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#Bird conservation
reasonsforhope · 2 months
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"Chicago’s 82-story Aqua Tower appears to flutter with the wind. Its unusual, undulating facade has made it one of the most unique features of Chicago’s skyline, distinct from the many right-angled glass towers that surround it.
In designing it, the architect Jeanne Gang thought not only about how humans would see it, dancing against the sky, but also how it would look to the birds who fly past. The irregularity of the building’s face allows birds to see it more clearly and avoid fatal collisions. “It’s kind of designed to work for both humans and birds,” she said.
As many as 1 billion birds in the US die in building collisions each year. And Chicago, which sits along the Mississippi Flyway, one of the four major north-south migration routes, is among the riskiest places for birds. This year, at least 1,000 birds died in one day from colliding with a single glass-covered building. In New York, which lies along the Atlantic Flyway, hundreds of species traverse the skyline and tens of thousands die each year.
As awareness grows of the dangers posed by glistening towers and bright lights, architects are starting to reimagine city skylines to design buildings that are both aesthetically daring and bird-safe.
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Pictured: Chicago's Aqua Tower was designed with birds in mind.
Some are experimenting with new types of patterned or coated glass that birds can see. Others are rethinking glass towers entirely, experimenting with exteriors that use wood, concrete or steel rods. Blurring lines between the indoors and outdoors, some architects are creating green roofs and facades, inviting birds to nest within the building.
“Many people think about bird-friendly design as yet another limitation on buildings, yet another requirement,” said Dan Piselli, director of sustainability at the New York-based architecture firm FXCollaborative. “But there are so many design-forward buildings that perfectly exemplify that this doesn’t have to limit your design, your freedom.”
How modern buildings put birds in danger
For Deborah Laurel, principal in the firm Prendergast Laurel Architects, the realization came a couple of decades ago. She was up for an award for her firm’s renovation of the Staten Island Children’s Museum when the museum’s director mentioned to her that a number of birds had been crashing into the new addition. “I was horrified,” she said.
She embarked on a frenzy of research to learn more about bird collisions. After several years of investigation, she found there was little in the way of practical tips for architects, and she teamed up with the conservation group NYC Audubon, to develop a bird-safe building guide.
The issue, she discovered, was that technological and architectural advancements over the last half-century had in some ways transformed New York City – and most other US skylines and suburbs – into death traps for birds...
At certain times of day, tall glass towers almost blend into the sky. At other times, windows appear so pristinely clear that they are imperceptible to birds, who might try to fly though them. During the day, trees and greenery reflected on shiny building facades can trick birds, whereas at night, brightly lit buildings can confuse and bewilder them...
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Pictured: A green roof on the Javits Convention Center serves as a sanctuary for birds.
The changes that could save avian lives
About a decade ago, Piselli’s firm worked on a half-billion-dollar renovation of New York’s Jacob K Javits Convention Center, a gleaming glass-clad space frame structure that was killing 4,000-5,000 birds a year. “The building was this black Death Star in the urban landscape,” Piselli said.
To make it more bird friendly, FXCollaborative (which was then called FXFowle) reduced the amount of glass and replaced the rest of it with fritted glass, which has a ceramic pattern baked into it. Tiny, textured dots on the glass are barely perceptible to people – but birds can see them. The fritted glass can also help reduce heat from the sun, keeping the building cooler and lowering air conditioning costs. “This became kind of the poster child for bird-friendly design in the last decade,” Piselli said.
The renovation also included a green roof, monitored by the NYC Audubon. The roof now serves as a sanctuary for several species of birds, including a colony of herring gulls. Living roofs have since become popular in New York and other major cities, in an inversion of the decades-long practice of fortifying buildings with anti-bird spikes. In the Netherlands, the facade of the World Wildlife Fund headquarters, a futuristic structure that looks like an undulating blob of mercury, contains nest boxes and spaces for birds and bats to live.
The use of fritted glass has also become more common as a way to save the birds and energy.
Earlier this year, Azadeh Omidfar Sawyer, an assistant professor in building technology in the Carnegie Mellon School of Architecture, working with student researchers, used open-source software to help designers create bespoke, bird-friendly glass patterns. A book of 50 patterns that Sawyer published recently includes intricate geometric lattices and abstract arrays of lines and blobs. “Any architect can pick up this book and choose a pattern they like, or they can customize it,” she said.
