fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
hummingbird hymns
Tags: Haiku, Poetry, Hymn Reflection, Haiku Poetry, Birds

hummingbird hymns

Photo by Mark Olsen on Unsplash

Three days in a row

She greeted me with laughter

A buzz so loud that

I could not come any

Faster. So rare a sighting

It feels like a gift

Whatever divine

Being orchestrated this

I offer a kiss

In meditation

Glorious, she’s there again

Perhaps reminding

Me to stay playful

Seek joy and silver linings

Therefore, finding bliss

Little warrior

You are full of good omen

Embracing nectar

Inspiring those who

Aren’t even looking, to

Enjoy life pleasures.
Bird by bird. Clear and concise. I will remember this ;-)
By: Sofia Rurua
Tags: Methodology, Writing Tips, Steps, Birds, Fast Advice

This One Thing Will Solve 80% of Your Writing Problems

249 3
Am I Inhaling Smoke Instead of Oxygen?
Tags: Nature, Life Lessons, Birds, Life, Environment

Am I Inhaling Smoke Instead of Oxygen?

Photo by cotton bro from Pexels

I was born in a place where it is surrounded by, lots of trees, flowers and beautiful birds. I enjoyed that atmosphere. The air which I breath was pure. I had peace in my life.

But after a few years, I had to move to the city due to the location of my job. The first thing which I saw was the population. Everywhere, surrounded by vehicles and noisy roads. I was disturbed internally. I do not know how they are living here.

When you did not have enough money to run your family, then there is no option. The next day I walked on the road, suddenly the air blew, and every sand particles washed me out. Few went into my nose.

I started to feel that I am inhaling smoke from vehicles instead of oxygen. It is hard for someone who grew up in a place filled with green and beautiful nature.

After a few days, our company took us to a place where it was covered with buildings and only one area was left there. They asked us to plant trees. The sun was up, and I joined with my friend and planted saplings as much as I can. In my mind, there was only one thing that was going on. At least a few birds can have shelter because of me.

Photo by author: Finally I made shelter at least to them

And after a few months, trees were grown, and birds built their nest. I was so happy after seeing the picture.

But I feel sad for the next generations. I had enjoyed nature during my childhood days, will the next generation have to suffer from pollution. I know it is very hard, to say do not use vehicles but try to walk by foot when your market is near instead of using it.
Dan’s Gardening and Birding Blog
Tags: Birdwatcing, Birds, Gardening, Bird Photography, Vegetable Garden

Welcome to my blog. I have been blogging for about 7 years on www.dansgardening.blogspot.com. I decided to bring my story to Medium.

I became involved with vegetable gardening at a young age as my parents and grandparents were avid gardeners. I must admit my first introduction to gardening was weeding my parent’s huge vegetable garden, and I wasn’t too impressed at the time. As time went on I caught the gardening bug. By the time I was 10 or 12, I was growing my own sunflowers and entering magazine contests for the largest Mammoth Russian seed heads. Many years later my wife and I bought a house in the country in 1992, and I now have 3 vegetable gardens and many perennial flower beds.

The Upper Garden

At about the same time I also became interested in bird watching, as several of our neighbors were already feeding birds. So I built a bird feeder and my Dad helped with a pole made of half-inch galvanized pipe. Yup, he was a plumber. To this day I use pipe for my bird feeder poles. At the time, I even made homemade suet cakes by melting down suet and adding seed. Now, I buy my suet cakes.

Back in the 1970s we would get flocks ( 20 to 30 birds) of Evening Grosbeaks at our feeder where I grew up in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains. These birds are far less prevalent now. Where I currently live, in Central NY State, I think I have seen one of these birds since 1992. This type of information has encouraged me to participate in Project FeederWatch , a citizen science project that tracks locations of birds and provides other valuable data.

Northern Cardinal (Male and Female), Dark-Eyed Junco

My blog covers my participation in this project and provides a wealth of information regarding bird watching from feeding to photography and more.

In regards to vegetable gardening, my posts cover this hobby including the arrival of seed catalogs, starting plants indoors, garden preparation, planting, harvesting, and fall garden cleanup. I am a lover of heirloom tomatoes so I will also write posts dedicated to those.

Heirloom Tomatoes

All of my posts include my own photos to enjoy, including this post. So join me on my journey.

Thanks for reading.
Critically endangered bird species in India at the moment
By: Nitish Kumar
Tags: Bird Species, Endangered Species, Endangered, Birds, Species

5. Charas (Bengal Florican)

Charas (Bengal Florican)

The magnificent Siberian cranes are migratory birds and visit India during the winter season. Beautiful Siberian cranes are one of the endangered species of birds in the world. The population of migratory Siberian cranes has decreased slightly over the last few years and is in danger of extinction.
Watching The Quail
By: Floyd Mori
Tags: Nature, Learning, Birds, Togetherness, Caring

Watching The Quail

(Image is author’s)

Have you ever watched a group of quail?

They are birds with a strange thing

sticking out of their heads.

They are seen walking more than flying,

but they can fly, sometimes up high.

They are often in groups with other quail.

They seem to stick together

and apparently care about each other.

We might learn something from the quail.

We can learn from birds and nature

to get along and enjoy life.
Running Commentary 12/7/2020
By: Derek Edwards
Tags: Battlebots, Star Wars, Birds, Mandalorian

Malice defeats Axe Backwards, who decided to try a flamethrower this year | Video from BattleBots Twitter.

BattleBots

The start of the 2020 season did not disappoint. The big match, Tombstone vs. Endgame, has been something people have wanted for some time, of course. I’d like to say upfront that I’m not a huge fan of either team, and I’m not trying to make excuses for or diminish anybody when I say that Endgame won by a lucky shot. I don’t think Mabey and company would deny that. Still, it was an exciting fight at the end of a night of great matches.

