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	<title>Three Star Owl - Functional and Sculptural Clay Artwork with a Natural History &#187; reptiles and amphibians</title>
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	<link>http://threestarowl.com</link>
	<description>Three Star Owl clay studio</description>
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		<title>Tucson in the rearview mirror: and&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/events/tucson-in-the-rearview-mirror-and</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/events/tucson-in-the-rearview-mirror-and#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Aug 2011 05:04:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[effigy vessels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=13889</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I rolled back into Phoenix from Tucson earlier today &#8212; the drive seemed nearly instantaneous and was marvelously uneventful, although I did miss the bumper crop of towering dust devils swirling in the dry creosote flats on the Gila River reservation that I&#8217;d seen on the way down but was unable to photograph safely from [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/events/tucson-in-the-rearview-mirror-and/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A new Spot the Bird&#8230; kind of</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/a-new-spot-the-bird-kind-of</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/a-new-spot-the-bird-kind-of#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 Aug 2011 22:25:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spot the bird]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=13753</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Well, it&#8217;s not actually a bird.  Perhaps these posts should be called &#8220;Not the Bird&#8221;. 
Here is an appropriately faded Old West-y snap shot of a neighbor of ours, taken with my cell phone.  Can you spot the non-avian subject?  It&#8217;s a Desert Iguana, posing with dignity as if for a Victorian formal portrait, lurking [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/a-new-spot-the-bird-kind-of/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A small thing the rain brought out</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/a-small-thing-the-rain-brought-out</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/a-small-thing-the-rain-brought-out#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:10:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[doom and gloom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monsoon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptile]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[threadsnake]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=13426</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Other parts of the Phoenix area had been rained on already in this monsoon season, but so far our part of town only had dust.  Big dust, impressive dust, haboob-style wall of silty grit in your eyes, teeth and hair dust, but no rain.  At about four this morning, however, that changed with the slow [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/a-small-thing-the-rain-brought-out/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Cucumbers don&#8217;t usually have scales</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/cucumbers-dont-usually-have-scales</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/cucumbers-dont-usually-have-scales#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Jun 2011 01:07:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environment/activism/politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=13265</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#60;&#60; Here are my next-door neighbor&#8217;s cucumber plants, with a snake napping amidst them.  The neighbor noticed it when he was rummaging around in these leaves looking for cukes for dinner.  I happened to be in our backyard, and saw him and his wife standing just on the other side of our shared [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/cucumbers-dont-usually-have-scales/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The young spiny lizard&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-young-spiny-lizard</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-young-spiny-lizard#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 May 2011 22:05:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=13113</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;contemplates you.  Click to enlarge, twice if you can, for good spiny detail.  (Photo A.Shock, Devil&#8217;s Canyon)
]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-young-spiny-lizard/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Don&#8217;t worry, this post is NOT titled&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/dont-worry-this-post-is-not-titled</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/dont-worry-this-post-is-not-titled#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 May 2011 02:27:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=13022</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230; &#8220;Don&#8217;t take this frog for granite&#8221;
I never can resist posting Canyon treefrogs (Hyla arenicolor), those most toadly of frogs.
 This one was sunning itself on a rock this morning, looking quite like its substrate, the granite of Devil&#8217;s Canyon.  As we canvassed birds along Queen Creek for North American Migratory Bird Count, we [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/dont-worry-this-post-is-not-titled/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>It was all fun and games till the alligator showed up&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/it-was-all-fun-and-games-till-the-alligator-showed-up</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/it-was-all-fun-and-games-till-the-alligator-showed-up#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 May 2011 15:31:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=12912</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Well, not actually an alligator, but a beautiful spiny lizard.   As we were packing up, we found him snoozing in a sheltered nook under my table foot at Birdy Verde.  The event is in a huge tent set up in a field, and they put a carpet down over the dirt &#8212; this [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/it-was-all-fun-and-games-till-the-alligator-showed-up/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Week in Review: the last monsoon event?</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-week-in-review-the-last-monsoon-event</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-week-in-review-the-last-monsoon-event#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 10 Oct 2010 04:57:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cool bug!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=10700</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Earlier in the week we had a storm &#8212; technically outside the officially designated monsoon season &#8212; and it was a colorful one.  Our microcosm of Phoenix received about a half inch of technicolor rain in a very short time, without the wind and hail that the same towering clouds dropped on neighbors less than [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/the-week-in-review-the-last-monsoon-event/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>And it goes on&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/and-it-goes-on</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/and-it-goes-on#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 03 Oct 2010 15:16:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nidification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=10648</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It always makes me happy to see infant animals in the yard; it means the world is rolling along, as it should, species replenishing themselves and the natural systems functioning.  This is why people love seeing babies &#8212; it gives the same satisfaction: that the world is carrying on as usual, despite everything, and [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/and-it-goes-on/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Further fun with spadefoot</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/further-fun-with-spadefoot</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/further-fun-with-spadefoot#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Aug 2010 05:39:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<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=9056</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Saturday night in our yard, a Couch&#8217;s spadefoot emerged after a substantial monsoon event, and used our swimming pool as his stage to advertise his availability to females, and sovereignty to other male spadefoots.  (See previous post.)

