tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35608383354142445112024-03-18T18:31:11.271-05:00The Nature of ThingsBooks, gardens, birds, the environment, politics, or whatever happens to be grabbing my attention today. Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.comBlogger3898125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-17267905915302039852024-03-16T22:13:00.000-05:002024-03-16T22:13:07.976-05:00Poetry Sunday: St. Patrick's Day: With an Irish Shamrock by Charlotte Elizabeth Tonna<div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Happy St. Patrick's Day to all who celebrate it...and even those who don't! And here's a poem for you from almost a hundred years ago in honor of this day.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b>St. Patrick's Day: With an Irish Shamrock</b></span><div><br /></div><div><i>by Charlotte Elizabeth Tonna</i><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> From the region of zephyrs, the Emerald isle,<br /> The land of thy birth, in my freshness I come,<br />To waken this long-cherished morn with a smile,</span><div class="o-vr o-vr_12x" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 60px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="c-feature" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.231; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="c-feature-bd" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="o-poem isActive" data-view="PoemView" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> And breathe o’er thy spirit the whispers of home.<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">O welcome the stranger from Erin’s green sod;<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> I sprang where the bones of thy fathers repose,<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I grew where thy free step in infancy trod,<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> Ere the world threw around thee its wiles and its woes.<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> But sprightlier themes<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> Enliven the dreams,<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">My dew-dropping leaflets unfold to impart:<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> To loftiest emotion<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> Of patriot devotion,<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I wake the full chord of an Irishman’s heart.<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The rose is expanding her petals of pride,<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> And points to the laurels o’erarching her tree;<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">And the hardy Bur-thistle stands rooted beside,<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> And sternly demands;—Who dare meddle wi’ me?<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">And bright are the garlands they jointly display,<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> In death-fields of victory gallantly got;<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">But let the fair sisters their trophies array,<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> And show us the wreath where the shamrock is not!<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> By sea and by land,<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> With bullet and brand,<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">My sons have directed the stormbolt of war;<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> The banners ye boast,<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> Ne’er waved o’er our host,<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Unfanned by the accents of Erin-go-bragh!<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Erin mavourneen! dark is thy night;<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> Deep thy forebodings and gloomy thy fears;<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">And O, there are bosoms with savage delight<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> Who laugh at thy plainings and scoff at thy tears!<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">But, Erin mavourneen, bright are the names<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> Who twine with the heart-vein thy fate in their breast;<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">And scorned be the lot of the dastard, who shames<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> To plant, as a trophy, this leaf on his crest!<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> Thrice trebled disgrace<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> His honours deface,<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Who shrinks from proclaiming the isle of his birth!<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> Though lowly its stem,<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> This emerald gem<br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Mates with the proudest that shadow the earth!</span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><em style="border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Sandhurst, March 17, 1827</em><br /></span></div></div></div></div></div><div class="o-grid" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="o-grid-col o-grid-col_10of12" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; float: left; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: 638.362px;"><div class="o-vr_4x" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><ul class="c-socialBlocks c-socialBlocks_shrinkWrapped" data-view="ShareView" style="border: 1px solid rgb(226, 226, 226); display: inline-flex; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="js-shareTwitter" href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/53978/st-patricks-day-with-an-irish-shamrock#" style="align-items: center; border: 0px; color: black; display: flex; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 40px; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.25s cubic-bezier(0.215, 0.61, 0.355, 1) 0s; vertical-align: baseline; width: 40px;"></a></li><li style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-left-style: solid; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 0px 1px; font-size: 27.5px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></li></span></ul></div></div></div></div>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-48831806831186485312024-03-15T21:18:00.000-05:002024-03-15T21:18:22.196-05:00This week in birds - #583<p> <b><u>A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment</u></b>:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhh-QSKNJ_Oi6h5mkNThJtODvOvwS9Na-6q3DCAk-fhszJhte6xNof-SKhY1IT0FTScV8e-mIWrg8QywGz2X9vNkYyXHr499yzHYbGPf-AfB4P3EPXS0tsxEKW26dyeGCy90gOSOAJV-xkXV1KCD5ux8VP2vHUy4mbhtlbHUrycUVg7N-BSVmp0toFcy9EV" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="719" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhh-QSKNJ_Oi6h5mkNThJtODvOvwS9Na-6q3DCAk-fhszJhte6xNof-SKhY1IT0FTScV8e-mIWrg8QywGz2X9vNkYyXHr499yzHYbGPf-AfB4P3EPXS0tsxEKW26dyeGCy90gOSOAJV-xkXV1KCD5ux8VP2vHUy4mbhtlbHUrycUVg7N-BSVmp0toFcy9EV=w400-h384" width="400" /></a></div>An <b>American Goldfinch</b> has a snack of crape myrtle seeds.<p></p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>You are not imagining it; <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/interactive/2024/winter-temperature-warming-city-data-climate-change/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f007">winters are getting warmer</a></b>. It's true of the oceans as well where the Great Barrier Reef has <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/03/13/great-barrier-reef-coral-bleaching/">suffered a fatal heat wave</a></b>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Humans share many characteristics with whales. It turns out that <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/13/science/whale-menopause.html">one of the things</a></b> we share is menopause.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>For the first time in its documented history, Toronto has a <b><a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-has-its-first-bald-eagle-nest-in-recorded-history-heres-why-you-havent-seen/article_3da9784e-dd66-11ee-a72b-df4b4359c826.html?emci=df9d8158-8ee1-ee11-85f9-002248223848&emdi=a6257d09-03e2-ee11-aaf0-002248223197&ceid=166076">pair of Bald Eagles nesting</a></b> there.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Size dimorphism of the sexes is a <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/12/science/mammals-size-male-female.html">common trait of mammals</a></b> but it isn't always the males that are bigger.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Plant <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/interactive/2024/climate-change-backyards-plants-birds-migration/?itid=hp_opinions_p002_f002">hardiness zones are changing</a></b> as the climate changes.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>When England's famed "Sycamore Gap" tree was chopped down by vandals, <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2024/03/12/sycamore-gap-tree-seeds-growing/">scientists sprung into action</a></b> to try to ensure that the tree would have a second life.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>The Biden administration <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/03/14/greater-sage-grouse-biden-plan/">has issued a draft proposal</a></b> to provide protections for the imperiled <b>Greater Sage Grouse</b>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Some endangered <b><a href="https://www.post-gazette.com/life/outdoors/2024/03/10/bat-population-pa-game-commission-white-nose-syndrome/stories/202403060066?emci=df9d8158-8ee1-ee11-85f9-002248223848&emdi=a6257d09-03e2-ee11-aaf0-002248223197&ceid=166076">bats are making a comeback</a></b>, thanks to their friends, the scientists.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p><b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2024/mar/15/british-wildlife-photography-awards-in-pictures">Here are some winners</a></b> of British wildlife photography awards.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIHpKy9pMO-5mwGIIdxtHsB4-9gz1yGEdJAaGkjDsoSXuhOUgHwAgcISq7_6BpyKwyfqXYIUFfg8kS4jpAetlUGIQQh4x6aX-fG-6Wzx0bWhjrqw8auA_yGtuR-s3m_dnkPOaSNB4s6FuKUpy5_IVFAf67VmAQ5FP08B_twnamDKGATAQtnx44nBoZwaZI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="1024" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIHpKy9pMO-5mwGIIdxtHsB4-9gz1yGEdJAaGkjDsoSXuhOUgHwAgcISq7_6BpyKwyfqXYIUFfg8kS4jpAetlUGIQQh4x6aX-fG-6Wzx0bWhjrqw8auA_yGtuR-s3m_dnkPOaSNB4s6FuKUpy5_IVFAf67VmAQ5FP08B_twnamDKGATAQtnx44nBoZwaZI=w640-h414" width="640" /></a></div>This is the <b><a href="https://abcbirds.org/bird/green-parakeet/?utm_campaign=botw&utm_medium=email&utm_source=botw&contactdata=HU6L+tReE4n1xLydggLBINX0xyAZVKtvhewtH8Ct8MVXwW+E7qIzP4ocmlF33bWN7sMhkfwBoYi4Aww2D974U4ARwWS6iPWOgRwIlcd2Fk9bovFfoXB9tdywfiWZf8jJZEIwmywF0S3onkAqyDvn6nSu1t+O5o+owJ75TwYL77W2Z8EvtKfUsusmaOWrjzVatYquYu0vHb7vac04X5q%2fBvsQf3sbzm7lGyKTQFy%2fx%2fXhCooHi+%2fv1X9hf4nx+QT2&ms=em_botw_031524&omcampaign=em_botw_031524&omhide=true&emci=d54a83c1-86e0-ee11-85fb-002248223794&emdi=8f1ca735-d9e2-ee11-aaf0-002248223794&ceid=190080">American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week</a></b>. It is the <b>Green Parakeet</b>, a native of Mexico and Central America.<p></p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>When it comes to the methane released by oil fields, it is even <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/13/climate/oil-gas-industry-methane-release.html">worse than we knew</a></b>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>It seems that <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/world/australia/snakes-climate-change.html">business is booming</a></b> for Australia's snake catchers.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>An <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/13/seven-times-size-of-manhattan-the-african-tree-planting-project-making-a-difference">African tree planting project</a></b> is making a difference for the environment and for the people who live in it.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>There is an effort underway to <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/09/colorado-legislation-reintroduce-wolverines">reintroduce wolverines</a></b> to the Colorado wilderness.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p><b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2024/03/09/climate-tree-loss-lizard-threat/">Deforestation and climate change</a></b> are putting many of North America's lizard species in peril. </p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Playing thriving reef sounds can <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/13/playing-thriving-reef-sounds-underwater-speakers-save-damaged-corals">encourage coral larvae to settle</a></b> on degraded reefs.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>The Oregon Outback is the <b><a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/travel/2024/03/oregon-outback-is-now-the-largest-dark-sky-sanctuary-in-the-world.html?emci=df9d8158-8ee1-ee11-85f9-002248223848&emdi=a6257d09-03e2-ee11-aaf0-002248223197&ceid=166076">largest Dark Sky Sanctuary</a></b> in the world.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>This coral reef shouldn't really exist but <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/15/canada-moves-to-protect-coral-reef-that-scientists-say-shouldnt-exist">Nature will find a way</a></b>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Margaret Renkl writes of the <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/opinion/anthropocene-spring-backyard-census.html">wild intoxications of spring</a></b>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>This "Big Lister" has just <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/science/birds-birdwatching-record-kaestner.html">documented his 10,000th bird species</a></b>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>You might be surprised by the <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/15/opinion/free-new-york-wild.html">number and variety of species</a></b> that live side by side with humans in New York City.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>A deep-sea robot has discovered <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/02/24/new-species-deep-sea/">dozens of previously unknown species</a></b>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>See the <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/03/13/fox-mask-virginia-wildlife-rescue/">lengths this wildlife worker goes to</a></b> in order to save a single orphaned fox kit. It gives one hope that the human race might not be totally irredeemable.