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Pictured: The fritted glass used in Studio Gang’s expansion of Kresge College at the University of California, Santa Cruz, depicts the animals in the local ecosystem.
Builders have also been experimenting with UV-printed patterns, which are invisible to humans but perceptible to most birds. At night, conservationists and architects are encouraging buildings turn off lights, especially during migration season, when the bright glow of a city skyline can disorient birds.
And architects are increasingly integrating screens or grates that provide shade as well as visibility for birds. The 52-floor New York Times building, for example, uses fritted glass clad with ceramic rods. The spacing between the rods increases toward the top of the building, to give the impression that the building is dissolving into the sky.
Gang’s work has incorporated structures that can also serve as blinds for birders, or perches from which to observe nature. A theater she designed in Glencoe, Illinois, for example, is surrounded by a walking path made of a wood lattice, where visitors can feel like they’re up in the canopy of trees.
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Pictured: The Writers Theatre, designed by Studio Gang, includes a walking path encased in wood lattice.
Rejecting the idea of the iridescent, entirely mirrored-glass building, “where you can’t tell the difference between the habitat and the sky”, Gang aims for the opposite. “I always tried to make the buildings more visible with light and shadow and geometry, to have more of a solid presence,” she said.
Gang has been experimenting with adding bird feeders around her own home in an effort to reduce collisions with windows, and she encourages other homeowners to do the same.
“I’ve found that birds slow down and stop at feeders instead of trying to fly through the glass,” she said.
While high-rise buildings and massive urban projects receive the most attention, homes and low-rise buildings account for most bird collision deaths. “The huge challenge is that glass is everywhere.” said Christine Sheppard, who directs the glass collisions program at the American Bird Conservancy (ABC). “It’s hard to know what I know and not cringe when I look at it.”
Tips for improving your own home include using stained glass or patterned decals that can help birds see a window, she said. ABC has compiled a list of window treatments and materials, ranked by how bird-safe they are.
Whether they’re large or small, the challenge of designing buildings that are safe for birds can be “liberating”, said Gang, who has become an avid birdwatcher and now carries a pair of binoculars on her morning jogs. “It gives you another dimension to try to imagine.”"
-via The Guardian, December 27, 2023
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hope-for-the-planet · 10 months
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"Until recently, a visit to the Colorado River’s delta, below Morelos Dam, would be met with a mostly dry barren desert sprinkled with salt cedar and other undesirable invasive plant species. Today, that arid landscape is broken up with large areas of healthy riparian habitat filled with cottonwood, willow, and mesquite trees. These are restoration sites which are stewarded through binational agreements between the United States and Mexico, and implemented by Raise the River—a coalition of NGOs including Audubon"
Thanks to @aersidhe for sending this in!
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plethoraworldatlas · 4 months
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The Brooks Range is essential for the Alaska Native peoples who live, hunt, and fish in Northwest Alaska. It's home to the world's only remaining populations of migrating caribou, and dozens of migratory and boreal bird species, from Blackpoll Warblers to Arctic Loons. The Ambler Road proposal puts the Brooks Range and everything within it at risk. If built, this will not be a simple road, but a 211-mile industrial corridor that would threaten North America's largest protected and roadless region, as well as the food security and clean water of Alaska Native Tribes. It will cut through 1,200 river crossings, thousands of acres of wetlands, and migration pathways.
Sign now
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snootyfoxfashion · 1 year
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Aotearoa New Zealand Birds Embroidered Shirts by Bird Shirts
Wear the bird. Save the bird
Our native birds are cheeky, trusting and specialised for an island without humans and predators. For the same reasons we get to enjoy close sightings and intimate moments with our birds we need to look after them. Bird Shirts is our helping hand and we are grateful you are joining us.
When you purchase a tee, half of the profits are donated to a bird conservation project.
Kea // Kōkako // Takahē // Weka // Pekapeka-tou-roa // Kererū
Kākāpō // Kārearea // Hoiho // Pīwakawaka // Tawaki // Toroa
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thebirdbrainbird · 1 year
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"Game has weird NPC"_ moth thought
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northamericanbirder · 20 days
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from Audubon:
As Spring Shifts Earlier, Many Migrating Birds Are Struggling to Keep Up
"With the climate warming, leaves and blooms are popping out ahead of schedule. A wide-ranging new study shows why this trend is troubling for a variety of bird species."
