This week in birds

This week in birds - #193

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

Osprey, resting after enjoying a fish snack.

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The Great Backyard Bird Count, the mid-winter citizen science project meant to determine where birds are and what their condition is, is under way. It will continue through Monday. If you have at least fifteen free minutes over the next couple of days, why not go outside and count some birds, then go to the GBBC website and report what you saw?

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The Supreme Court has blocked the EPA's rules regarding the regulation of emissions from coal-fired power plants while the case makes its way through the court system. It seems likely that this will, at the very least, delay implementation of the rules until after the Obama presidency ends. It is yet another blow to the agenda for combating climate change and another reminder of why this presidential election is so important.

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The armed occupation by a bunch of misguided malcontents of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon ended peacefully this week when the last four holdouts of the group finally surrendered. The refuge will continue to be closed until law enforcement completes its investigation. Then, finally, the cleanup can begin and the community can heal.

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The genome of the deer tick, carrier of the dread Lyme disease, has been sequenced by an international team of scientists led by Purdue University.

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Many parrots, including the highly intelligent African Gray Parrot, are disappearing from the wild because of animal trafficking for the pet trade.

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In more news of an endangered parrot, the last 125 individuals of the Kakapo Parrot species will each have their genomes sequenced. It is hoped that this will provide information that will help to save the bird from extinction.

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"The Rattling Crow" blog has an appreciation of the beautiful Mute Swan, a native of much of Europe and Asia. Though it has been introduced to some areas of North America and has occasionally become an invasive pest, in its native habitat, it is an integral part of the ecosystem.

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A new study found that at least two-thirds of American schoolchildren are taught inaccurate information regarding the causes and effects of global climate change.

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President Obama designated three new national monuments in the California desert Thursday, expanding federal protection to 1.8 million acres of landscapes that have retained their natural beauty despite decades of heavy mining, cattle ranching and off-roading.

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A population of Verreaux's Eagles, an apex predator of southern Africa, is thriving in coexistence with the agricultural activities of the region. According to a recent study, this population of birds is even out-performing their neighbors in pristine mountain habitat.

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One in two tree species in the Amazon could be endangered. Experts have revealed that, according to the predicted deforestation scenarios, 36% to 57% of Amazonian species are at risk of disappearing, i.e. up to 8,700 species out of the 15,000 estimated during the first inventory of the Amazonian Basin, published two years ago.

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The oldest known living bird in the world, a Laysan Albatross named Wisdom, has hatched her 40th chick this week. She is 65 years old.

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How embarrassing. The wishbone of a skeleton that was thought to be that of a previously undescribed giant raptor turned out to actually be a piece of turtle shell! I find it comforting somehow that very smart scientists can make a mistake. And admit it.

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Whooping Cranes that are captive-raised are being re-introduced in Louisiana as a non-migratory flock and they are thriving there at least in part thanks to their penchant for hunting reptiles and amphibians.

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In the 1990s, the western bumblebee (Bombus occidentalis) was swiftly declining in numbers and seemed headed for possible extinction. But there is good news. The bee has made a remarkable comeback and has begun to reemerge in areas where it had not been seen for the last ten years. Its continued existence seems safe, at least for now.

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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