04/26 is Audubon Day
Sweetmorn, Discord 43, 3187 YOLD (discordian)
And let us not forget 13.0.8.8.8 mlc (the Mayan Long Count)
~~ Quail1 04/11/2005
On this day in 1986, The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant set the defacto standard for what it takes for a nuclear accident to be considered to be "serious" or to be taken "seriously". Any lesser disaster has been simply shrugged off by nuclear industry pundits and promoters as no big deal. Any releases, leaks, spills, dumping, or other forms of contamination are dismissed as insufficiently above background or otherwise acceptable levels.
John James Audubon was born on this day in 1785. He was a noted ornithologist and made prodigious contributions to the scientific bird lore of North America and produced an artistic treasure while he was at it. It is NOT true, however, that he was the first to use the phrase "tastes like chicken".
On this day in history:
1607 – English colonists made landfall at Cape Henry, Virginia.
1777 – Sybil Ludington, rode 40 miles to warn US colonial forces that British troops were approaching
1803 – Thousands of meteor fragments fell from the skies of L'Aigle, France
1865 – Union cavalry troopers shot and killed John Wilkes Booth
1925 – Paul von Hindenburg became the first directly elected head of state of the Weimar Republic.
1933 – The Geheime Staatspolizei (Gestapo) was established
1937 – The German Luftwaffe bombed Guernica, Spain
1954 – The Geneva Conference began
1956 – The SS Ideal X container ship, left New Jersey, for Texas
1960 – Syngman Rhee resigned after 12 years of dictatorial rule
1970 – The Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) went into force.
1986 – Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant go boom
Born this day in:
A taste for simplicity cannot endure for long.
~~ Eugene Delacroix
11710 – Thomas Reid, philosopher and academic
1785 – John James Audubon, ornithologist and painter
1798 – Eugène Delacroix, painter and lithographer
1822 – Frederick Law Olmsted, journalist and designer, co-designed Central Park
1862 – Edmund C. Tarbell, painter and educator
1879 – Owen Willans Richardson, physicist and academic
1886 – Ma Rainey, singer
1889 – Anita Loos, author, playwright, and screenwriter
1889 – Ludwig Wittgenstein, philosopher and academic
1899 – Oscar Rabin, saxophonist and bandleader
1900 – Charles Francis Richter, physicist, Patron Saint of California
1912 – A. E. van Vogt, author
1914 – Bernard Malamud, novelist and short story writer
1921 – Jimmy Giuffre, clarinet player, saxophonist, and composer
1925 – Vladimir Boltyansky, mathematician, educator and author
1932 – Frank D'Rone, singer and guitarist
1932 – Francis Lai, accordion player and composer
1932 – Michael Smith, biochemist and geneticist
1933 – Carol Burnett, actress, singer, and producer
1933 – Arno Allan Penzias, physicist and academic
1
1938 – Duane Eddy, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor
1938 – Maurice Williams, doo-wop/R&B singer and songwriter
1942 – Bobby Rydell, singer and actor
1943 – Gary Wright, singer, songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
1959 – John Corabi, singe, -songwriter, and guitarist
1960 – Roger Taylor, drummer
1971 – Jay DeMarcus, bass player, songwriter, and producer
Died this day in:
If you play a tune and a person don’t tap their feet, don’t play the tune.
~~ Count Basie
1558 – Jean Fernel, physician
1865 – John Wilkes Booth, actor
1920 – Srinivasa Ramanujan, mathematician and theorist
1940 – Carl Bosch, chemist and engineer
1970 – Gypsy Rose Lee, actress, striptease dancer, and writer
1984 – Count Basie, pianist, composer, and bandleader
1989 – Lucille Ball, model, actress, comedian, and producer
1991 – Leo Arnaud, composer and conductor
1991 – Carmine Coppola, composer and conductor
1999 – Adrian Borland, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer
2003 – Edward Max Nicholson, environmentalist, co-founded the World Wide Fund for Nature
2011 – Phoebe Snow, singer and songwriter and guitarist
2013 – George Jones, singer, songwriter, and guitarist
Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such:
Chernobyl disaster related observances:
Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl tragedy (Belarus)
Memorial Day of Radiation Accidents and Catastrophes (Russia)
Audubon Day
Confederate Memorial Day (Florida, United States)
National Pretzel Day
World Intellectual Property Day
Hug a Friend Day
National Richter Scale Day
Music goes here, iirc, well, With apologies 
John James Audubon
Ma Rainey (note the band)
Charles Francis Richter
Jimmy Giuffre
Francis Lai
Duane Eddy
Maurice Williams
Bobby Rydell
Gary Wright
Roger Taylor
Count Basie
George Jones
It's an open thread, so do your thing, got it? Below this point this is a public forum, your forum, nothing is off topic, so go for it
Comments
Good morning...
