#live bird migration maps

[pagan-stitches]

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Who needs the weatherman on the news, who's mostly wrong, when we have the birds?

Today.

https://birdcast.info/migration-tools/live-migration-maps/

[great-and-small]

We are hitting peak bird migration season in the United States with hundreds of millions of birds making their way north this weekend. Artificial light can be extremely confusing and disorienting for these birds as they migrate! Please make sure to “go dark” and turn off any unnecessary lights around your home. Your avian neighbors are counting on you to help them on this perilous journey. Lights out this weekend!

Bird migration forecast map is from BirdCast, where you can find more information and live updates.

[sadclowncentral]

about the sea: have you sailed along the southwestern edge of the baltic sea? if yes, could you describe the land and the shore and the water there? i’m doing a little infographic on the fall migration of european starlings from Latvia to the UK (via Denmark) and i’ve never been along that coast! google maps is ok, but cannot compare to someone’s lived experience. especially with the narrative similarities between sailing and flying

this is and remains my favourite ask I have ever gotten, and it took me some time to get it right. The Baltic southwest is in my unbiased opinion the most beautiful place in the world, all year round, and I could never do it justice in all of it’s facets and different faces it wears through the year. So here are some snapshots of the southwest islands through the year, both of the sea and the shore:

Langeland, Denmark in late spring

The southern tip of the island is so flat that it nearly vanished into the sea until you are right in front of it. The belts and straits of what is lovingly called the Danish south sea are a bright blue in the first sunny days of the year. Sometimes, close to shore, yellow-green pollen bloom even creates swirling patterns in the water. There is animals everywhere; birds settled in the quieter water of the bay, mostly seagulls and loons, but swans as well; if you are very lucky, a harbour porpoise will choose the wake of your ship to swim along with, and further east, you might even meet a seal or two. The coast is green fields and white turbines turning so fast that they are blurring before you. Between it all, a constant trail of huge container ships passes the straits, turning the sky close to the water grey with their exhausts. It all seems so warm, until a single cloud passing in front of the sun reminds you of the coldness of the air.

Fehmarn, Germany in early summer

The canola fields are still in full bloom, turning the whole island a bright, joyous yellow, interspersed with specks of red and blue from the field flowers, swishing in the wind. Bright yellow and bright green against the blue backdrop of the Baltic sea. The island and the land here are flat as a pancake, making it easy to see from shore to shore; only on its edges, like a crumpled paper, does the island lift up into sandy cliffsides that drop of dramatically into pebbled beaches. Standing on the beach, the water is a azure blue, and in the sun, the numerous sandbanks are clearly visible in the light turquoise. While the wind is ever present, it is subdued in early summer, but the jagged cliffs are a stark reminder of the violence of the winter storms. All trees lean towards the shore, gnarled branches disfigured by the wind; there is a reason we call it “the land that even trees bow for”.

Ven Island, Sweden in the middle of the summer

Coming from the open water up north, the island appears like a golden hill rising out of the sea. The grainfields in full bloom, the warm sandy beaches, and the sun behind it. Behind you, the Øresund gave you the perfect reprieve, watching cities and mixed tree forest pass by in turn on either side after the rough waters of the Kattegatt, where both North and Baltic sea crash together in a cacophony of wave pattern, shaking you and your boat around frantically over strong winds. Now, on Ven, it seems almost a lifetime ago, as you follow the soft roads winding up the island and watch as grain and water are dispersed by the wind in mirrored patterns, golden and green-blue.

Christiansø, Denmark in later summer

Arriving in Christiansø is always a wild ride. While the sun beats down in unrelenting brightness, the waves and wind that had time to build over the whole Baltic sea are so strong that salt crystals form on your face from the constant sea spray that hits you in the face. The island seems almost unreal – just jagged brown-grey teeth of rock rising out of the middle of the sea with no land visible in either direction for miles, with deepest blue water surrounding it, no ground in sight. The waves crash on the stubborn rocks with a loud crashing sound, and over all of that, the stubborn calls of birds that circle around the islands undeterred. On the island, the specks of green, of still water ponds and green grass (I don’t remember a single tree), seem almost comical against the rusted brown rocks. You stare out into the dark marine blue and watch the sunset through the roaring and screeching.

Rügen, Germany in early autumn

Auttumn has arrived, and with it, heavy clouds and heavier winds. The Baltic sea, as beautiful as it is in summer, as strong are the east wind storms that start belting down on the southwest from September onwards. Without the sunlight, the water has turned a deep angry green, but mostly white, as sea foam flies over gnashing waves. Sometimes, as the water rises past your ship, you can see the last moon jellyfish of the season in long tangled webs of kelp pass you by. The rain is soft and dispersed, but colder than the water and makes visibility low. But then, the northeast of the island comes into view, as darkness has already set in, and as the wind dies down and the clouds disperse the island shines in a blinding white, the chalk cliffs of the island rising above the water. The breaking off chalk turns the water here a pastel turquoise in the sun as it dispersed, but here now, it’s dark grey, just as the sky.

[thoughtportal]

When Philip Sontag first visited Antarctica as a Ph.D. student, he brought back an unusual souvenir: a huge bag of penguin feathers. And now, after a decade-long analysis, Sontag and his colleagues have figured out how to use such feathers to create a living map of the mercury contamination that increasingly threatens Southern Hemisphere wildlife.

Mercury is a common by-product of gold mining, a growing industry in several southern countries. The toxic metal accumulates as it moves up the food chain by binding with amino acids in animals and then infiltrating their central nervous systems, where it can inhibit neural growth. Tracking mercury exposure is crucial for monitoring an ecosystem—but merely sampling rocks, ice or soil for its presence tells little about how much is actually entering the food web.

Many predators, including penguins, have evolved ways to dispose of mercury. The chemical builds up in feathers that the birds regularly molt in large quantities. Sontag, now a polar researcher based at Rutgers University, and his colleagues hoped to use molted feathers to determine where penguins picked up the toxic substance. The scientists were surprised to find a very clear correlation between the feathers’ levels of mercury and of a carbon isotope called carbon-13; the latter varies based on geographic location and thus acts as an indicator of “where the penguins are feeding or where their breeding grounds are,” Sontag says. These findings, published in Science of the Total Environment, confirmed this connection in seven penguin species scattered across the Southern Ocean—a pattern suggesting they’re exposed to more mercury farther north, where the comparatively warmer environment leads to higher carbon-13 levels.

These findings suggest that penguins could function as mercury bioindicators: living trackers of environmental pollutants, says the study’s senior author John Reinfelder, a marine biologist at Rutgers. Rather than measuring the chemical itself in a snapshot of time and place, he says, measuring penguin feathers’ mercury levels tracks the substance’s movement through the oceanic food web. For instance, penguin species known to reside near one another had varying mercury and carbon-13 levels because of their different migration and feeding patterns. These data could be modeled into a maplike database to help guide future projects on conservation and polar science research.

Scientists consider penguins promising candidates for such bioindicators, says marine scientist Míriam Gimeno Castells, a Ph.D. student at the Institute of Marine Science from the Spanish National Research Council, who was not involved in the study. The animals are midway through the food chain. They breed in colonies, so researchers can easily scoop up feathers from many different individuals. Additionally, every breeding season they undergo dramatic molts; the feathers they lose “will contain the mercury that has accumulated during the nonbreeding season,” Gimeno Castells says.

Sontag’s next steps are to collect newer feathers to experiment with, across different species, and to measure mercury in penguins’ blood and prey to compare with levels of the substance in their feathers.

And how are the penguins themselves doing with their current mercury levels? “We don’t believe penguins have been exposed to toxic levels as of yet,” Reinfelder says. “Yes, the penguins will be okay.”

[its-all-papaya]

my hair is washed quali is on chapter twelve of dad lando is out life is good :))

i haven't actually read it yet because i usually save them for when i have the time to chew on it slowly and devour every word ykwim but i actually popped in because im so curious about the process of naming the fic/the chapters? they're all very interesting and it really feels like it matches the vibes of each chapter but i was wondering if there's a line of thought?

Chapter 12

and then it turned out that life was not good!!!! at all!!!! at least DAD lando is happy and thriving......

but YEAH there's a line of thought THANK YOU for asking about this!

i thought about the name of this fic for sooooo mf long. like at least two months into writing it, i still wasn't sure what it was going to be. i've said a billion times everywhere that this fic is bird-coded (thank you @peargcsly you literally changed the course of my life) and so i was very stuck on the idea of like.... migration and innate behaviors. biological maps. patterns we follow. that vibe. but i wanted it to be really concise. i found "overwinter" not toooo far into the process of searching for words that fit the bill, but it took a bit for it to sink in and feel right. basically 'overwintering' describes broadly whatever plants and animals do to survive the winter months. and i liked it because to ME, because the fic is bird-coded, i was ALWAYS stuck on the idea of hibernation vs. migration. like it's gonna get fucking cold. you can either stay where you are and shut down and run on minimum energy to survive, or you can move where it's warmer, even though it'll take some effort. so yeah, that's the title!

and then the chapters are all bird names. i went through the list of 'birds that live in the UK' on wikipedia and wrote down everything that i thought might be a good chapter title, and then i just matched words to ~vibes~, as i already had all the chapters vaguely outlined. that being said, i added about three extra chapters after i named them all, so i had to shift some stuff around, but i think it all still works LOL.

i really appreciate you saying they fit well, because this is my favorite small detail about the fic :,)

[catiecat1320]

Sonadowtober Prompt 6: Autumn Leaves

A walk through autumn

Read Below🔽

Autumn leaves crunched under their shoes as they walked, hand in hand.

