Dear Charles

I really enjoyed this class and I had a lot of fun with the activities you planned. I loved the bird watching and field trips, and I also had a really good time with the Close Readings. I'm glad this class was focused on poetry, because it goes so well with environmentalism, and also because got me more excited about reading and analyzing poetry than I have been in the past. Also, this Journal assignment was fun and very useful for me.
Thanks for a great semester!

Lesser Goldfinch

Lesser Goldfinch: A small bird with bright yellow to brownish coloration on the body, dark wings with a large white wingbar. Color variations occur with location - for example, black backs are found in Texas birds, but backs are usually green in all birds west of Texas. These birds are found across the southwest United States and all of Mexico. They do well in suburban habitats and are common in areas inhabited by humans. 

Rosalia and I saw a Lesser Goldfinch on the Crissy Fields trip. It was fairly dull and very small - probably a juvenile. It was quite cute :)

Common Peafowl

Common Peafowl (Pavo cristatus): Very large exotic game bird, around 40 to 90 inches. Some feral populations may exist in Southern California, but otherwise they are introduced.

I saw a peacock in my yard in Oregon once and I am still very curious as to where it came from. I also saw and got to photograph common peafowl at a farm in Central Oregon. I think it's interesting that peacock feathers are a current fashion among teenage girls and young women. The design is super common in earrings, shirts and even dresses (and sometimes prom dresses! Yuck!). This strange phenomenon has got me pondering how many other fashions have been directly or indirectly derived from the animal world.

Mourning Dove

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura): A common, native bird found across North America. This is a medium sized bird with a light brownish-gray body, long tail with white tips and sometimes a slightly iridescent coloration on the back of the neck. They are widespread and common in suburban areas and on agricultural land. 

I saw (and identified) my first Mourning Dove in the USF garden and have seen many more since. It is one of the few birds that I can somewhat identify by it's voice.

Turkey Vulture

Turkey Vulture (Carthartes aura): Very large, common birds with a dark underbelly, white underwing feathers and a small, bald, red head.  They fly at a high dihedral, cruising high overhead for carrion. 

I saw two turkey vultures on a hike last Saturday through Mt. Tamalpais/Muir woods. At first, I thought I might be seeing a red-tailed hawk, but using my bird guide and class knowledge, I was eventually able to determine that it was a turkey vulture because of its high dihedral and the coloration on the underbelly. It was pretty cool to finally see a turkey vulture after talking about them all semester - I had already gotten to see/identify about 20 red-tailed hawks!

Born To Run

Over winter break, I read a book called Born To Run by Christopher McDougall. It is a piece of literary journalism that outlines the story of the Tarahumara Indians, a small civilization of people living in the Copper Canyons of Mexico. These people are the best distance runners on Earth. Their style of running and their diet are the same as they have been for the last several hundred years. They don't wear modern shoes, utilize modern sports medicine or eat a typical runner's diet. The book gives an overview of their traditional style and then attacks the modern way of going about running. After this is established, the book goes into detail about human's evolution as distance runners. It it believed that humans used to run down their prey through a long-distance pursuit. I watched a video of a tribesman in Africa performing this kind of hunt and it was awesome and very interesting. I think it's really interesting that humans seem to have no idea that their bodies evolved to be distance runners capable of running down every other animal on Earth. It was a really great read for me because it was a combination of my three biggest passions: environmental studies/evolution, journalism, and athletics. I'm considering the topic of "the evolution of humans as runners" for my final paper, using Born To Run and Darwin.

This is the persistence hunting video!

Cherry Blossom

I took this photo on main campus last week :)

Cherry Blossoms: I don't know what specific type of tree this is, just that it's flowers are called cherry blossoms. I think they are gorgeous flowers and a love when the trees bloom, as they are now. I went to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Japantown and it was a lot of fun. I think celebrating the beautiful things in nature is a good way to ensure the protection of all of Earth's plants and animals. Who could destroy something that is celebrated?

Steller's Jay

Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri): A native Jay with a long dark gray or black crest, a dark head and a blue body and tail feathers. They are common in coniferous forests and mixed woods. Two varieties include the Pacific, found along the coast from Southern California to Alaska, and the Interior West, found in the Rocky Mountain region of the U.S. and Canada. The males of the Interior West variety have white markings on the forehead.  

