Beautiful and informative and # 17

Of the 50 species this new book from the University of Kentucky Press, I have only seen two: whooping cranes and red-headed woodpeckers. At the rate things are going, I may never see any of the others that are in Kentucky at least part of the year. Since 1970, 3 billion birds have been lost in the US and Canada. The author writes that that means nearly 30% of the birds that used to live in the two countries have disappeared. 😥 Many of these are very colourful. The bill was very intesting. I just hope it doesn't become a historical catalogue. The bird on the cover is a painted bunting. I've heard of them, at least, but many of the others were new to me, so I learned a lot from it.

Citation: Williams, Matt. Endangered and Disappearing Birds of Appalachia and the Southeast. Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 2024. 248 pp.

Oh, and that's book 17 for 2024!

Beautiful

Today I:

1. Got pooped on by a bird within 30 seconds of exiting my front door, on a day where I was happy with my outfit and thought I looked nice. Fortunately, I was in a thin but long-sleeved shirt, so I didn't get any on me.  I walked back into the house, went to the front entry closet, where my clothes are kept (left over from when I was living in the living room), and changed shirts, although things didn't match quite as well.  Everyone I've told the story to has told me that it's supposed to be lucky.  I'm not sure how.
2. On the other hand, I went to take my medicine at the beginning of work and realised that one of the pills looked off, and in fact looked a lot like something I took last night. I pulled out a magnifier I keep with me to look at the imprint, put it and the shape and colour into the drugs.com database, and it wound up being tizanidine.  They're pretty mild, really.  Each tablet is only 4 mg and you normally take three at night, but they can make me loopy.  So I'm glad I caught it.  I went through the other bins of the pill reminder box and there was one more.  I'm not sure if I consolidated some other medicine and accidentally put tizanidine into a similar bottle, then put them in the reminder box, or what.  I think that's what happened, anyway.  To be honest, I'm not sure what small white pill I accidentally substituted it for; I think it was my furosemide (Lasix, or diuretic).   Thankfully, tizanidine (also known as Flexeril) has a scored side where you can divide it into fourths, and that's what clued me in because I noticed it last night when I took them. I guess that was lucky.  Oh,  wait, we're back to the bird poop.
3. After work (which was steady) I went and picked YKWIA from our friend's house, took him home, let him rest for a bit, then went on a major grocery run on my own.  It took an hour and a half.  I got everything on the list except wine.  I got to the liquor store that's attached to Kroger just at 10.  I asked the security guard if they were closed, and he said they were.  I asked when they closed, and he says, 'They're closed now.' Well, gee.  I got that part.  So I ask, when do they normally close so I know next time.  Nine? Ten?  It was ten--so technically I came up at 9:59, but oh, well, we'll have to get wine to cook with tomorrow instead.  Most of it was fresh produce, dairy, beans, that sort of thing.  YKWIA pretty much never cooks out of a box--it's all real food.
4. I came home, he helped me bring things in, and he put them away and I did a few small things to help.  Now I'm going to go plotz on the bed.

PS I started the manual update to the April 2018 Windows Update before I left.  It's still in the downloading phase, at 18%.  This may be an all-night sort of thing.  Okay, again, time to just collapse on the bed, listen to music and pretend my back still likes me.  Oh, and maybe take a couple of those tizanidine pills. :)

They're lovely birds

and given this information, I'm glad that my city is fairly tree-loving.

Cardinals may protect people from West Nile virus

Indeed, both the city I currently live in (Lexington, Kentucky) and my hometown (Danville, Kentucky) are both designated Tree City USA cities. Even so, we could do better.

Thinking of taking a nap

It's a beautiful day, with a light breeze and sun at the moment, although it rained a bit earlier. I've been over at my friends' house for awhile. We watched a bit of 'The Vicar of Dibley' (I do love Dawn French), and we did the grocery run, so I picked up some fruit, cheese, and crackers. I really love the Milton's Everything crackers that Kroger carries, especially with pimiento cheese. I find it very filling, and I don't overeat with that.

There were two unfortunate things that happened today. The first is that I developed a fever blister, something that happens occasionally and which annoys me to no end. I used to get them right before school pictures. But I have a prescription cream with an antiviral medicine that I hope is still good and will help. The second is that I killed a bird with my car. It was a robin who tried to land on the roadway right in front of my car, swooping in rather fast. I couldn't stop in time, felt the impact, and it happened so fast I wasn't able to avoid it. It's like the poor thing committed suicide by car. But I do feel rather bad about it.

