Is just one person responsible or is he just a tool for many?

I have the pleasure of looking at his cousin every morning

I watch documentaries on TV to take my mind off the pandemic! The one seen on TV5 Monde Asie on migratory birds didn't help!  I had believed the migration of birds, nature driven, unlike the long arduous walk by migrant labor of India during the first lock down, would be reasonably smooth. Not really! 

Canada and USA share thousands of kilometres of  border and birds which  have no concept of borders migrate freely. Some birds, like the Sandpiper travel very long distances. When the tired birds reached their destination, they were indiscriminately massacred for their feathers. Their population went down rapidly! Thanks to the early naturalists some 105 years ago,  Canada and USA signed a treaty to ensure their protection.  

These small birds travel 10,000 kms!

Twenty years later Mexico and Japan joined the treaty.

Over time, the scope of the agreement widened to include cases where birds are killed unintentionally! That meant many companies had to implement new practices to protect birds. For example to cover oil decanting tanks or installing beacons on telecom masts, wind turbines and power lines. All very positive steps, which the industry were constrained to implement.

A bird hitting the turbine blade! Quite dramatic in the video.


Companies are rightly penalized for not taking steps to protect birds. 



Estimates of 40 million birds dead due to such accidents is mind numbing!

As I watched the TV it hit me that just one person of our own species could undo all this!  Trump's government recently, unilaterally, had interpreted the treaty differently to help the American industry! Difficult to guess, why this was done after more than a hundred years? Did the industry wake up suddenly? Obviously some USA industries are happy!

Naturalists are worried and are hoping now that president Biden would revoke this interpretation and go back to the old treaty. Audubon, a society which protects birds in all aspects in USA has also filed a case in the federal court demanding a reversal of this one sided action. 

This video also opened my eyes about networks like eBird keeping track of the bird population. People in Canada and USA involved with the protection of migratory birds are keeping their fingers crossed. As it is, they are worried about the continued reduction in numbers and variety of birds. The major cause being the climate change. 

Biologist  Yves Turcotte

 "Our neighbors to the south have just unilaterally changed the agreement. It means in practice, for businesses  who do not take required measures to protect the migratory birds, it  becomes almost impossible to take action. They will slowly remove the measures bit by bit and we have to just watch out! Everything we have done in Canada will have been for nothing."

We also learn about the work done by various agencies, who monitor the birds, especially the migratory birds. For instance,  temperature changes up north in America has made the birds go out of sync. Their egg laying season has come forward by a week! This is serious! 

The tree swallow is a migratory bird.

Some of the concerns:

The shorebird population has decreased.

Birds indigenous to  Canada, USA and Mexico have decreased by 70%,
as much as 432 of them face extinction

He says there are 350 species in Quebec.

,

This network uses the latest technology:

22 countries are involved in the study of behavior of birds

What is surprising is that in USA the President can take such an unilateral decision

 disregarding their own scientists and research. 

Lack of faith with the industries palpable. 

This certainly is a distress call!

I had not seen this kind of despondency earlier.

It is serious. USA is still very important for the well being of the world.

I do hope the sickness which has been evident will go away! 

Let's hope neighbors learn to work together

Let science and common good guide us. 🙏