<br /><br /><br /></p>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-64386788766615167732024-03-09T21:45:00.000-06:002024-03-09T21:45:19.104-06:00Poetry Sunday: A March Glee by John Burroughs<p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The birds are definitely sensing the coming of spring. I see them busily searching out nesting sites and nesting materials. I hear them staking out their territories with song. The bluebirds are checking out the nesting box and I hope it will soon be occupied. Yes, spring is surely coming; "her couriers fill the air." </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b style="background-color: white;">A March Glee</b></span></p><p><i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">by John Burroughs</span></i></p><p class="ExcerptText" style="font-size: 18.76px; margin: 15px 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I hear the wild geese honking<br />From out the misty night,—<br />A sound of moving armies<br />On-sweeping in their might;<br />The river ice is drifting<br />Beneath their northward flight.<br /></span></span></p><p style="font-size: 18.76px; margin: 15px 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I hear the bluebird plaintive<br />From out the morning sky,<br />Or see his wings a-twinkle<br />That with the azure vie;<br />No other bird more welcome,<br />No more prophetic cry.<br /></span></span></p><p style="font-size: 18.76px; margin: 15px 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I hear the sparrow's ditty<br />Anear my study door;<br />A simple song of gladness<br />That winter days are o'er<br />My heart is singing with him,<br />I love him more and more.<br /></span></span></p><p style="font-size: 18.76px; margin: 15px 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I hear the starling fluting<br />His liquid "O-ka-lee;"<br />I hear the downy drumming,<br />His vernal reveillé;<br />From out the maple orchard<br />The nuthatch calls to me.<br /></span></span></p><p style="font-size: 18.76px; margin: 15px 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Oh, spring is surely coming.<br />Her couriers fill the air;<br />Each morn are new arrivals,<br />Each night her ways prepare;<br />I scent her fragrant garments,<br />Her foot is on the stair.</span></span></p>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-75452164730134808332024-03-08T22:00:00.000-06:002024-03-08T22:00:50.482-06:00This week in birds - #582<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b><u>A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment</u></b>: </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJ1QUaIvhnJcFVcBhD3ZJyGFT0FHNFUR3Nlh3ny_uL-7FoNYB0PFjUAhzPGyL5_tLnnIjGYy_xtzOsCtYlXwrRWYZcdJMNKZ1jJYBD3KbarT9pNGfRl26lKRspaSgIeQaWE5dokdCPJFzbJJRZubI-ZusLchwKZT2Nr1VfO0HXtgHYPfYtFBLjqOxM9S6W" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><img alt="" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="371" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJ1QUaIvhnJcFVcBhD3ZJyGFT0FHNFUR3Nlh3ny_uL-7FoNYB0PFjUAhzPGyL5_tLnnIjGYy_xtzOsCtYlXwrRWYZcdJMNKZ1jJYBD3KbarT9pNGfRl26lKRspaSgIeQaWE5dokdCPJFzbJJRZubI-ZusLchwKZT2Nr1VfO0HXtgHYPfYtFBLjqOxM9S6W=w400-h339" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">A male <b>Belted Kingfisher</b> enjoying a sunny day by the creek.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">*~*~*~*</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Texas has been scorched by the <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/29/us/texas-wildfires-panhandle-smokehouse-creek.html">largest recorded wildfire</a></b> in its history. It almost certainly <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/29/climate/smokehouse-creek-fire-insurance-climate.html">will not be the last</a></b>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">*~*~*~*</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Last month was the <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/06/climate/winter-february-heat-wave.html">hottest February on record</a></b>, thanks largely to global warming. Not only was the month record-setting but it was the <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/03/06/earth-hottest-february-winter-climate/">ninth straight</a><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/03/06/earth-hottest-february-winter-climate/"></a></b> record-setting month.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">*~*~*~*</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">And there's more to come. <span><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><i>El Niño</i> is likely to supercharge global heating and <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/29/el-nino-forecast-record-heat-2024-climate-crisis">deliver record-breaking temperatures</a></b> from the Amazon to Alaska in 2024.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">The last living member of Edmund Hillary's Mount Everest team says the once pristine mountain is <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/02/mount-everest-crowded-dirty-kanchha-sherpa-last-surviving-member-hillary-expedition">now too crowded and dirty</a></b>.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">Gray whales became extinct in the Atlantic Ocean two centuries ago but <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/06/gray-whale-nantucket-extinction">now they are back</a></b>, likely thanks to climate change.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">Was the mosasaur the world's <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/mar/06/khinjaria-acutus-worlds-nastiest-prehistoric-reptile">nastiest prehistoric reptile</a></b>?</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">Sadly, Flaco the <b>Eurasian Eagle-owl</b> that escaped from the Central Park Zoo died after apparently <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/23/nyregion/flaco-owl-central-park-zoo-dead.html">striking a high-rise building</a></b>. He had <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/02/20/opinion/thepoint#farewell-flaco-new-york">just a year of freedom</a></b> and earned the love and admiration of New Yorkers.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/25/rewilding-climate-change-biodiversity-isabella-tree-nature-planet-farming">Is rewilding a possible answer</a></b> to the challenges presented by climate change?</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">Here are two Birds of the Week:</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYZuV9CuyO4R936X0zL4hiVIEqC4G3EpscMYYEr-Cxfgw_BCmh0i8kX9dAKPYIj1A0zklWOIaTJV83NZZ9pF3p-UjWn7eT8R6zP0uXyrHLouK-IRWfchBYVTmse8Jg6g8ZNifZtZQQTxY5wQbQOZR50Pl5JRssLnwVs1PIjvfU3cscaV_ULLhr0fj-AVyI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="1024" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYZuV9CuyO4R936X0zL4hiVIEqC4G3EpscMYYEr-Cxfgw_BCmh0i8kX9dAKPYIj1A0zklWOIaTJV83NZZ9pF3p-UjWn7eT8R6zP0uXyrHLouK-IRWfchBYVTmse8Jg6g8ZNifZtZQQTxY5wQbQOZR50Pl5JRssLnwVs1PIjvfU3cscaV_ULLhr0fj-AVyI=w640-h414" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;">This is the <b>Barred Fruiteater</b>, aka <b>Cryptic Cotinga</b>, a <b><a href="https://abcbirds.org/bird/barred-fruiteater/?utm_campaign=botw&utm_medium=email&utm_source=botw&contactdata=swS1R5kB3xhpKI10qrti+r0Lcrkxv2RA+OLkaoJlWQkvJd0gHYj6x08QrYIt6NyM2TFsul0+SMMqwULqv3cLLOsUsNvV7nbbuORz29mMU3jZDn9OtAwSctX4R%2f3J%2fIYG6km4MJP8Oh8D7cBhO77LtEf1pCh3m1ZKXW2I1qQ8glwwh7ffPA0DvbrwZ%2fJAi76kHG6pGEmyN26n1F%2fIkcv5qocwKns4bN9zpq5Hi5RwO2QWdnV%2fN8+IWxCtvWhM7DEo&ms=em_botw_030124&omcampaign=em_botw_030124&omhide=true&emci=f2e184c8-6ad6-ee11-85f9-002248223794&emdi=69857ca4-e2d7-ee11-85f9-002248223794&ceid=190080">resident of the tropical and subtropical mountain forests</a></b> of South America from Venezuela down to Bolivia. This was the Bird of the Week for last week. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">And this...</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXjROlCxMgCfRa3-psPgzua48ObTi2LfMSBF7ZUdfrWYL5dEdlMteJ9Zs9MX0cExGjXxrJKHaiBvGKitRcr4z7b2oklfOOJpIboDSZ-mhT3SK5N8HYrDG_Ft8p7EwxxcjT9vp6tZFZQYrMPgvyu3dUe7_eRRu2MTwnhb4euvoxElRvXF1Iv-MEF_-uK2om" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="1024" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXjROlCxMgCfRa3-psPgzua48ObTi2LfMSBF7ZUdfrWYL5dEdlMteJ9Zs9MX0cExGjXxrJKHaiBvGKitRcr4z7b2oklfOOJpIboDSZ-mhT3SK5N8HYrDG_Ft8p7EwxxcjT9vp6tZFZQYrMPgvyu3dUe7_eRRu2MTwnhb4euvoxElRvXF1Iv-MEF_-uK2om=w640-h414" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;">...is the <b>Northern Emerald-Toucanet</b>, a resident of eastern Mexico and Central America, and he is the <b><a href="https://abcbirds.org/bird/northern-emerald-toucanet/?utm_campaign=botw&utm_medium=email&utm_source=botw&contactdata=z0plXb+ilkmngxV8z7GdiWggdq1UzTlNrhSRaiJ6KHcbV%2f6Vm7KJOPL6CyRxTwNw+FKYhLZysyALeAZH1ZE0+NdyiuLmuwo0vu%2fBGCE2tZPWq1q1hpHA8h%2fE4925uZ7h%2fLG1zkPIjH%2fYpMFmURqvmrpnuFygLaVnG8ZIsQn8hLeaOWsN%2feSjj%2fP6yH2vlMqiSS0Y6GOQCMRZTtrgyYIfbT9Zv+xaoommjoqKtgYBCHjCZlhdAdiwi9vzFW8vp9q+&ms=em_botw_030824&omcampaign=em_botw_030824&omhide=true&emci=62df215f-3adb-ee11-85f9-002248223197&emdi=27182368-61dd-ee11-85fb-002248223794&ceid=190080">Bird of the Week for this week</a></b>.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">Florida's manatees are staring extinction in the face but devoted and dedicated humans are <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/07/climate/manatee-rescue.html">doing their best to save them</a></b>.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">It's official: We have it from the Pentagon that there has been <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/08/us/politics/pentagon-ufo-alien-review.html">no cover-up</a></b> of evidence of an alien invasion, but many people will likely continue to believe otherwise.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">For the third year in a row, the sea ice of Antarctica is <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/24/antarctica-sea-ice-reaches-alarming-low-for-third-year-in-a-row">at an alarming low</a></b>.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">Good news for England's Norfolk hawker dragonfly: Its population has recovered to the point that it is <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/26/norfolk-hawker-dragonfly-no-longer-endangered-scientists-say">no longer considered endangered</a></b>. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">The Denisovans were a group of humans that split from the Neanderthals and survived for hundreds of years before going extinct. In that time they managed to <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/02/science/denisovan-neanderthal-dna.html">thrive throughout much of the world</a></b>.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">A man walking his dog in southern France found an <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2024/03/03/titanosaur-skeleton-dinosaur-dog-france/">almost complete skeleton of a titanosaur</a></b>, a long-necked dinosaur.<br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">In Oregon, a <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/05/salt-lake-migrating-birds-lake-abert-us">lake that migrating birds depend on</a></b> is dying.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">How can we <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/03/04/spotted-lantern-flies-how-to-stop/">combat the invasive lantern flies</a></b>? Bring in the birds!</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">Cinnamon frogs are one of the many frog species that are seriously threatened, but there is hope for them; <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/24/near-threatened-cinnamon-frog-species-successfully-bred-in-uk">they have been successfully bred</a></b> at a wildlife park in the UK.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">In Las Vegas, a fountain display at a hotel was switched off recently when it <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/06/rare-bird-vegas-bellagio-fountain">received an unexpected guest</a></b> - a rare <b>Yellow-billed Loon</b>, a bird more commonly found on the high Arctic tundra.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/07/red-panda-found-in-luggage-of-smuggling-suspects-at-thailand-airport">Smuggling wild animals</a></b> is, unfortunately, a big and thriving business. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">In Death Valley, powerful winds <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/08/us/death-valley-lake-manly-wind.html">have actually pushed a temporary lake</a></b> two miles from its original location.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">Invasive Joro spiders appear to be <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2024/02/24/joro-spiders-large-invasive-urban/">thriving in the southeastern part</a></b> of the U.S.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/07/science/honeycreeper-birds-colombia-gynadromorph.html">Here's a phenomenon</a></b> for you: a <b>Honeycreeper</b> that is half male and half female - male on one side and female on the other.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">Have you ever wondered <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/08/books/review/what-the-bees-see-craig-p-burrows.html">about how bees see the world</a></b>? This new book explains all that.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><i>The Guardian</i> gives us the <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2024/mar/01/the-week-in-wildlife-in-pictures-hugging-bear-cubs-quarrelling-birds-and-london-goslings">best of the week's wildlife pictures</a></b>.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">A supposed 280 million-year-old fossilized reptile that was discovered in the Italian Alps in 1931 has now been <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/feb/28/the-280m-year-old-fossil-reptile-that-turned-out-to-be-a-forgery">proven to be an elaborate fake</a></b>.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">Ants are amazing creatures and it turns out their <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2024/02/24/ants-triage-wounds-microbials/">talents include astounding medical abilities</a></b>.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">The tumbling tumbleweeds have been <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/03/04/tumbleweed-takeover-utah-eagle-mountain-south-jordan/">tumbling their way through Western towns</a></b> in the wake of severe weather.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">Harvestmen, or daddy longlegs, have been <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/01/science/daddy-long-legs-eyes.html">hiding something from us</a></b>. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">*~*~*~*</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">Should the age that we are living in be designated the Anthropocene? Scientists, as scientists are wont to do, <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/mar/07/quest-to-declare-anthropocene-an-epoch-descends-into-epic-row">have differing opinions</a></b> about that.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><br /></span></span></span><br /></p>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-11305277780112983722024-03-02T21:40:00.000-06:002024-03-02T21:40:00.738-06:00Poetry Sunday: Spring and All by William Carlos Williams<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">William Carlos Williams was an American poet who lived from 1883 until 1963. He was a practicing physician. That's how he made his living. But poetry was his second job and his joy. Here is one of his poems.