Borges dreamed of tigers and I dream of birds. Especially the Swainson’s hawk who was a steady presence when I spent last spring and summer completing my years-long grassland research. These fiery hawks breed in American grasslands and at summer’s end migrate in awe-inspiring flocks to South America. I’ve turned in the final edits and pencil drawings (including one of the Swainson’s hawk) for my book, The Grassland Queen, in which I write about indelible grassland birds and also consider how climate change is impacting bird migration.

It is somewhat ironic that the “endangerment finding” -- scientists’ conclusion that greenhouse gas emissions endanger our health and environment -- was knocked down on Charles Darwin’s birthday. He was born on Feb 12, 1809.

I read Natural Magic, a joint biography of Darwin and Emily Dickinson, some months back, but Renee Bergland’s impressionistic portrait stays with me. I was surprised to learn that science education was quite robust when Dickinson was a girl and she benefited from the presence of scientists in her family’s circle. Her keen observations are evident in the opening of A Bird, came down the Walk -

A Bird, came down the Walk - 

He did not know I saw -

He bit an Angle Worm in halves

And ate the fellow, raw,  

And then, he drank a Dew

From a convenient Grass -

And then hopped sidewise to the Wall

To let a Beetle pass -

Let the beetles pass (don’t put them in your mouth as Darwin once did!), keep dreaming, and stay safe.