The post 7 Assumptions That Can Get You Killed When STHF appeared first on Prepper Website.

If you’re looking for bird gift ideas for that special bird lover or birdwatcher in your life‚ you’ve come to the right place. As a self-proclaimed “bird nerd” (and someone who’s turned their yard into a certified wildlife habitat) I have plenty of fun bird gift ideas to share! From the best bird houses and feeders to games and puzzles‚ this Bird Lovers Gift Guide includes over 20 unique bird gift ideas – including fun‚ pretty‚ and practical items that both the birdwatcher AND our feathered friends will enjoy. 1) Bird Houses For us birders‚ there are few things more special and rewarding than watching our bird friends raise a family within the comfort of our yards. So‚ gift the bird lover in your life a cute little bird house – or two! We have several bird houses from Gardener’s Supply and are highly impressed with their quality‚ appearance‚ and craftsmanship. Some can mount directly to a tree or structure‚ or consider this sturdy adjustable pole mount. Shop Quality Bird Houses 2) Binoculars I spy with my little eye… This is a must-have gift idea for bird watchers! I use our binoculars several times a week to watch the bird feeders‚ spot owls in trees‚ or admire skittish baby quail from afar. In addition to backyard birding‚ us bird nerds like to take binoculars along on hikes‚ beach walks‚ and more. You never know when a good birdwatching opportunity will present itself! Bird watchers rave about these affordable yet great quality binoculars. Or‚ step it up a notch with a pair of these trusty Nikon binocs. Most birdwatchers prefer a 8x magnification (which both of these are) for a wider field of view than super-close 10x or 12x. Buy Birding Binoculars 3) Classic Bird Feeders Every bird lover needs a simple classic bird seed feeder in their yard – or even for a smaller balcony or patio space! Bird feeders offer an invaluable food source for birds‚ especially during winter months while other food is limited. Bird seed feeders come in a variety of styles‚ including this classic copper feeder‚ squirrel proof options‚ suet block feeders‚ artsy sunflower glass feeders‚ fun window feeders for up-close viewing‚ and more. Complete the gift with a bag of deluxe wild bird food. Browse Feeders from Gardener’s Supply Shop Bird Feeders on Amazon 4) Wingspan Board Game Wingspan is such a beautiful‚ fun‚ and interesting game. We became a bit addicted last year and played almost every evening for over 6 months straight! It doesn’t get old for us‚ but there are also several expansion packs available to keep things fresh. If you like board games and birds‚ you’ll love Wingspan. Yet this game can be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys strategy‚ engine-building games – not just bird lovers! Buy Wingspan 5) Books on Birds Even though everything is on the internet these days‚ I still love to grab my old backyard bird guides when I need help with a visual ID! It’s also just fun to browse and learn more about various birds. The National Geographic Guide to Backyard Birds of North America is one of my top favorites. The Audubon Society also has a coupe great bird field guides‚ broken up into separate books for the US Western Region‚ Eastern Region‚ or their comprehensive updated guide for all of North America. 6) Hummingbird Feeders Who doesn’t love hummingbirds? Watching hummers zip around the feeders outside our windows always brings a smile to my face. While it’s also important to plant nectar-rich flowers for them‚ feeders offer hummingbirds a vital food source during times when flowers are scarce. This is my favorite pretty hummingbird feeder‚ which would be a great gift for bird lovers. We have three! Learn how to make your own DIY hummingbird feeder nectar here‚ along with other important feeder care and cleaning best practices.  My favorite hummingbird feeder Browse all feeders 7) MetalBird Yard Art Hummingbirds‚ owls‚ chickadees‚ robins… you name it‚ Metal Bird probably has it. With a simple tap of the hammer‚ these high-quality metal bird silhouettes add a classy‚ whimsical touch to any yard. We have a hummingbird and monarch butterfly‚ but I want more! In addition to looking awesome‚ Metal Birds are made in the USA from recycled corten steel and uses sustainable packaging. Shop MetalBird 8) Bird Feeder with Camera Get an up close and personal view of your favorite backyard birds with a smart camera bird feeder. Netvue smart bird feeders capture photos and videos of birds visiting the feeder‚ connects to your phone‚ and can also identify them for you! It also has an optional hummingbird feeder attachment. There are a few of these feeders on the market‚ but this is the one of the most popular and highly-rated. Smart Video Bird Feeder 9) Bird Puzzles I love a good puzzle. But a puzzle with birds? Sign me up! There are tons of beautiful‚ high-quality‚ bird-themed puzzles out there that would make excellent gifts for the bird lover in your life. I’ve done this vintage style Hummingbirds puzzle‚ which was fairly challenging but so pretty that I framed it after. The same company makes this Audobon birds puzzle. I want this cool State birds puzzle and this gorgeous Festival of 9 Birds puzzle next! 10) Bird Baths or Fountain Having water available for bathing and drinking is essential to keep our bird friends happy