Besides the main event, the most spectacular fight was between Malice and Axe Backwards. As usual, Axe Backwards lost. What made their loss spectacular was the fact that they added a flamethrower to their bot this year. My advice is always “don’t add a flamethrower”, and I’d like to take this opportunity to explain why: bots are generally made of metal, either aluminum or steel. These have melting points of about 1,200 and 2,500 Fahrenheit respectively. A propane torch can certainly get that hot, but you’re only going to do damage if you can perform a close, sustained burn. And even so, as was the case with Axe Backwards and many bots before it, the fuel tank is a serious weakness.

Rusty bores into Sporkinok | Video from BattleBots Twitter

There were several new bots Thursday night, and the one that has captured the most attention is Rusty. David Eaton showed up with no team, no sponsors, and a bot made out of spare parts, and won. That’s a great story.

Rusty was on my list of favorite new bots, mostly because its weapon is one I’ve thought would be an effective one: a drill. I don’t have a lot of hope for Rusty in fights against anything with a high-energy weapon, but I’m hoping Eaton can maybe get some sponsors off this strong start and be able to come back again with a better-funded, more solidly built bot with a drill.

Captain Shredderator bounces off Lockjaw | Video from BattleBots Twitter

Finally, I’d like to talk about the Lockjaw vs. Captain Shredderator match. For the third year, I’ve been able not only to confidently say Shredderator will lose a given match, but to be able to say how. Any bot that can take a hit from Shredderator can win the match by just tanking until Shredderator had bashed itself to death pin-balling around the box. With so many veteran bots having been redesigned over the years, I have no idea why Nave keeps the same glass cannon season after season.
Bird Words
By: Dana Sanford
Tags: Photos, Writing, Poetry, Birds, Asemic Writing

Bird Words

Dana Sanford

Are their symbols left

for us?

What did they say

as they write?
Those Enraged Wood-Peckers
By: Somsubhra Banerjee
Tags: Nature, Poetry, Blue Insights, Birds, Thoughts

There was this sudden knock on the windowpanes,

As I scampered, sleepily, I saw hazily, a beak,

a beak, yes, and before I could fathom, out of curiosity,

I opened it up, and out there were woodpeckers, many,

queued up together, my eyebrows came closer, as one of them,

spoke.

I realized they wanted, they wanted the address, the location,

of the woodcutter, who cut their trees clean, making them orphans,

shelterless, wandering in the cold of the night, aimlessly, hungry,

and this house, my house is the one they spotted first, perched,

near the entrance, to the deep woods.

I smiled a sleepy smile, and tried explaining to the enraged audience,

that ’tis not me, tis not me at all, I am just a normal being,

staying here for a long, long time and although I feel bad,

very bad about them losing their home, I can only direct them,

to further in the town, in search of the woodcutter.

They murmured amongst themselves, in bird language, perhaps,

and turned to go, the leader who spoke, enraged and sad,

it’s red-colored red turning redder, did it?

and I, I heaved a sigh of relief, as I slowly closed down the window.

Oh, wait, isn’t that an axe, a couple of them, lying in the corner,

the farthest corner of the room, the leader cried, and before that man,

the man who was lying the whole time could close the window, they darted in,

a swarm of woodpeckers, buzzing like a bee, penetrated through the window-pane,

and what the axes heard were loud screams, only muffled, loud screams.
Happy Holidays
Tags: Christmas, Birds, Poem, Cardinals, Holidays

A 2020 Holiday Card

A Little Birdie

A little birdie woke us

with her cheerful whistling tune

She sang about the holidays now here

Her melody is a reminder

to always wear our masks

and show to all it matters that we care

It is not OK to visit yet

we are locked in quarantine

Still you can send joy to those

sharing love and the hope it brings

Tomorrow when Covid-19 goes away

we will celebrate for real

Until that time enjoy this card

that shares the love we feel.

— WOLRAD
Birds know. Don’t let the clock cut you to pieces — Day 4 of Simplicity
By: Mike Rusert
Tags: Mindfulness, Meditation, Spirituality, Advent, Birds

Embodied Practice





The clock. Our thoughts. The noise. These things would cut up our life into pieces. Meanwhile the birds, clothed in beautiful dark shadow, wait. Content. Alive.



What if we sit at the feet of earth/creature/water and open ourselves to their wisdom? What forgotten wisdom might we remember?



Allow yourself a moment of restful presence.



Set down the phone.

Leave the to do list to don’t.



Maybe put on warm clothes.

Step out of doors.

Maybe walk somewhere

until you feel called to stop.



Breathe in

Breathe out



Stay



Breathe



Be still



Notice



Stay



Gently allow



Allow yourself the space to be ministered to.



Let in

Beauty.

Enough.

Miracle.

In whatever form it shares itself with you.



Allow yourself the time to just be and notice. Be present to life around you.



Stay.

And then stay a moment more.

Your heart will tell you when to return.



And as you do return

Another deep breath

And a bow of your spirit

to the fellow miracle

that graced you with its

presence



Thank you
The Glove
By: Nalini Macnab
Tags: Nature, Protection, Birds, Wisdom, Consciousness

Ensuing treks led me to The Burren, in county Clare, where I met an integrated family of two-leggeds and winged ones, whose shared love is given in educating others about the need to protect those with wings.

