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Thread summary:

Amazed at wide variety of bird species, Chickadees, Titmouse, Robins, Cardinals, opinions on migration patterns, Farmer’s Almanac, northern or southern part of south

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Old 08-23-2008, 03:41 PM
 
Location: Rocket City, U.S.A.
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This past Winter I was blown away by how many different varieties I had visiting my deck, but then as Spring turned to Summer all I had left were Chickadees, Titmouse, Robins and Cardinals in ample supply...and one owl. An errant Carolina Wren. Oh, and that yellow/black Finch, but he stays in the front, prefers open areas while he raids the mass of sunflowers I planted for him.

I noticed a hummingbird visiting my next door neighbor and promptly hung a 'nectar' feeder off the deck...wasn't but a few days until I had several constantly partaking...slowly letting me get closer to take a few pictures. They fly over to the other side of the deck where we usually sit, to check us out, and think nothing of flying so close that they cause a draft. Am completely in love with these little creatures.

All that aside, this week with the leaves already dropping(!), my deck and yard are again swarming with birds, including one or two I had not yet seen here. I thought this was still a bit early for the migration, but they're here.

Anybody paying attention to the Farmer's Almanac? I'm trying to determine by their site definition whether we're the "northern" part of the Deep South or not...forecasted to have a colder winter and a bit more snow.
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Old 08-24-2008, 11:35 AM
 
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There is a LOT of talk in some of the rural forums I visit about the signs of an early or severe winter in TN, TX, AL, MO, AR, and parts of GA. Leaves falling, early migrations, field mice hunting for cover early, etc..

There have been days this August that have felt more like late September, early October from last year.

The big issue is the continuing lack of sunspots. There is a correlation of the earth being cold and a lack of sunspots. FWIW, the north pole did not melt to open water this summer and drop all the instrumentation there into the ocean, as some global warming experts expected. Read the panic here: Exclusive: Scientists warn that there may be no ice at North Pole this summer - Climate Change, Environment - The Independent

There is some open water, but not a complete melting. See for yourself here:

North Pole WebCam

The fish eye of the sky (look at the edges for a panorama of the ice and open spots):

http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/latest/noaa3.jpg (broken link)

The recent years cited for global warming were years of high sunspot activity. Hmmm.

For some real info on the north pole that isn't caught up in the hype: The Top of the World
He points out something I had long forgotten, that the submarine Skate surfaced at the north pole in 1959!
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Old 08-24-2008, 02:25 PM
 
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If you like birds, then you must get involved with some of the bird walks that are held in spring and early summer. Wheeler Wildlife Refuge is a treasure and you should visit the visitor's center. I am looking forward to seeing the sand hill cranes there this fall and winter. They were about my favorite thing of living in Wisconsin. We had 50 of them in back of our house so I was thrilled that I could see them at Wheeler. Also, you will learn that Alabama is one of the most active bird migration routes hence the AL Birding Trail all over the state. I have even met people that moved here to see the birds - real bird watchers!
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Old 08-24-2008, 06:45 PM
 
Location: Huntsville, AL
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One of my two trees (red maple I think?) already has BRIGHT red leaves. The whole tree solid red. I was just wondering if that wasn't a bit early? How do the trees "know" anyways? It seems like we had plenty of heat last week. Is it hours of daylight that triggers it?
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Old 08-24-2008, 07:40 PM
 
Location: Huntsville, AL
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And thanks for the links Harry. Very interesting. Isn't there a UAH climatologist who wrote a book countering global warming hysteria? Roy Spencer I think? Have you read it?
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Old 08-25-2008, 09:22 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zenjenn View Post
And thanks for the links Harry. Very interesting. Isn't there a UAH climatologist who wrote a book countering global warming hysteria? Roy Spencer I think? Have you read it?
No. I have a sixth sense for scams and extremism of most any kind, after having been burned a couple of times when much younger. Humanity has incredible chutzpah, and does affect environments in undeniable ways - witness the near extinction of right whales and a number of other species, the massive landforming that comprises our cities and suburbs, and so on. However, the whole global warming schtick is a sucker's game being played for profit and control.

I'll provide an example that shows how the game is being played to make money rather than to be effective and pro-active:

You can't get away from complaints by the extremists that the cars in the U.S. are a major cause of global warming, and that they need to be more efficient, more highly regulated, more dependent on computers, rare earth catalysts, and other "fixes" that are out of the reach of the common man, and have to be supplied by large corporations, often with the laws of the nation and states mandating those items.

