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Birds and the Gibraltar Neanderthals
The Neanderthal woman nicknamed Nana, reconstructed at the Gibraltar Museum, with feathers. (Credit: S. Finlayson/Gibraltar National Museum)
Clive Finlayson, his wife Geraldine and son Stewart are birdwatchers. They are also anthropological researchers specializing in our Homo sapiens sapiens (aka “human”) and Neanderthal (what most people now acknowledge as Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) ancestors, and Clive has been the director of the Gibraltar National Museum for almost 30 years. “The Rock” has turned out to be a trove of Neanderthal bones and discoveries about Neanderthal behavior. Especially their relationship with birds.
Sea levels were significantly lower when Neanderthals lived there, due to the large Ice Age ice caps. Bird bones representing 160 species, about 30% of European avian species of that time, have been found, including Pine Grosbeak, ducks, choughs, larks, gannets, eagles and vultures. Tool marks left on the bones indicate that some of the species on Gibraltar were processed for food or, more controversially, for their feathers. Finlayson reminds us that birds come in many shapes and sizes, with a variety of behaviors and responses to humans, which implies that their exploitation would have required sophisticated knowledge.
How much did the Neanderthals know about the birds? How might their relationships with birds have affected the development of their minds? Read the rest of this book review from Nature in Trail of Feathers to the Neanderthal Mind. The book is anthropologist Clive Finlayson’s The Smart Neanderthal: Bird Catching, Cave Art and the Cognitive Revolution, now out from Oxford University Press. [Chuck Almdale]
Why Do Our Brains Love Fake News? | Video from KQED’s Above the Noise
Host Myles Bess breaks down the research around why our brains can so easily make us believe that fake news is real news.
ABOVE THE NOISE is a show that cuts through the hype and takes a deeper look at the science behind controversial and trending topics in the news. Hosted by Myles Bess and Shirin Ghaffary.
This new (to us) series is aimed at teens, but after viewing a few episodes, I’m sure that most adults will benefit from it as well. Let us know what you think.
This is another installment of KQED’s Above the Noise series. If no film or link appears in this email, go to the blog to view it by clicking on the blog title above. If the film stops & starts in an annoying manner, press pause (lower left double bars ||) to let it buffer and get ahead of you. [Chuck Almdale]
Cornell Lab Bird Cams
The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology has links to a boodle (less than a bushel, larger than a passel) of bird cams. Once they start for the season, they run for hours and hours, maybe even at night when you can’t see anything.
Here’s a link to their short film of the Bird Cam Highlights of 2018.
Their Bird Cam YouTube page is HERE. You can select from Ospreys, owls, bird feeders in Ontario and Panama (Toucans!), hawks, Kestrels, Cahows (Yes! Cahows!), California Condor, hummingbird feeders in West Texas, Laysan Albatross, and more! You need never do anything productive again.
[Chuck Almdale]
Save Big on State Park Day Use Fees
If you are over 62 years old, and I believe some of you are, then pay heed to the “Limited Use Golden Bear Pass.” For $20 you get a pass, good for the current calendar year, that gives you free parking at State Parks managed by State Park employees. The pass is good for off-peak dates, which means that from the Friday before Memorial Day until Labor Day it is not valid for most parks. For some parks, such as Salton Sea NRA, the opposite time period holds – the pass is good there when it stops being good at, for instance, Malibu Lagoon. (Yes, I know the Salton Sea NRA is not a State Park, but the SP documents specifically say the pass is good, in the summer season. I also do not have a list of which State Parks do not qualify because they are managed by other entities, such as some of our beaches.)
If you’re a birder, then off-peak seasons are the best seasons. Considering that the day-use fee is typically $12, just two visits/field trips pay for themselves. And the off-peak seasons last for nine months!
You can apply by mail or in person at some of the State Park offices, notably the one just past the guard house entrance to Malibu Creek State Park. By mail it will take a month, so keeping our next two trips in mind, maybe a visit in person is in order.
Click HERE to download the terms and conditions PDF.
Click HERE to download the application form PDF.
Voices: Common Loon | Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Experience the quintessential sound of the North Woods as described by Macaulay Library Audio Curator, Greg Budney.
A film from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. If no film or link appears in this email, go to the blog to view it by clicking on the blog title above. If the film stops & starts in an annoying manner, press pause (lower left double bars ||) to let it buffer and get ahead of you. The Lab is a member-supported organization; they welcome your membership and support. [Chuck Almdale]
SANTA MONICA BAY AUDUBON SOCIETY BLOG 