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Category Archives: Birding
Richard Muller's "Conversion of a Climate Change Skeptic" in the NY Times, Simon Winchester's "Atlantic," Plus One Glorious Bird
So it’s heartening to see that a climate change skeptic has changed his tune, and makes his case for human-induced climate change in today’s NY Times, here. I was hanging out with my two teenage nieces this week, and made … Continue reading
Posted in Birding, books, Climate Change, The West
Tagged Birding, Climate Change, Simon Winchester
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The Raptors of Custer County
So living in a high-desert mountain valley, I see a ton of raptors on the telephone poles and fence posts as I drive to and from town. Most of the time they’re easily identified (or guessed) as Red-Tailed Hawks, since … Continue reading
On Simon Winchester's "Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories," Plus That Crazy "Mermaid" Show Last Night
So today is a High Brow/Low Brow blue plate special: Right now I’m reading Simon Winchester’s Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories (2010), part of my summer reading slate of … Continue reading
Posted in Bad TV, Birding, books, Photography, The West
Tagged Birding, Simon Winchester, Western Tanager
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Reading "The Southwestern Journals of Zebulon Pike: 1806-7": A Vision of Colorado Springs Before It Was Afire, Plus "The Bird Saviors" Appears on KRCC, Colorado Springs Radio
So after returning from another trip to Santa Fe, I’m now reading “The Southwestern Journals of Zebulon Pike: 1806-7,” which recounts an expedition to explore the Arkansas River boundary of the Louisiana Purchase—otherwise known as a Poor Man’s Lewis & … Continue reading
Posted in Birding, books, Climate Change, Photography, The West, Uncategorized, Weird Weather
Tagged Birding, Climate Change, Good Fiction, Photography, Santa Fe, The Bird Saviors, Wildfires, Wildlife photos
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Fires, Plagues of Locusts, and Chiggers: Signs of the Apocalypse in Colorado, Or Is That Global Warming in Your Pocket?
So I believe in the biblical apocalypse as much as I do the Tooth Fairy, but replace the word “apocalypse” with “global warming” and we’re onto something real. The back roads of Custer County, Colorado are now covered with swarms … Continue reading
Posted in Birding, books, Climate Change, Economics, Politics, The West, Water Crisis, writing
Tagged Climate Change, The Bird Saviors, Water Crisis, Wildfires
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Fires in the West a Sign of Things To Come: Prophecies in "The Bird Saviors" Coming True, Unfortunately
So my novel The Bird Saviors is set in the “near future,” which I always thought to be something like five to ten years from now, but some of the calamities forecast in the story are unfolding right now—particularly an … Continue reading
Posted in Birding, books, The West, Uncategorized, Water Crisis
Tagged Birding, Climate Change, Good Fiction, The Bird Saviors, Water Crisis, Wildfires
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Review of "The Bird Saviors" in Booklist, With Bonus Bird Pics
So there’s a good review of The Bird Saviors in Booklist, which is another one of the pre-publication review entities: Booklist: May 15, 2012 The Bird Saviors./Cobb, William J. (Author)/Jun 2012. 320 p. Unbridled, hardcover, $25.95. (9781609530709). “The dusty town … Continue reading
Posted in Birding, books, Photography, The West, writing
Tagged Birding, Wildlife photos
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Alex Prud'homme's "The Ripple Effect" Excellent Summation of Western Drought/Drying Out, as NOAA Notes This Spring Was Warmest on Record, by 5 degrees!
So I’m continuing to read the tome (a word I rarely use) that is Alex Prud’homme’s The Ripple Effect, on the myriad water problems we face in the 21st century, and I’m up to the chapters on drought and the … Continue reading
Posted in Birding, books, Climate Change, Photography, The West, Water Crisis, Weird Weather, writing
Tagged Climate Change, Water Crisis, Wildlife photos
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Great Review of "The Bird Saviors" in Foreword Magazine
So Foreword magazine, which specializes in Indie books, has a great review of my new novel The Bird Saviors, here, and I’ll paste it below: Summer 2012 — ForeWord Review THE BIRD SAVIORS William J. Cobb daringly dips his pen into … Continue reading
Posted in Birding, books, Climate Change, The West, writing
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"The Bird Saviors" Wins the Green Book Festival Prize in Fiction
So I admittedly don’t know squat about what the Green Book Festival is, but my publisher entered The Bird Saviors in their contest, and it won the first prize in Fiction, described here. (Take that, Toni Morrison!) And although I … Continue reading
Posted in Birding, books, Climate Change, The West, writing
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