The Challenges of Summer Birding

Novice birders tend to prefer summer birding, when the weather is reliably warm.  But, in my opinion, it is the least interesting and most challenging season for watching birds.

The summer heat suppresses both bird song and bird activity, keeping many species in their shady retreats.  Furthermore, the trees are fully leaf-out, obscuring those who do find the energy to sing.  Migrants are limited and vagrants are far less common in summer (with the possible exception of some waders that expand their range northward when conditions are mild).  Finally, chatty humans and their loyal canines are more abundant on the trails, especially during the relatively cool morning and evening hours, keeping the avian residents at bay.

Fortunately, we are about to enter autumn (my favorite season for almost any activity) and birding will become more "productive."  Shorebirds are beginning to increase in number and variety and flocks of blue-winged teal will soon grace the wetlands.  Hopefully, cooler, drier air will move south with them.

Politics & Science II

NASA's latest moon mission was postponed today due to technical difficulties.  As it turns out, Congress had agreed to fund the program but insisted that old parts from the Shuttle Era be used to reduce the cost of the project.  As one might expect, just the opposite result has occurred.

While Congress has the right to fund or defund science programs, they are not qualified to dictate how the programs should be managed.  Indeed, a significant percentage of Congress members are Conservative Christians and that mysticism often conflicts with science, a phenomenon that we have recently observed with regard to abortion rights and science education.

Perhaps it is best that all science programs be funded and managed by the private sector, free from the influence of politics and mysticism.  One might argue whether the value of the moon mission justifies its cost but we cannot allow politicians to meddle with scientific data or methods. 

See also:  Politics & Science from June of 2014

La Vuelta

Stuck at home due to illness, I was flipping through the TV channels when I came across live coverage of La Vuelta, Spain's version of the Tour de France.  Though not an avid fan of bike racing, I do enjoy sporting events that are set against a background of interesting geography.

Today's stage of La Vuelta was in northern Spain, beginning near the Atlantic Coast and climbing southward into mountainous terrain.  The route passed through numerous scenic towns before entering its steeper sections, where massive outcrops of limestone adorn the rugged slopes.

While TV travelogues can never replace the experience of travel itself, they do make us aware of the geographic and cultural diversity that characterize our home planet.  No doubt, I will tune in tomorrow morning for the next stage of La Vuelta (televised on CNBC in the U.S.).

Eating Dust in the Country

Romanticized by James Taylor, John Denver and many other artists, country roads have long offered an escape from the noise and congestion of our towns and cities.  In the modern world, however, as our rural landscapes gradually succumb to "development," these roads have become high-speed short-cuts for commuters and a wide assortment of commercial vehicles.

Following a hot, dry summer, gravel dust now coats the vegetation along many of the country roads in central Missouri and, this morning, recurrent clouds of dust, courtesy of the relentless traffic, discouraged my birding efforts (and kept the avian residents away from the roadways).

Indeed, escaping the impact of modern human "progress" is increasingly difficult.  If James Taylor is still taking walks on country roads, I advise extreme caution! 

Cruising the Mississippi

A few days ago, my wife and I took two of our grandsons to St. Louis to visit Gateway Park on the banks of the Mississippi River, the site of the famous Arch.  There they enjoyed the free museum and their excursion to the top of he Arch.  We also took a one-hour cruise along the riverfront, during which we were appalled by what we encountered.

While the Park ranger and boat captain did their best to offer historic context to the changing scenes, we were frankly disgusted by the condition of the riverfront itself.  Festooned with barges and various structures tied to river commerce, the shoreline also harbored piles of trash, industrial debris, vacant buildings, rusting remnants of the past and a wide assortment of graffiti.

Despite its important role in the early exploration of the American West, St. Louis, unlike most river towns in this country, has clearly not embraced the value of its riverfront; indeed, it reflects the negligence that characterized most large, industrial cities back in the mid 20th Century.  Rather than offering pleasant views of the city and its famous waterway, the cruise reminded us of all the damage that our species has inflicted on this once beautiful planet.  

River Fog

Down along the Missouri River this morning, dense, patchy fog shrouded much of its Valley.  While scenic, this atmospheric phenomenon is also an early sign of the coming autumn.

As the nights lengthen, early morning temperatures fall and the coolest air sinks into the stream and river valleys.  Overlying the warm land and river water, the chilly air reaches its dew point and fog develops; of course rising steam from the river also facilitates this process.

