The Amur tiger cubs at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium are celebrating their first birthday today.

Mara now weighs 160 pounds while her brother, Petya, is 180 pounds.

Their birthday cakes were made from boxes filled with their favorite treats.

Amur tigers are an endangered species.

Mara and Petya were just about 14 pounds during their big media debut on October 3, 2006.

According to the Pittsburgh Zoo’s website, female tigers can weigh as much as 350-pounds – while males can tip the scales at 675-pounds!

Watch the tiger cubs live

A Great Dane dog in Manchester has given birth to 16 puppies after a grueling 20 hours in labor, leaving her owners perplexed over what to do with the vast litter.

But despite Macey’s success, she hasn’t broken the world record of 24 puppies born to a Cambridgeshire dog in 2005.

Macey’s proud owners Daniel and Jennifer Wilding, of Urmston, were expecting no more than four or five new arrivals.

But Macey, a two-year-old pedigree Blue, left them shocked after 20-hours in labor.

One pup died days later, but Daniel and Jennifer are now looking for new homes for 14 after deciding to keep a male for themselves.

Daniel, who brought Macey home when she was just a seven week-old puppy, said: “We have got our hands full that’s for sure. We decided to have a litter because we wanted to have one of her children. She has got a lovely temperament and we had her mated a couple of months ago. We found out that she was pregnant through the vets. They said they could feel four puppies. Then she had a litter of 16. Our reaction was one of shock and horror really. She had four within hours and they just kept coming. We were stunned. Macey is perfectly fine and healthy and so are the pups. They are just starting to walk around and play with each other. It’s lovely.”

Daniel and Jennifer have yet to name any of the pups and said finding room for them all to sleep was proving difficult.

Great Danes are among the largest of dog breeds.

“The vets were shocked,” Daniel added. “Great Danes do have large litters but nothing this size. We are going to keep one, a boy, but we are looking for good homes for the others. The house is utter madness at the moment but it is enjoyable to see them growing.”

Bird watching has quickly become one of the most popular hobbies in the World. What at one time was just a backyard interest has now grown into extensive bird watching vacations. When looking for a bird watching vacation, you can choose from one as simple as a weekend getaway or you can elect to go on one as long as a 14-day extravaganza full of rare and interesting birds to watch.

There are more than 1000 different species of birds in the United States alone, all of which are unique in their own way. Each species of bird has their own call pattern, sound, shape, and even a different beak. As a bird watcher, you may only have about a half a second to identify a bird by seeing how it moves through the trees, or by the shape of its wings. For the amateur bird watcher, it can be frustrating out there alone, not knowing what to look for, or what type of bird you have found. That is why a bird watching vacation can be quite an adventure for you, as well as a time for you to learn a hobby that you may soon fall in love with. Usually bird watching vacations are guided tours with a large group of people who enjoy helping others discover the love of bird watching.

Where to Go On a Bird Watching Vacation

The possibilities are endless when deciding where to go on a bird watching vacation. Here are just a few choices that have been rated some of the best bird watching vacation spots in the World. Costa Rica has often been considered the Mecca of bird watching. With such exquisite locations as the reserve of Bosque de Paz and the La Ensenada refuge, Costa Rica is one of the most popular bird watching vacation spots to be found.

South Africa frequently offers bird watching vacations to Kruger Park, Pretoria, Hluhuwe Game Reserve, and everywhere in between. Birders can experience a great variety of local birds, migrants, and endemic birds that make up the almost 850 species that can be found in this stunning location.

During a winter bird watching vacation, you may want to find yourself on the sandy beaches of The Grand Bahama Island. Grand Bahama Island has the distinction of being the 2nd most bird-populated island in the Bahamas. The Rand Nature Centre is home to West Indian Flamingos, Red-legged Thrushes, the endangered Bahama parrot, as well as numerous other species of birds. While kayaking in the crystal clear water you will have the chance to see rare birds that live in the Mangrove swamps, and the Caribbean Pine Forest.

Opportunities are plenty on any of these bird watching vacations. It is up to you to choose the one that takes you both to a beautiful location and one that will thrill the bird enthusiast within you.

Bird watching enthusiasts flock to Delaware as the fall migration begins. The fall migration starts early, well before what visitors normally think of as autumn.

The first southbound arrivals show up the last few days of June, and by mid-summer, many shorebirds can be spotted as they make their way back from the Artic nesting grounds. Warblers move through from August to October and raptors continue until November.

