The Peregrine is the world's fastest bird; it can reach over 200 miles as it dives from tall cliffs onto smaller birds (1). It circles high searching for prey and when a smaller bird like a pigeon takes off it plummets to the earth and kills it with razor sharp talons. The Peregrine's identifying characteristics include its large size, long pointed wings and dark mustache set against white cheeks (11). The female has a wingspan of about 4 feet and often weights more than two pounds as compared to the smaller males the generally only weight in at one pound (11). It was found from the subarctic boreal forests of Alaska and Canada all the way south to Mexico (1). It was called 'the worlds most successful flying bird' largely as a result of its unsurpassed flight characteristics and unusually stable, near-global population. Peregrines could once be found on every continent except Antarctica (2). Besides man the Peregrines only natural predator is the great horned owl which often raids the Peregrines nest (11).
The peregrine has recovered remarkably well. It is now found throughout North America and is breeding in the wild. There are 1,593 breeding pairs of Peregrines in North America, up from 324 in 1975 and well past the initial repopulation goal of 631 pairs (3). Their repopulation was aided by their integration into manmade environments. Peregrines have adapted remarkably well to the city environment. Often they make nests on the ledges of sky scrappers where they are able to dive down onto the unsuspecting pigeons that cloud the city air. They will return to the same ledge year after year. Over 50 pairs of Peregrines winter in L.A. (4).
DDT was a very effective and stable pesticide that was sprayed over large sections of swampland in order to combat mosquito populations. Because of its stability it was concentrated as it moved up the food chain. It kills mosquitoes and other small insects that are then eaten by fish which in turn are eaten by birds of prey. When DDT is introduced into the environment it produces DDE, which accumulates in eggshells causing them to break in the nest (2). The Environmental Protection Agency banned the pesticide in 1972. One of the major driving forces behind the banning of DDT was the book "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson, who was a former U.
The red-cockaded woodpecker, an inhabitant of mature pine forests and pine-grassland ecosystems from Maryland to eastern Texas, has had a troubled history within the last decade (Roise et al, 1990). Ten years ago, James documented a population decline in America’s largest remaining red-cockaded woodpecker population (1991). Of the 2,157 clusters, or living groups, contained in national forests, 693 of them were located in Florid...
By the name of “superspecies” we try to change the world feature and control the nature with science. With science, a lot of technology has been invented to support people demand for products. Without anticipation about the bad consequences, sometime the invention is causing more damaged than it provide in later on. In 1930, DDT that use for killing insect was discovered by Paul Mueller, working for the chemical company Geigy in Switzerland. For this reason, the benefits of using DDT became immediately obvious (65). Years letter, the unbelievable side effect of using DDT was found. While Biologists investigated the decline of eagles and hawks, they discovered the hitherto phenomenon of “biomagnification”, which compounds gather as they are ingested up the food chain (67). DDT phenomenon proves that thinking like science is only to understand the world in separate pieces. It is lack of understanding the rhythms, patterns and cycles of the nature. Therefore, we need to think beyond the science to see the connections between us and nature because in the reality this world is the world of
Every day many species are slowly becoming either endangered or extinct and recently an endangered bird species called piping plovers, started nesting on Revere Beach. What would seem as a miraculous discovery, many are averse to their new inhabitants on the beach. Many Revere residents are complaining because the piping plovers now occupy parts of “their” beach. But in the article “Revere Beach should welcome the piping plover” The Editorial Board believes that the presence of the piping plover could be greatly beneficial to the city of Revere and I certainly agree. What led me to select this particular article is my concern for the many endangered species in the world like the piping plover. Human hands have led many species to become endangered
The Baby Boomer generation and the time period has a lasting effect on the economy and the environment. The baby boom for the United States was similar to other countries after World War II. Several economies also blossomed, but overall with very little care for the environment. After World War II the use of industrial made chemicals increased in popularity throughout the United States and the world (The “New Environmentalism” OF THE 1960S). The chemical DDT was originally being used widespread to eradicate disease vectors, such as mosquito carrying Malaria ("The DDT Story."). DDT influenced more than just mosquitoes as it had lasting effects in the environment where it noticeably bioaccumulate in the food chain and caused high mortality in young bald eagles ("The DDT Story."). Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring released to the public in 1962 which is the time period in which environmental health and human health were connected (The “New
The pesticide DDT banned in 1987 was a detrimental to the environment leading to it to be banned in 1987. DDT remains in the soils for a long period of time. The chemicals affect the ecology of the soil and water run off causing contamination of livestock and native animals and aquatic species. Studies indicated a range of human health impacts from DDT including cancers, infertility, miscarriage and nervous system impairment. The social and economic impact of DDT use in viticulture was significant.
