IN LIFE AS IN THE DANCE : GRACE GLIDES

ON BLISTERED FEET.
---Alice Abrams

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Photo Hunt - Signs



(Bottom photo not mine)

Nene Goose, State Bird of Hawai'i


Physical Description:
Scientists believe these birds were once nearly identical to the Canada goose, but after thousands of years of evolution, they are now quite different. They seldom swim and were not bothered by predators or cold temperatures, so they did not fly as much. Today the Nene has feet that are only half as webbed as other geese, with longer toes for climbing on the rocky lava flows. Their wings are weak, compared to other geese.

Feeding: Because there is little fresh water in their environment, the Nene relies on the moisture from fog and dew, and that contained in the plants it eats.

Status and Conservation: In 1778 when Captain Cooke arrived in the Hawaiian islands, there were probably 25,000 Nene. By the 1950's there were only 30 geese left. Like many island animals, the Nene could not stand up to the introduced animals that colonists brought with them and the changes they made to the environment for agriculture. Today there are about 500 wild Nene and successful captive breeding programs in the United States and Europe with fledglings introduced every year.

9 comments:

Irishcoda said...

That was really interesting! I'd never heard of a nene before! Thanks for your comments on my blog, telling me about your sister-in-law and being a special ed. secretary...times have changed for the better for both people who are deaf and who have autism. Do you get to sign now that your sister-in-law's moved?

TorAa said...

Thanks for the warning sign and information about these wonderful Birds;))

Hootin Anni said...

I love these....when we were in Hawai'i, we saw a LOT of them.


Today I shared part of your blog profile on my blog's Sunday Snippets. Hope you don't mind.

May your day be filled with goodness & Laughter.

Ter said...

Neat sign! :)

Mine's up on my blog too. :)

Anonymous said...

Those are pretty birds. Great choice for this week. Have a good week.

Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

awww, how sweet!

smiles, bee
xoxoxoxoxooxoxox

Anonymous said...

Better late than never. Great shot(s) Gracie! :)

Sarge Charlie said...

good signs miss gracie, happy weekend

Heart of Rachel said...

Interesting sign. Thanks for sharing some background about these magnificent geese.