I saw a Steller's Jay on a run in Golden Gate Park. I remember the difference between Steller's Jays and Scrub Jays because the long crest, which looks like a mohawk to me, is "stellar," and the Scrub Jay is "scrubbed" of it's mohawk. 

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk: A bird of prey found all over North America. These birds are very adaptable and live in a variety of biomes. They are usually brown in coloration, lighter on the underbelly with a dark brown streak. Adults have reddish tail feathers, adolescents do not. Female Red-tailed Hawks are on average 25% bigger than males and weigh between 2 and 4.5 pounds. Males weight between 1.5 and 3 pounds.

There are Red-tailed Hawks on main campus and Lone Mountain. I see these birds very frequently in San Francisco and at home in Oregon. I identify them by their low dihedral, splayed wingtips, patagial markings and red tails, if present.

The Media and the Environment

The conversation with KPFA reporter Brian Edwards-Tiekert was very interesting and engaging for me. I  am an Environmental Studies major/Journalism minor so his career is similar to something I want to do in the future.  I wanted to hear more about what it's like to report on environmental issues. He said it can be depressing, which I'm sure is true - I get depressed just learning these issues in class. It would be so much harder to hear all the grave details and then watch, talk to, and report on politicians who fail to make the necessary changes to fix the problems. I think the struggle with this career would be the feeling of helplessness. Clearly, environmental reporting is important and necessary, but I think I might feel like I should be a part of the things I would be reporting on, rather than just covering the story. Altogether, Brian said some interesting things about anthropogenic climate change that have stuck with me, and, even though he does radio and I'm interested in newspaper, he got me thinking more about a future in environmental media and how best to utilize my education. 

Rango and Water Rights

I watched the animated movie Rango a few days ago and was surprised to see an environmental protection/resource management theme present throughout the film. The film is about a pet chameleon who finds himself lost in the dessert. He runs across a town of small animals that has a serious water problem. The bank of the town (which is named Dirt) runs on a water currency, and the town basically worships the small amount of water they do have in reserve. The richest person in the town is the mayor, a turtle who seems to have limitless water and an obsession with purchasing property. The water situation presented in the movie closely follows the story of Los Angeles water acquisition in the early 1900's. The mayor of the town seems to be a mixture of the mayor of Los Angeles at the time and William Mulholland, LA's water superintendent. The townspeople symbolize the water-starved people of Owen's Valley, CA, and they go on to sabotage the aqueduct just as the Owen's Valley people did to LA's aqueduct. I'm curious to find other similarities between Rango and the true story of LA's water acquisition. In the film, the water is being taken to Las Vegas, not Los Angeles. Maybe parts of the story come from Las Vegas's water history? The movie shows how deeply important water rights are to society and I found it to be portrayed in a very interesting way in Rango. If you haven't seen the movie, it's definitely worth watching!

American Robin

American Robin (Turdus migratorius): A common bird found all across North America. Characterized by a a gray upper side and a rusty orange or red breast and flanks. They are often seen on lawns and in suburban areas.

Yesterday I saw an American Robin on main campus. It was a very brightly colored male, with a deep rusty red chest and dark wing and tail feathers. The white around his eye stood out starkly as well.

Chicken Tacos

Chicken Taco Dinner Night!

I really enjoyed the cook a meal for friends assignment. It was an interesting thing to have Environmental Studies students do because of how much of environmentalism surround food production. I debated doing a vegetarian, locally grown, organic meal just on environmental principle - but I don't really eat that way. I know I should, and hopefully some day I will. It's just so impractical for a college student - if that kind of environmentally friendly, sustainable eating is really going to take-off, it's going to have to made much simpler and cheaper. Next year I won't be entirely on the school meal plan, so maybe more environmentally friendly eating will be possible. I know that eventually I can change my habits in order to eat more seasonally, locally and organically, and I will work to get to that point. I also hope that this way of eating will become a widespread trend that leads to bigger changes in the way Americans and the other developed countries of the world eat their food. 

What to eat, what to eat, what to eat?!

This is a drawing I did of a chocolate covered strawberry. It makes me think about Sarah's presentation about the pesticides and chemicals sprayed on California strawberries, and then about all of the chemicals and junk that is in the chocolate coating...it looks so yummy and healthy on the outside, but really it's full of some nasty stuff. Oh food. It's all so confusing!

Coastal Great Horned Owl?