and healthy! It’s also a great way to attract them to your yard for quality bird watching. Our various bird baths and fountains are always full of feathered visitors. Consider gifting a simple classic bird bath‚ a bubbling fountain‚ or other water feature to the bird lover in your life. We’ve found most of ours at local nurseries‚ but you can also find good quality bird baths online too! Browse bird baths 11) Bird Hat I’m obsessed with my California quail hat from Tom’s Bird Feeders. It’s high quality‚ fits great‚ and looks adorable. It makes me smile every time I wear it‚ and I receive compliments all the time! Tom’s offers a wide variety of beautiful embroidered bird hats including chickadees‚ robins‚ loons‚ plovers‚ bluebirds‚ owls‚ hawks‚ woodpeckers‚ jays‚ hummingbirds‚ and more – plus other kinds of wildlife! These are my favorite baseball-style caps ever. Shop Tom’s Bird Hats 12) Wildlife Trail Camera Trail cameras are another fantastic way to watch birds and wildlife‚ especially in more elusive or private situations. I use our trail cameras regularly to monitor and watch the covey of California quail around our property (along with other wildlife)‚ especially during chick season! It’s easy to operate‚ has great battery life and night vision‚ and takes excellent video and photos. Set them up around key feeding areas‚ the bird bath‚ nesting sites‚ or other areas of interest. Our Choice Trail Cam 13) An Owl Box Observing owls is at the top of list for most bird lovers. We have two Great Horned Owls that frequent our property; I named them Tootsie and Pop. Putting up an owl box can be a great way to attract owls to your yard‚ and them offer safe space to take shelter and raise young. Different owl species favor different types of boxes‚ so do a little research on what types of owls are common in the area. Then‚ you can buy pre-made owl boxes (or kits) online‚ like this Screech Owl box (which also works for saw whet owls) or this Barn Owl box. Or‚ as a really special bird gift‚ you could build a DIY owl box yourself! Use plans from trusted bird experts – like this Barn owl box plan from the Audubon Society‚ or this Eastern Screech owl box from the Cornell Wildlife Center. Screech owls haven’t found our owl box yet. Instead both oak titmice AND western bluebirds used it as a nesting box last spring! 14) Bird Mugs The early bird catches the worm! (Thanks to my good friend‚ coffee.) From silly or sassy to pretty and classy‚ there are SO many sweet bird themed coffee mugs out there – the perfect easy gift for bird lovers. I am especially fond of this Bird Nerd (fowl language) mug‚ this punny “cawfee” crow mug‚ and this white and gold owl mug. This beautiful watercolor bird mug comes in many options: hummingbirds‚ bluebirds‚ chickadees‚ loons‚ and more. Last but not least‚ this generously-sized teal Mama Bird mug would be super cute for the mom birders out there! 15) Shepherds Hooks Us birders need a spot to hang our various bird feeders – like this sturdy single shepherds hook‚ or this heavy-duty double shepherds hook. Both come in various height options! They’re perfect for hanging bird seed feeders or hummingbird feeders along with solar lights‚ plants baskets‚ or wind chimes. 16) Birds with Sass If you’re looking for a bird gift with some sass (and the recipient is okay with curse words) then look no further than the offerings from Effin’ Birds. Creator Aaron Reynolds makes bird comics and gifts ranging from calendars and mugs to birding field guide books and playing cards – all laced with rude but silly bird motifs. (Hey Mr. DeannaCat: if you’re reading this‚ the missus would love the playing cards!) Shop Effin’ Birds 17) Bird Socks Keep those tootsies warm on your next big birding adventure with bird-themed socks. Socksmith is a great small business that offers a number of highly-rated bird sock styles for men and women‚ including bluebirds‚ hummingbirds‚ chickens and more. Speaking of chickens‚ check out these ridiculous chicken leg socks – a hilarious gag gift for bird lovers! I’ve definitely been gifted a pair… twice. Ha! Shop bird socks 18) UPF Clothing and Sun Hats Protective clothing and sun hats are a perfect practical gift for the bird lover in your life. Whether we’re out on a nature walk‚ working in the garden‚ or taking a stroll on the beach‚ you can usually catch us sporting Solbari UPF 50+ long-sleeve shirts and sun hats. Gotta keep that skin protected‚ healthy‚ and looking young! Plus it’s hard to birdwatch when the sun’s in your face. The company is based out of Australia‚ so they know their sun protection. Shop Solbari Sun Protection That’s all for now! Well folks‚ I hope you found some totally owl-some bird gift ideas on this list! Pop over to our Homestead Gift Guide for even more ideas‚ including garden‚ kitchen‚ and green home goods. And if you’re a fellow bird lover yourself‚ learn how to create a bird-friendly yard this post. I’m particularly fond of the California quail‚ hummingbirds‚ Great Horned Owls‚ and flock of chickens in our backyard – but love all the other wild birds too. Who are your favorite birds? Tell me in the comments. Did you enjoy this article? Want to hear more? Stay in touch! Sign up below to receive weekly updates on new posts from Homestead and Chill. The post Birding Gift Guide: 20+ Best Gift Ideas for Bird Lovers appeared first on Homestead and Chill.

