One of my coworkers alerted me to the fact that the International Space Station would be visible this evening, right around the time the kids at camp would be getting into bed, so I juggled things and went down to the lower field in between ringing the warning bell and the final bedtime bell. My coworkers, those who hadn't already gone home already at least, were already down there watching, and the space station was just appearing above the hills to the Southwest. It was a bright point of light moving towards the Northeast. The thing that made it interesting was knowing what it was, so this little story is as good an illustration of the value of science as anything. Basic knowledge makes observation more interesting. I might bring this up while teaching a field class someday, and relate it to knowing about a certain type of plant or insect. A plant is just a plant and an insect is just an insect until more specific knowledge about its adaptations or usefulness is accessed. A light in the sky is just a light in the sky until it is revealed to be the International Space Station.
I saw a big bird being followed by a bunch of little birds this morning. They were all hanging out in the fog by the fence around the pool. It might be more interesting if I told you it was a mother turkey and her chicks. Further interest might be added if I related it to an earlier post where I mentioned seeing turkey courtship.
Later the same morning, I saw a small bird screaming at a large bird. Taxonomists place the two birds in the same family; Corvidae. The birds in question were a Stellar's Jay and a Common Raven. The Raven looked like it might have an injured wing, and the Jay looked like it might be about to have a little birdy heart attack. Eventually, both birds moved on, and I went home to sleep.
Our small birds are becoming slightly larger birds:
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