The 21st Century Matriarch

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

What links litmus paper and lichens? – How did I not know that litmus dye was made from lichens? I remember using red cabbage to tint paper for an elementary school science project with my daughter. We tested everything in the house…discovered that even the fumes from toilet bowl cleaner turned the strips we made bright pink!

How donkeys changed the course of human history – The beast of burden. During Roman times the subspecies used was larger than modern donkeys…specifically bred for the expanding empire.

Jungle realm of the Snake Queens – A 5-part article about 2 Mayan queens: Lady K’abel and Lady Six Sky.

Marriage in Minoan Crete – A surprise – it was very common to marry one’s first cousin!

Kenya’s Rift Valley lakes are rising, putting thousands at risk – A study reveals that there have been increases in rainfall since 2010…an increase of only 0.4-2% of mean annual rainfall leads to the observed rising lakes/flooding.

EPA requirement keeps electric buses out of low-income schools – Low-income school districts often don’t own their school buses; they rely on contractors or subsidized lease deals. So --- they can’t meet the requirement to scrap the old diesel buses.

Ten-minute scan enables detection and cure of the commonest cause of high blood pressure – The hormone aldosterone causes 1 in 15 cases of high blood pressure. This new technology/treatment is a big improvement for the way those cases can be treated.

Dead Humpback Whale Washes Ashore at Assateague Island – This is the second one recently. I am familiar with the place this time…Assateague Island was a place my husband and enjoyed for birding when we lived in Maryland.

China’s population declines for the first time in six decades – Changing demographics in China.

Bees exposed to common weedkiller via wildflower nectar – Evidently the flowers can be contaminated even if they are not sprayed directly!

Our first Delmarva Birding field trip was on the last Friday in January. We parked at the Assateague Island Visitor Center near Berlin, Maryland. It was cold and windy; there had been mist as we were driving but it was dry for the afternoon. They had large table maps of Assateague Island at the visitor center; we’d been to the Tom’s Cove end of the Island (when we went to Chincoteague, Virginia) but had never been to the northern part of the island.

After the group gathered, we headed off toward the Verrazano Bridge which has a nice walk/bike path on a separate span than the car traffic.

Before we got to the bridge we saw a Mockingbird and then a cluster of Greater Black-backed Gulls as we started up the ramp of the bridge.

2020 01 IMG_7485 (11).jpg — Once on the bridge, there was a lot to see in the water underneath. I managed to photograph a few birds. There were a pair of Horned Grebe (non-breeding plumage) and then I got another as a silhouette in the glints of sunlight.

A Red-Breasted Merganser (male) was below as well.

The Bufflehead were numerous but diving a lot. I managed a few pictures…but they were mostly blurs or butts.

We headed back to the visitor center and then on the trail toward the Rackliffe Plantation House. A Great Blue Heron was feeding in the wetland grasses.

I couldn’t resist a few botanical photos – a pinecone with sun glint needles in the background and a twig with some very curly lichen.

A flock of Brant (a small goose) were avoiding the golfers on the course.

They would fly up occasionally…move a short distance…settle down again.

Then there were some Eastern Bluebirds that flew into some trees near our group…kept a wary eye on us.

We then hiked back to the visitor center and caravaned around toward the entrance to Rum Point Seaside Golf Links. The ponds had Ring-necked Ducks (and mallard and black ducks).

A Great Egret was searching for food nearby.

There were also some Canada Geese in a field. I am including a picture here to compare with the Brant. The Brant are smaller but they are both geese so have a similar look.