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News: Woodpeckers, Nuthatches & Chickadees
The Peregrine Chick:
--- Quote from: Moonstar on April 03, 2011, 07:27 ---
--- Quote from: carly on March 24, 2011, 20:04 ---
--- Quote from: Kinderchick on March 24, 2011, 19:01 ---. The news report indicated that Manitoba Conservation suggested the only solution would be to shoot the birds. Too bad. :( But it doesn't sound as if there is anything else that can be done to preserve this historic site. :-\
--- End quote ---
If Manitoba Conservation thinks the only answer is to kill something..then they need to drop the 'conservation' from their name.
It's a building...wood and materials..nothing of substance like an animal with a beating heart and a warm touch. No offense but memories are in the heart, the mind and the soul not enshrined in wood or brick or mortar. Pretty sure the guy in the sandals was opposed to buildings like that and in fact I"m certain there's some lengthy discussion about people missing his whole point by thinking that a building or a spire is what matters in life.
--- End quote ---
I agree with Carly. I personally think it is horrble that they feel the only answer is to kill the woodpeckers.
--- End quote ---
Who thought the only answer was to kill them? Conservation or the Church Committee? Conservation has no problem with the birds eating through the Church - that's what these birds do. The Church wanted them away, but these birds are territorial. Removing them would mean that they birds would be back faster than the folks from Conservation. So what do you do, keep removing them, stressing them to death (literally in some cases, figuratively in all cases) and/or possibly physically injuring them in the process - then the bird(s) are subjected to additional stress of veterinary care but most probably euthanized. So what is the ideal? Quick regrettable death or repeated removals, stress and possible injury that could result in death?
From a purely technical standpoint, it gives the Church time to fix its insect problem so that when woodpeckers are looking for new territories later this year (they don't migrate), they hopefully won't find one at the church and everyone will be able to live in harmony.
Basically, its was a no-win situation from the start for the woodpeckers. Sometimes its all about how we deal with a no-win situation. And they are far from the only woodpeckers shot this year by joe public, they are just the only ones who made it into the news.
birdcamfan:
Perhaps these birds actually saved the building. If there are carpenter ants there, the steeple may have weakened in an undetected way and fallen onto the roof of the church doing even greater damage. Kind of a sad story really.
sami:
Interesting, since we had originally assumed that it was an insect problem, but were assured that there were none when the steeple was inspected. who do you believe? At this point, the steeple needs a lot of work, as it is in danger of being toppled in a high wind. Once it is down on the ground, a more thorough inspection should give the whole story.
Moonstar:
--- Quote from: carly on March 24, 2011, 20:04 ---
--- Quote from: Kinderchick on March 24, 2011, 19:01 ---. The news report indicated that Manitoba Conservation suggested the only solution would be to shoot the birds. Too bad. :( But it doesn't sound as if there is anything else that can be done to preserve this historic site. :-\
--- End quote ---
If Manitoba Conservation thinks the only answer is to kill something..then they need to drop the 'conservation' from their name.
It's a building...wood and materials..nothing of substance like an animal with a beating heart and a warm touch. No offense but memories are in the heart, the mind and the soul not enshrined in wood or brick or mortar. Pretty sure the guy in the sandals was opposed to buildings like that and in fact I"m certain there's some lengthy discussion about people missing his whole point by thinking that a building or a spire is what matters in life.
--- End quote ---
I agree with Carly. I personally think it is horrble that they feel the only answer is to kill the woodpeckers.
The Peregrine Chick:
For those of you wanting to read the piece in the paper ... http://c0002468.cdn2.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/SelkirkRecord0317.pdf
The Selkirk Record is a paper-only publication, no electronic version I'm afraid. The story is on page 10.
Heard from my friends at Conservation, they said they had had an inquiry in February about the birds and what could be done. The woodpeckers were attracted to a food source on the exterior of the building but that the danger of collapse was due to insect damage to the interior structure of the steeple/spire. And while pileateds are not a species-at-risk, they are still a protected species but that Conservation can remove individuals if absolutely necessary and its not a permanent or long-term solution. Apparently whomever is responsible for maintaining the church (individual, committee, whatever) has been informed that without treating the problem (the insects that are attracting the woodpeckers) they will be faced with the same problem in the future: birds will move into the now empty territory and they will find the same food source.
On a personal note, most of the NROs I know and have worked with, hate the idea of having to remove an animal simply for doing what its designed to do.
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