Many parts of the world have eperienced record high temperatures. In the U.S., 92 all-time record high temperatures had been set through July 16, 2002, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Globally, 188 all-time heat records were broken. At least 1,000 people have died from heat-related illness in Portugal and Spain as …
A year ago I posted a blog on a combination bird feeder-camera that was supposed to identify birds at the bird feeder. I wasn’t impressed. Never could get the thing to work. Directions weren’t clear, for one thing. I was a bit overwhelmed by the tech knowledge the instructions assumed of me. My techy grandaughter …
When I was responsible for my university’s vertebrate museum, federal and state wildlife officers would occasionally seek my expertise in identifying illegally gotten and confiscated animal parts, especially those from birds. There were brass knuckles with eagle claws on them, songbird-decorated table centerpieces, and vests made of feathers. Today, Etsy and Ebay sell real bird …
A recent European study entitled Biological Diversity Evokes Happiness determined that a ten percent increase in bird diversity increases life satisfaction as much as a comparable increase in income. So people are happier if they see more birds? I would think so. Generally, it is beneficial for us to experience more nature in our ever-disconnected-from-nature …
