Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 16:00:08 -0700 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Marcus James Subject: Re: Snakes vs. Birds? In-Reply-To: <4EC6F7E5.47C927A2.0016BA20@aol.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii I've seen one snake so far this year, on May 10. By the way, it was one of those Black Rat Snakes. Steve Huy wrote:"I hear Steve and Meghan’s concerns, but their rhetoric oversimplifies a very complex problem in my view. -Tom Stock" Tom, It is a complex problem and furthered by the simplistic opinions of people like yourself. How can you compare rat snakes to feral cats or mute swans? The snakes belong here and are far less abundant than the birds they prey upon. Cats and mute swans do not belong. Most species of snakes in this region do not prey on birds (with a few opportunistic exceptions). Rat snakes do make a good living off birds, but they suffer from the same pressures to our environment as do the birds they prey upon. Not only do they face the same loss of habitat (comparable to the dilemma of avian species that use natural cavities or old buildings for nesting), exposure to pollutants and predation by increased numbers of predators (coons, cats, dogs, coyotes), they also face a loss of their avian food source. And there is little interest in studying or saving them as they do not have the big dollar support that people like you are willing to put into birds. But snakes play an important role in our ecosystem and should not be taken for granted or persecuted. We all hear of the predator/prey relationship and survival of the fittest which rat snakes do help to provide to birds. The snakes also fulfill the role of prey. Just counting avian predators, you can include raptors and corvids among those benfitting from the numerous small young snakes that manage to hatch from their eggs. The eggs themselves make great meals for birds, rodents and other mammal predators. Killing a snake is breaking a link in this cycle. Killing a snake that has just eaten some eggs or nestlings has not saved anything, but certainly put to waste the contribution those young birds would have made as food. What could have been done? The snake need not have been killed for taking its natural meal. The nestbox should have been mounted responsibly and with proper safe-guards if snake predation is not desired. Appropriate habitat should be provided for the birds so they do not need to choose a nest box (appropriate habitat for the birds will also be appropriate for the snakes in most cases). Snakes were my hobby as a kid. That hobby eventually led me to birds. And I gradually transferred my focus almost entirely to birds as snakes have become much harder to find. It may well be that they are in far more danger than the birds. There is far more to this world than just birds and yourself. The snakes and birds are ok with each other. They don't need any more interference from humans. Try looking down while you're out birding - and keep count of the snakes you encounter. Steve ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================