Great Gray Owls
I learned many interesting things by reading this article on great grey owls. I really had no knowledge of this species before I began, but I now have a certain respect for them because of the familiarity I have gained. One interesting aspect of these owls is their hunting methods.
The great gray owl is a very aggressive hunter when it finds its prey. “These owls don’t just pounce, the plunge” (Warren, p.78). First, they locate their prey with the help of their large facial disk that funnels sound to their ears. Then, they tuck their extremely sharp hooked-shaped claws under their chin and torpedo headfirst towards the ground to snatch their next meal. In winter, when there is snow on the ground, the owl plunges into the snow. After a successful dive, it wiggles out from below the surface of the snow and takes its food to a safe spot to eat. These owls are so powerful when they hunt, they can shatter snow crust thick enough to hold a 180 pound person. I don’t think they will be losing too many meals with that kind of force. This hunting technique these owls use gives them a great advantage over other birds in the winter, because others must go to a place where the snow is not so thick. Great gray owls eat a variety of rodents in the lower 48 states, but stick to mostly voles in Canada and Alaska. These small rodents make up 80-90% of their diet. In the winter, adult gray owls can assume up to one-th...
From the hunting experiences that I have had, I agree with this statement one hundred percent.
The spotted owl is an eighteen-inch tall bird-of-prey that roams the thick forests of the Pacific Norwest. The adult spotted owl enjoys a life at the top of the food chain for the region. This bird has only one enemy, the logging companies that inadvertently threaten its natural habitat. Clear-cutting operations of old growth forests destroy breeding and hunting areas. Clear-cut logging is the timber industry's version of strip mining. Almost nothing remains that resembles the forest that once stood there except for thousands of tree stumps the size of Volkswagens.
Researching wolves at the time, Farley Mowat’s “Never Cry Wolf” details the massacre of caribou for their heads. At one point, a massacre is described when a group of deer was herded into a circle by a plane and a group of “hunters” shot at them from said plane. Once the firing was over, Mowat described the scene with “crimson slush” snow and the carcasses of 23 caribou. Of those caribou, only three showed any trace of harvesting: their heads. Every single caribou was wasted, as no person or animal benefited from the caribou’s plentiful meat. This harvest of caribou was common for this time period, making the caribou a threatened species and eventually led to governmental restrictions on hunting and hunting of endangered species (Mowat, NCW). A similar event happened in Michigan and the conterminous United States with gray wolves, when hunters would go out and kill wolves for no purpose other than “predator-control” (fws.org). With strict laws and restrictions, the wolf population would quickly return to normal. These two examples are reasons hunters should be concerned with the harvest of deer for sport. Those in favor of sport hunting would point at the economic benefits and that the white tail deer does not have a natural predator in the state of Michigan. While there are economic benefits and there are few predators to white tail deer, it does not rightly justify the killing of deer for
There are two main ethical viewpoints that policy analysts view cases through. One is utilitarianism, which believes an action is morally right if it creates the greatest net happiness. It seeks to favor the majority over the minority and focuses on the consequences (“Utilitarian”). The second viewpoint is deontology, which believes an action is morally right if it follows preset rules/laws. It oftens goes hand and hand with religion and doesn’t care about the consequences (Shakil).
Having been a hunter all my life, I have a great respect for these animals, as I do all animals. Having said that, it was not until I researched them, that I truly became aware of their beauty besides their antlers. The North American Elk are an essential and important member of our ecosystem, and should be treated as such.
Barred owls tend to favor dense forests with large trees for nesting and allow for a relatively open under story. The owls use this under story to stalk and catch their prey from high above. The availability of perch sites and large trees for nesting have been found to be the most important factors in habitat selection. The Barred Owl can live in a variety of habitats including urban areas, swamps, oak savannas, marshes, and forests located next to fields that provide prey animals (Dark, Gutierrez, and Gordon, 1998).
Loss, Scott R, Tom Will, & Peter P. Marra" The Impact of Free-Ranging Domestic Cats on Wildlife of the United States."Nature. Macmillan Publishers Limited, 12 Dec 2013. Web. 28 April 2014.
