Penguins chilling in the desert? El Paso zoo creating $3 million home for threatened species

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The El Paso Zoo will soon become home to a colony of Magellanic penguins – a species listed as threatened by an international organization – in a new multi-million dollar exhibit as part of the city’s 2012 Quality of Life bond issue. Magellanic penguins, which reside along the coasts of South America and reach as far north as Brazil, are small – about two feet tall – with black and white feathers and banding on their necks. They are commonly found in Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands. “The more people learn and read about them, the greater their passion will before wanting to help,” said Rick LoBello, education curation for the El Paso Zoo. “We want people to be emotionally invested and passionate about the animals here.”

A dozen penguins will be part of a South American exhibit, set to open in 2020, officials said.

Bird in flight, species unbeknownst to photographer. (Cheryl Howard/Borderzine.com)

“Birds have wings and they do things…”

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Teaching and Learning and Caring Blog

EL PASO – The title is a quote attributed to Roger Tory Peterson, the guy who wrote all the field guides to birds. He had been asked, or so the story goes, about birds that were seen where they weren’t expected. Rather than dismiss the observation as in error and the map or field guide as doctrine, this quote reminds us that the unexpected does, occasionally, happen. Yes, Virginia, there are black swans. I started thinking this morning about the people I know who are obsessed with birds:  the ones with a zillion bird feeders and binoculars and bird identification books that they take with them on trips they take especially to look for birds.

Mockingbird perch in my neighborhood. (Cheryl Howard/Borderzine.com)

The secret lives of crows and other bird brains

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EL PASO – Just recently, someone posted on Facebook a video of a crow “snowboarding” on a roof in Russia. It sure looked like the crow was having fun, making sure to bring his snow board with him to the top of the roof time and again. A day or two before was another post about a crow badgering two cats into a fight for his apparent amusement. And, you can watch Joshua Klein talk about his serious research on crows in a TED talk. He builds a vending machine for them, and teaches them to use it.