Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
mowing, grading, clearing, and even well-intentioned nature watchers chal-
lenge birds. These challenges can be met i rst through increased awareness
and knowledge. Paying attention to the riches that lie outside the cubicle,
boardroom, truck cab, and clubhouse may compel those of us inside to be
better stewards outside. Knowledge empowers us to avoid sensitive areas
during critical breeding, feeding, or resting times, lobby for the use of native
plants, and work with city planners and neighbors to advance ecologically
complementary land uses—an idea that favors siting similar lands near one
another. Cooperation among neighboring landowners is at the heart of mak-
ing conservation ef ective in the city, and this is especially true in its most in-
dustrial core, where green spaces are rare and typically scattered. These bits
of open space around warehouses, ports, and rail yards, or the acres of lawn
that l ank oi ce parks and professional buildings, could become more signii -
cant to birds and other forms of life if they were managed collectively rather
than individually. Collecting small but adjoining lightly used lands into a
larger area devoted to conservation could of er animals the space they need
and allow like-minded landowners to share the costs and benei ts of provid-
ing for them.
The ability of some birds to adapt to the most severe challenges of city life is
indeed impressive. In Scotland, oystercatchers seem to outnumber golfers at
the very birthplace of the sport, St. Andrews. The black-and-white waders
with gaudy orange beaks roam the links in huge l ocks, plucking grubs from
the turf and resting away from the cold Atlantic surf. Our actions incidentally
provide what some birds, such as oystercatchers, require. Our actions can
also directly sculpt a species to i t better within our world. Clif swallows nest
by the thousands under highway bridges. As the birds l y in and out of their
nesting colonies, speeding commuters kill many. Despite the slaughter, the
