On sale June 10, 2024, Around the World in 50 Birds 1000-piece puzzle is a beauty. Spot birds from across the globe from the Japanese Crane to the Atlantic Puffin to the Yellow-billed Oxpecker of Tanzania.
Discover birds' stories and how they entwine with our history, culture and folklore on an included fold-out poster guide, as you piece together an incredible range of birds in varied colors.
Check out the "companion" book here.
Around the World in 80 Birds is a new book written by Mike Unwin, with gorgeous, detailed illustrations by Ryuto Miyake. It is a masterpiece of art and words for the bird lover.
The book combines folklore and facts about birds of significance from seven geographic regions: Africa, Eurasia, North America, South and Central America, South and Southeast Asia, Australasia, and Oceans & Islands.
Meet the Andean Cock-of-the-rock, Peru's national bird, a songbird of myriad capabilities. Take the ritual dance during mating season when according to author, Unwin, the fluorescent scarlet males strut their stuff in flattering early morning and dusk light to compete for female attention. Males are polygamous and put their efforts into showing off fanciful displays, while the females - like many species throughout the world - are left to complete the breeding process, alas, alone.
Read about conservation efforts that saved the reclusive Kakapo of New Zealand from extinction. A parrot of great weight, the males weigh nearly 9 pounds, using their heft to dig impressive holes that amplify their voices, which in turn attracts a mate. A boom boom here, a boom boom there, and before you know it, females are inspecting prospective suitors inflated chests' air sacs flattering display. And then, like the Andean Cock-of-the-rock, the impregnated females are left alone to raise their young, as the males begin anew, calling out to their next birdie.
Monogamy is found in North America's Bald Eagle and Great Grey Owl, and serial monogamy in Antarctica's Emperor Penguin to name a few.
The Sociable Weaver Bird in Namibia constructs huge multi-nest 'apartment blocks' in the desert, the Bar-headed Goose of China crosses the Himalayas twice a year, flying at dizzying heights, while France has the Common Nightingale, a songbird of nocturnal melodies used to entice females, and keep aggressors away.
Many species have faced extinction by the hand of man whether for their feathers, meat, or bills such as the Helmeted Hornbill of Indonesia. And now with climate change lost habitat due to drought and sea level rise is wreaking havoc on bird populations everywhere.
Many descriptive bird facts and folklore make Around The World In 80 Birds a fascinating book that belongs on all bird-lovers shelves.
Around The World In 80 Birds written by Mike Unwin with illustrations by Ryuto Miyake is a winner.
To learn more about birds and conservation, check out Audubon.
World-renowned photographer Art Wolfe transports readers to every continent in his newest book Night On Earth: Photography by Art Wolfe. A grand adventure of dark skies, nature, and unique wildlife and tribes, Mr. Wolfe's book reflects his artistic eye. This mesmerizing, uplifting book is the result of a lifetime of outstanding achievement and is a wonderful reminder that despite our social and climate problems there remains much beauty to appreciate, enjoy, and preserve.
As a routine night hiker (I hike often with a small group), I was drawn to Art Wolfe's book, for my love of the night life: serene quiet, occasional hoot of owls, stars glistening, moon's phases, sunsets splashing light hues upon mountains far from civilization's concerns. Problems insurmountable in daylight seem to disappear under an expansive night sky replaced by awe.
Someone recently asked, "Do you prefer hiking in the mountains under a full or crescent moon?" While each night sky has its beauty -- even hiking under last night's fog, like a thick mushroom soup -- I favor the crescent moon because the dark sky comes alive with stars, Big Dipper, Saturn, Mars, Jupiter... The nearby city lights twinkling gold, silver and red never deter my amazement at the night sky of the Santa Monica Mountains. That said, the twinkling above is profoundly different than the city lights below. Let's reduce energy use and go renewable. Appreciate the dark sky and clean fresh air.
When opening the large pages of Mr. Wolfe's photography book: Night skies burst with sparkling stars and The Milky Way. Green sea turtles hatch and paddle. Asaro mudmen hunt with bows and arrow. Owls spread wings en route to prey. Nordic aurora borealis ignite night skies with vibrant color. Sacred prayers are given by the banks of India's Ganges River. All this and more as readers discover the star trails over the Australian Outback - without leaving home.
I can't imagine the weight and size of lenses Mr. Wolfe must have used to capture night skies. And how long he sat in silence waiting for such ideal moments. And what discomfort he may have endured for us to simply open a book in our living-rooms. Amazing. The result is a portfolio of earth's most beautiful places and unique inhabitants.