Otherwise it's been a good day. I found out we won't be playing the Cthulhu game tomorrow because Brenda had to cancel, so instead we're going to work on some character sheets and do some upgrading to my characters, something she did while I was off cleaning the apartment. I really should go ahead and do the last game notes tonight, but I think I will lie down for just a bit.

I was going to put on some music

as despite a slow start [I got distracted by keyboard trays on Amazon], I have the laundry going. But then when I returned to the apartment, a lovely robin started singing, and I can hear him through the open window. Very nice.

The first of the books I mailed out for a requester through Paperback Swap has reached it's destination, so I had a credit to use. While I was waiting for the washers to finish, I went on there and found a book by Andre Norton (an author I like quite a bit and I have several of her books) called Merlin's Mirror. I think I may have read it when I was a teenager, but I don't remember. It's set in Arthurian times, although I gather there's a science fiction component rather than straight-up fantasy involved. I also put a book a friend is looking for on my wish list, as well as the book Not in Front of the Servants, by Frank Dawes. I'm pretty far down on the list for the first, but it's worth a try.

I also took the shelving packaging out and put it with the recycling containers (they're too big to go inside). It's very pleasant outside. Few of my neighbours are up. At first there were a couple of bedroom lights on, then a few living room ones. I've never been one of those people who slowly wakes up and stays in bed reading or otherwise waking up. I've known several who do that. [One, a lady I worked with at the gas station, had a shooting in an apartment next to hers, and a bullet went through her wall and into her bedroom, right where she would normally be sitting up in bed in the morning. Fortunately the timing was off, and she wan't doing that for some reason that day, had to get up at a different time. But it was a bit scary. It was a tenant who shot and killed an on-site maintenance man at the complex. She was quite rattled.]

When it gets lighter, I may go ahead and fix up the window boxes and do some planting. But for now I think I'm going to prop my feet up and wait for the dryers. I felt like I was taking life and limb into my own hands in navigating the laundry room, which apparently had those wet floor signs up because one or more of the washers I used leaked water all over the place. I was in old sandals with no tread, and do not really want to break another bone anytime soon. I got a bit of blanket in the water as I was putting them into the dryer. Hopefully that shouldn't be an issue, but I'll have to be very careful when I go back, both in terms of walking (in different shoes this time) and not getting the dry clothes in the puddle that is right under two of the dryers. Grrr....

I can hear and see the little birds outside my window

Seeing birds almost always cheer me up, especially the small sparrows that flit about. I know over the years I've written about what the geese are up to, or various bird sightings. I'm a very passive birdwatcher; I don't go out seeking them. But I am fascinated by their delicate natures, their repertoire of noises, and their ability to fly. There is just something cheery about a fluffy sparrow chirping, or a mockingbird's song, or an owl's call. I don't even mind a crow's caw, and I can't help but count them. But maybe I'm a bit odd on that one.

I got to sleep in today

Because I had a doctor's appointment later than I go to work but not late enough that there was any reason to go in to work and then leave, especially with the time it takes on the bus. I'm at the appointment right now. I've been weighed, my vitals taken, and now I am in a room waiting for the doctor, which given that he's the only one in the practice could take awhile, but it's an early appointment, so hopefully not.

I am sorry I didn't write yesterday. I'm afraid I just got too tired by nine, so I set Grimm to record and went on to bed. It had been a long weekend, after all, even without the game.

I started my workweek out getting pooped on by a bird. No less than three people have told me this is supposed to be good luck. The good thing was that it was not on my head or clothing. I wiped it off my arm with grass and then washed my arm thoroughly when I got to work.

After that the day improved greatly. I got a lot of things accomplished. The weather was pleasant. I got a ride from work to the bank, ate at Texas Roadhouse (I've been craving salmon), and then stopped by the Eagle Creek library, which had reopened after two weeks of renovations (which seemed to involve shelving, mostly). I had felt really well all day, but as the rain approached, I started aching.  I also spoke with a friend on the phone for awhile. Then I set the recorder and went to bed, taking some naproxen.

Okay, that's it for now. I'll write later today. Have a great day! :-)

It's so fluffy!!!!

