-the-hen</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/so-what-about-the-hen#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2009 19:37:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nidification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=4544</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You may be wondering about the much-posted Hen, a female Anna&#8217;s hummingbird, and her two nestlings, who were busy growing up in an Aleppo Pine in our back yard.
As far as we know, the Hen fledged her young successfully while we were in New Zealand. We&#8217;ll never know for sure, but the evidence supports a [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/so-what-about-the-hen/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<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>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Evidence of life in the tree tops: Rosella and Kereru</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/evidence-of-life-in-the-tree-tops-rosella-and-kereru</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/evidence-of-life-in-the-tree-tops-rosella-and-kereru#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 09 May 2009 09:31:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Zealand]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=4332</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Left: Eastern Rosella feather (Platycercus eximius) with Kauri cone.  Rosellas are long-tailed, rainbow-colored Australian parrots who now live in NZ, too.

Below: Kereru feather (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae, New Zealand Pigeon) on leaf.
The Kereru is a very large pigeon, much bigger than Rock Pigeons, whose striking white, iridescent green-maroon plumage and bright red feet and bill blend surprisingly [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/evidence-of-life-in-the-tree-tops-rosella-and-kereru/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Alpine Parrots&#8230;no, really, parrots at tree-line.</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/alpine-parrotsno-really-parrots-at-tree-line</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/alpine-parrotsno-really-parrots-at-tree-line#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2009 06:58:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[oddities]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=4279</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you were a parrot, would you live in this chilly realm?
Yes, if you&#8217;re a Kea.  A large, endemic NZ parrot, the bronze-green Kea (Nestor notabilis) spends most of its time in high alpine areas and steep rocky valleys of the mountains of New Zealand&#8217;s South Island.
Kea can be easy to photograph because of some [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/alpine-parrotsno-really-parrots-at-tree-line/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Serendipity: Fernbirds, penguins, and hogget in between</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/serendipity-fernbirds-penguins-and-hogget-in-between</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/serendipity-fernbirds-penguins-and-hogget-in-between#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2009 06:48:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=4261</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This day was full of serendipity: we happened upon the lady with fernbirds in her yard; we went to Curio Bay for fossils, but happened upon Yellow-eyed penguins; and in between?  Hogget: it&#8217;s an age category of sheep meat between lamb and mutton, which we happened upon in the Invercargill Pack-n-Save butchery.
What a day!
Here is [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/serendipity-fernbirds-penguins-and-hogget-in-between/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<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>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Piwakawaka and other obliging Non-Kiwi Kiwis</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/piwakawaka-and-other-obliging-non-kiwi-kiwis</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/piwakawaka-and-other-obliging-non-kiwi-kiwis#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 03 May 2009 05:44:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<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=4227</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Proper Kiwi birds are nearly impossible to take photos of.  Mainly because most kiwi birds are nocturnal and using flash is rude, but also because they&#8217;re hard to see in their environment, rummaging around in the deep ferny forest floor.  And anyway they&#8217;re terribly difficult to find at all.
But there are other, non-Kiwi birds who [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/piwakawaka-and-other-obliging-non-kiwi-kiwis/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Large, colorful, flightless, and clueless&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/large-colorful-flightless-and-clueless</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/large-colorful-flightless-and-clueless#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 01 May 2009 08:51:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<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=4204</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;that&#8217;s the Takahe, a mountain-dwelling, tussock-eating, big-beaked member of the gallinule family (related to coots).  The bird was believed by ornithologists to be extinct, until G.B. Orbell &#8220;rediscovered&#8221; a population in the remote Murchison mountains of Fjordland New Zealand in 1948.  Since then heroic efforts have been made to secure its survival as a species, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/large-colorful-flightless-and-clueless/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<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>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<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>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Morning of Birds in Trees</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/a-morning-of-birds-in-trees</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/a-morning-of-birds-in-trees#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2009 03:15:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Papago Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=4124</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Easter mornings are often spent focused on the ground in an Easter Egg hunt, a ritual seeking delightfully chthonic goodies on a day of rising up.  But our Easter walk in Papago Park was filled with airy trophies instead: birds in trees.  And the birds were obliging. Once seen perched safely on high, they stayed [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/a-morning-of-birds-in-trees/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Easter Nidification: Stalwart Hen update</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/easter-nidification-stalwart-hen-update</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/easter-nidification-stalwart-hen-update#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2009 19:32:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nidification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=4107</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hen update with photo. The Stalwart Hen and her Nidlings (the Anna&#8217;s hummingbird and her nestlings in our backyard pinetree) are still hanging in there, despite a night of unseasonal wind and cool rain.  In this photo, the bottom side of the tip of one of the nidling&#8217;s beaks is just visible at the left [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/easter-nidification-stalwart-hen-update/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Half-Dome Head: the Geology of Owl Crania</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/half-dome-head-the-geology-of-owl-crania</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/half-dome-head-the-geology-of-owl-crania#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Apr 2009 04:28:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cranky owlet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[effigy vessels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[owls]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=3925</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There&#8217;s a property of owls I call &#8220;Half-Dome Head.&#8221;  It&#8217;s a shape that&#8217;s noticeable in the profile of all owls, particularly the larger ones.  The Barred Owl to the right is exhibiting major Half-Dome Head.  If Half-Dome Head can be achieved when making owls in clay, the resulting effigies will be Especially Owly.
