One flock in 1866 in southern Ontario was described as being 1 mi (1.5 km) wide and 300 mi (500 km) long, took 14 hours to pass, and held in excess of 3.5 billion birds. That number, if accurate, would likely represent a large fraction of the entire population at the time.
everything can be magical if you let it be. i remember the first time seeing red-winged blackbirds i was just…enthralled. i watched them for maybe an hour. i thought they made the sweetest noises and were just so pretty. and i found out later on that people consider them nuisances and pests. they’re literally common all over the united states but because they weren’t familiar to me they weren’t a burden or an annoyance but something beautiful. if we don’t let other people tell us how to feel about things, maybe we can just like things for what they are
“Changes in optimism/pessimism in response to changes in the environment tend to be transient. So, for example, dogs might at first respond very positively to an extra walk each day, but over a few weeks they adapt to the new routine and their optimism returns to its level before the extra walk was added. This tells us that we don’t need to be too obsessed with filling our dogs’ lives with positive outcomes and environmental enrichment, but can instead provide positive ‘surprises’ every week or so to boost positive mood on a regular basis. It’s easy to surprise most dogs: a toy they haven’t seen in a while, a walk in a different area or an unexpected food will likely do it. Many dogs seem even more delighted if they happen to discover surprises for themselves. It’s fun to leave them presents where they will find them during their exploratory activities, either at home or out and about.”
— Making Dogs Happy by Dr Melissa Starling & Prof Paul McGreevy
Danielle Nierenberg, President of Food Tank, shares a sustainability pro-tip in honor of Earth Day. Instead of wasting leftover pasta water by pouring it down the sink, you can save it, let it cool and use it to water your plants. The starchy H2O will give them a beneficial nutrient boost and help them grow. Just be sure to avoid using cooking water that has been salted or seasoned.
This also applies to leftover water from boiling spinach, potatoes, and hardboiled eggs, according to Reader’s Digest.
an azure tit is captured for banding. native to russia and asia, this small pale-colored songbird is mainly insectivorous. they are closely related with the more common eurasian blue tit, and regularly hybridize with them.
today's bird 