Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2003 11:35:12 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Steve Huy Subject: Re: SI hummers MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit I'm not being unsentimental in my views. I would like to see these birds survive. But I also think people are being over sentimental in the desire to "help" these birds. I think it is misguided and unnecessary, perhaps detrimental, to try to "save" these birds (not to mention illegal should anyone try). People are feeling sorry for them as "doomed" creatures that they think will certainly freeze, yet ignoring the fact that they are surviving. These are hummingbirds. We are not talking about hawks that may slowly starve over several days in absence of food. Or a scissor tailed fly catcher. These are creatures with high metabolic rates that will likely perish within hours should conditions become too tough. And they have so far survived conditions that are typical of the worst winter weather we can get in this region. I say celebrate their presence. It may be a new discovery of something that has happened for eons yet gone unnoticed by us. Perhaps its new migration routes. Perhaps new wintering grounds for a bird adapting to a new climate. We may be witnessing the evolutionary process here, nature's "mistake" resulting in adaptation and survival and subsequent change. Quit being so gloomy and feeling sorry for birds that probably don't need you to feel sorry for them. Appreciate this God given opportunity to see a species change. I look forward to seeing these birds return in later years. And it would be wonderful to have hummingbirds all year long, yet still get some snow. Steve ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================