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Friendly, foul-mouthed crow befriends entire Oregon elementary school before state police are called in | The Oregonian
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
Frankly, I think it’s a Common Raven. Look at that enormous bill! But a great story nevertheless. Proving once again that Ravens can be very smart, and when you look them in the eyes, and they look back, it certainly seems like someone’s in there, and it’s not just some dumb animal, running entirely on instinct.
From The Oregonian
Friendly, foul-mouthed crow befriends entire Oregon elementary school before state police are called in
The Oregonian | Lizzie Acker | 9 Dec 2021 | 5 minute read
From the article’s introduction:
A friendly, if somewhat foul-mouthed, crow became a temporary mascot at Allen Dale Elementary School in November when the bird took up residence at the Grants Pass school.
“This crow showed up at our school just out of the blue one morning,” said Naomi Imel, an education assistant at Allen Dale, over the phone on Thursday.
It began looking into classrooms, Imel said, and pecking on doors. At one point, it made its way into a fifth-grade classroom where it “helped itself to some snacks,” she said.
Birds Aren’t Real? | Mock Conspiracy Theory
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
Birders might happen across some of these “conspiracy theorists” and think they’re for real — that they actually think all birds were rounded up in the 1970’s and what we now see are spy drones, watching our every move. Relax.
They’re not and it’s not.
It’s a joke, albeit a serious joke, mocking all the conspiracy theories abounding these days that people actually do believe. Fervently. Need I mention which ones they are? Sometimes mockery is all that’s left us.
If access to the New York Times article is blocked, try Googling your way in. It’s worth it.
Sex Life of Spiders | Evening program now on-line
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
Episodes from the Sex Life of Spiders, with Dr. Martina Ramirez
Time: 1:15:33
Once common in Southern California, including Santa Catalina Island,
populations and gene pool now shrinking due to loss of habitat.
Link to Episodes from the Sex Life of Spiders
This program is on Google Drive and needs no password.
A presentation of some of the recent findings Dr. Ramirez and her students have made in their spider lab concerning the sex life of spiders, specifically focusing on whether female trapdoor spiders mate once or many times, and on how the lack of a Y-chromosome in a local leaf litter spider is driving genetic differences between males and females. Includes discussion of teaching at Loyola. Spiders begins at time 7:40.
Originated in the Mediterranean area, now cosmopolitan distribution. Hunts woodlice,
sowbugs and pillbugs under logs, rocks, bricks, plant pots and in leaf litter in warm places.
Dr. Martina Ramirez is a Professor of Biology in the Seaver College of Science and Engineering at Loyola Marymount University. She did her undergraduate work in biology at LMU and received her PhD at UC Santa Cruz. She has focused her scientific pursuits on spiders covering aspects such as population genetics, reproductive biology, and environmental toxicology. In addition to her scientific endeavors, she has also been very active in the development of the biology department at LMU including increases in the faculty, involvement in building new facilities and in student affairs. Along with having published 19 scientific papers, including 13 with undergraduate student co-authors, Dr. Ramirez is also co-author of a book, Happier as a Woman: Transforming Friendships, Transforming Lives (Cleis Press, 2019).
December King tides photos — Next chance Jan. 2-3, 2022
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
Next King Tide is January 2-3, 2022. I really hope someone takes photos of the high and low tides from the same location and send them in. It need not be somewhere famous. The following tide data is for Mugu Lagoon. Anywhere in LA/Ventura/Orange counties should be close to these times, but you can go to this site and enter your own time & location and get it as exact as possible (scroll to below the wavy line chart and enter your location & dates).
- 1 Jan 2022: High 7:19 am +6.77 ft; Low 2:50 pm -1.70 ft
- 2 Jan 2022: High 8:05 am +6.92 ft; Low 3:36 pm -1.87 ft
- 3 Jan 2022: High 8:53 am +6.85 ft; Low 4:22 pm -1.81 ft
- 4 Jan 2022: High 9:40 am +6.56 ft; Low 5:08 pm -1.53 ft
A foggy King Tide day at Malibu Lagoon
Stubborn gulls and a few other birds refuse to move to dry ground.
Six minutes later, not much has changed.
The lagoon is full.
