Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2003 13:49:34 EST Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Bob Mumford Subject: Re: Human intervention MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I have read with amusement the ongoing debate on whether to "intervene" with the SI hummers or to "let nature take its course." ("Mother nature" is now politically incorrect. The proper term is "person nature"...and also "person time"). The truth of the matter is that virtually everything we do, including what we eat, intervenes with birds. Putting up bluebird houses is intervention. Hunting is intervention. Some birds die, some (like raptors, crows and vultures) prosper from this activity. Chasing pelagic birds to "get a better look" is intervention. Building our dream home on raw land is intervention. Banding is intervention. "Collection" (the ornithologist euphemism for killing) is intervention. Animal rescue is intervention. National Wildlife Refuges are intervention, as is the Nature Conservancy. And of course bird feeders and bird baths are intervention. And, gulp, so is bird photography. This planet is so intertwined with natural (and unnatural) processes and so overwhelmed with human activity, virtually nothing escapes human intervention. Some is pretty benign, some produces catastrophic results...like habitat destruction Why do we do these things like feeding, watching and photographing birds? Because we want to, we like to, it gives us pleasure. Why do we band and do research? Certainly not just to learn what makes birds "tick" and where they go and what they do, BUT to give early warning signs of population drops and provide science based strategies about how to reverse such declines. Why do we care? Because we do. We enjoy birds and the natural environment. We take action that we deem appropriate at the national, local and individual level to support our values. It's as simple as that. Help the hummers? Why not? If this makes someone feel good -- as it undoubtedly will -- its every bit as legitimate an activity as feeding birds around your home or contributing to peregrine falcon recovery. It's because we want to. Now anyone who thinks that assisting the hummers will somehow affect the genetics of the two species involved, creating a pool of genetically flawed individuals, with hundreds of, say, Rufous Hummers, coming north for the winter...well such thinking is (substitute your own word here). Whatever is done or not done will have no statistical effect on hummer genetics. It make no more sense to argue for letting "nature take its course" than arguing to shut down Second Chance in Gaithersburg because it is producing genetically flawed box turtles that have not learned about crossing busy streets. Does this make me hopelessly sentimental? Or a cynic? Bob Mumford Darnestown ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================