Indeed, while most of us relish the cool, sunny, dry weather of autumn, valley fog is also characteristic of the season.  This morning's display was just another sign that summer's brutal grip on the Heartland is beginning to loosen. 

Just Vultures and Egrets

Hoping to encourage my middle grandson's interest in nature, I took him down to Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area this morning.  Despite the mild, sunny weather, that decision was not well timed.

During our one-hour visit, we saw dozens of turkey vultures and great egrets but not much else.  He did spot a few "small bluebirds" (indigo buntings) along the road, we discovered a lone cormorant in the central channel and found a snowy egret among its numerous, larger cousins.  But widespread dryness limited activity at the floodplain refuge and he fell asleep before we completed the tour; I might have done the same if I wasn't driving!

Nevertheless, the attempt was worthwhile and will definitely be repeated once the autumn migration intensifies.  Then, when flocks of waterfowl, pelicans, cormorants and shorebirds pass through the Missouri River Valley, attracting a diverse assembly of raptors, he will surely be impressed (and hopefully enthused).  

Flashback Post XXXII

Mizzou is back in session and lines of hopeful candidates wait to impress their prospective sisters outside the massive sorority houses.  The scene reminded me of a post from August of 2011.

See: Ritual of Exclusion 

Hope on the Wing

In my experience, ospreys are not often encountered in central Missouri during the summer months.  Rather, they are primarily migrants in this State, peaking on area lakes in April and October.

So I was pleased to find an osprey fishing on Perry Phillips Lake this morning, joined by an adult bald eagle.  His visit was rather brief, suggesting that breakfast was not readily available; s couple of plunges were aborted before he flew off.

Nevertheless, the osprey's appearance was a hopeful sign, augmented by the cool, cloudy morning weather..  In the midst of a hot, dry summer, this majestic raptor, associated with northern or coastal habitats, offered hope that autumn weather will soon invade the Heartland.  Indeed, I'm searching for any sign of seasonal change, however tenuous it might be. 

Lies, Crime & Democracy

Our Democracy was founded on and has been sustained by open discourse in which differing opinions are encouraged and respected.  Unfortunately, overt lies from public officials have now poisoned that environment and, as a consequence, our Democracy is threatened.

In my opinion, when elected officials knowingly lie to the American people, they should be subject to criminal prosecution.  In addition, when news organizations and online websites knowingly spread false information, they should also be at risk for fines and/or incarceration.

How else to reverse the scourge of lies and conspiracy theories that now threaten the fabric of American society?  Lies are not Free Speech; they are not protected by the Constitution. 

If Trump was Black

Imagine Donald J. Trump, an African American.  If that were the case, The Donald, having led a seditious conspiracy and now having violated the Espionage Act, would have been in prison months ago.

Here in America, Land of the Free, we like to think that everyone is treated equally in the eyes of the law; of course, that is not true.  If you happen to be white and rich, your chance of going to jail is greatly diminished.

But we can hope.  Trump keeps flaunting his invincibility and spreading his lies.  Better yet, we seem to have an Attorney General who is honorable, fair and determined.  We might yet get to see an old, fat, yellow-haired, white guy in an orange jumpsuit!

The Moon and the Perseids

Awakening early this morning, I remembered that we are in the peak days of the annual Perseid Meteor Shower and went outside to scan the sky.  There I was greeted by the full August moon (known as the Sturgeon Moon), gleaming from the southwest and casting a haze of light through the pre-dawn darkness.

Of course, this haze had a negative impact on the annual show though I did see several impressive meteors streak across the sky.  Produced by remnant debris left behind by the Swift-Tuttle comet, which orbits the sun every 130 years, the Perseids peak from August 11 to 13 as the Earth's orbit crosses that of the comet.

The beauty of the full moon more than compensated for its effect on the meteor shower but we humans tend to be goal oriented and a bit of disappointment must be acknowledged. Somehow, we manage to recover.

Valuing the Past

It seems to me that most humans value their past: the good and the bad, the joy and the sorrow, the successes and the failures.  We come to realize that every experience and every relationship has affected our life, making us who we are today; indeed, even the simple comments of friends, lovers, colleagues and mentors may have had a significant influence.

While dwelling on the past or obsessing over perceived mistakes are nonproductive exercises, memories offer insight and fuel our capacity for change.  We need not "live in the past" to improve our future but, as they say, experience is the best teacher.

Staying in touch with old friends and mentors is an acknowledgement that we value their contribution.  Unlike social media, through which we are bombarded with the personal thoughts, advice and experiences of countless past acquaintances, direct communication with those who were close to us is a gesture of gratitude.

