This week in birds - #696

 A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment:

The American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week is the Yellow-crowned Night Heron. A bird of aquatic habitats, both oceans and fresh water, the bird is found throughout North and South America and the Caribbean Islands. Its population size is unknown but appears to be stable and its conservation status is presently of least concern. Its two major threats are loss of habitat and the use of pesticides, both of which are attributable to humans.

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Dams around the world hold so much water that they have actually shifted Earth's poles. 

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October's Big Day of birding on October 10 turned out to be a REALLY big day.

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Project FeederWatch starts on November 1. If you haven't already signed up, there is still time. 

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A Miami airport police operation found two smugglers with a total of 21 birds in their pants.

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What is perhaps the world's oldest shipwreck - some 4,700 years old - has been discovered off the coast of Turkey. Much of the residue of its cargo still remained.

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Researchers in Turkey have also unearthed a fragment of the world's oldest known peace treaty.  

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Scientists have discovered two new species of sea spider in the ocean around the Pacific Northwest.

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A couple of retirees in Virginia have turned their neighboring farms into a wildlife corridor.

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Bird taxonomy is about to be updated. As usual there will probably be changes as some species are either split or lumped together.

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Wildlife biologists in Australia are vaccinating Albatrosses by hand in an attempt to control the spread of avian flu in Tasmania. 

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A 50-million-year-old slab of rock found in Wyoming preserved hundreds of  freshwater herring.

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Here's the story of the "vine that ate the South" - kudzu.

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Researchers have found that Tree Swallows in the northern U.S. and Canada face a greater risk from climate change than do their fellows in more southerly climes.

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A family of Barn Owls that has moved into New York City's Upper West Side may be the first to nest in Manhattan in modern history.

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Here are some amazing pictures from winners in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest.

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Who doesn't love pictures of pandas?

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And here are some quite hilarious pictures from the 2026 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards.

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What are the happiest states in the country? Perhaps unsurprisingly, Hawaii is number one.

Poetry Sunday: Merry Autumn by Paul Laurence Dunbar

When I go looking for a poem to feature here in my Sunday post, I find that I very often turn to Paul Dunbar. This African-American poet of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries often speaks the sentiments that I am feeling. I find that is especially true of this poem. I've never thought of autumn as a solemn or dreary season. In fact it is just about my favorite time of year, the "highest time of living" in the poet's words.

And what about you? Do you find autumn merry?

Merry Autumn

by Paul Laurence Dunbar 

It’s all a farce,—these tales they tell
About the breezes sighing,

And moans astir o’er field and dell,

     Because the year is dying.

 

Such principles are most absurd,—

     I care not who first taught ’em;

There’s nothing known to beast or bird

     To make a solemn autumn.

 

In solemn times, when grief holds sway

     With countenance distressing,

You’ll note the more of black and gray

     Will then be used in dressing.

 

Now purple tints are all around;

     The sky is blue and mellow;

And e’en the grasses turn the ground

     From modest green to yellow.

 

The seed burrs all with laughter crack

     On featherweed and jimson;

And leaves that should be dressed in black

     Are all decked out in crimson.

 

A butterfly goes winging by;

     A singing bird comes after;

And Nature, all from earth to sky,

     Is bubbling o’er with laughter.

 

The ripples wimple on the rills,

     Like sparkling little lasses;

The sunlight runs along the hills,

     And laughs among the grasses.

 

The earth is just so full of fun

     It really can’t contain it;

And streams of mirth so freely run

     The heavens seem to rain it.

 

Don’t talk to me of solemn days

     In autumn’s time of splendor,

Because the sun shows fewer rays,

     And these grow slant and slender.

 

Why, it’s the climax of the year,—

     The highest time of living!—

Till naturally its bursting cheer

     Just melts into thanksgiving.

This week in birds - #695

 A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment:

The American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week is the beautiful Baltimore Oriole, the male of which is pictured here. During summer they can be found throughout much of eastern part of the United States and parts of Canada. The member of the blackbird/oriole/troupial family is one of the earliest birds I can remember from my childhood, probably because it is so flashy. Currently their population, like that of many other birds, is decreasing but they are still considered to be of "least concern." Their main threat is habitat loss and pesticides.

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The death of a lab worker in Russia from infection with the bacterium that causes plague is causing scientists to worry, which means that we should probably all be worried. 

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Here are the stories of five birds, including the Passenger Pigeon (seen above), that have disappeared. Their loss is a cautionary tale for us.

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The oldest land animal alive is Jonathan, a 194-year-old Aldabra giant tortoise. Scientists hope that studying his DNA might provide clues to longevity. 

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There is a hole in our stratosphere, the size of which fluctuates every year. This year's hole was the biggest in twenty-five years.

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A diver cleaning up trash from a Wisconsin lake discovered a 1,000-year-old dugout canoe at its bottom.

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Neanderthals long carried a reputation as a brutish and unintelligent branch of humanity but a reassessment finds them to have been intelligent and rather sophisticated.

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The mysterious armored pangolin is being relentlessly hunted and is vanishing from habitats in sub-Saharan Africa. Scientists are working to unlock the secrets that might save it.

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One hundred years ago, an extinct crocodilian's skull was found in the rocks used to build the Sphinx. It turns out it was a previously unknown species.

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We are still learning new things about T. Rex, the world's most famous dinosaur and our understanding of the "tyrant lizard king" has changed quite a bit from when he was first found.

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And a fossil of a winged dinosaur is giving indications that flight might have evolved multiple times among the species.

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A new archaeological discovery shows that ancient people east of the Mississippi River had feasted on chocolate for at least 1,000 years.

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Scientists are using artificial intelligence to decode the vocalizations of African elephants.

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Africa's Bearded Vulture has long teetered on the brink of extinction but it is being brought back by a specialized breeding program.