&#60;&#60; Spadefoot in the pool net, after exciting dawnzerlylight rescue orchestrated with dramatic Great horned owl background music (photo [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/further-fun-with-spadefoot/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Words cannot describe the excitement&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/words-cannot-describe-the-excitement</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/words-cannot-describe-the-excitement#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Aug 2010 09:01:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=9028</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;of finding a spadefoot in the yard!
A few minutes ago &#8212; just before one a.m. &#8212; I was awakened by a sound I haven&#8217;t heard in our yard or in our neighborhood for years: a loud bleating croak, with the slightly rising tone and resonance I can only describe as being like the noise a [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/words-cannot-describe-the-excitement/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.reptilesofaz.org/Audio/SCACOU.mp3" length="529280" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>An interim Spot the Bird&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/an-interim-spot-the-bird</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/an-interim-spot-the-bird#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:47:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spot the bird]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=8081</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;without a bird.  Not that there isn&#8217;t something to spot. And it is spotted.  Also, toes are pretty much always a giveaway. (Photo A.Shock; click to enlarge for easy viewing)
This is an &#8220;interim&#8221; Spot the Bird because about a third of our photos from our Mojave camping trip are locked onto a recalcitrant memory card.  [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/an-interim-spot-the-bird/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>8</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Mohave patch-nosed snake&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/mohave-patch-nosed-snake</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/mohave-patch-nosed-snake#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 May 2010 02:19:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=7900</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;was a &#8220;life snake&#8221; for us, meaning we&#8217;d never seen one before we stopped to photo this graceful specimen crossing the road on the way to Titus Canyon on the east side of Death Valley.
The Mohave patch-nosed snake (Salvadora hexalepis mojavensis) is a diurnal generalist, with good eyesight and quick reflexes; this one was sunning [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/mohave-patch-nosed-snake/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Lichen with legs</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/lichen-with-legs</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/lichen-with-legs#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 09 May 2010 15:28:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=7827</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday was a rich day; with all sensory input oddly and schizophrenically split between very early and very late.  The day ended after midnight with a fun and funky evening at the CD drop party for the Groove Noodles, a friend&#8217;s band.  But it started before dawn in the outdoors, on Queen Creek and in [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/lichen-with-legs/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Nudging clay horned lizards along</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/nudging-clay-horned-lizards-along</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/nudging-clay-horned-lizards-along#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:33:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></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=7492</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A while back, I posted about my process for making horned lizard bowls (affectionately known as Horny toads) from clay.  Here are the next few steps, all shown in one photo, below.
To the right is a now completely assembled and textured horned lizard, in the leather hard stage, drying.  In the center is a bone [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/nudging-clay-horned-lizards-along/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Squeezing out horned lizards from clay</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/squeezing-out-horned-lizards-from-clay</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/squeezing-out-horned-lizards-from-clay#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:01:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=7293</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A new batch of clay horned lizards under way &#8212; early steps:
From top to bottom: 
1) Rough out body shape by pinching; head and tail included in starting clay lump.
2) Create appendages: horns, limbs.  Allow to &#8220;set up&#8221; or slightly stiffen, while: refining body shape of liz.
3) Further refine body shape; note detail in head, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/squeezing-out-horned-lizards-from-clay/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Got Gila Monster?</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/got-gila-monster</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/got-gila-monster#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:47:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[effigy vessels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></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=6769</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Gila monsters (Heloderma suspectum) are large stumpy lizards with bright handsome markings that are both cryptic and aposematic simultaneously, and whose hands look like neoprene wetsuit gloves with claws.  They are remarkable for being one of only two venomous lizard species in the world.  They live in the Sonoran and southern Great Basin Deserts and [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/got-gila-monster/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Contemplate the young desert spiny lizard&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/contemplate-the-young-desert-spiny-lizard</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/contemplate-the-young-desert-spiny-lizard#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 Dec 2009 02:59:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=6520</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;as it basks in the late autumn sun at Boyce Thompson Arboretum. 
