Mr. Speaker, that is an easy question to answer. When the program was in place, it had a very positive impact since birds which flew over the area and saw one of their own, dead and turned on its back to afford them a better view, would get scared. It is as simple as that.
That approach was so efficient that, according to departmental experts, birds would not go within about one kilometre of the site where they saw a dead bird.
When you study these birds, and I had the opportunity to do so since these birds are a problem in my riding, you understand how intelligent they are. In fact, they are so bright that, at the risk of repeating myself, they would only need a couple of days
to tell the difference between a real rifle and one that is used only to make noise without hurting them.
However, it is interesting to observe such a phenomenon and to see that these birds will do everything possible to avoid an area where they feel threatened.
I would like to say that this problem is different every year. Apparently, it has something to do with the heat of the earth. For example, birds base the speed at which they head for the north on the degree of thawing. If the earth does not thaw fast enough, they will stay in my riding for maybe three weeks. Can you imagine the damage they can make during that time. Sometimes, like last year, they only stay for about five or six days, because the earth warms up more rapidly. Maybe the frost was not so bad, or things were warming up more rapidly, or something like that.
After a short stay in our area, they resumed their journey to the north. Needless to say that, with the very cold weather we had this winter, I suspect these birds will stay a little longer in my riding this year, unfortunately for our farmers, but fortunately for bird watchers.
That is probably why they will stay with us for a few more days, even though they have been in this area now for two or three weeks.
(Motion agreed to, bill read the second time and referred to a committee.)
