This week in birds

This week in birds - #383

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

I haven't actually seen a Cedar Waxwing in my neighborhood yet this season. This picture is from a previous year. No doubt they are in the area even though I haven't seen them. They normally arrive around Christmastime or a little earlier some years. I expect to encounter them any day now.

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The New York City Council has implemented a landmark decision requiring high rise buildings in the city to employ bird-friendly construction using glass that will deter the birds from flying into it. The city joins cities like San Francisco and Oakland that already have such regulations in effect. It is hoped that others will follow suit.

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There were at least 540 oil spills in Louisiana related to damage from Hurricane Katrina and so far the oil companies responsible have largely evaded accountability for the damage and cleanup.

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A new poll by the Environmental Voter Project found that the climate and environment are the top priorities of 14% of registered voters. This represents a more than doubling of rating these concerns as number one. In the 2016 presidential election, these were the top priorities of 2% to 6% of voters.

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The endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow population has received a big boost with the release of 100 captive-reared sparrows into their natural environment.

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A search in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian hit has found that at least some of the endangered Bahama Parrots survived. The searchers also so found Bahama Mockingbirds, Smooth-billed Anis, Bahama Woodstars, and shorebirds, including Piping Plovers, among other expected species.

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As coyotes continue to expand their range, they are expected to move into South America.

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Can Island Scrub-Jays in California help to replant forests after recent fires? A research project there is studying the feasibility of such an undertaking.

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Microplastic pollution is raining down on city dwellers. The health impacts of breathing or consuming the tiny plastic particles are unknown, and experts say urgent study is needed to assess the risks. Research has revealed that London has the highest levels yet recorded.

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Despite all efforts to protect them, a record number of manatees, a total of 129, were killed by boaters in Florida in 2019. This was four more than the previous record set in 2018.

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Efforts to restore wetland habitats in Uganda are succeeding and that is good news for the country's national bird, the Gray-crowned Crane (also known as the Crested Crane). Moreover, local communities are being involved in efforts to protect and encourage the crane population with the result that the numbers which had fallen sharply now seem to have stabilized.

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The brutal heat wave that has Australia in its grip is having a devastating effect on the wildlife there and also on domestic livestock.

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The Chinese Crested Tern was long thought to be extinct, but in fact, it does still exist in the wild. However, it is critically endangered and little is known about its migratory habits. Researchers are tracking the birds by satellite in order to try to learn more about them and be able to better protect them.

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The delta smelt is a tiny fish that hovers on the brink of extinction. Now the loosening of regulations that protect it, as proposed by the current administration in Washington, may finally push it over that brink.

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Western Ground Parrot

A wildfire in Western Australia threatened the last refuge of the critically endangered Western Ground Parrot but the prevailing weather has helped to spare it so far.

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Finally, it is easy to become depressed by all the bad news about the state of the environment, but let us never forget the dedicated scientists, conservationists, and ordinary citizens who work tirelessly to stem the tide of destruction and extinction. And they have their successes! Here are ten success stories that are worth celebrating as we bid this year farewell.

One of those success stories is the beautiful little Kirtland's Warbler that was one of the first species to be added to the Endangered Species List. This year scientists deemed its population sufficiently recovered to be removed from the list. It is no longer endangered!

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: 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. ...

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 ...

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