Birdfeeding

[ysabetwordsmith]

Today is sunny, windy, and warm. It was 71°F outside last I checked.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

The first daffodil is starting to bloom under the maple tree!  :D 3q3q3q!!!

EDIT 3/14/25 -- I started trimming grass around the wildflower garden, so I can later access the middle for clearing.  This will be a LOT of work, and already the weather is warm for it -- I should need a jacket before the work warms me up.  :/

I saw a bumblebee in the rain garden again.  :D  I also spotted a phoebe, a robin, and two crows.

EDIT 3/14/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I've seen several mourning doves and several grackles.

The temperature is up to 77°F and Doug said the car was reading 83°F when he went out earlier.  O_O

EDIT 3/14/25 -- I finished trimming around the border of the wildflower garden. However, I'm starting to get tender spots on my hands from using the grass shears. That means I need to switch to a different task.

See "How to Avoid Blisters from Yardening."

EDIT 3/14/25 -- I raked leaves away from two saplings in the savanna.

I've seen a male cardinal and a fox squirrel in the forest garden.

EDIT 3/14/25 -- I raked leaves away from the oak sapling in the savanna.

EDIT 3/14/25 -- I raked leaves away from the redbud tree in the savanna.

EDIT 3/14/25 -- I raked leaves away from three saplings in the savanna.

I looked for the tiny female flowers on the hazelnut bush, and there they were, right at the tips of the twigs!  They look like tiny, kissing lips painted fuck-me red, smaller than a pinhead.  :D  I had never noticed them before, they're that small.

I am done for the night.

Bird Apocalypse

[ysabetwordsmith]

US bird populations continue alarming decline

2025 State of the Birds Report calls for urgent conservation action.
The 2025 U. S. State of the Birds Report, produced by a coalition of leading science and conservation organizations, reveals continued widespread declines in American bird populations across all mainland and marine habitats, with 229 species requiring urgent conservation action.

The release of the 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report was announced today at the 90th annual North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. The report, produced by a coalition of leading science and conservation organizations, reveals continued widespread declines in American bird populations across all mainland and marine habitats, with 229 species requiring urgent conservation action. The report comes five years after the landmark 2019 study that documented the loss of 3 billion birds in North America over 50 years.

Key findings from the new report show that more than one-third of U.S. bird species are of high or moderate conservation concern, including 112 Tipping Point species that have lost more than 50% of their populations in the last 50 years. That includes 42 red-alert species facing perilously low populations, such as Allen's Hummingbird, Tricolored Blackbird, and Saltmarsh Sparrow -- birds that are at risk without immediate intervention.


Remember what I just said about the butterfly apocalypse? No butterflies and moths --> no caterpillars --> no birds, because most terrestrial birds raise their chicks on nature's hotdogs.