It was peaceful, a welcome change from the exciting lives they held. Rarely do they ever just enjoy like this, so Shadow tried to soak in as much as he could.

For once, Sonic didn’t try to fill the silence with chatter, content to allow nature to do the work for him. The last of the migrating birds overhead, the critters scrambling to prepare for winter, nothing escaped the two, gentle nudges opening eyes and ears to anything the other could’ve possibly missed.

Autumn leaves drifted from their trees, landing on the ground with as much delicate grace as a leaf would allow.

Orange, red, yellow, brown. Color poured from branches, a painting come to life. Yet it never overwhelmed, only welcomed, enveloping everything in warmth. Soft, yet powerful. Like a certain someone…

A maple leaf, bright red and five spined, fluttered down from the sky, parking itself atop Sonic’s head and halting both hedgehogs in their steps. Giggles joined the ambience flowing like a melody.

An autumn leaf, held up in front of him with a smile, wordless yet the meaning crystal clear. Shadow shook his head. “I don’t look like that,” it said. 

Sonic only smirked in response, placing the leaf on the tip of the red stripe on the middle of his forehead, much care to his movements, as if crowning a king. Childish. Silly. It was endearing in the way that made Shadow’s heart bubble with adoration.

An autumn leaf, pinched carefully between gloved fingers as he plucks it off his head. Emerald eyes peer at him curiously, no doubt plotting his movements on a mental map. 

They were private people, although Sonic’s outgoing demeanor may hint otherwise, possessing excellent awareness of their surroundings. It was part of why they were drawn so close. The other was a mystery that provided an excitement they craved.

Shadow would never admit that, but he knows Sonic’s already found out.

They took to surprising each other, in unpredictable little ways. Like now. Swiftly, Shadow pressed a kiss to Sonic’s cheek, only the leaf between them. He delighted in the way the blue hedgehog flushed the color of autumn.

Their walk turned into a run. As it usually does.

The maple leaf flew away in the wind as Shadow navigated through the wood, knowing that the more familiar Sonic would catch up to him soon. But that was okay, they’d agreed to leave their competition behind for today… But it didn’t mean he couldn’t try.

He heard the approach long before a hand grasped his arm, turning him around. Autumn leaves swirled in their stumbling steps as they slowed. Sonic wasted no time claiming his victory, pressing his lips to Shadow’s almost smugly. He could feel the smile on the hero’s face as he purred, arms wrapping around his waist to pull him closer.

The best kind of defeat, Shadow believed, is the kind that came with kisses.

[totallynotrico]

and I swear I could slit my throat with your dull knife

Summary: Like a frozen lake, Branzy noticed how Ashswag's expressions hardly changed, how nothing he saw surprised him at all. Branzy remembered falling in love, remembering dates by the beach with nothing but his smile. On the deadliest server in the world, Branzy remembered him.

Playlist maybe

Pairing: Ashswag/Branzy, slight Ashswag/Reddoons but not enough to be worth tagging, Branzy/ClownPierce

Warning: This is a character study for Lifesteal season 3. Clown had something with Ash, they all kinda have something with him. Alternative Title: Ash sounds like a jerk but not being in love is just his thing

Word Count: 4124

Link: and I swear I could slit my throat with your dull knife

..................................................................................................................

Autumn, somewhere over the globe. A fletch of birds flew over the sky, a kind of unknown names and origins; flying together with tails trailing behind them like shooting stars. 

Look! Branzy can still remember his voice, fluttering like a lit candle before the breeze, thumping like a heartbeat, calming like the ocean. It's the sound of something withered, then revived, stuffed full, then emptied out all of the same time, all from the same man. One whose inside is nothing more than marrows and flesh, and bones

Branzy can't recall the shape of their wings or the sound of their calls. The only thing he could remember, however, was a person right next to his side with a finger pointing out into the sky. Look, he said, to the direction he pointed; not at him.

Look; he said, as an invitation, not an expression

Like a frozen lake, Branzy noticed how Ashswag's expressions hardly changed, how nothing he saw surprised him at all. Branzy remembered falling in love, remembering dates by the beach with nothing but his smile. On the deadliest server in the world, Branzy remembered him.

Ash

Ashswag

He was a scary man; he was short-tempered, he was cruel, and he was very LifeSteal. There's no way a person could argue against that; not even when that person had seen him, harmlessly curling up in his bed, taking in shallow breaths, on the verge of disappearing. Not even when they had heard the sound of his half-hearted laugh at Vitalasy's stupid jokes, cackling sharply like taking in breaths. Not even when they had felt the blood on his skin, thumping with muscles and scars, shining like quicksilver under the moon. 

Not even when they had fallen for him, seeing his face in every dream.

"You see, when birds migrate, they move from the colder side of the globe to the hotter one," Rekrap said, eyeing the spread-out map he had opened on the floor. "They need to find a warmer place to live and grow healthily"

Branzy nodded, further asking him with pure curiosity "What if they arrived in the wrong place then? If their navigation was wrong and they never arrived at the correct location with sunshine and food?"

Rek scratches his chin, "If they arrive at the wrong place?" He repeated "I've never seen that happen before… but if that were to happen, the birds would most likely die”

“Ah! That would make them lemmings then” Chief chimed in, raising his head from the scattered pile of books in his library; nodding lightly, Rek exclaimed

"That's actually… Yeah, that would make them lemmings!"

Both on the way of migration, one fell from cliffs while the other watched from above the clouds. 

But then again, what differentiates birds from lemmings if none ever survived in the first place?

It's a similar story, of birds and migration, of death and spinning blades

“Why do you think they didn’t stop?” Ash asked, he was telling a story of that foreign flock of birds; one fell through the turbines of a flying machine, one after another, shredded rough and variegated before failing through the sky, down the cliffs, onto the pile of lemmings at the bottom of the hill. Painting the ground red

“Maybe they don’t know how to, they were following the leading bird. Maybe they didn’t see the blades spinning before them” Branzy said, a piece of information, completely made up and fantastical. He can tell Ash was not believing him, he can tell Ash was smiling, satisfied, entertained by his answer

“How can they not see a trap?” There was an edge on his voice, something ringing, neither malicious nor kind-hearted

“Maybe people didn’t put up a sign to warn them”

Branzy didn’t get to finish the sentence, words on his tongue swallowed down along with the taste of Ash; clogging his throat like smoke, still burning on between Ash’s fingers, like heat, falling onto the surface of his luxurious shoes, leaving behind a dusty burnt mark, like tension, from the nails, grabbing a hand full of his silver hair. 

“Maybe we should start putting up some signs for them” Branzy couldn’t count the seconds, couldn’t register who it was between them who pushed away. Ash turns his head slightly, taking in a breath before handing Branzy the other half of his unfinished cigarette. “Maybe that would stop them from falling next time”

Maybe, he said; like it doesn’t matter, like it never worked

He was right, Branzy realised. There aren't many warning signs on LifeSteal. A few were put up throughout the years, but not many remained after countless battles had gone due to explosions and withers.

"People always repair spawn, I've noticed, but never the signs that were blown up." Ash yawns, placing another block onto the edge of their staircase. There wasn't a rail before, he's making one. Subz complained about this a while ago, though it was only yesterday when Ash tripped and nearly fell off the side did it came to mind how a safety caution would have to be put up

"I hate doing manual labour" He wrinkled his nose; and all most instantly, Branzy replied "Me too"

He can hear Ash's little chuckle as he holds a hand forward, slightly rough and dirty with stone dust

"Hey! Branzy!" he chimes, waiting like it's the last time he will ever do so. Maybe he knew what will happen between them, far better than Branzy ever do

Hey! He hissed

Acid water, an arrow, one single heart, a star

His last sound was one that Branzy could still remember. A squeak when the door opened. A hard thump when he closed it. A rumble on the floorboards when his feet pounded on the stairs. A voice of a man who doesn’t want to be heard but is still shouting through the distance. 

A man that Branzy can no longer see face to face and come back alive. 

“Watch it, Branzy!” A hand on the table, pushing him back a little. A voice in his ear, calling his name above the crowd. A light in his eyes, piercing his mind out. A voice through the darkness, coming from far away. A flash that could only go away with time. A voice he thought he would no longer hear. 

Branzy lifted his head. He was staring at the ceiling, decorated in red and black, he recognized this, there was a shift next to him, Branzy turned over to see Clown, turning in his sleep. 

Harmless, he exclaimed; almost content to strangle him to death... But Branzy knew better, Clown with his hand-knitted below his pillow? He always kept a jagged knife underneath it. It's a losing fight in his mind, and yet Clown looked so harmless in his sleep. 

Why? 

He asked himself, brown hair on green pillows, purple glitching against black cotton, raven pressed onto white sheets. They're all the same, Branzy used to wake up next to them, Godamn it

Branzy reached out, a hand found itself curling up in Clown’s hair, scraping his calves. Through sheets of paper, light bleaches through the windows with glee, dancing against Branzy’s pale skin. The indents where the shapes of furniture sat made Branzy sick, so he covered them with papers, papers and papers; Clown didn’t say anything against this, he need not, Branzy knew the humanoid-shaped shadows made up of pieces of furniture and light made Clown sick too. 

