Even as a kid I never thought about loving an animal. But one day we picked up Buddy. He was placed on my lap in the back seat and was driven to his new home with his new family. By the time we got out of the car, I was enraptured.
Buddy is gone now, but I’ve developed an affection for another species, the hummingbirds that live around us. The Pacific Northwest is at the outermost end of their range, and many go south in the winter. Unbelievably millions of hummingbirds migrate to and from Mexico each year, about 500 miles across the Gulf, flying 18 to 22 hours at up to 25 miles per hour! This is remarkable, given that the species uses so much energy. At rest it breathes 250 times a minute; its heart rate is twice that. It sips half its weight in sugar every day - mostly nectar from flowers but also sugar water from feeders.
I love watching these amazing creatures from my workspace, their wings blurring as they stay stationary, move forward, backwards, then instantly accelerate away at 20 miles per hour.
Migrants are in trouble
I don’t know how much time these birds have. Migrants face greater risks than other species because they rely on two or more ecosystems. Greater heat, changes in precipitation, extreme weather, sea level rise, and ocean acidification are changing faster than most species can adapt.
Sea level rise? Ocean acidification? Yes, birds are not the only migrants. Mammals, reptiles, fish and one insect, the monarch butterfly, all travel long distances seasonally. Conditions on land and in the oceans are changing so rapidly that the United Nations reported this month that
Animals’ migratory journeys are scheduled to coincide with the best conditions for feeding and breeding. Warmer temperatures are causing some species to arrive too early, too late or not at all.
Nearly half of the migratory species are showing population declines.
More than one-in-five are threatened with extinction.
Nearly all migratory fish - tunas, swordfish, mahi mahi, salmon and others - are threatened with extinction. [UN Environment Program]
It’s not just climate
Other changes driving the loss of migratory species include pollution from pesticides, plastics, heavy metals, light and noise, as well as the construction of roads, fences, dams and other physical barriers.
Around 1 million of Earth’s 8 million species are today at risk of extinction. All because of the activities of just one species. Us.
Thanks David! I share your love of hummingbirds and of all life on the planet with the possible exception of some of us homo sapiens who seem intent on destroying life while at the same time claiming to be "pro-life". Since we have more power than most other life forms to affect it we therefore have the responsibility to preserve it for the sake of all life. Thanks for pointing out the connection!
As overwhelming and depressing as it is sometimes, I always appreciate your messages. A great picture of Buddy!