(Photo A.Shock)
]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/contemplate-the-young-desert-spiny-lizard/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Autumn newbies making the most of the gentle season</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/autumn-newbies-making-the-most-of-the-gentle-season</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/autumn-newbies-making-the-most-of-the-gentle-season#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:04:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<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=6129</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Recently a neighbor came across the street to tell me in a concerned way that she had &#8220;had to&#8221; kill not just one but two non-venomous coachwhips in her yard out of fear for the safety of her pet, a feisty little terrier whom no self-respecting coachwhip would allow near enough for trouble.  So it [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/autumn-newbies-making-the-most-of-the-gentle-season/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Quite a Toadly Frog</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/quite-a-toadly-frog</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/quite-a-toadly-frog#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:48:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=5817</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It looks a lot like a toad, with a stumpy physique and warty skin, but it&#8217;s a Canyon Tree Frog (Hyla arenicolor).  How to tell it&#8217;s a frog? One way: no parotoid glands &#8212; instead you can see the round flat areas of its tympani (hearing structures) behind and slightly below the eye. Also, this [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/quite-a-toadly-frog/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Cnemie-philia</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/cnemie-philia</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/cnemie-philia#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2009 05:09:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drawn in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=5645</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yes, that&#8217;s &#8220;Cnemie-philia&#8221; &#8212; the love of lizards in the genus Cnemidophorus, now more properly called by their current genus name, Aspidoscelis, or Whiptails.  Our locals are Sonoran tiger whiptails (Aspidoscelis tigris punctilinealis), and they&#8217;re the most commonly seen lizard in our Phoenix area yard.  They like it hot and are out and about during [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/cnemie-philia/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Screen-gecko-eat-moth</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/screen-gecko-eat-moth</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/screen-gecko-eat-moth#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:38:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<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=5631</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Working nocturnally in the studio gives observation opportunities not available during the sunny daylight hours.  Geckos (the non-native Euro-variety) march up and down the raccoon-ravaged screens stalking moths larger than their heads.  Here&#8217;s a picture of the ventral surface of one with a successful catch, all swallowed but for the wings, the reflection of my [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/screen-gecko-eat-moth/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</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>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Increments: Stacked Toad Teapot Effigy FINAL Finale</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/events/increments-stacked-toad-teapot-effigy-final-finale</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/events/increments-stacked-toad-teapot-effigy-final-finale#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2009 22:31:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[effigy vessels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=3749</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As I mentioned previously, there are two pieces of mine in the NCECA &#8220;Potters as Sculptors; Sculptors as Potters&#8221; show currently up at Mesa Community College (see the Three Star Owl Events page for details).  One of them is the long-evolving &#8220;Toadstack&#8221; (the other is Venomosity which can currently be viewed on the Home page.) [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/events/increments-stacked-toad-teapot-effigy-final-finale/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</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>Stacked toad teapot effigy and the mathematics of artistic license</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/stacked-toad-teapot-effigy-and-the-mathematics-of-artistic-license</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/stacked-toad-teapot-effigy-and-the-mathematics-of-artistic-license#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:09:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[effigy vessels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=2915</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Stacked Toad Teapot Effigy is alive and well, so far.
After languishing at the back of a shelf in the studio for many weeks wrapped in damp paper towels and layers and layers of plastic film, the Stacked Toad Teapot Effigy has finally been fully sculpted and is drying, awaiting further surface treatment (terra sigillata [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/stacked-toad-teapot-effigy-and-the-mathematics-of-artistic-license/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>2</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>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Stacked Toad effigy vessel part 3, also why is a toad not a frog?</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/stacked-toad-effigy-vessel-part-3-also-why-is-a-toad-not-a-frog</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/stacked-toad-effigy-vessel-part-3-also-why-is-a-toad-not-a-frog#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 29 Nov 2008 22:41:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[effigy vessels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the cats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=1301</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There have been many delays and distractions for the Stacked Toad Effigy Teapot: computer failure and restoration, other deadlines, and Thanksgiving, including a tragic Saguaro Plunge, details to be posted later.
But here is the next phase: the &#8220;lid&#8221; of the &#8220;teapot&#8221; is in place, and also the &#8220;finial&#8221; (knob), with Hector Halfsquid for scale.
