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<title><![CDATA[The Charleston Gazette - Columns]]></title>
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<title><![CDATA[The Charleston Gazette - Columns]]></title>
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<title>Great Backyard Bird Count turns 15</title>
<description><![CDATA[    The Great Backyard Bird Count marks its 15th anniversary during Presidents Day weekend, Feb. 17-20. A joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society, and Bird Studies Canada, this popular citizen science project is an opp...]]></description>
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<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
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<pubDate>
Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:00:00 -0500
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<title>Snakes taking over Everglades</title>
<description><![CDATA[    The Florida Everglades teems with wildlife. Until relatively recently, alligators were king. They eat just about everything.  Today, even gators succumb to huge exotic snakes. Released into the wild by irresponsible collectors and pet owners, giant con...]]></description>
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<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
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<pubDate>
Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:00:00 -0500
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<guid>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201201200085</guid>
<title>From the ‘small world file</title>
<description><![CDATA[    The second day of my trip to Ecuador back in September found me at Mindo Loma (<a href="http://www.mindolomacloudforest.com" title="http://www.mindolomacloudforest.com" target="_blank">www.mindolomacloudforest.com</a>), about two hours northwest of Qui...]]></description>
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<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
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<pubDate>
Sat, 21 Jan 2012 23:00:00 -0500
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<title>Sharks eat land birds disoriented over Gulf of Mexico</title>
<description><![CDATA[    Reproduction and feather molt are two of the most energetically demanding aspects of birds lives. The breeding season can last five months or longer, and feather molt can take six to 10 weeks. Just finding enough food to stay alive during these stressf...]]></description>
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<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
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<pubDate>
Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:00:00 -0500
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<title>Making sense of eagles vs. turbines</title>
<description><![CDATA[I have a soft spot for birds of prey, particularly eagles. So earlier this week, when I read that officials of a wind power company had asked for a permit that would allow the companys wind turbines to kill a given number of golden eagles each year, I beca...]]></description>
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<![CDATA[johnmccoy@wvgazette.com (John McCoy)]]>
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<pubDate>
Sat, 14 Jan 2012 17:49:53 -0500
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<title>Stamps have gone wild for years</title>
<description><![CDATA[      The U.S. Postal Service gets well-deserved criticism for closing small post offices and running deficits. But it is also one of the best sources of outstanding art that anyone, even children, can afford to collect. And 2012 has some exciting new stam...]]></description>
<link>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201201060133</link>
<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
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<pubDate>
Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:00:00 -0500
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<title>The Wild Side: Border strategies affect wildlife</title>
<description><![CDATA[      CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- What a difference a thousand miles can make.  Along the U.S.-Canada border, people and wildlife pass relatively freely. Most wildlife crossings go unnoticed. Wolves, bears and moose have no need for borders.  But every few years ...]]></description>
<link>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201112300104</link>
<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
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<pubDate>
Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:00:00 -0500
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<title>The Wild Side: Birds enjoy a late Christmas breakfast</title>
<description><![CDATA[          CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Every December I get requests to reprint my take-off on Twas the Night before Christmas that first appeared in 1988. By popular demand, Merry Christmas everyone.  <strong>The Morning of Christmas </strong>(with apologies to C...]]></description>
<link>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201112230081</link>
<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
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<pubDate>
Sat, 24 Dec 2011 23:00:00 -0500
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<title>It pays to watch animal behavior in the woods</title>
<description><![CDATA[    The two hours after dawn and the two hours before dusk offer wildlife watchers and hunters excellent viewing opportunities. I like to sit quietly with my back to a big tree, and watch and listen. Chipmunks, squirrels, and other small mammals often domi...]]></description>
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<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
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<pubDate>
Sat, 17 Dec 2011 23:00:00 -0500
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<title>Hummingbirds at Guango Lodge put on a show</title>
<description><![CDATA[      Back in September when I visited Ecuador, I had one primary goal. I wanted to return to the cloud forest that surrounds Guango Lodge (<a href="http://cabanasanisidro.com/pages/guango_lodge.htm" title="http://cabanasanisidro.com/pages/guango_lodge.htm...]]></description>
<link>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201112080242</link>
<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
Sat, 10 Dec 2011 23:00:00 -0500
</pubDate>
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<title>Woodpeckers love suet</title>
<description><![CDATA[    The Saturday after Thanksgiving a pileated woodpecker made my day. For the first time in more than 20 years, I saw one of these crow-sized hammerheads at my suet feeder. It returned several times over a 30-minute span.  I cant explain why I had never s...]]></description>
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<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
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<pubDate>
Sat, 03 Dec 2011 23:00:00 -0500
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<title>Outdoors books make good gifts</title>
<description><![CDATA[        Fall is a busy season for publishers of nature and outdoor-themed books. They make perfect Christmas gifts. Here are some recent titles I recommend for the readers on your list.  &quot;Carnivores of the World&quot; by Luke Hunter (2111, Princeton U...]]></description>
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<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
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<pubDate>
Sat, 26 Nov 2011 23:00:00 -0500
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<title>Best coffee made in the shade</title>
<description><![CDATA[    Next time youre grocery shopping, try finding a bag of &quot;environmentally friendly&quot; coffee. But dont be fooled by deceptive packaging. Just because a bag has an image of a bird on it doesnt mean its &quot;green.&quot;  Americans drink 400 milli...]]></description>
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<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
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<pubDate>
Sat, 19 Nov 2011 23:00:00 -0500
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<title>Bird magazines make great gifts</title>
