This week in birds

This week in birds - #144

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

The American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week is a relative of the turkey called the Blue-billed Currasow. As you can see from the map, the bird lives in moist lowland forests in Colombia. It is a large ground-dwelling bird and is seriously endangered, partly because of that close relationship to turkeys. It tastes very much like turkey and it is hunted by local people and its eggs are stolen from their nests for food. Like so many birds, it is also a victim of habitat destruction.

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A New York family is hosting a very unusual guest these days. It is a Black Swallowtail butterfly.

Pictured here is a Black Swallowtail that I photographed in my garden last year.

Apparently, the butterfly came into their home as a chrysalis that had attached itself to their Christmas tree. While the tree was in the house, the creature completed its metamorphosis and emerged as a butterfly. The family established a habitat for it in a bathroom where it appears to be thriving. Normally, these butterflies can live about two weeks in the wild, but it is unclear how long they can survive in a protected environment.

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In more news from New York, a Bald Eagle pair is building a nest in New York City. This is the first record of eagles nesting there in at least a hundred years.

Meanwhile, in the House of Representatives, a bill has been introduced at the behest of the energy companies to gut the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act which has been instrumental in the eagles' comeback from the brink of extinction. Since it is wanted by the energy companies, it seems likely that this Congress will pass it.

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Project SNOWstorm is the project that has tracked the influx of the Snowy Owls into the lower 48 states. In December 2013, a member of the project trapped and banded the first Snowy Owl recorded in Delaware. It was a female which they named Delaware. The bird has had an interesting history since and she's back this winter.

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Cities in the United States are losing their cool. Due to climate change, they are experiencing fewer winter nights when temperatures drop below freezing.

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Not only was February 2 Groundhog Day, it was also World Wetlands Day. It is almost impossible to overstate the importance of wetlands to the survival of diverse species of animals, most especially birds. Up to 1/2 of North American birds nest or feed in wetlands.

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Sea levels are not the only things rising because of climate change - certain swaths of land are rising, too. This is true of the country of Iceland which is popping upward something like a trampoline as its glaciers melt.

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Birds that fly in a V formation take turns in the toughest position, that of leader. Thus, the various birds get to "rest" as they benefit from the extra lift provided by the birds flying in front of them.

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Mule deer in Wyoming make a twice yearly 150-mile migration. Conservationists are working to protect their route and are currently tracking and studying them, using helicopters.

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For a variety of reasons—from changing habitats and a shifting climate to more people providing food at backyard feeders—some birds aren’t flying as far south for the winter these days. Some species that once flew to the tropics are now only going as far as temperate areas in the U.S. Some that used to overwinter in the American South are staying farther north. It's all a part of the ever-changing ranges of birds, as they adapt to new circumstances.

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A proposed 110 mile pipeline, the PennEast Pipeline, in Pennsylvania which would deliver natural gas is drawing considerable grassroots opposition in the area it would serve.

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A Barred Owl in Oregon seems to have a thing about hats. It has attacked several early morning joggers there and pulled their hats off their heads! There seems to be only one particular owl involved. It is the nesting season for owls and it seems likely that this owl's behavior is related to its instinct to protect its nest.

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Many cities in New England, including Boston, have been hard hit by snowstorms recently. Among other problems city officials have had to deal with is trying to make the snow-covered sidewalks and streets safe for pedestrians. A recent editorial in the Boston Globe made the point that the city needs to have a better plan in place for making it possible for people to walk to their destinations through the snow.

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Just a reminder: Next weekend, Friday through Monday, is the Great Backyard Bird Count. Get ready to make your backyard count!

Poetry Sunday: Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver

How about we share another Mary Oliver poem? After all, you can never have too many of those. In this one, the poet seems to acknowledge that it is often hard to simply live in and enjoy the moment, perhaps because we are afraid it can't last. She urges us to give in to that moment and fully experience the joy. Although "much can never be redeemed, still, life has some possibility left." Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is no...

Poetry Sunday: Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney

My mother was a farm wife and a prodigious canner. She canned fruit and vegetables from the garden, even occasionally meat. But the best thing that she canned, in my opinion, was blackberry jam. Even as I type those words my mouth waters! Of course, before she could make that jam, somebody had to pick the blackberries. And that somebody was quite often named Dorothy. I think Seamus Heaney might have spent some time among the briars plucking those delicious black fruits as well, so he would have known that "Once off the bush the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour." They don't keep; you have to get that jam made in a hurry! Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust ...

Poetry Sunday: Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman

You probably remember poet Amanda Gorman from her appearance at the inauguration of President Biden. She read her poem "The Hill We Climb" on that occasion. After the senseless slaughter in Uvalde this week, she was inspired to write another poem which was published in The New York Times. It seemed perfect for the occasion and so I stole it in order to feature it here, just in case you didn't get a chance to read it in the Times . Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman Everything hurts, Our hearts shadowed and strange, Minds made muddied and mute. We carry tragedy, terrifying and true. And yet none of it is new; We knew it as home, As horror, As heritage. Even our children Cannot be children, Cannot be. Everything hurts. It’s a hard time to be alive, And even harder to stay that way. We’re burdened to live out these days, While at the same time, blessed to outlive them. This alarm is how we know We must be altered — That we must differ or die, That we must triumph or try. ...

The Nature of Things

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