The name derives [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/half-dome-head-the-geology-of-owl-crania/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Nidification: Cloacal dexterity is next to godliness</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/nidification-cloacal-dexterity-is-next-to-godliness</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/nidification-cloacal-dexterity-is-next-to-godliness#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:44:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nidification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=3998</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
The Anna&#8217;s Hummingbird Hen&#8217;s behavior has mystified me for the last few days.  What I see when the Hen is gone: an empty nest, no nestling activity (after that first exciting view).  Then when the Hen returns, she immediately sits tight; no feeding.  Wouldn&#8217;t you expect her to return and feed nestlings, if there were [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/nidification-cloacal-dexterity-is-next-to-godliness/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Curious Case of the Corpse in the Yucca</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-curious-case-of-the-corpse-in-the-yucca</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-curious-case-of-the-corpse-in-the-yucca#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 05 Apr 2009 14:08:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nidification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[oddities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=3848</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Cactus wrens are a large (for a wren), lively, and common presence all over the low-elevation deserts in the American Southwest.  The photo to left left shows one sitting on a cholla branch.  They do that a lot, often while making all sorts of  mechanical-sounding vocalizations like drbrdrbrdrbrdrr or krakrakrakrakrakra.  Cactus wrens are expert at [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-curious-case-of-the-corpse-in-the-yucca/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<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>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Nidification &#8212; Nestling is happening!</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/nidification-nestling-is-happening</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/nidification-nestling-is-happening#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2009 03:16:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nidification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=3793</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s confirmed &#8212; the Hen&#8217;s egg(s) has/ve hatched!
This afternoon (Thursday April 2) just after one pm, I was finally able to catch the Hen away from the Nid &#8212; she&#8217;d been sitting tighter than usual this morning &#8212; and could look down on the nest from the upper window.  The first discovery was that the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/nidification-nestling-is-happening/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Nidification: Is that or isn&#8217;t that&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/nidification-is-that-or-isnt-that</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/nidification-is-that-or-isnt-that#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:36:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nidification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=3783</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;a little pointy beak?
Here is this morning&#8217;s photo of the Anna&#8217;s hummingbird Hen on her Nid.  I began looking very carefully for evidence of nestlings yesterday, April 1, since that was my estimate of the earliest her eggs might hatch.  This morning, I checked first thing, and still didn&#8217;t see any sign of young birds.  [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/nidification-is-that-or-isnt-that/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Cranky Owlet finally meets&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/birds/cranky-owlet-finally-meets</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/birds/cranky-owlet-finally-meets#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:23:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cranky owlet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[owls]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=3368</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;a true kindred spirit:

Adult Burrowing owl giving the entire world StinkEye at the Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center display at Boyce Thompson Arboretum&#8217;s &#8220;Welcome Back Buzzards Day&#8221;. (Photo A.Shock)

]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/birds/cranky-owlet-finally-meets/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Nidification: Turns out the Hen is a good sailor&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/birds/nidification-turns-out-the-hen-is-a-good-sailor</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/birds/nidification-turns-out-the-hen-is-a-good-sailor#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 28 Mar 2009 00:55:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nidification]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=3581</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;and rode out a major blow.
