We’ll have a truncated version of RWP today, as my collection is on my main computer in Chicago. Fortunately, reader Stephen Barnard from Idaho sent me four photos yesterday, so I have something to post this morning.
First, yet another Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis):
Next, a Canada Goose (Branta canadensis). Canada Geese are widely despised when they infest urban and suburban areas because they shit like, well, like geese, all over parks, golf courses, lawns, cemeteries, etc. Here they are in their natural breeding habitat and I like them. Unlike the ones in cities, they’re hunted intensively and as a result are very spooky.
Next, a Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto). These doves are reviled among North American birders. They were introduced to North America by way of the Bahamas and have spread widely and rapidly, displacing native Mourning Doves. Nevertheless, it’s a handsome bird and quite difficult to capture in flight.
Finally, the familiar Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). Everyone seems to like Mallards.
Regarding harmful introduced species, I once said about the European Starling, another introduced bird that can be beautiful while being harmful, that if I could push a button to extinguish them from North America I would, but if I found a nestling in trouble I’d try to nurse it back to health. Joseph Stalin once said, in a very different context, that one death is a tragedy, but a million deaths is a statistic. He had a point. The most harmful introduced species in North America, without a doubt, is Homo sapiens.
The presence of so many, particularly European, introduced species in North America is largely due to the work of the American Acclimatization Society, who, for both economic and cultural motives, were dedicated to the introduction of European flora and fauna to North America.
One of the driving forces of the society, who became chairman in 1877 was Eugene Schieffelin, who was also a great fan of Shakespeare. Schieffelin was determined to see every bird mentioned in Shakespeare’s works released in North America. Thus it was he who released the first 60 European starlings into Central Park NY, following with another 40 birds in 1891.
Oops, the first 60 were released in 1890.
I’m sure that’s true for birds. There a whole host of other types of organisms that have been introduced in all sorts of different ways, deliberate and accidental. These include fish such as Asian Silver Carp, snakes such as the Burmese Python in the Everglades, insects, molluscs, plants and microorganisms to name but a few. The consequences are often disastrous but we never seem to learn.
In the UK various tree diseases have been accidentally introduced the latest being ash die back (also known as chalara) which as the name implies, kills ash trees Fraxinus excelsior – a widespread and ecologically important species here. The crazy thing is that although this is a species that sets very readily from seed the disease was introduced by importing ash saplings from nurseries in continental Europe for planting in the UK. To further add to the foolishness, these saplings were in many cases, grown from UK seed so they could then be sold here as being of native provenance!
Jerry’s comment about Homo sapiens being the worst introduced species is echoed by several of the comments below and I’d agree. One of the many ways we are so destructive is by continually transplanting other species from one part of the world to the other with disastrous impacts on local ecosystems as well as – in many cases – on our own infrastructure.
The degree to which introduced species of animals, plants, and microbes have transformed the world is mind boggling, and goes far beyond the modern examples in the news. Historian Alfred Crosby coined the term Columbian Exchange, and the theme was more recently expanded upon by Charles C. Mann in his book 1493. To give just one little example that astonished me, there were no earthworms in North America before the Columbian Exchange, and their introduction radically changed the nature of the soil. But there are many, many more astonishing and largely unappreciated examples.
When I was recently in New Zealand I was impressed by how seriously people take the problem, especially the effects of introduced mammals that have caused the extinction of most of the ground-nesting bird species. Even the trout I was fishing for were introduced. It began with the Maori, who hunted the moas to extinction, which led to the extinction of the Haarst Eagle, the largest raptor in the world at the time. With the arrival of Europeans the problem accelerated, of course.
The flow of species is in all directions. European soil ecology relies very much upon earthworms, but there is a growing problem in parts of Europe because several species of Australian and New Zealand flatworms have been introduced via the compost used to pot imported houseplants, and flatworms just love to nom on earthworms.
And the flat worms were transported across the oceans with plants to be sold in the garden trade which also, of course, has resulted in many plants escaping into the wild and causing great damage. A great example of that is Japanese Knotweed Fallopia japonica which is a big problem here in the UK. It can form immense stands of three metre high plants beneath which nothing else grows.
Nice pictures. Certainly if leaving lots of manure behind and crowding out other species are undesirable – Homo sapiens are number one on the bad list. Also, if you remove just the Homo sapiens, all the difficulties on gone.
and they’d just be a statistic!
This comment isn’t related to the birds in this post, but I’d like to share something interesting that happened last night.
I was sitting in my house reading a book when I heard the distinctive Great Horned Owl call. I got up, grabbed my iPhone, brought up the Audubon birding app, and went out onto the porch. There are two large spruce trees, one on each side of the garage. I played the “hoots of pair” call and got replies from each tree in turn. There are two owls, one in each tree, and they were very stimulated by the call, each calling back and forth. I couldn’t see them because it was dark. Then I played a juvenile call and they completely shut down, like they were thinking WTF???. Then I played the “hoots of pair” call and they started up again. I figured enough was enough and went inside because it’s not good to disturb owls or other birds and I’d heard enough. They continued calling back and forth for quite some time. They might be considering nesting in the spruces.
Be sure and bring the cats in if there are any.
No cats. I like cats but I won’t keep them for that reason, and because they’d kill songbirds and I can’t manage to keep them indoors. My daughter who lives across the creek has four indoor ones.
Lovely story. Thanks.
It would be nice if they set up housekeeping nearby!
When was Karen Armstrong introduced?
That was clever. I clicked on it and had no idea what it meant.
?
Diane,
Jerry’s last sentence in this post is “The most harmful introduced species in North America, without a doubt, is Homo sapiens.”
‘Homo sapiens’ is a link to the empathetic Karen Armstrong. The photo is a close-up of her face. From her expression you can sense that she feels your pain deeply and will always be at your side to sustain and encourage you.
Oh, thanks, thh! 🙂
I didn’t even notice that was a hyperlink.
LOL, Jerry!
I get so sick of hearing people kvetch about the geese. To take off from your last point about humans being invasive species, I’d say that humans infest wild areas, shit all over the place, and turn them into urban, suburban, exurban, and industrial areas.
We constantly hear about how there are too many geese (or deer, etc.) but there aren’t too many humans?! 7 billion and counting.
and think of it this way, which would you rather step in, goose shit or human shit?
and that’s my morning rant. lovely pics btw.
Supreme green headed mallard.
Your BIF are outstanding, Stephen!
Thanks. It was a good morning, especially after months of bad light. I’ve photographed nearly all the birds I can find here so I’m running out of subjects, and fear boring you with endless red-tailed hawks and mallards. I like very much the readers’ photos that Jerry posts from all over the world, even though I don’t always comment on them. I’m dreaming of a photo safari to Africa or India or somewhere else with exotic wildlife, but travel for fishing seems always to take priority. Next winter, Cuba. 🙂
That should be fun! Looking forward to your Cuba pics. 🙂
Why not look into lining up a bird guide for one day? I’m sure they have some beauties there.
Cuba is known to be a superb birding place, but I do one thing at a time, and this time will be flats fishing. It’s also cumbersome, to say the least, to take my good photo gear, in addition to all the fishing gear, on such a trip. I learned that lesson in New Zealand.
I hear ya!