This week in birds - #352

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

Yellow-billed Cuckoo image courtesy of birdsna.org.

I heard my first Yellow-billed Cuckoo call of the year this week. It's always a welcome sound that I remember well from my childhood. Where I grew up in Northeast Mississippi, these birds were called "Rain Crows." There was a myth that their calls predicted rain. Of course, the birds called every day or whenever they felt like it and they had nothing to do with rain. The bird that I heard would have been a little late with his prediction. We've had very heavy rains over the last couple of weeks but this week is dry so far.

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A Texas investor and retired naval officer made a dive in a submarine into the Mariana Trench, nearly 36,000 feet deep, and discovered...litter! The litter appeared to be pieces of plastic. This was the deepest dive ever into that deepest place on Earth. He went 52 feet deeper than the previous deepest descent that took place in 1960.  

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A recent study by Cornell Lab of Ornithology confirmed that Chicago is the deadliest big city in the country for birds. The city is square in the middle of the central flyway which millions of birds travel in migration and it is full of the glass skyscrapers that confuse the birds and cause them to fly straight into the buildings, killing themselves.

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Climate change is having an effect on the grizzly bears of Yellowstone. The changing climate has caused the devastation of some of the bears' preferred food sources and now they are having to travel farther afield to find sufficient food. This brings them in more contact with humans and their death rate is rising because of it.

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Methane is a major heat-trapping gas that contributes significantly to the greenhouse gases that are turning Earth into a hothouse. Scientists are concerned that the rate of methane in the atmosphere has been rising dramatically in recent years and they are studying possible causes of the effect.

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Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico's "monkey island." Now scientists are studying the surviving primates on the island to try and learn more about psychological responses to traumatizing events.

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The Hawaiian Crow, or Alala, is critically endangered. The birds have not nested in the wild for decades, but a captive breeding program has produced chicks which have been raised and returned to the wild. Now, two of those captive-raised birds have formed a pair and are nesting! This is a tangible sign that the Alala Project might be succeeding in its attempt to save the species.

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Organic farming which eschews the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides is particularly friendly to birds, especially those, like swallows, that depend upon insects as their primary source of food.

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Beginning in 2017, the political appointees by the current administration to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have ordered the delisting or downlisting of 30 vulnerable species from the Endangered Species List every year. They provide no scientific basis for such action.

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The inspector general of the EPA recommended on Thursday that the agency recover $124,000 from former director Scott Pruitt for his "excessive" travel expenses. However, the agency is refusing to take the action because the expenses had been "approved."  

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How warm was it in your town last weekend? Well, over that weekend, the temperature surged to 84 degrees Fahrenheit at the entrance to the Arctic Ocean in northwest Russia. At the same time, the atmosphere's concentration of carbon dioxide exceeded 415 parts per million for the first time in human history. We can't say that Nature hasn't tried repeatedly to warn us of the disaster that looms. 

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Feral parrots that have escaped from captivity or, in some cases, been deliberately released into the wild, have survived and thrived in many parts of the country. They have reproduced and formed successful colonies in many cities. Among the most successful species in doing this is the Monk Parakeet.

Monk Parakeet image courtesy of AP.

Monk Parakeets can now be found in almost every section of the country.

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Climate Watch is a citizen science project of the National Audubon Society to collect information about how North American birds are responding to climate change. Anyone can participate in the project. Visit the Audubon website for information if you are interested.

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This is so depressing. On a remote island group in the Indian Ocean, scientists found, and counted, 414 million pieces of plastic. The islands have almost no population and it is clear that most if not all of this plastic washed ashore from the ocean.

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In Indonesia, timber certification is supposed to mean that the timber was logged and obtained legally, but, in fact, the system is corrupt and certification is no guarantee of legality. Forests are being razed with little attempt at policing. 

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The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow is one of the most endangered bird species in the world, but conservationists continue to fight the good fight to save the bird. A captive breeding program is producing birds to return to the wild. On Monday, May 6, the first three captive-bred sparrows were released into their wild, dry prairie habitat. A cause for rejoicing.

Throwback Thursday

These days it seems that American women are living in a permanent "Throwback Thursday." The men who are in power in this country seem determined to return us all to the days of women as chattel, with no control over our own bodies or lives. 

What we really need is a heartbeat law for women: If a woman has a heartbeat, she shall be in control of her body and her life decisions!

HT to Jen Sorensen who sums up the danger succinctly.

Elections matter, people!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - May 2019

Late April and May have been a hectic time for me and not in a good way since it involved health problems for both my husband and myself. His was definitely the more serious of the two since he had heart bypass surgery on April 29. He's at home and well into his convalescence and I have learned a new respect for nurses!

