The Nature of Things

  A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment : Baby Burrowing Owls trying to make sense of the world. I know just how they feel. *~*~*~* Canada is burning . Hundreds of people have been evacuated in the westernmost province of British Columbia where many blazes are out of control. *~*~*~* And firefighters must attempt to do their jobs on some of the hottest days on record . The planet broke its all-time heat record two days in a row. *~*~*~* In red-hot Texas, a number of people have died after Hurricane Beryl left them without power for an extended period. (Which calls to mind the question of how humans lived here before air conditioning was available.)  *~*~*~* It should not be a surprise that humans and chimpanzees share fundamental features of communication that date back as far as their ancient common ancestor.  *~*~*~* Scientists studying Jurassic Age small mammals have found that those critters lived slow and died old unlike many of their descendants today

I've been looking back through my blog history recently contemplating some of the topics I've covered, book reviews that I've written, and how the blog has evolved over the years. While scrolling through posts, I came upon this one which reminded me of the book that was published in 2018 and how much I enjoyed it.  *~*~*~* Presidio by Randy Kennedy September 17, 2018 Lee Child did not steer me wrong. I read his glowing  review of Randy Kennedy's first novel  in the  Times  and knew that I had to read that book.  He did not exaggerate.  Presidio  is a terrific example of Texas noir, with an engaging and somewhat unexpected main character who is a professional car thief. The novel is set in the Staked Plains and borderlands of West Texas in the early 1970s. Among the best things about the book - among a wide choice of very good things - were the photograph-like descriptions of that arid and spare but beautiful landscape of flat plains rolling into mountains, and country r

I spent much of Saturday afternoon in my backyard watching butterflies come and go. Gulf Fritillaries, Yellow Sulphurs, Giant Swallowtails, Black Swallowtails, the occasional Monarchs... So many different kinds and all of them beautiful. Then I went inside to search for a poem to feature in this post and what should catch my eye but this poem? Serendipity, you are my friend and ally!   To a Butterfly  by William Wordsworth I’ve watched you now a full half-hour, Self-poised upon that yellow flower; And, little Butterfly! Indeed I know not if you sleep or feed. How motionless! – not frozen seas More motionless! And then What joy awaits you, when the breeze Hath found you out among the trees, And calls you forth again! This plot of orchard-ground is ours; My trees they are, my Sister’s flowers. Here rest your wings when they are weary; Here lodge as in a sanctuary! Come often to us, fear no wrong; Sit near us on the bough! We’ll talk of sunshine and of song, And summer days when we were y

A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment :  Typical Barn   Cliff Swallow nests under a bridge. *~*~*~* Most birds seek to avoid hurricanes but one seabird actually flies straight into them. *~*~*~* Maryland is trying a unique method for getting rid of invasive fish; it is encouraging people to eat them ! *~*~*~* A carcass of the world's rarest whale has washed up on a New Zealand, affording scientists a golden opportunity to dissect and study it. *~*~*~* A sea-level rise has driven the Key Largo tree cactus to extinction. *~*~*~* The Xerces blue butterfly went extinct in San Francisco in the 1940s but now scientists are releasing a closely related species in the area in an effort to establish it there. *~*~*~* Houston is called the Bayou City and when hurricanes pass through it sometimes becomes more bayou than city . *~*~*~* Climate change affects insects in myriad ways , including their colors and their sex lives.  *~*~*~* Even Afghanistan's Taliban

I was reading an article in The New York Times  today regarding the best books of the 21st century and one of the book critics quoted there referred to Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar. It sparked my own memory of reading that book and my appreciation of it. The book did not make the NYT list, but I gave it a rare 5-star rating. Here is my review. *~*~*~* January 19, 2021   This book had not been on my radar at all until I read President Barack Obama's annual list of the best books of the year. This title appeared as one of his favorites. That was a sufficient recommendation for me and I put it on my list. As I started reading it though I found myself very confused. I had understood that it was a novel and yet it read exactly like an autobiography/memoir. Had I been mistaken? But there it is right on the cover - "a novel." I looked at Goodreads and discovered that I was not alone in my confusion. A number of other readers had thought they were reading a memoir. The book,

So the Orange One has spoken and his Chosen One for running mate is J.D. Vance. Vance wrote a memoir a few years ago called Hillbilly Elegy and I read it and reviewed it here. In honor of his new status, here is that review. *~*~*~* Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance: A review February 27, 2019 I have resisted reading this book. It wasn't really hard. I don't usually read memoirs or biographies, so I wasn't particularly tempted. Plus, I wrote my own (metaphorical) hillbilly elegy long ago and wasn't really interested in reading somebody else's. Yes, I grew up as a hillbilly, too. But my "hills" were several hundred miles south of the ones in Kentucky/Ohio that J.D. Vance called home. My heritage, though, is much the same Scots-Irish ancestry and culture as his. Moreover, the rural community where I grew up was poor as Vance says his was. However, based on his descriptions of his family's holdings and income, they would likely have been considered middle-cl

