angry Birds! real…. – Watt?

Kip Hansen's News Brief – July 16, 2024

In short…the bird is angry! They are attacking. They are under siege. They were swooping. There have been “swarming” incidents.

this is not onion. This is serious. This is the latest news you can always trust New York Times: Angry Birds battle drones on New York beach. If you need verification, you can check with the AP: Angry Birds battle drones patrolling sharks and struggling swimmers on a New York beach.

exclusive news:

One is a unique shorebird, slightly smaller than a common gull, with a bright orange beak that can pry open clams, oysters and other shellfish. The other is a remote-controlled unit with a rotating blade.

Birds and drones don't seem to coexist harmoniously over Rockaway Beach in Queens.

Even as New Yorkers flock to beaches to escape the summer heat, American oystercatchers are attacking fleets of drones deployed by city officials to scan for sharks and swimmers in distress.

City officials and bird experts say aerial conflicts between animals and machines are raising concerns about the safety of shorebirds as they aggressively chase buzzing drones to defend their nests. [NY Times]

The Associated Press confirmed the air battle:

A fleet of drones patrolling New York City's beaches, looking for signs of sharks and struggling swimmers, are facing fierce opposition from a group of aggressive beachfront residents: local shorebirds.

Since the drones began flying in May, flocks of birds have repeatedly swarmed the devices, forcing police departments and other city agencies to adjust their flight plans. While the attacks have slowed, they have not stopped completely, raising concerns among wildlife experts about the impact on threatened species nesting along the coast.

Veronica Welsh, wildlife coordinator for the parks department, said the birds were “very annoyed with the drones” from the moment they arrived on the beach.

“They'll fly toward it, they'll pounce on it, they'll make a sound,” Welsh said. “They think they are protecting their chicks from predators.”

Lo and behold, this is the oystercatcher. They nest along Long Island Sound and around the coasts of northern and eastern Rhode Island and Massachusetts, including Cape Cod. They don't like to be disturbed. We're told they're “very annoyed with the drones.” [A fact, I believe, credited by Veronica Welsh to “personal communication”.]

“When an oystercatcher detects a drone, it will often fly along the machine, emit a loud, piercing call, or try to attack the drone with its feet,” said Manomet, an ornithologist and director of the American Oystercatcher Recovery Project. said coordinator Shiloh Schulte. [NY Times]

Now, you didn’t think those oystercatchers were actually nesting on New York City’s crowded beaches, did you? Of course not, that would be stupid. However, despite this, they nesting Right on the beach frequented by another common species: humans.

We saw a happy oystercatcher sitting on its nest on Hempstead Beach, just 50 feet from the lifeguard lookout.

City officials said the “swarming incident” was mainly caused by American oystercatchers. Known for its striking orange bill, this shorebird lays its eggs in the sand at Rockaway Beach this time of year. Although its numbers have increased in recent decades, federal authorities consider the species a “high conservation concern.” [AP]

The federal agency considering oystercatchers “of high conservation concern” is the National Park Service, according to American Shorebird Conservation Plan.

The sign in the picture above says “Endangered Bird,” but it doesn't have a photo of an oystercatcher: Oystercatchers may choose silly nesting sites, but they're not endangered, they're not threatened, they're not even Not Near Threatened, even though the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Services has expressed concern. According to the IUCN Red List, they are The least to worry about. The more protective Partners in flight Place the American Oystercatcher on the Yellow Watch List based on restricted species range.

All the hoopla is based on the fears of bird conservation groups and city/state conservation officials:

“…Katrina Toal, deputy director of the Wildlife Division of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. “Of course, the danger is to the birds. They could hit the drone and injure themselves.

thank god… “No birds were harmed, but officials say there have been several close calls.”

Apparently, those extremely expensive life-saving drones that carry life rafts to throw to drowning victims and live cameras that monitor sharks so lifeguards can alert swimmers and rescue them from the water are not “harmed” either.

Here's the latest news from ♫♬Rockaway Beach…♬♫.

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Author comments:

The news reports are interesting, involving drones capable of carrying life rafts, lowering them onto struggling swimmers, and live video feeds that alert lifeguards to the presence of sharks in the water.

Worrying about “what if the bird hurts itself?” is, in my unmodest opinion, just plain stupid. Drone operators have moved their drone ports (launch and landing sites) away from known nesting sites, all but eliminating possible conflicts. Still, birds are birds, and they will attack any threat that flies near their nest [3 minute YouTube].

I recently witnessed birds attacking a snake in my yard. The snake involved was a corn snake, which is known to eat baby birds.

Overall, today we often see a serious misalignment of priorities in the field of environment and conservation.

thanks for reading.

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