美国国家公共电台 NPR This 4th Of July, Think Of Your Feathered Friends As You Plan For Fireworks

 

SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:

Independence Day is just around the corner, and we know our dogs and cats may not really appreciate those bombs bursting in air. But what about our other animal friends who might be in the air? Well, that is a question for Ray Brown.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ROCKIN' ROBIN")

UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing) Tweedly-deedly-dee, tweedly-deedly-dee, tweedly-deedly-dee, (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: A bird show - I like that. I love birds.

MCCAMMON: Ray Brown hosts "Talkin' Birds," and he joins us now to talk about birds. Hi, Ray.

RAY BROWN: Hi there, Sarah.

MCCAMMON: So give us an idea. What is the threat that fireworks pose¹ to birds?

BROWN: There are a few threats, really. I think the biggest one, though, is the noise, and you were talking about our pets, for example. Well, birds have something of a similar reaction when they hear that sound. They tend to panic and take off from wherever they are and fly around in the dark and crash into things.

MCCAMMON: Yeah, and there've been a few cases of this documented, right? The Audubon Society, I think, said something like 5,000 red-winged blackbirds died on New Year's Eve in 2010 after an illegal fireworks show in Arkansas, and there've been others.

BROWN: Right. You know, as bad as the Fourth of July fireworks can be for birds - and they can be pretty bad - it's probably worse at New Year's Eve because then you have big groups of many species² of birds that are roosting together in big flocks³. So you just have that great number of birds that can be dispersed⁴ by the sound of those fireworks and then go crashing into things as happened there and it was in Beebe, Ark., I think in 2010.

MCCAMMON: So I worry - I mean, I worry about the birds, but I also worry that we're bumming⁵ everyone out before we head into the Fourth of July celebrations here. Ray, is there any solution, or do we just have to cancel it all?

BROWN: Well, you know, some places have banned fireworks altogether. There was a town out in California that tried to ban them. There was a lawsuit⁶ by the citizens of the town. It was a two-year legal battle. The Supreme⁷ Court of the state eventually ruled in favor of the ban, so that does happen. On the Galapagos Islands, they've banned fireworks. What's interesting, though, is there they make an exception⁸ for fireworks without noise.

MCCAMMON: Wait, what?

BROWN: I know. It does reduce the fun for a lot of people but, you know, if you're having these fireworks really away from big populations of birds, of course, the problem is much less. You're just not going to affect that many birds if you're doing it in the city, for example.

MCCAMMON: And I think I read somewhere that one big central show is probably better than lots of people shooting them off in their backyard if you're talking about the impact⁹ on the birds.

BROWN: Absolutely because, you know, for one thing, there are many fewer locations in a given area where this will happen. So it kind of gives the birds a chance to get away from wherever that sound is coming from. They're not going to fly from one area and then be bombarded with sound from another area. Also, the municipal¹⁰ groups that are doing these shows generally are following some rules and regulations that would help protect the birds, so they're not placing these fireworks particularly in areas where birds are nesting, for example. That's another big issue because people like to watch fireworks at the beach, and you end up with instances¹¹ where birds are nesting on the beach still at this time in the summer and being trampled¹² by people trying to walk along the beach and look at the fireworks. The Fish and Wildlife Service, for example, has established special rules for fireworks on beaches. So municipal organizations are likely to follow these rules, whereas¹³ private consumers maybe not so much.

MCCAMMON: All right. Well, Ray, however and wherever you spend your fourth with or without fireworks, I hope it's a good one.

BROWN: Thank you, Sarah, hope yours is.

MCCAMMON: And I thank you for your time.

BROWN: Thank you so much.

MCCAMMON: That's Ray Brown, host of the "Talkin' Birds" podcast.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MARIANNE")

1 pose   

vt.造成，陈述；vi.摆姿势，装腔作势；n.姿势

参考例句：

• He sat in a relaxed pose.他轻松自如地坐着。
• He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend.他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。

2 species   

n.物种，种群

参考例句：

• Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗？
• This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。

3 flocks   

n.畜群( flock的名词复数 )；鸟群；人群；同一教会团体的教徒v.群集，成群结队而行( flock的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Vistors came in flocks to see the new bridge. 参观者成群结队地来观看这座新桥。 来自《用法词典》
• They move with their flocks to upland pastures. 他们带着牲畜迁往高原上的牧场。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 dispersed   

adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的

参考例句：

• The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
• After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。

5 bumming   

发哼（声），蜂鸣声

参考例句：

• I've been bumming around for the last year without a job. 我已经闲荡了一年，一直没有活干。
• He was probably bumming his way home. “他多半是不花钱搭车回家。

6 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

7 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

8 exception   

n.例外,除外

参考例句：

• Everyone should keep discipline and you are no exception. 每个人都应该遵守纪律,你也毫无例外。
• There's an exception to every rule. 每项规则均有例外。

9 impact   

n.冲击，碰撞；影响；vt.装紧，压紧

参考例句：

• The computer had made a great impact on modern life.计算机对现代生活产生了巨大的影响.
• How will the war impact on such a poet?战争对这样一个诗人会产生什么影响？

10 municipal   

adj.市的，市政的；n.政府证券

参考例句：

• The municipal authorities have kept the roads up well.市政当局把道路保养得不错。
• The city is planning to build a municipal library.该市正计划建一座市立图书馆。

11 instances   

n.例子，实例( instance的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The report highlights a number of instances of injustice. 这篇报道重点列举了一些不公正的实例。
• I can cite quite a few instances to illustrate. 我可以举出好几件事来说明。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 trampled   

踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯

参考例句：

• He gripped his brother's arm lest he be trampled by the mob. 他紧抓着他兄弟的胳膊，怕他让暴民踩着。
• People were trampled underfoot in the rush for the exit. 有人在拼命涌向出口时被踩在脚下。

13 whereas   

conj.而，却，反之

参考例句：

• They want a house,whereas we would rather live in a flat.他们想要一座房子，而我们宁愿住在一套房间里。
• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。