“Who wants to hold the barn owl?” the handler queried his fascinated audience. The falcons at The Burren Birds of Prey Centre were only to be ‘managed’ by experienced handlers, so I waited, hoping for an opportunity to share a few moments of intimacy with one of these winged ones. Barn owls are so lovely! And, a goddess-send for country dwellings of every kind.

Sitting at the front of the audience arena, I tentatively raised my hand, not wanting to eclipse the adventures of any of the children present. After all, I’d spent my day with this family already. The handler, with whom I had enjoyed a hawk walk that morning, grinned and nodded, “come on then.”

Donning the gauntlet, I placed my hand just behind the owl’s legs as I’d learned that morning. An experienced ‘educator,’ it lightly hopped aboard. Imagine my amazement, when the leather glove protecting my hand was heavier than the owl it supported!

“It’s so light!” I couldn’t help but exclaim as the owl and I observed one another, eye to eye. The handler grinned again, as Sir Barn Owl fluttered back onto his perch, preening slightly as he settled.

Source, my iPhone

I couldn’t stop thinking about how the bird weighed less than the falconer’s glove protecting my hand. I’d had the lessons, of course. The birds push off on take-off, and grip on landing, and can unintentionally injure human flesh with their talons. But the owl had been so gentle, so serene, even in the presence of an audience. Would it truly have injured me? The facility can’t take that chance, of course.

Why are our bodies so alien to this world? What weights do we carry, needed or not, that allegedly protect us? Will we ever truly remember how to lighten up and be part of nature?

Is our armoring always heavier than what it protects us from? To what have we bequeathed our inherent connections with power?
A Discursive Essay to the Bird on the Windowsill of Chaos
By: Anna Coopey
Tags: Poetry, Poet, Madness, Birds, Poem

One: You

You are dressed to kill

in downy feathers and

eyes like pits of Hades;

Pits of passion, never

heard of again because

‘we mustn’t upset your

Mother’. Keep your madness

locked away inside until

it begins to break out of you in hypermetrical

Harpings-on of your soul as it strives to push out through your chest,

push past your heart and your lungs and your ribs, your

muscles and skin and those fucking fucking feathers that never stop

Shed

d i n g.

Two: Liminality

Windowsills are pretty places.

lim-uh-nal-i-tee (noun, Anthropology): the transitional period or phase of a rite of passage, during which the participant lacks social status or rank, remains anonymous, shows obedience and humility, and follows prescribed forms of conduct, dress, etc.

You were never one for liminality.

You stand on your windowsill,

looking out on bright blue blossoms of

blooming sky,

Waiting

for the anonymity to sink

in

but it doesn’t.

You are a paradox in a fur coat.

Three: Rise

The phoenix rises

as it changes anew.

Smoke rises

as its lover blows it through.

You rise

like Lucifer falls.

Off, off and up

to the telephone wire,

to a scalpeled line in the flesh of morning,

mourning what could have been,

your madness spat out

in soft specks of dew,

and forevermore, i will think of

you,

you

you
Bird Brains
By: Background Noise Comics
Tags: Nature, 2021, Birds, Humor, Comics

Daily comic by Lisa Burdige and John Hazard about balancing life, love and kids in the gig economy.
Leaves of Birds
By: Enchanted Seashells Princess Rosebud
Tags: Winter, Birds, Trees, Garden

Since the ash tree endured its yearly abscission, I raked fallen leaves for the very last time and have been enjoying this disrobed version until late afternoon when I noticed the branches were once again full; not of leaves, but of dozens of happy, chirpy little birds adorning every space.

So completely adorable.

One by one, they flew away, and the tree was once again barren.
The Virus day 263, Dimondale, Michigan
By: Sexy Hermit
Tags: Life, Michigan, Birds, Cats, Seasons

New cat in the hood. Maybe. This could be a cat we used to call “Big O” but this one seems younger. We’ve not seen Big O in a while so I suspect this may be a relative? He seems healthy so I think he has a home. Her? I did not get that good a look yet. Anyway, it seemed thirsty so I’m glad I started giving the birds water now that everything is freezing.

Be well!
Two Birds on the Wing
By: Adam Ray Cronk
Tags: Haiku, Poetry, Birds, Selflessness, Poetry On Medium

Freelancer, mediocre chef, and the guy telling you to go to the gym more often than he’s willing. I enjoy writing haikus, tell me what they mean to you.
Bird related citizens science
By: Chantal Theijn
Tags: Bird Feeder, Birding, Bird

There is some interesting research project who can benefit from the data generated by bird feeders in your back yard. All you have to do is count the number of various species of birds on specific dates and submit this data.

In an effort to create Bird Friendly Cities this type of citizens science is part of how we can measure the progress. It is also a great way to educate children or generate an interest in the natural world.

Great Backyard Bird Count

The upcoming year the Great Backyard Bird Count will take place on February 12–15th. You can participate alone or in groups. You can use apps like Merlin Bird ID to identify species and E-bird to document your findings.

You can watch the live maps as birds get added to the count during these days. in 2020 268,674 people participated and they counted 6,942 difference species of birds in 194 countries.

Project Feeder Watch

Project Feeder Watch is another project you can participate in from your home. A small monetary fee is required for this one. After selecting your count site (most often your own backyard) you chose two consecutive count days with at least a 5 day interval during which you count the birds and bird-species who frequent the site. The count season runs from November 14th 2020 to April 9th 2021.

You add your findings through the FeederWatch App.

Nest Boxes

There are great resources out there for creating nest boxes to assist birds. I find NestWatch a great resource with many easy to follow plans for the build and the how and where to place the various boxes.

At Hobbitstee we are focussed of Kestrel Boxes right now in an effort to support the fast declining Kestrel location with as many nesting locations as possible, but other boxes such as Blue Bird Boxes and Wood Duck Boxes are also very much needed.