From the middle of the day yesterday until just after 10pm, a big wind storm ruffled the Phoenix area.  It made the blustery afternoons we&#8217;ve been having look like a gentle breeze.  There were sustained winds near 30mph, and a peak wind gust of 53mph.  Much of this was after [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/birds/nidification-turns-out-the-hen-is-a-good-sailor/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Costa&#8217;s hummers at Boyce Thompson Arboretum</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/costas-hummers-at-boyce-thompson-arboretum</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/costas-hummers-at-boyce-thompson-arboretum#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:02:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<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=3548</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One of my favorite places to go in the Phoenix area at any time of year (except perhaps in the heat of summer) is the Boyce Thompson Arboretum.  It&#8217;s a botanical garden of  native and non-native desert plants up in the desert mountains around Superior Arizona about an hour&#8217;s drive east of Phoenix.  It&#8217;s [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/costas-hummers-at-boyce-thompson-arboretum/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Twofer: Nictitating membrane AND bonus Bonus Pervious Nostril</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/twofer-nictitating-membrane-and-bonus-bonus-pervious-nostril</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/twofer-nictitating-membrane-and-bonus-bonus-pervious-nostril#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:47:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=3378</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here are a couple of photos that show two excellent see-through specializations of Turkey vulturedom: the pervious nostril (already discussed here) and an inner protective eyelid called the nictitating membrane. The camera caught the vulture in mid-blink, so the membrane is visible in this photo as a bluish milky cast over the eye of the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/twofer-nictitating-membrane-and-bonus-bonus-pervious-nostril/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Double nidification feature: more Dinky Desert Dudes, plus bonus Hen photo</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/double-nidification-feature-more-dinky-desert-dudes-plus-bonus-hen-photo</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/double-nidification-feature-more-dinky-desert-dudes-plus-bonus-hen-photo#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:51:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nidification]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=3310</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Not much larger than the Verdin is another small gray bird of the Sonoran Desert, the Black-tailed Gnatcatcher.  A tiny, long-tailed, streamlined bird with a narrow gleaning bill, both sexes sport cool gray plumage, and in breeding season the male has a full black cap.  They actively forage for insects in desert vegetation, and are [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/double-nidification-feature-more-dinky-desert-dudes-plus-bonus-hen-photo/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Nidification: the Hen sits tight for sure</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/nidification-the-hen-sits-tight-for-sure</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/nidification-the-hen-sits-tight-for-sure#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2009 03:56:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nidification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=3220</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here is the Hen today, sitting tight on her tiny cup nest built on two pine cones in our backyard Aleppo Pine.  She fills the whole opening like a cork, horizontally oriented.  Usually we see hummers either air-born or perched, in vertical orientation: it&#8217;s the horizontal arrangement, with her tail sticking out behind her and [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/nidification-the-hen-sits-tight-for-sure/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Nidification &#8212; Hen still constructing</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/nidification-hen-still-constructing</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/nidification-hen-still-constructing#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 03:23:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nidification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=3132</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Much building activity: as of today the Anna&#8217;s hummingbird hen in our Aleppo pine is still finessing her nid.  This morning, she could be seen bustling and fussing at the site (yes, I anthropomorphize, get over it please, I&#8217;m not an ornithologist!), making frequent trips away and to, coming back with light-colored fibers, some of [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/nidification-hen-still-constructing/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Nidification: the Hen is On!</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/nidification-the-hen-is-on</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/nidification-the-hen-is-on#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 14 Mar 2009 21:56:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nidification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=3059</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Anna&#8217;s hummingbird hen is on the nest! This morning I saw her bringing small beakfuls of fluffy white material like spider web or some kind of aerial seeds and adding them. She would then settle in the cup of the nest, and wiggle a little, as if to get the shape perfect, and run [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/nidification-the-hen-is-on/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Yard list &#8212; FOS Black-chinned hummingbird!</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/yard-list-fos-black-chinned-hummingbird</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/yard-list-fos-black-chinned-hummingbird#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Mar 2009 23:06:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<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=3038</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Today I saw the First-of-Season Black-chinned hummingbird for our yard at the back door feeder.  It was a male, as the first birds always are.  He whirred in and made his characteristic little &#8220;chup-chup&#8221; feeding noise, pumping his longish tail and being generally tidy and well-defined in his gorget feathers, without moustaches.  Black-chinneds typically have [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/yard-list-fos-black-chinned-hummingbird/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>One last Sarcoramphus peek&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/one-last-sarcoramphus-peek</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/one-last-sarcoramphus-peek#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:05:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[effigy vessels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=2904</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;just because this photo of Jack&#8217;s King vulture waiting to be taken home makes me laugh.

]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/one-last-sarcoramphus-peek/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<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>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Bonus pervious nostril!</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/events/bonus-pervious-nostril</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/events/bonus-pervious-nostril#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Feb 2009 05:51:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=2841</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve been working hard on pieces for the San Diego Audubon Birding Festival, which is coming right up.  While glazing a wall tile with the portrait of a male Surf scoter and looking at photo resources of scoters, I realized I was being treated to another pervious nostril!
It doesn&#8217;t show so much in this photo, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/events/bonus-pervious-nostril/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Yard list: Dinky Dudes of the Desert</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/yard-list-dinky-dudes-of-the-desert</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/yard-list-dinky-dudes-of-the-desert#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Feb 2009 05:20:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nidification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=2736</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I left the Mississippi River Valley to come back to the West, I thought, Hmmmmm, no chickadees in the low desert.  What&#8217;s that going to be like?
We were very accustomed to Carolina chickadees as ever-present &#8220;fee-bay-fee-bee&#8221;-ers in our St. Louis yard.  They accompanied us on hikes; we heard them in the parks, they were [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/yard-list-dinky-dudes-of-the-desert/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Increments: Color me vulture, finally</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/increments-color-me-vulture-finally</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/increments-color-me-vulture-finally#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:19:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[archaeology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[effigy vessels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=2641</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here are the exciting final steps of Jack&#8217;s King Vulture.  (Previous increments can be viewed and read about here.)

