In the News: The Invasive Species Problem

Hey Readers!

So in recent nature news I've seen more and more about how cities, counties, states, etc are focusing on eliminating invasive species. I came across an interesting article in The Guardian which presented an interesting question in regards to eliminating non native species in Britain which have become very commonplace (ie. barn owls, fallow deer and red kites): just what does it take to be a native to these shores?

According to the USDA an invasive species is any plant, animal or pathogen which is non native to an ecosystem and which also poses harm to existing components of that system. The worst invasive species are those that endanger ecosystems to the point that they severely decrease biodiversity and in those cases it does sound like a good reason to eliminate them.

My question/thought concerns the effects of human caused climate change on migration patterns and distribution of species. We're all pretty aware that as the land and oceans heat we will see the gradual/sudden extinction of hundreds, if not thousands, of species and those that survive could likely find new habitats in which they could be more successful. In the case that we see native species succumb to extinction due to climate change and new, non-native ones move in to fill their niche; is it still our right/responsibility to maintain that original ecosystem? Or are we fighting a losing battle here? Should we accept that we have done irreversible damage and now must let go of the past and nurture the life we haven't yet destroyed?

Call me a nihilist, realist, quitter... whatever you want... but are we doing all of this to stave off our own feelings of guilt? If the climate changes to the point that we can never reestablish original ecosystems then what are we doing in the first place? Perhaps my thoughts come from the knowledge that evolution is constantly at work; natural selection is a constant force on populations and the world as we've known it over the last few centuries is not the world that has always been. But is it "survival of the fittest" if we're the reason those species come into conflict in the first place? If we want to establish ecosystems maybe we should be resurrecting dinosaurs? They were here first by the way! Perhaps (as it usually is) this is all about economics...money. We can't destroy our own resources!...though we're really good at it.

Now I don't want you all to take this the wrong way. I'm a huge fan of biodiversity and conservation/education are my passion so in no way am I saying we should just throw in the towel and give up because I will never stop fighting. So I want you all to answer this question for me:

Why do YOU care about conservation of ecosystems and species? 

Check out Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History for more about the impact of invasives and how our world has changed and continues to do so. 

That's all for me tonight folks!

Get Involved by Getting Informed!

Backyard Birding: Finches

I recently received an urgent text message from my mother, and maybe a few of you can relate, which went something like this...

Mom: "There's this little brown bird in the yard, Amelia [my niece] wants to know what it is."
Me: "Ok..."
Mom: "What is it?"
Me: "..............."

While this could actually be a number of different bird species, I have found the perpetrator is most often the very common House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus).

You will most often notice them by their red (sometimes yellow) heads and otherwise brown bodies with stripes running the length of their chest and belly. The colorful finches are the males (duh) and the dull brown ones are the females or juveniles. If you live here in the States you're sure to spot them making a mess of your feeders. They especially love to cling to feeders or nearby trees/shrubs while they crush open seeds with their thick beaks.

Male house finch hangs on while picking out the black oil sunflower which they prefer

A male and female bring their young offspring to the nyjer feeder on a cool morning. Finches are highly sociable and during nesting seasons you'll often see a few juveniles fluttering/begging and being fed by adults.

Another species of finch you might spot at your feeder is the Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) and sometimes the American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis). Goldfinches are huge fans of the nyjer seed and any other type of thistle/sunflower plant and are guaranteed to make an appearance once you add them to your yard. In our yard we get the Lesser's most of the time but the American's might make an appearance during the winter (check out the links for more about their seasonal ranges).

The Lesser Golds are found from the California/Central Oregon to Central Texas and down into Mexico, preferring the warmer climate.

Males have a black crown and greenish/gray neck and very brilliant yellow coloring over their chest and belly. Meanwhile, females wear a more demure appearance with softer yellow-gray coloration. The contrast between the yellow feathers and striking black and white wings make them easy to pick out from the usual finches at the feeder and their song is also more delicate than the house finch.

Here in San Diego we have a lot of non-native species that have been accidentally released into the wild and have done very well for themselves. A flock of Spice finches (Lonchura punctulata), which were probably unwanted pets, often visit our feeders and seem to get along just fine with their foreign cousins.

 Other native finches to look out for are the Lawrence's Goldfinch (Spinus lawrencei)

[Source]

Which hail from woodland areas of California down into Baja California. These finches will migrate West to East instead of the usual North to South.

The Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus) is more a Canadian/East Coast bird but can be found on the West Coast as well.

They can be found in areas with coniferous trees/woodlands and prefer black oil sunflower seed.

There are numerous other finches and finch-like species which will frequent feeders so I suggest checking out the link to become more acquainted with local species!

Happy Birding!!

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FINCH FUN FACTS:

• The male house finches' brilliant coloring come from pigment in the food they eat during their molt so depending on how much pigment they ingest will determine how brightly colored they are. The brighter males are preferred by the females perhaps because it shows they know how to better forage.

• House finches are Western birds but were introduced in New York as "Hollywood finches" which failed as a sales pitch and they were subsequently released into the wild where they flourished.

• Lesser goldfinches in California have olive colored necks while the populations in Texas and into Mexico have black necks.

• Goldfinches are much smaller than the house finch and highly acrobatic. They are among the strictest vegetarians in regards to birds which is a great defense against the nest parasitizing cowbird because it's young can not live on an all seed diet. Learn more about cowbirds here.