Birdwatching Still In Vogue and Drawing In a New Generation

The hobby that once was the domain of James Audubon has continued to draw young and old alike into an appreciation of avian species.

By Mark Hoerrner

Birdwatching, once ranked with exciting hobbies like stamp and bug collecting is seeing a new generation of hobbyists take to the activity.

Sixteen year-old Robert Reichfeldt of Oregon is just one of a group of teens getting into birdwatching. Though he and friends Oliver Sanger and James McFlynn used to think that simply peering at wildlife through binoculars was about as unhip as a Lawrence Welk rerun, they’ve found a new respect for the animals they track.

Using field guides and field glasses, the trio peer through the coastal scrub in search of a variety of early morning visitors. Shorebirds, primarily, but you never know what you will find, James says.

"Sometimes, you can catch crabs feeding or you run into animals prowling the beach," McFlynn says.

It’s likely cyclical, but the rebirth among youth in the hobby is likely due to a move toward greater interest in wildlife stewardship motivated by the current presidential administration, some enthusiasts say, but not because the administration is actively promoting the hobby. Recent decimations of environmental laws have led to a renewed movement to protect natural resources.

In fact, birdwatchers have had a significant effect on wildlife on the eastern coast of the U.S. Near Delaware, watchers noticed a decline in shorebirds. Looking into the disappearing numbers, birdwatchers discovered that a decline in the population of horseshoe crabs was affecting the birds’ feeding patterns since many northeastern shorebirds spend seasonal migrations in the extreme north and then fly south.

On their way south, the birds stop and gorge themselves on horseshoe crab eggs. But the eggs were less plentiful because local conch and eel fishermen had started taking the crabs to use as bait. Motivated by care for the birds, local watchers sparked a conservation effort for the crabs that in turn benefited the birds. State legislatures in the area have now passed legislation governing the crab harvest.

Chris Stenson, a birdwatcher in Chicago, Ill., started the hobby when he was 12 by traveling to wild areas with his parents. Now 24 and a recent college graduate, he’s seeking work as a wildlife biologist.

"At first, I thought it was going to be a pretty lame experience," Stenson says. "But my mom kept harping on me to go with them and when I did, I found that I really had a good time. So much so that I started studying about all kinds of animals, not just the birds. Now, I plan to make wildlife conservation my career."

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Wind Turbines And Bird Kills 

A column published in 2004 contained concerns raised by naturalists that birds were being killed by wind turbines. It is true that birds have been killed by the machines. Naturalists argued that though wind turbines could be a good thing, they were a risk when it came to the birds that inhabited the area where the wind turbine fields were located.

Small home wind turbines, designed for home use, rely solely on the wind to move the blades and were a concern as well. When the wind isn’t blowing and the wind turbine is not moving, this would allow birds to perch or try to build a nest. These machines were changed too, although most of the incidents with birds were in the wind turbine fields.

The first step is always knowing a problem does exist. However, that is also the means of finding a solution. There are more positive aspects and evaluations than there are negative with the wind turbine. Every product has a negative side, but every product has room for improvement, and better development.

Since this extensive column was published by the Buffalo Sunday News, researchers as well as Wind Turbine companies are taking extra measures of precaution so the machines are more ‘bird friendly.’

With new technology, researchers were also able to slow the rotation of the bigger wind turbines down. This was accomplished by making the blade angle in a different way. Also, larger wind turbines in the wind fields no longer have space for birds to get into the back where the shaft is located. In order for the bird to perch or nest, this means more bird fatalities were during bird migration apparently. Amazingly consumers believed companies designed the new wind turbines with carbon fiber blades that weighed more. This is not true. And the wattage output by these machines though rotating slower, remained consistent.

The result of a recent study indicated that the bird mortality rate at wind turbine fields had dropped. Communication towers now have more fatalities per tower than a wind turbine rotating in a field. Household wind turbine fatalities with birds have almost ceased completely.

There are approximately 16,000 wind turbines operating in the United States today. Companies and manufacturers as well as owners all comply with the guidelines and restrictions concerning the environment and the safety of the birds.