One by one, he covered all of them like newly hatched bird eggs, fragile, sometimes cracked all to bits, but still, he covered them. A man is walking on the paper eggshell, covering it with his feet. A man with a very familiar husky voice, a man with a very familiar face, a man with a very familiar shape. 

“Hey, Branzy,” Ash said, still standing on the pages he just covered, still with his face behind the papers, still with his feet sinking through the paper 

“Look,” Ash walks forward, taking one step after another. The room was small, like a bird cage, covered in papers, covered in words. But the man walking towards him was a trigger. He was a trigger, he was a cause, he was a reason. Branzy reached out towards him, covering him with the papers too, with the words he could no longer say. 

“Hey, Branzy,” Ash said again, it was the last time Branzy ever heard his voice.

Ash

Ashswag, he remembered calling until it was audible

Ashswag

"Ash"

He remembered his raspy voice as if strangled by a rope 

"Don't call me Ash, say it properly, alright?" he remembered a voice replying to him

"Sorry"

“It’s alright,” He remembered his words, smiling, the hanging rope broke free from the wooden ceiling. It hit the floor with a heavy “thud” as if something had fallen along with it, something tasted of metal, of old blood. The taste of iron lingered on Branzy's tongue as Ash spoke to him. It was bitter, like a mouthful of blood. He licked his mouth, tasting the sharpness of his words, like a blade across the tongue, burning, hot and raw.

Sorry, inaudible the way Branzy turned and stared at Ash, soaked in blood with his chipped sword tossed over to the side. He is crouching, eyes glued on a single butterfly wing fluttering against his slim finger. The insect lept into motion, kissing his closing eyelid. 

"Branzy, look!"

He grinned, staring back. Someone should put up signs, Branzy thought to himself, for the migrating birds, for the lemmings, for them before they few down along with those animals

He finished the railways then, safe and secured keeping everyone in and death outside. Now everyone will be safe and not die because of stupid reasons. 

"There's smoke coming from the horizon," Ash said yesterday, during dinner

"Someone's moving to our location" he raised his shoulders and Clutch nodded, they all know what that means

Ash eyed the stone railings as he spoke, they all knew they would move tomorrow. Changing the base to somewhere further to the north during the night. 

On feet, on netherrack, leaving the railings behind

Maybe Ash will put them up again at the new base, unlikely but who knows? Maybe he will, maybe he won't, almost as simple as the thought that they won't have to die if they don't want to

But Branzy would just be kidding

"You still call his name in your sleep sometimes, you know?"

"What?

"It's true, you said Ashswag"

Clown hummed, cheek slumped against his opening palm. His mask's lying on the table, facing up. Branzy tried to protest, face clouded with unknown anxiety. He opened his lips, then stopped, then frowned. Feeling his heart racing in his chest, Clown slightly shifts

"Did he say he liked you?" 

"He did"

"Poor thing" was all Clown had said, setting up the table without bringing up the subject again. He knew something about Ash, they all do. All but Branzy. 

The thought of this made his guts turn inside out, so he took a bite

Branzy would have slammed his fist down the table standing up; would have screamed at Clown asking what he meant when he said that; would have puked and smashed his head against the counter so hard it started bleeding. 

He would have done it, Branzy thought, but he continued eating, biting the meat and swallowing it down. It tasted like white sand in his mouth, iron, bloody, like a dead animal bleeding out on his plate.

Branzy felt nauseous, so nauseous he would rather die.

"I think I liked you" 

He said, from on top of his position seated high up; shadow casting over Branzy. 

"Y–.. really?" Branzy asked, head tilting upwards with his eyes wide open. Behind Ash, the sun dies; bleeding out droplets of blood and burning flesh. Painting the sky crimson, of fire, of dynamite and burning gunpowder

"Yeah" His carefree attitude, curved-up smirk, and glinting eyes are all beautiful and bright and decorate him. More beautiful than ever the moment Ash stood up, Ash stares down at him, and he smiled “I like you, Branzy. Do you like m-”

Ash repeated, unable to finish his words before a weight pushes all air out of his lungs. Branzy tightens his embrace, eyes squinting, a hand covering the man’s mouth

“I do, I like you, Ashswag”

He choked halfway on his own breath as the feeling of Ash’s own finger scraped through his spine; Branzy could tell he was searching for something. He didn’t ask, only hugging him closer

“You have beautiful wings Branzy. Fly higher next time.” Ash said, his words didn’t reach Branzy, barely meeting his ears; Ash said, ever so quietly as if he was mumbling a spell carved into his bones. Branzy can feel Ash, twitching slightly on the ground with an arrow piercing through his eye. Feet tapping against the soil. Branzy can hear Ash, singing without the song of instruments like it would be the last time he would ever be alive. Air scratching against scars. Branzy can see Ash, running through an open field with no words in his mouth. Branzy can smell Ash, the taste of sour apples crunching in between his lips. It's like a curse sometimes, how the images of Ash, of him, Branzy is made of them; of shattered panes and monochrome lens. Black and white, and grey, and purple, stuffed so full to the brim he could no longer recall if any part of him was solely him or not.

His smile, his voice, his words. 

Like little ghost

Like green apples, unripe and tore open from his skin like blooming vines. Ash turned his head, the butterfly flew from his eye socket. It was crystal white, covered in blood and poison; green apple; fluttering in the wind as the man below it stares by; green apple; naive, sour, they didn't wait for it to grow before taking a bite out of it

"How is it?" Branzy asked

"Not good," Ash answered, throwing the eaten apple on the ground; slightly smudging it with his shoe, and pushing it near the stump. "Should have taken the red one, let's go" Ash smiled before turning away, 

"You look sick… did you not know what his affection is like?," Clown shrugged, “You don't have to let him have all the fun, you know" 

Branzy raised an eyebrow, "what do you mean?" 

"You know what I mean" Clown breathes out; he’s looking at Branzy now, up and down. Searching for the sign of a joke; he did not find any. 

The food was not even in his stomach before he was up and stuffing his clothes on and out the door. The air was thick like molasses and it choked Branzy. "Where are you going?" he saw Clown through the glass door, his mask still lying on the table 

"Out" 

"But it's too dangerous" 

"No, it's not" 

"Yes it is, Branzy" Clown hissed, content to stand up. 

"STOP" there was a punch landed on the wall next to him. Branzy does not flinch, his knuckles ache "Just leave me alone, alright?" his words stumbled out; he almost couldn't believe it was himself speaking. He opened the door without waiting for an answer. 

It slammed shut behind him, breaking the glass. Branzy grabbed the bronze knob, shaking it slightly; knowing it was useless to try and move, his leg gave out and he kneeled onto the doormat motionlessly. Branzy felt sick

There was a clash against Branzy's shield, sending sparks through the air where they collided. He took in a sharp breath through his teeth, breathing in the sand and misty dust where it swirls up in the air. He knows who the person is, Branzy realized; how could he not? If it was him, Branzy would know from just his breath alone, how his step shook the earth, how his hair fluttered in the air. He would know him with both eyes covered, he would know him through death and back. 

Ash

"Ashswag" there was a tremble to it, Branzy can feel his glinting eyes, sharp and shiny as a hawk. "Yes?" Ash retreat his sword and swings for the second time, a grin visible now that the smoke had cleared out.

"Hey, Branzy," he dragged out the y, purposely forcing his opponent to take a step back. Giving Ash space to press in, deadly, Branzy remembered him, beautiful, how could he forget? 

If he had had words in his mouth, Branzy would have been consequeous by Ash's absence. But he doesn't, so he fights back; swallowing it down and spare

"Why did you leave?" Branzy can't feel his words, neither can he feel his body; all he felt is eyes staring down at him, bright like a hawk

"It felt like the right thing to me"

Silence, their feet tangled and Ash's breaths lingered next to him, awfully close to Branzy's neck.

 "But you said it would be the two of us, you promised, you- you said you liked me, was that also one of your lies?"

"No" muttered

"Then what is it?" Ash stayed silent, he was thinking of an answer.

"What is it?" Branzy said again, impatiently. "Tell me, Ash!"

"Don't call me Ash" He hissed, eyes sharp with his figure looming over Branzy. Sword locked below his chin, nowhere to run now.

Branzy can feel himself tremble, slightly against the blade; it was close, so close he can even feel Ash's grip, tighten up before loosening

"I like you, Branzy… Do you like me back?" Ash asked, smiling

"I do" there was a choke in his words, shaking violently as if to prove that it was here, that it exists, that it is real. "I love you" Branzy felt it, again, a stun in Ash's expression against the word.

There was something, battler and bruised the way Ash was chewing on it between his teeth. Something red, and bleeding, and burnt. “Oh, Branzy” was all Ash had to say before spitting the thing onto the ground next to him. A heart, red, bleeding, burnt, but still alive, Branzy didn’t have to look to know what it was. Before it was Ash’s, it was his. 

“I like you, Branzy, always do. But I don’t love you, never did” Ash lowered his blade, he was saying something beyond it. Something Branzy could not hear above the ringing of his ears, deafening. Like a goddamn anvil crushing against his chest, it felt hard to breathe; Branzy reached for the heart, painfully silent as he gave it one last beat. 

