Commentaire
I want to add my protest to this cormorant hunt. I see no reason to place stress on this fellow species. It is my understanding that this is just gratuitous violence perpetrated against a struggling animal species. Considering the inevitable environmental stress that will be placed on all animal and human species in the upcoming decades with climate change altering the habitats of all species on Earth, I do not think that humans have any logical reason for engaging in what I think is an awful practice. It is not up to humans, who have a proven record of bad stewardship and who have demonstrably failed to conserve the environment for future generations, to decide how many individuals of any species a given environment can handle. Humans have no idea what aggravating effects will be felt in the next decade and how large or small the environment supporting the cormorant or any other species will be. All models are out the door now. So stop pretending that you now what is best, that the politicians have any idea about responsible stewardship. NVD.
Distributions are changing
Bird populations are expected to shift poleward, or to higher elevations, to stay with their ideal temperatures as the climate changes.
A study of 35 North American warbler species found that the range of occurrence of seven of the species (Prothonotary Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Pine Warbler, Hooded Warbler, and Cape May Warbler) has shifted significantly north in the past 24 years, by an average of 65 miles. None of the birds shifted to the south.
Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas data demonstrates that “southern” birds species such as Tufted Titmouse, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Mockingbird, and Red-bellied Woodpecker have increased in number and have expanded their range northwards in Ontario compared to 20 years ago.
These climate-induced shifts are not always a solution to coping with a warming climate. Birds on the move could be stymied in their efforts to find new ranges by fragmentation, human development, or natural geological features like large bodies of water.
Photo of a Western Grebe
Ecological communities are disrupted
Global warming can change entire ecological communities. Food and nesting material that birds depend on may no longer be there. Birds may face new prey, parasites, competitors, and predators to which they are not adapted.
In the northern Hudson Bay area, mosquitoes now reach peak numbers earlier in the spring. Thick-billed Murres breeding in the area have not adjusted their behaviour, and the combination of heat and mosquitoes is causing higher egg loss and greater adult mortality.
Parts of northern Minnesota and southwestern Ontario may end up with 14 fewer species of warblers than are currently found there. This could lead to increased outbreaks of some forest pests like spruce budworms.
2005 saw unprecedented failures of colonies of seabirds on the Pacific coast of North America. Only 8% of the Cassin’s Auklets nesting on Triangle Island were successful. This is because late northerly winds delayed coastal upwelling, which affected plankton growth and caused a decline in the fish species on which the seabirds depend.
Tufted Puffins at Canadian sites have breeding success near zero when water is at its warmest, which could mean that Canada’s largest breeding colony for this species, Scott Islands, becomes unsuitable for Tufted Puffins as water continues to warm.
Extinction risks are on the rise
Birds most at risk of extinction from climate change are those with restricted ranges, poor ability to move their range, small populations, or those already facing conservation challenges.
Migratory birds are particularly vulnerable to climate change effects, because they depend on multiple habitats and sites.
Arctic birds are particularly vulnerable – warming is occurring rapidly here, and at least 85 of the world’s bird species breed in global Arctic regions. Vast areas of habitat, including tundra and sea ice, will be lost. Sea ice retreat could have severe consequences for Ivory Gulls, which forage along sea ice. Canadian Ivory Gulls have already declined in number by 90% over the past two decades.
Conclusions
Climate change is now affecting bird species’ behaviour, ranges and population dynamics
Some bird species are already experiencing negative impacts
In the future, climate change will put large numbers of birds at risk of extinction
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Soumis le 2 janvier 2019 10:58 PM
Commentaire sur
Proposition en vue d’établir une saison de chasse pour le cormoran à aigrettes en Ontario
Numéro du REO
013-4124
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16473
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