It is a continuous effort upgrading the larger wind turbines. Research is constant and improvements are made at a rapid pace. Not only for the efficiency of the wind turbine and how they operate but for the safety of birds too.

In an unofficial study, the conclusion stated that for one wind turbine there were three bird fatalities for one year. In effect a cat roaming loose in a residential area will kill on average of six birds in one year.

On average, research and development improvements are the highest priority concerning the wind turbine. And this process continues as more wind turbines are used. Providing better use, as well as safety for the environment and requirements that are in effect pertaining to the wind turbine.

By: DJ Bankey

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To learn more about how wind turbines can improve you home visit residential-windmills.com

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Purple Martin Scouting Season

The coming of a new year is an exciting time for many, but purple martin landlords have an extra reason to be excited. That reason is that purple martin "scouts" will soon begin arriving and searching for nesting sites. Purple martin enthusiasts should be busying themselves with cleaning and maintaining their birdhouses in preparation for a colony of martins, which could arrive as early as December.

In the following paragraphs, we will discuss what purple martin scouts really are, when to get purple martin birdhouses up and ready for them, and why being a purple martin landlord is an important role.

When a Scout Is Not a Scout

It was once believed that the early arriving martins would somehow communicate with other purple martins upon finding a suitable nesting site, but such is not the case. They are often still referred to as "scouts" out of habit and familiarity, but it is a misnomer. Early birds of the purple martin variety are simply adults that know where they are going. They get preferred seating, one might say.

Nesting Site Fidelity

Site fidelity is a term describing a very interesting characteristic of purple martin behavior. If a purple martin pair finds a birdhouse where they successfully nest and raise their young, there is a very high likelihood that they will return to that same purple martin birdhouse the next year.

For purple martin landlords, site fidelity means that the hardest part of hosting a purple martin colony is getting that first pair or two to nest. After that, the birds will probably return. Of course, the owner of a purple martin birdhouse must always be vigilant and diligent in his or her efforts. The reward of a successful colony is worth it.

If You See It, Say It

Over the last twenty to thirty years, purple martins have recovered from near-disastrous population declines, mostly because of caring people who put up and properly maintain purple martin birdhouses. These wonderful birds are not out of the woods yet, however. Opportunities for new purple martin landlords abound.

Another thing people can do to help bolster the purple martins’ progress is to report sightings and breeding successes to proper organizations. There are many such institutions, like the Audubon Society, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the Purple Martin Conservation Association.

The PMCA has several "citizen science" projects, including the annual Scout Arrival Study. Purple martin lovers (not necessarily landlords) report to the PMCA whenever they see a purple martin scout in their area. This helps monitor the migration habits of the birds; purple martin landlords may use it to know when to open up their purple martin birdhouses in a particular area. For example, in the 2004, 2005, and 2006 seasons, the first sightings in Florida came in December of the previous year! Meanwhile, the first scout sightings in New York came in mid-April of those years. The rest of the purple martins begin arriving two to four weeks after the scouts in a given area.

Purple martin scouts, which are not scouts at all, but adult birds eager to return to a familiar birdhouse, are a welcome sight in the early months of a new year. The full population of martins completes its spring migration as late as June in its northern abodes, so there are many opportunities for purple martin landlords to begin or expand colonies. It is a happy time, indeed; so put your purple martin birdhouse up and get ready to enjoy the show!

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How to Attract Winter Birds to Your Garden

There’s nothing more delightful than watching birds flit from one area of your garden to the next. Attracting birds to your yard is really quite simple: if you supply their three basic needs — food, shelter and water — you will have an avian oasis in your own backyard.

The experts at Garden Artisans, www.gardenartisans.com, offer these tips for enjoying birds in your backyard all winter long:

Food

As winter approaches and the natural food supply for birds dwindles, birds become dependent on bird feeders for seeds and suet. Although there is debate about whether artificial feeding disrupts the migration urge of some birds, research shows this is not a significant concern.

For birds that are not strong enough to migrate due to injury or illness or because of some undeveloped natural migration cue, your feeder may be what enables them to live through winter. Also, for birds that do not migrate, winter storms can bury their food supply. When you add to that the natural condition of reduced time for foraging due to shorter days, winter is a real hardship for birds.

