经济学人:鸟类数量锐减 是天灾还是人为?

 　　Britain Bird numbers Out of the woods 英国 鸟类数量 离开树林

　　Good news on the bird population—but not for everyone 鸟类数量的捷报——但并非对所有人

　　British birdwatchers are used to bad news. House sparrow numbers have fallen from an estimated 30 million to 10 million since 1966.  英国的观鸟者已经对坏消息习以为常。自1966年以来，家养麻雀的数量已从约3000万减少到1000万。

　　Curlews have become a rare sight, their numbers plummeting¹ by 50% in 15 years.  杓鷸的数量在十五年间锐减50%，变得越发罕见。

　　Cuckoos, once-frequent visitors from Africa, have declined by 63% in the south-east in the past two decades.  过去二十年间，曾经经常从非洲迁徙至英国东南部的布谷鸟数量减少了63%。

　　Earlier springs that confuse migratory² birds, more efficient farming and the conversion³ of dilapidated buildings (good for nesting) into modern homes have all contributed to these woes⁴. 造成这种灾患的原因包括迷惑候鸟的早春，更高效的耕种以及危房（适宜筑巢）向现代房屋的转变。

　　But data released by the British Trust for Ornithology⁵ (BTO), a research charity, suggest some are soaring.  但是公益性科研机构英国鸟类学基金会公布的数据显示，有一些鸟类的数量却扶摇而上。

　　Tracking bird populations by means of regular surveys, the figures give the clearest picture yet of 49 species across Britain. 他们通过定期调查的方式追踪群鸟，其数据清晰地描绘了目前全英49种鸟类的真实状况。

　　Blackcaps, small woodland birds native to Germany and eastern Europe, are lingering after their summer sojourns⁶: since 1967 numbers have increased by 177%.  黑顶林莺是来自德国和东欧地区的一种小型林栖鸟，在它们的夏季之旅后仍然流连忘返。自1967年以来，它们的数量增加了177%。

　　The little egret, a white heron-like bird, arrived from continental⁷ Europe in 1989 and now numbers over 5,000.  小白鹭，一种白色的鹭科鸟类1989年从欧洲大陆而来，现在它们的数量已经突破5000。

　　Wood pigeons, once found shyly cooing in forests, have boldly moved into cities and suburbs. 原先只敢在树林里低吟浅唱的斑尾林鸽已经勇敢地迁移到了城市和郊区。

　　Environmental and agricultural changes have helped as well as disoriented birds.  环境和农业的变化既帮助了鸟类，也迷惑了它们。

　　Modern farming techniques allow grain to be sown in the autumn rather than the spring; that helps wood pigeons feed in winter.  相较春天播种，现代的农业技术使秋天播种成为可能，这也为斑尾林鸽过冬提供保障。

　　Warmer winters mean rivers and ponds are less likely to freeze, providing the little egrets with food.  暖冬意味着河流与池塘难于冰冻，这给小白鹭提供了食物。

　　James Pearce-Higgins of the BTO says that blackcaps benefit particularly from the increasing popularity of berry bushes (such as rowan and yew) in people’s gardens. 英国鸟类信托基金的詹姆斯皮尔斯—希金斯说，人们花园中越来越多的浆果丛（诸如欧洲花楸和紫杉）令黑顶林莺获益良多。

　　These species and others benefit from the British love of bird feeders.  以上几种和其他种类的鸟获益于喂鸟者的英式关爱。

　　“I would be amazed if anyone feeds garden birds in Europeas much as we do,” says Stephen Moss⁸, a nature writer.  “在欧洲，没有人会像英国人一样频繁地在花园喂鸟了。”自然作家史提芬摩斯说。

　　First sold in 1964 by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), a charity with over 1 million members,  喂鸟器最早在1964年由皇家鸟类保护协会出售，该协会是有超过百万会员的慈善组织。

　　bird feeders took off in the 1990s when food such as sunflower hearts and nyjer seeds became widely available and the RSPB began to encourage people to feed birds throughout the year.  在90年代，葵花籽、蓟花籽之类食品的广泛普及，同时皇家鸟类保护协会鼓励人们全年不休地喂鸟，喂鸟器的销量突飞猛涨。

　　The bird tables found in other northern European countries, such as Finland and Germany, tend to be stocked only during the winter. 在北欧的一些国家，例如芬兰和德国，喂鸟台只在冬天发挥作用。

　　In 1987 only 17 species availed themselves of British feeders; these days 86 do. Birders grouse⁹ nonetheless.  在1987年，只有17种鸟得到了喂鸟者的帮助，而今有86种。然而怨声随之而起。

　　Some of the species prospering¹⁰, such as carrion¹¹ crows and buzzards, are disliked.  一些不遭人喜欢的鸟也开始泛滥，比如食腐乌鸦和秃鹰。

　　And migratory birds that extend their visits may provide competition for some avian natives.  同时，逗留时间更长的候鸟也可能对一些本土鸟产生竞争。

　　They are “muscling in and getting the first claim on breeding sites”, says Richard Cowser of the Sussex Ornithological¹² Society.  据苏塞克斯鸟类学社团的理查德 考瑟所说，它们“强势插入，占领繁殖地。”

　　Like their human counterparts, residents of a small island buffeted¹³ by global winds, British birds will have to learn to compete. 就如它们的人类伙伴一样，小岛上的居民被全球风席卷。英国的鸟类要学会竞争。

1 plummeting   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Prices are rising, falling, going up, going down, shooting up, plummeting, etc. 物价在上涨、下跌、上升、下落、猛然上涨、骤然下跌等。 来自辞典例句
• The enemy plane went plummeting into the sea. 敌机直直掉进海里。 来自辞典例句

2 migratory   

n.候鸟，迁移

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• This does not negate the idea of migratory aptitude.这并没有否定迁移能力这一概念。

3 conversion   

n.转化，转换，转变

参考例句：

• He underwent quite a conversion.他彻底变了。
• Waste conversion is a part of the production process.废物处理是生产过程的一个组成部分。

4 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

5 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。

6 sojourns   

n.逗留，旅居( sojourn的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• As an example, Edgar Cayce during a reading described his most recent sojourns throughout the cosmos. 例如，埃德加·凯西在一次解读中，描述了他最近的在宇宙中的逗留。 来自互联网

7 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

8 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

9 grouse   

n.松鸡；v.牢骚，诉苦

参考例句：

• They're shooting grouse up on the moors.他们在荒野射猎松鸡。
• If you don't agree with me,please forget my grouse.如果你的看法不同，请不必介意我的牢骚之言。

10 prospering   

成功，兴旺( prosper的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Our country is thriving and prospering day by day. 祖国日益繁荣昌盛。
• His business is prospering. 他生意兴隆。

11 carrion   

n.腐肉

参考例句：

• A crow of bloodthirsty ants is attracted by the carrion.一群嗜血的蚂蚁被腐肉所吸引。
• Vultures usually feed on carrion or roadkill.兀鹫通常以腐肉和公路上的死伤动物为食。

12 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

13 buffeted   

反复敲打( buffet的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续猛击； 打来打去； 推来搡去

参考例句：

• to be buffeted by the wind 被风吹得左右摇摆
• We were buffeted by the wind and the rain. 我们遭到风雨的袭击。