| <div class="ck-content"><h3>Bird Culture</h3><p>A wonderful <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/these-bird-nests-show-signs-of-an-architectural-culture/">article</a> in Scientific American: <strong>These Bird Nests Show Signs of an Architectural ‘Culture’</strong></p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://static.scientificamerican.com/dam/m/18c153e161d80e32/original/sa1224Adva09.jpg?m=1730750379.286&w=600" alt="REPLACE"></div><blockquote><p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(51,51,51);">From long and winding migration flights to </span><a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/birds-song-staying-power-implies-culture/">intricate songs</a><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(51,51,51);"> and clever tool use, many bird behaviors are known to be transmitted socially and persist across generations—what scientists </span><a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bumblebees-show-off-their-own-puzzle-solving-culture/">define as animal “culture.”</a><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(51,51,51);"> Now a study suggests culture might play a role in avian architecture, too.</span></p><p style="margin-left:auto;">Researchers analyzed more than 400 structures built by 43 different groups of White-browed Sparrow-Weavers in the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. These birds live communally, and the entire cohort works together to build a nest and multiple roosts from grass. The group’s dominant female then lays eggs in the nest, which has a long, tubelike entrance. Individual birds slumber nearby in the U-shaped roosts, which have both an entrance and an exit.</p><p style="margin-left:auto;">The scientists found that different gatherings of birds, even those living only a few meters from one another, built very different tube structures. The biggest difference was in “how short or long the structures are,” says study lead author Maria C. Tello-Ramos, a cognitive ecologist at the University of Hull in England. Tube width also varied between groups. Furthermore, each group maintained the same architectural style over time—and when outsiders joined, they adapted to this style.</p></blockquote><p style="margin-left:auto;">I will conclude with my standard - but hopefully not tiresome - rejoinder: Once humans manage to pull back from their human-centric views on organic life, they see that <i><strong>we are just like them.</strong></i> They have culture, we have culture. They have art, we have art. They have families, we have families. </p><h3><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sea angels and devils: could plankton unlock the secrets of human biology?</span></h3><p>Just when I think I cannot be further wowed by the awesome beauty of organic life on our planet….I present to you, plankton:</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/5d15b960dfb6508b52af053686d37e2e7aa31d6e/0_0_5000_3000/master/5000.jpg?width=600&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none" alt="REPLACE"></div><p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(0,0,0);">Scientists use new technology to sequence the DNA of microscopic ocean creatures for the first time. Read more about it </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/05/ocean-genome-atlas-project-scientists-plankton-dna-secrets-human-biology-sailing-boats"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(0,0,0);">here</span></a><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(0,0,0);">.</span></p><h3>I am shocked, I tell you, shocked!</h3><p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(18,18,18);">"Cop29 CEO filmed agreeing to facilitate fossil fuel deals at climate summit"</span></p><p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(18,18,18);">This </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/08/cop29-ceo-filmed-agreeing-to-facilitate-fossil-fuel-deals-at-climate-summit"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(18,18,18);">article</span></a><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(18,18,18);"> reinforces the absolute, total insanity and absurdity of having fossil fuel exporting states playing any kind of leadership role at international conferences on the climate and diversity crises. What a travesty.</span></p><h3><strong>Protect The Wildlife You Attract </strong></h3><p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(18,18,18);">This from the wonderful newsletter of the wonderful newsletter of </span><a href="www.plantnovatrees.org"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(18,18,18);">Plant Nova Trees</span></a><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(18,18,18);"> in Virginia:</span></p><p style="margin-left:0px;text-align:center;"><i><strong>Protect The Wildlife You Attract</strong></i><strong> </strong></p><p style="margin-left:0px;">Market demand for native plants in our region has clearly risen in the past ten years. This is a very positive trend, fueled by an increased awareness of the benefits that native plants offer. It is also a sheer delight to see wildlife respond to our efforts, enjoying the food and shelter that a healthier environment offers.</p><p style="margin-left:0px;">However, a word of caution is in order. Elements of the landscape may pose serious hazards to the very wildlife that we’ve attracted. Are we drawing them closer, only to have them harmed by an avoidable threat to their health and wellbeing? In some cases, the answer is clearly yes. Here are some suggestions for identifying and addressing some of the more common threats.</p><p style="margin-left:0px;"><strong>Cats: </strong>The biggest threat to birds is habitat loss, but the second biggest is domestic cats. When allowed outdoors, they devastate populations not only of birds - an estimated 2.4 billion are killed by cats every year in the United States alone - but also of other small critters such as frogs, voles, and lizards. Domestic cats are an introduced species that have no place in our landscape.