There are two ways to provide food: through bird feeders and by growing plants around your yard that offer fruits, seeds and a habitat that birds love. Black oil sunflower seed is the best seed to attract a diverse group of birds to your feeder, including chickadees, nuthatches, finches, cardinals, grosbeaks, sparrows, blackbirds and jays.

To attract insect-eating birds such as woodpeckers, chickadees and nuthatches, offer suet in the wintertime. Ground feeding birds like juncos, sparrows, towhees and mourning doves prefer cracked corn scattered on the ground or placed in an elevated tray.

Plants to add to your landscape include serviceberry, dogwood, fir, hawthorn, sweet gum, crabapple, pine, coralberry and fruit-bearing viburnums. Seed-producing flowers that will attract birds include aster, blanket flower, cone flower, sunflowers, black-eyed Susans, California poppies, goldenrod, marigolds, phlox, salvias and zinnias.

Things to remember about feeders:

— It’s nice if you can place the feeder so you can watch birds from a comfortable location, but also keep in mind their needs. They need an escape route, so make sure you place the feeder near shrubs or evergreen trees so they can make a quick get-away. Woody plants with thorns, such as roses or hawthorn, are helpful to birds because they provide refuge from predators such as house cats. This can also help keep the feeders out of the rain and food dry.

— Keep your feeders clean to prevent diseases and deter pests. Disinfect occasionally with one part chlorine bleach and nine parts lukewarm water and dry thoroughly before refilling.

— Once you start to provide food for birds, continue throughout the cold season. It’s best to provide only one type of food per feeder. Birds feeding at feeders with mixed seed discard the seeds they do not want while selecting their favorites.

— Do not feed birds spoiled leftovers, salty snack foods or sugary cereals.

Shelter

Shelter can be provided in many ways, including bird houses or nest boxes. As winter days grow longer after solstice, birds get ready to mate and nest, so it is time to start thinking about putting up a bird house or nest shelf. Fall is a great time to shop for bird houses, remembering that many people you know would welcome a birdhouse as a Christmas present.

Choosing a bird house will depend on your goal. Do you want a great looking garden ornament or are you looking to attract a certain type of bird? All birds have their own particular preferences. For example, robins will not nest in an enclosed box, while wrens and bluebirds are attracted to single unit, enclosed bird houses. One other way to provide shelter is with the types of trees and shrubs in your yard. For a list of shrubs and plants that attract birds to your yard, refer to the Garden Artisans’ February 2001 online newsletter.

Things to remember about birdhouses:

— Face the entrance hole to the north or east to prevent the birds from overheating if summers are hot in your area.

— Mount bird houses on poles or posts rather than nailing them to trees or hanging them from limbs, making them less vulnerable to predators.

— Don’t put bird houses next to bird feeders.

— Clean your bird house yearly.

Water

While water is the least important of the three requirements, it can make a difference to the number of birds visiting your feeders. If birds must fly long distances to find water in the winter, they may choose to stay near their water source rather than coming back to your feeder.

The easiest way to provide water is by maintaining your bird bath year round. This could mean filling the bird bath several times a day, which is not always practical. The easiest method is to have a heated bird bath. Heaters are completely safe, but make sure they have an automatic shut-off feature if the bath goes dry, which can happen on windy days or if there are too many birds drinking from the bath. The plug must be attached to a grounded (three pronged) outlet — preferably a GFI (ground fault interrupt) outlet. This will eliminate the risk of electrical shock. The heating element also should be covered in some way. If yours is uncovered, it would be good to place a piece of shale over the top to prevent any birds from burning their feet. In addition, birds will enjoy perching on the warm rock, especially the mourning doves.

To view a large selection of bird feeders and houses and to learn more about plantings to attract wild birds, hummingbirds and butterflies to your backyard, visit www.GardenArtisans.com

Courtesy ARA Content, www.ARAcontent.com, e-mail: info@ARAcontent.com

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Sudan’s Breathtaking Migration

Scientists find vast herds of antelope and gazelle in what could be one of the greatest natural events on Earth.