“We are proud to welcome birdwatchers of all ages to visit Delaware,” said Governor Ruth Ann Minner. “They can learn about birds and enjoy the natural beauty of the First State.”

The First State borders the vast and rich Delaware Bay with marshes, rural farmlands and open space dotting the scenic landscape. Tranquil ponds, protected wildlife areas and more than 90 miles of coastline make Delaware a perfect stop-off on a major migratory flyway. The state’s attractiveness to migrant birds makes it a hotspot for thousands of birdwatchers every year. An estimated 170,000 bird watchers visit Delaware annually. An important contributor to the state’s tourism industry, bird watching has an estimated $14.3 million impact on Delaware’s economy.

Delaware is home to many natural wildlife areas, state parks and birding hot spots. Trails and observation platforms provide outstanding access to birds and other wildlife.

“Delaware’s birding destinations and wildlife refuges are expansive,” said Tim Morgan, director of Tourism. “Visitors can experience nature and bird watching from a kayak on the canal, the deck of a fishing boat, the wooded areas of many state parks or from the shoreline of our award-winning beaches. Visitors should plan a two- or three-day weekend to really enjoy the First State.”

In two state parks of Brandywine Creek and White Clay Creek, the Delaware Nature Society leads regular nature walks throughout the parks where visitors spot many species of birds. The parks are also hot spots for owl prowls. As the sun goes down, the owls come out and guides will help draw barred and screech owls out of the dense woods into plain sight. Fort Delaware on Pea Patch Island might be best known as a fort that was used as a prison during the Civil War, but it has another claim to fame, as one of the three largest heron rookeries on the east coast. Trained naturalists lead walks to the viewing platform, where visitors can see several hundred of the 2,400 nesting pairs of herons, ibis and egrets, all of which are colonial wading birds.

The Delaware Museum of Natural History has a huge collection of about 4,000 bird species! It includes approximately 67,000 study skins, 9,000 skeletons, 6,000 alcohol-preserved birds, and 36,000 clutches of eggs.

The central part of the state, Kent County, is home to Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge with 16,000 acres laced with wooded trails, freshwater ponds and tidal marsh areas, home to deer, foxes, river otters and beavers. During the spring and fall, thousands of migratory birds take a rest at the refuge to refuel before continuing on the Atlantic flyway. Many species of birds can be spotted at the refuge year-round. Woodland Beach Wildlife Area to the north and Little Creek Wildlife Area just south of the refuge are also great spots to take in nature. Milford Neck Wildlife Area is easily accessible and contains large tracts of saltmarsh as well as uplands of both forest and field. The new DuPont Nature Center at the Mispillion Harbor Reserve opened in May of 2007 and is quickly becoming an important birding destination. It overlooks Mispillion Harbor, one of the most important shorebird stopover sites along the Atlantic Coast during spring migration. Shorebirds are also attracted to its beaches in the fall. Visitors can use spotting scopes and a remote camera to view birds up close.

The town of Milton in Sussex County is the location of Delaware’s other national wildlife refuge, Prime Hook. The refuge has 10,000 acres with one of the largest freshwater impoundments on the east coast. Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes is also a great spot for bird watching. The landscape of pine trees mixed with sandy beaches, and walking trails makes a perfect habitat for many types of shorebirds, including the osprey and piping plovers. The WWII observation tower which is open to park visitors makes for a great look-out for birds.

Researchers are discovering unprecedented details about the lives of Southern Elephant Seals.

The work is being done by a group of international scientists, including some from the CSIRO and the University of Tasmania.

The researchers attached sensors on 85 elephant seals in early 2003.

Mark Hindell from the University of Tasmania says the data has given scientists a rare insight into the animals.

“And that’s enabling us to do things like establish which bits of the ocean are good for them, which bits are bad, make some models perhaps about how that might change, postulated changes due to global warming and so forth,” he said.

“It’s actually quite a big break through for us.”

“It doesn’t help us in terms of setting up parks to preserve them or anything, but it helps us understand what are the important features driving their populations.”

“And it helps us predict what’s going to happen in the future if things continue to change down there.”

On a foggy morning in Morro Bay, a 3-year-old golden retriever named Saint is so stoked he can hardly stand it.