I have and treasure my grandmother's copy of Audubon's big book of paintings.
His actual paintings were huge....saw a couple of originals in Key West at the so called Audubon house. He shot the birds in order to paint them.
We had a nuclear issue in Alabama when someone at the power plant was checking for gas leaks with a candle and found one. The local fire chief ignored the managers and put it out with water. Otherwise we would have had a Chernobyl here.
http://www.ccnr.org/browns_ferry.html
Have a good day everyone!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Good morning Lookout. Somebody once gifted us
a copy of that classic large format book. He did indeed shoot birds in order to paint them and to make "skins", he shot prodigious numbers of birds - it is a thing that ornithologists do, to get the bird safely in hand for slow, detailed thorough inspection oa all of the minutiae and in order to provide a form of documentation and an archival copy, as it were.
The article/report of the Browns Ferry reactor fire was a good read. It finishes up with the topic:
Short answer; not really, not so much at all. You/we were lucky. Of course, as such things go, I'm sure that the nuke pundits will happily assure you and us that it was really no big deal, and definitely not a Chernoble and hence a big "so what".
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Audubon was da man!
Hi EL, (and all)
How ya doin'? Spring gettin' there yet? Should be some migrants passing through.
I did not grow up in a religious house, but the closest thing to a deity there was, was John James Audubon. Perfectly normal. There were maybe 3 personal bankruptcies (JJA), same as Abe Lincoln. Once he told Lucy (of Warbler fame) he'd be right back for breakfast as he had heard something different, and returned in a year. My brother jokes through elementary and high school he turned in at least a dozen reports or essays on Audubon, that were essentially the same revised, age-adjusted paper.
Sure he shot the birds, they didn't have good binocs, field guides, or even names then. He did record the flavor and taste of each species and noted only two were not worth consumption, the Crow and the Grackle. Which seems to me would be a personal prejudice or
mental stigma thing more than the reality of their omnivorous diets. How does one eat Loon or Merganser? With tartar sauce?
I saw LA Co. just did their America's Birdiest County thing and I think for the 3 day weekend it was about 275 species in LA Co. A couple friends were part of a Birdathon for Houston Audubon this past Saturday, birding from right near me at Uvalde to High Island, they saw 236 species in one day, and raised $16K!
Great you have a pair of Scrub-Jay around, we loved our pair in Torrance, they would take peanuts out of our hands.
I have that 35 lb. giant 'Baby Elephant Folio' of Audubon's works on the coffee table. Besides a bunch of other various assorted editions. Also have the "Dutch edition" hand-colored lithos from the 60's, was a set of 30 first authorized in a long time at the time,
considered the best modern prints made. Maybe a half-dozen of those on the walls. Also an original 1840 Royal Octavo edition (the mini-folio) Townsend's Bunting hangs on a wall, one of his mystery species that has never been satisfactorily explained, like several others he painted that were never seen again.
Got yer Audubon house right here. LOL
Like LO says, the originals are huge, everything was printed to be life size. He used the biggest paper available, which was not big enough for the large birds and why they are contorted and bent into those positions. So they would fit, life sized. Charleston SC has a bunch of them in the galleries downtown. There was an original Curlew Sandpiper in the base of the Statue of Liberty when I was in it ('82). I have one of those bronze medals I think Am. Mus. of Nat. Hist. put out in the 60's with the heads of the great American
scientists, with Audubon on it. It belonged to one of my late great bird mentors, Shirley Wells.
Boy, I bet you are sorry you brought this up by now, eh EL? You sure know how to get me out of the woodwork...
Thanks for spreading the word!
Have a great one!
Hope everyone is well. Watch out for birds.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Good morning dysto, thought that this might perk
you up.
Our favorite birding guide was a guy named Rafael Campos an ornithologist who oddly enough had studied at Cal and worked at PRBO (Now Point Blue). We stayed one night in Ecuador in the Andes/Highlands, iirc, at a place whose owner claimed a new/unknowwn variant species of owl on his land, which definitely had an unique call. He wouldn't let anybody take it/one, so no real verification. Rafael respected the guys position and all, but said that he, was personally first and foremost a scientist, so if it were up to him he would go take a specimen in order to determine with certainty exactly what it was and to document and verify same. Some of the other birders were a bit aghast.
So, I tell that in regard to Audubon's Townsend's Bunting. A viable breeding population consiste of a certain minimum number of pairs and individuals. What if Rafael took that owl and it was the last one, or half of the last breeding pair? That's a dilemma with rarities. So Audubon doesn't know what is a rarity or not, what if his take for his picture knocked the species into the no-longer-viable zone?
My favorite Audubon tale is how his improperly designed experiment led to a scientific misunderstanding that lasted decades. He decided and spread the word that Turkey Vultures couldn't smell and hence foraged by other means. To determine if they could smell or not, he obtained a really rank, putrid deer carcass which he stashed until it was really blisteringly ripe, and then concealed it (Under an overturned skiff or somesuch) and no TVs showed up, proving to him that they could not smell. What he really proved, however, was only that some crap is so far gone that even they won't touch it.
