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No salesman will call, at least not from us. Maybe from someone else.
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
1. Head lice hitched a ride on humans to the Americas at least twice
The parasites’ genetics can give in-depth insights into their hosts’ pasts.
You needn’t be a nitpicker to be intrigued.
By Jake Buehler, 11-8-23
2. Here’s how high-speed diving kingfishers may avoid concussions
Specific genetic tweaks seem to protect brains from 40 km/h plunges into water.
By Claudia Lopez Lloreda, 11-6-23
Analysis of the genetic instruction book of some diving kingfishers identified changes in genes related to brain function as well as retina and blood vessel development, which might protect against damage during dives, researchers report October 24 in Communications Biology. The results suggest the different species of diving kingfishers may have adapted to survive their dives unscathed in some of the same ways, but it’s still unclear how the genetic changes protect the birds.
3. Landscape Explorer shows how much the American West has changed
The online tool stitches historical aerial images into a public map
With the click of a mouse, a new mapping tool shows how places in the American West have changed over the last 70 years.
Open Landscape Explorer Link
By Brianna Randall, 12-6-23
Great Backyard Bird Count: February 13-16
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
ScreenSnip from http://www.birdcount.org
Yes, it’s going on right this very second and through Monday February 16th, and this time it’s a WorldWide event, co-sponsored by National Audubon Society, Birds Canada and Cornell Lab who brings eBird and Merlin into your inbox and telephone.
Here’s the link to all the information: https://www.birdcount.org/
And you can watch the short video (1:20). Maybe you’ll see a Shoebill in your backyard.
There are also links to other videos, the Merlin Bird ID app and eBird mobile app.
But it’s really easy.
Participating is easy, fun to do alone or with others, and can be done anywhere you find birds.
Step 1: Decide where you will watch birds.
Step 2: Watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days, February 13–16, 2026.
Step 3: Identify all the birds you see or hear within your planned time/location and use the best tool for sharing your bird sightings:
- If you are a beginning bird admirer and new to bird identification, try using the Merlin Bird ID app to tell us what birds you are seeing or hearing.
- If you have participated in the count before and want to record numbers of birds, try the eBird Mobile app or enter your bird list on the eBird website (desktop/laptop).
Want to read more about GBBC? Scientific American
So check out the website and begin your 15 minutes of birding fame: https://www.birdcount.org/
Madrona Marsh Field Trip reminder: Saturday, 14 February, 8 AM
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
Madrona Marsh is very birdy and it’s close to Santa Monica. During Jan 1 – Feb 4, 2026, 69 species were reported including: 10 waterfowl; Wilson’s Snipe (yes! Snipe!); 6 raptors and falcons; 2 parakeets, 4 flycatchers; 2 wrens; 5 warblers; 6 sparrows including Golden-crowned & Lincoln’s; Cedar Waxwing, Scaly-breasted Munia, Swinhoe’s White-eye, plus many of the “usual suspects.” See eBird.
Trip report & list for last year: Madrona Feb’25
(Ray Juncosa 2-8-25)
The ground may be damp. Wear suitable footgear.
We think it won’t be raining. At the rate this winter is going, it could be hot. Dress in easily removable layers.
NOAA forecast for Feb 14 (as of Thurs. 1pm Feb. 4): None yet available.
Madrona Marsh Preserve is located in Torrance. Although it lacks a built-in water source, it has a near-permanent pond and when winter and spring rains fall, water accumulates to sustain a “vernal” marsh and provides a resting spot for migrating birds which is probably why people are finding lots of birds there. It is a remnant of what used to be an extensive system of “back-dune marshes” and vernal pools in this part of Southern California which – until the late 1800’s – was wintering ground for millions – yes, millions!– of wildfowl. That’s the sort of habitat that can occur when you don’t have twenty million people crammed together. It is designated a Significant Ecological Area, and it is an easy, level walk.
Meeting time: 8:00 AM in preserve parking lot.
Leader: Jean Garrett.
Questions: Field Trip Chair – 213-522-0062
Address of Madrona Marsh: 3201 Plaza del Amo, Torrance, 90505
Directions: San Diego Fwy (I-405) south to Crenshaw Blvd. Proceed south to West Carson Ave, turn right on Carson to Maple Ave, left on Maple to Plaza del Amo, right on Plaza Del Amo and then right into parking lot, opposite the park entrance. Meet in the parking lot. Don’t get lost! If you arrive early and the twitching begins in anticipation of hot birding, there are often many birds, including some of the exotics and rarities, in and under the trees right around the entrance gate and parking lot.
Suggestion: Dress in layers, wear hat, bring water and snack.
Friends of Madrona Marsh – includes small map
[Jean Garrett]
Mountain Chickadees as the climate “canary in the coal mine” | Science News Magazine
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
A ‘canary in the coal mine’ for climate change in the Sierra Nevada mountains
Article by Benjamin Sonnenberg, Nevada Today, 30 Jan 2024.
From the article lede
Wet snow pelts my face and pulls against my skis as I climb above 8,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada of eastern California, tugging a sled loaded with batteries, bolts, wire and 40 pounds of sunflower seeds critical to our mountain chickadee research.
As we reach the remote research site, I duck under a tarp and open a laptop. A chorus of identification numbers are shouted back and forth as fellow behavioral ecologist Vladimir Pravosudov and I program “smart” bird feeders for an upcoming experiment.
I have spent the past six years monitoring a population of mountain chickadees here, tracking their life cycles and, importantly, their memory, working in a system Pravosudov established in 2013. The long, consistent record from this research site has allowed us to observe how chickadees survive in extreme winter snowfall and to identify ecological patterns and changes.
SANTA MONICA BAY AUDUBON SOCIETY BLOG 