"We
may infer from these facts, what havoc the introduction of any new beast of
prey must cause in a country, before the instincts of the
indigenous inhabitants have become adapted to the stranger's
craft or power." Charles Darwin, Voyage of the Beagle
Poot!
As they like to say in the South: I missed a day. So it goes. I was up at the
combined Association of Field Ornithologists and Wilson Ornithological Society
meeting in Newport Rhode Island. Forgive me. I always think that I will have
some downtime but I never do. I think I did as a students when I was afraid to
talk to people. What a dope. I'll try to summarize the meeting tomorrow.
Back to
Darwin. He spends a number of paragraphs pointing out the naivety of
island birds even those with more wary relatives on the mainland.
He was,
yet again, right. And there is case after depressing case of introduced
predators (and pathogens) having negative consequences for native species,
particularly on islands. Most recent extinctions of birds have been the result
of introductions with predators (and pathogens). Cats and rats are the
primarily culprits.
More
tomorrow.. 6 hours of driving... I'm whooped.
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