BRN 9-3 - Flipbook - Page 18
In ÒConvergent and lineage-speciÞc
genomic changes shape adaptations
in sugar-consuming birdsÓ, Science
391, eadt1522 (2026). DOI: 10.1126/
science.adt1522), E. Osipova et al.
report on their studies of the genetics
of many bird species. Genetics which
are the basis of physiological
adaptations which allow the effective
processing of the sugars from nectar
and other glucose rich foods.
Too late for my uncle Livy, but
advances in our understanding of
sugar processing may someday
eliminate ÒsugarÓ.
A SpaceX Launch
by John West
On January 2 of this year John West,
who lives nearby, took the photograph shown below. I immediately
felt a great deal of consternation. It
was not taken in the Black Range, in
fact quite far away - west of Phoenix.
The vegetation was not the Black
Range type - but Sonoran. The focal
point was not natural history, instead
a satellite launch.
But it is the best photograph I have
seen in a long time. And I dare say, I
see a lot of photographs. And, of
course, we are talking subjectivity
here, major subjectivity, and lest I drift
into the interpretive side of art probably the type of discourse I hated
most as an undergrad - let me just say
that I like it and leave it at that.
Why did it make it into The Black
Range Naturalist? Ôcause.
- Bob Barnes, Hillsboro
Bird Decline
In the last issue of this journal we
referenced the sharp decline in our
local bird population, both in terms of
total bird species being seen and in
the number of individual birds being
17
seen. A recent indication of that
decline is shown by the results of the
2025 Hillsboro Christmas Bird Count.
In Fading Melodies (Science, February
26, 2026) Warren Cornwall
summarizes the results of several
studies completed over the last few
years. Those studies document the
decline of bird populations, by as
much as 40%, in habitat which has
apparently not been affected by
human encroachment. A graphic
summary of some of the studies is
shown on the next page.
The culprit appears to be humaninduced climate change. Climate
change is associated with (and is
apparently causing) wetter climate in
some areas, drier climate in others,
the drop in insect populations (bird
food), as well as the increase in
atmospheric temperature. Climate
change is a complex phenomenon
and manifests itself in myriad ways.