Unfortunately, my function as a nurse has not left much time for gardening and my garden shows it. In short, it's a mess and that mess hasn't been helped by the near monsoon rains we've had recently. But even amid the neglect and the mess, many of my tough old plants just keep on blooming. Here is some of what I found on a walk through the garden today.

If it is May, there must be magnolias, of course. This is the month when their beauty makes us forgive them their untidiness throughout the year.

 My hydrangeas are just beginning to bloom.

Likewise, the oleanders. Many oleanders around town are in full and glorious bloom already, but mine are literally late bloomers.

These are some of my reblooming chrysanthemums. They bloom in the spring and again in the fall.

I have them in several colors, including this rust.

And also this red one which is not quite in full bloom yet.

You might think this is white plumbago, but, in fact, it is blue. The color is almost impossible to capture in bright sunlight.

The Philippine lilies have bloomed gloriously but this is the only one left and it is a bit worse for wear from all the rain. They are beautiful while they last.

Blue salvia.

 Turk's cap.

The 4 o'clocks are in bloom late in the day as their name suggests.

 The yarrow just keeps on going month after month after...

 And so do these little violas. They don't seem to realize their season is past.

This is a wildflower with the weird name of purple-head sneezeweed. I have a few of the plants scattered around the garden. I like wildflowers and so do the native pollinators.

This is another wild plant that has introduced itself into my garden. It is elderberry, the fruit of which is much loved by birds. It grows behind my garden shed.


 Pomegranate.

 Yellow cestrum.

 Salvia greggii - aka autumn sage.

 This is Duranta erecta - golden dewberry plant.

This is the only variety of daylily that I have in bloom so far. Its proper name is long forgotten.

 The groundcover wedelia.

Mrs. Lui's cannas. I don't know their real name but I call them that because my neighbor, Mrs. Lui, was the one who gave me my start of them long ago.

 This is 'Wendy's Wish' salvia. It has been a real winner in my garden.

 Justicia 'Orange Flame.'

'Peggy Martin' rose just keeps on blooming her heart out for the fifth consecutive month now.

 This is the 'Caldwell Pink' antique rose.

 And this is 'Julia Child.'

 'Belinda's Dream.'

But the real star of the rose garden this month has been 'Lady of Shalott' which has been covered in these large cushy blooms for weeks now.

I'm glad you decided to drop by my garden this month and I hope to visit yours in turn. I'll also be visiting the garden of our host Carol of May Dreams Gardens. She always has plenty to show us.

Happy Bloom Day!

Poetry Sunday: Such Singing in the Wild Branches by Mary Oliver

The birds' spring migration continues and one never quite knows when one steps outside each day just whose voice she will hear. But no matter who is singing, these song-filled days can create magical moments for the listener, moments that stay with us and comfort us when our souls need comforting. Once heard, such songs are not forgotten. Or as Mary Oliver puts it: 

"It's one of those magical places wise people
like to talk about.
One of the things they say about it, that is true,

is that, once you've been there, you're there forever."

Such Singing in the Wild Branches

by Mary Oliver

It was spring
and I finally heard him
among the first leaves––
then I saw him clutching the limb

in an island of shade
with his red-brown feathers
all trim and neat for the new year.
First, I stood still

and thought of nothing.
Then I began to listen.
Then I was filled with gladness––
and that's when it happened,

when I seemed to float,
to be, myself, a wing or a tree––
and I began to understand
what the bird was saying,

and the sands in the glass
stopped
for a pure white moment
while gravity sprinkled upward

like rain, rising,
and in fact
it became difficult to tell just what it was that was singing––
it was the thrush for sure, but it seemed

not a single thrush, but himself, and all his brothers,
and also the trees around them,
as well as the gliding, long-tailed clouds
in the perfect blue sky–––all of them

were singing.
And, of course, so it seemed,
so was I.
Such soft and solemn and perfect music doesn't last

For more than a few moments.
It's one of those magical places wise people
like to talk about.
One of the things they say about it, that is true,

is that, once you've been there,
you're there forever.
Listen, everyone has a chance.
Is it spring, is it morning?

Are there trees near you,
and does your own soul need comforting?
Quick, then––open the door and fly on your heavy feet; the song
may already be drifting away.

This week in birds - #351

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

A Willet explores the rocks by Galveston Bay keeping an eye out for tasty tidbits.

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The big news of the week in the environment was the landmark report issued by the United Nations with the input of scientists at universities around the world. The report warned that up to one million species of plants and animals are on the verge of extinction and that the losses are directly linked to human activity. Moreover, these coming extinctions have dire implications for our own species. There can be little doubt the planet is in the middle of the sixth great extinction in its history. The question is, will the last victim of that extinction be humans?

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Not everyone in power in this country is ignoring the problems outlined in the United Nations report. Although the federal government in its present incarnation refuses to act or to even acknowledge that there is a problem, many states and cities are working hard to create policies that will address the problems and assist their survival. The real Green New Deal may have its birth in these governments.

