This video from the USA is of several thousand Sandhill Cranes flying in at sunset from feeding in the nearby cornfields to roost on the Platte River for the night during their annual migration.
From the Houston Chronicle in Texas, USA:
Airport permit to kill 2,400 birds raises fury in TexasBy MATTHEW TRESAUGUE
07/25/2009
Federal wildlife wardens have granted a Waller County airport permission to kill up to 2,400 birds a year to reduce the danger of collisions with aircraft, stirring a new round of criticism from conservationists.
The permit allows the 2-year-old Houston Executive Airport to kill 13 species of migratory birds, including geese, egrets and sandhill cranes, in an effort to ensure aircraft safety.
According to the Internet site of Houston Executive Airport, this privately owned airport is
specifically to suit the needs of of corporations and inviduals using aircraft for business travel.
So, why cannot corporate bigwigs use the normal Houston airport like everyone else, a normal airport in an area much less important for birds than this new special fat cat airport?
Bird advocates argue that the permit confirms their decades-old position that the Katy Prairie, a popular stopping point for migratory birds on the central flyway, is not the right place for an airport.“Why put an airport in a place full of migratory birds?” said attorney Jim Blackburn, who represented a citizens group that had opposed the development of the airport near wetlands and wildlife preserves. “They will kill thousands of birds, but the problem won’t go away.”
But Jeff Haskins, who leads the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s migratory bird office for the Southwest region, said the permit was “kind of a no-brainer. I always side with the aircraft.”
Oh yeah, for people always siding with big money against birds; from the Memphis Commercial Appeal in the USA:
Some people might be stunned by the recent revelation that birdwatchers contributed a mind-blowing $36 billion to the United States economy in 2006.
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report about this is here. See also here:
More people consider themselves birdwatchers than hunters, hikers and even skiers. … That $32 billion dollars [from an older, 2001, report] generated $85 billion in economic benefits and created 863,406 jobs.
According to a survey in Fortune magazine, more Americans take vacations to go birding than to play golf.
For a comparison; here:
Hunting continues to be a major form of recreation generating $3.9 billion per year of economic activity.
So, about a tenth of birdwatching.
Wildlife near Austin, Texas: here.
Avoiding Airliner Bird Strikes By Using Warning Lights: here.
The US aviation industry has taken extreme measures against birds in the name of safety. But in Britain, the approach is more humane. Alice-Azania Jarvis reports: here.
Wattled cranes (Bugeranus carunculatus) are truly big birds—mature adults stand up to 1.8 meters in height—so it’s only fitting that puppets and a full-size bird costume are being used to help save this critically endangered species from extinction in South Africa: here.
Emissions from airplanes kill more people than plane crashes do: here.
March 2011. From office block windows to power lines and wind turbines, many species of bird are prone to colliding with large man-made objects, many of which appear difficult not too notice to human eyes. A new study published today in IBIS outlines a new approach to understanding how birds see the world and why they find pylons and turbines so hard to avoid: here.
Red kites boost for Scottish business: here.
Dear Friend of Wildlife,
When Lewis and Clark set out to explore the wild western frontier of America over two centuries ago, they were overwhelmed with the abundance of wildlife there.
Sadly, today more than half of the 122 animal species they encountered are in serious decline…seven are extinct altogether. And now the entire prairie ecosystem is in jeopardy.
You see, human encroachment has destroyed critical habitat for prairie wildlife like the sage grouse, bobcat, prairie dog and the endangered black-footed ferret.
Even in so-called “protected” wildlife refuges these
animals have to compete with livestock for grazing
and nesting areas!
If we cannot save this vital habitat, what will become of the American prairie, an irreplaceable part of our nation’s very heritage and the natural home of these beloved animals?
It’s time to take a stand. Thankfully we have an amazing chance today to make a real difference.
The Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge is the second-largest refuge in the continental United States. It extends 125 miles up the Missouri River from the Fort Peck Dam in north central Montana. This refuge contains more intact prairie habitat—about 1.2 million acres—than anywhere else in America.
However, about 550,000 acres of land in the refuge are used for livestock grazing. That means about half the land in the refuge is unavailable to the very wildlife it’s supposed to protect! It’s outrageous!
Right now we have an opportunity to permanently retire 50,000 acres of that grazing land and restore it to wildlife. But we must raise $300,000 in the next
15 days!
The great news is it only costs $6 to adopt an acre
of prairie land—so please, adopt* as many acres as
you can and protect imperiled wildlife there and across
the country.
And there’s even better news…
A generous friend has offered a $50,000 Matching Grant to our supporters to meet this goal and help protect the prairie wildlife of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge and other wildlife. That means your gift today will go twice as far!
If there was ever a time to make your most generous gift to protect wildlife, it’s now. Please give today.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Larry Schweiger
President & CEO
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