First bird of the year was a Mourning Dove, which is also my spark bird! Auspicious!

Just finished my second Christmas Bird Count day in a row and am excited to share that I DID see an American Woodcock! What a bird to manifest on my home county list 😅💖

Are you in need of a little bird joy? We've got you covered.

On today's podcast, @science-ari.bsky.social and Dr. Anuj Ghimire join us to celebrate the 2023 Christmas Bird Count. pod.link/73329284

A New Book From the Feminist Bird Club Offers a Fresh Framework for Birders Not your typical birding guide, the book explores how we can promote the well-being of birds alongside the people that care for them.

I've got a new book review out in Audubon magazine today about the Feminist Bird Club's Birding for a Better World. It's a beautiful book filled with helpful tips and evocative art. Read more about it here: www.audubon.org/news/new-boo...

Cats Kill a Staggering Number of Species across the World Domestic cats are cherished human companions, but a new study shows the enormous breadth of species the felines prey on when they are left to roam freely

Please, if you care about biodiversity, keep your cats indoors.

www.scientificamerican.com/article/cats...

A Celebration Of The 2023 Christmas Bird Count Birders across the world band together to record the number of birds in their communities from Dec 14 to Jan 5.

Birders across the world band together to record the number of birds.

@science-ari.bsky.social and Dr. Anuj Ghimire, join us to give a preview of this year’s Christmas Bird Count and answer your questions.

Call 1-844-724-8255 or reply below!

www.sciencefriday.com/segments/chr...

Three people stand in front of microphones on a performance stage. In the background is a sign that says “Code Switch Live” with the NPR logo.

This is one of the coolest events to come to Arkansas thanks to Little Rock Public Radio 🎙️ #CodeSwitchLive

If you like birds, you need to drop everything right now (~6PM ET 11/30) and watch H. Jon Benjamin compete with David Sibley at drawing birds. Even if you don't like birds, this is objectively delightful. www.eventbrite.com/e/the-ultima...

A four-panel comic. In panel 1, a narrators says "Wild Turkeys are one of North America's greatest conservation success stories. Here to tell us more is a wild turkey." A beautiful wild turkey pokes his head in and says "Oh hello!" In panel 2, the turkey says "Look what I can do!" In panel 3, the bump on his head extends down over his beak with a "vlooop". In panel 4, the narrator says "Okay, that's... thank you." The turkey bloops its dangly nose thing back up to the top of its nose and says "It's called a snood!" The narrator says "Thanks."

Meet the Wild Turkey. One of my favorite comics from last year.

vlooop 🪶🧪

A friend of mine just texted me two videos of birds he’d seen on vacation today with the prompt: “guess where I am based only on these birds”. And let me tell y’all, this is my new favorite game!

A screenshot of an article in SALON with the heading “Wild pig-like animals are tearing up an Arizona golf course”. The accompanying photo is of a javelina in recline, presumably on said golf course. Excerpt reads as follows: “She's an eco-vengeance iconoclast who loves coyote pee and running at manic speeds. She's an unstoppable chaos queen with a stink-nipple on her butt, who turns luxury Arizona golf courses into free range charcuterie boards for her grub-worm girl dinner. She's a guerilla class-warfare legend whose mating call sounds like the hissing warb-garble of a cappuccino machine milk-steamer. She's the internet's most beloved trash-eating ungulate - the uncompromising, the indefatigable, the lovely javelina.”

Please enjoy this, the most breathless and accurate description of a javelina ever penned (see alt for easier-to-read copy):

How would a starfish wear trousers? Science has an answer Starfishes are weirdly shaped animals. Scientists have long puzzled over how a starfish body equates to the more typical animal arrangement of a head on one ...

I'm obsessed with Nature's explainer about starfish body plans ⭐ 🩳

This really is where the fun begins

Salty sweat helps one desert plant stay hydrated The Athel tamarisk excretes excess salt through its leaves. The buildup of salt crystals pulls water directly from the air, a study reports.

I'm relaunching my freelance business! I'll continue reporting news in my established beats—chemistry, materials, and physical sciences—while expanding my coverage of environmental stories. My latest for Science News is about the unexpected chemistry helping a salty shrub stay slick in the desert.

First of season juncos in the yard! Winter is coming!

I’m actually tearing up listening to Sam Sanders sign off on the last episode of ‘Into It’ at Chuck E. Cheese. I loved this show so much 😭 I liked, subscribed, and told all my friend 💔

My favorite character on Bachelor in Paradise is the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Science historian Catherine M. Jackson discusses the origins of organic synthesis Author of <i>Molecular World</i> explains how 19th-century glassware and synthesis experiments shaped modern chemistry

This is the last piece I reported as a staffer at C&EN. In this Q&A, I spoke with historian Catherine M. Jackson about how wild it is that 19th-century chemists revealed the molecular nature of matter. I'm proud of how it turned out.

The way I just screamed when I saw the new episode of Normal Gossip in my feed 💖

The White-throated Sparrows have returned to my yard! Autumn has come!