美国国家公共电台 NPR--An island in South Carolina provides much needed sanctuary for shorebirds

An island in South Carolina provides much needed sanctuary¹ for shorebirds

Transcript²

The man-made island near Charleston is serving as a sanctuary for thousands of shorebirds. It's a beneficial way to use soil from dredging rivers. (Story aired on ATC on June 12, 2023.)

ENVIRONMENT

A manmade island in South Carolina provides much needed sanctuary for shorebirds

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Atlantic coast shorebirds are disappearing. A study published this spring shows populations dropping by more than half since 1980. This has led to calls for conservation. And South Carolina Public Radio's Victoria Hansen takes us to a place built for birds.

VICTORIA HANSEN, BYLINE³: Janet Thibault deliberately⁴ walks where people are not allowed.

(SOUNDBITE OF WATER SLOSHING)

HANSEN: A sandy, shapeless Island in the Charleston Harbor covered with tiny tracks.

JANET THIBAULT: I got my binoculars⁵. I got my spotting scope.

HANSEN: The wildlife biologist is keeping a close eye on the intimate lives of sea- and shorebirds.

THIBAULT: All right. I think we have another nest.

(SOUNDBITE OF BIRDS SQUAWKING)

THIBAULT: I see two birds incubating.

HANSEN: Thibault works for the Department of Natural Resources, which owns the island and closes it for summer so birds can nest safely in the sand away from predators⁶ and people. It's a critical time for the seabird sanctuary known as Crab⁷ Bank. The eroding⁸ island was wiped away by a hurricane in 2017, leaving thousands of birds without a place to nest for four seasons until a reconstructed sanctuary emerged last summer. The birds are still finding their way back.

THIBAULT: OK, we got chicks. So this is a freshly hatched American oystercatcher chick. There's a - the second egg is starting to pip out, so the chick is breaking the shell.

HANSEN: A fluffy⁹, beige-and-white chick with big feet stares at the speckled egg beside him. The sibling¹⁰ egg is cracked, and a barely visible beak¹¹ peeps.

(SOUNDBITE OF BIRD PEEPING)

HANSEN: The baby oystercatchers' beaks¹² will eventually grow bright orange and flat to pry¹³ open the shell delicacies¹⁴ for which they're named. Nearby, graceful¹⁵ skimmers belly¹⁶ flop¹⁷ into the sand to create a nest. Tiny, yellow-billed least terns dangle¹⁸ fish as they fly to entice¹⁹ a mate.

THIBAULT: They're just trying to raise a family.

HANSEN: Thibault is pleased by what she sees. She hopes this season, Crab Bank will surpass the more than 500 nests she helped track last summer, although originally it saw 10 times as many. She worries about the future of ocean birds.

THIBAULT: It's their life. You know, their life depends on these spits of sand.

HANSEN: Chris Crolley is concerned, too. He gives wildlife tours and fears birds are being squeezed out.

CHRIS CROLLEY: Coastal²⁰ squeeze is the idea that as the water continues to rise, the birds have nowhere to go.

HANSEN: Crolley was part of the fight to save Crab Bank after it literally²¹ went under following a hurricane. Shortly after, the Army Corps²² of Engineers was dredging the harbor and found sediment²³ to rebuild the island.

CROLLEY: And then we just watched Crab Bank manifest out of a beneficial dredge spoil spewing pipe.

HANSEN: The pipe spewed for seven weeks, building a bigger 32-acre island. Project manager Jeff Livasy says it was eye-opening.

JEFF LIVASY: I'm an engineer. We know about moving material and that type of thing, but to learn about the birds and the habitat...

HANSEN: He says the Army Corps has set a goal of beneficially reusing 70% of all dredge materials. Crolley would like to see the state, which already spends millions renourishing beaches for people, set aside sand for creatures that need it.

CROLLEY: This is real wild birds fighting to survive.

HANSEN: He watches nesting on Crab Bank by boat. A white egret swoops²⁴ down and elegantly perches²⁵ beside him. Birds, he says, deserve our help. For NPR News, I'm Victoria Hansen in Charleston, S.C.

