This week in birds

This week in birds - #644

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

This is a Harpy Eagle, one of the largest and most powerful raptors in the world. It has a wingspan of 6.5 feet and talons the size of a grizzly's claws. Despite their size and strength, they are not known to be a threat to humans, but recently a woman in French Guiana was attacked by one. The woman was part of a tour group that it is thought may have interrupted the bird's hunt.

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Kerr County, Texas recently suffered devastating floods. It turns out that the voice that might have warned of danger had been silenced by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.

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You may recall the story of the Sycamore Gap tree that was chopped down by vandals in September 2023. Now a section of the tree is going on display in England.

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U.S. Customs and Border agents at the border crossing in San Diego recently discovered fourteen Keel-billed Toucans, a threatened species of bird that it is illegal to bring to the United States. They had been sedated and hidden inside a vehicle's dashboard. The officers were alerted by their dog that detected that something was amiss.

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Manas National Park in India had been ravaged by poachers but it is now experiencing a resurgence of several endangered species thanks to increased protections.

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Monarch butterflies in the West have now reached all the way into the state of Washington in their migration and it is hoped they will soon be producing a new generation of fliers.

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Scotty, the Tyrannosaurus rex, is teaching scientists about how its species may have healed from wounds.

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The golden oyster mushroom is a species native to Asia but it has found a new home around the Great Lakes. In fact, it has become so common there that it may soon crowd out native species of fungi.

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A previously unknown species of a tree-dwelling, lizard-like reptile has been identified by matching two halves of the same fossil stored at different museums.

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Analysis of another dinosaur fossil found in China has shown that it had a larynx capable of producing bird-like noises.

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The Trinity River in California has come a long way toward being restored, but advocates warn there is still a long way to go.

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And along the northwestern coast of the United States and Canada, an even greater effort is needed in order to save and conserve orcas.

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Human cases of pneumonic plague are uncommon in the United States but recently a patient in Arizona died from the disease.

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A study of Neanderthals has revealed that they may have had their own unique culinary traditions.

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An ancient rock carving in Egypt may represent an early ruler. The engraving could be as much as 5,100 years old.

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Scientists warn that deep-sea mining could have deleterious effects for the planet.

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The coconut rhinoceros beetle is a major threat to the coconut trees of Hawaii, trees that are so much a part of the state's landscape and cultural identity.

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The world's largest known turtle nesting site has been discovered in the Amazon.

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A Western Gull like this one hitched a ride on a garbage truck and took an 80 mile ride to a compost facility.

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A species of mite is devastating western honeybees, an essential part of American agriculture that pollinates more than 130 types of plants.

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Invertebrates, as well as other types of animals, need trade protections.

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There's a spot in Colorado where 100 million years ago male dinosaurs gathered to dance in hopes of impressing potential mates.

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Here are some amazing snake pictures.

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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