<description><![CDATA[    Information about wild birds is widely available online and in books, professional journals, and a handful of popular magazines. Superficially, the magazines seem redundant, but upon closer inspection each has found its own niche. A subscription to a b...]]></description>
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<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
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<pubDate>
Sat, 12 Nov 2011 17:07:56 -0500
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<title>Get ready: Here comes winter</title>
<description><![CDATA[    A few weeks ago the temperature dropped below 30 degrees, and the first winter feeder birds, white-throated sparrows and dark-eyed juncos, showed up. That means its time to get serious about preparing backyard bird-feeding stations.   First, make sure ...]]></description>
<link>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201111030155</link>
<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
Sat, 05 Nov 2011 23:00:00 -0400
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<title>Comedy offers realistic look at birders</title>
<description><![CDATA[    About a year ago when I heard Hollywood was making a movie of Mark Obmasciks 2004 book, &quot;The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession,&quot; I worried. I feared it would make a joke of birders and birding. Remember Jane Hathaway on the ...]]></description>
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<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
Sat, 29 Oct 2011 23:00:00 -0400
</pubDate>
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<title>Not all firewood is created equal</title>
<description><![CDATA[      If you have trees in the backyard, value and protect them. Trees filter and transport water through forest ecosystems. Their roots reduce erosion by binding the soil. They minimize flood damage by soaking up heavy rains. Their shade helps cool the ho...]]></description>
<link>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201110200229</link>
<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
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<pubDate>
Sat, 22 Oct 2011 23:00:00 -0400
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<title>Feed the birds; avoid the deer</title>
<description><![CDATA[    October brings two wildlife concerns to mind -- feeding birds and avoiding deer on the highway.  With sunflower seed prices at an all-time high, Im beginning to rethink the foods I offer my backyard birds. If Im going to pay 60 to 70 cents per pound fo...]]></description>
<link>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201110140119</link>
<author>
<![CDATA[ ( )]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
Sat, 15 Oct 2011 23:00:00 -0400
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<title>Birders are trophy hunters in search of memories</title>
<description><![CDATA[        Among hunters and anglers a trophy is the mount that hangs on the wall. It is the memory of a conquest.  It can also be a source of controversy. To kill something just to put its head on the wall or its pelt on the floor seems wasteful and unsporti...]]></description>
<link>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201110064045</link>
<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
Sat, 08 Oct 2011 23:00:00 -0400
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<guid>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201109292483</guid>
<title>Reserve in Ecuador attracts birders</title>
<description><![CDATA[      Back in 2004, as birding boomed in many Latin American countries, Angel Paz discovered an Andean cock-of-the-rock lek on his familys property in northwestern Ecuador. These chunky, brilliant red birds display on communal mating grounds called leks an...]]></description>
<link>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201109292483</link>
<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
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<pubDate>
Sat, 01 Oct 2011 23:00:00 -0400
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<guid>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201109292487</guid>
<title>Reserve in Ecuador attracts birders</title>
<description><![CDATA[      Back in 2004, as birding boomed in many Latin American countries, Angel Paz discovered an Andean cock-of-the-rock lek on his familys property in northwestern Ecuador. These chunky, brilliant red birds display on communal mating grounds called leks an...]]></description>
<link>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201109292487</link>
<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
Sat, 01 Oct 2011 23:00:00 -0400
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<title>Dragonfly swarms and bird seed prices</title>
<description><![CDATA[    Some natural phenomena are difficult to study and understand because they occur occasionally, ephemerally and unpredictably. Late summer swarms of dragonflies fall into this category.   Over the last several weeks Ive received many emails and letters f...]]></description>
<link>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201109223720</link>
<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
Sat, 24 Sep 2011 23:00:00 -0400
</pubDate>
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<guid>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201109153122</guid>
<title>5-year-old obsessed with birds</title>
<description><![CDATA[    Children are never too young to develop an interest in birds. By age 3, my daughters could identify towhees and cardinals by sight and sound. Watching birds at feeders helped them learn colors, numbers, and how to observe and describe behaviors. They l...]]></description>
<link>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201109153122</link>
<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
Sat, 17 Sep 2011 23:00:00 -0400
</pubDate>
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<guid>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201109081786</guid>
<title>Nature eases lifes pain</title>
<description><![CDATA[    Ten years ago, in the aftermath of 9/11, I was stumped so I wrote about natures September highlights. I touched on fall colors, shorter days, cooler nights, and the migration of birds and monarch butterflies. I concluded, &quot;When I find myself strug...]]></description>
<link>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201109081786</link>
<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
Sat, 10 Sep 2011 23:00:00 -0400
</pubDate>
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<guid>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201109021443</guid>
<title>The Wild Side: Nature signals coming fall</title>
<description><![CDATA[      CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- On Aug. 25, at a high school football game on Wheeling Island, in the Ohio River, a flock of highflying birds distracted my attention. Shortly before sunset, I counted about 50 common nighthawks swirling and feeding above the sta...]]></description>
<link>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201109021443</link>
<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
Sat, 03 Sep 2011 23:00:00 -0400
</pubDate>
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<item>
<guid>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201108261192</guid>
<title>The Wild Side: Vultures do much of world's dirty work</title>
<description><![CDATA[      CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Next Saturday, Sept. 3, the world observes International Vulture Awareness Day. Because they are the antithesis of cute and cuddly, vultures may seem an odd choice for their very own day. The reason is purely ecological.  Though ...]]></description>
<link>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201108261192</link>
<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
Sat, 27 Aug 2011 23:00:00 -0400
</pubDate>
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<guid>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201108191100</guid>
<title>Scott Shalaway</title>
<description><![CDATA[        If youve read your fill of thrillers and mysteries this summer, here are a few nonfiction titles to get you into fall.  Two years ago I wrote about an ecological disaster unfolding on Rat Island in the Bering Sea between Siberia and Alaska. Rats de...]]></description>
<link>http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/201108191100</link>
<author>
<![CDATA[ (Scott Shalaway)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
Sat, 20 Aug 2011 23:00:00 -0400
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