Our friend Curtis Beaird posted this photo to EarthSky’s Facebook page. He said the leading edge of bird migration has begun over the U.S. South and that American Robin and Red-winged Black bird are already making their way north, crossing over Georgia. Looking at this photo, many wonder if and how the explosion and fire on Saturday (February 8, 2014) that burned over 5,000 tons of raw rubber in Savannah, Georgia affected migrating birds. Andrew Forino of Savannah captured this photo on Saturday.
Curtis said the plume of smoke looked like a weather front as it moved with the winds. It could be seen for miles.
By late Saturday, the fire department said its crews had contained the fire, but it could take a while for the flames to burn out inside a warehouse covering 226,000 square feet at the port’s Ocean Terminal just west of downtown Savannah.
We join Curtis, Andrew and others in wondering how Savannah’s rubber fire affected the birds.
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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