2015年经济学人 英国鸟类迁徙趋势 有所改变

 

Ornithological¹ trends

英国鸟类迁徙趋势

This bird has flown

有所改变

Why some species are thriving outside southern England

为什么英格兰南部有些物种开始兴盛？

WHEN people talk about a “north-south divide” in Britain they are usually referring to house prices, employment and the ratio of private-sector to public-sector jobs. The south scores higher on all such measures. But new data from the British Trust for Ornithology² (BTO), a research charity, hints at the growth of another north-south divide—this time to the north's benefit.

在英国，当人们提到“南北分歧”的时候，他们通常指的是房价、就业和私企与国企就业率之比。在所有类似的测量标准中，英国南部地区的数据较高。但慈善研究机构英国鸟类研究信托公司提供的新数据表明，在另一种形式增大的南北分歧中，北部地区获益较大。

Every 20 years the BTO produces a superbly detailed³ atlas⁴ of bird life in Britain and Ireland. The 2007 to 2011 edition is cheery: more species are tallied⁵ than in previous atlases⁶, and many birds are increasing in number. Compared with two decades ago, 45% of regular native species are ranging more widely while 32% are living in smaller areas; the rest have stayed put. But the most striking news comes from the north.

每隔20年，英国鸟类研究信托公司都会公布一组有关英国和爱尔兰的鸟类生活详细地图分布册。2007-2011年的地图分布册显示的数据令人振奋：与前几年相比，记载了更多的物种；许多鸟类数量也有所增加。与20年前相比，45%的常规本地物种活动范围扩大，32%生活范围缩小；剩余的物种保持稳定。此外，最令人惊喜的消息从北部地区传来。

The overall populations of woodland, farmland and migrant perching birds are up in northern England and Scotland but down in the south. The same is true of individual species such as the garden warbler, bullfinch and swallow. The number of cuckoos, a closely-watched species, declined by 63% in England between 1995 and 2010 but by only 5% in Scotland. Raptors are faring especially well in the south, but their numbers are rising in most parts of Britain.

林地、农田和中途停留的迁徙鸟类数量在英格兰北部和苏格兰有所上升，但是在南部地区却有所下降。相同的情况也适用于个别物种，如园林莺、红腹灰雀、燕子。常见的物种之一杜鹃的数量，从1995年到2010年下降了65%，但在苏格兰地区仅下降了5%。南部地区的猛禽在南方生活的尤其滋润，其数量在英国大部分地区都有所上升。

Partly this reflects climate change, suggests Simon Gillings of the BTO. Some birds are drawn⁷ to warmer winters in Scotland and northern England; visiting migrants may stick around for longer. Hard though it may be to believe during a week of torrential rain, the south is becoming drier, pushing snipe northward⁸. More efficient farming has squeezed some farmland species.

英国鸟类研究信托公司的西蒙·格林斯认为这部分反映了气候变化。有些鸟类迁往苏格兰和英格兰北部等冬天较为温暖的地方；旅鸟停留的时间可能会更长。我们很难相信在一周的强降雨之后，南部地区变得更加干燥，使得物种向北部迁移。高效率的农耕方式也使得一些农田物种的数量降低。

Some birds find it harder to make homes in the south, too. Pressure on housing means dilapidated buildings and barns, handy for nesting, have been converted into human dwellings⁹. Between 2006 and 2012 the number of vacant dwellings fell by 17% in London and by 12% in Kent. Over the same period the number of empty houses increased by 16% in Derbyshire and by 10% in Lancashire. Northern mining villages once full of workers are now sparsely¹⁰ populated, points out Ian Bartlett, a birdwatcher in Hartlepool, in north-east England. They have become hot spots for birds and the people who watch them.

有些鸟类也发觉在南部地区繁衍更为艰难。以往适宜筑巢的荒废建筑物、谷仓都被人们的住房所占领。2006年至2012年，伦敦的房屋空置率下降了17%，肯特郡的下降12%。同一时期，德比郡的房屋空置率上升16%，而兰开郡的上升10%。哈特尔普尔的鸟类观察员兰·巴特勒称，位于英格兰东北部的北部采矿型乡村曾一度人满为患，现在人烟稀少。

Cultural difference also plays a part, thinks Mark Cocker, an expert on birds. The “obsession with tidiness” is stronger in the south, he says. Fewer people cultivate gardens; they prefer to cover them in decking and remove weeds from between concrete slabs¹¹. Village greens are mowed¹² short. In contrast, Scotland and northern England have more trees, grassland¹³ and wind-swept moors¹⁴. Less popular with humans, rugged¹⁵ parts of the countryside are filling up with a winged population instead.