Solitary Sandpipers

This morning, I visited Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, primarily hoping to find an increasing number and variety of shorebirds.  After all, these messengers of autumn begin their southward migration by mid summer and August is often a good month to observe them on mudflats, stream banks or flooded fields.

Unfortunately, the refuge has been very dry this summer and I only encountered three shorebirds, all solitary sandpipers.  These mid-sized, slender sandpipers, best identified by their white eye rings and olive colored legs, nest in spruce bogs of Northern Canada and Alaska and winter primarily in the Amazon River Basin.  Unlike most shorebirds, they tend to shun open mudflats and are best found along the banks of marsh-lined streams.  As their name implies, they generally migrate alone or in small groups; their diet consists mostly of freshwater invertebrates and they are thus rarely observed on tidal flats or ocean beaches.

While the solitary sandpipers were the highlight of my visit, I also encountered a large number of great egrets and great blue herons, more than a dozen double-crested cormorants, a single snowy egret and a lone cattle egret.  Hopefully, periods of wet weather or an alteration in water flow at Eagle Bluffs will attract many more shorebirds to the floodplain refuge over the next few months. 

Tiny Dragonflies

Last evening, as the sun was setting, I stepped out into the sultry air to survey the yard.  There I encountered a swarm of insects, zooming above the lawn and flowerbeds.  Their size initially suggested that they were bees but, once immersed in the swarm, I realized that they were very small dragonflies.

None alighted on vegetation to permit close examination and the dragonflies did not possess any distinct or colorful markings that characterize larger, more familiar species.  I concluded that they were likely eastern amberwings, attracted to the yard by unseen gnats or mosquitos.

Their uncertain identity did not detract from the spectacle and I watched their energetic attack until the heat and humidity encouraged my own retreat.  Of course,  I appreciated both the show and their service; natural insect control is far preferable to the use of toxic chemicals.

Taiwan, Democracy & Hypocrisy

In the wake of Speaker Nancy Pilosi's "heroic" (some say over-hyped) visit to Taiwan, Conservative Republicans are applauding her courage.  Their comments focus on protecting democracy in Taiwan while shunning the aggressive threats of a pompous dictator, the President of China.

Of course, many of these same Republicans failed to endorse Trump's Impeachment on two occasions and stood by without comment as the bloated narcissist led a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election, an effort that continues today and will poison State elections across the country.  Where has their defense of democracy been over the past two years?

It is surely easier (and less politically damaging) to direct their anti-autocrat fervor at the leader of China's Communist Party (despised by freedom-loving citizens across the globe) than it is to confront Trump and his minions who have taken control of their own Party.  Such hypocrisy will tarnish their reputations in the annals of America, the former bastion of Democracy.

Climate Change and the Monsoon

For those who care to check the news, climate change is already having major impacts on our planet.  Rising oceans and warming seas threaten coastal communities, fuel major hurricanes and feed strong thunderstorms with tropical moisture,  producing catastrophic floods.  Prolonged drought and intense heat have set forests ablaze across the globe and have greatly diminished the mountain snowpack, especially across the American West.

Of interest, the Southwest Monsoon began early this year and has been especially potent, dumping torrential rain across naturally dry country; this leads to flash floods, especially in burn scar areas.  One wonders if this pattern will continue (or even be enhanced) as the climate warms; if so, the Desert Southwest could gradually become a landscape of semiarid ecosystems.

Indeed, we do not yet fully understand the varied ramifications of climate change.  No doubt, human civilization will be severely tested in many ways.  It is time that we take it seriously and reject those politicians and corporate leaders who do not. 

Focus on Children

As another political season gets underway, there will be talk about many of the social ills in American society.  Among these are economic inequity, racism, gun violence, crime, substance abuse, hunger, poor lifestyle habits and limited educational opportunities among many more.  Efforts to address these problems are, in my opinion, most effective during childhood.

Free, high quality day care, funded by the Federal Government and large corporations should be the primary tool.  Ensuring a safe environment, proper nutrition, early education and socialization for young children, such facilities can and should be the cornerstone for preventing the many problems that we now face.  In addition, low-income parents will be freed to expand their own career opportunities, both within the work force and via education programs.

This proposed solution will certainly be expensive but the economic and social benefits will far exceed the downpayment.  Conservatives will likely oppose this "socialism," even while the health, education and future welfare of American children are enhanced.