The Interesting: Ever since Alfred Hitchcock’s Birds there seems to be this sinister stigma attached to our feathered friends. New research shows though that many of them are more afraid of us then we are of them. Yes, the old adage is true, a study by the University of Bristol shows that birds (in this case wild starlings) will avoid confronting a human who makes eye contact with them. Researchers believe that the stares of a human being are interpreted as the stares of a predator (rightly so) and thus star away the birds.

What does this mean for you? Well if you sit outside watching your birdfeeder and no birds come, you could be the thing scaring them away. If you avert your eyes, using only your peripheral vision to look at the birdfeeder, the birds will interpret it as non-dominate and begin to eat.

The Sad: Sea lions in the Columbia River are currently protected by federal law. Unfortunately, some people have the audacity to violate these laws by shooting sea lions. Six sea lions were found dead on Friday, the immediate cause of death believed to be from bullet wounds. These sea lions occupied the Columbia River near the Bonneville Dam (between Oregon and Washington). An endangered species of salmon also occupy the Columbia River, and in order to protect this species of salmon authorities in Washington and Oregon were allowed to kill up to 85 sea lions per year.

This privilege is currently being contested, and while the matter is disputed no sea lions were allowed to be killed. The six sea lions who were found killed were in underwater cages (presumably to prevent them from eating the salmon while waiting for the legalities to be straightened) and will be given a necropsy to assess cause of death and see what charges could be pressed. A similar killing happened in California on Saturday, any link is not yet known.

 

Image Property of www.flatrock.org.nz.