A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment:
The American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week is the Red-naped Sapsucker, a bird of the forest that, true to its name, relies upon sap as its staple food source. It prefers deciduous or mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, especially areas with aspen groves or riparian habitat with thin-barked deciduous trees. Its population is increasing in these areas and its conservation status is of least concern at present. This is a bird of North America and can be found in parts of western Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
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The administration in Washington continues to take a wrecking ball to government services. This week it hit the Preventive Services Task Force, firing two of its members.
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Do you drink bottled water? The plastic bottle may pose a hazard to your health.
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Warblers are some of the most beautiful and colorful birds that we have in North America. Here are some hints about how to attract them to your yard.
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And here are the fifty warbler species that you could potentially see/attract.
A powerful El Niño appears to be forming in the Pacific. Its effect could be devastating.
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The saga of Timmy, the humpbacked whale that had gotten stranded off the German coast, had a sad ending.
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The Great Pyramid of Giza has stood for 4,600 years, a testament to the skill of ancient Egyptian architects and engineers.
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Africa is slowly breaking a part. The rift in East Africa may cause that section to break off from the continent sooner than had previously been thought.
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The war on Iran has placed the world's most endangered big cat, the Asiatic cheetah, in peril.
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Portland, Oregon, a forward-thinking city, has embraced solar power as a way to reduce emissions and lower energy bills.
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Researchers have found that beluga whales are able to recognize themselves in mirrors.
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A 2,000-year-old mummy has been found with a papyrus fragment of the Homeric epic, The Iliad, sealed in a clay packet outside its wrappings.
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A gray wolf has been sighted in Sequoia National Park in California for the first time in over a hundred years, more evidence that California's growing wolf population is expanding into new territory.
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The Environmental Protection Agency (which seems to have abandoned the "protection" part of its name) is planning to rescind drinking water standards for four of the "forever chemicals".
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Here's the Weather Channel's outlook for summer temperatures in the United States and, no surprise, it looks like my part of the world may be hotter than usual.
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And in more news from where I live, this summer solar power will be overtaking coal on the Texas power grid. Might as well take advantage of all that sunlight!
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Good morning, Dorothy. Thank you for the roundup. One of the interesting things I have done in my life is to stand high on a mountain crag in Ethiopia above the Rift Valley, having the fact that the continent is slowly ripping apart explained by an expert in such matters. I see that the process continues apace! I have also seen Whooping Cranes and they are indeed magnificent. Two positive strikes this morning! My third would be the sighting of a Grey Wolf in Sequoia National Park. Now if you could arrange régime change in your country that would cap my day! Best wishes - David
ReplyDeleteI do so envy you the experience of seeing the Rift Valley. I look forward to the Whoopers' return to our Gulf Coast each year and, whenever possible, take the occasion to go visit them there. As for regime change, well, we're working on it...
DeleteThere are so many beautiful warblers in America - the variety of colours and patterning is quite astonishing. The story of Timmy the humpback whale was sad.
ReplyDeleteWe are indeed blessed with a plethora of warblers. We look forward to their return in the spring. They stay with us throughout the summer months and by the end of September, most of them have headed back to South America to grace the gardens, forests, and byways there.
DeleteAs much as I love the idea of a warmer summer on the Oregon coast, we need rain. The fire season is predicted to be terrible, which is a big worry for those of us who live in forests.
ReplyDeleteI think we get warblers in our area, but I'm not positive. I was happy to see two eagles, numerous blue heron, and a kingfisher this past week while camping in Port Townsend. I never tire of seeing those three!
Here's hoping you get that rain! I'm sure you do get some warblers passing through at least. I'm not sure if any stay with you for the summer, but the eagles, herons, and kingfishers are always a welcome sight, too .
DeleteI'm very worried about the El Nino in the Pacific ... and what that means for here and the West. More fire more smoke more burning up. I keep hoping it won't happen!
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed worrisome and we shall see how it plays out. All we can do is hope for the best I suppose.
DeleteI have been delighted to see a few warblers in my yard. And I was amazed to hear all the warblers in Georgia last week, including a lot of Hooded Warblers and Black-and-White Warblers. I think some must nest there.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt some do nest there. Around here, the only warblers that I am aware of that nest are the Pine Warbler and Black-and-White Warbler. Over the years, we often had them nest in our neighborhood but I haven't actually seen any here this year.
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