This is so cute! I made the 'cute' noise when YKWIA woke me up at a late hour to tell me about it, especially when I saw the photo that accompanies the article:

Baby robin cuddles up with SW Michigan cats

Heartbreaking, no matter what the cause

Peru says 5,000 birds, nearly 900 dolphins dead

The Peruvian government said Wednesday that 5,000 birds, mostly pelicans, and nearly 900 dolphins have died off the country's northern coast, possibly due to rising temperatures in Pacific waters.
The country's northern beaches were earlier this week declared off-limits as scientists scrambled to pin down what was causing such a massive toll, with non-government organizations blaming oil exploration work.
But Peru's deputy environment minister Gabriel Quijandria, disputed this and said warming waters, which disturbs species' food supplies, was a possible cause.

I am hot, I am sweaty, my feet hurt, and a bird pooped on me--

but at least I am home, in air conditioning, with my shoes off. And the shirt is one that I once spilled a good portion of automatic transmission fluid on, which eventually came out, so surely bird poop will. I don't think it actually hit my hair or body, although I am tempted to hop into the shower just to cool down. It's in the mid- to upper-70s and it's late evening.

I worked today, of course, and then a co-worker dropped me off at my first stop of the evening, saving me about forty-five minutes, but still, it's nearly 8 pm and I'm just getting home. This evening I:

1. Picked up some things from Incredipet for a friend.
   
2. Got my hair cut (I can't tell yet how it really looks, as I am windblown and sweaty).
   
3. Got my bus pass.
   
4. Picked up some alcohol pads and a bit of food until I can do an actual grocery run.
   
5. Dropped off my (signed) lease, with a note saying, yes, I'd like the free carpet cleaning.

Yay for getting paid today, although most of it will go towards rent. If I had thought about it, I would have had my co-worker drop me off at the bank and gotten my rent together so I could drop it off with the lease, but no, I didn't until after the bank was closed. The bank has later lobby hours tomorrow, and then there's Saturday, and I have until the 5th, so I'm not in danger of being late.

So far things have been pretty good this week, although I've run into a couple of glitches. I have a report to do by Monday but have bad data to work with, and the person who can give me the correct data is off sick. I have some surveys to compile so that I can get my needs assessment finished and get a library committee meeting together, but the file for the form became corrupted, and I have to create a new one and then manually enter the data, since it won't scan the old form. And I need to catch up on some statistics and filing, but tomorrow's a little slow so I'm hoping that will work. It feels like today is Friday, and everyone else seems ready for the week to end as well. One of my bosses won't be here tomorrow because (yay) she's having her hooding ceremony for her doctorate (she has graduation Sunday). In nursing, they pin you when you get your BSN, and have the hooding ceremony when you attain your PhD. I'm very happy for her.

Not to sound superstitious, but I've found two lucky pennies in one day. That must be good for something, right?

This morning, as I walked from the bus stop to the hospital, a lovely cardinal perched on the sign singing, and it let me get pretty close before flying to the bushes. I wish I'd gotten a picture.

What else of import happened today? Oh, I did get a chuckle while reading through my lease before I signed it. There's a mistake where instead of making sure the lessee does not make any alterations to the apartment without the manager's consent, it says there will be no altercations made. Let's hope not. :)

Okay, I've had something cold to drink and ate a light dinner. Lunch today was grilled salmon, grilled vegetables (asparagus, spinach, peppers, and onions), sweet potato 'fries', and a small salad, which I thought was very sensible and healthy, and it disproves several persons' opinions that for a vegetarian I don't eat vegetables. I just don't eat as many as I should, which is sad, because I love vegetables. But I tend to let them spoil in the fridge (there's salad makings that seem to be okay in there right now, but they have been there two weeks), canned ones aren't as good for you (but I do eat those), and often our cafeteria vegetables are either fried or wilt on the heat tables by the time I go to lunch. But I am making a concerted effort to eat more of them. And the salmon was very good today, as were the vegetables.

I usually check the news about this time, but frankly, I'm a little tired. I am not going on to bed, however. Really. Maybe a shower would pep me up....

Is it Friday yet?

