Yesterday, I tuned into an ultra-conservative Eau Claire radio station with a local host denying climate change. She had on a meteorologist who also didn’t believe in climate change, so I don’t know if this piece was to some degree reactionary or just a coincidence. Anyway, while I’m tempted to rant for myself against this “so-called spring” weather and “climate deniers,” it’s much worse out there for the birds and other wildlife that don’t have the creature comforts that humans have built! I’ve been waiting for the snow to melt (which requires it to stop snowing) and so have many of the short-distance migratory birds that are trying to make their way up north. Alongside that, we need temperatures to get closer to their historic norms, so birds don’t have to spend so much energy on thermo-regulation. Birds are actually remarkably efficient at using energy for body heat, but with the snow depth and added stress of precipitation, it’s hard for them to find the food to be able to keep warm.
I was kind of wondering when this would happen, and I saw a post about it today: a yellow rail (my “nemesis bird”) turned up at a wildlife rehab center in Madison, WI. I don’t know much of the backstory (yet) but if I get any updates I’ll post.