Scientists believe they have discovered the biggest migration of wild animals on Earth, with an aerial survey revealing vast herds of gazelle and antelope on the move in southern Sudan in a region which had been assumed to have been denuded of its wildlife by years of civil war.

The Wildlife Conservation Society, together with the autonomous government of South Sudan, announced at a press conference in New York yesterday that a study of the area’s fauna had revealed an abundance of antelope, particularly of white-eared kob, in breathtaking numbers. Flying over an area of about 590,000 sq kilometers, scientists witnessed a column of animals in their seasonal migration through grasslands and swamps that was 50 miles (80 km) long and 30 miles across.

They estimated the population of the white-eared kob - a chestnut colored and medium-sized antelope - at about 800,000. Add to that other species including the topi and the Mongalla gazelle, and the total number of migratory animals is put at 1.3 million, approaching the scale of one of the world’s greatest natural events, the Serengeti migration of wildebeest and zebra across east Africa.

"This could represent the biggest migration of large mammals on Earth," said Michael Fay, a field scientist with the WCS, who conducted the survey. "I have never seen wildlife in such numbers, not even when flying over the mass migrations of the Serengeti."

The discovery of wildlife in such gigantic numbers astonished Dr Fay and his fellow conservationists, because the Serengeti migration, which occurs between July and October each year as a way of avoiding the impact of the dry season, was considered to be unrivaled. The findings also came as a happy surprise as the region’s long-running civil war had been assumed to have led to environmental devastation.

An aerial survey was last carried out in 1982, a year before fighting erupted between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and government forces backed by Arab militias from the north. The fighting lasted for more than two decades and claimed 2 million lives.

In 2005 a tentative settlement was reached between the warring parties which has led to autonomous status for the government of South Sudan, and calm has returned to the area with its population of about 11 million. A referendum is to be held on independence in four years’ time.

In January, a team led by Dr Kay set out to find out what had happened to the wildlife they had not been able to study for 25 years. Despite the natural richness of the territory, sandwiched between the Sahara and a belt of tropical forests, they expected the worse: there is a long and sorry history of the devastation wrought by poachers and armies during Africa’s many wars.

But as soon as the plane was up over the grasslands, at the start of 150 hours of flying, their hearts lifted. Dr Fay said: "If you were a gold miner and hit a vein of gold, like we found in kob, you would have found El Dorado."

In addition to the gigantic herds of kob, they produced estimates of 250,000 Mongalla gazelles, a small tan and hite antelope with a black stripe on its flank; 160,000 topi, or tiang, a horned antelope; as well as reedbuck and ostriches.

The review of the wilderness’s state of health was not universally positive. In the south-west of the region up to 90% of species had been lost.

"We saw no buffalo where in 1981 there were estimated to have been 60,000 and only one group of elephants was sighted, where some 10,000 had been estimated to roam in the past," said Paul Elkan, head of the WCS’s program in southern Sudan.

The south-western zone is particularly prone to poaching, whereas the eastern area is protected to some degree by the natural barrier of the Nile and by its swampy terrain.

In other parts, zebra populations also appear to have been wiped out. The animal used to number up to 20,000 in the Boma National Park, in the south-east corner of the autonomous region, but were not visible to the survey planes.

The Wildlife Conservation Society, which has numerous global outreach projects but also runs the zoo in Manhattan’s Central Park, now wants to build on the survey findings to preserve the extraordinary wildlife that they found. It is calling for the creation of an international conservation mission to protect it.

Under the scheme, former fighters with the Sudan People’s Liberation Army would be retrained into wildlife activists, managing a network of parks and encouraging environmentally-friendly practices among local villagers.

The project would be called the Sudano-Sahel Initiative, and it has been modeled on work done in the Congo basin, another abundant ecosystem under enormous pressure from civil war and conflict over natural resources.

In the case of southern Sudan, the natural resource that most poses a threat to the wildlife is oil.

Since the end of hostilities, oil companies have begun to show increasing interest, and several permits have been handed out for exploration - right in the middle of the migratory path of the antelope.