It’s not just because there are birds he can chase — though Saint certainly likes to chase birds. It’s more because his owner is prepping his board and the conditions today are glassy.

At first, Saint leaps down the boulders that lead to the beach. Then he runs in circles on the sand before tromping in the water in what could be best described as a spaz moment. He charges a few birds, and when he sees a Tribune photographer nearby, the now-wet pooch makes a beeline to the man with the cameras.

“His favorite thing to do is go up to a photographer and shake,” said Saint’s owner, Kathleen Yeung. And he does just that.

But the real excitement comes when Yeung connects the 71-pound dog to a 7-foot-2- inch surfboard and heads for the water, as if beckoned by the spirits of Duke Kahanamoku, Mickey Dora and Max the surf dog.

‘He’s better than me’

Saint was given to Yeung, a 27-year-old phlebotomist at French Hospital Medical Center, by a co-worker when Yeung’s father was dying of cancer.

Whenever Yeung would take Saint to the beach, he wanted to do whatever she did. So when she and her friends took surfboards into the water, Saint followed, eager to (dog) paddle out.

“He wasn’t afraid at all,” said Yeung, who lives in Atascadero.

Saint’s first few attempts at surfing ended with wipeouts. But those early attempts seemed to give him inspiration to keep trying, and soon he looked more comfortable in the lineup.

Then he got good

“He’s better than a lot of my friends,” Yeung said. “He’s better than me, that’s for sure. He’ll catch waves I can’t even catch. He’s gotten barrels. I’ve never gotten barrels.”

Typically, Yeung gives Saint’s board a little shove just before the wave arrives, then the standing Saint takes over.

But one of his best waves, in Santa Cruz, was all Saint.

“He sometimes catches his own waves,” Yeung said. “He just bends down a little. And he caught this one that just barreled him. I thought he wiped out. But a photographer was on the beach taking pictures of everyone, and he said Saint caught that barrel and jumped off just before the close-out.”

So many people photograph Saint that Yeung has loads of pictures without having to take any herself (which is good because she’s usually on the other side of the wave and can’t see what happens).

One photo, taken by Morro Bay resident Mike Baird, was actually used for a flier when Saint was briefly dog-napped in Baja. Yeung was careful not to post fliers of Saint surfing, figuring thieves would be less likely to return a dog with such skills. Saint was eventually returned, and Yeung shaved his name into his fur to prevent future abductions.

Baird also photographed Saint on his best day. In those photos, Saint is pictured coolly dropping into six-foot waves — or triple overhead in dog surf-speak.

In addition to surfing, Saint likes soccer, moving the ball with his nose. He’s also into hiking and climbing, and he’s a certified therapy dog, trained to provide affection and comfort, who has volunteered at French Hospital and the women’s shelter.

A well-traveled pet, he’s hit up the surf in places such as Jalama Beach in Santa Barbara County, Black’s Beach in San Diego and Ocean Beach in San Francisco.Whenever he’s in a car near the beach, Yeung said, Saint quickly jumps toward the windshield, seemingly scoping out the swell.

While he has been featured on several Web sites and KSBY, more stardom could be coming. Yeung and her friends are making a “Karate Kid”-like movie called “The Tao of Saint,” starring Saint as the sage mentor (with an Italian accent, it turns out) who teaches a young man to surf. And Saint plans to compete in the Surf Dog Surf-a-Thon in Del Mar next month.

Yeung thinks he’ll be heads and tails above the rest.

“I know he’ll win,” Yeung said. “He’s just really, really chill on the board.”

A doozy

As Saint and Yeung paddle out, a surfer walks by, amused. He points his thumb toward the beach and with a grin says, “a surfing dog.”

On Saint’s first wave, a twofooter, he starts out in the yogi-preferred downward-dog pose — a hotdog move if there ever was one — and rides it until a shore breaker clears the deck. Saint runs to the beach, his board still attached, and gallops on the sand.

The second takeoff is a little steeper. Saint makes the nice drop but eats it soon after. Again, he frolics.

The third wave results in a wipeout that sends him slightly airborne.

“He wipes out about half the time,” Yeung says, smiling.

But the fourth ride is a doozy — a ride that would parallel the best at Rincon. Steady all the way, Saint rides this one to the beach, ending nonchalantly with a lick of the lips. W

hen his leash is detached, Saint again takes off running. Because when you’re a surfing pooch, the dog days of summer are all good.