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deathbypixelz · 2 years
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There's an initiative in the birding and bird conservation community to replace honorific common names of birds. This is because A: a lot of these names are the names of enslavers, grave robbers, and generally unpleasant, racist dead people, and B: the honorifics tell you nothing about the bird itself, only that some dead (and probably very racist) guy put his or his friend's name on it. A lot of changes have already been made, like renaming the previously "McCown's longspur," named after a Confederate general, to "Thick-billed longspur." The Audubon Society is currently accepting new name suggestions for six birds! Name rules are on the page, and I recommend you submit a name if you have an idea. I went with fairly basic descriptive names myself, but if anyone out there knows an indigenous name for any of these birds, I would HIGHLY recommend submitting that. One article I read described these honorifics as something like a spoken "statue" to these guys, and if we can topple those statues and give these birds the respect they deserve, instead of dragging them down with these names, the better. Renaming them also makes birding more accessible to people who may feel understandably uncomfortable with seeing, hearing, or speaking these names. Making birding more accessible means more people learning and caring about birds, which means more species of birds have a better chance at surviving the effects of climate change and habitat loss.
https://www.audubon.org/news/help-us-brainstorm-new-names-these-six-birds
And here's a really good article if you want more information about this movement:
https://www.audubon.org/magazine/summer-2022/whats-bird-name
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parveens-kitchen · 8 months
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Oriental Magpie Robin from my balcony
Also in the blog now: Small Batch BrowniesBlack and White birds from my balconyRose Ringed Parakeets from my balconyBreakfast plate dosai waffles sundal Check out my Instagram profile and highlights for more pics and recipes – @Fhareena #parveenskitchen #foodblogger
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View On WordPress
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mirtapersonal · 10 months
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I have been told that those marks on the hill were a part of bird conservation, protecting nesting sites or something, but I can't remember which bird it was. This is near Lobawn, co. Wicklow
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brooklynbridgebirds · 2 years
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Awesome news from the patch! Quay Tower has installed window treatment to help keep birds safe. Just in time for migration! Many thanks to them!
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firebeetlefables · 2 years
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HAPPY AVIAN AUGUST!!!
So, I heard Avian August existsTM the other day and as an amateur birdwatcher and lover of all those funky little guys, I thought I’d throw together a post listing some of my favorite birding apps, websites, and books!!!
1. THE NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY
Website: https://www.audubon.org/
App: https://www.audubon.org/app
Hardcover books from Thriftbooks (U.S birds): ​​https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-audubon-society-field-guide-to-birding/13733264/vintage/?vid=739862108&gclid=Cj0KCQjwuaiXBhCCARIsAKZLt3mcEKLtGgjVw2uoTDSHtbvxYOi4J9FAxl2TeKwl8Ua7rxpjx6GFnAYaAgn1EALw_wcB 
DONATE LINK: https://act.audubon.org/a/donate?ms=digital-fund-web-website_nas-topmenu_donate_202107&_gl=1*s6v9yu*_ga*ODk4NzE4MDE3LjE2NTk1NDg1MDM.*_ga_X2XNL2MWTT*MTY1OTU0ODUwMy4xLjEuMTY1OTU0ODczNC4zOQ..
The Audubon Society is a FANTASTIC birding, education, and conservation organization that focuses on the conservation of not only the birds but every creature on earth. They do amazing work for diversity and equity on the human side of things, too!!! For artists, their app is FREE and contains photos of hundreds of birds!!!
2. CORNELL LABS RESOURCES
Cornell Labs dept. Of Ornithology website: https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/ 
“All About Birds” page of their website: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/?_gl=1%2A1o0j52%2A_ga%2ANzIzODYwMjQzLjE2NTgyNDU0NjU.%2A_ga_QR4NVXZ8BM%2AMTY1OTU0OTI1OC4zLjEuMTY1OTU0OTMzOC42MA..#_ga=2.214611415.1953545901.1659549259-723860243.1658245465 
Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Labs website (has mobile app): https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/ 
eBird by Cornell Labs website (has mobile app): https://ebird.org/home 
DONATE LINK: https://give.birds.cornell.edu/page/87895/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=WEB&utm_source=BCE&utm_medium=Website&utm_campaign=Evergreen-Appeal&utm_content=home-page&_gl=1*1rjzpll*_ga*NzIzODYwMjQzLjE2NTgyNDU0NjU.*_ga_QR4NVXZ8BM*MTY1OTU0OTI1OC4zLjEuMTY1OTU0OTMwOC4xMA..#_ga=2.214611415.1953545901.1659549259-723860243.1658245465 
Cornell Labs is a PHENOMENAL resource for birdwatchers and artists alike. Based out of  Cornell University, not only do they focus on conservation, education, and identification, their eBird app allows YOU to participate in their research through citizen’s science! You can log a time, a location, and share what birds you saw during your birdwatching session, which helps scientists know who’s in the area and when!!!
