by Fred Hileman
https://ebird.org/checklist/S280044480
What a beautiful day!
It was such a pleasure having an outing and being with some great people. Nine came out to enjoy a very wonderful day.
It’s always a thrill to be able to bird the island. It varies from year to year. The first exciting viewing was of two American Kestrels who were hovering over the field and the diving to catch prey. None of us had ever observed that behavior.
The area just inside the dam was a little on the quiet side, but we still managed to get a few species. House and Carolina Wrens, Northern Flicker. Eastern Phoebe’s were in abundance as were Grey Catbirds. A Barred Owl flew over as well as other shore birds. A total of 42 species was tallied for the day. The e/Bird list is here. https://ebird.org/checklist/S280044480
Art Jones of One Rake at a Time, spoke with several people who walk the island and was told of the concerns for the lack of wildlife. We are seeing that same lack of our feathered friends. Bob Lewis spoke with Art about Rachael Carson’s “Silent Spring” that was written in 1962. Those warnings are now very evident. She began working on the book in the late 1950”s. Her purpose was to bring to the attention of the public the pesticides that are poisoning our environment. The book was met with fierce opposition from chemical companies, but it swayed public opinion and got DDT banned. This brought back the Bald Eagle population. Silent Spring would be a metaphorical title for the entire book—suggesting a bleak future for the whole natural world—rather than a literal chapter title about the absence of birdsong.
There are still too many chemicals being used on our lands. There has to be a reversal before the consequences of a stronger insect population becomes totally immune.