The Serengeti journey

The discovery of the gigantic migration in southern Sudan pits it against one of the wonders of the natural world, the twice-yearly Serengeti migration:

Every June, nearly 2 million herbivores begin marching northwards from the Tanzanian part of the Serengeti plain towards the northern hills in Kenya, following the rains to avoid the dry season.

Every October, once the higher pastures have been fully grazed, they make the reverse journey back to the now green pastures of the southern Serengeti. The journey is about 700 miles in each direction and the enormous herds include 1.4 million wildebeest and 200,000 zebra and gazelle.

The experience of migration begins when wildebeest are just a few months old. Many animals fall from exhaustion or are picked off by predators during the journey. The most perilous part is the crossing of the Mara river where many are taken by crocodiles, or lions waiting for them on the other side.

It had been assumed that the Serengeti migration was unparalleled. But the revelation that there are herds of white-eared kob in southern Sudan in numbers that scientists believe may even exceed the wildebeest herds has challenged that.

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Waved Albatross Migration

The Waved Albatross leaves the Galapagos Islands before their reproductive cycle, take a closer look about this unique bird.

The largest bird in the Galapagos Islands, the waved albatross, is getting ready to depart, as it follows the cool waters back to lower southern latitudes. Albatrosses nest only on Espaola (Hood) Island, and live here from late March through early January.

The sole purpose of coming here is to reproduce, and so all their mating efforts must succeed before the arrival of the warm waters. This also brings the first rains, and their inland habitat is just impossible for them to cope with, as grasses particularly turn the dessert-like environment into a thick green lush jungle. Their offspring must be ready to leave too, as subaldults (adults with no previous mating experience), and so from October through December the most amazing flying lessons and wing exercises are witnessed on those brand new individuals.

Lots of downy feathers are seen being swept by the wind; the newer feathers are just coming out, and albatrosses must be ready to take off. Because of their big size, the young adults cannot have a second chance to take off. Once they jump off the cliffs near Punta Surez, they will start their long journey until the nutrient-rich waters start heading back to the islands. Our ships have reported as of December 30th, a total of just 12 albatrosses left on the island. The latest they have stayed is the end of the second week in January. Bon Voyage!

Authors
This article was developed by Metropolitan Touring, for their newsletter, and was wrote by a team of travelers, field guides, operations and marketing staff inside the company, all of them has more than 10 years working in the Galapagos cruises and tours guiding and sales, Sylvia Moncayo, Francisco Dousdebs, Santiago Tamayo, Gonzalo Alvarez are the team who produce our articles, Email info@metropolitan-touring.com Article Copyright Metropolitan Touring Corporation 2005 - 2006

Source:

• Galapagos Islands Cruises

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Climate Change to Force Mass Migration

1bn likely to be displaced by 2050, says report - Environmental factors will exacerbate existing crisis

A billion people - one in seven people on Earth today - could be forced to leave their homes over the next 50 years as the effects of climate change worsen an already serious migration crisis, a new report from Christian Aid predicts.

The report, which is based on latest UN population and climate change figures, says conflict, large-scale development projects and widespread environmental deterioration will combine to make life unsupportable for hundreds of millions of people, mostly in the Sahara belt, south Asia and the Middle East.

According to the development charity, the world faces its largest movement of people forced from their homes. "Forced migration is now the most urgent threat facing poor nations," said John Davison, the report’s lead author. "Climate change is the great, frightening unknown in this equation."

About 155 million people are known to be displaced now by conflict, natural disaster and development projects. This figure could be augmented by as many as 850 million, as more people are expected to be affected by water shortages, sea level crises, deteriorating pasture land, conflicts and famine, the report says.

The authors admit that the figures are uncertain "because there are no recent, authoritative global figures on the number of people who could be displaced by climate change".

"But the lack of knowledge must not lead to a neglect of what can be done now to prevent displacement and to help people who are affected," says the report, which says the best way to reduce people’s vulnerability would be to reduce global poverty.

It draws heavily on the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, which said that by 2080, 1.1-3.2 billion people would be experiencing water scarcity, 200-600 million hunger and 2-7 million a year coastal flooding.