Light pollution: Dark night skies must be preserved, and dirty energy sources minimized.
Mr. Wolfe's book contains an introduction by Ruskin Hartley of the International Dark-Sky Association, who shares information about destruction linked to light pollution, such as global insect decline, death of millions of migrating birds and increased carbon emissions and human disease. Scientists believe about 83% of the world lives under light pollution.
As of 2021, there are more than 170 protected International Dark Sky Places in the world. In the continental United States we have the first designated International Dark Sky Park located at Natural Bridges National Monument near Four Corners in southeastern Utah. The nearest tiny town of Blanding, Utah is 40 miles away.
About Art Wolfe
Art Wolfe is an American photographer and conservationist, best known for color images of landscapes, wildlife, and native cultures. His photographs document scenes from every continent and hundreds of locations, and have been noted by environmental advocacy groups for their "stunning" visual impact.
Photographs courtesy of Art Wolfe. Book courtesy of Earth Aware Editions.
After a homeless arsonist fueled the Palisades fire on May 14, 2021, charring over 1158 acres of dry brush and threatening homes, our beloved Topanga State Park closed: Hot spots, preserving archeological sites, and rebuilding burned trails were reasons given.
So after three weeks, I just spoke to Ranger Readyhoff of the California State Parks Angeles division, who told me that the park will reopen tomorrow, June 5, 2021.
Without doubt, John Muir, conservationist and father of our national park system, is once again remembered. Our open nature is the greatest gift!
Photos Topanga State Park from my iPhone - 2019-2021 hikes.
In January, Los Angeles experienced a Covid spike, upon a spike. As the disaster worsened, my air quality thoughts expanded to contemplate indoor carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. The gas we exhale after inhaling oxygen. If too many people exhale in shared indoor space, during an active pandemic, without good ventilation, well, that stagnant air may portend a potential problem for some unlucky person(s).
Reading Covid air quality articles, I understood ventilation was necessary to ensure better shared air, and CO2 levels was an indicator whether a shared space may be safer than otherwise during a pandemic, especially during a spike upon a spike. I read about high concentrations of carbon dioxide in places like grocery stores when they're crowded (or recently crowded) with suggestions to return when less people are present, or recently present, especially if one is at high risk for complications from Covid.
It got me thinking.
How would I know when the ventilation was optimal where I am? Or whether it's time to open the windows, turn on an air purifier, or walk outside? Since vaccinated people may start visiting one another indoors, I decided an air quality monitor may make me feel safer given talk of variants and fact that vaccines aren't 100% effective.
Enter the AirVisual Pro Air Quality Monitor
As it turns out, I got much more than I bargained for with IQ Air's smart air quality monitor. It is a wonderful, helpful addition to my IQ Air HealthPro Plus Air Purifier. When alerted about unhealthful indoor and outdoor air, in essence, the monitor and purifier work in tandem. The monitor also saves me money, in that it lets me know when my indoor air quality is good. Therefore, I don't need to turn on the air purifier, which utilizes replaceable filters.
The monitor measures the Air Quality Index (AQI), a system with a range of 0-500 for reporting the severity of air quality levels. The monitor includes measurements for temperature and humidity, PM2.5, and CO2.
CO2 is a naturally occurring gas that is often in rural concentrations around 380 and city concentrations 500. High CO2 means you need fresh air. There's rarely long term health effects but in the short term, it can contribute to headaches, sluggishness, brain fog. More importantly, according to IQAir literature, "... high CO2 is an indication of stagnant air which tends to have less oxygen, and more bacteria, mold and other harmful particles like VOCs."
The monitor recommends when to open or close your windows or turn on an air purifier, depending on pollution and CO2 levels. As well, it measures outdoor air quality nearby and will let you know if it's safe to exercise outside or if you should wear a mask. (In Los Angeles, we are told to wear a mask outside whenever near others and I do.)
While the air quality monitor has a battery, which I surmise I may be able to take for a quick ride to the grocery story, it is meant to run on electricity for home use and will integrate with a smart home system. The air quality monitor integrates its information wirelessly via a mobile App that constantly updates air quality information at home and nearby outdoors, where the closest air monitors are located. In my case, Beverly Hills, which is approximately 20 miles away.
I have used the monitor for two months now.
