NFL Superstar implicated in dog fighting ring, has sponsorship suspended. Meet NFL quarterback, Michael Vick. Virginia Tech Alum, Heisman Trophy candidate, Vick has been indicted for taking part in a dog fighting ring. In defense of public relations (if not his employee), here is what his boss had to say on the matter at hand.

What is dog fighting? Why is it bad? Here is an FAQ on What dog fighting from the Humane Society of the US. Also, here's if you need to be further dissuaded, here is an ugly page on the blood sport, with some gruesome pics.
posted by psmealey on Jul 19, 2007 - 123 comments

Roller pigeons also known as Birmingham Rollers are pigeons that are noted for their mid-air somersaults. These acrobatics also make the birds irresistible to hawks, falcons and other birds of prey, and some roller pigeon enthusiasts are fighting back. Investigators are estimating that local enthusiast clubs are responsible for the deaths of 1000-2000 raptors in the Los Angeles area annually. One man bragged about capturing 30 hawks in 45 days. The National Birmingham Rollers Club has issued a press release distancing themselves from the men under investigation but requests Fish and Wildlife Services to provide aid under laws protecting livestock predated by endangered species.
posted by hindmost on Jul 15, 2007 - 29 comments

Two peregrine falcon chicks hatched today (almost) live on downtown Indianapolis' FalconCam. Yay! They're very cute, but the parent sits on them a lot.
posted by thirteenkiller on Apr 26, 2007 - 12 comments

Falcon watching I've always found falcons fascinating.

A long time ago, I helped out ( in a small way ) with the state effort to re-establish the peregrine falcon in the Midwest. It was in a major Midwest city, where the downtown buildings were a close match to their native nesting habitat of cliff faces and tall trees. The focus for the falcon release was a hack box. Now, the same hack box is being used as a nest by a falcon breeding pair, who have four eyasses ( singular; eyas: i.e., falcon chicks ) this year.

This URL is the webcam of the hack box; it refreshes every 30 seconds. Since falcons eyasses grow fast, they need a lot of feeding, so the parents are primarily out hunting when they are not sheltering their children. Every once and a while you'll see one of the parents feeding the eyasses. In the coming weeks, you can watch these eyasses grow to more than triple their present size and get their flying wings.
posted by dragonmage on Apr 27, 2001 - 6 comments