Clown. He can feel it. So loud in his head, he screamed until the name became audible. "CLOWN!" 

Ash flinched, turning his head before realizing the trap. He faced Branzy again, mushed-up flesh and blood dripping from his socket and onto Branzy's cheek. He smiled, an arrow pierced through his left eye. A poison arrow, Branzy thought as his finger trembled against the wooden bow. 

"Clown huh? At least you found someone who would like you more than I do" Ash smirked, soft as melted butter. He cupped Branzy's cheek with his fingers, holding his eyesight straight.

"Hey. Branzy." Was all he had to say before tumbling over and onto the ground with a heavy thud, twitching slightly from the poison

Branzy reached for him, figure dissolving like a ghost with his eye opened, still smiling

Hey. Branzy

He said, seconds before death took him. Branzy do not recognize his own name, it sounded foreign on Ash's tongue. 

Branzy, he thought numbingly

Branzy, 

Branzy,

"Branzy!" 

Clown said, rushing over. He obviously must have come to aid him haven heard the call. He did not startle, just gently worried. The battle must have been over by now, Branzy would be naive to think so… but he couldn't care any less at this point

"How are you feeling?" He asked on the way back, Branzy wanted to laugh at that. So hard he could crush his spine in between his skin and allow the cracks of it to tear him wide open. 

Pain, aching betrayed and amused. Like it was both happy and sad, disgusted and pleasure at the same time. He couldn't register his own emotions, it feels as if it was everything, yet nothing at the same time. The people of Echocraft sometimes call this a bipolar reaction, a kind of sickness in his crumbling unstable mental mind. They might be right, if not for Lifesteal proving otherwise. To be sad or happy, or angry, or afraid; they were all his choice to do so, they are all his emotions, goddamn it. So what if he smashes them together sometimes, so what if he mistakes one for another? What if these emotions were crowned to him for outbreaking himself, what if he fought for them to become his? 

"It's not bipolar if we're all sick, isn't it? A disease would never even exist in the first place if everyone had it running in their veins" A foot away from him, Ash stood, on the same eggshells covered in paper; with that same figure, hidden behind paper. Branzy took a step, he could feel his nails tearing the paper; from the cracking shell of Ash, butterflies flew out in a fearsome storm of blinding white. Branzy stopped, feeling pieces of scrap against his feet. He took a breath, he kneeled, he cracked open

"How are you feeling?" 

"Everything" 

Clown nodded, retrieving back into silence. Branzy liked it better this way.

Ash, laying on the ground peacefully

Ash, speeding through the field on his skeleton horse

Ash, too fast and not enough

Ash, crashing the destination with too much glee in his eyes

Ash, of ripped jeans

Ash, and unfixed tie

Ash, messy suit drenched in blood dripping from his own eye.

Ash, through a layer of unspoken words 

Branzy stretched his arm, desperately cleaning strings of red liquid from his figure. Red stuck onto his fingers, red bleached his hair and drenched him in it. Even if Branzy sink in, he didn't even step back

He rubbed and rubbed and rubbed. Swearing to God he would take away all war and pain from him, using pieces of himself to make him clean again, to make him Ashswag again.

"Branzy" Clown muttered weakly, hand reaching for him through the dark. "That's enough"

He looked back at Clown; then at Ash, Branzy couldn't register his face, not anymore. He had never been Ashswag, not the one Branzy saw in his memories or dreams. That is, if "Ashswag" ever existed in the first place. 

Enough. 

"Let's go home"

Branzy turned, reaching for Clown

Their hands met 

And there was light

It was weeks before Branzy could unwrap the star from its cover

"For me?" Clown asked, fingers cuddling the little star in his palm. Slightly chipped but still glinting like a diamond, there is blood staining it from the moment Branzy gave it to him

"Of course" He answered, barely meeting Clown's eyes. Branzy opened his mouth, his throat felt dry. "Uh, Clown?"

"What's the matter?"

"About Ash… had he ever loved anyone?" 

Clown didn't answer, only rubbing his chin "Once, yes; they worked together, pretty famous businessmen. You might know him, the name's-"

Branzy slowly shook his head; with a trembling smile, he hold a finger before his lips and Clown stopped

Of course, it was him

Always was

Branzy folded himself over, desperately holding back his hiccups. It was never Branzy, he never even had a chance. He felt pain, too much, yet not enough. Branzy felt like a man breaking in and out of himself, he felt like lemmings, like birds, like wind turbines and cliffs; like being alive, like dying, like choking himself to death with his very hands

"I hate him," he sobs "I hate him" so much I had fallen for him

Ash, Ashswag, that man is like the universe. So cool and so breathtakingly beautiful, even when Branzy thought he had him within his grasp. It was never the case at all. Even when he thought he had understood everything, there was still so much more he couldn't fathom

He was stupid, achingly stupid

He had fallen in love with the universe

Over the sky, a single butterfly flew through the storm. Fluttering fiercely before turning into birds, bloodied and jagged like poorly cut paper. Their wings gave out, falling off and down into lemmings, towards the cliff where they died. 

Branzy watched on; they're different from these animals, he thought. They can stop if they want to, they don't have to die.

But he would only be humouring himself.

[rockislandadultreads]

Fiction Picks: Arab American Heritage Month

Celebrate Arab American Heritage Month with these fiction recommendations!

Song of a Captive Bird by Jasmin Darznik

All through her childhood in Tehran, Forugh is told that Iranian daughters should be quiet and modest. It’s during the summer of 1950 that Forugh’s passion for poetry really takes flight - and that tradition seeks to clip her wings. Forced into a suffocating marriage, Forugh runs away and falls into an affair that fuels her desire to write and to achieve independence. She perseveres, finding love with a notorious filmmaker and living by her own rules - but at an enormous cost.

Love From Mecca to Medina by S.K. Ali

Adam and Zayneb. Perfectly matched. Painfully apart. Adam is in Doha, Qatar, making a map of the Hijra, a historic migration from Mecca to Medina, and worried about where his next paycheck will come from. Zayneb is in Chicago, where school and extracurricular stresses are piling on top of a terrible frenemy situation. Upon getting the chance to spend Thanksgiving week together on a pilgrimage from Mecca to Medina, Adam and Zayneb jump at the chance. But the trip is not at all what they expected. 

This is the second volume of the "Love From A to Z" series.

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by - palm readings, zars, healings - are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles. But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world is real. 

This is the first volume of the "Daevabad Trilogy."

The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar

Five years after a suspicious fire killed his ornithologist mother, a closeted Syrian American trans boy sheds his birth name and searches for a new one. Upon finding the tattered journal of an artist named Laila Z, the protagonist makes the discovery that both Laila and his mother encountered the same rare bird before their deaths. On the road to self-discovery, and after courageously claiming the name Nadir, Nadir enlists friends and family to find out what happened to both Laila and his mother. 

[ansbobcar]

EP 18 - The Researcher, the Rulemaker, and the Tamer

WORD COUNT. 1543

Link to overview

_ _ _ _ _

A rather odd combination of companions were having tea with her following Orter’s stuffed schedule of 3 days. In his words: “Think of it as the cost of losing a week's worth of time,” as he began picking through the mountains of papers sent to his room. Including some of her own she’d later realise.

“Seems like a fine punishment,” petting Hippo-tan, as she briefly went over the situation. “Did you ask him where he went?” She shook her head in disagreement.

“What if he’s seeing someone behind—” interrupted by the sudden tight grip on her shoulder “—please stop it, Ryoh,” glaring at the most veteran Divine Visionary in the room. 

There was no need to bring up such a concern as infidelity if the response was only going to be: “I trust him. It’s not like I own him.”

Even more convincingly, the strongest magic user broke out in a giggling fit. “Oh to be called a ‘sunshine’ by him,” with a smirk. “You do take after me!” Like god-father, like god-daughter. As he cried into the bookworm’s shoulder.

“Rinka, can I ruin his hair for 30 minutes?”

“Isn’t that too short?”

“You’re right, Agito,” she whipped her head again towards the blonde. “Make it 60.” Causing his distress to increase with a paler complexion as he tried to get sympathy and pity out of the woman. ‘Please let this old man live, daughter of mine.’

“Let me get the timer,” she stood up.

“NOOOOOO!!!”

It would be wrong to not talk about how her heart leapt at his sudden gesture but they were supposed to be used to it. Even though it’s barely been 4 months since she suggested this or 7 months if they were faking the history. It’s technically not fake… but it’s not of genuine romantic origin either. She should ask for clarification later on before it falls apart. As Hippo-tan anchored Ryoh in place while she grabbed the hourglass. There’s still time to figure out these feelings.

_ _ _

Time passes with their duties occupying their time. In particular, there’s been some odd movements of certain magical creatures. So far, the most crucial and concerning were the dragons. “Some move north for hibernation and their eggs, and some move south like the birds.”

“But that’s the territory of the elves, is it not?” The blue-haired teen pointed at where the two groups intersected. 

“We’re on good terms with the elves, you think it’s possible to stop by to ask them about it?”

