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Comment by pcardoso | Hacker News Reader

Where I live in Portugal, close to the Aveiro lagoon, there are now lots of storks, flamingoes, wild ducks and other marine birds. I don't remember all this variety and quantity when I was a kid.

Every time I marvel at a flock of these birds I keep thinking that perhaps the conservation efforts paid off.

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> I don't remember all this variety and quantity when I was a kid.

We have the same thing happening in the United States. A few months ago I was walking with my kids, and some woman passing us was incredulous that they weren't phased by seeing a rabbit, and said that when she was a kid it would have been one of the highlights of her year. And I was like yeah, same with me as a kid, but now we see them 20x a day.

Where in the US have rabbits been a rarity for the last few decades?

This is purely anecdotal, but I’m amazed at the number of rabbits in / around Boston compared to Houston and Austin, Texas. I’ve seen no more than a few each year in Texas vs several per week around Cambridge, Medford, and Somerville, Massachusetts.

That’s very interesting. I see several per week in my neighborhood in DFW. Same in my past DFW neighborhood. I’m guessing it’s much more localized than just metro/city. Certain suburbs might be much more suitable.

When I lived in Austin it seems like rabbits swarmed the neighborhood every third year or so, it was quite an irregular pattern.

Living in Stockholm now, I'm surprised by the number of European Hares I see when out for a night run or dog walk.

My dog lived in harmony with Texan rabbits, but there's something about the hare that makes him... curious. Maybe it's the big ears?

Different climates. Desert animals became much more nocturnal to avoid the heat. Primary production in Boston is also higher probably. More plants will sustain more rabbits.

Many cities sport large enough feral cat populations that rabbits are rare.

When a North American sees storks on their nests atop trees in Portugal he feels the same awe and excitement an European would feel seeing a moose crossing the highway in Canada.

Although storks are far more common in Alentejo than moose in Western Canada.

There are moose in Europe, I have seen several.

A Møøse once bit my sister.

Fireflies. There are moose in Europe, but no fireflies.

Of course there are fireflies in Europe.

TIL, and obviously there's a specialist site tracking observations [1]. Thanks, I guess bioluminescent animals are not just a Disney invention! :)

[1]: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/fireflies-of-europe

Yes, but during my trips to the United States I was surprised by the abundance of fireflies. I think it was the first time I have seen them in my life.

Not like in the US. Compared to the symphony of light of peak firefly season in the US, there are indeed no fireflies anywhere in Europe. That is a hill I will die on.

I read somewhere recently that Sweden or Norway or both has/have moose.

I have seen fireflies outside of Norrköping when I was a kid.

is this because more tropical birds are moving north? in pennsylvania we're getting a ton of birds in the spring/summer that never make it this far north. it's because their native habitats in the carolinas and georgia are too hot.

sorry to be a downer.

Seeing storks with their giant nests atop utility poles on the drive from Lisbon to Lagos was one of the most unique and memorable aspects of my recent trip to Portugal.

I was about to ask about what prompted you to drive across the Sahara, but after checking the map for possible routes, understood that you meant Lagos, Portugal and not Lagos, Nigeria.

Haha, indeed. The "other" Lagos in Portugal.

That lagoon seems so custom-made for birds! Especially with the tide coming in and out.

I've often driven up from the south, and am amazed that sometimes there's hardly any water at all, and then sometimes it's a deep lake.

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