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April 27, 2016
Volume XLVII-No. 34 Reaching Over 23,400 Homes
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Coverage
THE KEY TO THRIFTY BUYING
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Naturalist Presents Local
Raptor Show and Tell
Inside...
Automotive
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Birthday Coupon
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by Marylouise Sholly
The cheetah may be the fastest land
animal, but the absolute fastest animal
on Earth is actually the peregrine falcon.
When the peregrine falcon makes a
dive while hunting prey, it can reach
speeds up to 230 miles per hour, naturalist Jack Hubley said recently.
Wildlife expert and WGAL TV 8’s
“Wild Moments” host, Hubley was
the speaker at the 2016 “Spring in the
Valley” banquet held recently for the
Lebanon Valley Conservancy. Held
in the Hebron Fire Company’s social
hall along Walnut Street in Lebanon,
about 250 people attended the annual
fundraising event to support the conservation efforts of the group.
Hubley’s talk was highlighted with
a live show-and-tell, as he brought
along a red-tailed hawk, American
kestrel, peregrine falcon, and great
horned owl to show the crowd.
“These are birds native to the area
and these are the animals that share
our world,” said Hubley. “They are
important to the eco-system and it’s
important that you get to know them.”
According to Hubley, when the
falcon is flying straight and level, it’s
fast, but a pigeon or dove, also a fastflyer, can generally keep ahead of the
falcon.
But when a peregrine falcon dives,
no other creature can come near it for
sheer speed. “It’s the super hero with
feathers,” he continued. “It’s the allout drop-from-the-sky winner.”
While diving for dinner, falcons
have been clocked going from zero to
204 miles per hour, then back to zero
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Wildlife expert Jack Hubley, shown here with Spike, a red-tailed hawk, recently spoke at
the Lebanon Valley Conservancy banquet.
mph in only four seconds. This falcon
can also endure the accompanying “gforces” that would cause a human to
black out.
You won’t find peregrine falcons
at backyard bird-feeders looking for
prey, Hubley told the audience. Instead, these bird-hunters will “whack”
other birds in the air.
Showing “Spike,” the red-tailed
hawk, Hubley stated that this hawk is
one of the most noticeable raptors in
the area. Often, they can be found sitting on telephone wires or tall poles,
looking for prey. Red-tailed hawks
especially like to eat meadow voles,
said Hubley, and they can see a rabbit
a quarter mile away.
The great horned owl is the biggest owl species in Pennsylvania and
also the most powerful. The owls will
Prepare Cellphone in Case of Disaster
When disaster strikes, your phone
could be your best friend. With more
than 98 percent of Americans owning a mobile phone and more than
70 percent of 9-1-1 calls made on
mobile devices, wireless helps save
lives.
Be Prepared
Take eight easy steps now to ensure you and your mobile device are
prepared in case of emergency.
1. Add Emergency Numbers:
Keep a list of emergency phone numbers in your cellphone.
2. Appoint ICE: Designate at
least one “In Case of Emergency”
(ICE) contact in your phone contacts
so emergency personnel know whom
to contact during an emergency.
3. Inform your ICE: Tell your
ICE contact about any medical issues
or special needs you may have. Additionally, make sure they know how
many pets you have and what to do if
you’re not available.
4. Know your Battery: Be conscious of your phone’s battery life
and carry a spare charger (external charging devices are especially
helpful in situations when you can’t
access power). To conserve your
phone’s battery life:
• Turn on your phone’s powersaving mode (if it has one).
• Turn off Wi-Fi when not in use.
(Your phone uses power when looking for a signal)
• Close unused apps and turn off
push notifications.
• Turn off social media.
eat several types of prey, including
skunks.
Because great horned owls will
eat crows, many crows have taken up
residence near shopping malls. Lights
are on all night at the malls enabling
crows to better evade the owls.”
A crow’s worst nightmare is right
here,” Hubley said, referring to Lester, the 13-year-old great horned owl
on his arm.
The eyes of the great horned owl
are much bigger than a human’s eyes,
and they can turn their head about 270
degrees. Contrary to popular belief,
no owls can turn their heads all the
way around.
“They have excellent hearing,
probably better than hawks, and they
have sharp vision,” said Hubley.
Continued on page 27
• Disable locationbased services when
not in use.
• Set your e-mail to
arrive manually or infrequently.
• Put your device
to sleep or in airplane
mode whenever possible.
• Change the display
settings so your screen In an emergency, your phone could be your lifeline. Keep it
ready and handy.
goes to sleep faster.
• Reduce your screen brightness.
6. Keep an Extra Landline: If
• Turn off Bluetooth when not you have a landline phone, keep at
needed.
least one non-cordless phone in your
5. Forward Home Phone: Know home in case you need it.
how to forward your home phone
7. Learn WEA: Educate yourself
number to your cellphone in case you about Wireless Emergency Alerts—
are evacuated.
Continued on page 21
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