Archives for February 2009

May This Valentines Day Be the Cat’s Meow!

Last year I wished you a Dog Gone Happy Valentines Day so this year I thought I would say that I hope your Valentines Day is the cat’s meow!

Yah, yah…cheesy, I know.

I couldn’t help it since I am locked inside due to the heavy snowfall outside.

In the past, I’ve written about Valentines Day Pet Safety Tips and how Valentines Day Good for the Heart so I thought I’d get into something fun this year.

Folklore credits the first valentine to an imprisoned Saint Valentine in third century Rome.

He sent the first “valentine” to his beloved by signing it “From your Valentine.”

Today the tradition continues but it is really going to the dogs…and cats.

I read a survey that survey revealed that most pet owners would pick a pet over a person.

This news might be startling to some but is indicative of changes in American households where a majority have pets.

This means that if you want to get into the heart of your sweetie this Valentine’s Day don’t forget to include something for the pet.

Now if you are thinking of gifts now–you are a little too late but there is a wide assortment of gifts to select from for next year.

For the pets you can get everything from a crunch cards (pet card with a treat) or reflective heart pet ID tag to high end crystal embedded collars, and if you want to share a quiet human only romantic interlude…consider sending the pet out for a s-paw day.

While I am thinking about it, take my quiz then continue reading to find the answer.

Now before I reveal the answers…I have to say that It was pretty funny to see how people are celebrating the day.

For instance in Battle Creek, Michigan you can surprise your special someone with a unique, exciting and educational experience at Binder Park Zoo.

Couples are taking a Zoorotica tour where you can learn about the love lives of the scaly and slimy, the furry and fanged, and the feathered and flighted.

If you miss that one, don’t miss A Tiger in the Bedroom: Lessons from Mother Nature’s Sex Shop.

Those who want to go ape can become a chimp guardian–and you can probably just print out the announcement to attach it to a nice card with some other tidbits…chocolate, champagne, certificate for a massage.

Now the guardian option is one of the best green gifts I’ve heard of–most of the “green gift ideas” have been cr** but this green Valentines Day gift list was at least interesting.

Before you go, get a glimpse into the scary creature countdown of the Top Ten Animal Lovers.

Finally, Happy Valentines Day…and now the answers to the poll:

Five or more checks in the questions starting with a capitalized word means that you are into puppy love…Five or more checks in the second space following the “or” means that you are into pussycat passion!

Great Backyard Bird Count

Above: Nifty certificate you can earn by participating in the GBBC.

If you live somewhere in the United States and love birds you already know that Friday was the beginning of the 12th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) which runs through Monday, February 16th.

Now this is especially important with the news released last week:

Audubon announced on Tuesday that some 177 species of North American birds have shifted their range northward over the last 40 years, during the same period that average January temperatures rose by 5 degrees Fahrenheit across the continent…

Read more at the Cornell Blog of Ornithology.

Birdwatching might be a challenge for us here in Big Bear because of the current snow storm that is expected to last until Tuesday (actually it is a series of storms)…but I filled my feeder anyway to see who might turn up.

I get to gaze upon a wide variety of birds because I live above a lake smack in the middle of the Pacific Flyway which means that I get to see a lot of birds that might not usually be found in the area.

There are four broad, relatively exclusive flyway belts in North America. You can read more about the routes of migration or see a great North American Migration Flyway Map.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society host the GBBC event and in 2008 took in more than 85,700 bird checklists which is a vast increase compared to the 11,700 collected in the first year of the GBBC back in 1989.

There are other great reasons for participating, in addition to the information gathered for science about the distribution of birds at this time of year each participant is eligible to win great prizes donated by Audubon, the Lab, Wild Birds Unlimited, and Droll Yankees.

You can explore sightings being reported from your state, province, or all over the continent as they come in.

Learn how to participate: Great Backyard Bird Count.