This week in birds - #671

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

A bird of the West, the Anna's Hummingbird is the American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week. The little bird can primarily be found along the Central, Southern, and Baja California Coast but its range has expanded northward along the Pacific Coast and eastward into the Desert Southwest. Though common and adaptable, the species is still vulnerable to outdoor cats and untreated windows which are its two main threats.

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In yet another act of alarming stupidity, the current administration in Washington has agreed to pay nearly one billion of our tax dollars to cancel plans to build wind farms off the East Coast.

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The skies above North America have been visited by a string of dazzling meteors recently.  

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North American bird lovers are fortunate indeed to have had the dedication of this particular "motley crew."

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Have we had it all wrong about that famous eruption of Mt. Vesuvius?

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It seems that we may have been somewhat wrong about climate change as well; it appears to be accelerating.

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Monarch butterflies continue their flight northward to their summer homes.

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In one of Earth's wettest places, indigenous people build bridges and ladders out of living tree roots.

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Horseshoe crab blood has long been used to help make safe medicines but, in a breakthrough for this ancient animal, alternatives are being found.

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Two new DNA studies suggest that domesticated dogs were widespread in western Eurasia more than 14,000 years ago.

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A new exhibit at the Toledo Museum of Art is exploring how ancient cultures used magic to help them navigate life's challenges.

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It seems that Moby Dick may have had it right about the sperm whales and their head-butting. (It's very satisfying to me to write that sentence about this book that mesmerized me in my college freshman literature class!)

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A newly discovered spider species in the Ecuadoran Amazon mimics a pathogen to protect itself. Nature never ceases to amaze. 

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Could the reintroduction of fish traps on the Columbia River where they have been banned for nearly a century actually help save the salmon?

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Archaeologists have discovered a mystery at an ancient gravesite in Dijon; there are thirteen sets of human bones all apparently buried upright and facing west. 

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Researchers have discovered that, historically, the manatee's permanent home was in the Caribbean and they visited Florida, like so many others, as tourists. 

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March 6 was the 190th anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo, a very famous date and battle in Texas history, and archaeologists recently discovered an intact cannonball believed to have been fired by the Mexican army in the siege leading up to the battle.

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This lovely little flower is the snowdrop, or Galanthus, and it is blooming now. Admirers gather each year in Pennsylvania to celebrate its endurance. 

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I always knew there was something I liked about Sean Bean other than his obvious - ahem - attributes. It turns out he is a fellow birder! I'd certainly be happy to listen to him talk about birds.