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b>Spring and All</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>by William Carlos Williams</i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">By the road to the contagious hospital</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">under the surge of the blue</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">mottled clouds driven from the</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">northeast-a cold wind. Beyond, the</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">waste of broad, muddy fields</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">brown with dried weeds, standing and fallen</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">patches of standing water</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">the scattering of tall trees</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">All along the road the reddish</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">purplish, forked, upstanding, twiggy</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">stuff of bushes and small trees</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">with dead, brown leaves under them</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">leafless vines—</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">Lifeless in appearance, sluggish</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">dazed spring approaches—</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">They enter the new world naked,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">cold, uncertain of all</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">save that they enter. All about them</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">the cold, familiar wind—</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">Now the grass, tomorrow</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">the stiff curl of wildcarrot leaf</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">One by one objects are defined—</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">It quickens: clarity, outline of leaf</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">But now the stark dignity of</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">entrance—Still, the profound change</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">has come upon them: rooted, they</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; text-indent: -32px;">grip down and begin to awaken</span></span></p>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-65317020245333994212024-03-01T21:36:00.006-06:002024-03-01T21:42:26.743-06:00Apology<p>My apologies to "This week in birds" readers. No post this week. I hope to get back to my regular schedule next week. Thank you for your patience.</p>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-45303295848720334182024-02-28T22:26:00.002-06:002024-02-28T22:28:56.757-06:00Desert God by Wilbur Smith: A review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjf_p-rdKljP13Ce0GmPTPhZNZvhO3EnxB3v_BLLk0Y4YPf8tQ9OkcwnH7CVC2kNH-sgVtVnn6zkSNuxEknVeEKLftUPcg1-9ySqD_O1OTF-j9qgTiRc1RbpkCR2Xt9a3TSMNaN3z_cQqmbu5sj76klvB80xK7vO-WV2zaAZkA69ftq8c7aj2REAQPtglNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="332" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjf_p-rdKljP13Ce0GmPTPhZNZvhO3EnxB3v_BLLk0Y4YPf8tQ9OkcwnH7CVC2kNH-sgVtVnn6zkSNuxEknVeEKLftUPcg1-9ySqD_O1OTF-j9qgTiRc1RbpkCR2Xt9a3TSMNaN3z_cQqmbu5sj76klvB80xK7vO-WV2zaAZkA69ftq8c7aj2REAQPtglNG" width="159" /></a></div>I finished reading this one on January 30 so let me just think what I can remember of the plot. Hmm...not much. But I will try to at least give you a brief summary.<p></p><p>Well, it's a novel of ancient Egypt. It says so right there on the cover. The main character is Taita, a slave. He is a eunuch because, apparently, that was a requirement for male slaves. He has in his care two princesses whom he always refers to as "my princesses."</p><p>Taita, as he will readily tell you, is very, very good at everything he does, especially warfare, languages, and games. Moreover, he is much appreciated and admired for his many talents. (This assessment, again, is according to him.)</p><p>The other characters in this tale are all essentially stick figures. We never get to know them very well.</p><p>There was one character, in particular, who I found interesting and who seemed to have the potential to add depth to the story. Her name was Loxias. She was a Greek girl who became a tutor for the princesses. But we just never got to spend that much time with her or to get to know her. The focus is always Taita, Taita, Taita!</p><p>Perhaps if I had found Taita to be a more sympathetic character I would have enjoyed the story more but my irritation with him kept me from ever being fully invested. As for the princesses who are the other essential characters in the story, they are too insipid and utterly selfish to care about. </p><p>At some point, the princesses are shipped off to become wives to King Minos of Crete. We may think we have seen the last of them at that point, but then our hero, Taita, also spends time in Crete and in their presence. Ah, well, it would have been cruel to separate him from his beloved princesses.</p><p>I struggled just a bit with deciding on a rating for this book and when that happens, I generally settle on a mid-rating. I stayed true to form in that regard. </p>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-66468734220174625562024-02-24T21:08:00.000-06:002024-02-24T21:08:25.902-06:00Poetry Sunday: The Sun by Mary Oliver<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">As a confirmed sun-watcher myself I understand very well the experience Mary Oliver describes in this poem. And I am quite sure there is no word "billowing enough" for the pleasure it affords me, but her words come close. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The Sun</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>by Mary Oliver</i> </span></p><table style="background-color: white; width: 300px;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Have you ever seen</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">anything</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">in your life</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">more wonderful</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">than the way the sun,</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">every evening,</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">relaxed and easy,</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">floats toward the horizon</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">and into the clouds or the hills,</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">or the rumpled sea,</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">and is gone--</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">and how it slides again</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">out of the blackness,</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">every morning,</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">on the other side of the world,</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">like a red flower</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">streaming upward on its heavenly oils,</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">say, on a morning in early summer,</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">at its perfect imperial distance--</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">and have you ever felt for anything</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">such wild love--<br /><br /></span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">do you think there is anywhere, in any language,</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">a word billowing enough</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">for the pleasure</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">that fills you,</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">as the sun</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">reaches out,</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">as it warms you</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">as you stand there,</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">empty-handed--</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">or have you too</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">turned from this world--</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">or have you too</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">gone crazy</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">for power,</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">for things?</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-21665571263898579852024-02-23T21:14:00.000-06:002024-02-23T21:14:13.766-06:00This week in birds - #581<p> <b><u>A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environmen</u></b>t:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjU5V31-0IzrZ1uHZLQyTJv8dvnmP457ar3BVVK-v3-wchRE0EoyzAr5Jx2pTQumrTHQQyPW1hen1h2RpZr8we47GSxqXtpbt6qhAp6CDo1jGsN4LfHrkpvxI1gF53fZzfAlWf3VSq-HZUj7UhwJntIB9mIAU8dYg4I0Ay7madewdcogtXfFO9eIli0dIVS" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1391" data-original-width="2129" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjU5V31-0IzrZ1uHZLQyTJv8dvnmP457ar3BVVK-v3-wchRE0EoyzAr5Jx2pTQumrTHQQyPW1hen1h2RpZr8we47GSxqXtpbt6qhAp6CDo1jGsN4LfHrkpvxI1gF53fZzfAlWf3VSq-HZUj7UhwJntIB9mIAU8dYg4I0Ay7madewdcogtXfFO9eIli0dIVS=w640-h418" width="640" /></a></div>A convention of doves of the <b>White-winged</b> variety, meeting on my bird feeder posts.<p></p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>If you hurry outside, you can still see the <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/02/22/february-snow-moon-how-to-watch/">Snow Moon</a></b> tonight.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>It looks likely that February will <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/17/february-on-course-to-break-unprecedented-number-of-heat-records">break an unprecedented number</a></b> of heat records.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>More evidence that trees are our friends: Reforestation of the eastern United States is <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/17/us-east-trees-warming-hole-study-climate-crisis">helping to stall the effects</a></b> of global heating. </p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Recurring atmospheric rivers are <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/19/us/california-storm-weather-atmospheric-river.html">bringing lots of rain and resultant flooding</a></b> to California.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>It took a massive effort but a 65-foot-long whale that washed up on a beach in China was <b><a href="https://thaistar24h.net/20-hour-long-rescue-mission-saves-life-of-stranded-whale-weighing-10-tons/">rescued and towed back to sea</a></b>. </p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Did ADHD survive in the human race because it <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/feb/21/adhd-may-have-been-an-evolutionary-advantage-research-suggests">gave an evolutionary advantage</a></b> to those who possessed it?</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgayDQOYnwB8AUb8Vzx3kDcLG6ygXRhptMxVKqbPAbTv8CTwAyx0Rz3NYWUlp7XpPsK_t3rhWbTGFXtTyCRQyIZT2802WC9VB1xpjDoYb_JhBYR586n4Gu3jmcJh0mKG0BT3-HdXlz9FUJcaDlOKsv-38z2a5qlXxgMzHz6ca5o7qamTFTOx2TscTE4CIK_" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgayDQOYnwB8AUb8Vzx3kDcLG6ygXRhptMxVKqbPAbTv8CTwAyx0Rz3NYWUlp7XpPsK_t3rhWbTGFXtTyCRQyIZT2802WC9VB1xpjDoYb_JhBYR586n4Gu3jmcJh0mKG0BT3-HdXlz9FUJcaDlOKsv-38z2a5qlXxgMzHz6ca5o7qamTFTOx2TscTE4CIK_=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div>Monarch butterfly - a representative of a genome that may look fragile but <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/21/butterfly-genome-has-barely-changed-for-250m-years-study-finds-aoe">is actually very resilient</a></b>.<p></p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p><b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/22/bleaching-fears-along-1000km-stretch-of-the-great-barrier-reef">Corals are bleaching and dying</a></b> along more than 1,000 kilometers of the Great Barrier Reef.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeWRD7Z86LG32dI6L7tZKevGj1tB96o2alHXzsmSbkLR10wRy8TAeY8wg2cl5ZBEfeK8aRf4v25FozSb50TPsvYSqkTqArcb7g-fQ00bC3tyKgAZJKDxUHJqZNqNcUrNZN9PvdJPYIAy4i5zz2EkzdSBBeyzwPhmL11mRgsLniSnwSYd9u5vY68gCXJYZm" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="1024" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeWRD7Z86LG32dI6L7tZKevGj1tB96o2alHXzsmSbkLR10wRy8TAeY8wg2cl5ZBEfeK8aRf4v25FozSb50TPsvYSqkTqArcb7g-fQ00bC3tyKgAZJKDxUHJqZNqNcUrNZN9PvdJPYIAy4i5zz2EkzdSBBeyzwPhmL11mRgsLniSnwSYd9u5vY68gCXJYZm=w640-h414" width="640" /></a></div>The <b>Pyrrhuloxia</b>, also called the Desert Cardinal, was the <b><a href="https://abcbirds.org/bird/pyrrhuloxia/?utm_campaign=botw&utm_medium=email&utm_source=botw&contactdata=mqyif5G3UZuWIS4zSQvRY+SFIuUktJR0GGwO4xDgjYjuWlgPIF0FGrHd4SJvhHVJqlEoqdS5QRHMC+pN2Rtw9jQzyTKkMprcTB0DYmyI7WlqKmUmueV1Uw0EaLonbDBkSvxkoHAg7bklaLfExjEamqL%2fa2jHPl+Bp8hgwNvd5fx%2f5406mb8AsCiirbU6Rhj5WJycN8%2fNoYnliwqR+kAKLdcVv78uo5fJoTiOsyrDyd9%2f2SmBNeiAIfo2NZ1qI4CL&ms=em_botw_021724&omcampaign=em_botw_021724&omhide=true&emci=5a9c4d3e-25cc-ee11-85f9-002248223794&emdi=98404b35-a5cd-ee11-85f9-002248223794&ceid=190080">American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week</a></b> for last week.<p></p><p>And the Bird of the Week for this week is...</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhO9HozqdixlvZdZy9ohG4bLbx43KctqFp964ikLILuW_Z8sgEaijbj0mQdcRMGkz7mKvwRaNZvIGMGXXQcM1lHgRyjL7-giuWzO-aqBTZk35ndJsvsy4BuupF-ArbsQ-BqgIQGNJT1p8s31gw1DLONq_nWpsTrB8N-d1TuqxQ7qmMWsrTiE-Nd8MyZ23_z" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="1024" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhO9HozqdixlvZdZy9ohG4bLbx43KctqFp964ikLILuW_Z8sgEaijbj0mQdcRMGkz7mKvwRaNZvIGMGXXQcM1lHgRyjL7-giuWzO-aqBTZk35ndJsvsy4BuupF-ArbsQ-BqgIQGNJT1p8s31gw1DLONq_nWpsTrB8N-d1TuqxQ7qmMWsrTiE-Nd8MyZ23_z=w640-h414" width="640" /></a></div>...the <b><a href="https://abcbirds.org/bird/red-crossbill/?utm_campaign=botw&utm_medium=email&utm_source=botw&contactdata=eVvNTSvbm73bRL83ECzKIBwgnfYg8Ls6pikfOMg68aG55IFM7T6NAp2q0paMrdupyqf8sUtGjdKT%2fH1KunT5vGLhvmVMiHkCkCB+6bF29RhwDaNMExf08SaeEXwCyZUm9W9NzpPyDgNsWLs5ljxAxmuBVbvW6r3W5WKujfskj7311AqBjWXh8q+fCn9D2GcNBJwnZ6nk9ReEgenVrP0xa890UFsoPKkl7XYIruw6jUo6+6LKThLVi57Scr1UiX3U&ms=em_botw_022324&omcampaign=em_botw_022324&omhide=true&emci=f8984fd1-95d1-ee11-85f9-002248223794&emdi=6d2d1665-60d2-ee11-85f9-002248223794&ceid=190080">Red Crossbill</a></b>.<p></p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Why do <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/17/science/poison-dart-frogs-toe-tapping.html">poison dart frogs tap their toes</a></b>?</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Louisiana's coastal wetlands <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/02/15/louisiana-coastal-erosion-swamp-wetland-loss/">are being slowly inundated</a></b> by rising seas.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>It turns out "natural gas" is <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/19/opinion/natural-gas-pipeline-south.html">not so natural</a></b>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Lobbyists who are supposedly representing the interests of the victims of the climate crisis are also <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/19/new-york-lobbyists-climate-crisis">often representing the perpetrators</a></b> of the crisis.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p><b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/19/science/what-is-a-species.html">How exactly do we define</a></b> what a species is?</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>The <span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"><i>El Niño</i> weather system is <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/19/el-nino-south-america-fires-heat/">causing major problems</a></b> in South America.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">*~*~*~*</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">How do baleen whales <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/21/science/whale-song-voice-box.html">communicate by vocalizing</a></b>?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">*~*~*~*</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">Is the killing of <b>Barred Owls</b> in the Pacific Northwest justified <b><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/can-killing-one-species-of-owl-help-save-another-180983552/">in order to help</a></b> the endangered <b>Northern Spotted Owl</b>?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">*~*~*~*</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">Another <b><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-a-1700-year-old-jade-mask-inside-tomb-ancient-maya-king-180983719/">amazing Maya tomb has been discovered</a></b> in Guatemala and it is filled with "extraordinary" funerary offerings.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">*~*~*~*</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">California's redwoods are once again <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/feb/21/plantwatch-redwoods-amazing-recovery-california-wildfire">proving their resilience</a></b> by recovering from the wildfires of 2020.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">*~*~*~*</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">Here is a week's worth of <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2024/feb/16/the-week-in-wildlife-in-pictures-a-bone-crunching-turtle-golfing-giraffes-and-goofy-gorillas">amazing wildlife pictures</a></b>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">*~*~*~*</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">Though some find them a nuisance, I thoroughly enjoy watching the <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/home/2024/02/22/living-with-squirrels-nuisance/">antics of the gray squirrels</a></b> that call my yard their home.</span></span><br /><br /></p>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-45373573372320253092024-02-17T21:31:00.000-06:002024-02-17T21:31:30.500-06:00Poetry Sunday: February by Margaret Atwood (Again!)<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Yes, yes, I know I have featured this poem here before! Actually more than once if truth be told. But one can never have too much of Margaret Atwood, can one? And this poem about February is just so...perfect!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b>February</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>by Margaret Atwood</i></span></p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;">Winter. Time to eat fat<br />and watch hockey. In the pewter mornings, the cat,<br />a black fur sausage with yellow<br />Houdini eyes, jumps up on the bed and tries<br />to get onto my head. It’s his<br />way of telling whether or not I’m dead.<br />If I’m not, he wants to be scratched; if I am<br />He’ll think of something. He settles<br />on my chest, breathing his breath<br />of burped-up meat and musty sofas,<br />purring like a washboard. Some other tomcat,<br />not yet a capon, has been spraying our front door,<br />declaring war. It’s all about sex and territory,<br />which are what will finish us off<br />in the long run. Some cat owners around here<br />should snip a few testicles. If we wise<br />hominids were sensible, we’d do that too,<br />or eat our young, like sharks.<br />But it’s love that does us in. Over and over<br />again, <i>He shoots, he scores!</i> and famine<br />crouches in the bedsheets, ambushing the pulsing<br />eiderdown, and the windchill factor hits<br />thirty below, and pollution pours<br />out of our chimneys to keep us warm.<br />February, month of despair,<br />with a skewered heart in the centre.<br />I think dire thoughts, and lust for French fries<br />with a splash of vinegar.<br />Cat, enough of your greedy whining<br />and your small pink bumhole.<br />Off my face! You’re the life principle,<br />more or less, so get going<br />on a little optimism around here.<br />Get rid of death. Celebrate increase. Make it be spring.</span>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-39512556040590333012024-02-16T21:34:00.000-06:002024-02-16T21:34:37.319-06:00This week in birds - #580<p> <b><u>A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment</u></b>:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGsdMmEgO8wEM2HvPWA1XeW6LA9FuibthyphenhyphenNKNhq5S9nACaUSv6NnzkJ9-CUJ7zETLqgqqzBX8hNOrDpzrcABRRBSwphij5T-UIF-V7lV4334iehuXwJqBcTIilAu42uJqrs-TBZHandhpATHTY6utdKofMMHcHV-uu3hYQpUyX__AX5vXtu4vbWqncSzd1/s744/IMG_4385.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="744" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGsdMmEgO8wEM2HvPWA1XeW6LA9FuibthyphenhyphenNKNhq5S9nACaUSv6NnzkJ9-CUJ7zETLqgqqzBX8hNOrDpzrcABRRBSwphij5T-UIF-V7lV4334iehuXwJqBcTIilAu42uJqrs-TBZHandhpATHTY6utdKofMMHcHV-uu3hYQpUyX__AX5vXtu4vbWqncSzd1/w640-h472/IMG_4385.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>The female <b>Red-winged Blackbird</b> looks nothing like her flashy mate. One could even take her for a large sparrow until one sees her striding across the yard. That strut definitely gives her away.<div>*~*~*~*</div><div>One might think that climate change denialism has run its course but not with <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/14/americans-believe-climate-change-study">15% of Americans</a></b> it seems.</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div>A warm Atlantic could be foretelling an <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/02/15/atlantic-ocean-heat-hurricane-season/">active hurricane season</a></b>.</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/13/flourishing-vegetation-greenland-ice-sheet-alarm-climate-crisis">Thriving plant life</a></b> on the Greenland ice sheet where it really shouldn't be is causing climate scientists to be concerned.</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNH5mViYph0e3v2syK6NrJrSrj42hUqI936r9_H3MJz3-u_DKHA5g_Adfc7vFUn2MI_mzjwT5pCgWpWQJcD1PzvY0-TMxLmk2YyBZ6N_wEqeJ-BA9LHB1eOnS3QzKGYNC-Wv8RFC7WrtBT_yUUBeSt4jRen46zXXlQJ_j-5Gp2WtmfCh2tJwOTE5Hc3P_L/s1024/12tb-mushroom-01-fjpq-jumbo.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNH5mViYph0e3v2syK6NrJrSrj42hUqI936r9_H3MJz3-u_DKHA5g_Adfc7vFUn2MI_mzjwT5pCgWpWQJcD1PzvY0-TMxLmk2YyBZ6N_wEqeJ-BA9LHB1eOnS3QzKGYNC-Wv8RFC7WrtBT_yUUBeSt4jRen46zXXlQJ_j-5Gp2WtmfCh2tJwOTE5Hc3P_L/w640-h426/12tb-mushroom-01-fjpq-jumbo.webp" width="640" /></a></div>The side of a frog may seem a <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/12/science/mushroom-frog-growth.html">strange place for a mushroom</a></b> to grow, but Nature will find a way.<div>*~*~*~*</div><div><b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/13/science/valentines-day-sexual-reproduction-parthenogenesis.html">Parthenogenesis is yet another solution</a></b> that Nature has found but it is one that isn't available to us mammals.</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div>Paraquat, a toxic herbicide linked to Parkinson's Disease, <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/11/epa-reapprove-paraquat-herbicide-parkinsons">has again been approved</a></b> by the Environmental Protection Agency for use in this country. That seems like a serious contradiction of the agency's name.</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div>How was Earth <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/07/science/snowball-earth-volcanoes.html">sent into its longest winter</a></b>? Scientists have a new theory.</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div>Can we <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/02/11/climate/climate-change-wildlife-solar.html">set up needed solar power projects</a></b> without harming Nature?</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div>Planting trees can be a good thing but they have to be <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/15/ill-judged-tree-planting-africa-threatens-ecosystems-scientists-warn">the right kind of trees</a></b>.</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div>The North Atlantic right whale is already critically endangered but after two have been found dead recently there may be reason to believe their <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/15/us/north-atlantic-right-whale-dead-georgia.html">situation is even more serious</a></b> than previously thought.</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div>A defunct golf course in California has been turned into an <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/15/climate/golf-courses-conservation-nature.html">ecological life raft</a></b>.</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div>The Amazon rainforest could be near to <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/14/amazon-rainforest-could-reach-tipping-point-by-2050-scientists-warn">reaching the tipping point</a></b> of its destruction.</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjunznQkbvpVdrssSCBf_14LKckYUbmMPd71gQxA_BVDcIaJ5cHrCKZ-d8NP52V6A9BDfqDQ_1puER6bCr3Ai18r2SnckVoG34wDes9KE9ShtCer2PU6PSwUnRGLgnZJTryax9t_DBNoOGtseoAUE46P9RD2vQIVKXDa_0peHdC4DjP-C6hWriaxMWsR_TT" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="916" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjunznQkbvpVdrssSCBf_14LKckYUbmMPd71gQxA_BVDcIaJ5cHrCKZ-d8NP52V6A9BDfqDQ_1puER6bCr3Ai18r2SnckVoG34wDes9KE9ShtCer2PU6PSwUnRGLgnZJTryax9t_DBNoOGtseoAUE46P9RD2vQIVKXDa_0peHdC4DjP-C6hWriaxMWsR_TT=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div>This is Gaia, a black-footed cat living at the Hogle Zoo in Utah. Black-footed cats are a small, cute, and vulnerable species. They also hold the title of the <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/02/15/gaia-cute-deadly-black-footed-cat-utah-zoo/">deadliest cat on Earth</a></b>.</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div>We owe a <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/22/opinion/climate-change-turtles-refugees.html">debt to the turtle mothers</a></b>.</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div>Did the same asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs actually <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/12/science/bird-evolution-asteroid-dinosaurs.html">provide a boost to birds</a></b>?</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div>A new report from the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals says that <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/12/from-turtles-to-fruit-bats-migratory-species-increasingly-under-threat-says-un">more than a fifth of species</a></b> under international protection are threatened with extinction. </div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div>Could a Stone Age wall <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/feb/12/stone-age-wall-found-at-bottom-of-baltic-sea-may-be-europes-oldest-megastructure">found at the bottom of the Baltic Sea</a></b> be Europe's oldest megastructure?</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div>Alligator snapping turtles may start out as pets and then be released into the wild when the owners tire of them or can no longer care for them. <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/feb/10/fluffy-the-alligator-snapping-turtle-with-nasty-bite-found-in-cumbrian-tarn">Fluffy got lucky</a></b>.</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div>Raw sewage in the Tijuana River along the U.S.-Mexico border is <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/15/us-mexico-california-tijuana-river-illness-public-health">creating a public health crisis</a></b>.</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/14/science/oldest-cave-art-patagonia.html">Cave art recently discovered</a></b> in Patagonia is over 8,000 years old.</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div>A 23-year-old platypus found in a creek in Australia may be able to <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/15/science/oldest-wild-platypus-australia.html">teach scientists things</a></b> that will help its species survive.</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div>Should one of <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/16/egypt-scraps-plan-to-restore-cladding-on-one-of-the-three-great-pyramids-of-giza">Egypt's pyramids be "restored"</a></b>?</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3A2p07Y9kRTBuugKv8T5aQhUIpRDE9HK0oeQbSkzil5Bp-oWvR8LgXmhM48oCNNqWXXQk4zHaqwDaGsz8JzymJOQ_mxEJ4HPwIdsbMU-jKQaG7s5DdqftK4Go52W3g_t3EkQBXg1ah4dXIgzz1N-ntXk4fsKz3CTPGjdZX4di2gPVyibYtL9Chk39SP7S" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3A2p07Y9kRTBuugKv8T5aQhUIpRDE9HK0oeQbSkzil5Bp-oWvR8LgXmhM48oCNNqWXXQk4zHaqwDaGsz8JzymJOQ_mxEJ4HPwIdsbMU-jKQaG7s5DdqftK4Go52W3g_t3EkQBXg1ah4dXIgzz1N-ntXk4fsKz3CTPGjdZX4di2gPVyibYtL9Chk39SP7S=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div>These two <b>Chilean Flamingo</b> chicks, along with their four siblings, <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2024/02/15/flight-attendant-flamingo-eggs-airline/">owe their lives to the creative thinking</a></b> of an Alaskan Airlines flight attendant. </div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div>Coral bleaching has now <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/02/14/coral-bleaching-alerts-ocean-warmth/">exceeded the parameters</a></b> of the alert scale that had been in place for more than a decade.</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div>Collaring polar bears <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/13/climate/polar-bears-climate-change-food.html">can teach scientists a lot</a></b> about those animals and their environment and how climate change is affecting them.</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div>Here's a report about Flaco the escaped <b>Eurasian Eagle-owl's</b> <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/02/nyregion/flaco-owl-central-park-zoo.html?campaign_id=190&emc=edit_ufn_20240213&instance_id=115064&nl=from-the-times&regi_id=26677199&segment_id=158077&te=1&user_id=a6e5d406398b0fc8413c6fd433e3a5fb">year of freedom</a></b> in the wilds of New York City.