</p><p style="margin-left:0px;"><strong>Window strikes</strong>: The<a href="https://9xssk.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/sh/SMK1E8tHeGn5P8iSKQEWZcoqxbEL/eEbaYFvmV7ZT"><u> American Bird Conservancy</u></a> estimates that window collisions kill up to 1 billion birds each year. The victims are not limited to migratory species striking large glass buildings in cities. They include our local backyard birds as they fly back and forth. The American Bird Conservancy has tested some inexpensive deterrents and discusses them on their website. One featured example is “Feather Friendly ®, adhesive dots that make the glass more visible to birds. Note that whatever product you choose, it is better to apply it to the exterior of the window. Internally-installed products are less effective when reflections on the glass are strong.</p><p style="margin-left:0px;"><strong>Outdoor lighting</strong>: Bright outdoor lighting is a life-threatening hazard to birds that migrate at night, disorienting them and disrupting their sense of direction to the point of exhaustion and death. Outdoor lighting also devastates fireflies, moths, and other nocturnal animals. As much as possible, turn off outdoor lighting, especially during peak migration periods (March 1 to June 15 and August 15 to November 30). Before 11 pm, turn off any lighting that may be directed upward, or at least consider adding a down-shield. Swap out light bulbs for warm spectrum LED (3000 K or less) to make them less attractive to insects.</p><p style="margin-left:0px;"><strong>Mosquito spraying</strong>: It is impossible to spray for mosquitoes without killing other insects as well, including bees, butterflies, caterpillars, ladybugs, and dragonflies. The residual effects of the pesticide will last for weeks, yet the intended effect is rather short lived, as mosquitoes can fly up to 2 miles and quickly repopulate the treated areas. Several less harmful tactics can keep them at bay. Mosquitoes are weak fliers, so turn on an electric fan on your deck to blow them away. Use mosquito repellents such as DEET. Most importantly, search your property for places that accumulate water where mosquitoes can breed, such as buckets, toys, downspouts, or the saucers under plant pots.</p><p style="margin-left:0px;"><strong>Rat poison</strong>: Rat poison is designed to smell and taste good to mice and rats, but it can be just as appealing to other mammals as well. Even if placed inside, the poison can be carried outside by the mice and rats to where other wild animals can find it. But most cases of wildlife poisoning do not occur from direct consumption. Rather, poisoning occurs secondarily when a raptor eats a poisoned animal. The poison then accumulates in the raptor’s body, leading to the same kind of slow and agonizing death for the bird as it does for the mammal. More environmentally-friendly ways to keep rats and mice out of your home include sealing all entry points, securing food resources such as birdseed, pet food, and trash, making sure rodent nesting materials such as shredded paper or fabric are not available, or adding nest boxes for raptors to attract them to your yard. One barn owl can consume a thousand mice in a year, and that is a conservative estimate.</p><p style="margin-left:0px;"><strong>Nandina berries</strong>: Nandina is native to eastern Asia but has been a landscaping favorite across our region for a long time, mostly due to the profuse red berries it produces in late fall that persist through winter. Nandina berries, however, contain cyanide and other alkaloids that are deadly to birds when consumed in large volumes. There are many beautiful native substitutes for the invasive nandina, such as Winterberry and Red Chokeberry. The<a href="https://9xssk.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/sh/SMK1E8tHeGtwrHXPVaO0fS7avtob/VuBqBac3iqp8"><u> Northern Virgina Bird Alliance website</u></a> has more details on avoiding these and other human-made hazards.</p><p style="margin-left:0px;">As always, awareness is everything. When viewed more holistically, native plants are one piece in the larger puzzle of ecosystem restoration. Other factors complete the picture, including soil health, animals, favorable climate conditions, and fewer environmental risks, with each piece interdependent upon the other. </p></div><div class="ck-content"><h3>Receive all my reports on tree rescues</h3><p>If you'd like to get some good news about restoring native habitats delivered straight to your brain upwards of a few times a week, sign in to <a href="https://rewildearth.net">Rewild Earth</a>, click on your name in top right, then My profile. Under Communication Preferences, switch “Send reports of all events” to ON. </p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1BeynVqu8taOGrsvi56u0mmDKuNJko22h&sz=w600-h400" alt="REPLACE" width="358" height="138"></div><h3>Resources you might find useful</h3><ul><li><a href="https://shop.naisma.org/collections/buckthorn-blaster">Buckthorn Blasters</a>: safe, easy herbicide delivery system from the North American Invasive Species Management Association. Don't start cutting without them!</li><li><a href="https://nc-ipc.weebly.com/nc-invasive-plants.html">NC Invasive Plants list</a>: recently updated by NC-IPC, the NC Invasives Plants Council.</li><li><a href="https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/AG259">Overview of different herbicides</a>: glyposphate, triclopyr and others - which should you use?</li><li>Volunteer for <a href="https://triangleland.org">Triangle Land Conservancy</a>: the biggest land conservancy group in our area. </li><li>Volunteer for <a href="https://ellerbecreek.org">Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association</a> (Durham): a wonderful group working hard to maintain contiguous natural areas along Ellerbe Creek.</li></ul></div> |