3. SIBLEY GUIDES
Sibley homepage: ​​https://www.sibleyguides.com/
Sibley guides, paper copies: ​https://www.sibleyguides.com/product-category/books/ 
Sibley Birds v2 app: https://www.sibleyguides.com/product/sibley-birds-v2-app/ 
Song Sleuth: https://www.sibleyguides.com/product/song-sleuth/ 
David Allen Sibley is an illustrator and ornithologist, and his GORGEOUS illustrations hold a special place in my heart, as his guide was my first! His app is a little pricey as are his books, but IMO if you have the dough it's well worth the purchase. The song sleuth app helps identify birdsongs and is FREE!
Additionally, the NatGeo book on birds is great! That can be found on the Audubon shop, linked below.
NATGEO GUIDE: https://www.theaudubonshop.com/product/national-geographic-field-guide-to-birds-of-north-america-seventh-edition/ 
AUDUBON SHOP: BOOKS AND FIELD GUIDES: https://www.theaudubonshop.com/product-category/books-field-guides/ 
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oca-rinn-a · 2 years
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hope-for-the-planet · 2 years
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They just released the first 8 Spix's macaws back to their native range in Brazil after 22 years of them being gone from the wild, if you want to look into it!
Thanks so much for sending this in and giving be an excuse to gush about it!
Honestly I think the heart of this conservation story can be summed up by the very first line of the article:
"The Spix’s little blue macaw — extinct in the wild for 22 years — now flies free again in its natural habitat in Brazil, thanks to decades of research and effort by hundreds of scientists, conservation biologists, veterinarians, aviculturists and indigenous peoples."
So many people from so many different backgrounds cared enough to invest their time, money, and knowledge--often with no or very little financial compensation--to bring these birds home. Many whose names and contributions we will never know.
Eight birds were released earlier in June and 12 more are set to be released in December. This is only the beginning of the reintroduction phase of a captive breeding and reintroduction plan that has been in the making for decades. Parrots are challenging animals to reintroduce to the wild because they are so intelligent and social, but conservationists have learned a lot from both failed and successful parrot reintroductions in the past. I'm wishing all the luck in the world to those first eight birds--they have been given the best shot possible at making it in the wild.
This is one of those conservation stories that makes it all worth it. After 22 years, there will finally be little blue parrots in the Brazilian forest again.
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(For those who are wondering, yes, this is what the movie Rio was based on. Rio brought an immense amount of attention and support to the Spix's macaw reintroduction efforts)
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plethoraworldatlas · 4 months
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last week withdrew much-needed draft migratory bird protection rules the agency promised to propose two years ago. These rules are necessary to protect migratory birds from being killed by preventable hazards, including by window collisions, like October’s massive bird mortality event at McCormick Place in Chicago.
“It’s nonsensical that after two years of delay, the Fish and Wildlife Service withdrew these proposed protections with the threadbare excuse that even more delay is needed,” said Tara Zuardo, a senior advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Yet despite the lack of regulations, this agency still has the power to levy fines against parties that cause the death of birds, and federal officials should use their authority to do so.”
Under the Trump administration, the Service finalized a rule that upended decades of enforcement of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This radical and unlawful reinterpretation concluded the law did not prohibit the unintentional killing of migratory birds.
In response to successful litigation by the Center and allies, the Biden administration revoked this rule in 2021. The agency promised to issue regulations to address situations like what happened at McCormick Place, where infrastructure is known to cause bird deaths.
However, after two years of delay, the agency withdrew its own proposed regulations, claiming that it requires an indefinite amount of time to work on the rulemaking. This leaves billions of birds vulnerable to increasing threats across the landscape like collisions with windows and communication towers.
