40 Million Badass Birders Just Declared War On Oregon Terrorists

Woo Hoo!! Go for it my fellow birders. Wish I could join you!

40 Million Badass Birders Just Declared War On Oregon Terrorists

Humanity: Guilty as Charged on at least 177 Counts of Megafauna Speciescide

Photo credit: Jennifer Carole via flickr

There has long been a scientific debate about what caused all of the extinctions that just seemed to follow humans wherever we went. Some said climate changes, despite the same species of animals having survived about a half dozen such changes previously. To me it has long been obvious that those arguing that we were innocent were simply insufficiently misanthropic and were in denial. Most scientists from whom we hear tend to be human themselves after all.

Now there’s a new study showing, of course, that we’re guilty as charged on all counts. And, this is just the relatively large species. It’s not even counting all the cute little critters we bulldoze over before we even know they’re there. OK, the speciescides referenced here predate bulldozers. So, maybe we didn’t kill off as many little species when we were still using clovis point weaponry, not as many as we are now anyway.

Anyone still wondering why I hate our species?

http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/humans-not-climate-change-blame-ice-age-animal-extinction

Observed Evolution In Recent History

I had no idea there were this many examples of evolution caught in the act in a human time frame. I had heard of 3, the recent finch evolution in the Galapagos, the recent lizard evolution on Cypress, and the color change of butterflies (or was it moths) during the industrial revolution when tree bark blackened from coal soot.

Anyway, this is a great page full of examples, including new speciation and even whole new organs evolving. Cool stuff.

http://phylointelligence.com/observed.html

If anyone actually asks you “were you there?” The correct answer is “Yes. I was there.”

Given a Time Machine, When Would You Go?

The when in the title means to what time period would you go, not how soon you would leave the present. I’m using when with respect to time travel the same way one might use where when taking about space travel.

Real Life Dr. Doolittle? At What Level Can Humans and Animals Communicate?

I have aspects of this on which I am skeptical. So, please don’t take this video as something I believe 100%. That said, it is quite impressive. To avoid any chance of spoiling the video, I will reserve any comments I have until at least some of my regular readers have viewed the video. I am very curious to hear your opinions.

8 Animal Misconceptions

I love the somewhat misanthropic tone of this as well as the obvious corrections on these misconceptions.

2 things I’d add:

1. Lemmings often over breed in good years only to be followed by very successful predator breeding as they feast on the lemmings, making it appear that the lemmings died en masse and possibly creating the myth about them.

2. Dodos did not die because of their behavior but rather because of ours. We humans killed them all.

Birdbrains!

Here’s an interesting brief article with video on the intelligence of the kea, the mountain parrot of New Zealand. When I was there, I had a ball watching these birds. They play like kittens. The video is quite cool, and is narrated by David Attenborough. It’s just under 10 minutes and well worth it. Apparently, their intelligence may rival monkeys.

Smart Parrot Gets Smarter

Octopus Builds a House

In another wonderful example of animal intelligence, this video shows an octopus deliberately collecting two coconut shell halves and making a spherical home for protection/hiding.

The video and full article on the subject can be found on the site for the Center for Biological Diversity.

Aussie scientists find coconut-carrying octopus

The fallacy of climate activism

This may appear to undermine a number of my earlier posts. However, in this case, I think the point is extremely important. We must begin to recognize and tell the truth of the true nature of our problems. That said, we must also use every weapon in our arsenal to fight for the preservation of the environment to the best of our ability. Most likely the only tool that will actually be worth a damn will be birth control. Yet, we must still do all we can to reduce our ecological (including carbon) footprints while at the same time taking action to reduce the number of feet. The regulars on this blog will remember that I have already argued that the planet cannot support even 300 million of us, let alone 6.7, 8, or 9 billion. So, in that sense, this article is still somewhat consistent with my prior posts. However, I cannot recall previously gotting to the point of wording the issue such that climate change is a mere symptom of a much larger problem, one that involves not only too many people, but people with a completely failed view of the finite planet on which we depend for our very lives every single day.

The fallacy of climate activism

New York: Our bears are smarter than your bears … and some hikers

Bear-Proof Can Is Pop-Top Picnic for a Crafty Thief

This is very cool, IMNSHO. I like that Yellow Yellow can open a canister with which some hikers struggle. I also found the possibility of some level of teaching of other bears to be fascinating. I love this stuff!

I am glad that they are not talking about harming or removing this non-aggressive bear. I hope that someone will realize that the right solution is probably to put permanent truly bear-proof steel structures at the documented camp sites in the Adirondacks. Perhaps I’ll send email to the Adirondack Council.

Thanks rit.

Canoe Paddling Techniques

A canoe is a great platform for wildlife viewing. Many species come down to the water’s edge. Some, like otters, beaver, muskrat, and mink are aquatic by nature. With a little practice, it is also easier to paddle quietly than to hike quietly, providing an even better experience. So, it’s good to know how to control the canoe well and quietly to have a good opportunity to see all the wildlife available.

Getting to a descent level of paddling ability is not hard. I am no expert. My wife and I learned a few techniques for flat water and mild white water that have proven incredibly valuable in all paddling conditions. We learned the basics from a Maine guide during a trip down the Allagash Wilderness Waterway years ago. I hope these basic techniques will help you to enjoy this wonderful activity.

Polar Bears at Churchill

These photos were taken in Churchill Canada. I will update this at a later date, possibly much later, with some real information. This is in response to a Dvorak blog post. I just wanted to show the difference between the type of view from the dog farm there and the tundra buggy. The head shot was taken from a van window on the dog farm. The other two were from the buggy.

Note: this write-up is incomplete. Reply below to request completion of the write-up and additional photos of snowy owl and arctic hare