“I don’t think that’s necessary. Hippo-tan’s familiar with that area and knows his kind better,” much to the other two’s surprise. Who knew Agito Tyrone’s pet dragon had such vast knowledge? Watching at the shrunken creature, waddled on the map and yipped. Almost like a dog towards them. “Hippo-tan said that although it’s considered the elves’ territory, the forest here”--within the intersecting area--“is actually a common… stop for dragons when migrating. However, the timing is a month early. That means something or someone has interfered with the environment north and south.” The orange dragon huffed, smoke rose from their jaw before letting out a grunt.

“But there haven’t been any reports about environmental destruction,” Tsurara recounted still stumped by this case. “Then shouldn’t Agito try asking the other dragons at the intersection? It would save on time,” she suggested, holding onto a heat retaining object. Silence permeated through the room as the dragon turned towards her.

“The elves do not particularly… enjoy my presence,” attempting to hide the grin that suddenly widened at the thought. “After all…”

“Do you need us to follow as well?” The Blood Cane tried to alleviate his discomfort. He was crucial for the task at hand. Irreplaceable. “We can go as a group if needed, I can carry everyone as,” she stopped as Hippo-tan drooped on the table and with suppressed calmness, the Dragon Cane held her hands.

“Please use a translation or universal language spell, miss.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Do you need me to bring Renatus along?”

“It’s fine. Please use the translation spell you taught me.”

With a hint of dejectedness, her hand dropped back to her side with little control as he let go. She let out a sigh, “Alright.”

_ _ _

Their trip across the plains was peaceful with Tsurara’s arms wrapped around Rinka’s torso as they flew towards the location. “I’m sorry, R-rinka, I can’t fly as well as you,” she stammered. Out of all her classes, she suffered the most in regards to broom flying. Unable to focus on the surroundings without feeling like barfing. “It’s fine, an urgent matter is an urgent matter. Plus you have better range than me.”

“But… I haven’t done anything so far either…”

What has she ever done since she stepped foot into the Bureau? Through all the freezing outbursts, and slips in the halls, she was there to burn brightly. A guiding light in her isolated and perilous place.

To be able to learn and apply magic beyond her own is something she herself is envious of. She only had ice. Solid, sharp, slippery blocks, surfaces. She couldn’t manipulate it that well either. The sheer output destroyed that seaside town after all… and only one person was reported injured in their report, The Blood Cane. 

“You’ve done plenty already with the projects and I’m sure you helped out Ms. Ivona when she joined us. By the way, you’re not burning right?”

“No, you’re warm,” as she always was. “You’re like your own sun.” Even if something felt extremely wrong to her, she couldn’t tell what it was. Or rather found it hard to believe… how did Rinka begin the relationship if only she was around him at the time? Doesn’t Orter care about her as much as she did if not even more?

Even without looking back from the casket during the funeral service, he uttered with suppressed determined rage. “I will find the perpetrator.” He had left before the burial as well.

Don’t get her wrong. She appreciated her senior and junior as much as the next person in the Bureau. They’ve done a lot already than she could hope to imagine. It’s just… it wasn’t something she could alleviate from her heart which ached with mild disdain towards the two.

“Don’t be like that Tsura!” Holding onto her hands, she felt considerably heated and flushed in her light blue presence. The same fingers chipped away at her icy reaction. “It hasn’t been that long yet but he’ll get used to me and my presence.”

‘Did he though? Even after all this time?’ 

_ _ _

“What do you mean you haven’t heard from Rinka or Tsurara for the past two days?” Ryoh looked at the younger man sceptically who was fiddling with his thumbs. “Weren’t you three tasked with investigating the odd migration patterns?” He nodded. “Then?”

“They haven’t notified me since they left. I’m sorry,” but staying mad towards his junior wasn’t worth it. Not for their time when these were pressing matters. “I would recommend retracing their steps or asking the director for help if you want to be able to contact them easily.” He seemed shocked by this comment. 

“It’s… possible to ask the director?”

“Of course! Follow me!”

However, the two didn’t expect to hear the door slam shut followed by a muffled argument ensuing with little room to breathe. That is of course until they also entered. “They found an illegal lab in the north.”

“That’s exactly why you should send--” his eyes made contact with the Dragon holding Divine Visionary and tensed, “you. This is your domain. Why is a researcher and a rulemaker going in your stead?” He seethed.

“I didn’t want to inhibit the investigation… the Elves and I are on less than amicable terms, it would’ve resulted in a longer investigation.”

“No it wouldn’t! It resulted in the possible loss of 2 Divine Visionaries! We can’t afford that!”

“Now, Divine Visionaries, settle yourselves,” the director’s taps echoed throughout the room. “What brings you two here?” Gesturing towards those opposite the maddened Madl. They quickly explained their intentions. “It is about the same situation. In regards to the two, they told me in detail that they would prefer either Agito or Kaldo to take over. Mainly, in regards to investigating the southern region.”

“What about right now?” Ryoh wondered.

Appearing amidst green smoke were the two, hair frosted in the air and skin pale with markers of white still present. In ill-fitting clothes, she was carrying the younger on her shoulder like a sac of grains. “Director. The lab houses multiple citizens who have become lack-magics. Please transport the cargo from the coordinates to the Magical Cemetery,” before drawing out a shaky breath. “I’ll be at the infirmary.”

With that, the process of a mass burial of more than 200 lack-magics has resulted in the investigation to continue for the next month. The two divine visionaries were requested to make a speedy recovery and for the Blood Cane specifically, manage the younger teen’s state. “Don’t let anyone else tamper with her recovery,” were the director’s words. Fix her state.

Hiding the bitterness in her voice, she replied. “Yes, sir.”

_ _ _ _ _

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Almost 30 years ago, as an aspiring 25-year-old wildlife photographer, I took my camera north along Alaska’s Dalton Highway to catch my first glimpse of muskox, Arctic tundra, and the region’s bountiful birdlife. Although I followed a corridor built in the 1970s to service the Prudhoe Bay oil fields and trans-Alaska pipeline, as I passed the last spruce tree and crossed the Brooks Range, I felt like I was entering a wilderness unknown. I was naive in many ways, but thrilled by the landscape, its inhabitants, and the beckoning horizons.

In subsequent years, and more than 15 return visits to the coastal plain of Alaska, I’ve come to know the region as not just a wild place: it’s also a land of people, machines, and aggressive corporate ambition. A large swath of the central coastal plain is a massive industrial oilfield complex. Its scale is mostly hidden from public view behind gated roads, but its glow on the horizon is visible by its closest human neighbors as they maintain their hunting and gathering traditions on the land. In fact, the lights can be seen from space.

In stark contrast, to the west of the oilfields lies the single largest expanse of undisturbed land in the United States—the 23-million-acre National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska. Despite its misleading name, the vast tundra and wetlands here are a haven for wildlife that has remained virtually pristine. But it’s not always the empty wilderness that it appears to be on a map.

In summer, the NPR-A is crisscrossed by small aircraft carrying scientists of every discipline, measuring, studying, and recording the number of new cari­bou calves in its herds, the numbers of Pacific Black Brant arriving to molt, the distribution of fish in its lakes, and the composition of the permafrost just below the surface. Neighboring com­munities visit these ancestral lands to hunt and fish. In winter, the dark quiet of the Arctic night is penetrated by fleets of company snow vehicles searching for oil and detonating seismic blasts.

Despite these incursions, the NPR-A is still hiding wolverine and wolf in its riverine thickets, still traversed by the hooves of caribou and muskox, and at times still an immense space of impene­trable silence. The land here is wild, but always being watched and planned for.

In the summer of 2022, I was part of a team of cinematographers asked by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, in partner­ship with the Campion Foundation, to visually document the wild landscape within the Teshekpuk Lake Wetlands region of the NPR-A. We set up a remote field camp along the Ikpikpuk River, and for six weeks we slogged across the tundra filming the lives of the animals, especially the birds—many of which migrate here from all over the world to find mates, breed, and raise their young.

[chamomileeteaaa]

BIRD BLOG TIME FUCKERS

Okay so I have no clue how I'm gonna do this, I assume a format will arise as I go. But right now it's 3AM and I wanna talk about my favorite little birds: the Whooping Crane.

The Whooping Crane is one of the only two crane species native to North America, the other is the Sandhill Crane. (WE'LL GET INTO THOSE GUYS LATER I LOVE THEM TOO)

Anyway Whooping Cranes look like this:

LOOK AT THAT AND TELL ME THEYRE NOT SO CUTE???

Appearance:

You can identify adult Whooping Cranes by their white feathers and patch of red on their head, which goes from their beaks to their cheeks! This patch of red is actually skin and isn't very feathery. They have long, pointed beaks, usually a gray color as you see above. They have yellow eyes and long, thin legs. I've also seen that these cranes often have the tips of their wings black.

Immature cranes have the same long beak and thin legs, but instead of white feathers, have a tan, cinnamon-brown coloring and no red spot. As they age, their white feathers come in, so the more brown feathers they have, the younger they are.

Did I mention that Whooping Cranes are really big? Because Whooping Cranes are BIG

The average height of these guys is approximately five feet (range of 4'1" to 5'3" from what I've seen) when they stand up straight, making them the biggest birds in North America. Their wingspan is 7.5 feet on average, though despite their massive height and wingspan, Whooping Cranes weigh roughly 15 pounds.

Habitat:

Whooping Cranes live in marshes, wetlands, fields, anywhere wet and grassy. They breed in the upper Midwest and around northwest Canada, and migrate south to the Gulf Coast, around Mexico.