One morning, I woke with a headache. I looked at the air quality monitor and it showed that my CO2 and pollution levels were high indoors. I'd left my gas heater on all night by mistake. The monitor alerted me to open the windows because air quality was poor indoors and good outdoors.
One afternoon, I had all my windows open when a neighbor decided to run his motorcycle for the sake of running it stationary within feet of my windows! My monitor registered elevated poor indoor air quality; it alerted me to close the windows. I turned on the air purifier and watched my levels come down promptly. That was interesting how fast the air shifted and improved given air purifier use.
Another time, both the outdoor and indoor air quality wasn't great, and the monitor said to close the windows. I did and I turned on my IQ Air air purifier, and watched the monitor quickly show my indoor air improve.
The air quality monitor works with the AirVisual Pro Air Quality App. After initially pairing my devices - the monitor and my iPhone - I was able to check my phone in order to be informed about my air quality levels before arriving home. It told me whether my windows should be opened or closed, if the air purifier was needed, and what my indoor and outdoor air temperatures were. It shows previous and predicts future air quality and temps. The App is a great resource for air quality information from around the world, which you can also find on the IQ Air website. It lists real time air quality from major cities, which is interesting. Turns out, due to the pandemic, Los Angeles has rated some of the best air quality in the world. As things reopen, we'll see how long that lasts. People do like working from home, so I am hopeful.
According to the IQ Air website:
IQAir AirVisual is a proud air quality monitoring partner of the United Nations Environment Programme. The IQAir AirVisual Platform brings together data collected by governments, companies, and individuals around the world to support the UNEP's global health policies and to help us bring air quality data to the 9 out of 10 people worldwide who still need clean air to breathe.
Track key air pollutants including: PM2.5, PM10, Ozone, NO2, CO2, & SO2 in a beautiful, simple display.
Actually I'm not sure about PM10, NO2 and SO2, those elements aren't on my monitor's display though the system may account for them in the AQI.
Overall, I'm extremely happy with my air quality monitor, and appreciate the soundness of mind it gives me. I'm looking forward to hosting my first indoor dinner and music jam in over a year--after my friends and I are fully vaccinated--and rest assured I'll check my air quality and CO2 levels for added safety given, as of this writing, Fauci still warns about variants.
For more information or to purchase an air quality monitor for yourself, check out IQ Air.
Yesterday when I heard that Los Angeles is going into a heat wave this week, with potential record-breaking temperatures and winds, I thought: Where will evacuees escape to given many recreation centers now house the homeless? And what about those friends in the past I stayed with during an evacuation but now we're social distancing.
To get insight into Southern California 2020 fire season, I went to the web site of National Interactive Fire Center. This is where U.S. meteorologists focus on fire conditions and share their predictions for sections of our country based on models for drought, weather, and temperatures.
To hear the April 15, 2020 NIFC summary about west coast fire weather predictions and conditions click here.
The good news: According to Bureau of Land Management meteorologist, Bryan Henry, Southern California had 800% above normal rainfall recently. There is moisture in the ground and despite an incoming heat wave, humidity is not too low. June will be the peak of fire season in the Southwest but probably not as bad as in the past. On the other hand, it's too soon to predict our fall, which is usually when our worst fires occur due to dry brush - of which we have much due to that magnificent rain - and those dreadful Santa Ana winds.
Another region I focus on, where my family lives, Northern California may get significant fires in July and August.
With coronavirus increasing in California, particularly in Los Angeles county, I wonder how the fire department will handle fighting fires and dealing with evacuees. As I type, Governor Newsom is giving his update to our Covid response. His team created a volunteer web site to ensure every able Californian can volunteer where they can. Maybe this will include people dealing with our potential fire issues - like trimming trees, reminding neighbors to clear the areas around their homes and roofs, figuring out where fire evacuees will go if we're still in a stay at home coronavirus situation. Maybe I'm helping now by putting out a reminder not to let down our guard despite everything else we are adjusting to.
The governor just said California experienced another increase in coronavirus cases, 5% increase in deaths since yesterday, 3.3% increase in hospitalizations throughout state of California. We're up to 14,000+ tests per day now. Wants to get up to 25,000 tests a day by month's end.
The good news is we've had a lot of rain and people are helping one another like never before. And Californians with Governor Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti, have outstanding leadership.
"Lift someone's heart," says Governor Newsom, "Check out the web site Californians for All."
Think I will do that, and then walk in Los Angeles clean air.
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