Odds and Ends

• The Grand Forks Herald has a nice column on watching black birds.
• Delaware is close to enough to Washington, D.C., for an occasional day trip. (The major wildlife refuges are about a two-hour drive, non-stop.) This article gives a rundown of some of the best birding spots in Delaware, and the best times for visiting them. Bombay Hook NWR, one location mentioned, is fabulous for shorebirds.
• Some researchers from Purdue University have produced a study predicting more violent weather and much higher temperatures due to global warming. The forecast was for years 2071-2095, and compared to records from 1961-1985. The researchers seemed to be seeking a worst-case scenario, as they assumed that carbon dioxide concentrations would double. It presents a troubling scenario that I hope does not come to pass, but that I fear will. Even a less extreme rise in temperatures than the one predicted would demand significant changes in our way of life.
• The NY Times has a profile of David Suzuki, a Canadian environmentalist.
• The CIA is investing in a portable unit that can produce electrical energy via solar panels or wind turbines.
• "The Explainer" looks at whether aspens really do "turn in clusters," as Lewis Libby asserted in his letter to Judith Miller.