How birds keep warm
A bird’s first method of defense against cold weather is its feathers. Not only do they provide insulation from the cold, but feathers also have a waterproofing factor. Birds produce a special oil called Preen Oil which cold savvy birds use to waterproof their feathers.
This is important because the only thing worse than a cold bird is a cold, wet bird. Feathers trap pockets of air around the body and their internal body temperature will then warm up the trapped air. Birds will fluff their feathers in the cold so that they can trap as much air as possible. To maintain the pockets of air, a bird’s feathers must be flexible, clean, and dry.
Torpor is a state of reduced metabolism that is induced when a bird’s body temperature is lowered so it will require fewer calories to maintain an appropriate heat levels. Many birds will enter torpor to save energy during chilly winter nights.
Although birds have many adaptations to conserve heat, bird mortality can be high during winter or in sudden cold snaps. To give your neighbourhood birds an advantage during wintry conditions, keep bird feeders stocked with foods that are high in fat and calories such as seeds, peanut butter, and nuts. These fill birds with plenty of energy that will enable them to generate more body heat. https://www.ealt.ca/blog/how-birds-keep-warm
MacDonald Drive the historical secret edge of downtown Edmonton
MacDonald Drive has overlooked the river valley from Edmonton’s earliest incarnation, marking the south edge of downtown, a steep bank plunging to the valley below. A very short piece of road, only two blocks in length, it’s prominent in many of the early black and white cityscapes of downtown.
It’s difficult to determine when exactly this strip of downtown became known as a place for gay men to meet, but by 1969 the short strip of road already had a reputation. It was in The Naive Homosexual, an unofficial handbook, listing all the locations in Canadian urban centres where LGBTQ2S+ people could safely and discretely meet others like them.
Through the 1970s and even into the early 80s, it was not only a place to meet potential sexual partners, but it was also a place to buy and sell sex. Depending on the year, sex workers of various genders could be found lining the sidewalk.
The hotels added travelling strangers to the mix. Gay travellers staying at the Hotel Macdonald, the Chateau Lacombe, Edmonton House or even the adjacent Greenbriar, found that the opportunity to discretely sample the locals was simplified by the proximity to an active cruising area right across the street.
In the 70s, the reputation of this strip grew, becoming not only a place for cruising for and selling sex, but also a gathering place after the only gay bar in town, Club 70, closed for the night. Revellers would head to The Hill and socializing occurred into the wee hours. There was safety in numbers. https://citymuseumedmonton.ca/2022/01/19/the-hill-the-secret-edge-of-downtown/
Autonomous recording units used to monitor noisy species
The Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute has used autonomous recording units (ARUs) and sound technology to monitor noisy species, such as birds, amphibians and bats, for over 10 years. ARUs allow collection of large quantities of data over large areas and can be set up and left out for months or even years, minimizing people hours out in the field.
Once the recordings have been retrieved from the ARUs, they undergo a rigorous quality control process before being uploaded into WildTrax for processing, storage and sharing. WildTrax is a free platform, developed in collaboration with the University of Alberta, that is used by ARU users in over 250 organizations.
WildTrax is a platform for managing, storing, processing, and sharing environmental sensor data. It provides a robust, flexible, and adaptive platform for Open Data and encourages collectors to contribute to Open Data initiatives https://wildtrax.ca/?mc_cid=ecf5679dcd&mc_eid=b02c6f60ed
Animal Family by LeuWebb Projects, Edmonton Valley Zoo
https://www.edmontonarts.ca/public-art/animal-family
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Please note that articles may not reflect the position of NSRVCS. River Valley News is meant to be a clearinghouse for the wide variety of opinions and ideas about Edmonton’s River Valley. Email river valley photos, event information, comments, or questions to nsrivervalley@gmail.com