In another lifetime, I would love to be a wildlife ecologist. The other day, walking through the Arboretum at University of Wisconsin - Madison, my friend and I came across a bird-watcher, equipped with blend-in clothing and binoculars. The first time we passed by her, the lens were arched upwards to look at a bunch of wild turkeys making merry on the treetops. As we turned the corner, I lost sight of her but did spot four deers nibbling on someone’s garden growth. They were alert to our presence, with twitching ears and wary gaze, like gum-chewing teenagers caught doing a minor transgression. A few meters before this encounter, we came across over 8 red-winged blackbirds, trilling out calls (Audobon: conk-la-ree!) while trying to stay steady on the wind-bent reeds. Being romantics, we assumed this was the call for love, as mating season is urged along by mellow spring breezes.
On our way back, in the setting twilight, there was a sudden ruckus - loud, cackling bird calls surrounded us. We spotted something sprinting across the frozen Lake Wingra, and then another something. And who do we happen upon also looking out at the lake but the aforementioned bird-watcher. She was quite excited and told us the somethings were coyotes and that she’d stopped to see what was ruffling the cranes’ feathers. After our ‘ah’-s, she also wanted us to come along so she could show us osprey nests, empty this week, but soon to be filled with eggs → chicks in the spring baby fever time. The birds of prey cleverly located the nests next to the lake (also to be thawed) so they can make quick grabs at the fish therein and feed the l’il ones. The bird-watcher, unsurprisingly, turned out to be a wildlife ecologist. After the quick introduction, she didn’t waste a breath to also walk us to a colony of clownishly small nests belonging to massive Great Blue Herons, again to be filled with bebes come spring. We were also shown the best viewpoint to see them after the now-bare trees would fill out.
The kind ecologist, after sharing her bits of wisdom, sadly had to dash ahead. My friend and I were quite pleasantly ruffled ourselves and resumed our stroll, enriched with the bird-watcher’s presence.
I couldn’t help but aspire to be that way, and someday I will be - an enthusiastic lady geeking out on our co-habitants on Mama Earth, equipped with my grandad’s binoculars and quick observations to share. I’m sure some of you reading this will be accompanying me on these adventures. Can’t wait!
More about Wisconsin’s rich fauna here.
World Wildlife Day, an Oceanic Wildlife Win and a Climate News
I., II.,
Friday, March 3, was globally celebrated as the World Wildlife Day. To celebrate, I watched snippets of Wild Babies and Our Planet, read Vandana Shiva’s empowering essay on biodiversity, seed sovereignty and wisdom of Mama Earth, and fell asleep to whale sounds.
In addition to its 50th anniversary, the UN-promoted day came with a heartening news: the High Seas Treaty, an international agreement which aims to protect 30% of the oceans by 2030, has been passed after ten years of negotiations. Though much work remains to be done - the countries are yet to ratify (legally adopt) the Treaty, certain committees will have to be set up, along with accountability measures and policies (and much more) - this is massive jump from the current protection of only 1.2% of international waters.
III.
A new publication from International Energy Agency suggested that CO2 emissions from energy increased by less than 1% in 2022. Rise in clean tech (renewables, EV, heat pumps) is the primary cause for this trend. Though this is insufficient - currently, energy accounts for 76% of total emissions and annual emission reduction of 7% is required from the sector to halve emissions by 2030 - it is still progress.
Point of note: even as emissions fell in China and the EU, they rose by 0.8% in the US. We all know what needs to be done (internally chanting) - stop burning f* fuels.