Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
plug from technology a bit and to improve their powers of focused and sus-
tained concentration.
Our creative hand fashions a rich birdlife in subirdia, but it is not without
struggle and loss. In my neighborhood, Pacii c wrens are a casualty of urban-
ization, whereas Bewick's wrens, violet-green swallows, and dark-eyed juncos
are among the conquerors. Around the world the story is repeated, with dif-
ferent actors taking on the same roles. Subirdia is an amalgamation of adapt-
ers, exploiters, and avoiders. Stewardship of these riches calls on our ability
to provide the varied resources that attract adapters and maintain avoiders.
Exploiters are guaranteed and need little special attention. As our modii ca-
tion of the land combines birds into new communities, we create interactions
that have never before been seen and rekindle others that played out long ago.
The interactive strands that link subirdia's birds into an ecological web are as
varied as the myriad animals that reside there. Some strands in the web are
deadly, but others are supportive. As we now more fully consider a variety of
ecological interactions, we learn about each bird's place in the web of life and
begin to see ourselves within that web as well.