Western governments are increasingly aware of climate change as a security issue. Britain’s foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, has highlighted the threat of climate change to the UN security council and last week said it was an underlying factor in the Darfur crisis with the potential to escalate many other existing conflicts. "In climate change we have a new and potentially disastrous dynamic," she said.

The Christian Aid report says: "A staggering number of people are being pushed aside to make way for dams, roads and other large-scale development [projects]." It says this includes 25 million displaced by conflict and human rights abuses, 25 million by natural disasters, such as earthquakes, and 105 million by large development projects, with 8.5 million now officially classed as refugees.

By 2050, it says, twice as many people could be displaced by conflict and natural disasters, but 250 million could be permanently displaced by climate change-related phenomena such as droughts, floods and hurricanes, and 645 million by dams and other development projects, based on a current rate of 15 million people a year. "The growing number of disasters and conflicts linked to future climate change will push the numbers far higher unless urgent action is taken. We estimate that between now and 2050 a total of 1 billion people will be displaced from their homes."

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Tags: animal migration photos, bird migration, migrations, photo conversion, photo converter

Get Plugged Into Nature: Be Part Of An Animal Migration

I often wonder how much the circle of life is moving me. When thousands of years of human evolution and time on this planet are controlling me via instinct, and when I’m acting entirely of my own accord. Several years ago I was lucky enough to watch the first few moments in the lives of a family of baby turtles. Buried in the sand they hatched from their eggs and without eating or drinking or being shown what to do they dug their way out into the air above and skittered, as fast as their tiny, newly hatched flippers would carry them, towards the ocean. Even if they feel the air or hear the ocean from inside their eggs, they’ve never experienced those things before, so it’s baby turtle instinct which must dictate to them what to do. In that moonlit moment I thought baby turtle instinct must be one of the most powerful forces in nature, but that’s really just the tip of the animal iceberg. It was like being plugged in to nature.

Instinct is clearly not to be reckoned with. Birds manage to embark on epic journeys twice a year and reach the same destinations, salmon fight their way upstream to spawn in the creeks they hatched in, and herds of wildebeest rumble in great packs across the Serengeti. We can’t always understand why these creatures face these challenges, but we can appreciate that it’s something pretty powerful, and witnessing one of these epic animal migrations will give you a sense of being part of something vast and painstakingly slow and ancient, yet also of the potential for renewal. Better for your soul than refreshing at a spa!

So which are the epic migrations worth planning your own cycle around? The Serengeti wildebeest migration is the best known - thousands of wildebeest tracking miles of dust into the air, predators awaiting them at every ridge - and can be seen from a safari truck or helicopter. Whales are amazing creatures, but along the route of their breeding migration they’re at their most playful and social as they mate, calve and greet their new calves - go out amongst it in boat. Greys and Humpbacks especially so.

Quieter migrations are no less magical, and in the case of the Monarch butterfly migration, only more incredible, as a whole landscape is covered in softly beating wings. The great sardine migration, turns the waters off South Africa’s east coast into a bed of churning silver as their slivery bodies press together so tightly to seem like some kind of sea monster rather than a billion strong shoal and the huge, red land crabs of Christmas Island are like a brightly sparing carpet at the height of the breeding season. Bird migrations take place all over the globe, but there is a particularly popular breeding ground on the Isle of Lesbos.

By: Worldreviewer

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

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Feeding Wild Birds… Bird Seed

Always consider native plants when providing food for the wild birds visiting your garden. Even when this isn’t possible, providing bird feeders will still attract birds into your back yard.

Interestingly, even from an ecological perspective, wild birds can use feeders safely.

Studies have shown that their first choice is a natural food source. They visit feeders to supplement their natural diet.

Studies have also shown that birds do not prefer feeders over natural food supplies. Another myth is that bird migrations are delayed because of feeders.

The goal is to provide bird feeders that closely match the ways bird feed in the wild… You will discover that regardless of the species you want to attract to your bird garden, the feeders needed will be among these…

Tube Feeders. This is by far the most popular bird feeder. It’s readily available and fairly inexpensive. Made of plastic (usually clear), the tube has many openings encouraging several birds to feed at once. Because these tubes hold different types of seeds, they easily accommodate a variety of bird diets.