The issue of the death penalty has always been my go-to topic for any assignment or debate. I have read multiple articles on the issue, but this one provided a lot of information that I was unaware about. I appreciated the way Von Drehle broke down the issues facing the American death penalty. Before reading this article, I had never thought of using the Justices as a reason to abolish the system. It was interesting to read about the opinions of different judges and how easily they can change. Whenever the topic of the death penalty was mentioned, I was always the person to debate or write against it. This article strengthened my views and beliefs about the abolition of the death
In conclusion, our justice system is full of flaws and proves to show why the death penalty should be abolished. The reasons for it to be abolished include: financials cost, long drawn out process, more effective sentencing styles, the conviction and execution of an innocent person and the violation of the “cruel and unusual” punishment clause in the Bill of Rights. While the death penalty may seem like the right thing to do under the philosophy of “Eye for Eye”, it only encourages the ongoing process of criminal behavior. Our criminal justice system is blurred and sometimes ineffective when it comes to certain cases. Moreover, justice can be bought rather served.
This essay will discuss the various views regarding the death penalty and its current status in the United States. It can be said that almost all of us are familiar with the saying “An eye for an eye” and for most people that is how the death penalty is viewed. In most people’s eyes, if a person is convicted without a doubt of murdering someone, it is believed that he/she should pay for that crime with their own life. However, there are some people who believe that enforcing the death penalty makes society look just as guilty as the convicted. Still, the death penalty diminishes the possibility of a convicted murderer to achieve the freedom needed to commit a crime again; it can also be seen as a violation of the convicted person’s rights going against the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Over a century ago, humans fought animals for dominance of the landscape and we regrettably won, now they’re in need of our protection. The Government and Organizations have come to the rescue of wildlife species all across the U.S. Their main goal is to protect wildlife species from over harvesting and also their loss of habitat due to industrial and residential development. The beauty and curiosity of wildlife captivates all of us for different reasons. For certain species, they are the link to our existence Animals are not being hunted into extinction because the government is protecting certain wildlife areas and are controlling the animal populations within those certain areas. While increasing a wildlife species population and removing from the endangered species list, a predator such as the gray wolf, is sure to be seen as a success to some and a threat to others.
Many people, including some higher educated people, tend to believe that executing someone is a lot cheaper than the alternative, which is life in prison without the possibility of parole. Indeed, this thought seems like common sense. However, extensive research has been conducted that contradicts that belief. For instance, a study conducted in Maryland, in 2008, found that the state spends roughly 1.9 million dollars more per capital case, compared to non-capital cases (Warden, 2009). But how can this be some may ask. Well, the reason capital punishment costs more than life without the possibility of parole, is because death penalty cases are longer and more expensive. Because the capital punishment is an irreversible sentence, the state, or government, is required to heighten the defendant’s due process in order to decrease the chance of the defendant being innocent (DPIC). Furthermore, not only is it more expensive for the trial phase, it is also a higher price for a state to imprison death row inmates compared to other
For centuries, the death penalty has been used by nations throughout the world. Practices such as stoning, the guillotine, firing squads, electrocution, and lethal injections have all been common practices to condemn criminals who had enacted heinous crimes. In concurrent society, however, capital punishment has begun to be viewed as a barbaric and inhumane. From these judgments, arguments and controversies have erupted over whether or not the United States should continue to practice the death penalty. With advocates and critics arguing over the morality of the death penalty, the reason to why the death penalty exists has been blurred. Because of the death penalty’s ability to thwart future criminals through fear and its practical purposes, the practice of capital punishment should continue in the United States.
The biome of the snowy white owl is the tundra. Snowy owls rely on prey populations, such as lemmings, that change a lot over time. As a result, snowy owls go wherever there is plenty food resources at any time. Normally, snowy owls remain in the northernmost parts of Alaska, Canada and Eurasia. But in seasons when prey is hard to find in the northern part of their range, snowy owls move further southward. For example, during the years of 1945 through 1946, snowy owls made a widespread, coast-to-coast movement into the southern parts of Canada and the northern parts of the United States. Then in 1966 and 1967, snowy owls moved deeply into the
...ecause hunting requires you to be quiet. It gives you time to think about things, and really release yourself out there. This research also gave me a different look into methods of hunting and types of animals hunted. I would love to do a trip somewhere on an expedition/hunting trip. It would be interesting to see how these different animals live and react.