Welcome to My World – Backyard Birds – Beneficial Weeds – Healthy Mind & Body
Hello World! Hope you’re doing great! I think I can sit long enough to write this post today. I’m feeling somewhat better but definitely not 100% yet. Today I’m going to talk about Healthy Mind & Body by sharing some
Rainy Weather bringing all the new greenery to my backyard
info I found about a beneficial Weed & Backyard Birds. Both will make you feel good in mind & body!
Spring is coming! I have so much new greenery in my backyard & I heard the birds singing in the rain this morning…
If You See This “Weed” Growing In Your Yard, Don’t Pick It! Here’s Why…
The majority of you probably regard purslane as a useless weed, but this article will reveal some interesting facts about it. It’s leaves provide fantastic health benefits, so next time you want to pull it and throw it away, you should keep that in mind.
Purslane, the healthy weed!
This weed includes the most vitamin A than all green leafy vegetables, which prevents cancer, and is abundant in Omega-3 fatty acids, so it effectively prevents heart diseases and stroke. Moreover, it is free of GMO.
Regarding all this, you should consider including it into your regular diet. Its leaves have delicious lemony taste and crunchy texture. Therefore, you
Purslane, the Beneficial Weed
can replace spinach with it, and include it in various recipes. You can add it to salads and sandwiches, and since it is also rich in proteins, it will boost your energy levels and strength. Purslane also reduces the risk of developmental disorders in children, like autism, and ADHD.
I’ve seen purslane in my backyard in the past, but haven’t seen it for a few years. I had no idea that it was good for you. I believe it gets a small yellow flower on it.
Now on to the backyard Bird Count:
This Year’s Great Backyard Bird Count is Underway
*(We already missed this event, but it’s fun to do anyway… 🙂 )*
This weekend, bird enthusiasts from around the world will become citizen scientists for a few
bullfinch
days for the 20th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC).
During the 4-day event, which is organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society and Bird Studies Canada, people around the world will be headed outdoors February 17 to 20 to count the number of birds they see.
The goal of this event is to help give scientists a better understanding of bird populations and
I love Peacocks! Used to see them all the time when I lived in Hawaii, but they aren’t running loose in Texas…
their distribution during the winter. Since the first count took place in 1998, participation has grown substantially. Last year’s count saw a record-number of participants when 163,763 bird watchers from more than 100 countries submitted 162,052 bird checklists that covered more than half of the known bird species in the world.
“The very first GBBC was an experiment,” said the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Marshall Iliff, a leader of the eBird program. “We wanted to see if people would use the Internet to send us their bird sightings. Clearly the experiment was a success!”
The data collected is helping scientists answer questions about how they’re being affected by
Not sure what this little guy is, but he is Pretty!
factors like disease, development and climate change. It’s also helping them gauge how the timing of migrations change over the years, in addition to offering insight about where conservation efforts need to be focused to protect species at risk.
“The Great Backyard Bird Count is a great way to introduce people to participation in citizen science,” said Audubon vice president and chief scientist Gary Langham. “No other program allows volunteers to take an instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations that can contribute to our understanding of how a changing climate is affecting birds.”
According to a joint statement, this year participants can keep an eye out for trends including
Geese
waterfowl and kingfishers remaining further north than they usually do because they’re finding open water, higher than usual numbers of Bohemian Waxwings in the Pacific Northwest and northern Rocky Mountains, and irruptions of other species including winter finches and Snowy Owls.
“The GBBC has done a terrific job of tracking irruptions of Snowy Owls southward over the past several years. We can’t predict what winter 2017 will bring, because Snowy Owl populations are so closely tied to unpredictable ‘cycles’ of lemmings in the Arctic. These cycles occur at intervals between two and six years. Nevertheless, there are already reports of Snowy Owls as far south as Virginia,” said Jon McCracken, Bird Studies Canada’s National Program Director.
Participation is free, and the count is open to people of all skill levels. While experts have
I believe this is a beautiful Crane (am I correct?)
been encouraged to help fledge newcomers, there are plenty of tools for anyone just starting out to help identify local birds. For the 20th anniversary, over the weekend the public is also being invited to help judge a photo contest, where people will be able to choose their favorite image from previous years.
I’ve always enjoyed photographing birds in my backyard & will continue to do so. I no longer have honeysuckle so I almost never see hummingbirds
Male Cardinal
but I do see cardinals, blue jays, the occasional robin, along with doves, starlings & other small birds. We also have many squirrels & the occasional opossum & raccoon in my backyard. I’ve even photographed some interesting spiders…
I’ve never seen an owl in my yard, but we have had a woodpecker (noisy little ones). If you enjoy birds, try photographing them. it is peaceful & good for the mind & spirit…
That’s it for today. My neck needs a rest away from the computer…