The Nature of Things

  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 . *~*~*~* It seems that we humans are having an effect on animal evolution . *~*~*~* U.S. rivers are heating up in an unprecedented way . *~*~*~* At least fifteen of the world's important archaeological sites are being threatened by the effects of climate change. *~*~*~* And speaking of archaeological sites, archaeologists have uncovered the treasure-filled tomb of the first known ruler of t...

Monday is the first day of autumn, probably the best season of the year where I live - barring hurricanes, of course. Let's celebrate the season along with Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Autumn Song by Dante Gabriel Rossetti  Know'st thou not at the fall of the leaf How the heart feels a languid grief Laid on it for a covering, And how sleep seems a goodly thing In Autumn at the fall of the leaf? And how the swift beat of the brain Falters because it is in vain, In Autumn at the fall of the leaf Knowest thou not? and how the chief Of joys seems—not to suffer pain? Know'st thou not at the fall of the leaf How the soul feels like a dried sheaf Bound up at length for harvesting, And how death seems a comely thing In Autumn at the fall of the leaf?

  A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment : The American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week for this week is a bird that spends its summers in the central part of the United States, continuing down into Mexico and Central America. It is the sweet little  Bell's Vireo , a bird that prefers thick cover near water and thus is often heard more than seen. It has a large range and its population is increasing, but it is threatened by the loss of its preferred riparian habitat.  *~*~*~* A team of over sixty international scientists published a report this week that indicates that climate change is accelerating . *~*~*~* And in other bad news , in an average week in 2024, three environmental defenders were murdered or disappeared. *~*~*~*                                                                 ...

I've featured this poem here before but here it is again. So sue me! I actually like the poem quite a lot. I particularly like the image in the first stanza of the "unloved year" turning on its hinge. This year, which goodness knows has given me little reason to love it, will be turning on its hinge in a few days as the seasons change and we head into its last quarter. I can only hope that in these last three months the year's "agitation of the air" and "perturbation of the light" might finally redeem 2025 for me and give me a reason to remember it with fondness. End of Summer by Stanley Kunitz  An agitation of the air, A perturbation of the light Admonished me the unloved year Would turn on its hinge that night.   I stood in the disenchanted field Amid the stubble and the stones, Amazed, while a small worm lisped to me The song of my marrow-bones.   Blue poured into summer blue, A hawk broke from his cloudless tower, The roof of the silo blazed, a...

  A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment : Is there any bird that is more adorable than the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher ?  I always look forward to my first sighting of these little sprites in the spring. They spend their winters south of us, all the way down to Central America. Some supposedly even spend their winters around here (in Southeast Texas) although I've never actually seen one until early spring. Their population is increasing and, goodness knows, the world could always use more Blue-gray Gnatcatchers! This little bird is the American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week . *~*~*~* From a list of monumentally bad ideas, the EPA has chosen to approve four new pesticides that qualify as PFAS ("forever chemicals") . *~*~*~* The U. S. has banned some foreign fish imports and that could help conserve marine mammals worldwide. *~*~*~* Maybe we need to think differently about animal intelligence and acknowledge that there is much we don't kno...