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Nature never ceases to amaze and never wastes anything. It turns out that penguin poop is the essential ingredient for biodiversity in Antarctica. The nitrogen in the animal waste provides nutrients that would otherwise be unavailable in the cold, dry weather of the region, and lichens, mosses, microscopic animals, and small creatures depend on it and make up the foundation of Antarctica's biodiversity.

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When saltwater inundates coastal forests as sea levels rise, it kills salt-sensitive trees that live there, but as always in Nature, there are winners and losers. The salt-sensitive trees and birds that depend on them will be losers but they will be replaced by salt-tolerant shrubs and grasses which shifts vegetation closer to the ground making the habitat more attractive for birds that prefer the understory rather than the canopy.

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Cranes seem to be particularly vulnerable to collision with power lines and since crane populations are decreasing around the world, anything that contributes to their decline is a concern. New research has shown that mounting UV lights on the utility wire poles so that the lights shine on the lines at night can decrease crane collisions with the wires by up to 98%. 

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Brown bears have been absent from Portugal for more than a century, but now, one has been confirmed by wildlife experts to be in the northeast of the country, having apparently wandered over from a population living in the western Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain.

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This is an image of the Aldabra Rail, a flightless bird of which the last surviving colony lives on Aldabra Island in the Indian Ocean. A previous flightless rail had lived on the island tens of thousands of years ago but had gone extinct. This rail colonized the island and over time evolved to become flightless.

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Scientists have found bald cypress trees in a North Carolina swamp that are more than 2,000 years old. One of them is at least 2624 years old. The continued existence of these ancient entities is threatened by climate change.

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St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, south of Tallahassee, has been hosting a special guest since Hurricane Michael blew through there last year.

And here he, or she is. It is Pinky the Flamingo. This is an American (or Caribbean) Flamingo, a species which once roamed the Everglades, 400 miles from St. Marks, but was killed off by hunters by early 1900. The hurricane landed Pinky in a bird paradise at St. Marks after most likely picking him or her up on the Yucatan Peninsula. S/he seems perfectly happy in this new home and shows no inclination to leave.

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Four years after the removal of the San Clemente Dam on the Carmel River in California, steelhead trout are once again making their way up the river to spawn.

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"Dakota Birder" has solved one of life's mysteries. This one involves the almost never seen crown of the Orange-crowned Warbler.

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Japanese knotweed is a pernicious invasive threat that is almost impossible to kill. It has colonized Europe and has now gotten its tentacles into the North American continent.

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The movements of flocks of birds in flight can appear to be ruled by one mind. In fact, the movements are coordinated as each bird in the flock responds to its neighbors and all follow identical rules. An exception to this rule is Jackdaws which mate for life and which fly with their mates in flocks even if it disrupts the flock's movements.

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A previously unknown to science species of pit viper has been discovered in India. The snake was discovered during a survey of the biodiversity of the state of Arunachal Pradesh. 

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"The Prairie Ecologist" explains the uses and goals of prescribed fires on the prairie. The prairies evolved with naturally occurring fires as one of the factors in their growth. The prescribed fires are an attempt to safely reconstruct that evolutionary tool.

Winter by Ali Smith: A review

"God was dead." These are the words with which Ali Smith begins the second in her seasonal fiction series, Winter. And not only was God dead; so were a lot of other things that had been taken for granted. This is the Brexit/Trump era and the world has gone wrong. The truth is turned on its head. Winter is no longer winter; it is a shortened lukewarm interlude.

The first book in this series, Autumn, was the first book that I read last year and I loved it. This book is not a sequel in the sense that it uses the same characters as vehicles to tell the story. These are entirely new characters and new relationships to explore, but the time period is still the present in England and people are still as unsettled and anxious. As one of the characters opines:

“The people in this country are in furious rages at each other after the last vote, she said, and the government we’ve got has done nothing to assuage it and instead is using people’s rage for its own political expediency. Which is a grand old fascist trick if ever I saw one, and a very dangerous game to play. And what’s happening in the United States is directly related, and probably financially related.” 

Once again, in one short paragraph, Ali Smith has summed up our predicament succinctly and precisely.

The present book has four main characters: Sophia Cleves, an elderly and unhappy but wealthy woman; her son, Art, a rather woebegone n'er-do-well who blogs about Nature without having actually experienced it; a 21-year-old Croatian girl named Lux who Art hires to pretend to be his girlfriend Charlotte (who had just dumped him) and visit his mother's home with him at Christmas; and, finally, Sophia's estranged older sister, Iris, who has been a rabble-rouser all her life and still mans the barricades in old age.  