We've had some migrants, seems like our white crowns and golden crowns may have already moved on through, ditto our hermit thrush and rufous hummers. OTOH, things have been very quiet in our court and yard lately because we've had a cooper's hanging out in trees in the neighbor's yard, our yard, etc. I got a new camera the other day and ran out without so much as reading word one about how to use it and took a few sample pics to check out what it could do. When I got inside I noted this one amid the mix:
There just happens to be a lot of splat on the sidewalk roughly under where that shape happens to be. LOL. Gives a new meaning to "feeder birds".
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
interesting EL!
vedy interestink! Funny about the TV smelling. The Black Vulture just watches the TVs. But yeah, there has to be NOTHING to eat for them to go after roadkill dillo. LOL
Considering there were things as abundant as Eskimo Curlew and Passenger Pigeon shot to extinction, for other reasons, at the time, with the wholesale Euro remodeling of America's habitats and wildlife, it would not be unusual to lose a few species that were not in the mainstream view. Perhaps some that were on the brink or very specialized at the time already. Some like Ivory-billed Woodpecker or Bachman's Warbler barely lasted half way through the 1900's. Surely there were rarer things before then too.
Almost every AOU major full update has had a different explanation for the Townsend's Bunting, none of which I agree with. The most recent said a color-depleted Dickcissel. No
way, the fine sharp black teardrop-tipped streaks on sides are completely unlike the diffuse blurred brown streaks of a Dickcissel. A prior edition called it a Dickcissel x
White-throated Sparrow hybrid. It was probably just the last of something. And otherwise there would be no record whatsoever. Like Carbonated and Hemlock Warblers.
There is a big anti-collecting sentiment nowadays, but without specimens, no field guides, no real good understanding of the variation of a species, or what is a species. Nowadays with tech not available then we can do more with a live animal, and it is not as needed as it was when things did not yet have names. DNA, audio, etc. But with inverts, like insects, spiders, corals, you still have to have specimens.
When that first ever state Snowy Owl showed up in Hawai'i a couple winters ago, the airport bird clearance dude shot it, specimen is in the Bishop Museum. At least the specimen was salvaged. It hard to protect and save things without names. Here in the states we can't list them, as threatened or endangered. Science can be a bit messy sometimes. There was a kingfisher recently collected in I think the Philippines that caused a huge bru-ha-ha.
thanks for the thoughts!
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Good morning, el ~~
I love that quail picture - thanks for posting it!
Enjoy the day!
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
Good morning RA. Thanks, happy to
post it, a lucky shot to be honest, as most of my decent ones are. You take enough and you have to get a few good ones, law of large numbers type thing.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Report in from another bird lover
Thanks for the OT and the stories it has generated. There was the “Bird Brawl” as they call it here in Austin and was for a 24 hour period. Lots of species I have never seen here and lots of new places to go birding! The spring migration is happening so should be fun. Staying within biking distance of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center that always has good bird viewing
Always have a great time birding when in Costa Rica but not sure when will consider it safe to travel there. The flamboyant colors of so many of the birds there made it a easy time even for beginners. Took my sister in law there in February of 2020 and she got so excited when she would be the first to spot a bird.
Have a good day all!
Life is what you make it, so make it something worthwhile.
This ain't no dress rehearsal!
Good morning JB. We always liked to bird in
Costa Rica, though we've never been part of a birding tour there. Spent a night or two at La Selva once, tons of good birds there and in the vicinity. If you love'd Costa Rica, you;d also really love Belize and Panama. Austin sounds like a kick too there's a bunch of hot spots in Tx we've never been to. Perhaps someday.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Morning el
Rained here but not as much as predicted. Still better than nothing and the plants perked right up. Totally spring here. Full on. No stop.
Leaving on a trip. Be back in a month. Hold the fort down. Heh.
Take care everyone
Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation
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Good morning magi. Rained here too, eventually,
but not veery much. Enjoy your trip.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
A book to read
For all that have time on your hands! I recommend “The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession and the Natural History Heist of the Century “ by Kirk Wallace Johnson.
Read this with my book group and it tells how Audobon was not the only collector of birds done by killing and on a grand scale. Found the book fascinating and sad.
Life is what you make it, so make it something worthwhile.
This ain't no dress rehearsal!
I may not be a dedicated birder
but I am an Audubon Society member for 30 years, have been to the reputedly best bird habitat in this hemisphere down in Trinidad, and I support bird charities and things like rescued pet parrots and such.
Life is not cool without birds.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Presumably ASA Wright, which we hoped to visit last year,
but fate intervened. We have, however, hit some great bird habitat in central and southern America all the same.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --