Overflowing Great Lakes New Threat for Endangered Bird
五大湖泛滥给濒临鸟类带来新威胁
The piping plover is already one of the most endangered birds in the Great Lakes area of the northern United States. Now, the rising water levels of Lake Michigan further threaten the birds and the areas where they live.
在美国北部的五大湖地区，笛鸻已经是最濒危的鸟类之一。现在，密歇根湖水位的上涨进一步威胁着鸟类和它们的栖息地。
Pools of water are forming behind several plover nests along Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lake shore in the state of Michigan. The waters of Lake Michigan are now only a few meters from the plovers’ nesting area.
在密歇根州的睡熊沙丘国家湖岸，数只鸻的巢后面水位上涨。密歇根湖的水域现在离鸻的筑巢区只有几米远。
Their home could be one storm away from destruction.
它们的巢离毁灭只有一场风暴之遥。
Water levels on the Great Lakes are reaching some of their highest points since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began keeping records 101 years ago.Streets, businesses and houses in the area have flooded, the Associated Press (AP) reports.
自101年前美国陆军工程兵团开始记录以来，五大湖的水位现已经达到了最高点。美联社报道，该地区的街道、企业和房屋都被洪水淹没。
Many sandy areas near the water are getting smaller, while others are underwater.
许多水域附近的沙地变得越来越小，而另一些已被淹没。
The birds are forced to move closer to places with trees and bushes, or even to urban areas.
鸟类不得不寻求有树和灌木丛的地方，甚至是城市地区。
Vince Cavalieri works with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He told the AP that the high water levels put plovers in more danger than most other bird groups. That is because the areas where they live have been disappearing. He added that some nests on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes also have been swept away.
文斯·卡瓦列里就职于美国鱼类和野生动物管理局。他告诉美联社，相比其他鸟类而言，水位上涨对鸻类更危险。这是因为它们的栖息地正在消失。他补充说，五大湖加拿大一侧的一些巢穴也被冲走了。
The Great Lakes generally rise with the melting snow and rainstorms of spring, and fall during the drier Summer months.
五大湖的水位通常因春天冰雪融化和暴雨而上涨，在干燥的夏季水位下降。
However, some scientists believe climate change is causing more changes in water levels.
然而，一些科学家认为气候变化导致水位有更多变化。
In a recent report, researchers Drew Gronewold and Richard Rood said, quick changes “… between extreme high and low water levels in the Great Lakes represent the ‘new normal.’”
在最近的一份报告中，研究人员德鲁·格罗诺德和理查德·鲁德说：“五大湖极端高低水位的更迭变化代表着‘新常态’。”
If that is true, the piping plovers could be at greater risk. Their numbers already have dropped because of shoreline development. The federal government lists the birds as threatened in the northern Great Plains and along the Atlantic coast. Rising sea levels there threaten their wintering grounds. But the Great Lakes population is endangered, hitting a low of just 12 breeding pairs in 1990.
如果属实，那么笛鸻可能身处险境。由于海岸线的发展，它们的数量已经减少了。联邦政府将北部大平原和大西洋沿岸的鸟类列为濒临鸟类。那里不断上升的海平面淹没了他们的越冬地。五大湖地区的鸟类数量处于濒危状态，在1990年只达到了12对繁殖配对的最低水平。
Recovery projects are helping, however. In 2017, officials counted 76 breeding pairs of plovers. Last year, they counted 67. Cavalieri of the fish and wildlife service expects to see similar numbers this year.
然而，恢复项目还是有作用的。2017年，官方统计了76对种鱼。去年，他们统计了67对。美国鱼类和野生动物管理局的卡瓦列里预计，今年的数据也会相似。
Most of this year’s plover eggs will hatch by the end of June. If more storms do not wash away nests, a new group of plovers may survive.
今年的大部分鸻卵将在6月底孵化。如果大雨没有冲走淹没他们的巢穴，一群新生鸻可能存活下来。
Sleeping Bear Dunes is home to nearly half of the Great Lakes plovers during spring and summer. Officials place rope and signs around breeding areas to keep people away from them. Structures are placed on top of the nests to keep out predatory animals, like foxes or coyotes. But officials leave enough space between the wires of the structure for the plovers to enter and exit.
在春夏两季，睡熊沙丘是五大湖近乎一半鸻的栖息地。管理员在繁殖区周围放置绳子和标志，以防止人们靠近。在巢穴的顶部设置一些结构，以防狐狸或土狼等食肉性动物进入。但管理员们在建筑的绳线之间留有足够的空间，供鸻进出。
Erica Adams is a plover expert with the National Park Service. She said unleashed dogs are the biggest problem for the birds. Dogs sometimes scare the birds so badly that they leave their nests.
艾丽卡·亚当斯是国家公园管理局研究鸻的专家。她指出，对于鸻而言，没有栓绳的狗是最大的威胁。狗有时会吓得鸟儿逃离巢穴。
Professionals and volunteers often serve as security guards for the plovers. They can also perform emergency rescues if flooding threatens the birds.
专业人士和志愿者经常保护鸻的安全。如果洪水威胁到了鸟类，他们也能提供紧急救助。
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