Black and White Menace

A few weeks ago a was sitting in my living room with my roommate watching a scary movie. Now, when it comes to these types of movies I'm a wimp but my roommate is not and likes to play tricks on me. We came to this one suspenseful part and all of a sudden I hear a tapping at the window. Immediately I jump up and accuse my roommate of scaring me but she laughed it off and said it wasn't her. A few times later I yelled at her again, but she assured me it wasn't her and this time I started to believe her because she looked just as scared as I was. Shrugging it off, still angry I went to bed. But the next afternoon the tapping continued. This time I was determined to figure out just who was messing with me and when I opened the curtain I noticed a little ball of black and white feathers hopping along side my window. A woodpecker!

Although doing it unintentionally, the Downy Woodpecker was in fact our mystery window tapper. A common sight among backyard feeders, woodlots, brushy weeded areas and city parks all over the entire United States and parts of Canada, Downys are usually confused with their larger look-alike the Hairy Woodpecker. Downys are much smaller however. With tiny chisel-like bills(which seems to look smaller for the bird's size than most woodpeckers, but works just the same), blocky heads, and a straight postured back, the Downys lean back onto their tail-feathers in order to obtain the most acrobatic-like positions to peck at treats inside branches and tree trunks.

Downys have a white belly and back with black wings that are littered with checkered spots. They have a line of black that runs along the sides of the mouth, eyes and head. Females are just black an white in these parts, while the males are contrasted by a brilliant red spot that covers the back of the head. Because of their size, about 4-5 inches in length and 2 1/2 inches in width, the Downys are able to hang upside down and sideways from branches and trees easier than their larger relatives. Their rising and falling flight patterns is a distinctive woodpecker trait.

In the spring and summer, the Downys are very loud, their call is a high pitched chirping noise which is made by both sexes during breeding season, followed by constant drilling. The drilling and drumming on trees is worse in the spring because it signifies their mating season. They drum not only to find food but as a type of mating call as well to attract mates. Both sexes drum on trees to claim territory and express their readiness for mating and this allows other Downys to answer the call. When the drumming is in a fast steady pace, it may mean "stay away this is my tree." But when the beats are slow and farther apart, it may signify a call to a mate. Although their pretty cute to look at, if you have a Downy near by, there's no need for an alarm clock!

What Causes Hangovers?

After a long night of laughing, dancing and, of course, drinking, I proceeded to wake up this morning feeling, well, less than perfect. As I lay in my bed pondering what happened the night before, my thoughts shifted and inspired me to figure out just how my symptoms arose. So what are the causes of  a hangover?

Of course the main reason why you get a hangover is because of drinking alcohol. But what is inside the alcohol is what you need to watch out for.

 Alcohol contains toxins which can build up in your body when you drink too much, which can cause you to feel sick the next day. These toxins build up because your body cannot metabolize the alcohol fast enough. A chemical called acetaldehyde is found in alcohol and is one of the main culprits to the cause of a hangover. 

Other things, such as congeners are another cause of hangovers. These are impurities found in the alcohol that arise during the fermentation process. Studies also show that if you drink darker liquors you are more prone to get a hangover and worse. 

 Dehydration is another reason why people can get hangovers and when you drink, many vitamins and nutrients in your system are lost because of the alcohol. 

So what can you do to fix your post drinking bedroom blues? Watch how much you drink. Prevention is the best thing you can do. Drinking lighter liquors and drinking water in between alcoholic 

drinks is also a way of preventing a hangover because it will keep your body hydrated. Having food in your stomach before going out will also help you from getting really intoxicated and allows you to have more nutrients in your body before hitting the bottle. 

When you do get a hangover, don't keep drinking! "Hair of the dog" will not help and it will only prolong your symptoms. Also pumping up the vitamin B's the morning after will help your body reboot so eating fruit the morning you get a hangover will help. If you're truly in pain, taking Tylenol is not the best bet when hungover. Studies have shown that when mixed with the preexisting alcohol in your system, Tylenol can damage your liver. Sports drinks like Gatorade are good to drink because they contain the sugars your body has lost the night before and some say that exercise (even sex!) is best for a hangover because it gets the blood pumping and moves the toxins out of the body. All in all, as most people know, drinking too much will give you a hangover, but now you know how to fix it!