'America First'? Or 'America Only'?

Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman of New York issued an apology after saying that former President Donald Trump must "be eliminated."Goldman had made the comment while speaking to former White House press secretary Jen Psaki. The congressman said it is "unquestionable" that Trump "cannot see public office again." He described the former president as "unfit" and "destructive to our democracy" before adding‚ "He has to be eliminated." — (@) Goldman later apologized for his word choice."Yesterday on TV‚ I mistakenly used the wrong word to express the importance for America that Donald Trump doesn't become President again. While he must be defeated‚ I certainly wish no harm to him and do not condone political violence. I apologize for the poor choice of words‚" he noted in a post on X. — (@) Last week‚ Goldman's Brooklyn office was vandalized with graffiti messages‚ including one which read‚ "LET GAZA LIVE." The lawmaker‚ who is Jewish‚ was in Israel at the time of the horrific Hamas terror attacks in October but was able to safely return to the U.S. with his family."Congressman Goldman‚ his wife‚ and three youngest children were in Israel for a family Bar Mitzvah when Hamas brutally attacked Israel on Shabbat and Simchat Torah‚ one of the holiest Jewish holidays‚" spokesperson Simone Kanter noted in a statement issued last month. "Congressman Goldman and his family sheltered from Hamas rocket fire in their hotel's interior stairwell until early Sunday morning‚ when they were able to safely depart for New York."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

CNN Reporter Explains What America's 'Shoplifting Panic' Reveals

The burden of heat-related mortality during the summer of 2022 in Europe may have exceeded 70‚000 deaths according to a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).

Archaeologists have discovered the municipal archives of the ancient city of Doliche near modern-day Dülük in southern Turkey. A team of University of Münster archaeologists unearthed more than 2‚000 clay bullae‚ seal impressions affixed to official documents and private contracts‚ in this summer’s excavation. Many seals and impressions have been found at Doliche before‚ but at different locations in the city. Now for the first time the remains of the municipal archive building have been unearthed‚ one of very few ancient archive buildings from the Roman Empire ever discovered. Doliche was famed in antiquity as the home of the shrine of Jupiter Dolichenus. Jupiter Dolichenus was a composite of the Greco-Roman god of lightning and the Hittite storm god Tesub. Rome conquered Doliche in 64 B.C.‚ and over the next few centuries‚ the cult of Jupiter Dolichenus spread widely throughout the Empire‚ reaching its peak of popularity in the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D. A shrine dedicated to Jupiter Dolichenus was found as far away as the fort of Vindolanda in northern Britain. The city’s patron deity was frequently represented on seals going back as far as the 7th century B.C. More than 600 stamp and cylinder seals left as votive offerings at the deity’s shrine in Doliche between the 7th and 4th centuries B.C. were discovered by the University of Münster team in 2013. Another thousand were unearthed in the 2017 excavation‚ these dating to the apex of the cult’s popularity in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Unlike the earlier cache‚ many of these seals and stamps were administrative in nature‚ used as official signatures on government and private documents. They were found in the city center‚ not in the temple precinct‚ but the actual archive building was not discovered until this year. Only the lower layers of the foundations remain of the archive building‚ which are made of solid limestone blocks‚ adds [University of Münster archaeologist] Engelbert Winter. “However‚ they reveal a sequence of rooms that come together to form an elongated building complex‚” he describes. However‚ the exact size cannot yet be measured. So far‚ the building has been proven to be eight meters wide and 25 meters long. The width of the walls also shows that it was multi-story. The international research team uncovered the building parts over a period of eight weeks last summer. The archive documents themselves were destroyed in a major fire. In 253 AD‚ the Persian king ŠāpÅ«r I destroyed numerous cities in the Roman province of Syria‚ including Doliche‚ as a result of a war between the Roman and Persian Empires. The city center‚ which also included a bathing complex and a monumental temple‚ was not rebuilt after the fire. “This is a stroke of luck for archeology‚ as the condition from the time up to 253 AD has been preserved‚” emphasize the researchers.