Classroom Participation

The activity of counting, identifying species and submitting the data of these bird counts is an excellent educational activity. It helps children to take notice and gets them excited about the natural world.

A great activity would be for a classroom to create a naturalized area with native species of plants beneficial to birds on the school grounds visible from classrooms. In the winter this area can contain stocked bird feeders to attract birds.

The educational value of some or all of these activity is far reaching and we at Hobbitstee want to support teachers/schools in our catchment area to help introduce and maintain some of these activities in schools.

If you are a teachers in South Western Ontario and want help to implement a citizens science project in your classroom or would like help to establish a bird/wildlife friendly area/habitat at your school please contact us at: chantal@hobbitstee.com

Join Team Hobbitstee

In an effort to support as many people as possible, help with species identification, disseminate information about events, progress, projects and to facilitate open communication and idea sharing please join our Facebook Group: Bird Friendly Cities — Team Hobbitstee
For the Love of Trees
By: Louise Peacock
Tags: Outdoors, Photography, Birds, Trees

As time went by, I made changes to the front garden, and one change was to remove grass from directly around the base of the tree. This was to avoid competition for water and nutrients between the grass roots and the tree roots, and also to reduce the damage to the tree roots from the mower blades. The tree roots had pushed to the surface in a few places and it was hard to avoid striking them when mowing the lawn.

Eventually, I expanded the bed around the base of the tree.

In 2016, the Maple was showing signs of a bacterial disease called Slime Flux, or Bacterial Wetwood. Photo by Louise Peacock

When the unsightly Slime Flux bacterial disease began to affect the tree (which you can see in the photo above), I was told by several arborists that this would not greatly harm the tree and that there was no treatment for it anyway. On a whim, I sprayed it with a diluted mix of Oil of Oregano and water. The running Slime Flux began to dry up, but it may have been a pure coincidence. since it is said that the disease sometimes stops by itself.

You can see in the photo below that the open lesion has dried up.
One With Nature
By: Thalia Dunn
Tags: Haiku, Nature, Poetry, Paper Poetry, Birds

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
The Birds
By: The Despicable Hippie
Tags: Birds, Poem, Poema Amor, Poema, Love Poems

A little bird once told me

You still think about us,

And I want to ask,

What is your escuse?
11/26/2020
By: Jake Godek
Tags: Birds, NYC, Poetry

11/26/2020

Man oh man oh man I am exhausted

Running on fumes

Of hope and nostalgia

I can understand why birds fly south for the winter

North for the summer
To A Mockingbird
By: Enchanted Seashells Princess Rosebud
Tags: Animals, Poetry, Garden, Photography, Birds

He sat for the longest time on a volunteer Brazilian peppertree. The original tree was removed because it’s an invasive species, but also resilient and obnoxious, an aggressive woody weed which displaces native vegetation and rapidly invades disturbed sites.

To A Mocking Bird The name thou wearest does thee grievous wrong;

No mimic thou: that voice is thine alone.

The poets sing but strains of Shakespeare’s song;

The birds, but notes of thine imperial own.– Henry Jerome Stockard

#WordlessWednesday
We Are Not Trees, We Are Birds
By: Regia Marinho
Tags: Art, Creativity, Birds, Psychology, Trees

Não somos arvores, nós somos pássaros.

There’s a lot of us out here that are birds, man. We all need to just fly. ~Travis Scott

An homage to birds and the willingness to be like them.

And…art tree. A tree painting will always be there for you.

We are not trees …

If we are trees

We will be overthrown

For those that promote aerial electrical wiring in cities.

We are not trees.

We would be burned by the heat of the sun.

Are we birds?

If we are birds

We will fly

When…

The danger presents itself

Through the unwary and idiots

_RM

I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself. ~D. H. Lawrence

Life without dreams is like a bird with a broken wing — it can’t fly. ~Dan Pena

In Portuguese

Trees do not move. And we are not trees.

Não somos árvores …

Se somos árvores

Seremos derrubados

Por aqueles que promovem a fiação elétrica aérea nas cidades.

Não somos árvores.

Seriamos queimados pelo calor do sol.

Somos pássaros?

Se formos pássaros

Vamos voar

Quando…

O perigo se apresentar

Através dos incautos e idiotas

_RM
The Office Bird
By: Cambria Covell
Tags: Animals, Autobiographical, Birds, Human Interest, Macaws

I grew up with a single mother who worked with animals. Specifically, she worked on a ranch and oversaw everything from buffalo to emus to one time llama’s. The people who owned it had resorts up all over the place and we were close enough with them they would have us do all kinds of errands for them, like even once taking one of their RVS on a road trip for them.

For the sake of the story, we’ll call them Rick and Isla. Rick was a short, round man who talked fast and always had a way to make money up his sleeve. Ilsa was from an Eastern European country, tall, blond, and beautiful who always smelled of expensive perfume and had puffed up hair and kind of reminded me of Eva Gabor from Green Acres.

Sometimes, we would have to stop by their offices to pick up Mom’s paycheck. When we went there, the office had a macaw named Schuyler. My Mom had befriended the bird, who was unusual enough, in that it could say phrases like, “Here kitty, kitty, kitty.” A phrase I’m pretty sure my Mother taught it.

One day, Mom and I went to pick up her paycheck. For whatever reason, we weren’t able to stay long enough to see Schuyler on that particular day. Some errand to run or something. Either way, we picked up her paycheck, and left in a hurry.

On the way out, we could hear Ilsa going, “Schulyer, no!”

