Comments on: Blinded by the light: how light pollution lures birds into urban areas during autumn migration

By: Tony

Tony — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 14:29:41 +0000

Thanks, James. No urinating from me this end, only those in denial, perhaps. I agree with a lot of what you say, and we mustn’t make this into a Peregrine-hating post as that was clearly not my intention. I simply believe the pace of change is not one which people might imagine it to be; things are changing rapidly ecologically-speaking, especially when talking about our common and rarer bird populations. Your comment “as such peregrine predation is, if anything, no more significant than it has ever been” doesn’t hold true anymore when there are increasing pressures from other predators as well and additionally many external factors as well. Some species are being lost on a local or regional level when they were relatively abundant only ten years ago or so, with global ramifications felt a few years on from there. In other words, ecological arms races are affecting the least-adaptable species, and without interventions (certain ones potentially deemed unsavoury) only the generalists will remain until perhaps the Sixth Extinction Kills them too.

By: Tony

Tony — Mon, 29 Jan 2018 19:35:55 +0000

Yes, true. But by merely being yet another successful increasing in abundance predator, specialising in passage migrants whether songbirds or waders, this is yet another problem the less successful species could perhaps do without. Of course, not much one can do other than to maybe have periods when the lights are off and to keep up the habitat creation and feeding of those increasingly threatened songbirds and wader types I mention. The rise of the generalists is a real one, and they are quick to adapt to new food sources when one meal type (feral pigeons die out, and nighttime migrants replace them) changes to another. The city Peregrine diet is a-changing, and there are more moonlit and streetlight-lit raids these days than ever before. Shame, the specialist insectivorous types don’t have much more us humans could offer them.

By: Tony

Tony — Sun, 28 Jan 2018 13:27:17 +0000

*when and where* they are increasingly becoming susceptible etc. Eg. in our towns and cities. Most large cities in the UK now have resident pairs of Peregrines around, for instance. For every bit of good news there are potential downsides I’m afraid.

By: Tony

Tony — Sun, 28 Jan 2018 13:24:53 +0000

Precisely when they are increasingly becoming susceptible to Falcon (even at night) or Hawk attacks as well. Our songbirds need urgent conservation efforts directed at them, the world over.

Kind Regards

Tony Powell and natuestimeline