This also bothers me from a wildlife standpoint. For the second year we have been blessed with a nest of swifts. These magnificent small birds live most of their lives ‘on the wing’ as they say, rarely landing—except to lay eggs and care for their young. Since they feed while flying, mosquitos are a staple for them.
What will feeding on genetically modified insects do to bird species?
It took me a year to figure out what these birds are. Because they don’t land except to sit on the eggs, (both parents do nest duties) it wasn’t until I matched their silhouette when flying to photos of the swift and then everything clicked. I think these would be chimney swifts which are largely shut out of residential chimneys now by screens.
They are on the decline globally which breaks my heart, but they live as long as 20 years, mate for life and meet up every spring at the same nest to raise another brood, usually four babies.
They feed their babies while fluttering which makes them look a lot like hummingbirds—I think they are related.
The US swifts winter in Peru according to birding websites, UK swifts head to Africa for winter.
They screech rather than tweet. High pitched almost sounding like bats.
I’m glad to know you are a fellow bird lover. We are planning to sell our house soon and any new owner will have to be okay with the maternity ‘wing’ on our front porch.
They would be smart if they tested some of these mosquitoes to see if they contained Oxitec genes, similar to what happened with the Gates mosquito release in Brazil:
I'm not much worried about Naegleria. I've seen one case in my career, amoeba actually identified in a CSF sample by light microscopy. It was a child who was visiting, and the infection was not suspected to be contracted locally. I don't know that a lot is know about how one gets infected. I might guess that someone with some nasopharyngitis from other common causes has a breakdown in barrier at the olfactory plate and then unfortunately get water up the nose while swimming in a lake or pond frequented by geese and ducks.
Maybe you can enlighten me on Marburg and Ebola and similar viruses. I've also considered them low risk (at least in the wild type form) for epidemic/pandemic in Western cultures. I understand transmissibility is low unless you are exposed intimately to blood and other body fluids of sick or recently dead individuals.
Abe and BoJo, both bad developments. BoJo sold out, saving his own skin. Abe is probably a martyr.
Late addition.
Mosquitoes Testing Positive to Rare, Deadly Viruses in US Months After Bill Gates Released Millions in The Wild
https://newspunch.com/mosquitoes-testing-positive-to-rare-deadly-viruses-in-us-months-after-bill-gates-released-millions-in-the-wild/
This also bothers me from a wildlife standpoint. For the second year we have been blessed with a nest of swifts. These magnificent small birds live most of their lives ‘on the wing’ as they say, rarely landing—except to lay eggs and care for their young. Since they feed while flying, mosquitos are a staple for them.
What will feeding on genetically modified insects do to bird species?
The unintended consequences/collateral damage are of no import...
I guess the adage ‘you have to break a few eggs’ is apt here.
My family and I have been captivated by these magnificent birds and all my friends ask almost daily for updates on the nestlings.
Like you, I'm a bird lover/watcher. I don't know which type of Swift you have the pleasure of watching, but I wish I were so blessed!
Hi Martha.
It took me a year to figure out what these birds are. Because they don’t land except to sit on the eggs, (both parents do nest duties) it wasn’t until I matched their silhouette when flying to photos of the swift and then everything clicked. I think these would be chimney swifts which are largely shut out of residential chimneys now by screens.
They are on the decline globally which breaks my heart, but they live as long as 20 years, mate for life and meet up every spring at the same nest to raise another brood, usually four babies.
They feed their babies while fluttering which makes them look a lot like hummingbirds—I think they are related.
The US swifts winter in Peru according to birding websites, UK swifts head to Africa for winter.
They screech rather than tweet. High pitched almost sounding like bats.
I’m glad to know you are a fellow bird lover. We are planning to sell our house soon and any new owner will have to be okay with the maternity ‘wing’ on our front porch.
Thanks for sharing! And I'm so glad you will be screening potential buyers' birding credentials to protect your maternity 'wing' ~ 👍
The world won’t be safe from megalomaniac Gates until he and his minions are locked safely away in Guantanamo breaking big rocks into little rocks.
They would be smart if they tested some of these mosquitoes to see if they contained Oxitec genes, similar to what happened with the Gates mosquito release in Brazil:
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/bill-gates-biotech-gmo-mosquito/
Holy Hell. Take me back to the 80’s
I'll take the 90s, please. Maybe the Oughts.
I'm not much worried about Naegleria. I've seen one case in my career, amoeba actually identified in a CSF sample by light microscopy. It was a child who was visiting, and the infection was not suspected to be contracted locally. I don't know that a lot is know about how one gets infected. I might guess that someone with some nasopharyngitis from other common causes has a breakdown in barrier at the olfactory plate and then unfortunately get water up the nose while swimming in a lake or pond frequented by geese and ducks.
Maybe you can enlighten me on Marburg and Ebola and similar viruses. I've also considered them low risk (at least in the wild type form) for epidemic/pandemic in Western cultures. I understand transmissibility is low unless you are exposed intimately to blood and other body fluids of sick or recently dead individuals.
Abe and BoJo, both bad developments. BoJo sold out, saving his own skin. Abe is probably a martyr.
😄 "I like to indulge in some conspiracies sometimes, leave me alone." I think many of us have this in common.