Antone's Nightclub
Bird’s the Word
RECEIVED Mon., March 25, 2019
Dear Editor,
I recently read the article “What Are the Birds Telling Us About Climate Change?” [News, Feb. 23, 2018] and found that it really put an innovative spin on educating the public on global warming. I personally believe that humans are the main cause of rising levels of atmospheric CO2, and think that the only way to help minimize the problem is by making people realize that we are the issue. Due to conflicting opinions regarding the environment, there is no simple way to successfully capture and maintain people’s attention when discussing climate change. However, by diverting the main idea of the article from global warming to birds, I was not only offered proof of how rising temperatures are affecting my community, but I was also entertained by the influx of information about the avian species that reside in my neck of the woods. I learned that the mass amount of black birds that perch atop the wires outside of the H-E-B every night are called “grackles,” and that every year a group of bird-watchers gathers together to observe and count them. The article held my attention by describing the migratory patterns of the birds that fly through Austin, and then offered me information about why the birds have been dwindling in numbers the last few years. They are having a much harder time adapting to the constant fluctuation of temperatures that lead to tropical storms/hurricanes and coastal storm surges. The article emphasizes the fact that with humans driving climate change, the birds will never be able to adapt quickly enough to evolve to be in sync with the maximum number of resources. I appreciate the article’s mention of human involvement, as educating the public is the primary way to promote change. If birds aren’t able to adapt, there is little evidence that shows that people will be able to adjust to climate change either. This article takes a simple activity such as bird-watching and turns it into a revealing platform of information about issues in society that need to be dealt with. We need to keep writing pieces like this if we want to spark conversations and promote change.
I recently read the article “What Are the Birds Telling Us About Climate Change?” [News, Feb. 23, 2018] and found that it really put an innovative spin on educating the public on global warming. I personally believe that humans are the main cause of rising levels of atmospheric CO2, and think that the only way to help minimize the problem is by making people realize that we are the issue. Due to conflicting opinions regarding the environment, there is no simple way to successfully capture and maintain people’s attention when discussing climate change. However, by diverting the main idea of the article from global warming to birds, I was not only offered proof of how rising temperatures are affecting my community, but I was also entertained by the influx of information about the avian species that reside in my neck of the woods. I learned that the mass amount of black birds that perch atop the wires outside of the H-E-B every night are called “grackles,” and that every year a group of bird-watchers gathers together to observe and count them. The article held my attention by describing the migratory patterns of the birds that fly through Austin, and then offered me information about why the birds have been dwindling in numbers the last few years. They are having a much harder time adapting to the constant fluctuation of temperatures that lead to tropical storms/hurricanes and coastal storm surges. The article emphasizes the fact that with humans driving climate change, the birds will never be able to adapt quickly enough to evolve to be in sync with the maximum number of resources. I appreciate the article’s mention of human involvement, as educating the public is the primary way to promote change. If birds aren’t able to adapt, there is little evidence that shows that people will be able to adjust to climate change either. This article takes a simple activity such as bird-watching and turns it into a revealing platform of information about issues in society that need to be dealt with. We need to keep writing pieces like this if we want to spark conversations and promote change.
Sincerely,
Elliott Calhoun
Elliott Calhoun