I should also mention that Whooping Cranes are very endangered as a species. In the 1940s, due to overhunting and habitat loss, there was once only 21 Whooping Cranes alive—15 migrate birds in Canada/Texas, and 6 that lived year-round in Louisiana.

With human intervention, the species has now risen to a population of roughly 800 (I found an exact number of 836, but can't speak for its accuracy).

Here's a migration map I took of off savingcranes.org (please visit them, they're so cool)

Diet:

Whoopers (I saw someone call them that) ate omnivores, eating a mix of insects, amphibians, crustaceans, reptiles, and small fish and mammals. They'll also eat grain, marsh plants, plant tubers, and acorns.

Fun Facts:

Whooping Cranes' call sounds like a squeaky door. People will try to tell you it's this majestic, one-note mating call, but it is a door hinge that needs some WD-40. Here's a few videos on what they sound like :)

( https://youtu.be/NFzkXdZjQJM

https://youtu.be/8EobJR_jkjs )

Because of how Whooping Cranes almost went extinct, biologists had used aircrafts to teach young cranes how to migrate. (Here's an article on it: https://www.npr.org/2016/03/02/468045219/to-make-a-wild-comeback-cranes-need-more-than-flying-lessons)

They mate for life! They search for a mate at around 2-3 years, and then mate for life. They'll also continuously return to the same nesting and wintering territories. However, should their original mate die, they'll find another mate.

It's late, otherwise I would do more😭

Sources:

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/whooping-crane

https://savingcranes.org/learn/species-field-guide/whooping-crane/

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Birds/Whooping-Crane

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Whooping_Crane/?_gl=1*10vkxuh*_ga*OTQ5Mjc2MzYyLjE2ODg1NDEwODY.*_ga_QR4NVXZ8BM*MTY4ODU0MTA5NS4xLjEuMTY4ODU0MTEyNC4zMS4wLjA.&_ga=2.29534207.1501623720.1688541086-949276362.1688541086

https://abcbirds.org/bird/whooping-crane/

I highly recommend checking these sites out, not just for Whooping Cranes, but for other birds.

[birdzflycom]

Current Hummingbird Migration Map USA 2025

Migration of Hummingbirds

Hummingbird Migration Map Hummingbird Migration Map? Many hummingbirds spend the winter in Central America or Mexico and migrate north to their breeding grounds in the southern United States as early as February, reaching farther north later in the spring.  Hummingbirds fly during the day when nectar sources are more abundant. Flying low allows them to spot and stop at food sources along the way. They also take advantage of tailwinds to conserve energy and body fat. Research shows that a hummingbird can travel up to 23 miles in a day. However, during migration across the Gulf of Mexico, they may cover up to 500 miles in a single flight. Their average speed in direct flight ranges from 20 to 30 mph and can triple during courtship dives. During migration, a hummingbird's heart can beat up to 1,260 times per minute, and its wings flap 15 to 80 times per second. To sustain this high energy level, they typically gain 25-40% of their body weight before migration to endure the long journey over land and water. The first arrivals in spring are usually males. However, some hummingbirds do not migrate, particularly those in areas like the Pacific coast, southern Gulf states, and certain parts of the southeastern U.S. Policies for Reporting Sightings: - We do not publish names, email addresses, or exact physical addresses—only city, state, and sighting details. - Sightings are placed near the center of a city rather than exact locations. - If multiple reports are received for a single location, only one sighting is displayed. - Sightings are posted within several days, not immediately. - Due to high volume, not all sightings can be posted. - Priority is given to sightings along the leading edge of migration. 2025 Spring Migration Activity: We track hummingbird migration from late January to May with reports submitted by viewers. Species tracked: - Ruby-throated - Rufous - Black-chinned - Anna's - Allen's - Costa's - Calliope - Blue-throated - Broad-billed - Broad-tailed - Buff-bellied - Rivoli's - Other/Unknown Additional Information on Spring Migration: Hummingbirds fly alone, often following the same routes used in previous years. Young hummingbirds must navigate without parental guidance. Strong cold fronts over the Gulf of Mexico create migration challenges, with headwinds, rain, and lack of food over open water. Fall Migration: By August and September, hummingbirds begin migrating south. They feed in the morning, travel midday, and forage again in the afternoon to maintain body weight. Ruby-throated hummingbirds gather in Florida, Louisiana, and the South Texas coast in September before migrating south over the Gulf of Mexico or through Mexico. Rufous hummingbirds migrate south along the eastern Rocky Mountains. Hummingbird Central: We love hummingbirds and look forward to another exciting migration season in 2025! Our website provides information about hummingbirds in North, Central, and South America. Hummingbird Migration Tracking Maps: Spring migration maps are updated yearly based on viewer sightings. The 2024 map concluded on May 31, 2024. Tracking for the 2025 migration began in late January. Identification of Hummingbirds: Hummingbirds are among the smallest birds, typically measuring 3 to 5 inches. Their needle-like bills are adapted for reaching deep into tubular flowers. Since many species look alike, our website includes side-by-side comparison charts to help distinguish them. White and Albino Hummingbirds: Reports of albino and leucistic hummingbirds increased in 2023 and 2024. Hummingbirds of the World: Hummingbirds are found only in the Western Hemisphere, with nearly half of the 366 species living in equatorial regions. Few species migrate to the U.S. and Canada, and only a handful remain year-round. Attracting Hummingbirds: Creating a hummingbird-friendly garden includes planting flowers like lantana, pentas, salvia, and batface cuphea to provide food and shelter. Birdwatching: While our primary focus is hummingbirds, we also provide information on other backyard birds and birdwatching experiences, including visits to locations like Colombia’s National Aviary. Thank you for visiting! We look forward to another exciting hummingbird season in 2025!

Trending Topics at Hummingbird Central:

Species: Hummingbirds are found in the Western Hemisphere, with half living in equatorial regions. There are 366 species, mostly in the southern U.S., with fewer than two dozen in North America. Migration: Hummingbirds migrate north in spring and south in fall. Some remain in California and along the Pacific coast year-round. Feeders: Providing food sources, including nectar-rich flowers and feeders, is essential for attracting hummingbirds. Facts: Hummingbirds weigh only a few grams, can hover, and even fly backward. Their wings beat up to 55 times per second, creating a humming sound. Attracting Hummingbirds: Hummingbirds prefer red, tubular flowers. Our website offers tips for creating a hummingbird-friendly garden. Identification: Since many species look alike, our website includes comparison charts to help identify them. Read More: Hummingbird Description Species & Identification JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwc3JjJTNEJTIyaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ3d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbSUyRm1hcHMlMkZkJTJGZW1iZWQlM0ZtaWQlM0QxOG85cGJlQm9QOVdTZFFzVUp2UVNlamNaOHlQMDFqMCUyNmVoYmMlM0QyRTMxMkYlMjIlMjB3aWR0aCUzRCUyMjY0MCUyMiUyMGhlaWdodCUzRCUyMjQ4MCUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRmlmcmFtZSUzRQ== Read the full article

[umstroke]

Seventeen Grams of Longing, Iris Häussler

The following excerpts are sourced from Iris's official exhibition page.

I created the artistic legacies of two brothers, to be discovered on different continents, through the unfolding of an exhibition in Berlin at PSM Gallery which took place in March 2024, and at two locations in Toronto: at Daniel Faria Gallery and in Garage766 in the west end of the city, accessed via a map and code provided by DFG. The twins Kurt and Carl Pfister were born in Augsburg, Germany during the Second World War. They were separated as small children after their father died in the war, and their mother—remarried to an American soldier—moved to the United States, leaving Kurt to be raised in Berlin by her in-laws, his grandparents. Carl, whose name was changed from the German spelling to the American upon emigration, was raised in Detroit and then later relocated to Toronto, Canada. Unaware of the others’ existence, Kurt and Carl grew up with an unspoken longing and intangible absence. Both became fascinated by the fragile lives of migratory birds, an enthrallment that manifested with each twin with their own creative pursuits. This deeply shared interest, as well their mutual desire to express their interests through an artistic lens, broaches the age-old question of how much we are determined by nature and how much by our experiences? The twin Kurt (Germany), collected ornithology books, which he deconstructed, cutting out every illustration that depicted a bird. While more and more bird-shaped gaps and holes appeared in the books, the resulting cut-outs became intricate and delicate mobiles. His studio, a vacant room in the basement of a house at Schöneberger Ufer 61 in Berlin, Germany, was filled with books and cassette tapes of bird songs. Underneath a sheet of hand-painted canvas attached to the ceiling, hung hundreds of cut-out birds, each painstakingly cataloged with the page number and title of the book from which it came. Fluttering above an old armchair, these simple cut-outs transformed the tiny basement into a space both mysterious and boundless. Carl (USA/Canada), who installed windows for a living, was so moved by the tragic imprints of birds’ wings left behind from their collisions with the glass that he would trace them onto carbon paper and transform the patterns into glass engravings. In his former workshop, discovered in a garage in Toronto, we find those engraved panes of glass and mirrors leaning against the walls. They not only picture the tracings of birds’ wings, but also recreate studied maps and migration routes, overlapping and interlacing with one another. Ornithology books, world atlases, maps and photos clutter the space amongst tools and personal detritus. It is within Carl’s workshop that I have set up my own contemporary art studio, showing the twins’ histories and research into the migrations and lives of songbirds that ultimately inspired my new body of sculptures and engravings.