It seems much later in the week, as Monday and today have been very busy. I'm juggling referrals, the data entry sheets, several literature searches and interlibrary loan requests (we've actually been either even or a net lender of late, but this month we're definitely going to be a net borrower). I have a colour-coded to-do list for the data entry position, the library, and my own personal agenda. Even though I've been marking off items, they seem to be getting longer and longer. In other words, it's going to be a long week.  I appreciate that I am now filling all of my hours without having to take PTO to cover hours I didn't have enough work for.  But I'm not sure I have enough hours in the day. The referrals and data entry get two hours each, the library four, subject to shifts as necessary to complete the work.

Yesterday I had the good fortune to have a crane fly near me. They're quite remarkable; it doesn't look like they should be able to lift off the ground.  After work, I retrieved my tablet from my friends' house and visited for awhile.  Ah, my precious, it's good to have back, although to be honest I was too busy to miss it except on the bus rides.  That's when I check the news in the morning, as well as the weather. And I read, of course, too.

Today I got a ride home, so I've already eaten a dinner of a tomato-basil pizza veggie burger with Havarti cheese, a baked potato, and a bit of fruit. I may have a salad later; I'd like to go ahead and make some up to take to work with me.  It tastes so much better than the cafeteria salads, although the lady who works on the salad bar does an excellent job there.

I've got the windows open and it's in the 60s with a light breeze, so that's nice. I think I'll relax for awhile and try to get some of the things on list finished.

PS I'm so tired from the weekend and this week that I fell asleep in my chair in front of the computer. I think a nap is in order, and I'll just have to hope I'm not going to sleep the night away.

I did two bad things tonight

1) I ate dinner at the computer, and was distracted enough that I didn't take my insulin, leading me to get sleepy and head on to be for a 'nap', only waking up when a friend called, and

2) missing a dose of my medication that helps with the foot pain, so they're not feeling so well. I can tell a real difference. I went ahead and took my nightly dose, though, so hopefully that will kick in here soon.

Today birds figured prominently in my day. The weather was very springlike, sunny at times but a few showers later. This morning as I went to work, birdsong abounded. The lawn in front of the hospital portico was full of robins and starlings, and a tree near the entrance had several birds, including a goldfinch, perched in it. Later, on my way home, I saw a kingfisher (this one was a female), a bird I've never seen in person before. It was near the reservoir on Richmond Road, perched on a line. And of course there were ducks in that body of water and the pond on Blazer Parkway. What can I say, I notice birds. I find them reassuring and love watching their delicate movements and the listening to the variety of their songs. I'm not an active birdwatcher, I don't go hiking out in the woods to see them, but I enjoy seeing them when I happen upon them. :)

Bird or dino?

Feathers fly in first bird debate

A chicken-sized dinosaur fossil found in China may have overturned a long-held theory about the origin of birds.

For 150 years, a species called Archaeopteryx has been regarded as the first true bird, representing a major evolutionary step away from dinosaurs.

But the new fossil suggests this creature was just another feathery dinosaur and not the significant link that palaeontologists had believed.

Its discovery and features are reported in the journal Nature.

I get a newsletter from the National Zoo

And today's announced the birth of the 50th kori bustard chick born to the zoo. Kori bustard? I know a lot of animals, and this sounded like a bird, but it was not familiar. The kori bustard is a native of Africa. There are two subspecies. They are the heaviest bird capable of flight, although are considered terrestrial. Here is an adult kori bustard:

[image credit: Frank Wouters, an excellent photographer, judging by his Flickr photostream, licensed under Creative Commons]

Impressive plumage, eh? Now I got to this because I wanted to see an adult, because the baby is utterly adorable:

[I'm not sure which National Zoological Park photographer took that photo--it's from: National Zoo’s 50th Kori Bustard Chick Hatches]

It's about the size of a human hand. It'll get significantly bigger. They're raising the chick by hand for now but expect it to be on display by mid-August. :) So if you're in the DC area after that, check out the newest addition.

For more on the kori bustard, see the Wikipedia article or the National Zoo's fact sheet.

Giant killer...storks?

Giant storks may have fed on real-life hobbits: Bones of small humans and giant birds, found together, tell chilling tale

The fossil remains of what may have been a hobbit-like species of human were discovered in 2003 at the Liang Bua cave on the Indonesian island of Flores. In that cave, scientists also unearthed a large number of bird fossils — including 20,000- to 50,000-year-old wing and leg bones from what appears to have been a stork nearly 6 feet tall (1.8 meters).

