CAPTCHA controversy

Since I've turned off my word verification, the amount of anonymous spam has increased tenfold. Before this, most of the spam I received was not anonymous (read: fake names that link to sites that try to sell something). I hate to turn off anonymous comments, since I do get some great comments from non-bloggers, but this is starting to get ridiculous.

ps 02/29/12 - OK, now I'm seriously getting peeved. What is google doing messing with something that worked just fine. Is this because of the new privacy settings that will come into effect tomorrow 03/01/12? What happened to subscribing to comments?

http://swanscot.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/captcha-rant/
http://hwyfly.blogspot.com/2012/02/public-service-annoucement.html
http://run-a-roundranch.blogspot.com/2012/02/word-verification-woes.html
http://birdsfod.blogspot.com/2012/02/laysan-teal-slimbridge-wwt.html

watching woodpeckers

http://bluejaybarrens.blogspot.com/search/label/Red-Bellied%20Woodpecker
http://juliezickefoose.blogspot.com/search/label/red-headed%20woodpecker

in the news

These are old articles, but I want to save them for reference.

using Garlon Ultra 4 (a Roundup alternative) in San Francisco’s Natural Areas Program (NAP):
http://www.marinatimes.com/apr11/pets_poisoning.html

California Academy of Sciences "failed" living roof:
http://milliontrees.wordpress.com/2011/03/14/the-living-roof-a-failed-experiment-in-native-plant-gardening/

cruel fox and coyote pens banned in Florida (extremely disturbing):
http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2010/09/florida-fox-pens.html

coyotes

http://coyoteyipps.com/words-about-my-coyote-yipps-blog/
http://dipperanch.blogspot.com/search/label/Coyote
http://jwallphoto.blogspot.com/2011/12/year-end-blowout.html
http://jwallphoto.blogspot.com/2011/12/coyotes-mushrooms.html
http://www.photographyontherun.com/CoyoteTag.aspx
http://www.photographyontherun.com/CoyoteTagII.aspx
http://biobabbler.blogspot.com/2010/12/coyotes-think-chicago-is-there-kind-of.html
http://massanuttengametrails.blogspot.com/2010/11/red-fox.html

scale insects

http://naturecloseups.com/posts/scale-insects-2
http://myrmecos.net/2012/02/12/if-you-cant-run/

dark-eyed juncos

It's interesting to me that I find patterns and trends among nature bloggers. This winter I've seen a flurry of snowy owl and snow geese posts, even though there have been very few actual snow flurries this mild winter across North America. Since I'm not a birder, I don't really know what that means. See my virtual snowy owl blog collection that I started November 2011 and a collection of snow geese posts from December to January.

For now, I've become fascinated by the dark-eyed junco, a bird I see right outside my back door, too:
http://dansbirdingblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/my-300th-bird.html
http://www.thegardenroofcoop.com/2012/02/snow-and-snowbirds.html

manzanitas

http://camissonia.blogspot.com/2012/02/manzanita-bloomfest-continues-but-we.html

http://drystonegarden.com/index.php/2012/02/manzanitas/

http://natureid.blogspot.com/search/label/manzanitas

suspicious activity

http://natureblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/tomorrow-i-will-do-something-marking-me.html
http://randomaccesstalk.blogspot.com/2012/02/do-you-like-online-privacy-you-may-be.html

Groundhog Day

http://rockpaperlizard.blogspot.com/2012/02/yellow-belly-ned-was-wrong-and-red.html
http://monarchbfly.com/2012/02/02/ground-hogs-day-2012/
http://beyondmygarden.blogspot.com/2012/02/today-is-groundhog-day-in-united-states.html
http://riverdaze.blogspot.com/2012/02/disagreeing-with-ol-groundhog.html
http://wanderinweeta.blogspot.com/2012/02/groundhog-or-sailor.html
http://rockpaperlizard.blogspot.com/2012/02/yellow-belly-ned-predicts.html

google's privacy and advertising policies

http://randomaccesstalk.blogspot.com/2012/01/google-announces-privacy-changes-across.html
http://pocahontascofare.blogspot.com/2012/02/google-and-gingrich-they-dont-get-me-at.html

early blooms

http://matthewwills.com/2012/02/02/annus-mirabilis/
http://21stcenturynaturalist.blogspot.com/2012/02/early-flowering-plants.html
http://beyondmygarden.blogspot.com/2012/02/too-soon-for-blooms.html
http://squirrelbasket.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/choisya-chooses-to-bloom-in-winter/