NEW DROUGHT MAP!

Data is collected until Tuesday each week, and the final map is released Thursday each week:

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

Good joke I heard --- the "Bread Basket of the USA is Toast!"

It keeps looking better (worse) each week. Who knows how todays rains will change it (probably not too much, aside from southern ON) --- but here's hoping it keeps going so we can study and watch what happens with rare Herons this summer!

I'll let Jeff Masters add some more stats about it (at the bottom of this post):

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/show.html



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Speaking of rare Herons, they make a special visit in this edition of "rarity photos"

Little Blue in Ohio:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidbbernstein/7625109006/in/pool-ebird

White Ibis !!! (And Snowy Egret) a stone's throw away from Holiday beach: --- a plegadis Ibis and a Cattle Egret have been seen at the same spot! :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22374475@N07/7638319304/in/pool-ebird

RB Tropicbird in Maine: (I just like tropicbirds):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_carlson/7508454436/in/pool-ebird

Another look at the PQ Little Egret:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_carlson/7626402184/in/pool-ebird

LT and Pom Jaegers (I just like Jaegers) offshore MA:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrtrimble/7631512140/in/pool-ebird


Not a local rarity (Hawaii) -- but possible hybrid Ibis for your viewing pleasure:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/codyconway/7624343678/in/pool-ebird

Eurasian Collared Dove in the Yukon!! (Someone find Josh one of these for his big year already!)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/64507771@N06/7627374742/in/pool-ebird

Black-tailed Godwit in Delware:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/larrybird13/7618625908/in/pool-ebird

Wood Storks moving north? (From NC):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54116357@N08/7618043772/in/pool-ebird


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No hurricanes recently..... but August is much better for storms than July... I'll start watching this page a lot :

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/


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Whale Shark sucks fish out of fishing net:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71FLO_6JJVo&feature=plcp