The Swan of Christmas Past
It is historically true that Audubon shot birds inorder to paint/document them.
We would not have his pictures if he hadn’t shotthem.  And collectors “collected” thelast Great Auks seen, for a New York museum. Eggers collected eggs from birds’ nests.       And Audubon wrote that one Christmas dayhe went on a Swan Hunt.  I’ve read thatthe air leaving a Swans lungs creates an eerie, unearthly sound travelingthrough that long white neck.  The reasonwhy some hunters won’t hunt Swans.             And in 1900 men who participated in the Christmas Hunt decided to countthe birds because the birds they were shooting were becoming scarce.  (The Christmas Bird Count)  These were men of science perhaps some todaywould say they had foresight.                     A state biologist inasking what caused the death of a Bald Eagle who had West Nile Virus and hadbeen euthanized, heard the reply West Nile Virus.  He said no the Eagle was euthanized.   That Eagle could have lived, could haveconquered the Virus, but it wasn’t given a chance.          The men and women of the past did what theydid.  It added to our knowledge and wecan still utilize and study all that they left, all that they did, but.....   Digital cameras makesit easier to ID birds, we no longer have to literally shoot them to identifythem.  An added beauty in looking at birdsand all wildlife including plants is watching them fly, just watching themsilently.    That is a marvelousconnection to nature.        Life –Living
This is Christmas Bird Count Time   -   go forth and count.
Trumbull County’s Count is December 15, 2013     go forth and count
Carole Babyak

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