[dropcap]L[/dropcap]et us consider a variety of topics today, starting with news from Glacier National Park.
I visited this Montana park several years ago and enjoyed looking out on the massive sheets of ice which give the park its name. Unfortunately, climate change is transforming Glacier. When I was there, the park contained almost 50 glaciers. Today, there are just 25, and scientists predict they’ll all be gone by 2030. Sad.
How do birds react to a solar eclipse? Generally, birds either go to roost or become more active, depending on the species. Dairy cows return to the barn and crickets begin to sing.
It won’t be long until bird migration is in full swing, with birds departing our area for warmer places to the south. Hawks will be especially active in the Coastal Bend area of Texas. Since they do not fly over water, they will be funneling through the area south of Corpus Christi, headed for Central and South America.
Thousands of broad-winged hawks swirl in “kettles” overhead and make for a true raptoral rhapsody.
Whooping cranes will also be on the move. By early December, lots of these majestic birds will be arriving back to their winter home in Texas. Boat tours out of Rockport offer close-up views of whoopers and other waterfowl.
Finally, let us remember Alex, the gray parrot who died in 2007, at age 3, with a vocabulary of more than 100 words and the ability to assemble them in simple sentences. According to his owner, Alex spoke has last words when his cage was covered on the night he died: “You be good, see you tomorrow. I love you.”