The two of us stopped to turn, and saw that Schulyer, clever thing that he was, had hopped off his stand and followed my Mom all of the way out of the office just to say goodbye.
Mama’s Birds
By: Christina M. Ward
Tags: Nature, Writing, Poetry, This Happened To Me, Birds

A house finch, with splashes of rouge

regards me with interest

scoops up a seed.

I am on the other side

of glass. They must see me.

If I crawl in there, sir,

Will you pick apart me?

Please sir,

pick apart me.

Titmouse and Chickadee,

black-capped and free,

Brown-headed nuthatch

clinging inverted to that

basket weave tree, plucking

the millet and sunflower seeds

Please, dear sirs,

I cannot find my wings,

Will you sing for me?

The swoop and dip of the red-bellied

suet-bound and full of purpose,

Will you please, dear sir,

teach me how you dance in the air

how you pick your trees

how you hear the writhing of bugs

and catch the shift in the breeze.

Please, dear sirs, my Mama’s birds,

Will you keep coming here

to these feeders beneath the trees?
Spare Happiness
By: Misa Ferreira De Rezende
Tags: Flowers, Birds, A Few Words, Happiness

I’m afraid being too happy

I treat my happiness as a guest

Without much intimacy

I know she always brings her suitcase

Ready to go as she pleases

However, I wear my best outfit

I put fresh flowers on the table

I make poems and that’s it!

But, if she wants, if she really wants

I let her fly

As I lovingly let a little bird fly.

I share happiness in little pieces

And when she leaves

I always have a spare dose with me

That miraculously

Lasts forever.
Recycling with Found Poetry from Year of The Poet (Vol 36)
By: Kimberly Burnham
Tags: Poetry, Found Poetry, The Year Of The Poet, Birds, Parkinson Disease

Featured in The Year of the Poet December, 2016 Volume 36.

Recycling Poetry … Found Poems

Found poems are made

created, tugged into being

from the words of others

poetry found in the collective

made conscious

bonding with the other

through their words

becoming mine

in this case

the words have rallied

from a hundred documents

about the brain

Poetic words dancing

spinning

rearranging

recycling the words

changes the meaning

transforms the results

what do you want

to be different

to be

part of the collective voice

Create

a visual poem

take found words

color around the letters

creating art that reflects

ideas

cover over the syllables

no longer needed

recycle them into the vastness of color

The mind reads

paints the words

from page’s heart

the heart creates

a new pattern

as the hand circles

repatterning the color

engaging the senses

in this intuitive

delightful process

Look around

see wisdom’s beauty

in another’s words

upcycle this year of papers

reuse recover

additional value added

where we have

found poetry

Wake Up

Any eyes able to be opened

affect breath remembered

control

dealing with one sign of feeling

want

the brain responsible and significant

all humans must go through

the regular rhythm of the day

wake up

— Found Poem Inspired by Parkinson’s Disease HANDBOOK pg 13 American Parkinson Disease Association, Inc.

Representation

Predictors of identity

cyclical

personal

control of beliefs

can be the nature of perception

effective at controlling symptoms

short and long

with diminishing distress

Many participants found

greater reliability

explore the nature of beliefs

face-to-face

an interesting find

the structure of support

show acceptable reliability

— Found poem inspired by Hurt, C. S., C. L. Julien, et al. (2015). “Measuring Illness beliefs in neurodegenerative disease: why we need to be specific.” J Health Psychol 20(1): 69–79.

The Year of the Poet Volume 36 December 2016, Inner Child Press, Poetry Posse, Kimberly Burnham, Rough Legged Hawk Bird

Originally published in The Year of The Poet at http://www.innerchildpress.com/the-year-of-the-poet.php on December 1, 2016.
Two Owls
By: Edward O'Connor
Tags: Nature, Toronto, Birds, Nature Photography, Owls

A Saw-whet Owl roosting in a cedar.

Two Owls

With the approach of winter, the owls have returned to Toronto. Every year at this time, they come down from the boreal forest and northern tundra looking for food. They like to hang out in forested areas near the Toronto lakeshore, where they find a plentiful supply of rabbits, squirrels, meadow voles, field mice, and song birds to prey on.

The ravines and parks of Toronto sustain a healthy population of Cottontail Rabbits, and the rabbits in turn sustain the owls and hawks and coyotes and foxes that feed on them.

Some of these owls just stop off for a day or two on their way further south, while others dig in for the whole winter.

On a recent walk, I ran across examples of the largest and smallest of the regularly occurring owls in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Largest is the Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus, which is the size and general shape of a beer keg. Often this owl is quite shy and will flush as soon as it sees you approach. For a reason known only to itself, this one stayed in place and allowed me to take several photos.

A Great Horned Owl, alert but at rest.

Smallest is the Northern Saw-whet Owl, Aegolius acadicus, which is so tiny it could easily fit into a half-litre beer stein. Saw-whet Owls are notoriously tame and almost never flush, no matter how close you get or how long you look at them. (“Rockefeller,” the owl that was recently discovered in the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in New York City, is a Saw-whet Owl.) Saw-whets love all types of evergreen trees, but they seem to have a peculiar affinity for cedars.

Saw-whet Owls have luminous yellow eyes and a penetrating gaze.

The season is still young. Over the next several weeks, and even as late as March, I stand a fair chance of seeing several other species of owls, including Snowy, Long-eared, Short-eared, and Barred Owls. With owls, as with so many other birds, there’s always a good reason to go out and look, if only because you never know beforehand what you will see.
Willingness to Fly Like Birds, Voar como os Passaros
By: Regia Marinho
Tags: Art, Dance, Inspiration, Birds, Poem

If you want to reach your full potential in life, it’s important to think like a bird. Don’t hold yourself back with mental limitations.