This first photo, Increment 3, is a close-up of what the piece looks like after it&#8217;s been bisqued (fired the first time) and then glazed. Pretty crappy looking, isn&#8217;t it?  That&#8217;s because glaze is a chalky-looking liquid [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/increments-color-me-vulture-finally/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>P.S. &#8212; Cardinals do not have yellow bills</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/ps-cardinals-do-not-have-yellow-bills</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/ps-cardinals-do-not-have-yellow-bills#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Feb 2009 05:36:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=2375</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here&#8217;s a red subject for Valentine&#8217;s Weekend:
In Phoenix there are cardinals.
Everybody knows the football Cardinals, aka &#8220;the Redbirds&#8221;, who  nearly won the Superbowl recently.  But fewer people, even native Arizonans, know that we also have real Northern cardinals, (Cardinalis cardinalis), aka cardenal comun.  You can&#8217;t imagine how surprised some people are when they find out [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/ps-cardinals-do-not-have-yellow-bills/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<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>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Increments: Color me vulture (Sarcoramphus papa), plus a quick field trip to Belize</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/increments-color-me-vulture-sarcoramphus-papa-plus-a-quick-field-trip-to-belize</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/increments-color-me-vulture-sarcoramphus-papa-plus-a-quick-field-trip-to-belize#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:46:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[effigy vessels]]></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=2250</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Another reason I&#8217;ve had vultures on the brain is because I owe a friend a vulture.  Specifically, a king vulture, Sarcoramphus papa, the largest of the Cathartids, the New World Vultures.  They are the largest vulture in our hemisphere if you don&#8217;t count the two condors, and they are striking birds (literally &#8212; I was [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/increments-color-me-vulture-sarcoramphus-papa-plus-a-quick-field-trip-to-belize/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The pervious nostril: why vultures don&#8217;t need kleenex</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/the-pervious-nostril-why-vultures-dont-need-kleenex</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/the-pervious-nostril-why-vultures-dont-need-kleenex#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:27:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></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>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=2206</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[An excellent feature of Turkey vultures is see-through nostrils.  That is, they lack a septum, so the opening to their sinuses goes straight through the top of their beak. This is handy for an organism which eats its meals with its head in the liquescent innards of dead things. With just a quick sneeze, any [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/the-pervious-nostril-why-vultures-dont-need-kleenex/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Gyps redux: Re-enter the Vulture</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/gyps-redux-re-enter-the-vulture</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/gyps-redux-re-enter-the-vulture#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:12:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[poetry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=2172</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here&#8217;s St. George killing a dragon (which in this case is admittedly a very mammalian-looking scourge).  Note the size of the creature.  Most St.George dragon-slayer paintings show a dragon smaller than a horse, in the vicinity of a cave and peaks in the wilderness, not a giant dinosaurian Smaug-type scale-meister.
This observation is added to the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/gyps-redux-re-enter-the-vulture/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Enter the Vulture</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/enter-the-vulture</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/enter-the-vulture#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:15:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[effigy vessels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=1959</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A vulture blew up in a bisque kiln yesterday.  Dang!  And it was my own fault, too, a foolish, neophyte error: its body was hollow, and I forgot to make a hole in it for the hot air inside to escape, kerPOW.  The carnage is visible, right.  Fortunately, nothing else in the kiln was harmed.
Vultures [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/enter-the-vulture/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<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>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<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>
		</item>
		<item>
		<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>
		</item>
		<item>
		<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>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>HAPPY HALLOWEEN!</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/etymology/happy-halloween</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/etymology/happy-halloween#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 01 Nov 2008 00:10:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[owls]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=1148</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
This is a Spectacled Owl from the recent Veracruz trip.  Spectacled owls are boldly patterned, unsociable owls of tropical forests of Central and South America.  This one flew silently in to check us out from its perch high in the canopy, and suffered to have its photo snapped illuminated only by a flashlight, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/etymology/happy-halloween/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.owlpages.com/sounds/Pulsatrix-perspicillata-1.mp3" length="102817" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<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>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Vertical Napping Bark: it&#8217;s hard to see an owl</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/vertical-napping-bark-its-hard-to-see-an-owl</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/vertical-napping-bark-its-hard-to-see-an-owl#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:43:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[owls]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spot the bird]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=1002</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[My friend Kate McKinnon recently posted that she has a hard time seeing owls in the wild, and she takes it personally.  Well she should, because an owl&#8217;s Primary Goal other than to eat something, is to escape detection, by you, by me, by a thoughtless human with a crossbow, by the other bigger [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/vertical-napping-bark-its-hard-to-see-an-owl/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
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