Platform Feeders. Birds that naturally feed on the ground prefer these feeders over hanging feeders. In fact, many of them will not even visit a hanging feeder because it doesn’t allow them to feed as they do in the wild.

Hopper Feeders. These feeders hold a large volume of seeds and have sides, a roof, and a small ledge on all sides that the seeds spill onto. The main difference between hopper feeders and tube or platform feeders is their huge storage capacity. Birds that visit both tube and platform feeders will also visit hopper feeders.

Sock Feeders. Fine mesh socks hold the tiniest of seeds, while larger mesh socks hold peanuts.

Non-Seed Feeders. You can also find feeders for those bird species that will not normally eat seeds. These feeders are usually platforms or nail spikes that hold these birds’ preferred pieces of fruit and mealworms, grubs, or other insects.

The bottom line is that if you decide to add feeders to your bird garden, always consider the bird species you wish to attract, and then just match their natural feeding requirements as closely as possible.

By: Susan Nelson Hopkins -

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Susan Nelson Hopkins is an online gardening expert from Carlsbad, NM. She specializes in creating gardens that will attract birds. For more bird gardening information, please visit Susan’s Bird Gardens

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Wildebeest-Gnu migration Masaai Mara: the new 7th World Wonder

Kenya’s tourism received a shot in the arm in mid November 2006 when a panel of experts and a major American television channel declared the annual Wildebeest migration one of the seven new wonders of the world. Broadcasting live from the Maasai Mara to millions of American homes, the channel made the declaration during its breakfast show "Good Morning America."

Enlarge Image THE NATION

The gnu migration
Wildebeest cross a river during their migration from the Maasai Mara in Kenya to the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The unique event has earned the animals and the two parks a distinction as one of the new wonders of the world. Every year, the wildebeest migrate from the Mara in Kenya to the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, attracting thousands of tourists to witness the rare event in nature.

The new wonders of the world
Yesterday’s TV show, which featured a live interview with Kenya Wildlife Service director Julius Kipng’etich, was the culmination of six days during which panelists invited by the channel voted for new wonders of the world.

The new wonders are separate from the conventional Seven Wonders of the World known for centuries and which are classified by Unesco. Coming at a time when the West, including the USA have been issuing travel advisories warning their citizens against traveling to East Africa over alleged security threats, the declaration and exposure during the live broadcast will be a major boost to the tourism industry in Kenya and Tanzania.

How Masaai Mara and wildebeest won award
The panel of experts included an oceanographer, a tour expert, a range and wildlife management expert. The Maasai Mara and Serengeti and the wildebeest migration were selected as one of the new wonders because of what the experts termed as "the uniqueness of the area and the preservation it provides to so many species living in harmony".

The six other new wonders of the world according to ABC are Tibet’s Potala Palace, selected for the hope it provides to exiled Tibetans that one day they will return to their homeland; the Old Jerusalem City, which is holy to both Muslims and Christians; the Polar Ice Caps in Iceland for the mixture of cold frozen glaciers and volcanoes; the underwater Hawaiian Island’s Monument, a protected underwater coral reef; the Internet - described as a world where anything is possible and the Mayan Pyramids in Cancun, Mexico whose sight was described as breathtaking.

A Million of moving gnu and zebra
In their citation, the panelists said: "More than one million wildebeests, half a million gazelles, and 200,000 zebras constantly on the move - they’re all in search of fresh grass and water. Welcome to the Serengeti and the Masai Mara plains in the heart of East Africa - the seventh New Wonder of the World. Covering about 10,000 square miles of land teeming with life, the Serengeti is home not only to some of the most diverse wildlife on the planet, but the start and finish line for one of the world’s last great migrations.

"Good Morning America’s" expert panel had a spirited debate about the merits of a moveable, natural wonder of the world. "It’s one of the great wonders in terms of animal migrations," said oceanographer and panelist Sylvia Earle. "It’s just over the top."

In the end, the uniqueness of the area and the preservation it provides to so many species living in harmony landed it on the ABC list. "Serengeti-Mara ecosystems (are) considered to be perhaps the last of the ecosystems - in which - human impact is less than five per cent," said Prof Karim Hirji, former director of the Serengeti Wildlife Research Centre.

