Bird

ROBERT BUGGEY pulled out of the Frankford Transportation Center, drove his SEPTA Route 88 bus through Mayfair, Holmesburg and Bustleton, across the Montgomery County line and up a tree-lined stretch of Moreland Road near Huntingdon Pike, where he said, "I've seen turkey vultures having lunch in the road. Deer. The guy in that house raises guinea hens. I've seen them on the road, too. " The critters all survived because Buggey, 61, a SEPTA bus operator for 40 years, still has the intense focus he learned as a young Marine Corps truck driver.

If someone kidnapped puppies and kittens, tied ropes around their necks, stuffed them into tiny boxes, and then released them to be shot at close range, it would be considered intolerably cruel. But substitute pigeons for puppies, and it's tolerated as a biweekly sporting event in Berks County. Astonishingly, pigeon shoots are still going on in Pennsylvania, and game officials have done little to stop them. Even though bills to explicitly outlaw the hideous practice have been repeatedly introduced in the legislature over the years, none has progressed beyond committee approval.

QUARTERBACK G.J. Kinne, who went undrafted out of Tulsa last year, signed a 2-year deal with the Eagles Tuesday, according to the team's website. Kinne signed with the New York Jets following last year's NFL draft, but was released over the summer and recently joined the San Antonio Talons of the Arena Football League. After transferring to Tulsa from Texas following his redshirt sophomore season, Kinne spent three seasons at QB, throwing for 9,472 yards (249 yards per game).

LITTLE FERRY, N.J. - North Jersey is in the midst of an invasion from Canada. The feathered intruders - finches - ordinarily spend winter far to the north but have been arriving in waves over the last several months, giving birders a rare winter treat. Clouds of redpolls, a species of finch, have taken over a large stand of birches in Losen Slote Creek Park in Little Ferry. "The trees were just loaded with them one morning," said Don Torino, president of the Bergen County Audubon Society.

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Ruby-throated hummingbirds are migrating to North America weeks earlier than in decades past, and research indicates higher temperatures in their winter habitat may be the reason. Researchers say the early arrival could mean less food at nesting time for the tiny birds that feed on insect pests, help pollinate flowers, and are popular with birdwatchers. "Hummingbirds are charismatic, and they do things that fascinate us," said Ron Johnson, a scientist at Clemson University and one of the study's authors.

WASHINGTON - In a major step toward opening U.S. skies to thousands of unmanned drones, federal officials Thursday solicited proposals to create six drone test sites around the country. The Federal Aviation Administration also posted online a draft plan for protecting people's privacy from the eyes in the sky. The plan would require each test site to follow federal and state laws and make a privacy policy publicly available. Privacy advocates worry that a proliferation of drones will lead to a "surveillance society" in which the movements of Americans are routinely monitored, tracked, recorded and scrutinized by the authorities.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Basketball great Larry Bird's son has been arrested after police say he tried to run over his ex-girlfriend with a car. Twenty-one-year-old Conner Anthony Bird faces preliminary charges, including intimidation with a deadly weapon, battery with injury and possession of marijuana. Indiana University police arrested Bird on Sunday morning. They say his ex-girlfriend told an officer that Bird threw a cellphone at her and drove his car at her during an argument.

The large, hand-colored 1849 map of Gloucester and Salem Counties was brittle, frayed, and yellowing when it was donated to Richard Stockton College. But officials at the Atlantic County school immediately recognized its historical value. The 41/2-by-31/2-foot map reflected South Jersey when Mexican War hero Zachary Taylor was president, a gold rush was under way in California, and crossing the Delaware River meant taking a boat. The roads and boundaries of the counties and municipalities were meticulously drawn.

SOMETIME next week, probably Monday, Jeff Lurie will stand at a podium in the NovaCare auditorium and confirm that Andy Reid's 14-year reign as the Eagles' head coach is over. With the help of general manager Howie Roseman, he then will begin the process of finding a successor. It could be quick if his top choice is a college coach or an assistant for an NFL team that makes an early playoff exit or didn't make it to the postseason at all. But more than likely, it will drag on well into January, maybe even into February, if the man he ultimately wants turns out to be an assistant coach on a Super Bowl team.

THE SETUP: Went to a basketball game at the Boston Garden and a hockey game broke out.   SIXERS VS. Celtics. There was always tension in this rivalry, no matter who the combatants. Seven-game series. Havlicek. Auerbach's cigar. Russell. Heinsohn. Losses. Whether it was Chamberlain, Greer, Cunningham, Erving or Malone, if you were a Sixer playing on that damn parquet floor, your least favorite color was green and you wanted nothing to do with freakin' leprechauns and four-leaf clovers.