This week in birds

This week in birds - #519

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

At certain times of the year, Common Grackles are prominent in my yard, but just now I seldom see them here. This one is a rarity who appears to be in the middle of his molt. His beak is open in response to the heat which still lingers in the upper 90 degrees Fahrenheit every day.

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Pakistan has been suffering from floods that have killed more than 1500 people in that country. A study of the floods has linked them to climate change.

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Poor nations are asking the United Nations to consider a global tax to pay for human-caused climate-led loss and damage.

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In this country, California is still suffering a punishing drought and has instituted rules regarding water usage, but it seems that some ranchers are ignoring those rules.

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Smoke from wildfires in the West has the potential to reverse much of the progress that has been made in recent years toward cleaner air.

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How many ants would you say there are on this planet? Researchers are estimating 2.5 million for every human on Earth.

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Lithium is an indispensable ingredient in electric car batteries and it is in short supply, but there is a mine in Quebec that might be able to help.

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This is the Bar-tailed Godwit, the bird that holds the long-distance flying record. The bird makes the 7,000-mile non-stop flight between Alaska and New Zealand twice a year.

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Incredibly, regulators are allowing states to spread toxic sewage sludge containing "forever chemicals" even though they have in some instances poisoned water and ruined livelihoods.

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Researchers found a unique and clever way to study ancient mariners: They built a replica of the ship that had been sailed by those seafarers and sailed it themselves.

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And speaking of clever, I give you raccoons!

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The January eruption of the Tonga volcano that sent water vapor into the stratosphere is expected to have a slight, though likely temporary, warming effect on the planet's climate.

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In yet another negative effect of the warming climate, it may be responsible for helping to spread a brain-eating amoeba that lives in warm fresh water.

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Miami Beach is suffering from an invasion of non-native iguanas and some want to fight the problem by putting a bounty on the critters to have the public bring them in, dead or alive.

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Those who have read and enjoyed Shelby Van Pelt's novel Remarkably Bright Creatures will likely appreciate this story about how octopuses hunt.

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Despite the Colorado River bordering more than 100 miles of land belonging to the Hualapai tribe, the tribe is unable to take water from it.

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The mayfly is the world's oldest winged insect and it is in trouble. They are among Nature's best environmental sentinels so maybe we should pay attention to what they are telling us.

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Honeybees have been in trouble for a few years now, but there may be a better and healthier way for beekeepers to house them that could help.

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Island nations that are in danger of being swamped by rising seas caused by climate change are proposing an initiative that they hope will help.

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A mystery ancient "alien goldfish" that swam some 330 million years ago was similar to modern sea slugs, according to paleontologists.

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I love spiders. They are endlessly fascinating critters and here's one that is especially interesting.

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The Senate finally this week ratified a global climate treaty that would phase down the use of hydroflourocarbons that help to trap heat in the atmosphere.

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The changing quality of light beginning in September is our clue that autumn is almost here even if the thermometer hasn't yet got the message. Margaret Renkl has an appreciation of this time of year.

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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