This week in birds

This week in birds - #559

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

Perhaps the most popular of backyard birds in North America - the Northern Cardinal, in this case, the showy male. But for my money, the more delicately colored female may be even more attractive.

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Southern Californians and Nevadans have had their hands more than full fighting wildfires recently.

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At one year old, the U.S. climate law is already having a major impact on encouraging the production of clean energy.

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The world is moving toward deep-sea mining and so far there are no rules to regulate it.

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Protecting krill will help to preserve the whole ecosystem of which they are a part.

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August is a great month to be a sky-watcher. With the Perseid meteor shower and not one but two "blue moons," there's a lot going on up there.

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Have the roles of women in the ancient world been misinterpreted? Since most of that interpretation has been done by men, I'd say there is a distinct possibility!

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It's winter in South America now but some areas are experiencing temperatures in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Otis the grizzly has returned to Katmai National Park in Alaska to feast on its salmon and that is good news to his many fans - if not to the salmon.

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In an urgent attempt to save Florida's coral from excessive heat in the ocean, teams are moving some of it out of the sea and into tanks where it can be protected.

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And scientists describe that ocean heat as "astonishing." It has set record highs this year. It seems that we are now in the era of "global boiling."

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It's winter in Antarctica but the production of sea ice is at a very concerning record low.

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As the production of sea ice diminishes, the sea level rises.

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One effort to repair damage to the environment involves rebuilding coral reefs.

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It is estimated that there are more than 900 at-risk species that still lack international trade protections.

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Power lines are a danger to birds but not because they might be electrocuted - because they might be shot while sitting on them.

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Jellyfish have been floating around Earth's oceans for a very long time. A 505 million-year-old fossil proves it.

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This is the Kākāpō, the world's only flightless parrot. It has teetered on the edge of extinction for decades, but efforts to save it have now resulted in its return to its native land of New Zealand.

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When I studied world history in college (about a hundred years ago), we learned about the "Fertile Crescent." Sadly, it seems that it has now become the infertile crescent.

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But there is actually some good news; Amazon deforestation has fallen by more than 60% compared to last July.

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And date palms are absolutely thriving in Arizona's desert heat.

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This is the gorgeous ‘Apapane, a bird of Hawaii and the American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week.

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The Blackfeet tribe has been instrumental in returning the American buffalo, the bison, to its native habitat.

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Fall migration is already underway and the Purple Martins are gathering in Nashville.

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President Biden has designated a new national monument near the Grand Canyon, an action that will prevent uranium mining there.

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An ancient whale may have been the heaviest animal ever to exist on the planet. And in our own time, three humpback whales recently put on a remarkable ballet for the videographers.

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Conservation efforts are facing a funding shortage but three bills in Congress could help close the gap.

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In our admiration for butterflies, we risk unappreciating their cousins, the moths.

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Hydrothermal vents in the ocean are habitats for some of the weirdest animals on Earth.

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Why would you want to attract bats to your yard? Why wouldn't you? They are amazing and useful creatures.

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Finally, a man in Kansas planted more than a million sunflowers as a 50th-anniversary gift to his wife. I like his thinking!

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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