[ilearnedthistodaysblog]

#1140 Why do Monarch butterflies migrate so far?

Why do Monarch butterflies migrate so far? Monarch butterflies migrate for thousands of kilometers because they can’t survive the cold winters. We know that many species of birds navigate when the weather gets too cold. We are familiar with seeing different bird species in the summer and the winter where we live and we know that birds generally fly south (north in the southern hemisphere) to escape the cold. We are less familiar with the butterflies that migrate every winter. Monarch butterflies live in North America. They are probably one of the most recognizable species of butterfly in North America. They have a wingspan of roughly 10 cm, which makes it fairly large for a butterfly. They are a bright orange color with black marks on their wings. This bright orange color is to warn predators that they are poisonous and should be avoided. When animals use bright colors to signal to other animals that they are poisonous, it is called aposematism, which comes from Greek words that mean “away” and “signal”. Some animals make use of this and are just bright colors without being poisonous. Monarch butterflies carry a toxin that they get from their main food, milkweed. These toxins are called cardiac glycosides, and they make the monarchs taste very bad. A lot of animals will not be able to ingest them and will probably vomit. There are some birds that have evolved ways to eat them, but even those birds have to go without monarchs sometimes because the level of cardiac glycosides in their bodies builds up too high. Monarchs are not the only butterflies that are poisonous. There are not many, but there are some. The thing that makes the Monarch butterfly special is its incredibly long migratory journey. Some of them migrate up to 5,000 km, depending on where they are located in North America. The most northerly Monarchs live up by the Great Lakes, just on the edge of Canada and they migrate all the way down to northern Mexico. The distance is pretty impressive, but that is not what makes this spectacular. The really impressive things are how they navigate to a place they have never been to before and how they live long enough to make the journey. If you have ever driven a long way in your car, you know that navigating, unless you have Google Maps, is very difficult. Somehow, Monarch butterflies manage to successfully navigate their way for thousands of kilometers. Nobody knows exactly how they do it, but the most likely method is by using the sun to navigate. The butterflies only fly during the day, and they can use the angle of the sun compared with an internal body clock to keep going in a straight line. This has been tested by lepidopterists. On sunny days, Monarchs fly in a fairly straight line, and on cloudy days they tend to fly a random path. However, how they navigate is not as impressive as how they know where to go. As we will see, the butterflies that start the migration at the end of the summer are the great-great-great-great-grandkids of the Monarchs that made the journey the year before. Again, nobody knows the answer to this either. It seems that when the temperature drops to a certain point, they start to fly in the direction that keeps the temperature the same or warmer. The really impressive thing is the way the Monarchs that do the migrating live longer than regular Monarch butterflies. During the summer months, adult Monarch butterflies live for 2 to 5 weeks. During that time, they eat, mate, and lay as many eggs as they can. Regular butterflies. Then there is a change. The butterflies that hatch in late August have several differences. The first is that they don’t become sexually mature straight away. The second is that they eat nectar instead of milkweed. This is a concentrated source of energy that they can store. The third is that they have a lower metabolic rate, which means that they can use more energy for flying. Once they hatch out of their chrysalis, they start to fly for Mexico. They stop along the way to eat and rest, but they generally just fly. These late summer Monarchs live for between 6 and 9 months! They spend the majority of their lives flying down to Mexico. Once there, they roost in trees, eat nectar, and stay warm. Only in the spring do they become sexually mature and they start mating. This is triggered by the temperature and the length of the day. Once they mate, they lay eggs, and these eggs are the generation that will start the journey back. Most of the long-lived Monarchs that flew all the way down will not leave Mexico. The next generation become butterflies and they start to fly up towards America, but they don’t fly it in one journey. They stop every now and then to lay eggs and each successive generation flies a little further up. Several generations will pass before they reach their summer haunts again. Several more generations live through the summer before the temperature drops and the whole cycle repeats. And this is what I learned today. - #421 How many revolutions has France had? - #347 How did the Polynesians navigate? - #1045 Why is Mexico City sinking? - #60 Why do birds migrate? - #639 What is the difference between a moth and a butterfly? Sources https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/migration/index.shtml https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisonescalante/2021/02/09/scientists-discover-how-a-group-of-butterflies-became-toxic https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Monarch-Butterfly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_butterfly_migration https://blog.3bee.com/en/because-butterflies-are-colourful https://paradisemonarchs.com/blogs/blog-1/the-life-cycle-of-a-monarch-butterfly?srsltid=AfmBOopRPsn0NEv45l7XtgrNH90UXYpreoqF4mTzHF287MPefN-HQwYy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_butterfly https://monarchjointventure.org/monarch-biology/monarch-migration Photo by Tinthia Clemant: https://www.pexels.com/photo/monarch-butterfly-perching-on-red-flower-1557208/ Read the full article

[fishery-fnb-tech]

Fascinating Crab Travel: Exploring the World of Crustacean Journeys

Fascinating Crab Travel are among the most diverse and intriguing creatures in the marine world. Their travel behaviors, from migration to foraging, offer a fascinating glimpse into their lives and the challenges they face.

Fascinating Crab Travel are crustaceans with a wide range of species that inhabit diverse environments, from sandy shores to deep-sea habitats. Their travel behaviors are as varied as their habitats. Understanding these movements can reveal much about their ecological roles, survival strategies, and the environmental pressures they face.

Fascinating Crab Travel can be categorized into several types, including migration, dispersal, and foraging trips. Each type of movement serves a specific purpose, from finding food to breeding. By studying these movements, scientists gain valuable insights into crab biology and the health of marine ecosystems.

Benefits of Studying Crab Travel

Studying the travel patterns of crabs is an essential area of research that offers numerous benefits across ecological, conservation, behavioral, and economic domains. This field of study not only contributes to the broader understanding of marine ecosystems but also provides vital information for conservation efforts, sustainable resource management, and behavioral science.

Ecological Insight: Crabs are vital players in marine ecosystems, and studying their travel patterns offers a deeper understanding of these environments. Crabs help regulate algae populations by grazing on them, ensuring that algae do not overgrow and disrupt the balance of the ecosystem. Additionally, crabs serve as a food source for numerous marine species, including fish, birds, and other predators. T

Conservation Efforts: Fascinating Crab Travel,Understanding crab travel is crucial for designing and implementing effective conservation strategies. By studying crab migrations and identifying critical habitats, such as breeding grounds or feeding areas, researchers can work to protect these essential regions. Crabs often undertake seasonal migrations to specific locations for mating and reproduction, and the loss or degradation of these habitats could result in a significant decline in crab populations.

Behavioral Research: Fascinating Crab Travel,Studying crab travel also provides valuable insights into their behavior, particularly in terms of their cognitive and sensory abilities. By observing how crabs navigate through complex and changing environments, researchers can gain a better understanding of the mechanisms they use for orientation and decision-making. For example, some crab species use visual landmarks, water currents, or even the position of the sun to guide their movements

Economic Importance: Fascinating Crab Travel hold significant economic value, particularly in the fishing industry, where they are harvested for food. Understanding their travel patterns is essential for ensuring the sustainability of crab populations and preventing overfishing. By identifying migration routes and breeding grounds, fisheries can implement measures to avoid harvesting during crucial reproductive periods, thereby allowing crab populations to regenerate and remain viable. Sustainable management practices, informed by knowledge of crab travel, can lead to long-term benefits for both the fishing industry and marine ecosystems.

Goals of Fascinating Crab Travel Research

Fascinating Crab Travel research is a multifaceted field aimed at enhancing our understanding of various crab species and their interactions with the environment. The research is driven by several key goals, all of which contribute to the broader effort to protect crab populations and ensure their sustainable management. These goals are essential not only for ecological conservation but also for informing sustainable fishing practices and improving our knowledge of marine ecosystems.

1. Map Migration Routes Fascinating Crab Travel,One of the primary goals of crab travel research is to map out the migration routes of different crab species. Crabs often travel significant distances throughout their life cycles, moving between habitats for purposes such as breeding, foraging, or avoiding environmental stressors. Researchers use tools like GPS tagging, satellite tracking, and direct observation to monitor crab movements over time. Mapping these routes provides a clearer picture of the spatial distribution of crab populations and helps scientists understand the ecological corridors that are crucial for their survival.

2. Identify Breeding and Foraging Grounds Fascinating Crab Travel,Another important goal of crab travel research is identifying key breeding and foraging areas. Crabs rely on specific habitats for reproduction and feeding, and the loss of these critical sites can have severe consequences for their populations. By pinpointing these areas, researchers can better understand the spatial dynamics of crab life cycles and the environmental conditions that are essential for their survival. .

3. Understand Environmental Impacts Crab travel research also seeks to understand how environmental changes, such as climate change, pollution, and habitat destruction, impact crab migration patterns. These environmental factors can significantly influence crab behavior, potentially altering their travel routes, reducing their reproductive success, or causing population declines. For example, rising sea temperatures may force crabs to migrate to cooler waters, while coastal development can destroy important breeding or foraging habitats.