Great Horned Owl: An gray, brown or reddish owl with white on the chest and other areas. A true owl native to the Americas. The horns on a Great Horned Owl are not actually horns, nor are they ears -- they are just tufts of feathers.

I spotted what may have been a Coastal Great Horned Owl in a tree on the back side of Lone Mountain. It flew from the tree to the top of Loyola Village. Unfortunately, it didn't make any sounds that I could hear.

Food Photo Essay

English Ivy

English Ivy: (Hedera helix) A species of ivy that is native to western Asia and most of Europe. In it's native range it is valued for attracting wildlife. Ivy is found in many areas of the United States, New Zealand and Australia, and is labeled as an invasive species in most of the areas in which it has been introduced. It is illegal to sell or import ivy in the state of Oregon.

I found this ivy growing along the side of the parking garage on main campus. I see ivy all over the place around here and it's also very common around my house in Portland, Oregon.

Bushtit

Bushtit (Auriparus flaviceps): A very small  grayish-brown bird that is common in brush and open woods. They are always in flocks that move rapidly together and chatter constantly. They eat aphids and other tiny insects. This bird is found across the southwestern United States and up the Pacific coastline to British Columbia.


I've seen flocks of Bushtits in Golden Gate Park. It's fun to watch them move all together to another bush or area. 

California Scrub Jay

California Scrub Jay: A coastal subspecies group of the Western Scrub Jay, a species that ranges from southern Washington State east to central Texas and south to central Mexico. It is a medium sized bird with blue, white and gray coloration. Western Scrub Jay habitats are typically scrub-brush, boreal forests, temperate forests, coastal regions and suburban areas. Scrub Jays are often referred to as or associated with Blue Jays, but this is a false connection. The two are entirely separate species.

I see Western Scrub Jays, probably the California Scrub Jay, often in Golden Gate Park.

[A really great photo taken by someone else]

White-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucphrys): A common bird in North America. Large for a sparrow, with distinct white on the head as adults. The white "eyebrow" has black stripes above and below. Juveniles are more gray/brown.

I think I saw a few White-cowned Sparrows on Lone Mountain. I realized that I may be mixing up the Black-capped Chickadee with White-crowned Sparrows. I'll have to make sure to pay attention to the color on the top of the head and the wing feathers colors.

A Photo and Reaction

I took this photo at one of my favorite places to bring my camera - the flowers gardens of Manito Park in Spokane, Washington. I find this photo very intriguing. The obvious question that it brings to mind is "why is there one red flower in amongst so many violet flowers?" Although there may or may not be a scientific answer to this question, there is no answer that would satisfy my deeper curiosity and perplexion (I made this word up, but only because I think it's fitting) over the colors of these few flowers. On the surface, I wonder about the species, the function of the flower, it's name. Is the red flower the same species as the violet? Why would one grow to be red in the midst of so many violet? Was it planted by humans this way? But these questions aren't the most important ones that come to mind; the more I contemplate the photo, the more I start to wonder about these flowers through a different perspective. The easiest way I can describe this other lens is through the slogan on a common t-shirt: "It's good to be different." The shirt depicts a school of fish swimming in one direction, while one solo fish swims in the opposite direction. On this earth, there is so much that is unique, so much that is different from all else. Different landscapes, biospheres, ecosystems and species. Different foods, languages, and cultures. Different colors. The differences in our natural world are disappearing as humans help to initiate the largest extinction event the world has ever seen. Yet there is still a desire in humans to seek out the still vast diversity that remains. Most likely, the red flower in the photo was somehow influenced by a human desire for this cherished diversity - either by being planted that way, or just by being allowed to grow even whilst it does not match the other flowers. The difference in color is aesthetically pleasing, and pleasing for the peace of mind as well. I look at this picture often, and each viewing reminds me to cherish the diversity of our natural world.

Anna's Hummingbird

Anna's Hummingbird: A native hummingbird to the western coast of North America. Males have crimson crowns and throats, while females have green crowns, gray throats and some red markings. These birds are iridescent and very brightly colored.

Today I saw an Anna's Hummingbird at a flowering shrub at the bottom of the Lone Mountain stairs. I walked right up to her and she barely moved. It was the closest I have ever been to a hummingbird. The glistening green/blue color of her feathers was magnificent, and I caught myself staring for several minutes at the shimmering colors and the entrancing speed of her beating wings.

