Wednesday, 27 January 2016

Is Political Rhetoric Affecting Bird Migrations?

Swanald Trumpeter

 

Ask Forest, The Smartest Pig in the World


Dear Forest,

Since I know you have close associates of the aviary sort I am wondering if you can give me some insight on the behaviour of wild ducks (and geese) who choose to spend the winters here instead of flying south.  It's their tradition to fly south yet they have given up this tradition in favour of subsisting in open spots of water in the north.  Thus they risk being frozen into the ice, they must suffer through snow squalls and frigid weather, and I can’t see any real advantage to them!  If I could fly south without any monetary consequence I would most certainly do so.  Why don’t they? 

- Just curious.




Dear Just Curious,

Immediately after the events of September 11, 2001, the fear of terrorism initially made many people reluctant to fly anywhere. First it was because of fear of terrorism. But later it was because of a fear of invasive body cavity searches. You might not think that such fears would affect birds (in fact, I know a couple of English birds who are actually quite into that sort of thing). However, there are many birds, especially geese, ducks, and turkeys, who have a congenital fear of hands stuffing anything "where the sun don't shine" if you catch my meaning.




The causes of "migration reluctance" differ from continent to continent. Thanksgiving angst is primarily, though not exclusively, a North American phenomenon. Consider the fact that Canadian Thanksgiving (in October), and USA Thanksgiving (in November), coincide with the migration schedules of many birds, it has been the source of much consternation, even among among birds who would not normally fit the Thanksgiving profile. Some scientists blame Morphic Resonance for the collateral panic.

Another North American problem is the rise of anti-migration sentiment in the Tea-Party heartland. There has been talk of presidential hopeful, Swanald Trumpeter, wanting to build a wall between the USA and Canada in order to keep out Canadian birds. When asked about his opposition to  Canadian birds wintering in the USA, Swanald Trumpeter  said,
"When Canada sends its birds, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending birds that have lots of problems and they're bringing those problems with them. They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists, and some, I assume, are good-tasting birds."
This rabid rhetoric, as ludicrous as it is, has created a great deal of stress on the part of many migratory birds. Many have decided that the journey is not worth the risk. The journey is already fraught with perils such as wind farms, commercial air traffic, hunters, illegal search and seizure, and the fact that migrating birds have few rights under U.S. law. If Swanald Trumpeter were to have his way, birds would also have to contend with a giant wall, as well as Predator drones, radar, and pole top lights (which are notoriously deadly to migrating birds.)

For those who swallow the Swanald Trumpeter bluster, migration reluctance may indeed be motivated by pride. For, if the birds who migrate to or through the USA are "not the best," as "the Swanald" claims, then it stands to reason that the best will stay in Canada.  It has been said that when a Canadian bird migrates to the USA, the average intelligence of the birds in each country increases.

Migration has a long and glorious tradition, recorded by the likes of Homer and Aristotle. But with the growing "anti-wing extremism" in the USA, many birds have decided to go against tradition, choosing to remain in Canada during the winter months. Nowadays, Homer might express a different view of migration.

Homer has changed since his stint as an ancient Greek epic poet.

Non-political influences on bird migration: 

With climate change, northern winters are also getting shorter. This means that some birds barely have time to migrate south before it is time to turn around and fly back to their nesting grounds.

But now I should address your main point, Just Curious. Any bird that bucks tradition may come face to face with the lessons of history. So, it is indeed risky for birds to buck the trend. But it can be equally dangerous to blindly follow tradition. There can also be a great advantage to being ahead of the curve. 

Are these birds ignorant of tradition? Or, are they pioneering geniuses? Perhaps they are the first to recognize and adapt to change? If they survive the winter, they will be the first to arrive at prime nesting sites while the other birds, if they are lucky enough to survive the migration, will be flying to an outdated schedule, and risk arriving after their competitors and predators have gained a distinct advantage. 

There are pros and cons to each strategy, and since one never knows which way the wind will blow, it serves a species well to have at least a few iconoclasts who are willing to bet on the long shot while everyone else plays the favourite. It may be a risky decision for the individual, but a valuable backup plan for the species as a whole. 

I am reminded of a story that my Uncle Geoff, a Vietnamese Potbelly Pig like myself. He told me about a songbird who decided that migrating was not worth the trouble, seeing as it would require navigating through an increasingly urbanized, armed, and paranoid America. Having never spent a winter in Canada, the young robin did not see what the big deal was. So, while the other birds packed up a flew south, he stayed behind. Initially it worked out very well for the robin, as the absence of competition from other birds made food easy to find. But when the snow fell it covered much of his food, and then the northern birds moved in. Blue jays and grosbeaks can be quite pushy, and they have strange cultural habits to which the robin was unaccustomed. In addition, the snowy owls, with their unintelligible accent, penchant for voyeurism, and carnivorous nature, made the poorly camouflaged robin very uncomfortable.

Eventually the robin saw the error in his decision and decided to migrate after all. But along the way, the weather took a nasty turn, causing icing of his wings and bones. He froze up in mid-flight and crashed to the ground.  Now, as luck would have it, he crash landed in a barnyard with just enough snow-covered straw to cushion his fall. This is where my uncle, Geoff the Pig, comes into the picture. He saw the the robin's plight and immediately crapped on him. To some, this might seem like he was adding insult to injury. However, the crap also added heat which revived the olfactorily-impaired robin. The robin took stock of his new situation and discovered that the barn offered heat, shelter, and perhaps enough food to get him through the winter. Geoff agreed that there were many types of food available in the barn, some of which might be suitable for robins. At the very least, he thought that the facilities should enable him to recover enough of his strength to resume his migration. This made the robin so happy that he began to sing quite cheerfully, which attracted the attention of a cat....which ate him.   

Geoff mourned the poor robin, and vowed to pass on the robin's story so that others might learn it's valuable lessons:

  • The easy way is not always easy
  • Going against tradition can have both risks and rewards.
  • Not everyone who dumps a load of crap on you is your enemy.
  • Not everyone who gets you out of crap is your friend.
  • If you are really happy about being in deep crap, keep quiet about it.


Sincerely,

Forest, "the Smartest Pig in the World"

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Email you questions to: ForestThePig@gmail.com



 

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