Out & About

OUTDO

Birding for carcasses

With fall migrations under way, keep an eye out for sick or dead birds and report sightings to Washington’s toll-free number – (800) 606-8768 – for monitoring avian influenza.

No cases of dangerous strains of the disease have been found in this region, but the state Fish and Wildlife Department is keeping watch.

OUTSHINE

Light up your life

Bicylists: Shield your eyes and hold on to your wallets: New this fall, the “Betty,” is a blindingly bright cyclists light retailing for about $1,180.

At 1,400 lumens, it’s about as bright as a car’s headlight, says German manufacturer Lupine Lighting Systems.

But you have to be fit to use something that generates this much heat. If a rider isn’t moving fast enough to create wind, the seven-LED light will automatically start dimming itself to prevent the light from overheating.

On the other hand, for $20 or $30, LED lights that use simple AA batteries will flash bright enough for motorists to see, and you won’t blind them, either.

OUTFISH

Top ocean catches

What saltwater fish were most frequently caught in U.S. marine waters by recreational anglers in 2006?

Overall: Spotted seatrout (37 million).

Regionally: Spotted seatrout in Gulf of Mexico, striped bass in North Atlantic, summer flounder in Mid-Atlantic, spotted seatrout in South Atlantic, chub mackerel in Pacific, black rockfish in Pacific Northwest and yellowstripe goatfish in Western Pacific.

A total of 475 million marine fish were caught by sport anglers, up 11 percent from 2005. About 55 percent of those fish were released alive.

But while saltwater anglers are releasing 20 percent more fish than they did 10 years ago, the total number of fish being kept continues to increase. With the number of saltwater fishing trips increasing 5 percent last year, sport harvest levels increased 18 percent to nearly 214 million fish.

Source: NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, www.nmfs.noaa.gov

OUTLOOK

Best fishing times

Lunar tables from the U.S. Naval Observatory. Be fishing at least one hour before and one hour after peak times. Applies to all time zones. (*-indicates best days.)

Through Nov. 4

Today

2:45 a.m. 3:20 p.m.

Monday

3:55 a.m. 4:25 p.m.

Tuesday

4:55 a.m. 5:25 p.m.

* Wednesday

5:55 a.m. 6:20 p.m.

* Thursday

6:50 p.m. 7:15 p.m.

* Friday

7:40 a.m. 8:05 p.m.

Saturday

8:25 a.m. –

Next Sunday

8:10 a.m. 8:05 p.m.

See the Hunting-Fishing Report every Friday in Sports