BOOKS: Brushed by Feathers: A Year of Birdwatching in the West

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2005:

Brushed by Feathers: A Year of Birdwatching in the West
by Frances Wood
Fulcrum Publishing (16200 Table Mountain Parkway, Suite 300,
Golden, CO 80403), 2004.
247 pages, paperback. $16.95.

Frances Wood lives on the far side of South Whidbey Island,
about 10 miles from here, as the crow flies–along with most other
birds common to the Pacific North-west. Most resident species have
some presence here, in habitat that varies from old-growth cedar to
open fields, orchards, rocky beaches, and light-density human
development. Most Pacific Flyway migratory species stop over to feed.
Counting 20 species in 10 minutes is often no more difficult
than stepping outside, amid hummingbirds, chickadees, nuthatches,
finches, wrens, sparrows, American robins, and towhees, among
the most frequent visitors; listening for woodpeckers, with the
pileated, hairy, and downy varieties all nesting nearby; checking
the sky for great blue herons, bald eagles, redtail hawks, osprey,
northern gos-hawks, and American kestrels while walking to the car;
watching for startled owls gliding across the road between here and
the ferry landing; and observing the variety of gulls, ducks,
cormorants, and pigeons at the landing while waiting to board.
Scarcer species, requiring books to identify, appear about
once a week.

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Pope John Paul II “taught love for animals”

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2005:

Pope John Paul II, 84, died on April 3, 2005. Recalled
the PETA-owned <www.GoVeg.com> web site, “Pope John Paul II taught
love for animals more than any other pope in recent memory. In 1990,
His Holiness proclaimed that ‘the animals possess a soul and men must
love and feel solidarity with our smaller brethren.’ He went on to
say that all animals are ‘fruit of the creative action of the Holy
Spirit and merit respect’ and that they are ‘as near to God as men
are.’ After he became Pope, His Holiness went to Assisi, the
birthplace of St. Francis, and spoke of the saint’s love for
animals. He declared, ‘We, too, are called to a similar
attitude.’ PETA is grateful that His Holiness spoke out so
beautifully for animals and their souls, and we hope that his
successor will also speak out for them with the same love and
compassion.”
While Pope John Paul II never formally responded to petitions
on animal issues, the Vatican under his direction shifted in small
steps toward more animal-friendly policies.

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