House Finch

The house finches have rebuilt their nest in the corner of our side porch again this year, after sucessfully raising two broods there last year.It is a sheltered corner out of the rain and we use the front door in order to give them their privacy. They seem to be calmer this year than last, so likely have learned that we pose no threat, but they still prefer that we do not use that porch while they raise their young. They had to contend with some agressive grackles who tore the nest apart a couple times before the female settled in with eggs about a week ago. Now the male feeds the female during the incubation and will help feed the young after they hatch.He also defends the nest against threats-including other finches-but unfortunately cannot distinquish living birds from his own reflection in the car mirror. I had to cover it to keep the poor guy from thrashing himself against the glass repestedly.

The Southwest

Beth and I returned from the southwest last week after six weeks of travel. Those of you who have been there know that the USA west of the Mississippi presents a completly different landscape than the east, and I prefer the southwest in winter for its warmth and lack of rain. People here in Warren tell us that February was a particularly cold, snowy and icy month, so we are glad we missed it. The pics (click to enlarge) depict various places, including the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona, and the dog is one of many 'reservation' dogs that wander the Navaho land.They are essentially community dogs, friendly, and accept handouts from passerby. We fed several of them during our travels. The copper mine is in Cliffton, Arizona and covers about 80 square miles. You can get a sense of scale by the trucks being loaded on one of the distant 'steps', but this is just one small portion of the mine that stretches for miles.The self portrait is at Canyon de Chelly in AZ We stayed mostly at AirBBs and are already making plans for next year, probably staying 2 weeks at a time at each location before moving on.

Broken Down Cars March 2025

Whenever Beth and I take a road trip, we record the makes of the cars we see broken down beside the highway. We update after every trip and will continue to do so as we travel...As of the date in the title the totals were : Chevrolet/GMC -138 Ford- 76 Dodge/Jeep- 75 Honda/Acura- 38 Nissan/Infiniti-28 Toyota/Lexus- 27 Kia/Hyundai-16 Subaru-10 VW-9 Mazda- 7 Mitsubishi-5 BMW-5 Suzuki-2 Volvo-1 Also 8 unidentified vehicles of which we could not determine the manufacturer. This is by no means a scientifically accurate indication of the reliability of these brands, because we do not know the age and maintenance records of the broken cars and other important information. But generally speaking, foreign cars have a much better reliability record than domestic vehicles, and that pattern shows up in our informal observations.

Winter Scenes

I sometimes drive around the forest and take short walks to pass time, and here are a few pictures to document those miles...Ice fishing at Allegany State park in New York, the Loleta dam near Marionville,PA built by the CCC almost 100 years ago,some icicles along Minister Creek road,and a Pileated woodpecker on a tree in the Kellotville campground. Also in that campground were some 3 dozen robins, likely first year birds that stayed over the winter; young robins often do not migrate as far as older birds.

