The little nestlings are about 8 and 10 days old now...

I checked one of my trail cameras today and the best video was this mountain lion on the hunt. Location, Pima County, AZ:



There is a movement in Arizona to stop predator hunting:

https://www.sonorandesert.org/2017/11/14/our-support-for-a-ban-on-trophy-hunting-of-arizonas-wild-cats/

Anyone else wondering about the current fad to stop using plastic straws? Is it because of the image of the sea turtle with a straw through it's nose or that they are a one-time use product?

Either way, it seems like the ditch-plastic-straws campaign has taken over the world as if it was a newly discovered threat. Starbucks promises to stop using plastic straws by 2020 (Why can't they stop now?). A few U.S. cities are now considering banning plastic straws, similar to a plastic bag ban in some areas. And, some environmental groups are calling for an end to plastic straws as if they are the new icon of environmental discord and destruction.

Don't get me wrong, I think this is a good thing. However, why the intense focus on straws? It's as if the mighty straw has become the main plastic problem... But, straws are not that by themselves.

How about plastic bottles and bottle caps? How about cigarette lighters? Sporks? Toothbrushes? Plastic bags? How about anything made from plastic?

My point is that plastics are ever-present in our lives, and not just in straw form. It's not the straws fault, but our dependence on plastics in its many forms.

We have choices that can make a difference. Yes, say no to the plastic straw, but I feel it's important to strive to reduce our daily dependence on one-time use plastics, be it a straw, plastic bag or vegetable container.

If you've stuck with me so far check out this video I made when I was on Midway Atoll. This says more than I could ever convey:

Sadly, DU still will not create a forum for ecology/wildlife, only birding. All major news sites ignore ecology. If one cares about the environmental impact of the current administration or if you just love wildlife then you would see the need for such a forum.

Either way, I'll post this here: Two monarch butterfly caterpillars eating milkweed in my pollinator garden: [link:|

Looks like the same broad-billed hummingbird that made her nest in my patio last year decided to come back for another try. Funny place to build a nest. Last year she raised two fledglings and now it looks like she's incubating two eggs. Location: Tucson, Arizona, Sonoran Desert.