Willingness to fly like birds

Willingness to fly in the clouds

in primary colors

Flying is magical

Flying is necessary

Flying and doing what others don’t do

The others who are looking …

_RM

Re-imagining Flying and Dance

They’re based in Oakland, California.

BANDALOOP re-imagines dance, and inspires wonder and imagination in people around the world.

It’s a tough and hard process that requires tremendous commitment, preparation, vision, love and athleticism.

Flying and birds and art.

“Every bird, every tree, every flower reminds me what a blessing and privilege it is just to be alive.” — Marty Rubin

Dreaming is for everyone

Fly comes along

One of the senses available to you

And for others who haven’t seen it yet

The physical fall makes sense

As you learn to stand

and try to fly again.

_RM

Birds of Brazil, a painting

Birds of Brazil. Painting on canvas © Regia Marinho.

In Portuguese.

Vontade de voar como os pássaros

Vontade de voar nas nuvens

em cores primarias

Voar e’ magico

Voar e’ necessario

Voar e’ fazer o que os outros não fazem

Os outros que estão a olhar…

_RM

Sonhar é para todos

Voar vem junto

Um dos sentidos disponíveis para você

E para os outros que ainda não viram

que a queda física faz sentido

Para que você aprenda a ficar de pé

e tentar voar novamente.

_RM

“In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.” — Robert Lynd

Thank you Petronio and Flavio.

Thank you for your attention. And stay safe.

_ Regia Marinho

November 23, 2020
Holiday Travel Advisory
By: Randy Fredlund
Tags: Water, Travel, Birds, Humor, Eagles

There are plenty of gray November days for Holiday travel. And a few not so gray. Grand or gloomy, you may encounter a few of these fellow travelers, and a few locals, along the way.

The sandpiper left as soon as the days lost their color.

Yeah, dummy, summer’s over. It gets cold up here.

Most of your brethren are much further south while you’re here, working the shallows.

But thanks for staying late for the photo session.

A year-round black-capped chickadee, working on a seed. Don’t the claws look like Mickey Mouse gloves?

Another Northerner, this nuthatch never knows up from down.

Goldfinches don’t leave, but they change into less-colorful winter coats.

Like the geese, many of the travelers are just passing through. The diving ducks don’t mind the cold water, but are long gone when the ice covers the flow.

A pair of female Hooded Mergansers, sporting their characteristic “hairdos”.

A male and a female.

The male Hooded Merganser is one wild and crazy-lookin’ guy. He also does not make it easy to get his picture.

The mallards, on the other webbed foot, regularly pose, en masse.

No idea what type of duck this is.

This summer gull won’t be here much longer.

These may be Buffleheads. The red eye, like with the loons, could be an adaptation for diving.
Running Commentary 11/23/2020
By: Derek Edwards
Tags: Star Wars, Birds, Warframe, The Mandalorian

Bird of the Week

This week’s bird is Australian. I think that, at least here in the U. S., most people’s knowledge of Australian birds is limited to emus and cassowaries, those alien/prehistoric things that fit the general image of Australia as the land where all the weirdest things in the zoo came from. We know budgerigars, though we call them “parakeets” instead and only people involved in the pet trade much care where they came from.

But yes, while Australia has no deer or squirrels or bears, they have the same general sort of birds found in the rest of the world: turkeys and ducks and kingfishers and parrots and various passerine birds, such as the Crimson Chat.

If I saw this bird out my window, my immediate guess would be that it was a woodpecker, due to its coloring. But, it is in fact a honeyeater. Those are a family of perching bird most commonly found in the South Pacific, where they fill the same general niche as hummingbirds do in the Americas. The Crimson Chat also eats a great many insects, which they eat from the ground in a manner similar to the American Robin. Like the robin, these birds can walk, rather than hop. Also like our robins, these birds will be wrapping up a migration south right about now, although, being Australian, they’ve flown south for the summer.
It Must be the Heart-Shaped Face
By: Marilyn Flower
Tags: Nature, Poetry, Poetry Sunday, Birds, Owls

Hearts can sing, hearts can cry,

but did you know, hearts can fly?

Behold this bright face, penetrating eyes,

steeled gaze, yet, on such luminescent wings

she takes to the sky. Shiny gold, midnight blue,

silent wings give no clue or leave no trace

of her having flown by.

I look at her and sigh. Does she even know?

Like the peacock pretending he’s not connected

to that huge span of fan behind him. What?

Oh, that! Follows me everywhere I go

somehow…while we say…wow!

The stuff of legends, the meaning makers of myths,

inspirations for the artist’s gifts, we craft poems,

we paint, we draw, we swoon. We just know somehow,

this bird is an aspect of the Goddess Moon.

We glorify, we deify, we celebrate, we elevate,

we contemplate and we cogitate. If she could talk,

might she say, that’s all lovely and nice,

but I’m off to the fields, hungry, searching for mice?
I am glad that you loved this piece.
By: S M Mamunur Rahman
Tags: Nature, Birds, Environment

I am glad that you loved this piece. I have a soft corner for birds, wildlife, and the environment. And I like to experiment with my writing style.

Honestly, I had no idea about the ‘biophilia hypothesis.’ Thank you for expanding my knowledge. I appreciate it.
Rapid unplanned-urbanization is killing the environment.
By: S M Mamunur Rahman
Tags: Nature, Birds, Urbanization

Rapid unplanned-urbanization is killing the environment.

Our greed for money and wealth is also responsible for this disaster.

