The western U.S has a history of extreme temperature changes. This event ranks
number 3 for the biggest temperature swing in history and it occurred during
fall migration. Most of the other big swings in temperatureoccurred in the
winter. What is dramatic is how cold it got and the early snows that fell.
Temperatures in parts of the Rockies fell to 9F with winds over 50 mph. That is
insanely cold for so early in the season. The Arctic high pressure that came
across the Rockies has denser and heavier air which flows downslope into
California, and Oregon warming by compression leading to high winds and VERY
dry conditions. This fuels the tremendous fires. So in a sense it is the
brutal unseasonable cold air that is the real cause of the conditions that
caused the fires. I assume the fires, combined with temperatures in the 80, 90s
and 100s dropping to the teens 20s and 30s in many areas in the Rockies with
early snows was too much for many birds to handle causing the high mortality
rates. I have read that people are blaming climate change on this. I don't see
it because it is the intense cold that really fueled the fires in CA and OR and
probably had a negative effect on the birds. Record cold of this magnitude is
not consistent with global warming.
On Wednesday, September 16, 2020, 05:18:09 PM EDT, Jody Enck
<[email protected]> wrote:
Thank, Pete, for passing along the Guardian article. Additional information
has been forthcoming recently. Hypotheses include movements related to smoky
conditions in some states, coupled with those weird temperature swings recorded
last week (90 to 100 F one day and below freezing, with snow, the next day).
Seems less likely to be a nefarious even (e.g., poisoning) than something more
likely caused by challenging environmental factors.
I hope more information comes out soon.
Jody W. Enck, PhDConservation Social Scientist, andFounder of the Sister Bird
Club Network607-379-5940
On Wed, Sep 16, 2020 at 5:03 PM Peter Saracino <[email protected]> wrote:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/16/birds-falling-out-of-the-sky-in-mass-die-off-in-south-western-us-aoe
On Tue, Sep 15, 2020, 6:47 PM Tom <[email protected]> wrote:
I just learned of the mass mortality of migrating birds in New Mexico. I read
a CNN report. Is there any new information on the cause? They’re talking
hundreds of thousands, even millions.
Tom V
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