We are almost halfway through "stormy March." So far it hasn't really lived up to that name here in Southeast Texas, although we have had plenty of clouds and wind. But it looks like the days ahead may help March recover its reputation for changeableness. According to forecasts, winter may be with us for one more day, tomorrow, but then spring arrives a few days early on Tuesday. William Cullen Bryant appreciated the unloved month and even wrote an ode to it. March by William Cullen Bryant The stormy March is come at last, With wind, and cloud, and changing skies, I hear the rushing of the blast, That through the snowy valley flies. Ah, passing few are they who speak, Wild stormy month! in praise of thee; Yet, though thy winds are loud and bleak, Thou art a welcome month to me. For thou, to northern lands, again The glad and glorious sun dost bring, And thou hast joined the gentle train And wear’st the gentle name of Spring. And, in thy reign of blast and storm, Smiles...
A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment : These are a pair of Northern Emerald-Toucanets , a bird found in parts of southern Mexico and into Central America. It is a bird of forested habitats and it eats mostly fruit. They are nonmigratory and the population size is really unknown but it is thought to be decreasing. Its main threat is loss of habitat through deforestation. It is the American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week . *~*~*~* It has been a hot month so far in the Southwest. Heat records could be toppled in various places. *~*~*~* Death Valley National Park is full of life - specifically wildflowers that are blanketing the park in the most breathtaking bloom seen there in a decade. *~*~*~* Whooping Cranes are among the most closely tracked and monitored birds in North America. We almost lost them in the last century and we don't want that to happen again. We are still learning about how they utilize their habitat. *~*~*~* So it looks lik...