I don’t hear politicians talking about Migratory Patterns of Birds during this election season.

By Stan Bargmeyer, Coma News Daily Intern

I am shocked at how little the candidates running for mayor are talking about the migratory patterns of birds.  Plenty of lip service is being paid to taxes, job creation and crime prevention, but little-to-no discussion at all about seasonal, large-scale bird movements from northern climates to warmer southern climates.

I’m sorry, but did I suddenly wake up in a world where the majority of people no longer care about the enormous sacrifices, stress, and physical exertion these birds face on an annual basis to reach suitable breeding habitats?

I suppose most people couldn’t care less about the Bar-tailed Godwit and its nearly 11,000 kilometer trek from Alaska to New Zealand. I know our politicians don’t care.  If they did, they’d be peppering in pro-bird migration tidbits in their stump speeches and debates.  I don’t even know how far, in miles, 11,000 kilometers is, but it sounds like a long way.

And don’t even get me started about the diurnal migration of raptors.  These large, broad-winged birds rely on rising hot air in order to soar, making it really difficult to migrate over large bodies of water.  Yet, to hear our candidates speak, you’d think they’d never heard of this significant challenge facing eagles, vultures, and buzzards.

I know I’m not the only migratory bird enthusiast in Coma.  There must be at least one or two more (counting me).  I don’t understand why these politicians don’t spend more time on courting this under-served constituency.

I am personally challenging the candidates to share their migratory bird platform.  I’m certain they have one.  They are, after all, human beings for Christsakes.  It’s time for us to know where they stand on this issue.  You’re either for annual bird migration or you’re against it.  We want to know!