Malibu Lagoon King Tide 16 Nov 2020
L. A. County King Tide photos 12 Dec 2021 from the project.
California King Tide project wants your photos.
Look out for King Tides!
Jan 2-3, 2022 Plus, for locations North of Ventura, Jan. 1, 2022
The California King Tides Project is calling on you to photograph our highest high tides of the year. Documenting these tides helps us preview the impacts of sea level rise and understand how our shoreline is affected by high water today.
If you’re able to safely take photos at the coast or Delta during King Tides you will be contributing to an important community science effort.
Find your local King Tide times and learn how to upload your photos on our website or with a free app. You can check out a selection of photos from each coastal county and access a map of all the King Tides photos from the last few years. Educators and parents can find ways to incorporate King Tides into student learning, including with an elementary-level science journal downloadable in English or Spanish. Middle and high school students may want to use King Tides images and concepts as they enter the Climate Video Challenge.
We can’t wait to see your photos! In the meantime, please join us on social media for #KingTides:
What causes sea level rise, and what do King Tides have to do with it?
The sea level rise we’re experiencing now and will experience in the future is caused by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. Carbon dioxide in our atmosphere acts like a blanket, trapping in heat that would otherwise escape. When we burn fossil fuels, we’re adding more carbon dioxide, “thickening the blanket” and warming the planet and ocean. Sea level is rising because land-based glaciers and ice sheets are melting into the ocean and also because water expands in volume when it warms. The amount of sea level rise we will ultimately experience will depend on how quickly we stop burning fossil fuels.
King Tides themselves are not caused by sea level rise, but allow us to experience what higher sea level will be like. King Tides are the highest high tides of the year, about a foot or two higher than average tides, which corresponds to the one to two foot rise in sea level expected during the next few decades. When you observe the King Tides, imagine seeing these tides (and the flooded streets, beaches, and wetlands) every day. Understanding what a King Tide looks like today will help us plan for sea level rise in the future.
Sharing your photos and talking about what you’ve noticed helps others understand that they’re part of a community that cares about climate change.
Why are there different dates for northern and southern California?
Southern California will experience King Tides in November and December. There is an additional January King Tide in northern California, north of Point Conception/Vandenberg AFB, due to a combination of astronomical influences such as the relative tilt of the Earth’s rotation with respect to the Sun and seasonal influences on water level such as temperature and wind that differ in southern California as compared to northern California over the course of the year.
Thank you for your help! We look forward to seeing your photos! california.kingtides.net
California Coastal Commission
455 Market Street, Suite 228, San Francisco, CA 94105
Butterbredt Spring Christmas Count December 17th
SMBAS has been hosting the Butterbredt Spring Christmas Count for at least 40 years. It was started by the late Keith Axelson who was so taken by the California Outback that he moved there from here when he retired. That is why a seaside Audubon chapter has a count circle 3 hours away in the mountains north of Mojave.
If you are not familiar with Christmas Counts, just Google “Audubon Christmas Count”. Interested? It’s a day of birding and Citizen Science – having fun and doing good. However, it’s not a walk in the park. We will go regardless of temperature (can be below freezing at times). Extreme bad weather would mean postponing until the 21st or 22nd. It’s a long drive there and back. One needs to be a decent birder, able to identify most species and count them. You need a car with adequate ground clearance (no Porsches) but 4WD is not needed unless there is lots of snow (very unusual). Generally speaking you would need to leave Santa Monica around 5:00 a.m. and if you stay all day, leave the count circle around 3 p.m. And, in this time of Covid, you need to be with people who have been vaccinated. In this count this year, we don’t have enough people to have an “expert” to accompany you. We can give you instructions and maps to guide you, and answer any questions, but you will be on your own.
I’m guessing all that narrows the field somewhat. But never mind. I mean, you could be doing the Nome, Alaska count. That means sitting in your house/shelter and occasionally going outside to see if any more ravens have showed up. The Butterbredt count is lots more fun than that.
The date is Friday, December 17th. Anyone interested should contact me (Chuck Bragg) via email (see the heavily disguised email address on the Contacts page of this blog).
SANTA MONICA BAY AUDUBON SOCIETY BLOG 