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Hi All, May 7, 2008
I wonder if an adrenalin effect is involved here also (I assume
birds produce it); i.e. fear of not finding a place to land leading to
high adrenalin and extreme ability to do work, relief at finding a place
to land leading to low adrenalin, power down and power off.
It is the ultimate performance enhancing drug.
Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville
Laviolette, Lance (EXP) wrote:
> Paul S. Boyer wrote:
>
>
>
> >Why do the birds which land on the boat often fall into the water?
>
> >He hopped around catching various gnats, at times coming close to
> us, showing no fear, and acting in good
>
> >health. .... I have never read such a thing, and cannot guess why
> a restful stopover should have hurt that warbler.
>
>
>
> The long and the short of it Paul is that these birds have probably
> reached a metabolic point of no return. Once a migrating bird's fat
> reserve is gone it begins to metabolize muscle protein. If they can't
> land to replenish their reserves or too much muscle is metabolized
> they may simply be beyond the point of recovery if they finally do
> land on dry land. Helene Van Doninck of the Cobequid Wildlife
> Rehabilitation Centre and the list's 'resident' veterinarian may
> have more insight on this.
>
>
>
> I don't think the stopover hurt the bird in your example, rather I
> think that it had reached the point where the food it managed to catch
> on the boat was not sufficient to keep it alive.
>
>
>
> As far as birds falling into the water once they have landed on the
> boat go, they land on the boat because they have to (running out of
> energy), they leave because flying away is a response to the danger
> they detect (people) , and they fall into the water because they no
> longer have the energy to sustain the flight.
>
>
>
> All the best,
>
>
>
> Lance
>
> ===========================
> Lance Laviolette
> Glen Robertson, Ontario
> lance.laviolette@lmco.com
> ===========================
>
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