Thank you for your thoughts, Allison.
Tiny Kamikaze CHIRP BIRD Bosses Me Around.
By: Glenn Osborn
Tags: Nature, Writing, This Happened To Me, Birds, Humor

Photo by Paulo Brandao on Unsplash

Howdy,

Yesterday I Got Some Revenge on The Tiny-Monster Chickadee Who Has Been Hassling Me for a Year.

Dumbass flew into the Back of my Truck and Couldn’t (Or Wouldn’t) get out.

I Was Unloading Wood (Truck to Porch) I had Cut to Burn in my fireplace Insert. And Junior Jetson Kept Flying over my head — Trying to Supervise.

The Little Nut-Job Flew off Course.

Ended up in the Truck-Cap-Covered Back of My Toyota Truck. He Bounced off the Side Windows a few times. Clung to the inside Window Screen. But Wouldn’t come out. I was too Close I suppose.

So I ignored The Miniscule Moron.

Kept Unloading. And Eventually He flew Out. Then He Gave Me THE BIRD. He Spent the Next 10 Minutes LOUDLY COMPLAINING from a Nearby Holly Tree.

I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!

I tracked him to an Old Plastic Cat Carrier on The Porch. There is a Nest Way in The Back — In the Dark — inside.

Live and Let Live is my Motto.

Except when he or she Chirps LOUDLY for an Entire HOUR — at 5:30 am. THEN I Could Cheerfully Strangle him.

DUNNO How He Figured this out. But I Spend a Lot of Time Reading or Writing on the Sofa — Next to my Back Porch Sliding Doors.

IDIOT is able to Sit SIDEWAYS on the Brick Wall (Above Porch Sliding Door Handle) to Look inside at me sitting on the Couch.

How do I Know This?

Because he is not Exactly QUIET While doing his Peeping Parakeet Circus Act. He Gets Noisy.

REALLY LOUD.

I Can Imagine him Chewing me out in BIRD-LATIN.

“I WANT IN. HOW DO I GET INSIDE? IT’S COLD OUT HERE.!”

Thank Heaven he doesn’t Do His HAMMER-THE-WINDOW Tricks Much.

I am Forced to Follow The Little PEST from Room to Room. He Pecks Loudly on the Outside Of my aluminum Glass Windows. Bedroom, Bath. Bedroom, Kitchen.

HECK OF A RACKET.

So I have to Go to that room — And Shake my Fist at The Little Monster. Chase him away.

YOU SAY, “Just Ignore him.”

#1 — It’s Really quite a LOUD RACKET.

#2 — Not Sure if He Is Pecking holes in the window frame.

#3 — I refuse to Let a Tiny Little Bird — Get Away with Ruining my Day. So I CHASE Him Away.

RECENTLY…

Because I am Able to Recognize his OBNOXIOUS CHIRP. I discovered the Little TWIT is Following me around. Perching on whatever Tree Limb, Shed roof or Basketball hoop is Nearby.

What is The Old Saying?

Sticks and Stones Will Hurt Me But Loud Chirping — Not so Much?

On a Positive Note.

The Little Rascal has Not Gotten Physical.

I have watched Birds Change Course while Flying over. Just to Crap on my Truck.

AND —Very Recently — While driving to a Restaurant. A VEE of Geese Flew over my vehicle.

BANG!

Yup.

One of the SOB’s Dropped a Load — right on my Windshield. Had to Go Outside with a Napkin and a glass of Water and Clean it up. If you let that stuff Dry it hardens Worse than Concrete.

So.

That is ONE VARMINT I Am Dealing with out here in The BoonDocks of Northern Maryland. Up close to The Pennsylvania Border.

Then There is this WABBIT.

But that’s another Story.

Thanks,

Glenn
We must be conscious of what we are doing to the environment. We must speak about it more.
By: S M Mamunur Rahman
Tags: Birds, Environment

We must be conscious of what we are doing to the environment. We must speak about it more.

Thank you for responding, Thor.

I appreciate it.
World Logos
By: Sr Hardy
Tags: Sky, World, Birds, Flight, Poem

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The Cat
By: Sylvia Wohlfarth
Tags: Stories, Poetry, Birds, Cats, Awareness

A hint of tiredness shrouds the atmosphere

as feet drag voluntarily within the sanctioned

limits of the streets. Propping up heavily hooded

eyes, blind, the passers-by are unaware

of an avian performance unfolding in the air

— a welcome uplift albeit brief.

At the top floor of the building across the street,

a cat is glued to the windowpane. Parted by glass,

the cat is clearly fascinated by a frustration

of tiny songbirds swarming in a dizzying tempo

like bees back and forth between two trees.

— Mesmerized, a hunter’s eyes dart to and fro.

Unable to resist, the cat surely would have

— if it could have — burst through the pane

and jumped, open-mouthed, into the tantalising

flock of beckoning birds. And “Oh, how heavenly,”

it would have purred.