鸟类专家马克·科克尔认为，文化差异也起了一定的作用。他表示，南部地区的人们“痴迷于整洁”的表现更为强烈。很少有人整理花园，他们更喜欢在花园装饰木甲板，在坚硬的石板中间除草。村庄草地也经常修剪得整整齐齐。相反，苏格兰和英格兰北部地区拥有更多的树林、草地和荒凉的沼泽地。很多崎岖的乡村人烟稀少，而鸟类却在此扎根，欣欣向荣。

1 ornithological   

adj.鸟类学的

参考例句：

• Is there an ornithological reason for keeping them in separate cages? 用独立的笼子养鸟，有什么鸟类学的原因吗？ 来自电影对白
• Mere amateurs in 2009 will make ornithological history in China by discovering birds unknown to science. 在即将来临的2009年里，中国鸟类学史大概会由不打眼的业余人士通过发现未知的鸟类而刷新。 来自互联网

2 ornithology   

n.鸟类学

参考例句：

• He found his vocation in ornithology.他发现自己适于专攻鸟类学。
• His main interests are botany and ornithology.他主要对植物学和鸟类学感兴趣。

3 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

4 atlas   

n.地图册，图表集

参考例句：

• He reached down the atlas from the top shelf.他从书架顶层取下地图集。
• The atlas contains forty maps,including three of Great Britain.这本地图集有40幅地图，其中包括3幅英国地图。

5 tallied   

v.计算，清点( tally的过去式和过去分词 )；加标签（或标记）于；（使）符合；（使）吻合

参考例句：

• The girl tallied them with her eyes for a moment. 新娘用目光把这些化妆品清点了一下。 来自教父部分
• His account of the accident tallied with hers. 他对事故的陈述和她的相吻合。 来自辞典例句

6 atlases   

地图集( atlas的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Besides the two novels, I have bought two atlases. 我买了两本小说，另外还买了两本地图册。
• The facts of monsoon climate have been presented in a number of texts and atlases. 季风气候的一些事实已在一些教科书和气候图集中加以介绍。

7 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

8 northward   

adv.向北；n.北方的地区

参考例句：

• He pointed his boat northward.他将船驶向北方。
• I would have a chance to head northward quickly.我就很快有机会去北方了。

9 dwellings   

n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The development will consist of 66 dwellings and a number of offices. 新建楼区将由66栋住房和一些办公用房组成。
• The hovels which passed for dwellings are being pulled down. 过去用作住室的陋屋正在被拆除。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 sparsely   

adv.稀疏地；稀少地；不足地；贫乏地

参考例句：

• Relative to the size, the city is sparsely populated. 与其面积相比，这个城市的人口是稀少的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The ground was sparsely covered with grass. 地面上稀疏地覆盖草丛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 slabs   

n.厚板，平板，厚片( slab的名词复数 )；厚胶片

参考例句：

• The patio was made of stone slabs. 这天井是用石板铺砌而成的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The slabs of standing stone point roughly toward the invisible notch. 这些矗立的石块，大致指向那个看不见的缺口。 来自辞典例句

12 mowed   

v.刈，割( mow的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The enemy were mowed down with machine-gun fire. 敌人被机枪的火力扫倒。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Men mowed the wide lawns and seeded them. 人们割了大片草地的草，然后在上面播种。 来自辞典例句

13 grassland   

n.牧场，草地，草原

参考例句：

• There is a reach of grassland in the distance.远处是连绵一片的草原。
• The snowstorm swept the vast expanse of grassland.暴风雪袭击了辽阔的草原。

14 moors   

v.停泊，系泊（船只）( moor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• the North York moors 北约克郡的漠泽
• They're shooting grouse up on the moors. 他们在荒野射猎松鸡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。