As David Hancock swings open the gate to his yard, he is greeted by his regular houseguests, including Bahama pintail and blue-billed ruddy ducks.

“Hello guys, how are you?” Hancock says in a melodic voice, as the waterfowl wade through a pond stretched across the lawn.

The South Surrey acreage is home to about 20 bird species, some permanent residents, others just visiting.

A pair of Canada geese come to Hancock’s property annually to raise their young, and this year they have four babies just learning to fly. Hancock, a biologist, says the youngsters will have seven to 10 days to master the skill before the family leaves and returns next February.

Other feathered members of the backyard community are heard long before they are seen. As Hancock navigates his way along the pond’s rock wall, he stops to listen to the cry of a nearby baby pileated woodpecker. It’s the first time he has heard its call.

While most of Hancock’s guests seem calm and indifferent to his approach, he steps more carefully around the aggressive, full-grown sandhill cranes.

Just a few metres away are two adults with stilt-like legs, long, arcing necks and pointed beaks. Their large, grey-feathered wings are folded around their bodies as they walk around the perimeter of the yard, watching their surroundings closely with eyes framed by a splash of red.

They are wary, and Hancock warns they could strike if threatened. It’s easy to understand why, once the couple’s baby – the size of a month-old kitten – emerges from some shrubbery, and scurries to catch up with mom and dad.

“Hello! How are you doing?” Hancock says as he walks towards the family. “What a fine little baby you’ve got there.”

The cranes edge away and head off – a different reaction than he receives from a pair of caged crane parents. As Hancock approaches, they make a loud trumpeting call in unison, before one runs at the fence, wings at full span.

It’s the distinction between captive-reared and wild cranes, Hancock said. Those in the wild avoid humans; those that have lived near people aren’t afraid to get close and attack.

Read the rest of the story, view the video and pictures of David's birds here:

 www.bclocalnews.com/surrey_area/peacearchnews/community/99065689.html

© 2005 Steve Geer (istockphoto.com)

A subspecies of gray wolf that once ranged wide regions of Mexico and the Southwestern United States including Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, the Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) is today one of North America’s rarest indigenous large mammals, existing precariously in the wild only as a small, intensely managed population in a limited area of eastern Arizona and western New Mexico. Traditionally inhabiting warmer and drier environs and often relying on smaller prey, “lobos” (as they are also called) are somewhat smaller than their northern cousins, averaging between 50 and 80 lbs (about the size of German shepherd dogs) and they typically form smaller packs. They also have more pointed ears and shorter coats, which are often handsomely patterned with rich colors of gray, gold, rust, black, and white. Although Mexican wolves were extirpated from the wild before their behavior and ecology could be thoroughly studied, it is believed they preferred mountainous forest landscapes and originally preyed mostly on elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, javelina, rabbits, and other small mammals [1].

I have in my hands one of the first copies of Bald Eagles in Alaska, fresh off the press. This is one of the first full books that Hancock Wildlife Foundation has co-published, in this case along with the Bald Eagle Research Institute and the American Bald Eagle Foundation.

The book is a collection of papers by several different authors and is aimed at a wide audience, including eagle enthusiasts, birders, students, Alaska travelers and wildlife professionals. 

As a matter of direct interest to Hancock Wildlife Foundation members and visitors, the historic information on the plight of the bald eagle, both in Alaska (and Yukon) as well as in continental US is discussed in several of the papers including "A Review of the Natural History of Reestablished Population of Breeding Bald Eagles in New York" (page 297) which not only brings an entirely new meaning to the word "hacking" but also shows the lengths to which the researchers had to go to get information and observations from nest towers prior to the use of our live streaming video cameras.

Lots more fascinating information on how the bald eagle was devastated by having a bounty placed on it - including insights into why and who did this in the Alaska legislature and how the law was finally trumped by the US federal government.

Well worth the US $29.95 cover price - and remember, Hancock Wildlife Foundation is now the official marketer of this and all the other Hancock House wildlife books. Buy it online from Hancock House or from a retail store and the foundation benefits.

The Hancock Wildlife Foundation gets another boost from Hancock House Publishers Ltd -- our Foundation will take over the entire marketing and promotions of the Hancock House specialized wildlife titles and generate a revenue source for this function. Because Hancock House has the existing order entry, Credit Card and distribution function these functions will for now still be handled by Hancock House.
Read on for David Hancock's expansion on this announcement...