"From the size of its bones, we initially were expecting a giant raptor, which are commonly found on islands, not a stork," said Hanneke Meijer, a vertebrate paleontologist at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

I love this comment by 'News9065': 'I always had an intuitive fear of Big Bird on Sesame Street...now I know why.'

:)

Trying to make sanctuaries as an alternative to oil-contaminated natural ones

Feds, farmers create habitats for migrating birds: Goal is to create 150,000 acres of manmade wetlands by Aug. 15

Water gurgling from a well is flooding Craig Gautreaux's rice and crawfish fields, turning the farm into a wetland for migratory birds whose usual Gulf of Mexico wintering grounds are threatened by the oil spill.

Across eight states, farmers such as Gautreaux are inundating fallow fields to provide an alternative for some of the tens of millions of ducks, geese and shorebirds that are beginning to make their way south on a flyway that stretches as far north as Alaska and Iceland.

"Hopefully, we can help," said Gautreaux, who has dedicated 762 acres (more than 300 hectares) about 90 miles (145 kilometers) inland from the Gulf to the project under a three-year, $132,441 contract that likely will cover his costs but provide little if any profit. "I want to keep the birds around."

The tab for the project is $20 million, paid by the federal government. Frankly, I think BP should eventually foot the bill. Of course, I wouldn't be adverse to BP going bankrupt due to this disaster, but I want them to pay for the oil spill first.

I love birds

I saw the male red-winged blackbird both this morning as I walked to the bus stop and this afternoon when I went to the library. (The two are near a marsh that is in front of St Joseph East hospital, and it apparently lives there and comes over to a feeder the library folks have set up outside their children's area. It has a very distinctive call that I'm learning to recognise. More than likely there's a female somewhere but they're hard to spot and look very different. I have become very keen on birds of late, and always check for ducks and geese near the reservoirs in town as I ride the bus. I should probably take up bird watching and find a guide. I do have a book that lists some very well-known species that has buttons to play their various calls. But the thrill of seeing less common birds would be nice, too. I have a pair of binoculars. I could be the crazy old bird lady obsessed by warblers. :)

(Picture by Walter Siegmund, used under the GNU Documentation/Creative Commons Licences)

Rapid environmental change can have noticeable effects on species

American songbirds evolve with forests

Eastern North American songbirds are a pretty adaptable bunch, says a scientist who discovered some remarkable changes in their wings over the last 100 years.

A close look at museum collections of 851 songbird specimens belonging to 21 species shows that most of the birds evolved pointier wings after their forests were fragmented by clear-cutting. Others in re-foresting areas evolved less-pointy wings. The reason for the wing changes: nothing less than the drive to procreate.

Pointier wings can help birds who are long-distance commuters fly more efficiently. More rounded wings, however, are better over short distances.

I love birds, and take every opportunity to observe them

Every morning I have a ritual of sitting on the bus so I can watch the ducks and geese on the reservoir. This morning I couldn't see out of the bus window for the snow and grit, but I did see a hawk flying over the woods near the hospital.

But this afternoon, something wonderful happened. A small bird flew near me and landed in the snow, its bright plumage standing out clearly. It was a bluebird.

I know what they look like, I've seen pictures, drawings, and my family even had a porcelain one my mother china-painted when I was growing up. But despite trips to the farm, being out in the country, and countless bird watching in forty-three years, I have never once seen a real bluebird. For years they declined due to human encroachment upon their environment and myriad introduced predators.  They seem to be making a comeback, though, as evidenced by my sighting in the middle of the city (albeit on a many-acre patch of grass near a stand of woods).

The blue of its feathers was an electric blue, looking almost painted on, and the breast was quite reddish-orange. It was small, delicate, obviously cold, as it was all puffed up. It was absolutely beautiful, a wonderful example of Creation's myriad gifts. Like a colourful flower or butterfly, its plumage was so bright and delicate, even more so as pictured against the white snow. Like other birds, it demonstrated the miracle of flight. And its small, energetic movements demonstrated the activity and wonder of life. I hope the hawk does not find it a tasty meal.

It was quite a lovely experience on a snowy afternoon. I unfortunately couldn't take a picture, as the bus came just then and the bird flew away. But despite having an erratic memory, I think that beautiful blue will remain tucked away for future reference.

For more information on bluebirds and what can be done to help them thrive, check out Bluebird Information and Awareness and the North American Bluebird Society.