The history of life on earth could be thought of as a record of living things interacting with their surroundings; for most of history, this has meant that life molds over time by the environment it inhabits; however, very recently, humans have become capable of altering the environment in significant ways (Carson 49). Marine Biologist, Rachel Carson, in her environmental sciences book, The Silent Spring, documents the detrimental effects on the environment by the indiscriminate use of pesticides. Carson argues vigilantly in an attempt to persuade her extremely diverse and expansive global audience, under the impression that chemicals, such as DDT, were safe for their health, that pesticides are in fact detrimental for their health. Through
form of a bird usually a falcon and fly around in the world of the living
8. Taylor, Dan. 1998. Audubon Society Inspired to Action by Bird Die -offs . 17 Jan. 1998 . E-mail . Available bkus@sunstroke.sdsu.edu
Birds dying, leaves covered with deadly powder, chemicals floating through the air. These were all issues faced globally in the 1950’s and 60’s due to the use of dangerous pesticides such as DDT, chlordane, and heptachlor. Though several scientists conducted studies that proved the issues with pesticides, the first person to make a lasting impression on America was Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring. Her writing not only discussed the environmental issues that Americans faced in the 1960’s, but also served as the catalyst for the environmental movement as we know it today.
Early in history DDT was a very effective chemical that killed many parasites and stopped the mass spread of malaria. But the reward is not worth the damage that it does to the environment, especially in modern day where we have other ways to prevent parasite and diseases from getting to us. "Top of the Food Chain" by T. Coraghessan Boyle, is a story about the absolute absurdity of things that human beings do to their world and to their fellow living beings. Set during a Senate hearing by a chemical company executive on the defensive about the effects of DDT in Borneo. Basically, poison was used to get rid of mosquitoes. Didn't work. So they brought in geckos, that died from the poison. Cats ate dead geckos, and cats died. This brought on rat infestation. So they brought in more cats and cycle started over again. He is arguing that humans are wrong for destroying their planet with pesticides and other harmful things; this satirical piece effectively supports his argument.
In August 1945, the United States dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. When she began writing Silent Spring in the 1950s, Carson was acutely aware of the short and long term impacts of these events (Carson, 1962). As a naturalist and scientists, she worried about the long term effects of nuclear fallout and the misuse of pesticides. Her work for the U.S. Department of Fisheries gave her unique insight into the rapid ecological system changes due to pesticide use and our own culpability in creating the insect and pest problem to begin with (Biography, 2011).
American Crows have a number of features that make them identifiable, and to help keep them from being confused with another member of the Corvus genus, the Common Raven (Marzluff et al., 2013). American Crows can reach a length between 17 to 21 inches, with a wingspan of 39 inches, while the Common Raven is a larger bird that has an average length of 24 inches (Burton et al. 2010; Marzluff et al, 2013). Both the American Crow and the Common Raven have black coloration, but their feathers and beaks differ. Common Ravens have a larger, stronger beak, a wedge-shaped tale, and spikey feathers on their throat. American Crows, on the other hand, have a smaller and less bulky bill, smooth throat feathers, and they have tail feathers that fan out instead of forming a wedge (Marzluff et al, 2013). The two birds have different styles of flying. A Common Raven soars in flight, but C. brachyrhynchos usually keeps flapping its wings instead of gliding (Burton et al. 2010; Marzluff et al, 2013). Finally, American Crows also have a different call than their raven counterparts: their cry is a “caw, caw” that sets its voice apart from the croaking noises ravens make (Marzluff et al, 2013...
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, (FWS). (2014, January 15). Pesticides and wild life. Retrieved form http://www.fws.gov/contaminants/info/ddt.html
del Hoyo, Josep, Andrew Elliott and Jordi Sargatal. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol 1, Ostrich to Ducks. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, 1992.
*The speed of migration is different for different species, depending on when they migrate. *A new study has found interesting differences in the migration speeds of early and late migrants between Europe and Africa. *In general, flight velocity of birds ranges from 20 to 50 miles per hour. *For sustained flight, larger birds typically fly faster than smaller birds. * A common flying speed of ducks and geese is between 40 and 50 miles per hour, but among the smaller birds it is much less. *Herons, hawks, Horned Larks, ravens, and shrikes, timed with an automobile speedometer have been found to fly 22 to 28 miles per hour, whereas some of the flycatchers fly at only 10 to 17 miles per hour. *Even such fast-flying birds as the Mourning Dove