EXPLORE BIRDS

Winged Wonders

BY LAURA JEMPLY

The Yellow coated Warblers are colorful birds that have adapted in ways unseen. Instead of building their nests in trees, they have learned to nest in the yellow turf ground system that has replaced the grasslands. This unique adaptation not only provides a safe place for their young, but is also warm in the harsh, unpredictable climate. Over time, the warblers have mutated to have coated feathers that are incredibly warm and protect them from the harsh winds and snow. These feathers, which have a unique texture and color, also allow them to blend into their environment. The birds use found materials to build their nests, allowing them to embed themselves and their babies into the sticks and twigs that are found near their homes.

The warblers are thriving in these new environments they call home. Their nests are quite spectacular, and at closer inspection it is evident they are delicately webbed together. Once studied microscopically it becomes evident that their nests are indeed carefully woven together, built almost like a spider web in order to protect their nested eggs and food for their new family.

The yellow coated warbler sits eloquently in its nest, creating its own body of water to thrive and flourish in its oasis. Migrating is too dangerous for these birds. Their feathers are therefore warm and insulated allowing them to hibernate during the cold seasons.

This warbler has made its nest like a delicately woven spider web. Studies under a microscope reveal how they intricately construct their homes provide a secure haven for their growing families. They build their nests with anything they can find in the trees and bushes.

At The Bottom Of The River Bed

“WALLEYE FORAGE IN THE TOXIC TAILING PONDS IN NORTHERN CANADA. THEY TRAVEL IN SCHOOLS, HUNDREDS AT A TIME, EATING ALGAE AND ZOO PLANKTON.”

Walleyes are a freshwater fish species once native to Canada’s fresh bodies of water. They do not look like they did hundreds of years ago. Forced to survive in toxic waters polluted with the remnants of tailing pond sediments, walleye adapted to biologically endure extreme climate degradation. Current waters that contain these fish represent extremely high mixtures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and alkylated PAHs. In such high quantities these compounds are toxic. Years of adaptation and evolutionary abnormalities have made the walleye almost unrecognizable.

Hidden within the yellow and green tinted slimy water is where the walleye calls home. Their scales are thick and slimy acting as a protective barrier against the environment and other fish that thrive in these chemical environments. In order to take in oxygen, walleye have large gills that filter through the hydrocarbons, PAHs, and carbon dioxide. In their liquid environment walleyes use evaporative cooling to decrease their body temperatures, due to the extraordinarily warm waters in which they live.