I don’t want to lecture people about saving the planet. I want to share with them the joy of the natural world. It’s where we belong. By looking after it, we’re looking after ourselves.
—E. O. Wilson, naturalist
Working in my kitchen a few days ago, I was startled by the appearance of a woodpecker just out my window. It was working its way up the trunk of a young oak tree. I’ve heard woodpeckers high up in the Eucalyptus trees out my door but I’ve never seen one so up close and personal. I tried to make mental notes quickly—size, thick white stripe down back, red strip on back of head (I now know that’s called a red hindcrown spot)—before it flew out of sight. I turned to the stack of bird guides on my desk—first checking Sibley Birds West. Lots of woodpeckers. All side views. I checked the next book in the stack—National Geographic’s Field Guide to Birds of Western North America (a gift some years back from good friends of mine). And there was the view of the Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens, from the back with that thick white stripe I was looking for. And I understood why my mother had so many bird guides.
Birds have been making headlines, heartbreaking headlines. For example, New York Times, September 19, 2019:
Margaret Renkl, “a contributing opinion writer who covers flora, fauna, politics and culture in the American South” wrote this piece 10 days later. She has a list of actions we can take, making the point that we are not powerless.
I have something to add to Margaret’s list…
Download the Cornell Lab Merlin Bird ID. Play around with it with your kids. Pay attention to birds around you. Next time you see a bird you don’t know, open up Merlin and give it a try. Experiment. Challenge each other to find and identify more birds. Check the shelves of your local used book store for bird guides. And get ready for the next step, sharing your observations with iNaturalist…stay tuned.
What I am reading
Do you have a Fortnite-playing tween or teen? Then you probably know about the black hole…
and Chapter 2…
Best Podcast Sound Bite
Jordan Shapiro, author of The New Childhood: Raising Kids to Thrive in a Connected World, riffs about Fortnite