</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/13/science/archaeology-sumeria-kissing.html">Who invented kissing?</a></b> The Sumerians, maybe?</div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8gmYZ6N4DmQause8KH75jWHOeWxa-_wFUBNgK56fJqVjTtVjQJTCyOeFHyG88jFiD_8EslM-1pXfDPYn5PbYa1WkJQO4X1LrHdjFFI-UOzooIbdq5SQujDB1KpkYBDrQiML7B3AA03TlYcChFbytFYXb7Cusy_Rbf-iHs4fJssL51DoPS807IEqlQQ6lH" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="916" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8gmYZ6N4DmQause8KH75jWHOeWxa-_wFUBNgK56fJqVjTtVjQJTCyOeFHyG88jFiD_8EslM-1pXfDPYn5PbYa1WkJQO4X1LrHdjFFI-UOzooIbdq5SQujDB1KpkYBDrQiML7B3AA03TlYcChFbytFYXb7Cusy_Rbf-iHs4fJssL51DoPS807IEqlQQ6lH=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div>I'll leave you with a picture of Jackie, the <b>Bald Eagle</b>, <b><a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/the-scene/jackie-the-big-bear-bald-eagle-just-broke-an-incredible-time-spent-on-the-nest-record/3333545/">protecting her three precious eggs</a></b> after a recent snowstorm.</div>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-52879669812673546892024-02-10T21:46:00.002-06:002024-02-10T21:46:22.121-06:00Poetry Sunday: February Days by Ellwood Roberts<div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Not many "northern blasts" have reached us here in the deep South this winter, but we are predicted to have some more winter-like weather next week. We shall see what the "February days" bring us, but this we know for sure: "The Spring-time days will soon be here."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b>February Days</b></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>by Ellwood Roberts</i><br /><br />The icy northern blast sweeps by,<br />From wild wastes of the Arctic snow;</span><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18.76px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Above us droops a wintry sky,</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18.76px; text-indent: 20px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">A bleak white landscape lies below.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18.76px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">But, 'neath the chilly Polar blast,</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18.76px; text-indent: 20px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">A low, sweet undertone I hear:</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18.76px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">"The wintry storms will soon be past,</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18.76px; text-indent: 20px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">And pleasant Spring-time days are near."</span></span><p style="font-size: 18.76px; margin: 15px 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">In Winter's stern and icy grasp,<br /><span class="indent-single" style="display: inline-block; text-indent: 20px;">Are river, pond, and rill, to-day;</span><br />Like iron bonds his fetters' clasp,<br /><span class="indent-single" style="display: inline-block; text-indent: 20px;">Like despot's rule his frosty sway.</span><br />But only yesterday I heard—<br /><span class="indent-single" style="display: inline-block; text-indent: 20px;">Though all the landscape was so drear—</span><br />The sweet voice of a lonesome bird:<br /><span class="indent-single" style="display: inline-block; text-indent: 20px;">"The Spring-time days will soon be here."</span><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-size: 18.76px; margin: 15px 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The air is icy, keen and chill,<br /><span class="indent-single" style="display: inline-block; text-indent: 20px;">All Nature lies in sleep profound,</span><br />That seems like death—so cold, so still—<br /><span class="indent-single" style="display: inline-block; text-indent: 20px;">But flowers are biding underground.</span><br />The sun mounts up, from day to day,<br /><span class="indent-single" style="display: inline-block; text-indent: 20px;">His beams each morn more full of cheer.</span><br />And to our hearts they seem to say:<br /><span class="indent-single" style="display: inline-block; text-indent: 20px;">"The Spring-time days will soon be here."</span><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-size: 18.76px; margin: 15px 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The ice and snow will soon be gone,<br /><span class="indent-single" style="display: inline-block; text-indent: 20px;">The Spring-time waits the sun's warm rays,</span><br />Already we can trace the dawn<br /><span class="indent-single" style="display: inline-block; text-indent: 20px;">Of brighter, warmer, sweeter days.</span><br />Each morn we watch for signs of Spring,<br /><span class="indent-single" style="display: inline-block; text-indent: 20px;">Each evening feel its coming near.</span><br />All Nature's voices seem to sing:<br /><span class="indent-single" style="display: inline-block; text-indent: 20px;">"The Spring-time days will soon be here."</span><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-size: 18.76px; margin: 15px 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">And though an Arctic wind sweeps by<br /><span class="indent-single" style="display: inline-block; text-indent: 20px;">From wildest wastes of ice and snow,</span><br />And though above us wintry sky,<br /><span class="indent-single" style="display: inline-block; text-indent: 20px;">And desolate white fields below—</span><br />Beneath the wind's wild organ-blast,<br /><span class="indent-single" style="display: inline-block; text-indent: 20px;">A low, sweet undertone I hear:</span><br />"The wintry storms will soon be past,<br /><span class="indent-single" style="display: inline-block; text-indent: 20px;">The sunny Spring-time days are near."</span></span></span></p></div></div>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-90993126179064939102024-02-09T22:03:00.000-06:002024-02-09T22:03:30.938-06:00This week in birds - #579<p><b><u>A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment</u></b>:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEeggMIXreOT_dgFlv8A7XT6G0AjJVMKt2D8HBLr6ujurAdhv0o-VnIMZOuTi_hDsqroaMyzbhOy7ulUNXpvsC1rzXyj9RRiIb_LpGv0gPJ0_gZFsegJaStLRhjvqtgFfnctYMQ-ckLWX3YGUOyRuivr2Zk12Jo89ZJI9AzZbuVr0XID9B6vq9EZqwqYAz/s1264/IMG_1394.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1095" data-original-width="1264" height="554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEeggMIXreOT_dgFlv8A7XT6G0AjJVMKt2D8HBLr6ujurAdhv0o-VnIMZOuTi_hDsqroaMyzbhOy7ulUNXpvsC1rzXyj9RRiIb_LpGv0gPJ0_gZFsegJaStLRhjvqtgFfnctYMQ-ckLWX3YGUOyRuivr2Zk12Jo89ZJI9AzZbuVr0XID9B6vq9EZqwqYAz/w640-h554/IMG_1394.JPG" width="640" /></a></div></div></div></div><p>The male <b>Northern Cardinals</b> are singing their hearts out. It must be almost spring.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Climatologist Michael Mann is a hero of mine and I was happy to see him <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/02/07/michael-mann-climate-trial/">fight back in court</a></b> against those who had defamed him. And I was even happier to see that <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/08/climate/michael-mann-defamation-lawsuit.html">he won</a></b>!</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>And speaking of Mann and his warnings about climate, scientists have announced that Earth has <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/02/08/1-5-celsius-global-warming-record/">breached a critical temperature barrier</a></b> over the last twelve months.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><i>El Niño</i> has <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/06/world-not-prepared-for-climate-disasters-after-warmest-ever-january">helped to exacerbate</a></b> the higher temperatures. It may be almost over now but <span style="color: var(--wpds-colors-gray20); font-family: trebuchet;"><b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/02/08/la-nina-watch-el-nino-demise/"><i>La Niña </i>is waiting in the wings</a></b><i>.</i></span><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>In more hot news, the <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/08/world/europe/iceland-volcano-erupts.html">Icelandic volcanic system erupted</a></b> again this week.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>The storms on the West Coast this week have <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/06/los-angeles-river-pictures-rain-storms-flooding">filled up the Los Angeles River</a></b>. Those storms were intensified by an <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/02/06/california-storm-atmospheric-river-explained/">atmospheric river</a></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>We need to <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/05/opinion/alabama-coal-ash-epa.html">save the Mobile-Tensaw Delta</a></b>, America's Amazon.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="Vermillion Flycatcher by Jeff Bray, Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology" class="attachment-hero size-hero wp-post-image" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" height="414" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://dariuszzdziebk.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/BOTW-featured-image_Vermillion-Flycatcher-1024x663.jpg" srcset="https://dariuszzdziebk.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/BOTW-featured-image_Vermillion-Flycatcher-1024x663.jpg 1024w, https://dariuszzdziebk.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/BOTW-featured-image_Vermillion-Flycatcher-768x498.jpg 768w" width="640" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The beautiful <b>Vermilion Flycatcher</b> is the <b><a href="https://abcbirds.org/bird/vermilion-flycatcher/">American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week. </a></b></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">*~*~*~*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here's why we need to <b><a href="https://slate.com/technology/2024/02/ocean-conservation-menhaden-fisheries-fish-oil.html">save the sardine</a></b>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">*~*~*~*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Maui has been experiencing <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/02/07/maui-fires-kula-hawaii-cleanup/">some of the deadliest wildfires</a></b> in its history.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">*~*~*~*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div>An image of a <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/07/wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-2023/">polar bear sleeping on an iceberg</a></b> won the Wildlife Photo of the Year award.<div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>Some troubling news regarding Monarch butterflies: Their <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/07/climate/monarch-butterflies.html">numbers are down sharply</a></b> in the wintering areas of Mexico. </div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>But there is hopeful news regarding a <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/06/photographs-wild-jaguars-return-us-aoe">possible return to the American Southwest</a></b> of the jaguar. A potential barrier to that return is the stupid border wall.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Flaco, the escaped <b>Eurasian Eagle-owl</b>, is <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/02/nyregion/flaco-outlaw-kakutani.html">still free and still flying</a></b> in New York.</div><div><br /></div>*~*~*~*<div><br /></div><div>Lions in Kenya are facing a <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/04/invasive-ants-lions-diet-study/">challenge from an unexpected quarter</a></b> - ants!</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>A fossilized tree is <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/02/science/fossilized-tree.html">answering some questions</a></b> about life in the Paleozoic Era.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>It turns out that anenomefish, like the famous Nemo, are <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/01/nemo-clownfish-drive-away-species-with-same-stripes-study-suggests">particular about who they share their space with</a></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Altruism may not be common in the wild, but <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/07/science/elephant-seals-pup-drowning.html">here is one unexpected example</a></b> provided by an elephant seal. </div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>A <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/06/science/mussels-new-species-underwater-forest.html">new species of mussel</a></b> has been discovered in the Gulf of Mexico.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Meteorologists are <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/02/05/hurricanes-category6/">considering adding another category</a></b> - category 6 - to their intensity scale for hurricanes which now runs 1 - 5. </div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Pollinators are <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/08/science/pollution-flowers-pollination.html">less likely to be drawn</a></b> to polluted plants.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are some <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2024/02/04/underwater-photographs-sea-life-monkey/">amazing photographs of animals under water</a></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Sponges living in the Caribbean Sea <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/05/climate/global-warming-sponges.html">are warning us</a></b> that global warming may be even worse than we thought.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Radical ideas are being considered to fight global warming including the <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/02/climate/sun-shade-climate-geoengineering.html">use of a giant parasol</a></b>!</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>The Arctic Sea ecosystem <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/03/spoon-worms-lick-the-seabed-with-a-metre-long-tongue-a-voyage-into-a-vanishing-arctic-world">is an amazing place</a></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Can <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2024/02/03/cork-sustainable-material/">cork replace plastic</a></b>?</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>The pliosaur, a creature of the Jurassic Period, was the <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/07/pliosaur-giant-sea-monster-david-attenborough/">T. rex of the sea</a></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Orcas that had been trapped in sea ice off the coast of Japan have now <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/07/killer-whales-trapped-drift-ice-off-japan-hokkaido-coast-escape" style="font-weight: bold;">managed to free themselves</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2024/feb/07/flights-of-fancy-starlings-murmurations-in-pictures">some amazing images</a></b> of <b>European Starling</b> murmurations.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Fans of a pair of <b>Bald Eagles</b> nesting in California have been following them closely as they have <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2024/02/08/bald-eagles-eggs-california-webcam/">shielded their three eggs</a></b> from the storms raging there. </div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>And in Sydney, the <b>White Ibis</b> is <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/05/australia-bin-chicken-white-ibis/">known as the "bin chicken"</a></b> because of its habit of searching for food in trash containers.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-50900945596706613572024-02-03T22:01:00.000-06:002024-02-03T22:01:06.013-06:00Poetry Sunday: February by John Updike<p>In "<i>A Child's Calendar</i>," John Updike wrote a poem for each month of the year. This is the one he wrote for February. It doesn't paint a picture of my February - no snow here - but I'm sure residents of more northerly climes will recognize the scenes he describes.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">February</span></b></p><p><i>by John Updike</i></p><p class="" style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #444444; font-family: minion-pro; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The sun rides higher<br style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" />Every trip.<br style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" />The sidewalk shows.<br style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" />Icicles drip.</p><p class="" style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #444444; font-family: minion-pro; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A snowstorm comes,<br style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" />And cars are stuck,<br style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" />And ashes fly<br style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" />From the old town truck.</p><p class="" style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #444444; font-family: minion-pro; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The chickadees<br style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" />Grow plump on seed<br style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" />That Mother pours<br style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" />Where they can feed,</p><p class="" style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #444444; font-family: minion-pro; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And snipping, snipping<br style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" />Scissors run<br style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" />To cut out hearts<br style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" />For everyone.</p>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-9317151349411781482024-02-02T19:36:00.001-06:002024-02-02T21:25:06.754-06:00This week in birds - #578<p><b><u>A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment</u></b>: </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4DqNnvynAlCkuPRZLaOkfJLjywhgTUoD1H2sDWtiMQ3PomwJUMruSgsxBAJafNDeF6Ngoo3GADmfPvvsuZcoSH7a-5jXEGDUQ2ZXQ_xHRYaznosJLxwWLiApOewmBzoAnJ5HMjbdNlqgN3aY9LHjctY5g19W6jleUL-y2iQ_FVY811rqQmGis5IdFeWV3" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4DqNnvynAlCkuPRZLaOkfJLjywhgTUoD1H2sDWtiMQ3PomwJUMruSgsxBAJafNDeF6Ngoo3GADmfPvvsuZcoSH7a-5jXEGDUQ2ZXQ_xHRYaznosJLxwWLiApOewmBzoAnJ5HMjbdNlqgN3aY9LHjctY5g19W6jleUL-y2iQ_FVY811rqQmGis5IdFeWV3=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div>This <b>Northern Mockingbird</b> doesn't look too happy about the shower he's getting!<p></p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>The U.S. is getting a <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/31/climate/biden-john-podesta-climate-envoy.html">new global climate representative</a></b> since John Kerry is stepping down.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>The fossil fuel industry <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/30/fossil-fuel-industry-air-pollution-fund-research-caltech-climate-change-denial">knew of the danger of climate change</a></b> as early as 1954 but resisted doing anything about it.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p><b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/interactive/2024/carbon-dioxide-emissions-source-earth/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f004">Here is a depiction</a></b> of Earth breathing for one year.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Drought is <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/01/26/climate/panama-canal-drought-shipping.html">having a deleterious effect</a></b> on the Panama Canal.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>The <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/30/science/antarctica-bird-flu-penguins.html">first bird flu deaths</a></b> have been reported in <b>Gentoo Penguins</b> in the Antarctic.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p><b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/01/29/louisville-trees-heart-health/">Trees are good for us</a></b>. Is there really any doubt of that?</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-GU81WbN5JSWNFInIuP_lP5LhUqSRqYooyLtZ_8MPWfeLIsML3t5ZTq-D3yXi5l_kaZcNdCP-iswUroiw1eJ8hjYXzv7Q_7BihN4ef_mhuOxLxF40occqGqbl4M7ED1iDEHNXaV8cGcye6uCI2g_b6HVsbnkdN7e5kMotb3ClRGSq4gvUQrxLARBVqwt3" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="1024" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-GU81WbN5JSWNFInIuP_lP5LhUqSRqYooyLtZ_8MPWfeLIsML3t5ZTq-D3yXi5l_kaZcNdCP-iswUroiw1eJ8hjYXzv7Q_7BihN4ef_mhuOxLxF40occqGqbl4M7ED1iDEHNXaV8cGcye6uCI2g_b6HVsbnkdN7e5kMotb3ClRGSq4gvUQrxLARBVqwt3=w640-h414" width="640" /></a></div>This is the <b><a href="https://abcbirds.org/bird/collared-forest-falcon/?utm_campaign=botw&utm_medium=email&utm_source=botw&contactdata=Hbmny4ENIdA4PLL3G41MBjgaJ11g7Zr4QmCNKQuKoMhLVTR6d4ev67ZeP76poON89yNoTkpP0Lh%2fsNSgcHgVFFxksj+DFNOap86ZZYGqursKsuOEqWB4Pj1gnwf74RMaRw9Diq5U+H1qX2lN6K8QnRB3ZvkIwrsMJoAgXLdUMYRRzzpDIimw0h61S3L4U6vlmS9hGxg+axyHsArwvKKcJpyVqDReOkYYiI7tKJXH7+UONtfP%2f+bfwi6ynzq4RAr%2f&ms=em_botw_020224&omcampaign=em_botw_020224&omhide=true&emci=84a369ba-54c0-ee11-b660-002248223197&emdi=f8d2afb5-f0c1-ee11-b660-002248223197&ceid=190080">American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week</a></b>. It is a neotropical falcon, the <b>Collared Forest-Falcon</b>.<p></p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Patagonia, the outdoor apparel brand, <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/30/climate/patagonia-holdfast-philanthropy.html">is following its philosophy</a></b> when making its charitable donations.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Remember Flaco, the <b>Eurasian Eagle-Owl</b> that escaped captivity (with a little help) a year ago? Well, <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/02/nyregion/flaco-owl-central-park-zoo.html">he's still out there</a></b>, flying free, making it in New York. And if you can make it there... </p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>It's well established that parrots are very clever birds and they <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/30/science/parrots-swinging-beaks-monkeys.html">use their beaks to help them navigate</a></b> through trees or the perches in their cages.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>A <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/30/science/amazon-stingless-bees-honey.html">stingless bee of the Amazon is endangered</a></b> and the race is on to try to save it.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Small dogs with pointy noses <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/01/science/dogs-longevity-health.html">generally live longer</a></b> than their larger and/or flat-faced relatives.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>After five days of freedom, a <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/01/world/europe/escaped-scottish-monkey-captured.html">Japanese macaque that escaped</a></b> from a wildlife park in Scotland has been recaptured. </p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjK0Vz4EimtKthQJfqWregm3Sy5UmOSbk5y2a1gdYERevP-woJksmiV69d3bHns_iVL3TN11SFNzIaeniBgGMncnxILGAgRSIMkkiXo23fmWwJ1skGj0dqNMUTifQw0CKvXMwNbrUvlDjQpcdyUBIspkEIQRHv92Py_qlJcm9-MH4uA1sZTyb7PPF1KbNyZ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="1024" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjK0Vz4EimtKthQJfqWregm3Sy5UmOSbk5y2a1gdYERevP-woJksmiV69d3bHns_iVL3TN11SFNzIaeniBgGMncnxILGAgRSIMkkiXo23fmWwJ1skGj0dqNMUTifQw0CKvXMwNbrUvlDjQpcdyUBIspkEIQRHv92Py_qlJcm9-MH4uA1sZTyb7PPF1KbNyZ=w640-h374" width="640" /></a></div>Was he a Chinese spy? This pigeon was suspected of being one but he has now been released <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/02/world/asia/india-china-pigeon-spy.html">after eight months of captivity</a></b> in Mumbai.<p></p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikvJzYY9nZNpH-MVOrNRVYrdZXnn3guAbYvWbkB0Y7YMe1KI9_p-E9mL-HVB2es0X2OlND-7wER4PdwJ6F_D0aKabXwVUACmFab8vEQIkXs3535tqMuDmulr2HxamhKqQpM0vEw11tdJJutpAe0BVFnW6y2icrLu6jajQ3xxCFoqM_9EaKapQ7aEA7uIgg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1019" data-original-width="1024" height="637" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikvJzYY9nZNpH-MVOrNRVYrdZXnn3guAbYvWbkB0Y7YMe1KI9_p-E9mL-HVB2es0X2OlND-7wER4PdwJ6F_D0aKabXwVUACmFab8vEQIkXs3535tqMuDmulr2HxamhKqQpM0vEw11tdJJutpAe0BVFnW6y2icrLu6jajQ3xxCFoqM_9EaKapQ7aEA7uIgg=w640-h637" width="640" /></a></div><b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/30/science/fish-fossil-underbite.html">This is a placoderm</a></b>, a fish that lived during the Devonian Period. Apparently that strange lower jaw helped it to grasp and hold its prey.<p></p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Reef scientists are concerned that <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/30/great-barrier-reef-cyclone-damage-health-marine-life">back-to-back cyclones may have damaged</a></b> the Great Barrier Reef.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>When one thinks of wildfires one doesn't usually imagine them occurring in the normally wet country of Colombia, but <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/29/world/americas/colombia-wildfire-forest.html">that is what has been happening</a></b> recently.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Imagine the benefits to easing the climate crisis and improving human health if we were to <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/29/sustainable-food-production-economic-benefits-study">move toward a sustainable global food system</a></b>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>And imagine the benefits to the climate if we appreciated swamps and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/29/opinion/wetlands-mining-ecosystem.html" style="font-weight: bold;">refused to drain them</a>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Rocky Raccoon is at it again - this time <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/02/raccoon-toronto-power-outage-canada">disrupting things in Toronto</a></b>.<br /><br /> <br /><br /></p>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-81125063078824347122024-01-29T22:32:00.002-06:002024-01-29T22:34:19.694-06:00Two for the price of one<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I recently read two of Joseph Heywood's Woods Cop Mysteries back-to-back. It's actually been a while since I read them so my memory may be a bit hazy but here are my thoughts on them.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Buckular Dystrophy</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlg98J8_X1-q98QSv4Oa9N9a2LNSO9ivFOMojc2CdSM5OKh88Rtc2kRi0wvWZbQLQiIyXhi9ynf351QvWBplRhTmOFS2L0kmiaKVHYfp6UmkyDfOE1SnbZ3T-uuo3zmJP7Yol2wxml82bBvAXjXNlZCJMacDenmno5s6sZe4LGIu_HvONIFmO6mR7qXmb-" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlg98J8_X1-q98QSv4Oa9N9a2LNSO9ivFOMojc2CdSM5OKh88Rtc2kRi0wvWZbQLQiIyXhi9ynf351QvWBplRhTmOFS2L0kmiaKVHYfp6UmkyDfOE1SnbZ3T-uuo3zmJP7Yol2wxml82bBvAXjXNlZCJMacDenmno5s6sZe4LGIu_HvONIFmO6mR7qXmb-" width="160" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This was the tenth book in the series. </span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">"Buckular dystrophy" is a term coined by conservation officers to describe a kind of addiction to killing deer, not for sport or food, but seemingly just because they are there and because they can. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The action takes place during Michigan's two-week firearm deer season when it seems that a lot of hunters go just a little bit crazy. During this time, game wardens are on duty all the time and have no personal life to call their own. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">In this instance, Game Warden Grady Service inexplicably takes on longtime violator Limpy Allerdyce as his partner. But it is actually a genius move because nobody knows violators like another violator and Limpy leads him into a bizarre series of cases involving deer. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I particularly like these stories for their interesting descriptions of the landscape and wildlife of the Upper Peninsula and of some of the characters that live there. Heywood does spin a good yarn.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>My rating: 4 of 5 stars</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>*~*~*~*</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b>Chasing a Blond Moon</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBamYKtKDwKq30CJHcy9VMq-iKmXvJKJfLJQXYrUeysCg9wUUHbaea0ugPGVFQWeejNT9HlHhpbuptQLPJlZJnOqMVldCG8rCKko1eJrgePo-J2A7aLHpC86_-YxjdsrNXymw2I38WwwG5lvs9JzaC5Ra2zIdQ-VNY5S8Z7xSwQRKOBY7ghxZgSv_aeYFk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="332" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBamYKtKDwKq30CJHcy9VMq-iKmXvJKJfLJQXYrUeysCg9wUUHbaea0ugPGVFQWeejNT9HlHhpbuptQLPJlZJnOqMVldCG8rCKko1eJrgePo-J2A7aLHpC86_-YxjdsrNXymw2I38WwwG5lvs9JzaC5Ra2zIdQ-VNY5S8Z7xSwQRKOBY7ghxZgSv_aeYFk" width="159" /></a></div>I actually read this book (which is #3 in the series) after the later book which I just described. I generally like to read series books in order but sometimes I just go rogue and that's what I did in this case.<p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The plot here was complicated and a bit hard for me to follow at times but here's what I can tell you about it: As an early book in the series, this one is still letting us get to know Grady Service. We learn that he's not just a man of the woods but also someone who knows a bit about wine and good food. He can cook! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">We learn that there is a woman in his life, Maridly Nantz. Also, he has a son from an earlier relationship, a son that he has only just learned about. The plot also involves a bit of politics, a state senator who is running for governor of the state. It is a heady mix and made for a robust tale. I think I will be reading more in this series.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>My rating: 3 of 5 stars</i> <br /><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></p></div>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-87365645766111193722024-01-28T09:58:00.002-06:002024-01-28T09:58:26.373-06:00Poetry Sunday: Wild Geese by Mary Oliver<p>I'm a little late with this post but here's your poem for the week and it's one of my personal favorites. I hope you enjoy it, too.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Wild Geese</b></span></p><p><i>by Mary Oliver</i></p><table style="background-color: white; width: 450px;"><tbody><tr><td>You do not have to be good.</td></tr><tr><td>You do not have to walk on your knees</td></tr><tr><td>for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.</td></tr><tr><td>You only have to let the soft animal of your body</td></tr><tr><td>love what it loves.</td></tr><tr><td>Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.</td></tr><tr><td>Meanwhile the world goes on.</td></tr><tr><td>Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain</td></tr><tr><td>are moving across the landscapes,</td></tr><tr><td>over the prairies and the deep trees,</td></tr><tr><td>the mountains and the rivers.</td></tr><tr><td>Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,</td></tr><tr><td>are heading home again.</td></tr><tr><td>Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,</td></tr><tr><td>the world offers itself to your imagination,</td></tr><tr><td>calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -</td></tr><tr><td>over and over announcing your place</td></tr><tr><td>in the family of things.</td></tr></tbody></table>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-7769038335699968442024-01-26T22:05:00.000-06:002024-01-26T22:05:16.192-06:00This week in birds - #577<p> <b><u>A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment</u></b>:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32EtJ0ROroF-IGR2oE-Y3bVDoyCIgvyuFErhnszSEuIu-tFiKF4DczaWabZNslLJsNhU1_1ymsqRISNQ9UARJ_wEHxRcmnaBNSFgq12JVPrgL3UNZq2EORmAgBRln-tFnLJ7X_RtReLDXyqAo1xoq_wXJB_v1_4tlt_SoEMt_ZmQ14Ts8B8ef3rMEpSVw/s1696/1800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1272" data-original-width="1696" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32EtJ0ROroF-IGR2oE-Y3bVDoyCIgvyuFErhnszSEuIu-tFiKF4DczaWabZNslLJsNhU1_1ymsqRISNQ9UARJ_wEHxRcmnaBNSFgq12JVPrgL3UNZq2EORmAgBRln-tFnLJ7X_RtReLDXyqAo1xoq_wXJB_v1_4tlt_SoEMt_ZmQ14Ts8B8ef3rMEpSVw/w640-h480/1800.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">This little bird has recently been <a href="https://ebird.org/species/fatwar/US-TX">causing quite a stir in South Texas</a>. It is a bird of South America called a <b>Fan-tailed Warbler</b> and birders are traveling from far and wide to enjoy its presence in this country.</span><p></p></blockquote></blockquote><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>The West is in the middle of experiencing a two-decade-long drought. <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/01/24/west-drought-trees/">Trees tell the story</a></b>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p><b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/24/devastating-drought-in-amazon-result-of-climate-crisis-study-shows">Even the Amazon rainforest</a></b> is in drought.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>And yet animals and plants do adapt to the changing conditions, <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/18/meadow-brown-butterflies-adapt-to-global-heating-by-developing-fewer-spots">as the Meadow Brown butterfly shows</a></b>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Archaeologists have discovered <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/23/science/ecuador-amazon-cities-discovery.html">remnants of ancient cities</a></b> in the Amazon.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>In Scotland, hotter and wetter weather <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/13/grouse-and-kestrels-on-the-wane-as-climate-crisis-hits-scottish-wildlife">has led to declines</a></b> in some of their iconic bird populations.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>You might want to invest in some earplugs, especially if you live in the Midwest. We will have <b><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cicada-broods-xix-xiii-221-years-illinois-midwest-south-2024-1">two broods of cicadas emerging this summer</a></b> - a virtual cicadapocalypse!</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Ten more species could soon be added to the Endangered Species List. Among them is a <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/24/us-endangered-species-list">big bumblebee</a></b>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Here is the <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2024/jan/26/the-week-in-wildlife-in-pictures-penguins-fireflies-and-a-swan-causing-havoc">"Week in Wildlife"</a></b> in pictures.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p><b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/interactive/2024/bird-population-decline-united-states-maps/?itid=hp_Climate%20box_p012_f001">Bird populations are declining</a></b> across the continent.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>An avian flu panzootic (pandemic among animals) has struck hundreds of animal species and <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/01/15/bird-avian-flu-seal/">humans could be next</a></b>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Many aquifers are declining, but data indicates that <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/24/climate/global-groundwater-aquifer-levels.html">this trend could be reversed</a></b>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p><b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/23/science/animals-vision-video.html">How do birds see the world</a></b>? Scientists claim they can now show us.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Coyotes are <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/22/coyotes-making-comeback-florida">making a comeback in Florida</a></b>. They have also begun to recolonize some other areas from which they had been extirpated.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>There is a huge deep-sea coral reef off the Atlantic coast of the United States and now <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/19/deep-sea-coral-reef-atlantic-coast">it has been mapped</a></b>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqotoUQBO_ZqNo9tMp-ACqDJKtDrJAY3oTLctlbnvgunQTsch6K1TXk39cF7-vR7nQ5A3WQdRVcJkBjoGdJrQ3Bf-Pjss3BCB2gFQJyz34UEhWxKesCgvSL7IktHD7gKLP5Y-f3bN4fEKjnSun9gdJiqLbjIO3pK7qvR11Mx49nSCT0XWMKcESI__CRZKK" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="1024" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqotoUQBO_ZqNo9tMp-ACqDJKtDrJAY3oTLctlbnvgunQTsch6K1TXk39cF7-vR7nQ5A3WQdRVcJkBjoGdJrQ3Bf-Pjss3BCB2gFQJyz34UEhWxKesCgvSL7IktHD7gKLP5Y-f3bN4fEKjnSun9gdJiqLbjIO3pK7qvR11Mx49nSCT0XWMKcESI__CRZKK=w640-h414" width="640" /></a></div>This little beauty is the <b><a href="https://abcbirds.org/bird/fiery-topaz/?utm_campaign=botw&utm_medium=email&utm_source=botw&contactdata=spqY3OXFscSVPdLmgNhX82lkwgOAuOsDIVOjYhzKrHP%2f2RaD5%2fhz0xk5rDQSwwOxe+8hDlS1Y1zy4WORPwa1%2fNl9G1s19YwzT9yTP731AlvXH57UlmIvP+BuHJu1o0gEEcy2BLw+t0hPOo5tVADxJ8S8iBUL0CO3fLo86VVjHgmmFr5wCksFJ419PZPXlPKIQNtt98S0drpThbdizJfeEpOdZjTxhOlMREIzqX5CxvyGlfNvdvky5TMd+gM5PVED&ms=em_botw_011924&omcampaign=em_botw_011924&omhide=true&emci=ae378dc3-a8b4-ee11-bea1-0022482237da&emdi=6fe8e296-dfb6-ee11-bea1-0022482237da&ceid=190080">American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week</a></b>. It is the exquisitely named <b>Fiery Topaz</b>, a resident of the treetops of the lowland Amazonian rainforest. Its status is not clear but the population is probably decreasing.<p></p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Scientists are <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/17/science/woolly-mammoth-tusk-research.html">tracking the travels of a woolly mammoth</a></b> by examining the layers of her tusks.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>A beluga whale escaped captivity and <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/14/magazine/hvaldimir-whale.html">now he is a global celebrity</a></b>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Why are craters appearing in Siberia's tundra? The <b><a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/1/16/2217657/-Siberia-s-exploding-tundra-craters-mystery-may-have-been-solved?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web">mystery may have been solved</a></b>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>The Greenland ice cap is <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/17/greenland-losing-30m-tonnes-of-ice-an-hour-study-reveals">losing a lot of ice</a></b> and that is cause for concern.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p><b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/jan/12/bats-leapfrog-back-to-roost-to-stay-safe-from-predators-study-finds">Bats are extremely clever</a></b> in the ways they have devised to stay safe from predators.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>It may look like trash to you but to a hermit crab, it <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2024/01/26/hermit-crabs-shells-plastic-trash/">can look like home</a></b>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p><b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/25/how-invasive-ants-are-impeding-lions-hunt">Everything in Nature is connected</a></b>, including ants and lions.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>This Mongolian lake is pristine and yet <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/16/mongolia-pristine-lake-hovsgol-has-endured-for-2-million-years-why-are-its-fish-in-crisis-aoe">some of its inhabitants are struggling</a></b>.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>The Pacific Flyway, which stretches from Alaska to the tip of South America, is the <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/25/us/california-bird-migration.html">migration route for millions of birds</a></b> each year.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Could IVF be the <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/24/just-two-northern-white-rhinos-remain-an-ivf-breakthrough-could-save-them-from-extinction-aoe">key to saving</a></b> the endangered northern white rhino?</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Genomic research on blue whale carcasses has <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/23/science/blue-whale-genome.html">revealed that there is less inbreeding</a></b> in the species than scientists would have expected. </p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Here are <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2024/jan/22/the-nature-photography-contest-2023-winners-and-finalists-in-pictures">some amazing pictures from Nature</a></b>, winners in a photography contest.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Engraving on a 2,000-year-old knife in Denmark may be the <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/jan/22/engraving-on-2000-year-old-knife-thought-to-be-oldest-runes-in-denmark">oldest known example</a></b> of runes. </p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>A Canadian climate change denier has been <b><a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/1/17/2217866/-Canadian-climate-denier-who-blamed-Quebec-wildfires-on-a-government-conspiracy-admits-to-arson?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web">arrested and charged with setting</a></b> at least thirteen wildfires.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p><b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/17/fire-ant-rafts-australia-queensland/">Invasive fire ants</a></b> are making their way through Australia. (I remember when they first made it to Texas several years ago and there was so much hype and scary headlines all over the place. We had their mounds in our yard for a while but I rarely ever see them anymore.) </p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>And speaking of Texas, its <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2024/01/14/texas-grid-winter-storm-power-outage/">"green grid" may get a test</a></b> if the anticipated winter storm develops early next week.</p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p>Wild agave, used in making mezcal, is <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2024/mezcal-mexico-wild-agave/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p003_f002">getting harder to find</a></b>. </p><p>*~*~*~*</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqtbULrtGB3SEl3uPzacXEBgYLlOlQdvs-RK5DxSoO_27vV7saOGBdL3OYAx8f6nkKj9cSciuw4-b84pxgNUeW5kEGXM4BuMHF-f9_4bXztU23N3ai2MMHXFEASreRNHkOP5Ef8PqxsRFD64zkEMn_QGxdH0CRlfKnPI2ipgWDmo5OXl-UR4ZMYuvOxvqY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="916" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqtbULrtGB3SEl3uPzacXEBgYLlOlQdvs-RK5DxSoO_27vV7saOGBdL3OYAx8f6nkKj9cSciuw4-b84pxgNUeW5kEGXM4BuMHF-f9_4bXztU23N3ai2MMHXFEASreRNHkOP5Ef8PqxsRFD64zkEMn_QGxdH0CRlfKnPI2ipgWDmo5OXl-UR4ZMYuvOxvqY=w640-h436" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>She aspired to have the <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/01/19/tasmania-worlds-ugliest-lawn/">ugliest lawn</a></b>. Do you think she succeeded?<br /><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /><br /></p>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-71887528691266321002024-01-25T22:16:00.000-06:002024-01-25T22:16:37.900-06:00The Helsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak: A review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjz6-AZULwaSyBYF-ko7cPU1NNuGpvWLRKY1jZlxhnd6pa-ciYy0DP_UrVfIuhhKsRow3oR4p8wAzBa7pO8yJ70Uy47GA-F7_vXSy1T0qGHWMN3rID2S0lzAFQ6RFaOW2v-BAxt5kNWMmpbtZKa6Vb1aulpTxi0jj370iN-3iVCpYb_nRj9ocIAQy-4rQ4d" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="330" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjz6-AZULwaSyBYF-ko7cPU1NNuGpvWLRKY1jZlxhnd6pa-ciYy0DP_UrVfIuhhKsRow3oR4p8wAzBa7pO8yJ70Uy47GA-F7_vXSy1T0qGHWMN3rID2S0lzAFQ6RFaOW2v-BAxt5kNWMmpbtZKa6Vb1aulpTxi0jj370iN-3iVCpYb_nRj9ocIAQy-4rQ4d" width="159" /></a></div><br />Okay, let me be honest here: It has been close to a month since I finished reading this book and so much has passed through my brain since then that I am struggling to remember the plot and characters. But at the time that I finished it, I gave it four stars so I know that I enjoyed it!<br /><br />It's a spy novel as you might guess from the title and the cover. It features a CIA agent named Amanda Cole who is following in the footsteps of her father who was also a CIA agent. When we first meet her she is stationed in Rome and is pretty much bored out of her skull. Nothing's happening there to interest a CIA agent. Then, through the doors of the embassy walks a low-level Russian operative who is desperate to warn the Americans that a U.S. senator on a trip to Cairo is about to be assassinated.