X‚ formerly known as Twitter‚ sued Media Matters for America in federal court for defamation Monday.The social media site accuses the left-wing media watchdog of manufacturing images showing advertisements…

Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton of Texas announced a fraud probe into Media Matters for America Monday night.Paxton launched the probe into the left-wing media non-profit after it released a report…

The rings of Saturn are some of the most well-known and captivating spectacles in the night sky‚ which are so large they can easily be observed with amateur telescopes or even a pair of high-powered binoculars. However‚ from time to time‚ Saturn’s rings “disappear” from view‚ a phenomenon known ring-plane crossing‚ with the rings being observed as a flat line running straight through the massive gas giant. Ring-plane crossing occurs approximately every 15 years and is slated to happen next in March 2025‚ with the rings slowly getting “larger” in the months afterwards before “disappearing” again in November 2025. But what causes ring-plane crossing? Saturn’s ring-plane crossing is due to the viewing angles from Earth changing as both planets are tilted during their respective orbits around our Sun and orbit at different speeds and times‚ as the Earth orbits the Sun in one year‚ Saturn takes approximately 29.4 years to complete one orbit. As a result‚ our view of Saturn changes over time‚ and the “size” of the rings appear to get larger and smaller‚ and periodically disappear entirely from view for a short time. As noted‚ ring-plane crossing happens approximately every 15 years‚ with the most recent occurrence being observed directly from Earth happening in 2009. However‚ both the 2009 and 2025 events are not observable from Earth since Saturn will be too close to the Sun. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured some fantastic images of Saturn’s rings edge-on in 1995‚ which provided astronomers the opportunity to observe some of Saturn’s larger moons and try to discover new moons‚ as well. The reason why ring-plane crossing allows astronomers to find new moons is due to the decreased glare of the bright rings that normally obscure smaller objects orbiting Saturn from being seen. In fact‚ between 1655 and 1980‚ ring-plane crossing is responsible for astronomers discovering 13 new moons of Saturn‚ with additional moons of Saturn being discovered by NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft in 1980. Two of Saturn’s most well-known moons‚ Enceladus and Mimas (aka the Death Star)‚ were discovered by William Herschel during the ring-plane crossing of 1789-1790‚ and Hyperion was discovered during the ring-plane crossing of 1848-1849. Image of ring-plane crossing at Saturn taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in May 1995‚ with a similar ring-plane crossing event scheduled to occur in March 2025. (Credit: Reta Beebe (New Mexico State University)‚ D. Gilmore‚ L. Bergeron (STScI)‚ NASA/ESA‚ Amanda S. Bosh (Lowell Observatory)‚ Andrew S. Rivkin (Univ. of Arizona/LPL)‚ the HST High Speed Photometer Instrument Team (R.C. Bless‚ PI)‚ and NASA/ESA) Ring-crossing was accidentally discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1612‚ who is also responsible for first discovering Saturn’s rings only two years earlier. When he observed the rings had apparently disappeared‚ he wrote in his notes‚ “I do not know what to say in a case so surprising‚ so unlooked for and so novel”. As noted‚ ring-plane crossing occurs due to the combination of the tilts of Earth and Saturn and their respective orbits‚ which also influences the north-south direction of the rings during the crossing. For example‚ the ring-plane crossing event occurring in March 2025 will see Saturn’s rings proceed from south to north‚ but this contrasts with the ring-plane crossing event that will occur several decades from now in August 2068. For this event‚ the rings will proceed from north to south. While ring-plane crossing causes Saturn’s rings to give the illusion they are “disappearing”‚ this illusion won’t be around forever. This is because the icy grains that comprise Saturn’s rings are slowly being lost to the planet with a 2019 study used ground-based observations to estimate the rings will be gone for good in approximately 292 million years. Most recently‚ a 2023 study used data from NASA’s Cassini mission to provide a larger range of the remaining lifespan of Saturn’s rings at between 15 to 400 million years. What new discoveries will astronomers make using Saturn’s ring-plane crossing in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell‚ and this is why we science! As always‚ keep doing science &; keep looking up! The post Saturn’s Rings will Disappear in 2025. Don’t Worry‚ They’ll Return Soon Enough appeared first on Universe Today.