I have nothing against buying a car that uses less gas, and I remember the days when pollution from car exhaust contained lead and other goodies, so my objections narrow down to a few points. First, restrictive laws that do not allow for personal development and experimentation do a disservice to the evolution of our tools and goods. I could cite numerous historical examples, some bringing down countries and empires. Second, and more importantly for the discussion, the whole system does little to reduce CO2 emissions, since gasoline and diesel are hydrocarbon based fuels. Improving efficiency and reducing nitrous oxides don't significantly address the CO2 emission issue.

At the same time the global warming politicians and special interest groups are yammering on about the evils of the SUV, there are numerous underground coal fires in the world.

Underground coal fires called a 'catastrophe'

From that site and others, we learn that stopping the coal fires in China would preserve that country's natural resources and ELIMINATE the equivalent of CO2 going into the atmosphere from all the cars and light trucks in the U.S.. Not just a small percentage - the entire blooming ball of wax. In one major project. THink that might be just a little bit bigger bang for the buck? I do. Think that is too big and too complicated, what with international relations and all that? We have our own underground coal fires right here in the U.S. that no one is doing anything about. "The Centralia, Pennsylvania mine fire, has been burning since May 1962. The fire was started when the local city council set trash ablaze in an abandoned strip mine that had been used as an illegal dump. (More of that tiring refrain, "we're the government, we're here to help you.")

The fire burned along a coal seam into tunnels located beneath Centralia, sending smoke and toxic fumes in the air and driving out almost all the town's 1,100 residents. A similar fire is now causing problems in Youngstown, Pennsylvania, where the Percy mine fire has been burning for more than 30 years."
Mines and Communities: Hidden Coal Fires Create Visible Problems

So instead of focusing on areas where there can be clear reductions that preserve resources (coal is, after all, sequestered carbon, useful in making plastics and other goods), the global warming crowd focuses on adding restrictions to U.S. businesses and citizens that make them non-competitive with other nations, and create wealth streams for those in the loop.

Al Gore lost his credibility with me when I learned about his house. One could suggest that it was political dirty trick that isn't based in reality, but even Snopes has labeled stories about his energy hog house as true.

snopes.com: Al Gore's Energy Use

Twelve times or twenty times makes no difference. I might even stretch to accept four times more energy usage than an average house, but this is obviously a man who is not willing to put his money where his mouth is, and IS willing to invest in companies that stand to gain as his cries of alarm bear the fruit of more governmental regulation. Gore deserves his Nobel prize about as much as the man who got one for examining the bumps on peoples heads for use in medical diagnoses. Gore is a smart man, but not in the way that helps the average Joe.
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Old 08-25-2008, 12:03 PM
 
Location: Rocket City, U.S.A.
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Now that was a healthy dose of refreshing sensibility.

I thought it was awfully early for the leaves to drop...and I'm ALL for more snow...but the seriously cold...well...I think that might illustrate to husband why we need to add additional layers of insulation. This house only has the old standard 12" or slightly less. And the side attic that runs the length of the house pumps icy air right under the door and in to the landing area. Last winter, every time the wind blew down the hill, it blew IN to the house. YIPPEE.

Last edited by 33458; 08-25-2008 at 12:39 PM..
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Old 08-25-2008, 02:29 PM
 
Location: Huntsville, AL
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Passionate about the issue much, Harry? When I heard that guy I mentioned being interviewed on a radio show (Roy Spencer I think, professor at UAH - I think the book was called "Climate Confusion") he speculated how carbon emissions might actually be good for the environment, because it encourages plant growth. He didn't go into it too much.

I also heard a story on NPR of all places about how ocean temperatures, which are actually a more reliable source for charing climate trends, are actually dropping.

Anyways, here's the tree I mentioned. This happened in the last couple days. Did we get low night temps and I just didn't notice or something? It was hotter than hell last week.

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Old 08-25-2008, 02:43 PM
 
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There are some varieties of maples that I have noticed every year turn earlier than others. We have that happen over here too every year and it always seems to be that particular variety of maple. FWIW
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Old 08-26-2008, 12:16 PM
 
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There have been studies on adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere within greenhouses, and the results are not good for the plants we depend on. I haven't seen any double blind studies, so I don't take it as absolute, just noting that it could be counter-intuitive.

Am I passionate about the issue? Surprisingly, not terribly. I do not care for mass dissemination of misinformation, and this is only one example of that. I think the public is being treated like dummies, and too few people complain about the media not properly vetting the stuff they spew. I also think that almost all special interest groups and businesses try to spin the news to their advantage and there are no impartial news sources that take that spun news and de-spin it for common consumption. Consumer's Report supposedly tries to rate products that way, but from what I've seen, the results have not been consistent. The political truth sites are all subject to hacking and subversion of one type or another.
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