And no-one would have known why a cat, its desire

to gratify, had jumped — or perhaps been pushed?

and landed on the kerb, except, that is, for the birds and I.
beauty’s other purpose
By: Nathan Barrett
Tags: Poetry, Cardinals, Wildlife, Birds, Nature Writing

the male is beautiful, bright, cardinal red.

the crest of feathers over his head rise and fan,

calling a series of tink tink tink tink.

the crest relaxes and he surveys about him

and calls again.

he takes to the air, comes to another perch:

a little higher, a little closer, a little less at odds

with the fox squirrel’s semi-forward facing eyes.

the squirrel looks.

the cardinal calls another rapid-fire tink tink tink tink.

the squirrel looks back across the limb: green maple foliage, coarse flakes of bark:

there, a mound of dull, earthy colors.

the cardinal flutters its wings, calling.

this squirrel is out of character, a predator today.

the female cardinal is quiet, motionless; dull, earthy plumage — she is

lost in the nest. her tiny black-bead eyes searching:

answers, savior, sacrifice, luck — she waits.

the squirrel scrambles, the sound of bark against jagged claws, claws meant precisely for the

traversing of such surfaces. it is not the sound of a misstep.

the squirrel cares not for the male, but the male, nonetheless:

bright, beautiful, distracting, out of place seeming in a world comprised of

those who hide in fear of one another.

the female gone.

the male in flight, from perch to perch.

the female.

the female gone.

the male: bright, beautiful, distracting.

the squirrel leaves, but he has

eaten here before —

unusual bio-chemistry.

the squirrel descends the trunk.

the female rises, the hidden protector;

only two tiny wide-mouthed birds; beaks hasping a wire-thin yellow and hunger-stricken below her.
Birds and Nature Poetry from Year of The Poet (Vol 30)
By: Kimberly Burnham
Tags: Nature, Dogs, Poetry, Inspiration, Birds

Featured in The Year of the Poet June, 2016 Volume 30.

Safety at Home

Feigning injury a momma robin

hobbles as if her wing is broken

drawing attention away

away from her nest

Nearby an Australian Sheppard puppy clutches

with joy and pride a baby bird

his trophy

confused by humans

trying to grab his treasure

He doesn’t know the fear and sadness

provoked by his prize

showing off

he wants to do something good

catching those who lurk

Every night he barks

at deer passing by

and things that go thump

night protector of his home

Perplexed the baby taken away

amid shouts

like a game he chases

the tiny robin gently carried

into the garden enclosure

to sit protected from him

for a while

before flying away home

Bird poetry in garden by Andrew Alexander on Unsplash

Quails Calling

In the purple gray dawn

sleep falling from my eyes

the sound of hih-ha-go … hih-ha-go

never fails to bring me home

Images of my mother

throwing a cup of seeds

into a bed of walnut shells

under the pine trees

a summer breeze blowing

aspens dancing

Hih-ha-go Hih-ha-go

they come running

when she has withdrawn

a safe distance into the house

watching as they breakfast

Today I lay in my own bed

my own home now enveloped

in the sounds of quail

The Year of the Poet Volume 30, June 2016 Inner Child Press, Poetry Posse, Kimberly Burnham, Black Necked Stilt

Magpie Haiku

black white harmony

bobbing clear in searching flight

food shelter delight

Originally published in The Year of The Poet (volume 30) at http://www.innerchildpress.com/the-year-of-the-poet.php on Jun 1, 2016.
Texas-Squared Startup Newsletter #277 2020
By: Marc Nathan
Tags: Startups, News, Texas

Texas Startup News, Opinion & Events in the Lone StartUP State

View this email in your browser SUBSCRIBE to Texas-Squared

Sign up for reminders about Austin Startup meetups www.bitly.com/txstartupevents

Sign up for the Texas-Boxed CPG Newsletter www.bitly.com/txboxed

Austin Quick Start Guide www.bitly.com/atxquickstart

Download the Texas-Squared Startup Resource Guide PDF

Gregslist of Software Companies — Austin | Dallas Fort Worth

HTX Tech List — https://houstonexponential.org/htxtechlist/ UH Tech Map https://techmap.uh.edu/

Richardson-Based RealPage Is Acquired by Thoma Bravo in $10B Deal — Link

- Dallas Innovates’ Alex Edwards

Richardson’s RealPage being acquired in $10 billion deal by PE firm — Link

Behind the $10 billion deal: RealPage going private in ‘amazing outcome,’ president says — Link

Thoma Bravo Plans To Acquire RealPage For $10.2 Billion — Link

“RealPage, the Richardson-headquartered global provider of real estate industry software and data analytics, has been acquired by private equity investment firm Thoma Bravo.

Under the definitive agreement, Thoma Bravo will acquire RealPage in an all-cash transaction that values the real estate company at around $10.2 billion, including net debt. The purchase price is a premium of around 31 percent over RealPage’s closing stock price on Dec. 18, per a news release.” — Dallas Innovates Alex Edwards

Houston-based RigNet to be acquired by California-based Viasat in $222M deal — Link

- Houston Business Journal’s Olivia Pulsinell

“RigNet Inc. (Nasdaq: RNET), a Houston-based communications company serving energy, maritime and government customers, will be acquired by California-based Viasat Inc. (Nasdaq: VSAT) in an all-stock deal, the companies announced Dec. 21.

Based on the closing price of Viasat common stock on Dec. 18, the deal is valued at $222 million, including RigNet’s net debt as of Sept. 30.” — Houston Business Journal’s Olivia Pulsinell

Austin Forum on Technology & Society

Top Tech Trends for 2021 (and Beyond)

Top Tech Trends for 2021 (and Beyond)

January 5th, 2021 | Online via Zoom | 6:00pm Central

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Christmas in Southeast Texas
By: Nancy D. Massey
Tags: Chirstmas, Celebration, Texas

Hello friends I am Nancy,25 years from TX. I believe that “Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive.
Duncanville vs Westfield ~ Texas Football High School Live STREAM Today
Tags: Americanfootball, Texas

Duncanville vs Westfield ~ Texas Football High School Live STREAM Today SportsliveStreaming ·Dec 26, 2020

Duncanville vs Westfield ~ Texas Football High School Live STREAM Today

Thursday, — 12/26/2020

Coverage begins @ 2:30PM

For the LIVE link click here: http://ahmadrifai.sportfb.com/hsfootball.php

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVNFD7MF9IKvVWigp5Es2fA/about