It's not quite July 31 yet but some queen ants and their lovers are on the move. And anyway, "it's flying ant day in my heart if nowhere else." Love Song, 31st July by Richard Osmond Today the queen ant and her lovers took their nuptial flight, scattering upwards like a handful of cracked black peppercorns thrown in the face of a bear, the bear being in this case a simile for the population of Lewisham and Hither Green. There is an increasingly common assertion online that the winged of every ant nest in Britain take off on the same bright morning. This says less about ants than it does about the state of media in which we place ourselves: connected enough to hear and repeat all claims and verify some, yet prone to confirmation bias owing to algorithms which favour new expressions of that which we already hold to be true. Myth moves in step with commerce. When merchant ships arrived once per season from the Orient they brought silk and saffron and stories of dog-sized

A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment :  Step into my backyard these days and you will hear a chorus of the "song" of these guys - cicadas. They are everywhere in the trees around our yard. This one decided to rest for a bit on the ground under a tree. *~*~*~* The big stories this week have mostly involved the record hot temperatures that have occurred right around the world.  *~*~*~* The heat in the Las Vegas area broke records and stunned even the forecasters there.  *~*~*~* In fact, the average global temperature has now warmed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial records for twelve months in a row.  *~*~*~* Here in the Houston area, we've had the added problems caused by Hurricane Beryl which left thousands without electricity during the sweltering heat. (Personal note: Our power came back relatively quickly. Some are still without. As one born and raised in the South, I can take the heat; it's when the power goes off in winter when

Just a quick post for those who have expressed concerns about our safety regarding  Hurricane Beryl. We are safe and suffered no serious property damage, just rain and wind. Things are getting back to normal and I'm hoping to get back to my regular posts soon. Thank you for your concern.

Mary Elizabeth Frye, an American housewife and florist, wrote this twelve-line poem in 1932. She was inspired to write it because of a young Jewish girl who was staying with her household at the time and was unable to visit her dying mother in Germany because of the anti-Semitic unrest there. It is a heartfelt work that, according to the story, was originally written on a brown paper bag.  Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep by Mary Elizabeth Frye   Do not stand at my grave and weep I am not there. I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning's hush I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry; I am not there. I did not die.

  A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment : The American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week is one of the most handsome of the heron/egret family in my opinion. It is the Black-crowned Night Heron , a bird found in wetlands all over North America. *~*~*~* There have been shark attacks on humans along the southern coast from Florida to Texas recently. *~*~*~* My favorite visit to the Houston Museum of Natural Science was when we went to see Lucy, the ancient hominin discovered in Ethiopia fifty years ago, when she was on her world tour. Lucy remains one of the most notable discoveries in human paleontology. *~*~*~* Homosexuality is not something that exists only in humans; it has been widely observed in animal behavior as well. *~*~*~* Cave paintings found in Indonesia have been dated to 51,200 years ago , making them the oldest known such paintings. *~*~*~* Flying hippos? Yes, that is really a thing ! *~*~*~* In order to protect endangered Northern Spott

Like the poet Philip Larkin, I, too, am summer-born and I confess an affinity for the season. I don't even mind the heat and humidity so much - well, as long as there is air conditioning or a shade to retire to! Moreover, I rather enjoy the drama of summer thunderstorms. Indeed summer days seem to me to be "emblems of perfect happiness." Mother, Summer, I by Philip Larkin My mother, who hates thunder storms, Holds up each summer day and shakes It out suspiciously, lest swarms Of grape-dark clouds are lurking there; But when the August weather breaks And rains begin, and brittle frost Sharpens the bird-abandoned air, Her worried summer look is lost, And I her son, though summer-born And summer-loving, none the less Am easier when the leaves are gone Too often summer days appear Emblems of perfect happiness I can't confront: I must await A time less bold, less rich, less clear: An autumn more appropriate.

A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment :  This white buffalo (bison) calf was born recently in Yellowstone National Park. For the Lakota people it is seen as the fulfillment of a prophecy .  *~*~*~* The Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia has proved extremely deadly this year because of the extreme heat. At least 1300 people have died due to heat-related factors. *~*~*~* For those who live in areas not strongly affected by city lights, the coming weeks offer some prime summer night sky viewing interest . *~*~*~* A rise in wildfires is being driven by the effects of climate change. *~*~*~* Many wild things have adapted to living in our cities. *~*~*~*  Colombia is a bird-watchers paradise and, now that a peace deal between warring parties there has been agreed to, it is expected that more birders will be making trips to the country. *~*~*~* Marine life traffickers are busily smuggling corals into the country.  *~*~*~* Traffickers are far from the only hazard fac