Some of the winners from the Bird Photography

These are some of the Winners of the Bird Photographer of the Year 2025. Full article here. These are my favorites.

okay, this is funny

A Hybrid Jay

Apparently, Blue Jays and Green Jays separated about 7 million years ago. The Blue Jay resides in temperate climates and is common in the eastern states. Green Jays are tropical birds in Mexico and Central America.

However, as the climate changes, the ranges of these birds have begun to overlap. And here they have found a hybrid. The Blue Jay is expanding west and the Green Jay is expanding north.

This bird has traits of both, hanging with blue jays, and still have the vocalizations of a green jay. FULL STORY

Interesting.

The More We Study Dogs, the More We Learn

 We know that some dogs are very smart - although our dogs have been more "devious" than smart. Anywho, there is an article in sciencenews.org about a new aspect of dog intelligence. ARTICLE

The gist of the article is that some dogs can easily retrieve toys based on either their name or the type of toy: tug of war, keep away, or fetch. 

What they have now discovered is that if given a new toy, but no information on its type, these dogs can identify the toy by type - even if they have never seen it before. While this may seem simple to us, it surpasses what we thought dogs could do. It means they have to visually identify what a toy is used for before it is used. 

Our dogs were able to do the same thing! Of course, they classified everything as something to be killed, but still.

Marbled Murrelets in the Wet Northwest (California - Washington)

There is an article in the New York Times today about the Murrelets. Here is the descriptive paragraph on them:

The marbled murrelet, nicknamed mamu, is the only seabird that nests in the forests of the lower 48 states.

When the urge to breed strikes in the spring or summer, a murrelet flies 30 to 40 miles or more inland. The parents take turns sitting on the single egg. When the chick hatches, they ferry food back and forth, taking turns flying to the ocean to fetch fish for their offspring, up to eight times a day.

I have never heard of these birds. They nest in areas like the Redwood National and State Parks on the California North Coast. (These are the super-tall giant Redwoods, not the super-massive Sequoia Redwoods.) The Murrelet chooses a high tree in an old-growth forest. They like a branch with lots of debris, like needles and bark, that has settled on a high tree branch.

The birds are protected; however, the new rules have been interpreted by this administration to mean you can't catch, kill, or harm them. However, you can reduce their habit in this case by logging. That sucks, but it's no use crying over spilled milk. I suppose the best way to help them is to share their stories.

So here they are.

And here are the Redwood trees growing just outside the Fort Ross State Historic Park in California.

I am going to guess this isn't what the Advent calendar was for....

I saw an ad for an unusual Advent Calendar today (actually, it was a paid post on The Daily Beast). I know generally what an Advent Calendar IS, but not WHY it is. So I checked.

An advent calendar is a special calendar, often with doors or pockets numbered 1-24, that is used to count down the days of Advent, the period leading up to Christmas. Each day, a person opens a new window or pocket to find a small surprise, such as a piece of chocolate or a religious message, building anticipation for Christmas. The tradition originated in Germany in the 19th century as a way for families to prepare for Christmas and remember the spiritual meaning of the season.  

This advent calendar is a unique look at the spiritual meaning of the season (1 Million Moms would not approve).

Before Brad Pitt there was Robert Redford

 Robert Redford. What girl (and gay boy) in the 1970s didn't pine for him? He was the epitome of easy good looks and grace. He seemed very nice and witty.

I did see him more than a few times at the US Open. He sat in the box next to one of the USTA's boxes and was often less than 10 feet away. He aged naturally, but always had a smile ready. 

He passed away today, and it is sad, in that way someone you don't know can be very sad.

The Sundance Kid - Robert Redford may be the only man, definitely the only blond, who can pull off a moustache.