For "Winged Wednesday":
Ākohekohe
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“Known in English as the Crested Honeycreeper, the Ākohekohe is a brightly colored and boisterous bird whose raspy, guttural calls make it easy to locate. It is highly aggressive and territorial.
Its habitat is estimated to be only five percent of its original range; the species was formerly found elsewhere on Maui and on Molokaʻi, where it is now considered extinct. The Ākohekohe feeds mostly on nectar of native flowering trees, including the ʻohiʻa and koa, but it will also consume insects.
Threats to this unique bird include deforestation and the introduction of exotic species such feral ungulates, which destroy native forests, as well as introduced Barn Owls, cats, rats, and mongoose. As elsewhere in the Hawaiian Islands, introduced mosquito-borne disease has virtually eliminated this native species from elevations below 5,000 feet; 99 percent of its population is found above this elevation, up to treeline at approximately 7,000 feet.
Conservation measures for the Ākohekohe includes preserving and restoring native forest, particularly above the mosquito zone, and removal of feral ungulates, such as pigs. Fencing to exclude ungulates in important reserves, such as the state’s Hanawi Natural Area Reserve and The Nature Conservancy’s Waikamoi Preserve, have benefited the Ākohekohe and its habitat.” Help ABC conserve this and other birds and their habitats!
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What the heck is that?
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Noah Ventola: Environmentalist and Entrepreneur
Noah Ventola's four-year-old daughter, Madelyn, knows her chickadees from her nuthatches.
But her first bird was a bluebird, and that is where this story begins.
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BirdNote: Remembering Cynthia Lufkin
Upcoming Shows
Hayden Goold SUNDAY Observing Birds written and narrated by Hayden Goold, School in the Woods, Colorado Springs LISTEN NOW ►
Eared Grebes MONDAY Revitalized Bird Habitat At Owens Lake featuring Pete Pumphrey, Eastern Sierra Audubon LISTEN NOW ►
Bronzed Cowbird TUESDAY Bird Life At the Grand Canyon by Frances Wood LISTEN NOW ►
Long-billed Curlew WEDNESDAY Negotiating Water And Habitat at Owens Lake featuring Pete Pumphrey, Eastern Sierra Audubon LISTEN NOW ►
Great Blue Heron THURSDAY Tribute to Cynthia Lufkin 1962-2013 featuring the poetry of Wendell Berry and the music of Tingstad and Rumbel LISTEN NOW ►
Song Sparrow FRIDAY Birds of the Briar Patch by Dennis Paulson LISTEN NOW ►
Brown Thrasher SATURDAY Shelterbelts and Their Birds by Dennis Paulson LISTEN
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On This Day:
Russians settle Alaska, Aug 14, 1784:
“On Kodiak Island, Grigory Shelikhov, a Russian fur trader, founds Three Saints Bay, the first permanent Russian settlement in Alaska.
The European discovery of Alaska came in 1741, when a Russian expedition led by Danish navigator Vitus Bering sighted the Alaskan mainland. Russian hunters were soon making incursions into Alaska, and the native Aleut population suffered greatly after being exposed to foreign diseases. The Three Saints Bay colony was founded on Kodiak Island in 1784, and Shelikhov lived there for two years with his wife and 200 men. From Three Saints Bay, the Alaskan mainland was explored, and other fur-trade centers were established. In 1786, Shelikhov returned to Russia and in 1790 dispatched Aleksandr Baranov to manage his affairs in Alaska.
On March 30, 1867, Secretary of State William H. Seward signed a treaty with Russia for the purchase of Alaska for $7.2 million. Despite the bargain price of roughly two cents an acre, the Alaskan purchase was ridiculed in Congress and in the press as "Seward's folly," "Seward's icebox," and President Andrew Johnson's "polar bear garden." In April 1867, the Senate ratified the treaty by a margin of just one vote.
Despite a slow start in settlement by Americans from the continental United States, the discovery of gold in 1898 brought a rapid influx of people to the territory. Alaska, rich in natural resources, has been contributing to American prosperity ever since. On January 3, 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation admitting the territory of Alaska into the Union as the 49th state.”
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FDR signs Social Security Act, Aug 14, 1935:
“On this day in 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs into law the Social Security Act. Press photographers snapped pictures as FDR, flanked by ranking members of Congress, signed into law the historic act, which guaranteed an income for the unemployed and retirees. FDR commended Congress for what he considered to be a "patriotic" act.
Although it was initially created to combat unemployment, Social Security now functions primarily as a safety net for retirees and the disabled, and provides death benefits to taxpayer dependents. The Social Security system has remained relatively unchanged since 1935.”
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Yesterday:
Ray came over to start priming the outside of the screen porch posts so that it will be ready for when we can install new screen wire. Looking at it later, the white really makes the porch ‘pop’.
I had dressed to go to town as I was supposed to take a neighbor’s dryer to the repair shop. After that, I had an appointment at the metal carport place. But, I couldn’t get anything but answering machines at either place.
While I was waiting, I helped Ray by trimming off some old caulk, and pulling out old screen wire staples. I should have known not to do that in ‘going-to-town-clothes’! Paint is like a magnet, and I don’t even have to be doing the painting. The splotches came off with some Goof-Off.
More calls and emails looking for someone to install the porch roofing, but no-one yet. My neighbors gave me different phone numbers to call, but they were dead ends, or disconnected. Now, I am going to see if I can hire the metal carport installers on their time off, as they are used to handling that stuff.
The carport lady called me back, and I could have gone over there yesterday, but as it was in the same area as the appliance repair place, I wanted to combine the two, and not make a special trip. Then I heard from the neighbor, he works on Mondays and Tuesdays, so I am supposed to do both today.
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