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todaysbird · 1 month
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WELCOME BACK YELLOW-CRESTED HELMETSHRIKE!!!
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eskildsenklinge49 · 12 days
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Bird Behavior Methods Revealed
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From that day on my parrot hated him. Many birds expect to be fed at a sure time daily. Fowl feeding conduct may change on account of temperature, season and time of day. The hen will soon catch on to which conduct does and would not include a reward. The Shorebird Plan is administered by the Division of Migratory Chook Management. These documents affirm the imaginative and prescient of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and of the U.S., Canada and Mexico to recover waterfowl populations by restoring and managing wetland ecosystems, to conserve biological range within the Western Hemisphere, to integrate wildlife conservation with sustainable economic development, and to promote conservation partnerships of public and personal companies, organizations and individuals. Like the nice Himalayan Park in Himachal Pradesh is situated at an altitude of about 5000 meters and is snow coated throughout half of the yr, the star points of interest of this park are the Snow Leopards, The Blue Sheep and The Himalayan Brown Bear, It's paradise for the wildlife lovers who also love mountains. It has been certainly one of crucial vacationer sights and nationwide parks in India. CAF is certainly one of them covering migratory fowl routes throughout 30 countries with maximum routes passing by India.
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A key component in these plans is the PIF Watch Checklist, which identifies the chicken species most susceptible to extreme inhabitants decline, range reduction, or extinction. Prothonotary Warbler is on PIF’s D-Yellow Watch Record. A rising list of species conservation profiles for the 86 species of best continental concern. Game contains Grevy's zebra, Somali ostrich, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, beisa oryx, elephants, lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dogs and over 450 species of birds. Azerbaijan's fish-farming establishments and hatcheries account for breeding of 20 million sturgeons, 600 thousand salmons, over 800 thousand. Turtles are the oldest reptiles left on Earth, with the earliest species discovered nearly 300 million years in the past, however many species alive today may not reside to see the following century. Many professors are impartial-minded — particularly in math, the laborious sciences, and engineering, where it's a must to be to succeed. But some have a really restricted food plan, and only eat from particular native plants. For species with particular habitat requirements we should maintain suitable habitat in the face of human exercise, and the problem is heightened by the truth that, in contrast to humans, birds don't pay attention to land ownership. Only a stone throw away from Antequera the park is stuffed with wolves which might be in a semi-natural habitat.
There are various possibilities for words that rhyme with types of birds, relying on the birds. There are 5 types of birds which are found in California. There is a charge hooked up to every of the initiatives that you simply volunteer for. Aside from mapping and safeguarding chook pathways, the study will help policy development for proposed infrastructure tasks and civil aviation bird alert points, stated officials from the Ministry of Setting, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC). When your fowl tries to land in your head, duck away from it and hold out your hand. The Centre may be very severe about migratory bird conservation, and this is why an international convention is being held in India,” mentioned MS Negi, further director normal of forest (wildlife), MoEFCC. Your pet fowl may begin bobbing his/her head when hungry or excited by the prospect of being fed. Dominant behavior by birds is displayed when the fowl believes it is head of the pecking order. Bird behavior is intricate and fascinating whether or not you're observing the habits of garden birds or your individual pet fowl.
Clear feeders that mount directly to your window are nice, while the Hegeman View Window Tray Feeder almost brings the birds proper into your own home! Homeowners can make an enormous distinction by focusing on window security. Full justice to chook surveys will be executed by professional environmental engineers who can use numerous methodologies similar to Common Fowl Census (CBC) and Breeding Chicken Survey (BBS) and Wetland Chicken Survey. It's essential to hire a professional animal management company. Animal themed and brass birdbaths are also accessible so everyone’s tastes are accounted for. click here Examples of external anchors are your ornaments like ring, bracelet and many others. When using imaginary things it is often known as inside visible anchors. “This is the primary such tool utilizing advanced modelling techniques (augmented actuality) in India to map migratory fowl routes. If the chicken then lands in your hand, praise it and give it a treat. Waste is then expelled by way of the cloaca. In fact, in case your bird goes beyond sometimes nipping and instead making an attempt to claw or injure, then that is not regular habits for a budgie (parakeet), and it's best to in all probability seek the advice of your veterinarian to discuss what is likely to be inflicting it. Yes ornithologists would as bird behavior can change fairly dramatically with weather change.
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