This involved [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/stacked-toad-effigy-vessel-part-3-also-why-is-a-toad-not-a-frog/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://naturesongs.com/woto1.wav" length="103373" type="audio/wav" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Stacked Toad Effigy Vessel: part 2</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/stacked-toad-effigy-vessel-part-2</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/stacked-toad-effigy-vessel-part-2#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 15 Nov 2008 05:50:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[effigy vessels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=1266</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Stacked Toad Effigy Vessel is being built from the bottom up, with a brown, groggy, stoneware clay. The working composition is in my head, informed by pictures of desert toads on the work bench, and adapted as it goes.  A small maquette modeled last week is nearby for reference, although the maquette has [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/stacked-toad-effigy-vessel-part-2/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Stacked Toad Effigy Vessel, more on Toad Toes</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/stacked-toad-effigy-vessel</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/stacked-toad-effigy-vessel#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:06:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[effigy vessels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[increments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three star owl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=1253</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[How many toes a toad has: useful information put to use almost immediately: here&#8217;s a Stacked Toad Effigy Vessel just underway.  Potential Toe count so far: 36 toes. Actual toe count: 0 (they&#8217;ll be added later).  Watch here for progress reports.  More toads-toes coming soon&#8230;
]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/stacked-toad-effigy-vessel/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Too Many TOES:  Pentadactyly in the Studio&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/too-many-toes-pentadactyly-in-the-studio</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/too-many-toes-pentadactyly-in-the-studio#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:26:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></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=1179</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;with a guest appearance by Charles Darwin
 Pentadactyly, from Greek πέντε &#8220;five&#8221; plus δάκτυλος &#8220;finger&#8221;, is the condition of having five digits on each limb. 
I make a lot of TOES.  Gila monster toes.  Crane toes.  Jaguar toes. Hummingbird toes, owl toes, and roadrunner toes.  Toad toes.  A lot of [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/too-many-toes-pentadactyly-in-the-studio/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Phoenix Herpetological Society</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/phoenix-herpetological-society</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/phoenix-herpetological-society#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2008 23:03:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[field trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=1113</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Vicki arranged for a tour of the Phoenix Herpetological Society (PHS) for some ASU colleagues.  It seemed like a fascinating way to celebrate our anniversary (#24!), so E and I went.  Vicki and her husband Calvin are long-time volunteers at PHS and they showed us around the facilities, which are up north off [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/phoenix-herpetological-society/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Yard list: Desert Iguana, spotted</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/yard-list-desert-iguana-spotted</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/yard-list-desert-iguana-spotted#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Sep 2008 01:29:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=896</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The first day of autumn has been a red letter day in our yard.  Not only was there a Western screech owl calling last night &#8212; a new species for the yard, as far as my observations go &#8212; but this afternoon, in the heat of the day, a young Desert iguana raced under [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/yard-list-desert-iguana-spotted/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Couch&#8217;s spadefoots: Tons of tiny toadlets!</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/three-star-owl/couchs-spadefoots-tons-of-tiny-toadlets</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/three-star-owl/couchs-spadefoots-tons-of-tiny-toadlets#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:36:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environment/activism/politics]]></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=578</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[My friend Kathy gave me a bucket of toads.  Twenty five tiny toads, actually Couch&#8217;s spadefoots (Scaphiopus couchii) to be precise.  Spadefoots are toadlike amphibians, with their own family, Pelobatidae (see etymological note below). They&#8217;re native to the Sonoran desert, and their reproductive cycle is timed to take advantage of summer monsoon rains, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/three-star-owl/couchs-spadefoots-tons-of-tiny-toadlets/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Bowl of Horned Lizards</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/art/horned-lizards-and-bowls</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/art/horned-lizards-and-bowls#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 24 Aug 2008 20:58:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[art/clay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[close in]]></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=434</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[About horned lizards
Though sometimes called &#8220;horny toads&#8221; these reptiles are not toads at all but flat, round lizards which inhabit dry open areas of the western US and Mexico.  They are especially well-armored with keeled scales, knobs, and yes, horns, making them look like little dragons.  But they feel surprisingly soft when you [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/art/horned-lizards-and-bowls/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Yard list: Coachwhip</title>
		<link>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/coachwhip</link>
		<comments>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/coachwhip#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:40:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Allison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[close in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[etymology/words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles and amphibians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard list]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://threestarowl.com/?p=367</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It is a long thin snake.
Working this morning in the backyard, E heard the scolding of cactus wrens, thrashers and other regulars of our deserty neighborhood.  He tracked down the source: a sleek and mottled coachwhip marauding, trying to take advantage of the monsoon &#8220;bloom&#8221; of young animals.  Coachwhips (Masticophis or Coluber flagellum) [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://threestarowl.com/natural-history/coachwhip/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
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