Free Republic

The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is questioning the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about the agency’s decision to prosecute a tree-trimmer who accidentally knocked herons out of a tree. Ernest Pulido is expected to face charges from the U.S. Attorney’s Office within a week for violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. He could face a maximum fine of $15,000 and six months in jail. Pulido was hired by the U.S. Postal Service to prune trees May 3 outside an Oakland, Calif., branch, where postal officials were upset with birds pooping on mail trucks. One branch...

The tree trimmer at the center of a federal and state investigation into the destruction of nests and slaughter of baby birds in Oakland said Thursday that he "screwed up" because he allowed his crews to chain-saw trees even as baby birds were falling out. Pulido was the supervisor for a crew of tree trimmers hired Saturday by the U.S. Postal Service's Civic Center Annex in Oakland. The post office ordered trees containing the nests of egrets and black-crowned night herons, species protected by the U.S. Migratory Bird Act, to be cut because the nesting birds were defecating on mail...

If you like birds (no salt and pepper jokes) you may like this.

Despite damaged ties, Turkey and Israel say that a controversial drones contract will go ahead by March. Israel will send four Heron unmanned aerial vehicles to Turkey within two months as part of a consignment of 10 drones purchased by the Turkish government, Turkish daily Zaman reported citing unnamed officials. Turkey awarded the lucrative contract five years ago, placing the order with Israel Aerospace Industries and Elbit. The contract deadline was initially set at between 24 and 30 months. But both contracts missed the first deadline, breaching, also, a follow-up delivery date for the dispatch of four Herons last August....