Palm Tree

Palm Tree: (Arecaceae or Palmae) A family of flowering plants, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical and warm temperate climates. Only one species of palm tree, the California Fan Palm (Washingtonia filifera) is native to the state of California, but many other species have been introduced from around the world. Most palm species are well suited to California's sunny Mediterranean climate.

I took this photo of a palm tree in January in Sausalito.

This is a photo of a Queen Palm that I took in a yard near USF.

European Starling

European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris): A very common bird found across North America. They were introduced in New York from Europe and have since spread across the continent. These birds vary in color but are usually dark and speckled with an oily appearance. They are one of the most common birds in areas with humans present. 

I see European Starlings coming in and out of cracks and holes in buildings. I think they are fun to watch because of their speckly green and black coloration. I'm curious to know if they are considered an undesirable species...do they outcompete other, native birds in an area?

Black-capped Chickadee

Black-capped Chickadee: A small songbird found all across North America. They are mostly gray in color with a black "cap" and throat, with white stripes on the sides of the face. These birds display a boldness around humans and will often eat from the hand.

I've been seeing these birds all over campus this winter. They often reside in the same small patch of earth as the Dark-eyed Juncos. I see them in shrubs and near the Cherry Blossoms by the baseball field.

A Poem

Homesickness

alone

the manicured grass itches at my calves

a light breeze

brings the scent of cigarettes

and the voices

of the busy

the shallow

the selfish

are an unpleasant buzzing

in my unwilling ears

bare feet

anxious for release

imagine a grass

away; safe

from the sidewalk, the glass, the concrete

a lonely grass,

if people are company

the creatures reside

in wet, dark soil

alive

welcoming

- Heidi Patton

Jellyfish

Jellyfish: (genus Aurelia) A common gelatinous zooplankton found in oceans around the world.

I saw many of these jellyfish in the bay while in Sausalito. They appear to be part of the Aurelia genus, a genus of thirteen species of scyphozoan jellyfish. The species of this genus are all nearly impossible to distinguish from one another.

Jellyfish are the oldest living multi-organ animals. They are found in every ocean, at all different depths. They are among my top few favorite animals, and I love photography jellyfish whenever I get the chance.

A photo I took of jellyfish at the Oregon Coast Aquarium

Anecdote of the Jar

I really enjoyed Wallace Stevens's poem Anecdote of the Jar. After writing my close reading assignment on it, I was interested in finding some background information about the poem. It was written in 1919 and published with Steven's first book of poetry, Harmonium. This was a surprise to me that it was written so long ago - the style seems modern, as do the ideas that I concluded from the poem. It seems to me that Stevens is commenting on the human influence on the natural world, and I am surprised and impressed that such ideas surrounding nature were appearing as earlier as 1919. Of course, it is entirely possible that Stevens's ideas when writing this poem were entirely different - it is a poem, as most are, that could be interpreted in many different ways through many different lenses. I personally hope that Stevens was referencing some of the ideas that I took away from the poem, because I think this is a very powerful piece when interpreted through an environmental perspective.

Anecdote of the Jar - Wallace Stevens

I placed a jar in Tennessee,

And round it was, upon a hill.

It made the slovenly wilderness

Surround that hill.

The wilderness rose up to it,

And sprawled around, no longer wild.

The jar was round upon the ground

And tall and of a port in air.

It took dominion every where.

The jar was gray and bare.

It did not give of bird or bush,

Like nothing else in Tennessee.

Dark-eyed Junco

Dark-eyed Junco: a small, grayish bird with a dark head. Common across temperate North America. I've seen several of these birds outside my building on main campus. They hang out in a little patch of dirt with a pine tree and a few other shrubs. I believe that the males are more vibrantly colored, with darker heads and more defined browns and grays. The females seem to be a more pale, mixed shade of brown. On the ground, these birds are difficult to spot, as they camouflage well.

I took this photo of a Dark-eyed Junco outside my dorm building.

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus Tree: A flowering tree in the myrtle family.

These trees are not native to California, but are very common in San Francisco and elsewhere. Most species are native to Australia. I saw this tree on the bird walk last Thursday behind Lone Mountain. There is a eucalyptus tree right outside the window of the classroom, and when the window is open I can smell the its distinct scent. The tree has brown and tan peeling bark that looks orange underneath, and has a long, narrow, green leaf.