<br /><br />Unfortunately, Amanda's superiors do not believe the Russian. They decide to take no action. But Amanda does believe him and so does a brash legendary spy named Kath. Amanda and Kath team up to try to get to the bottom of things.<br /><br />They discover a complicated case involving foreign oligarchs, double agents, blackmailed CEOs, and illegal arms transfers. But most important to Amanda, she finds her deceased father's name in the notes that the senator had written before his death. What is the meaning of that?<br /><br />There was quite a lot for me to like about this book, including the fact that it featured two really strong female characters. Moreover, the plot was a good one and the intersecting of the past and present timelines, on the whole, was handled well, I thought.<br /><br />On the other hand, sometimes the plot bordered on the unbelievable, and the timelines jumped around unexpectedly, even within the same chapter. But when I'm enjoying a story, these trivialities don't bother me so much. And I did enjoy this one and would recommend it to anyone who, like me, enjoys spy novels.<br /><br /> </div></div><p></p>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-20037745687208868742024-01-25T11:15:00.000-06:002024-01-25T11:15:03.018-06:00Coming soon!<p>Thanks to all who have expressed their concern. We are doing well here and I hope to get back to my regular schedule of posting soon. Maybe even later today! So, stand by... </p>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-53978797151529459772024-01-20T09:52:00.000-06:002024-01-20T09:52:56.470-06:00Another update<p>Yes, no weekend update again. I apologize to my regular readers. My weekly schedule was severely disrupted. My husband spent a couple of days in the hospital. He's home now and he's fine, but that sort of reordered my priorities. Things are getting back to what passes for normal around here and I hope to get back to my normal routine in the coming week. </p>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-44448868345230914362024-01-13T22:00:00.043-06:002024-01-14T17:40:39.672-06:00Poetry Sunday: It sifts from leaden sieves by Emily Dickinson<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">(01/14: <i>Oops! I thought I had already published this. Here ya go!</i>)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">No snow where I live here in Southeast Texas, but I remember the snows of my childhood and Emily Dickinson describes them perfectly.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b>It sifts from leaden sieves</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>by Emily Dickinson </i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It sifts from leaden sieves,<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />It powders all the wood,<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />It fills with alabaster wool<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />The wrinkles of the road.</span></p><div class="code-block code-block-1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: #222222; margin: 8px 0px;"></div><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It makes an even face<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Of mountain and of plain, —<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Unbroken forehead from the east<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Unto the east again.<span id="more-7099" style="box-sizing: inherit;"></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It reaches to the fence,<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />It wraps it, rail by rail,<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Till it is lost in fleeces;<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />It flings a crystal veil</span></p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">On stump and stack and stem, —<br />The summer’s empty room,<br />Acres of seams where harvests were,<br />Recordless, but for them.</p>It ruffles wrists of posts,<br />As ankles of a queen, —<br />Then stills its artisans like ghosts,<br />Denying they have been.<br />Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-84709946308052484522024-01-12T21:53:00.004-06:002024-01-12T22:39:41.595-06:00This week in birds - #576<p><b><u>A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment</u></b>: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-VX6D0jvvipSBBFIpvSRqKQo53hsqpTa4vBkxiJg1OSeJh75OiqSQNo4LmN0jkfaqj3KHxDNqJY7g0YRShgbphr1EnVlh2t4leBCWS_Gxm1WgXdUi3BGhONCOTGTzKTqsNIWBZULuKcpEiMr9jHJbvoK46W6AHJ1GzW7LHR7i_fkv9xPUuRLlI6kv1IOn/s1104/IMG_5517.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="1104" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-VX6D0jvvipSBBFIpvSRqKQo53hsqpTa4vBkxiJg1OSeJh75OiqSQNo4LmN0jkfaqj3KHxDNqJY7g0YRShgbphr1EnVlh2t4leBCWS_Gxm1WgXdUi3BGhONCOTGTzKTqsNIWBZULuKcpEiMr9jHJbvoK46W6AHJ1GzW7LHR7i_fkv9xPUuRLlI6kv1IOn/w640-h536/IMG_5517.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>A <b>Cooper's Hawk</b> surveys my backyard, searching for a possible meal.<div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>2023 was the <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/09/climate/2023-warmest-year-record.html">hottest year on record</a></b> and 2024 may be even hotter.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>At the other end of the spectrum, Beijing <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/05/weather-tracker-beijing-experiences-coldest-december-since-1951">experienced its coldest December</a></b> since 1951. </div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, hotter, drier air in Europe is <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/jan/05/hotter-drier-air-in-europe-causing-poor-crops-and-greater-wildfire-risk">causing a greater wildfire risk</a></b> and is affecting farmers' success in raising their crops.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>We have live oaks and red oaks in our yard and I can confirm that it has been a <b><a href="https://www.chron.com/life/wildlife/article/acorns-texas-fall-18483041.php?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=socialflow&fbclid=IwAR3WsliRlpX7sgFbhcmlNFpiUUQq6DjVPzkgDAlhneOHoWTofjJA8nfsNKc">bumper crop year for acorns in Texas</a></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Is this pyramid in Indonesia the <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/03/world/asia/oldest-pyramid-indonesia-netflix.html">world's oldest</a></b>?</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Oil refineries on the Gulf Coast <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/12/21/oil-refineries-pollution-gulf-coast-epa/">continue to pollute the air</a></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Californians have been excited by <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/30/california-killer-whale-sightings-southern-coast-orcas">recent sightings of orcas</a></b> off their southern coast.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2pcVmOmA-6y-HOdNL26KqLnZ_3ft2A60OGVOBY3roO8uzO-G88hIafaqDidJ7F2J1CUEqbqXvxAdjZhu8lFSklFX7sVUBfjPT0PRMbQjmqKYaUuA6zZgrS4aSICHWXJF2Dq7Tt4wZXgOfYLwHuArLoH3kxFMqBw6iiFKTxEBNct1TosyF4NPYrAVBWVlh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="1024" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2pcVmOmA-6y-HOdNL26KqLnZ_3ft2A60OGVOBY3roO8uzO-G88hIafaqDidJ7F2J1CUEqbqXvxAdjZhu8lFSklFX7sVUBfjPT0PRMbQjmqKYaUuA6zZgrS4aSICHWXJF2Dq7Tt4wZXgOfYLwHuArLoH3kxFMqBw6iiFKTxEBNct1TosyF4NPYrAVBWVlh=w640-h414" width="640" /></a></div>This is the critically endangered <b>Gorgeted Puffleg</b>, a resident of the high Andes and it is the <b><a href="https://abcbirds.org/bird/gorgeted-puffleg/?utm_campaign=botw&utm_medium=email&utm_source=botw&contactdata=pyAMAuv73PLDQKpXspyZu2lt3w4RiN2blgQ6pgD5N0r+f9f77AHS4luLCC41MCs4gbOUcYcYE5YImnqj+rilUgNg5ccreSdjWNOtgQh5NUh0ATA5cdn2Q7NzBXM2I8989lXnKI+A%2fzWbFaQnr11yQHyJxDNWppKz4gPtHDr9MMwy%2fFWZ+5Mb8dL9d+aCqeCqIjNZ59t8QlEI3T62pBwh0w%2fztiC6hNknLOLDnZmZe8T5KJMZOx3exNBNazd9WMHm&ms=em_botw_010524&omcampaign=em_botw_010524&omhide=true&emci=401e4f27-14ab-ee11-bea1-0022482237da&emdi=9880e978-e3ab-ee11-bea1-0022482237da&ceid=190080">American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week</a></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>There is <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/04/manatees-florida-seagrass-endangered">finally some good news</a></b> regarding the status of Florida's manatees.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>In Britain, the government has a <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/29/stategy-protect-temperate-celtic-rainforest-england-atlantic-woodland-aoe">strategy for restoring</a></b> the country's degraded temperate rainforest.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Collisions with high-rise buildings <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/27/birds-buildings-collisions-architecture">kill up to a billion birds a year</a> </b>in America. Architects are working on ways to prevent that. </div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Logging has <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/04/world/canada/canada-boreal-forest-logging.html">inflicted severe damage</a></b> to the boreal forests of Ontario and Quebec. </div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Twenty-one U.S. species were <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/29/us-animals-birds-extinct-this-year">declared extinct</a></b> in 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>As <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2024/siberia-melting-permafrost-climate-photos/?itid=hp-more-top-stories_p005_f004">Siberia's ice is melting</a></b>, information about its past is being revealed.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Many of Africa's birds of prey are experiencing the <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/04/birds-of-prey-in-africa-experiencing-population-collapse-study-finds-aoe">collapse of their populations</a></b>. Poisoning and persecution by humans is a major factor.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>North of Sydney, the <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/05/biggest-male-funnel-web-spider-record-found-hercules-sydney-australian-reptile-park">largest male funnel-web spider</a></b>, measuring more than three inches wide, has been found.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>There may have been <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/03/science/tyrannosaurus-rex-nanotyrannus-fossils.html">another species of tyrannosaur</a></b> living alongside Tyrannosaurus rex.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>At the Berlin Zoo, animals are getting <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/04/christmas-trees-and-trunks-elephants-eat-leftover-pines-at-berlin-zoo">unsold Christmas trees</a></b> as snacks and playthings.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Get ready for a rare celestial event: A <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/01/02/total-solar-eclipse-path-april/">total solar eclipse</a></b> will occur on April 8.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhX6F51jKZT66Iet9OHKYrLlJi9yIHrcCcydoiuF0vH0ySRUlcqR9e8N-i8YWEyGoj8eW9t5Ia675Qp2OFmONJOvIuvHZ1ikEGdnitgSnGT6Ud_7s2a3bFNvVDDL5dZebU6AGmmoY2TDpqxqlKA7BjsfXmA7LbAv26Sa1zsSZibPLgediTjzhqvQJHKY-vy" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="550" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhX6F51jKZT66Iet9OHKYrLlJi9yIHrcCcydoiuF0vH0ySRUlcqR9e8N-i8YWEyGoj8eW9t5Ia675Qp2OFmONJOvIuvHZ1ikEGdnitgSnGT6Ud_7s2a3bFNvVDDL5dZebU6AGmmoY2TDpqxqlKA7BjsfXmA7LbAv26Sa1zsSZibPLgediTjzhqvQJHKY-vy=w640-h428" width="640" /></a></div> The cause of much excitement in Seattle.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/12/30/2214156/-The-Daily-Bucket-Twitch-Edition-A-Stunning-Warbler-Makes-a-Long-Rare-Visit-to-Seattle?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web">Seattle birders are atwitter</a></b> over a rare visit from a <b>Black-and-White Warbler</b>. </div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Was 2023 the <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/30/climate-scientists-hail-2023-as-beginning-of-the-end-for-fossil-fuel-era">"beginning of the end"</a></b> of the fossil fuel era? Some climate scientists think so.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Australia's <b>Buff-breasted Buttonquail</b> has <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/29/in-search-of-the-buff-breasted-buttonquail-the-one-australian-bird-that-has-never-been-photographed">never been photographed</a></b> but some researchers are hoping to change that.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div>Uruguay is making strides in its <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/dec/27/uruguays-green-power-revolution-rapid-shift-to-wind-shows-the-world-how-its-done">green power transition</a></b> from fossil fuels to wind energy.</div><div><br /></div><div>*~*~*~*</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbM8Vv9uWf5OXUr_4wF57IzpwFx7_1tcrWZ9dNVrToLUA_0ImBsOtWdNnjWr4ae5Oc3WsYV5-Gpna4fP1E9XjlgfCzXFDJHGq3XDzKGTuTRCyk0Hpb1tTZIvLDjhlfDTzFhsX-7QjugtbEOq48lY1gm6sXjWt1jwPszmuL7-cVByneVqGDM_qFZNE6wIdM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="916" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbM8Vv9uWf5OXUr_4wF57IzpwFx7_1tcrWZ9dNVrToLUA_0ImBsOtWdNnjWr4ae5Oc3WsYV5-Gpna4fP1E9XjlgfCzXFDJHGq3XDzKGTuTRCyk0Hpb1tTZIvLDjhlfDTzFhsX-7QjugtbEOq48lY1gm6sXjWt1jwPszmuL7-cVByneVqGDM_qFZNE6wIdM=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2024/01/01/jonathan-tortoise-oldest-land-animal/">This is Jonathan the tortoise</a></b> who lives on St. Helena Island. At (about) 191 years old, he is the world's oldest known living land animal.<br /><br /><br /><p><br /></p></div>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-35075614959090912072024-01-05T18:00:00.025-06:002024-01-06T21:34:47.384-06:00Nope - update<p>Nope - still no weekend posts. I am still ill and this is getting quite boring. Hoping for a better week next week.</p><p><u>Update</u> - Thanks to those who have expressed concern about my health. I did test positive for Covid and I'm getting the care that I need. I suppose I am getting better - just not as fast as I would like. The only positive thing to say about this is that I'm getting a LOT of reading done so there will be plenty of reviews to write in the coming days.</p>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-50373795477423432202023-12-29T21:34:00.000-06:002023-12-29T21:34:51.678-06:00No weekend posts - again<p>Your faithful scribe is sick and, I am sorry to say, unable to put together the usual weekend posts. So no "This week in birds" or "Poetry Sunday." I blame it all on my son-in-law who recently made a business trip to China. I'm convinced he brought home some exotic bug that jumped right across my immune system barriers and made me ill. Ah, well, this, too, shall pass in a few days and I hope to be back at my usual post next week. </p>Dorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.com7