(SOUNDBITE OF WATER FAI'S "TO THE GREEN TOWN")

1 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

5 binoculars   

n.双筒望远镜

参考例句：

• He watched the play through his binoculars.他用双筒望远镜看戏。
• If I had binoculars,I could see that comet clearly.如果我有望远镜，我就可以清楚地看见那颗彗星。

6 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 crab   

n.螃蟹，偏航，脾气乖戾的人，酸苹果；vi.捕蟹，偏航，发牢骚；vt.使偏航，发脾气

参考例句：

• I can't remember when I last had crab.我不记得上次吃蟹是什么时候了。
• The skin on my face felt as hard as a crab's back.我脸上的皮仿佛僵硬了，就象螃蟹的壳似的。

8 eroding   

侵蚀，腐蚀( erode的现在分词 )； 逐渐毁坏，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• The coast is slowly eroding. 海岸正慢慢地被侵蚀。
• Another new development is eroding the age-old stereotype of the male warrior. 另一个新现象是，久已形成的男人皆武士的形象正逐渐消失。

9 fluffy   

adj.有绒毛的，空洞的

参考例句：

• Newly hatched chicks are like fluffy balls.刚孵出的小鸡像绒毛球。
• The steamed bread is very fluffy.馒头很暄。

10 sibling   

n.同胞手足(指兄、弟、姐或妹)

参考例句：

• Many of us hate living in the shadows of a more successful sibling.我们很多人都讨厌活在更为成功的手足的阴影下。
• Sibling ravalry has been common in this family.这个家里，兄弟姊妹之间的矛盾很平常。

11 beak   

n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻

参考例句：

• The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
• This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。

12 beaks   

n.鸟嘴( beak的名词复数 )；鹰钩嘴；尖鼻子；掌权者

参考例句：

• Baby cockatoos will have black eyes and soft, almost flexible beaks. 雏鸟凤头鹦鹉黑色的眼睛是柔和的，嘴几乎是灵活的。 来自互联网
• Squid beaks are often found in the stomachs of sperm whales. 经常能在抹香鲸的胃里发现鱿鱼的嘴。 来自互联网

13 pry   

vi.窥(刺)探，打听；vt.撬动(开，起)

参考例句：

• He's always ready to pry into other people's business.他总爱探听别人的事。
• We use an iron bar to pry open the box.我们用铁棍撬开箱子。

14 delicacies   

n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 )；精致；精美的食物；周到

参考例句：

• Its flesh has exceptional delicacies. 它的肉异常鲜美。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• After these delicacies, the trappers were ready for their feast. 在享用了这些美食之后，狩猎者开始其大餐。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗

15 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

16 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

17 flop   

n.失败(者)，扑通一声；vi.笨重地行动，沉重地落下

参考例句：

• The fish gave a flop and landed back in the water.鱼扑通一声又跳回水里。
• The marketing campaign was a flop.The product didn't sell.市场宣传彻底失败，产品卖不出去。

18 dangle   

v.(使)悬荡，(使)悬垂

参考例句：

• At Christmas,we dangle colored lights around the room.圣诞节时，我们在房间里挂上彩灯。
• He sits on the edge of the table and dangles his legs.他坐在桌子边上，摆动著双腿。

19 entice   

v.诱骗，引诱，怂恿

参考例句：

• Nothing will entice the children from television.没有任何东西能把孩子们从电视机前诱开。
• I don't see why the English should want to entice us away from our native land.我不明白，为什英国人要引诱我们离开自己的国土。

20 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

21 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

22 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

23 sediment   

n.沉淀，沉渣，沉积(物)

参考例句：

• The sediment settled and the water was clear.杂质沉淀后，水变清了。
• Sediment begins to choke the channel's opening.沉积物开始淤塞河道口。

24 swoops   

猛扑，突然下降( swoop的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He fixes his eyes on the greyish spine of the old wolf as he swoops down. 他两眼死死盯住老狼灰黑的脊背。 来自汉英文学 - 现代散文
• An owl swoops from the ridge top, noiseless but as flame. 蓦地，山脊上一只夜枭飞扑直下，悄无声响而赫然如一道火光。

25 perches   

栖息处( perch的名词复数 )； 栖枝； 高处； 鲈鱼

参考例句：

• Other protection can be obtained by providing wooden perches througout the orchards. 其它保护措施是可在种子园中到处设置木制的栖木。
• The birds were hopping about on their perches and twittering. 鸟儿在栖木上跳来跳去，吱吱地叫着。