There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town

Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Birdtober Day 21: Wilson's Bird-of-Paradise

The Wilson's Bird-of-Paradise is, as David Attenborough says in the second video above, "very tidy." This famous footage is the first film appearance of this species, and Attenborough obtained it by spreading a bunch of leaves which he knew the bird would be compelled to clear away. The theory is that he wants no distractions when he performs his courtship dance. I think it's ironic that a bird that is so focused on essentials has a name which has nothing to do with him, but more to do with the political leanings of the person naming him. As Wikipedia puts it, "The controversial scientific name respublica of this species was given by Charles Lucien Bonaparte, Napoleon's nephew and a republican idealist. The habit of zoologists at that time to dedicate newly discovered species to some king, queen, or aristocrat deeply irritated him. In order to assert his convictions, he chose to name this species respublica to honour the republic and not the royalty."

When it comes to courtship action

Wilson's bird wants no distraction.

He's focused on potential mates

And how he can captivate.

He rids his stage of any mess

Gets ready to dance to impress.

He doesn't care his name's political.

His courtship dance is mission-critical.

©Ruth Bowen Hersey

Monday, October 19, 2026

Birdtober Day 20: Philippine Cockatoo

As so often happens when I start researching birds on the Birdtober calendar, with this one I was immediately pulled into a world I knew nothing at all about. The Philippine Cockatoo (also known as the Red-vented Cockatoo or by its local name, Katala) is critically endangered. The video above talks about this bird and other species on the island of Palawan that are close to extinction. I was curious about the foreigner interviewed on the video, Dr. Sabine Schoppe, and when I googled her I found that she just died last month after thirty years of fighting for the survival of these creatures. You can read more about her here. The tributes I found speak volumes about how loved she was and what an impact she had on the Philippines after moving there from Germany many years ago. She worked with The Katala Foundation.

Rare bird

White Katala

High in banana tree

Loud, joyful squawking noise rings out

Once more

©Ruth Bowen Hersey

Birdtober Day 19: Blue-necked Jacamar

The Blue-necked Jacamar is also called the Blue-cheeked Jacamar. These birds remind me of kingfishers, bee-eaters, todies, and hummingbirds. They breed in tunnels, like kingfishers, and they also look a lot like kingfishers. They beat their prey on a branch before eating, like bee-eaters and kingfishers. They are iridescent, like hummingbirds. And their proportions are very similar to todies. But they are none of the above.

Nice to meet you, jacamar.

How I wonder what you are.

You are like some birds I've met

But I haven't met you yet.

I see you looking out for prey

(Bugs should really keep away)

I hear you make a trilling cry

Then watch you catch a passing fly

But I don't know you, jacamar.

How I wonder what you are.

©Ruth Bowen Hersey

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Birdtober Day 18: Sunbittern

These birds, though called bitterns, aren't really part of the bittern family. A nineteenth century bird book called them "Peacock Herons" and that fits very well, since they look a lot like herons and they open their tails to display like peacocks. They can be found in parts of Central and South America. They look a bit ordinary at first, but if you watch the second video above, you'll see that their display is anything but ordinary.

Quiet Sunbittern

Opens his wings to the sun

Suddenly dazzles

©Ruth Bowen Hersey

Birdtober Day 17: Andean Cock-of-the-Rock

The Bird Name Book, by Susan Myers, suggests that a better name for this bird would be Hen-of-the-Rock because it's named after where they make their nests, and the male has nothing to do with that at all. He's a dandy who dances for females and mates with as many as he can. It's left to the single mom to do all the work of incubating and raising the chicks. The second video above gives a lot more information about that.

The Andean Hen-of-the-Rock

Does much more work than the Cock

She sticks nests to the rocks with her spit

Then for weeks she does nothing but sit

Then feeds her new brood

With nutritious food

Such as fruit and fresh snakes,

And fine lizard steaks.

The Andean Hen-of-the-Rock

Is in for quite a big shock

If she thinks that fine male

With the perky black tail

Will ever be there

To do his fair share.

But his scarlet display

Draws her eye anyway.

©Ruth Bowen Hersey

Friday, October 16, 2026

Reading Update

Book #93 of the year was More Than You Can Imagine: What God Does When You Trust Him, by Susie Larson. I heard the author on a podcast and had to preorder the book because I liked what she said so much. This book was very good and I'll probably reread it since I went through it pretty fast the first time.

Book #94 was Stone Yard Devotional, by Charlotte Wood. This was strange, but oddly compelling.

Book #95 was Trophic Cascade, by Camille Dungy. I don't read as much poetry as I used to, but this was good. Again, I'll need to reread it.

Book #96 was C'était ça ou mourir, by Thélyson Orélien. I want so much to believe that Orélien didn't use AI to write this, and maybe he didn't. I'm glad I read it because it's a story that needs to be told. Google if you haven't heard about all the controversy with this book.

Book #97 was a book club pick, The Pirate Queen, by Ariel Lawhon. I enjoyed it very much, and learned some about Irish history. Grace, the pirate queen, is an unforgettable character.

Book #98 was Exit Party, by Emily St. John Mandel. There's a lot of familiar territory here for this author: post-apocalyptic, time (or at least dimension) travel, making a life in horrendous circumstances. I enjoyed it.