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Show SOUTHERN UTAH NEWS Community WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 17, 2003 Fall for Winter - Solstice on December 22 While chilly temperatures and freshly fallen snow on the slopes may have Utahns thinking winter is already here, weve still a few days to wait until it officially arrives. According to NASA Solar System Ambassador to Utah Patrick Wiggins, winter officially starts in the northern hemisphere the morning of Monday, the 22nd at precisely 12:04 a.m. MST when they see the December solstice as the beginning of summer. The solstice also brings Utahs shortest day with barely 9 hours of daylight versus over 15 hours in June. One out of the way place to usher in the new season is Sun Tunnels in extreme northwestern Utah near Lucin. Sun Tunnels is an assembly of four massive concrete pipes which allow viewers to view sunrise and sunset through two of the pipes on the December solstice and the other two pipes on the June solstice. the Sun reaches its most southerly point in our skies. After this event, known to astronomers as the December solstice, the periods of daylight will Should the weather not coopevenand erate on the 22nd the effect can gradually grow longer, also be seen a few days before tually warmer. reversed in are the and after since the position of Things southern hemisphere where the rising and setting Sun Are you ready to sell your home or lot? Areyou looking for an experienced agent? Call i REALTY Asta Battista 644-223- 2 or 689-105- 7 changes very little near the solstice. In fact the word solstice means Sun stands still. Many ofthe holiday traditions we enjoy at this time of year are thought to have originated in ancient solstice ceremonies. An example of this is our use of festive lights. says Wiggins. In ancient times people kept a very close eye on the Sun at this time of year since everyone could see that it was getting lower and lower in the sky each day and that if something wasnt done, it would soon disappear altogether. So the worried people built great bonfires to encourage the Sun to stick around and, sure enough, every year their efforts paid off and the Sun would reverse course and start to gradually creep higher and higher into News 0 0 Best Friends ANIMAL SOCIETY Squawk Talk By Elizabeth Doyle We dont often think of birds having a sense of drama. We tend to think a bird will be pre- occupied with more sensible things like, oh, finding food, staying alive. Wanting to see a good show because were bored seems like something only we humans would think up. But, as it turns out, parrots the sky. absolutely love a good drama. For additional astronomical And Monroes favorite show has information and for directions always been the one where he to Sun Tunnels see Wiggins So- bites your ear or finger, you lar System Ambassadors web scream, shout at him, flail about, site at http:planet.state.ut.us . and he chuckles at how funny you look. Its great that hes found a way to entertain himself. But some folks were thinking Monroe should maybe find a better, less painful way to amuse himself. Thats why Chase Kimball, who was visiting Best Friends this week, recommends not giv- ing Monroe, or your own parrot, what he calls a drama reward. If a parrot likes to nip, says Kimball, and he finds that nipping you gets a strong reaction, hell keep doing it, because it becomes a game. What Kimball does, when he meets a dramatic parrot, is offer her the bafck of his hand, inviting her to peck at it all she wants. They get no reaction from me, so they stop after a while. Kimball runs a parrot rescue and education program called GUNSMITHING SERVICES and GUN SALES Open Mon., Fri. & Sat. or by appointment (1 435-644-87- 47 ' 8-- 5 426 S. 41 0 East, Kanab ' I V CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE STORE AT www.redrockguns.com from Photo of Chase Kimball by Troy Snow. Wasatch Avian Education Society, and he was here at Best Friends to talk with the bird staff about his methods of handling pet parrots who bite or wont stop squawking. Founded in 1994, his group holds open meetings in the Salt Lake area, where they teach people about parrot behavior. In addition, Kimball sets up and gives demonstrations at pet supply stores. One of the most important things he teaches is that unlike, for example, cats, taking care of parrots is counter-intuitivYou cant just figure it out by instinct. You need to learn what to do before adopting one of these intelligent birds. As for squawking, Kimball says that parrots will naturally squawk at dawn and dusk. Its part of their instinct to wake up the flock at dawn and announce the end of the day. But if a parrot is squawking constantly, he usually needs attention. However, its important not to give him that attention at the moment that hes squawking. That will only encourage it. Wait until he stops, says Chase, and then take him out, hold him in your lap and fuss over him. Proof of his expertise:-H- e e. took Monroe from Best' Friends into his own rescue program, and this seemingly hopeless squawkerTpndmip per is now so he has a new home lined up! well-behave- d! ! |