[TN-Bird] Shrikes and Quail - A War on Wildlife
- From: "Ron and Dollyann" <aves7000@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "TN-Bird" <TN-Bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:42:50 -0500
TN-birders,
Weighing in with my penny and a half (I don't know if I know enough to
contribute 2 cents worth), I would agree with Terry Witt. Clearly from
everything I have seen and read in the past 10 years indicate that both these
species (along with plenty others - Rusty Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Wood
Thrush, Cerulean Warbler, etc.) are in a notable population decline. In the
case of the Northern Bobwhite, you can throw in Fire Ants to the equation
(predating on the newly hatched young). I have heard other people complain
about the vanishing hedgerows as well. I think most of the time, any one of the
factors mentioned already would be enough to seriously tip the scales against a
species' survival, but when you combine multiple factors, it seems to me to be
just a matter of time (in some cases possibly decades, but in others, maybe far
less) before the species will succumb totally. None of us want that.
Maybe it's time for us as a group to start making some serious noise about
protecting these two species. I have heard of programs in other areas of the
country that credits farmers with leaving part of their land as good habitat by
some means (like giving them tax breaks, etc.). Maybe TWRA or some other agency
that has oversight on land use can encourage folks to leave some hedgerows and
a few corners of their lands untouched. I personally don't know much about
hunting laws, but maybe the hunters can hunt Mourning Doves more (since they
seem to be reasonably common) and let's have a moratorium on Bobwhites for some
years and see what happens??? I know this might seem a bit eccentric, but how
about trying to err on the side of caution for a change??
A short story - in 1999, Dollyann and I were priviledged to look for and see
the Hawaiian Crow on the main island of Hawaii. At that time there were only a
pair (past breeding potential) and a lone male left in the wild. When we saw
one of the pair, I got the overwhelming feeling I was staring, point blank, at
extinction. It was NOT a pleasant feeling. In fact, we were some of the last
folks to see this species in the wild, as I learned a few months later that
none of the birds in the wild (3) were being seen anymore.
I never looked at any bird the same again. We simply can't take anything for
granted when it comes to our natural world and the wildlife (and for us, the
birds) ever again. As a prominent ornithologist in Thailand once told me, "It's
a war on wildlife".
I'll just go ahead and apologize if I sounded too preachy in this email, but
the continuous bad news gets to me sometimes.
Great Birding to all,
Ron Hoff
Clinton, TN
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