CoVid revisited

"If the Huanan market was the site of origin of the transmission chains that led to the COVID-19 pandemic, then the common ancestor of market-associated viral genotypes should be equivalent to the common ancestor of the pandemic, given appropriate sampling. To test this hypothesis, we assessed intra-sample variation of the SARS-CoV-2 environmental genomes from the Huanan market, assigned market sequences to virus lineages, and performed phylodynamic inference to compare the genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 within the market to its genetic diversity globally. As detailed below, we found that the MRCA of market-associated genomes was equivalent to the MRCA of the larger pandemic." CELL-volume #187, issue #19 Which means that the covid virus originated in the market as originally suspected and all the associated mis- and dis- information was unnecessary.Any genetic engineering the Wuhan lab may have done which subsequently may have escaped is an unfortunate risk that scientists sometimes do to anticipate and 'get ahead' of potential threats from viruses. Suc work is also perforemd in the U.S. and may have been responsible for Lyme disease from a lab off the east coast. Looking back from the perspective of almost 5 years, Beth and I marvel that so much ignorance still exists, and that men like Mr.Kennedy will soon be in charge of the U.S. Department of Health and other positions of power. There is a disturbing lack of scientific education in this country and apparently even less ability to embrace critical thinking..." Of all education systems in OECD, The United States ranked 6th in reading, 10th in science, and 26th in math." So, we are not the worst, but considering that "The US spends more on education than every other OECD country, except for Luxembourg." we are not getting our monies worth either... A PBS documentary titled 'Shot In The Arm' details some of the unfortunate controversy surrounding vaccines which persist to this day, and one 2022 study found that 87% of those who died from covid had not been vaccinated. My cynicism applauds their contributions to the 'Darwin Awards' that celebrate the stupidest ways that people die, but children suffer from the foibles of their parents, and my sympathies go to them. I am fully aware of the misuses of power and how money and politics can corrupt the best intentions, but the scientific method is the best defense humans have against the flaws of human nature; the next four years will be a profound test of Truth and Reality and those of us willing to defend the higher aspects of civilization. Those who seek only to preserve power and the fortunes of their particular tribe will do a disservice not only to the human race but to the entire planet.

Winter Woods (click on pics)

Hiked 3 miles near Chapman Dam and Hearts Content today, doing a loop along a road then upon an ATV trail and back along an oil/gasline road. The partial sign is at Hearts Content, a natural area where the original loggers decided not to cut the trees in order to preserve a small section of original forest. So 300 year old trees-mostly hemlocks- reach much further up into the canopy than anywhere else in Pennsylvania. The turkey and black bear tracks are on a frozen puddle. An erratic climate has confused a lot of species, and likely delayed this bears normal hibernation cycle. I suspect that warmer winters may have bears foraging year round in the not too distant future, probably searching among humans for food when unable to find their normal sustanance...Although winter is not my preferred season, I try to find the beauty, and the end of hunting season has allowed me to return to the woods. In February Beth and I will be heading to New Mexico to hike,bike,play golf and explore the southwest-warm weather activities that I have embraced more and more as I have aged.

Snow...and the future?

...Had the first snow showers of the new winter today, three weeks later than in some other years; it has been a warm autumn. The closeup is of old goldenrod and the Kinzua lake shot shows the draw down of water that is common in winter. The DCNR/ArmyCorp prepares for snowmelt by releasing water from the reservoir-although that ultimately has been unnecessary the last two winters because of a lack of snow. That perhaps is because of the changing climate, and I suspect other new weather patterns will continue, especially now that we have a climate denying administration in power. It has been truly criminal how the fossil fuel industry-with help from politicians- has obsfucated the science, and how shortsighted the American public is in their acceptance of the status quo. I am quite pessimistic about the future when I observe so many people who claim to care about the environment hypocritically doing the opposite in their personal lives. They become distracted by deliberate propoganda about transgenders and immigrants and other issues, all the while the atmosphere heats up and the ocean acidifies and wildlife species die off...and they believe that none of the latter will affect them and their children and grandchildren? Do they truly think the current price of bread and gasoline and transgenders in the bathroom matter in the long perspective, or do they have no long perspective? They have just seen over 15 billion dollars wasted on the election yet they think there is not enough money for solar power or immigrant assitance or affordable housing? ...I have read books about engineers who are doing wonderful things about climate change such as designing new power transmission equipment to accept renewable sources, then I watch politicians forbid the importing of cheap electric Chinese vehicles. While importing vaccuum cleaners and cameras and bicycles and air conditioners and televisions is acceptible, selling automobiles that the average consumer could actually afford that might make a difference in American emissions is not; in truth, America prides itself on free enterprise until we are out competed by another country. So Republicans say they want to take America back, to dismantle the institutions and see what they can build from the rubble. Based on their lack of sound reasoning and disregard for facts and moral principles, I am fearful of what they shall erect. Politicians have rarely been our best people; now we shall see if the new leaders are qualified to address genuine problems.