Urban sprawl and development are changing Pennsylvania's birds
Posted: July 14, 2008
Suggested Intro:
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS ENJOY BIRDWATCHING. BUT A NATURE EXPERT IN PENN STATE'S COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES SAYS TODAY'S BIRDERS WON'T SEE THE FEATHERED VISITORS THAT THEIR PARENTS SAW. GARY ABDULLAH HAS THE STORY:
Story:
(:16) PENNSYLVANIA'S MORE MATURE FORESTS ATTRACT DIFFERENT BIRDS FROM THOSE FOUND HERE IN THE FIFTIES AND SIXTIES. PENN STATE AVIAN ECOLOGIST MARGARET BRITTINGHAM SAYS BIRDS ALSO HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY URBAN SPRAWL. THE END RESULT IS THAT THE STATE'S BIRD POPULATION TODAY IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT IT WAS EVEN TWO DECADES AGO:
Brittingham Actuality:
(:20) "WHAT YOU FIND IN SUBURBAN AND URBAN AREAS IS THAT YOU HAVE A LOT FEWER SPECIES SO THERE ARE A LOT FEWER KINDS OF BIRDS BUT SOME OF THEM ARE SUPER-ABUNDANT. AND SO SOMETIMES PEOPLE WILL SAY I'M SEEING TONS OF BIRDS HERE, BUT IN REALITY THEY'RE SEEING TONS OF INDIVIDUALS OF THE SAME SPECIES. SO YOU MIGHT SEE LOTS OF HOUSE SPARROWS OR LOTS OF STARLINGS, BUT YOU'RE NOT SEEING LOTS OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF BIRDS ."
(:12) BRITTINGHAM SAYS WHILE WE HAVE FEWER GAME BIRDS LIKE WOODCOCKS AND GROUSE, PENNSYLVANIA HAS MORE PEOPLE-FRIENDLY BIRDS LIKE CARDINALS, ROBINS AND ORIOLES. AND THE RESURGENCE OF THE BALD EAGLE IS A STATEWIDE SUCCESS STORY. FROM PENN STATE, I'M GARY ABDULLAH.
