ink wash on Arches paper 15” x 24” $2,300. Damage to a bird's
central nervous system from injury or poisoning often manifests
itself in a behavior known as stargazing. Affected birds exhibit
unsteadiness and a backwards craning of the head. Terrible though
this gesture appears, it does not always herald doom for its
sufferer; it can be a symptom of numerous temporary or transitory
maladies. Animals like Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus),
which feed heavily on fish-eating seabirds, are especially prone
to poisoning by persistent environmental toxins, by virtue of
their place in the feeding hierarchy. Rains wash poisons into
the sea, where they accumulate, and concentrate as they rise
from one trophic level to another. For example, the mercury level
in the tissues of a population of medium-sized fish can be expected
to be far higher than that in the population of small fish they
feed upon, and far lower than in the big fish that feed upon
them. |
