[NatureNS] Bird Habitats

From: "John and Nhung" <nhungjohn@eastlink.ca>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
References: <000f01d5256e$5beb5f80$13c21e80$@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 2019 10:34:20 -0300
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he public will not experience this but
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Amen to all. =20

=20

What the public will experience is destabilized water supplies as =
climate change and deforestation progress:  How =E2=80=98bout last =
year=E2=80=99s droughts and those of 2016, and how might deforestation =
aggravate their effects? =20

=20

Reduced water quantity is likely to have some immediately obvious =
effects on water quality if flows are compromised and stagnation =
enhanced.  One other thing I am noticing is a tendency for colour levels =
in fresh water bodies to drop during drier summers  --- dark water lakes =
become less dark.  That leads to greater light penetration and hence =
greater susceptibility to cyanobacterial blooms.  How sure am I about =
that?  Cannot assign a probability level, but the data sure as hell are =
suggestive.

=20

Otherwise, the science of cyanotoxicology is an evolving one, but in a =
nutshell, more and more very nasty toxins generated by more and more =
blue-green algae are being discovered.  =20

=20

I=E2=80=99ll keep saying that environmental concerns are no different =
from long-term economic concerns.

=20

From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca =
[mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] On Behalf Of Nick Hill
Sent: June 18, 2019 8:38 AM
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Bird Habitats

=20

John=20

That question..what's it good for..started me thinking about Endangeted =
Eastern Mountain Avens.=20

=20

And got me thinking that one main role these species play is as =
sentinels of environment integrity.

=20

We lose Avens or Plymouth Gentian but despite environmental abuses, we =
maintain the common species. We convert a high biodiversity world with =
myriad niches and high functionality to a low diversity world.=20

=20

The loss of the rare, of the warblers of the flycatchers goes hand in =
hand with degradation of habitat. Loss of woodland humus loss of =
floodplain loss of water quality, bank shading , temperature controls. =
The public will not experience this but will hear reports of less trout =
of more invasive species of lakes closed to summer camps.

=20

We must up our game of communicating why it matters

What they are good for in plain speech=20

=20

Very glad the warblers and chimney swifts showed that intensive poorly =
timed forestry operations were counter indicated.=20

=20

Here's to Minister Rankin, Lahey and a New Forestry. In the words of =
Ringo Starr

=20

You know it dont come easy=20

=20

Nick

=20

=20

On Tue, Jun 18, 2019, 6:47 AM John and Nhung, <nhungjohn@eastlink.ca> =
wrote:

Yup, we sure present migratory birds (and a lot of other species) with a =
bewildering number of challenges, as we reduce the challenges ma nature =
throws our way.  Gonna be interesting to see how it ends, but I hope I =
get to do without that level of excitement.  We do have an ethical =
obligation as a species to do what we can to do unto them as we would =
have nature do unto us.  What goes around comes around.

=20

Anyway, I=E2=80=99m preaching to the converted. =20

=20

Makes me think of a conversation I had with a coupla guys about ten days =
ago.  I was waiting for my number to be called and was talking about the =
work our group (Tusket River Environmental Protection Association) is =
doing to protect some rare lakeside plant species in the catchment. =20

=20

The question I got was, =E2=80=9CWhat good are they?=E2=80=9D

=20

I appreciate that question.  It tells me we still have an enormous =
amount of public education to do, if we want a critical mass of the =
public to support some of the worthy initiatives we espouse.

=20

From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca =
[mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] On Behalf Of John Kearney
Sent: June 17, 2019 9:40 PM
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: [NatureNS] Bird Habitats

=20

Hi All,

Most birds in Nova Scotia are migratory and thus occupy four different =
kinds of habitat over the course of a year; breeding habitat, aerial =
habitat, stopover habitat, and winter habitat. Birds are subject to =
increasing levels of human-induced mortality in all of these habitats.

=20

Mortality in breeding habitats is particularly worrisome since it can =
involve the death of all the young of local populations as in the case =
of clearcutting. The relationship between local and regional populations =
is not well understood or documented. There is scientific evidence that =
adult forest birds show fidelity to a breeding site while yearling birds =
disperse. We don=E2=80=99t know how resilient these adult birds are to =
landscape changes when they return in the next breeding season, and if =
there is a threshold of change at which resilience is no longer =
possible.

=20

Since a great part of our migratory birds are neotropical migrants, they =
spend a very large part of the year flying to and then flying back from =
Mexico, and Central and South America. One has only to look at a =
satellite photo of North America at night to see how this aerial habitat =
is highly polluted by lights which disorient migrants, causing death by =
exhaustion or from collision into wind turbines, gas flares, and urban =
buildings. Birds from all types of breeding habitats are represented in =
this aerial habitat and the piles of dead birds collected in a morning =
on a city block represent birds of the fields, forests, and wetlands.

=20

During this voyage, the Nova Scotia birds must come down in the morning =
to refuel. As they get further from Nova Scotia, the availability of =
habitat similar to their breeding habitat may decline or refueling for =
long-distance flight might require quite a different diet than one for =
nourishing nestlings, and hence quite a different type of habitat. At =
the Mount Auburn Cemetery in the middle of the city of Boston, one will =
find hundreds of forest birds in the ornamental trees surrounding the =
groomed lawns and quiet pools of the large cemetery. In these stop-over =
habitats birds may be particularly vulnerable to predation by cats and =
other predators, like the Peregrine, that specialize in hunting in open =
areas like cities and coastal thickets.

=20

Birds spend the winter in habitats that are under increasing levels of =
destruction and disturbance through the growth of coffee plantations, =
other types of deforestation, mining, tourism, and urbanization. =
Mortality in these winter areas is not well understood but appears to be =
very substantial for some species.

=20

Finally, on top of all these threats to birds, is climate change which =
drastically affects all four of their habitats.

=20

Conservation efforts are required on a very broad front, and habitat =
preservation and restoration are a continent-wide problem affecting the =
survival of Nova Scotia=E2=80=99s birds.

=20

John

=20

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