ONE HOUR: If every American household turns off the lights
during Earth Hour – which is today – it will prevent more than
16,500 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. Earth Hour starts
at 8 p.m. today so get ready.

Tim Holohan of Smethport read this suggestion in Sky magazine,
and sent it along for RTS readers.

It was accompanied by a note written by Katherine Clark:
“Millions of people around the globe, in cities large and small,
will be turning off the lights for one hour. The net effect of this
individual act has the potential to be extraordinary. And you can
help make it so. With the flick of a switch, you can help reduce
greenhouse emissions and send a powerful message about global
warming.”

BIRD NEWS: Bob Friedl of St. Marys e-mailed us a photo of a
snow-white red-tailed hawk but, unfortunately, it would not have
reproduced adequately on newsprint. Take our word for it, it was an
odd-looking creature.

The picture was taken by Sandy Robinson in the Eldred area. This
is the third year this bird has been seen, Bob writes.

THIS, TOO: What was the most reported bird in the Bradford area
during the 2008 Great Backyard Bird Count conducted Feb. 15-18 and
sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National
Audubon Society?

The dark-eyed junco took top honors with 50 birds sighted.

Other birds, in order of declining numbers, were black-capped
chickadees, 41; northern cardinal, 22; mourning doves, 20;
white-breasted nuthatch, 20; American goldfinch, 20; blue jay, 19;
tufted titmouse, 13; downy woodpecker, 12; hairy woodpecker,
12;

In single digits, red-breasted nuthatch, 9; pine siskin, 8;
Carolina wren, 8; house sparrow, 7; American crow, 4; field
sparrow, 3; and ring-necked pheasant, 1.

The bird watchers in Bradford joined more than 85,700
participants who submitted checklists during the four-day event.
Participants identified a record 635 species and sent in thousands
of stunning bird images from around the continent.

How do Bradford’s results stack up with the overall results?
Pretty similar!

The ten most reported birds were, 1.) northern cardinal; 2.)
mourning dove; 3.) dark-eyed junco; 4.) downy woodpecker; 5.)
American goldfinch; 6.) blue jay; 7.) house finch; 8.) tufted
titmouse; 9.) black-capped chickadee; and 10.) American crow.