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Articles by Sue Heath
“A Daily Jolt into Another World”: Gendered Risk and Cultural Difference in Student Lodgings at the Victoria University of Manchester
ABSTRACT For much of the twentieth century, most university students who left home to study lived not in university residences but in lodgings with local householders. Despite their critical role in absorbing ever-expanding student numbers, lodgings were regarded with ambivalence by the civic universities.
NATURE NOTES: Bats are beneficial
Bats live a fascinating life but have been given a bad rap for centuries. They have suffered from superstitions and tales of horror that have spontaneously arisen in many cultures. Do they deserve this reputation? Probably not, but let’s see. Bats are among the most numerous and diverse groups of mammals in the world. In the tropics, they make up the largest group of mammals, often outnumbering all other types of mammals combined.
NATURE NOTES: Yellow-crowned night-herons easily recognizable
Have yo u seen a heron flying around your neighborhood recently? If so, chances are good that it’s a yellow-crowned night-heron. They nest high in trees and can be found in many neighborhoods this time of year. They often make a distinctive squawk when taking off or flying which is easily recognizable. They also frequent ditches along roadsides where they hunt for crawfish, one of their favored delicacies. Yellow-crowned night-herons are stocky with a short, thick neck and somewhat short legs.
NATURE NOTES: Coastal Oak Mottes Provide Shelter and Food for Birds
The Texas coast is mostly without natural forest cover. Where it is not cultivated, it is largely coastal prairie with fresh and brackish marshes in the lower areas. Most remaining coastal prairie is used to graze cattle. This open terrain is broken only by groves dominated by coastal live oak.
Coastal oak mottes provide shelter and food for birds
The Texas coast is mostly without natural forest cover. Where it is not cultivated it is largely coastal prairie with fresh and brackish marshes in the lower areas. Most remaining coastal prairie is used to graze cattle. This open terrain is broken only by groves dominated by coastal Live Oak. This venerable tree, relatively impervious to the ravages of the coastal environment, often forms rounded groves of various sizes locally known as “mottes”.
NATURE NOTES: The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are Back in Town!
At Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, we’ve been seeing more and more ruby-throated hummingbirds lately, so we know that their fall migration has started. These birds begin their southward migration in August and continue through October. Mid-September is the peak time when we see the most hummers here on the coast of Texas, so look around now and you’re likely to see some. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds breed as far north as central Canada.
Nature Notes: Ruby-throated hummingbirds are back in town
At Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, we’ve been seeing more and more ruby-throated hummingbirds lately, so we know that their fall migration has started. These birds begin their southward migration in August and continue through October. Mid-September is the peak time when we see the most hummers here on the coast of Texas, so look around now and you’re likely to some. Ruby-throated hummingbirds breed as far north as central Canada.
The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are Back in Town!
By Sue Heath and Celeste Silling At Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, we’ve been seeing more and more Ruby-throated Hummingbirds lately, so we know that their fall migration has started. These birds begin their southward migration in August and continue through October. Mid-September is the peak time when we see the most hummers here on the coast of Texas, so look around now and you’re likely to some! Ruby-throated Hummingbirds breed as far north as central Canada.
I Found a Baby Bird, Now What?
A couple of days ago, we found a baby blue jay on the ground in our front yard with a cat getting ready to pounce. The adult blue jays were in the trees overhead scolding loudly, but the cat was ignoring them and the baby was unaware of the danger or too scared to run for cover. At the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, we get a lot of calls about baby birds discovered out of the nest this time of year. But the fact is most baby birds are still being cared for by a parent even if they are on the ground.
Stealing Nests - The Post Newspaper
Photo by Mike Williams Caption: Bronzed Cowbirds often lay their eggs in other birds’ nest. By Sue Heath Brood parasites are some of the bird kingdom’s most notorious sneaks. They don’t rear their own young but instead pawn the task of child care off onto other species without their knowledge. Instead of making a nest, a brood parasite lays her eggs in the nests of other bird species, avoiding the work of making a nest, incubating, and brooding.
Urban singles and shared housing
Introduction Across high-income economies, more urbanites live longer on their own, in non-family households, than ever before. Solo dwellers amount to 39%, 28%, 24% and 34% of all households in Europe (Eurostat, 2020), the US (US Census, 2020), Australia (Australian Census, 2016) and Japan (Japanese Census, 2015) respectively.
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