Wildebeest migration route
Every year, wildebeests, zebras and gazelles roam, pushing ever forward in a clockwise rotation covering the Masai Mara in Kenya and Serengeti in Tanzania, along the way encountering friends and foes alike. "There’s high drama almost the whole time," said tour guide Mr David Bromham. "If they’re not birthing 300,000 calves in the three-week period, they’re leaping into rivers for 20 (feet) up."

Wildebeests may have been making the trek for millions of years, coping with disease, drought and predators. "It would be astonishing and wondrous to watch the migrations go by," said Mr Neil deGrasse Tyson, a panelist and astrophysicist.

Those lucky enough to travel here see wild animals in their purest state. On the East African plains, you’ll see lions, elephants, giraffes, and lots of wildebeests. Guide Gerald Selempo told "Good Morning America’s Weekend Edition" anchor Kate Snow that area residents had a nickname for the animals.

Wildebeest, the clown of the plains
"They call them ‘the clowns,’ because when you look at a wildebeest he looks like he was made up of the leftovers of all the other animals," Selempo said. "They have like a head of a buffalo, have tail of a horse. They have legs of an antelope. They just don’t look very balanced."

But the wildebeests do bring balance to this fragile ecosystem. They are the heart and soul of the Great Migration - the key to survival on the vast plains. "Without the migration, it’s harder to conceive Serengeti-Mara being what it is today," Hirji said. "Everything else survives within that migration."

The herds follow the rain. "They just move and hopefully wherever they are going. They can get as much grass and as much water as possible," Mr Selempo said. After spending the late summer and early fall in the north, here in the Masai Mara, dry land and lack of food forces the herds south to the Serengeti, which is lush with new grass.

There’s even a pattern to the way they eat. First, the zebras come. "The zebra seems to be eating the top grass," Mr Selempo said. "The wildebeests go for the middle and then the herd beasts. - Like the gazelles, go for the lowest part."

The treacherous routes of wildebeest migration
It’s not always easy. With the circle of life, comes the promise of death. Lions, cheetahs and leopards look forward to the herds’ arrival. Wildebeests are easy prey for a big cat, and once the predators are done, the vultures move in to clear away the leftovers.

Sometimes the migrating beasts seal their own fate. One group of wildebeests starts out going south, but are then distracted when they sense rain to the north. The result can be crossing a river filled with unfriendly crocodiles. It happens over and over again. They’ll have to crisscross the river several times, sometimes 10, 20 times, depending on which direction they are going," Mr Selempo said.

But the miracle of the Great Migration is that the animals mysteriously find their way. No one knows exactly how far back the migration dates, perhaps millions of years. But one change in the environment here can trigger enormous consequences.

Not even disease will finish gnu numbers
In the early 1900s, a savage disease cut through Africa, and drastically reduced the herds from two million to just a few hundred thousand. Then, a devastating drought in the 1990s decimated the population even further. "If the climate changes drastically, then this whole equilibrium, this whole tune up, this whole finely tuned movement is going to be thrown out of phase," Hirji said.

The wildebeest population is stable again and is more than a million strong. In the late winter and early spring, the herds move to their version of a maternity ward - the nutrient-rich south. It’s the only place on the migration route where wildebeests can successfully have babies. And they do; 300,000 calves are born in just three weeks.

Over 300,000 gnu births in a space of 3 weeks
Those new babies join their parents, the zebras, and other migratory animals making the turn north and following the rains again, a never-ending circle reminding man of the wonder of life. Kenya Film Commission managing director Wachira Waruru and Mr Ong’ong’a Achieng of the Kenya Tourism Board helped facilitate the filming by ABC.

They won the cooperation of the Narok County Council, and also got the Communications Commission of Kenya to substantially reduce the fees payable by ABC for the live satellite feed from the Mara to the US.

Robert is a tour consultant and co-owner of Landmark Safaris Ltd in Kenya. He is degreed in Tourism management and conservation. For more information click here. Grab your free safari photos here.

By Robert Muhoho Published: 11/27/2006

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