These four gather at Sophia's house around Christmas-time in the year following the Brexit vote. The atmosphere of this book is somewhat more overtly political than Autumn as Sophia, who gets her opinions from the right-wing media outlets, clashes with her left-wing sister. But the books do share some elements. They both jump back and forth in time in the exposition of the characters' personalities. Both of them feature sympathetic relationships between old and young characters - here, Lux and Sophia and Iris. Lux is able to build bridges between the two warring sisters.

Also, both books consider the work of a lesser-known female English artist. In Autumn, it was painter Pauline Boty and in Winter, it is artist and sculptor Barbara Hepworth. And each book features a kind of dreamy reality of at least one character along with acute observations of the world as it actually exists.

“You can’t expect to live in the world like the world’s your private myth.” 

But, of course, some people do. 

Even so:

“You never stop being yourself on the inside, whatever age people think you are by looking at you from the outside.” 

Even though the action in Winter takes place in that season, it would be wrong to think of the book as relating to climatological seasons. Instead, they are more about seasons of the human spirit. Smith's Spring is out already and I look forward to experiencing that season soon.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars  

Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami: A review

I've had Haruki Murakami's latest book in my reading queue for several months, but I was daunted by its length of over seven hundred pages and by my previous experience of reading Murakami. His tales can be complex and demanding of the reader.  But finally, I felt I had stalled as long as I could and I just needed to read the damned book.

Some reviews that I had read of the book when it came out last year had mentioned Murakami's love of F. Scott Fitgerald and particularly of The Great Gatsby. This book was said to be an homage to Fitzgerald's masterpiece. Looking back on it now with the perspective of a few days' time, I can see that there are similarities in the storyline, but I admit these were not necessarily evident to me at the time of reading.

Murakami's narrator is a painter of portraits who has been fairly successful in his trade. He lives in an apartment in Tokyo with his office-worker wife of six years. On the surface, the marriage appears to be a successful and happy one to observers and also to the narrator, but one day his wife quite unexpectedly tells him that she wants a divorce. She makes this announcement after several months of refusing to have sex with him. That might have been a clue to a more observant man.

Our narrator is shattered by the announcement and flees Tokyo on a long road trip that eventually leads him to the mountains of Kanagawa Prefecture. A friend of his from art school has offered him the house of his father who has had to move to an extended care facility because of his dementia. That father, we learn, is a famous painter, Tomohiko Amada, who began his career as a Western-style artist of cutting-edge modern oil paintings. In mid-career, he switched styles and became a very successful painter of Japanese-style works. 

The narrator lives a listless existence in the more famous painter's house listening to his classical music collection, teaching a few art classes at a local community center, and conducting desultory affairs with a couple of his students. Then one day he looks into the attic of the house after hearing noises there during the night (it turned out to be an owl) and he discovered a rolled up canvas with an Amada painting that was a representation of a scene in Mozart's "Don Giovanni". The characters in the scene were dressed as seventh-century Japanese courtiers and the scene itself showed the Don Giovanni character killing a character known as the Commendatore. The painting had a profound effect on the narrator. He recognized it as a masterpiece.

After his discovery of the painting, strange and supernatural phenomena began to disrupt the mundane existence of the narrator and his interpretation of those phenomena leads us on a long and winding road through his meeting and budding relationship with a neighbor, a Gatsby-like character who spends his time spying with binoculars on a house across the way where a thirteen-year-old girl who he believes may be his daughter lives. The painter also develops relationships with the girl and her aunt. He agrees to paint a portrait of the girl for the faux Gatsby and she talks to him while she is posing about her concerns about her developing breasts which aren't developing fast enough she thinks. All of this reminds him of his sister who died at the same age as the girl and who was also concerned about her developing breasts. He begins to conflate the two people.

In addition to all this, there is a pit in the woods, a bell that rings in the night with no apparent human aid, a two-foot-tall ghostly materialization of the Commendatore from the painting, and on and on. I really cannot begin to summarize it all. There are historical secrets and paranormal happenings that mix and mingle with each other in a mystical jumble that could be confusing for literal-minded readers. Perhaps it found me at just the right moment, but I found that I actually quite enjoyed the experience.

The book is overlong. The story could have been told in half the length and I think it probably would have been a better and certainly tighter story. But that's just not the way that Murakami writes. He gives the impression of having thrown everything, every idea he's ever had, into the mix just to see what works. In this, he seems nothing like his hero, Fitzgerald. But his straightforward narrative - this happened then this happened - does perhaps owe something to him. 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Update: For my regular readers, I just wanted to let you know that hubby is home after his surgery and his hospital stay and he's doing quite well. He will have a six to eight weeks convalescence and, of course, it will take him longer still to completely recover, but we are ecstatic with his progress so far. And I thank you all for your thoughts and kind wishes for us during this time.