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hemisphere?<br>Angus<br><br></div> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0009_01CCE0F9.81B2F7D0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Thanks Paul for sharing this level headed approach! I was also wondering whether the seed eating birds, the ones not chasing = the "insects on the move" , had moved northward too? Henk Kwindt, Cow Bay, NS. ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Paul S. Boyer=20 To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20 Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2012 3:34 PM Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Climate Change Oh my! More global warming stuff. With its serious tone, it almost = sounds humorous. I guess a researcher must keep a straight face when = reporting results like this, if he wishes to keep the grant-money = flowing. There is no evidence that birds have to evolve in order to change = their geographic range. That is what the author implies. Does he think = that birds actually evolve a map of their territory in their wee brains? = One thinks of the European Starling, introduced once into New York = City, and now (little more than a century later) covering much of the = continent. That is not evolution, but just a population spreading into = opportune habitat. The obvious reason the birds in this study have not moved north as = fast as the researchers expected, is probably that the birds are finding = enough food where they are. It is as simple as that. It is not = computerized climate charts which influence bird behavior, so much as = food supply. Birds found the feeders in our yard in hours or days. They did not = need to evolve to adapt to the new food source: they are opportunistic, = and always on the lookout. They also learn: that is why we noticed the = birds lurking close to the house as the weather cooled this fall, = looking for the feeders which we had not yet set up for the season. It is simply ridiculous to suggest that the insects are moving north = faster than the birds because the insects are evolving faster. And, the = author implies, the birds will not now be able to find those insects who = have outpaced them in the race to move northward! No, the birds can = find their food: they even learn new food supplies, as the chickadees = have learned to eat the caterpillars of the Gypsy Moth. I have seen = birds exploit new food sources merely by watching birds of other = species. How long did that take? In some cases, but a few minutes! (Lund University, by the way, is normally regarded as one of the most = renowned in Sweden.) Birds are fun to study, but any honest ornithologist must admit that = they are not a good index of climatic change. As climatologists have = known for over a century, plants are the best index of climate, because = they cannot migrate and move about: they are stuck where they are = growing. We know from pollen studies that shifting climates of the past = are well documented by changes in plant distribution. Birds are very mobile, and most of them are really quite adaptable. = They are about the poorest group of organisms to study for hints about = climatic change. On 30 Jan 2012, at 7:23 AM, Angus MacLean wrote: This describes a study by Swedish researchers re birds & = butterflies: http://www.world-science.net/othernews/120117_warming Have there been similar studies in this hemisphere? Angus No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2109/4779 - Release Date: = 02/01/12 ------=_NextPart_000_0009_01CCE0F9.81B2F7D0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.6000.17107" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY=20 style=3D"WORD-WRAP: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space"=20 bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Thanks Paul for sharing this level = headed=20 approach!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I was also wondering whether the seed = eating birds,=20 the ones not chasing the "insects on the move" , had moved = northward=20 too?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Henk Kwindt, Cow Bay, NS.</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20 style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV=20 style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B>=20 <A title=3Dpsboyer@eastlink.ca = href=3D"mailto:psboyer@eastlink.ca">Paul S.=20 Boyer</A> </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=3Dnaturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20 href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</A> = </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, February 01, = 2012 3:34=20 PM</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [NatureNS] Climate = Change</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV>Oh my! More global warming stuff. With its = serious=20 tone, it almost sounds humorous. I guess a researcher must keep = a=20 straight face when reporting results like this, if he wishes to keep = the=20 grant-money flowing. <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>There is no evidence that birds have to evolve in order to change = their=20 geographic range. That is what the author implies. Does he = think=20 that birds actually evolve a map of their territory in their wee = brains?=20 One thinks of the European Starling, introduced once into New = York City,=20 and now (little more than a century later) covering much of the = continent.=20 That is not evolution, but just a population spreading into = opportune=20 habitat.</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>The obvious reason the birds in this study have not moved north = as fast=20 as the researchers expected, is probably that the birds are finding = enough=20 food where they are. It is as simple as that. It is not=20 computerized climate charts which influence bird behavior, so much as = food=20 supply.</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Birds found the feeders in our yard in hours or days. They = did not=20 need to evolve to adapt to the new food source: they are = opportunistic, and=20 always on the lookout. Th