This week in birds

This week in birds - #654

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

This is the Rough-legged Hawk, a bird that breeds in the Arctic and subarctic regions of the world and migrates south during the winter months. During nonbreeding months, the birds migrate to a wide swath of the mid-section of North America. Some even get as far south as north and west Texas and northern Mexico. It's unlikely that the migrating hawks would get as far south as southeast Texas so I won't be expecting to see one in my backyard! This magnificent bird is the American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week.

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It seems that we humans are having an effect on animal evolution.

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U.S. rivers are heating up in an unprecedented way.

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At least fifteen of the world's important archaeological sites are being threatened by the effects of climate change.

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And speaking of archaeological sites, archaeologists have uncovered the treasure-filled tomb of the first known ruler of the Maya city of Caracol in Belize.

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A trio of leopard sharks has been observed mating in the wild for the first time and a snorkeling scientist was able to catch the event on video.

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It's not only humans that have to dodge New York traffic; whales that swim offshore also have to dodge the many ships and boats in the area.

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The Chicago River was once a filthy mess but after a massive clean-up people are now swimming in it once again.

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Researchers counted the growth rings of the Sycamore Gap tree that two men illegally chopped down and they learned that it was 100 to 120 years old.

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The bird in the middle is the first known hybrid offspring of a mating between a male Blue Jay and female Green Jay. The mating occurred in the San Antonio area of Texas where the ranges of the two species overlap.

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It appears that our planet has a "quasi-moon," a celestial body that shares our orbit around the sun.

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The Marbled Murrelet nests in old-growth trees and those are getting harder to find. That is a problem for the continued existence of this tiny seabird.

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Eco-grazing is becoming a popular way to clear out unwanted overgrowth and that's where the goats come in.

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A jaguar in Brazil has set a new record for the longest known swim by the species.

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You do not want to be outside during a lightning storm. Just this week, two elk hunters in Colorado were struck and killed.

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Orcas normally swim in groups but it seems there is one in the North Atlantic that prefers to swim alone.

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Could beavers be allies in helping to fight forest fires?

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Chimpanzees, it turns out, love fermented fruit and they may consume as much as the equivalent of 2.5 alcoholic drinks a day by eating it.

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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