4. Develop Conservation Strategies Fascinating Crab Travel,A key goal of crab travel research is to inform the development of targeted conservation strategies. The data gathered through the study of crab movements, breeding, and foraging behaviors is essential for designing effective conservation plans. These strategies aim to mitigate the negative impacts of human activities, such as overfishing, pollution, and habitat destruction, on crab populations.

Ideas for Studying Crab Travel

Researching crab travel patterns is essential to understanding their behavior, ecological role, and how environmental factors affect them. By exploring innovative ideas and methodologies, researchers can gain deeper insights into the migration, navigation, and decision-making processes of various crab species. Below are several ideas for studying crab travel, each offering unique contributions to this field of research.

1. Tagging and Tracking Fascinating Crab Travel,One of the most effective ways to study crab travel is through the use of advanced tagging and tracking technologies, such as GPS tags and satellite telemetry. These devices are attached to crabs, allowing researchers to monitor their movements in real-time. GPS tags provide precise data on the crab’s location, offering valuable information on migration routes, travel distances, and the time spent in different habitats. Satellite telemetry, on the other hand, can track crabs as they move across larger areas, such as open oceans or coastal environments. This method not only provides detailed insights into the behaviors of individual crabs but also allows for the study of entire populations.

2. Habitat Analysis Fascinating Crab Travel,Another promising approach to studying crab travel is conducting detailed analyses of the habitats where crabs live and travel. By examining the different environments crabs occupy—such as coastal marshes, mangroves, and rocky shorelines—researchers can gain insights into the ecological factors that influence their movements. Habitat analysis can reveal key preferences, such as water temperature, salinity levels, food availability, and the presence of predators or competitors. For example, some crab species may prefer specific types of substrate, such as sandy or muddy bottoms, while others may be more adaptable and thrive in a range of environments.

3. Behavioral Experiments Fascinating Crab Travel,Behavioral experiments are another effective way to study crab travel, particularly in controlled settings. Researchers can set up experiments to observe how crabs respond to various stimuli, such as changes in light, water currents, or food sources. These experiments can provide valuable insights into the sensory and cognitive abilities of crabs, shedding light on how they navigate their environments and make decisions. For example, crabs may use visual landmarks, chemical cues, or magnetic fields to guide their movements.

4. Long-Term Monitoring Fascinating Crab Travel,Implementing long-term monitoring programs is crucial for tracking changes in crab travel patterns over time. By collecting data over multiple years or decades, researchers can identify trends in crab behavior and assess the impacts of environmental changes on their movements. Long-term monitoring can reveal whether crabs are shifting their migration routes in response to factors like climate change, habitat degradation, or overfishing. For example, if a certain crab population begins migrating earlier or traveling to new areas, this could indicate changes in the availability of food or breeding sites.

5. Community Science Projects Fascinating Crab Travel,Engaging the public in crab monitoring efforts through community science projects can greatly enhance research on crab travel while raising awareness about conservation. Citizen science projects can involve activities such as reporting crab sightings, participating in crab tagging programs, or collecting data on local crab populations. These initiatives can provide additional data points that researchers might not otherwise have access to, especially in remote or difficult-to-reach areas. Community involvement also fosters a sense of stewardship for marine ecosystems, encouraging individuals to take an active role in protecting crab species and their habitats.

Topic Suggestions for Further Exploration in Crab Travel Research

Crab travel research offers a wealth of opportunities to deepen our understanding of these fascinating creatures and their role in marine ecosystems. By investigating specific aspects of crab behavior, migration, and environmental interactions, scientists can contribute to both ecological knowledge and conservation efforts. Below are some topic suggestions for further exploration in the field of crab travel research, each addressing key areas that could yield valuable insights into crab species and their habitats.

1. Migration Patterns of Specific Crab Species Fascinating Crab Travel,One promising area of study is to explore the migration patterns of specific crab species, such as the coconut crab, blue crab, or Dungeness crab. Each species exhibits unique travel behaviors that are influenced by various biological and environmental factors. For instance, coconut crabs, which are terrestrial and live in tropical regions, travel inland for feeding and to the shore for breeding. Meanwhile, species like the Dungeness crab exhibit complex migrations between coastal waters and deeper ocean regions.

2. Impact of Climate Change on Crab Travel Fascinating Crab Travel,Another crucial topic for further exploration is the impact of climate change on crab travel patterns. As global temperatures rise, ocean conditions are undergoing significant changes, including increased temperatures, shifts in ocean currents, and ocean acidification. These changes can directly affect crabs, which are highly sensitive to temperature and water chemistry. Research could focus on how these environmental shifts impact crab migration, breeding habits, and habitat selection. For instance, some crab species may migrate to cooler waters, while others may struggle to adapt to the rapidly changing environment.

3. Crab Foraging Strategies Fascinating Crab Travel,Exploring the foraging strategies of crabs can provide valuable information about how their travel behaviors are adapted to locate food resources. Different crab species have evolved various tactics to find, capture, and store food, depending on their habitat and ecological niche. For example, blue crabs are known to forage in shallow coastal waters, using their strong claws to dig for prey like mollusks and small fish. In contrast, fiddler crabs use their specialized claws to sift through sand or mud for organic particles.

4. Predator-Prey Interactions Fascinating Crab Travel,The study of predator-prey interactions is another fascinating area for further exploration in crab travel research. Crabs play a dual role in marine ecosystems as both predators and prey. As they travel between different habitats, their movements can affect their interactions with both predators and prey species. For example, crabs that migrate to shallow waters may be more exposed to predation by birds or larger marine animals, while those that travel to deeper waters may encounter fewer predators but more competition for food.

5. Crab Conservation Challenges Lastly, further exploration of the challenges facing crab conservation efforts is an essential area of study. Crabs are facing numerous threats, including habitat loss, overfishing, pollution, and climate change. Research could focus on identifying the most pressing conservation challenges and exploring potential solutions. For example, habitat loss due to coastal development or pollution can significantly impact crab populations, particularly if critical breeding or foraging sites are destroyed. Overfishing of certain crab species, such as the blue crab or king crab, can lead to population declines and disrupt the balance of marine ecosystems.

Advantages of Understanding Fascinating Crab Travel

Studying the travel behaviors of crabs offers numerous advantages, both in terms of scientific knowledge and practical applications in conservation, fisheries management, and public awareness. By delving into the movement patterns and habits of these creatures, researchers and policymakers can address ecological challenges while fostering sustainable practices that benefit marine ecosystems as a whole. Below are several key advantages of understanding crab travel:

1. Enhanced Conservation Efforts Fascinating Crab Travel,A deeper understanding of crab travel behaviors is essential for improving conservation efforts. Crabs play crucial roles in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems, serving as both prey and predators. By mapping their migration routes, breeding grounds, and feeding habits, conservationists can identify critical habitats that need protection. For example, many crab species migrate to specific areas to spawn, making these locations vital for the continuity of their populations. Protecting these are

2. Improved Management Practices Fascinating Crab Travel,Understanding crab migration and foraging patterns is also beneficial for improving management practices, particularly in commercial and recreational fishing. Crabs, such as the blue crab and Dungeness crab, are highly sought-after for their economic value, and overfishing poses a significant threat to their populations. By gaining insights into when and where crabs migrate, fisheries managers can set sustainable quotas and fishing seasons that align with the crabs' natural behaviors. For instance, prohibiting fishing during key breeding periods allows crab populations to recover and thrive. .

3. Informed Policy Decisions Fascinating Crab Travel,Scientific research on crab travel can play a pivotal role in informing policy decisions related to marine conservation and habitat protection. Policymakers rely on accurate, data-driven insights to craft regulations that balance ecological preservation with human activities. Understanding crab travel patterns allows for the creation of policies that address the specific challenges faced by different crab species. For example, establishing marine protected areas in regions critical for crab migration and breeding can significantly bolster crab populations and promote overall ecosystem health.

4. Increased Public Awareness Fascinating Crab Travel,One of the often-overlooked advantages of understanding crab travel is its potential to raise public awareness about marine life and the need for conservation. Crabs are fascinating creatures, and their unique travel behaviors can captivate the public’s interest. Educational campaigns that highlight the importance of crabs in marine ecosystems, as well as the threats they face, can help build public support for conservation initiatives.

5. Scientific Advancements Fascinating Crab Travel,Research on crab travel also contributes to broader scientific knowledge in the fields of marine biology and ecology. Crabs are an integral part of many marine ecosystems, and studying their movement patterns can provide insights into how these systems function as a whole. For instance, by tracking crabs as they migrate, scientists can better understand the connectivity between different habitats, such as coastal estuaries and offshore waters. These findings can have implications for understanding other marine species that share similar migration routes or habitats.

Fascinating crab travel offers a captivating window into the lives of these remarkable crustaceans. From their migration routes to their foraging strategies, crabs exhibit a range of behaviors that reveal much about their ecological roles and the challenges they face. By studying these travel patterns, scientists and conservationists gain valuable insights that contribute to the protection and management of crab populations and marine ecosystems.

The benefits of understanding crab travel are far-reaching, encompassing ecological, conservation, and economic advantages. As research continues to uncover the complexities of crab movements, it is essential to support and promote efforts that advance our knowledge and ensure the long-term survival of these fascinating creatures. Whether through advanced tracking technologies, habitat analysis, or community science projects, exploring the world of crab travel remains a vital and rewarding pursuit in marine science.