News bits: Bold Canada jays; permissive hunting laws in S.D.; meet the 'moose on the loose;' why cranberries?

Canada jays are gregarious and enjoy cookies.
(Photo by Mike Hubert, Shutterstock via Hakai)

Canada jays are special. They thrive in the cold, and the species has forged unique bonds with humans over the centuries. The life's work of 81-year-old ornithologist Dan Strickland reveals the beauty of that relationship and gives us clues as to how the birds will cope in an ever-warming world, reports Brian Payton for Hakai magazine. "Strickland repeats a series of squeaks made by loudly kissing the back of his hand. Soon, several more jays arrive. The first wild bird perches on his hand in less than two minutes." Meet the "Naturalist and the Wonderful, Lovable, So Good, Very Bold Jay."

Cranberries bounce when ripe,
(Photo by R. Kasparaviciene, Unsplash)

How did cranberries end up on our holiday menus in the first place? Serina DeSalvio explores the bouncy, floating, self-pollinating berry's origins for The Conversation, a platform for journalism by academics. "Wild cranberries are native to North America. They were an important food source for Native Americans, who used them in puddings, sauces, breads and a high-protein portable food called pemmican – a carnivore’s version of an energy bar made from a mixture of dried meat and rendered animal fat and sometimes studded with dried fruits."

Photo by M. Hoyt, Unsplash

The rules of where, what and how people are allowed to hunt game varies wildly from state to state, with South Dakota a standout among the Great Plains states. "No neighboring state is as liberal as South Dakota when it comes to traveling with loaded guns and hunting on, along or over roads," reports Abbey Stegenga of South Dakota News Watch. "Despite accidents in which hunters have been killed or wounded, it remains legal for a hunter to drive with a loaded, uncased firearm along almost any highway or road except an interstate. . . . The hunter can pull over, exit the vehicle and then fire at pheasants, waterfowl or other small game from the pavement or the ditch – even at a bird flying across the travel lanes."

Dedicated fans have followed the moose’s movements.
(Photo by Bernie Stang, Star Tribune)

From the flight of Flaco to the taunting turkey of New Jersey, some animals draw a crowd. This young male moose, dubbed by fans as 'the moose on the loose,' has thousands of followers in a central Minnesota Facebook group. His fans have been watching "hoping he would successfully make it across I-94," reports Jenny Berg of the Star Tribune. "There were sightings of the moose loping through harvested cornfields, nestled in tall grass and even prancing through the parking lot of a rural business stocked with dozens of all-terrain vehicles. But he still hadn't made it safely across the busy freeway." Read about his crossing here.