Late towhee, Henne

Another 60-plus degree day... another day during which the woodstove sat idle... another day to worry about tick bites... another day to hike in light clothes. But climate change is mythical "pseudo-science," as one particularly impressively stupid right-wing politician characterized the work of thousands of researchers who believe data more than preconceptions. I'd best stop this rant right now, because I fear that once I get going, it'll be hard to stop... and I don't want to offend viewers... well, no more than might be necessary. Anyway, Ted Cruz aside, the sweet "drink your tea" calls of the Rufous-sided Towhee swirled through the shrubbery, and the woods and leaf litter rustled with the actions of a bird that really wasn't supposed to be here this late—although, in truth, persistent towhees in December are not unprecedented. But the fact that the robin-sized birds, which are normally migratory, are hanging around is just another bit of information that points to the reality of climate change. The fact that I could have been out on the trail in shorts and a tee-shirt to photograph a bird that should have been in the south by now might have made me question the sanity of climate-change deniers.