Birds: Canaries in the coal mine

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song”

Maya Angelou

^{This meditative seagull is a resident of Centennial Park, Puget Sound}

Birds, bees, butterflies are angels of biodiversity and ecological services (BECS). The hardy service providers that keep Nature abuzz have a critical mission. Over half the world’s total GDP – is moderately or highly dependent on nature and its services and, as a result, exposed to risks from nature. It wouldn’t take rocket science to figure out what might result if say birds went amiss.

Last three months of closely following the US media there was one thing that gave me hope. Despite all the flooding, drought, hurricanes and forest fires news – it was the serious concern for one of nature’s great wonders – migrating birds.

As they seasonally flit between breeding and wintering grounds twice a year. North to south or south to north. It is an inherently risky process, due to predation and mortality.

Turn off the lights

“Keep an eye out for feathered friends Thursday night”, reminds the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). It recommended that “Iowans be courteous and keep off unnecessary lighting to help birds find their way and reduce collisions…Keep your small pets inside, too”.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology said peak migration traffic in Iowa includes more than 400,000 birds. Just Wednesday night, nearly 100,000 flew across the state”.

Birds usually begin to migrate 30 to 45 minutes after sunset, with the greatest number in flight two to three hours later, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology said online.

The eastern wood-peewee, American redstart, magnolia warbler and more will be among the nocturnal migrants in Iowa, according to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

“City lights confuse them as birds migrate into Oklahoma” – experts urge people to turn off lights at night.

^{Meditative to a yogic mode…}

Virtues

What birds eat is often just as ecologically important as where they poop. For example, many birds are voracious predators of pests. Barn Swallows can consume as many as 60 insects an hour. Over an agricultural field, swallows rescue pest-prone crops and leave more food for us.

And installing Barn Owl boxes on farms reduces populations of destructive rodents, like gophers. Similarly, putting up nest boxes for Western Bluebirds can save grapes on vineyards. In this way, promoting and protecting bird habitat is a great alternative to widely used, harmful pesticides.

Night sky

Wisconsin naturalist Bill Volkert quoted in WPR: “During peak migration, more than 15 million birds can journey through Wisconsin skies in one night. These species join thousands of other birds making their way south for the winter”. 

Hundreds of thousands of birds are migrating over the Pittsburgh area. Here’s how you can mitigate light pollution says CBS News.  Peak migration season is typically mid-August to mid-October, and 200 million birds are predicted to migrate across the country on Monday night, it says. 

They migrate at night because they use the stars and the moon to help with navigation,” said Rachel Handel, the communications director for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. 

But Handel says Light pollution can be a big problem for birds on the move, says Handel. “That could be as big as stadium lights or really as small as keeping a light on in your home late at night. Those lights can distract the birds when they’re flying. That can lead to overexertion, that can lead to them becoming confused.”

Helping the hummingbirds

From Alaska to Mexico, many hummingbirds travel astonishing distances during late summer. These colorful pollinators will be spotted in many states as they journey southwards. In northern, cooler US hardiness zones, such as in Alaska or Michigan, this migration will happen much sooner than in southern locations, such as California or Florida, where some hummingbirds may even remain for the winter.

“There are hundreds of native flowers that attract hummingbirds. Here in Florida, hummingbirds love to feast on the nectar of flame vine, fire bush or the firecracker plant, just be sure to leave blooms and stems on the plant until the fall”, advises wildlife expert Melissa Lackey

A recent study by the University of Wyoming confirms the importance of native plants, stating that many hummingbird species are specialists, feeding only on one or a few species of flowering plants. Ensuring that we grow native plants in our yards is, therefore, vital.

Sadly, over 191 hummingbird species from across the Americas are experiencing declining population trends, but there are ways you can help native species as they commence their migration – here are some wildlife garden ideas from homesandgardens.com

Teaming up

And did you know that different bird species may team up for migration. A new study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that this mixing and mingling might not be coincidental.

Different bird species could have their own social networks that might boost each other’s survival.

Increasingly dangerous

Migrating birds will face many challenges during their flights south. Their winter and summer habitats are shrinking, as well as the stopover sites they use as refuge while they rest and refuel. There are tall buildings with deceiving windows, looming communication towers and predatory outdoor cats. 

Essentially the world is getting more dangerous for birds, reminds Volkert.

Evolved with hurricanes

Both Hurricane Milton and Helene coincide with the fall migration of birds in North America. Scientists say such storms can be deadly for birds, but many species have ways to cope with hurricanes; some even benefit, writes Mongabay.

Birds evolved with hurricanes but climate change is fueling more frequent strong storms, and that change in intensity “has the potential to change migration patterns in ways that we don’t necessarily understand,” Andrew Farnsworth, visiting scientist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, quoted by Mongabay.

An appeal

 “Join the 10 Million Acre Challenge and bring habitat back for birds with American Bird Conservancy (ABC)!” Goes this appeal.

Over the past 30 years, thanks to dedicated members and supporters, ABC has helped conserve millions of acres of habitat for birds. More than 3,000 bird species, many of them endangered or declining in population, have now benefited from habitat conserved by ABC and its dozens of partners. That’s 30% of the world’s total bird species!

We need them

Birds make big contributions across habitats, and they’re crucial for people and the planet to thrive. When avian species are lost, their particular functions and benefits disappear, too. And introduced species can’t easily replace the critical roles of native ones, according to a new study published in Science Advances. That means holding onto the bird diversity we have is paramount.

Birds are canaries in the coal mine. Can we afford another Silent Spring?