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Another species that has been on the brink of extinction is the rhinoceros and again efforts are being made by dedicated conservationists to ensure that it doesn't pass that brink. 

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Two small South American birds, the Bare-throated Bellbird and the Red-legged Seriema, are the loudest in nature, able to reach a deafening 122 decibels.

Poetry Sunday: Fall, Leaves, Fall by Emily Brontë

This Emily Brontë poem about autumn is, of course, about places that actually have autumn. It doesn't pertain so much to southeast Texas but I do remember autumns like these and they were my favorite time of year. No wreaths of snow for us here but we can enjoy our shorter days which usher in our most pleasant season. Barring hurricanes, of course. 

Fall, Leaves, Fall

by Emily Brontë 

Fall, leaves, fall; 

die, flowers, away;

Lengthen night and shorten day;

Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.

I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night's decay
Ushers in a drearier day.

This week in birds - #694

A roundup of the week's news f birds and the environoment: 

The American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week is the wonderful little Eastern Screech Owl. This little owl doesn't seem to mind living close to people. In fact, it sometimes uses their buildings and lawns in many suburban and even urban settings. Even though it may be present it is often unseen and is more likely to be detected by its vocalizations. Its conservation status is considered to be of least concern but its population trend is decreasing.

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In Ohio, toxic fracking waste is bubbling up from the ground and it is becoming a political issue.

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In Albania, the wild Vjosa Narta River is under threat from development planned by Jared Kushner and the Albanian government. The people are fighting back.

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It seems that eating a healthy diet is also good for the environment.

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A high schooler has invented a plant-based plastic that removes microplastics from the environment as it degrades. Maybe there is hope for our species. 

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The nor' easter that lashed the East Coast this week turned up part of a ship believed to be from an 1884 shipwreck.

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Saving the habitats of sharks and rays is the important element in saving their species.

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Archaeologists have unearthed what may be the world's oldest computer. It is more than 2,000 years old.

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One of the many strange sights presented by this week's nor'easter was that of a shark swimming through the flooded streets of New Jersey.

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In Iran, saving the maral (Caspian red deer) depends on volunteers who work to save its habitat.

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Vandals chopped it down three years ago but now England's beloved Sycamore Gap tree is showing signs of life.

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This tiny diamondback terrapin with two heads was discovered on Cape Cod.

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A massive deep-sea roly poly is able to go for years without food.

Poetry Sunday: The Moon's Whisper by Ayatullah Nurjati

Watching the beautiful full moon through my window tonight, I decided to look for poems about the moon and I found this one which appealed to me. Its author, Ayatullah Nurjati, is a poet I had not heard of before. He is Indonesian and is known for his contemplative and philosophical poetry. See what you think of his ode to the moon and the sea.

The Moon's Whisper

by Ayatullah Nurjati

The moon whispered to the sea,
'Tell me your deepest secrets.'
And the sea, with its waves dancing,
Revealed tales of lost ships,
Of sailors' dreams and mermaids' songs.

The moon listened, its silver glow
Caressing the water's surface.
It heard stories of love and longing,
Of storms that raged and calms that soothed,
Of tides that pulled hearts together.

In return, the moon shared its own secrets:
How it watched over lovers,
How it witnessed births and farewells,
How it wove threads of destiny
Across the vast expanse of night.

And so, the moon and the sea conversed,
Two celestial beings bound by mystery,
Their whispers echoing through time,
Creating tides of wonder and reflection,
Guiding hearts toward the infinite horizon.

As dawn approached, the moon retreated,
Leaving a trail of silver on the water.
The sea sighed, holding its secrets close,
And the night surrendered to the day,
But the memory of their conversation lingered,
A timeless dance between moon and sea.

This week in birds - #693

 A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment:

The American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week is the Blue-capped Hummingbird, a resident of the forests of the Mexican highlands. This stunning little bird, also known as the Oaxaca Hummingbird, is seriously endangered and its population is decreasing. It is estimated that there may be less than 1,700 left in the wild. As is true of so many of the birds of Central and South America, the chief threat to the species is habitat loss due to deforestation. Conservation organizations are working to protect its habitat and help to ensure its continued survival.

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Thursday mornings at the Morrell Nature Sanctuary in British Columbia find volunteers removing nonnative plants that threaten that ecosystem. 

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In this political season, toxic waste that is bubbling up in Ohio has become an issue in the gubernatorial race.

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There are more than 1,500 kinds of bat spread across every continent except Antarctica but where did the species originate?

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Protecting habitats is the key to saving species such as endangered sharks and rays.

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This is the Leopardus tilcayo, a three-pound wildcat found in the cloud forests of the Andes Mountains in Bolivia. It is the first new feline species to be discovered in a century.

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You can track the migration of Pacific Northwest monarch butterflies on a new app.

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Two new stick insect species have been discovered in Australia.

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The current administration in Washington is making it easier to kill endangered wildlife.

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On a Mexican island, pygmy raccoons are learning to make toys and to sip margaritas!

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China's electric grid is emitting a super-pollutant that is cooking the planet.

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In a first, sea turtles have been spotted nesting on the U.S. West Coast. It may be thanks to the super El Niño forming in the Pacific.

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In northern Iran, the conservation effort to save the Caspian red deer, or maral, continues in spite of the war.

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An Aztec Codex, one of the most prized visual accounts of Aztec history, has been returned to Mexico City on loan from France and will be on display there for three months.

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Humans have breached seven of the nine "planetary boundaries" necessary for life to flourish on our planet.

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This little cutie is the Karure, or Black Robin, a critically endangered species found only on the remote Chatham Islands off the coast of New Zealand. It is that country's 2026 Bird of the Year.

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And finally, here are fifteen wonderful photographs of Kenya's wildlife.