Posted on 05/09/2014 8:18:58 AM PDT by GSWarrior
The tree trimmer at the center of a federal and state investigation into the destruction of nests and slaughter of baby birds in Oakland said Thursday that he "screwed up" because he allowed his crews to chain-saw trees even as baby birds were falling out.
Pulido was the supervisor for a crew of tree trimmers hired Saturday by the U.S. Postal Service's Civic Center Annex in Oakland. The post office ordered trees containing the nests of egrets and black-crowned night herons, species protected by the U.S. Migratory Bird Act, to be cut because the nesting birds were defecating on mail trucks.
Post office: No birds hurt
U.S. postal officials continue to deny that birds were harmed in the course of the tree trimming. A postal maintenance worker observing the tree-trimming on Saturday reported that no birds were injured, said U.S. Postal Service spokesman Augustine Ruiz.
The U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act prohibits tampering with nests of migratory species. The trees in question were laden with dozens of nests, baby birds and their parents.
As Pulido and his crew cut through the trees with chainsaws, horrified neighbors tried to stop them, ultimately calling the Oakland police. A video shot by a neighbor shows workers sawing large tree limbs and feeding them into a wood chipper, and a baby bird flapping on the ground.
The injured birds at International Bird Rescue, and a dead bird photographed by The Chronicle, must have been hurt in unrelated incidents, Ruiz said.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
These same people who were so upset by this aren’t horrified by the protected species birds killed by the wind turbines & solar arrays? Or human abortions?
Yes. Wounds on the trees themselves also attract the bugs, because of the excess sap emitted. These trees had lots of wound areas.
I didn't realize that was the attractant until I researched it a bit. I think the tree is healthy enough to treat, so I'm going to try and do so. The tree was certainly weak from lack of water, as it has brightened up considerably since we've begun watering it. The property we're in has sat vacant for months, and the prior residents didn't appear to take very good care of the trees (or any other vegetation) on the property.
Don’t they get bark beetles, too, if it is dry and they are not in top condition? I think so — drought/ infestation.
Yes, but the sap is what will bring them from a long ways off.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.