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Index of Subjects Helen's mention of contamination of fish is interesting. What about all that we keep hearing about fish that are contaminated with hormones released in the outflow of water treatment plants? If there are enough hormones to cause the kinds of mutations we are hearing about, what would the effect be on predators that are higher uo the food chain? Will this be another Silent Spring? Regarding the winter weather down south and its effect on northern birds this year. It is true that it was very cold in Southeast Arizona and into the Mexican Sonoran region, but the really cold temperatures were at higher elevation and the actual period of the freeze was brief but did significant damage to some plants, bushes, cacti, etc... The house I rent in Bisbee is at about 5600 feet elevation and, as was the case all around town, did have some trouble with frozen water pipes during the worst of the freeze in February. The birds diasappeared from the garden for a few days (Pyrrhuloxia, Phainopepla, etc...). However, they were soon back at the feeders - I suspect they went down to the lower canyons for awhile. The Annas hummers were also right back in the garden as soon as the freeze was over. At my elevation, they are the only species that comes to the feeder all through winter -even when there is snow - they are tough little birds. Down on the desert at Whitewater Draw, I took friends to see the Sandhill Cranes a couple of days after the freeze. I'd expected to find not much, but the bird life down on the playa was teeming, so I think the temperature remained more moderate. I don't generally see Osprey there, but often Northern Harriers and the odd Bald Eagle taking advantage of the huge numbers of birds and other anaimals that gather at that location. One thing I will be watching this winter, and some of you may already be aware of this, is that the terribe wildfires that are currently burning in southeast Arizona, are in some of the main birding locations of the Sky Islands. All week, they have been burning in the Huachucas around Ramsay Canyon, and many of the canyons on the east side of the range were badly burned out already - Ash, Stump, Miller. Just about the whole area south of Sierra Vista has been under pre-evac or evacuation orders and several dozen houses have been burnt up. I have not heard how some of the birding lodges have fared, but suspect some were lost. Last I heard, about 22,000 acres was burnt over. Winds are really strong today, so the burned area is likely to grow significantly. There are over 1,000 fire personnel working there now. The firefighters are trying to keep the fire from spreading as far east as the San Pedro River Riparian Reserve. Meanwhile, there has been a bad fire over in the Chiricahuas in some other major bird habitat, (about 85,000 acres destroyed, I believe) and very large areas were also burnt out up around Alpine on the New Mexico border about 2 weeks ago. Friends with a cabin uo there were telling me that the forest around their place has been completely destroyed for miles and the raptors that nest around there were displaced. The drought conditions that have existed in a large part of the southwest are pretty frightening and this spring we are seeing the consequences. I know this may seem as though it doesn't effect our birds too much, but much of the southwest U.S. is where northern burds overwinter and the many canyons if the Sky Islands region provide a winter haven for many species from the north. bev wigney Round Hill, N.S. (in summer) --- On Sun, 6/19/11, Helen MacMillan <pigottlake@hotmail.com> wrote: > From: Helen MacMillan <pigottlake@hotmail.com> > Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Nova Scotia's Osprey Population > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > Received: Sunday, June 19, 2011, 10:31 AM > > > > > > Thoughts-- I wonder if the gulf oil spill had anything to > do with this as in oily fish. > > Maybe the super cold spell at the beginning of February in > Texas -Arizona did damage. In south western Arizona > (Sierra Vista- Bisbee area) the water pipes froze as well as > the natural gas lines to homes. For sure hummingbirds > froze. > Helen MacMillan > From: > htoom@hfx.eastlink.ca > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: [NatureNS] Nova Scotia's Osprey Population > Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2011 09:46:23 -0300 > > > > > > > > > > > > I've perceived a > decline in the local > Osprey population, that is within about > 100 kilometres of > Portuguese Cove. Many of the nest sites have not been > reoccupied this > spring and the numbers of Osprey flying about seems > less. Perhaps I've > been in the wrong places at the wrong times or has > something happened. Was > last year a poor year for reproduction or has there been a > calamity on the > wintering territory? > > Hans Toom > Portuguese Cove, Nova Scotia, > Canada > http://www.hanstoom.com/ > >
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