When Covid Cuts Human Noise, Birds Sing Sweeter

 

 

Covid 19 may be hell for people, but, in Shakespeare's words it "Becomes the touches of sweet harmony" for birds.

An interesting thing happened when everybody stayed home in San Francisco and The City went silent.

A researcher noticed that the song of the male White-Crowned Sparrow got softer and more nuanced - sexier-sounding to the females.

I guess we should all take a lesson. Silence offers so much.

The links below have the story. One of the links has a 4-second video you can click on  to hear the song. Enjoy!

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/09/when-covid-19-silenced-cities-birdsong-recaptured-its-former-glory

https://www.popsci.com/story/environment/more-bird-song-pandemic/

RIP RBG

 We will miss you dearly.

Good News? Not So Much

 Yes, a lot of stuff sucks right now, starting with the misery that can be traced to politicians, moving through natural disasters, and ending with dreary stuff in your local community.

So what is happening that's still good?

The answer may be predictable from a writer whose most popular fictional character may be a dog.

Of course, unless you're an animal intelligence scientist, dog stuff isn't considered lofty and intellectual. But here's the beauty of dogs, no matter how prosaic it is.

They love you no matter how stressed you are and no matter how difficult life can be. 

So go and give your dog some attention. He or she will make you feel better.

New High Temp Record?

 South Lake Tahoe is projected to hit 95 today. Ouch. The previous record high for September is 94.

So why is the Basin crammed full of tourists? Because Sacramento and Redding are both looking at 111 degrees. Stockton is 110 degrees. So if you drive up to a mere 95 and go out on the boat or maybe jump in the lake, which, not too far out, could be in the 50s, that'll cool you off!

Enjoy!