The environmental importance of birds
Consider this: One in four Canadians buy bird food and/or birding products. The average amount spent is $1,000 a year.
With 14 feeding stations on my property, I spend a lot of time — and also money — providing sustenance to my local bird population. Most Canadian bird lovers live with the fantasy that we feed birds to help the little darlings along the way. They need us.
Not true. If all of us hung up our feeders in the garage and stopped feeding the local bird population, they would be fine. We feed them to bring them to us: they are our entertainment. In decline However, the part about them “being just fine” is not accurate. According to Bird Studies Canada (BSC), the country’s foremost authority on the subject, our bird population is anything but fine. There are many bird species in decline. The population of nighthawks, chimney swifts, barn swallows and Eastern meadowlarks are all in trouble, if the numbers mean anything.
Across Canada, four bird species in 10 are in a form of long-term decline, some of them quite seriously.
“When bird populations change so profoundly, we are seeing a clear sign of environmental decline that affects our health, happiness and even livelihoods,” says Steven Price, president of Bird Studies Canada.
After years of reviewing the facts, the organization has determined that birds are an excellent indicator of environmental health and trends. BSC uses its now-famous “citizen science” models to help it determine how many birds are out there, one species at a time. Some of the facts, courtesy of Bird Studies Canada 1. Birds eat enormous amounts of seeds, fruits, insects and invertebrates. Changes in bird population numbers often reflect changes in less visible forms of life in nature. Put another way, a decline in some bird species may allow for an unnatural outbreak of certain insect infestations. A farm without a hawk or other raptor hovering over the fields will have far more rodents prowling around. 2. Birds provide ecosystems services. This scientific term is used to describe the control of insects and rodents by birds. And they recycle organic material through their scavenging, and disperse seeds and fruits.
Price adds, “If we had to pay for these services it would cost the economy billions of dollars.” 3. Birds are the “canary in the environmental coal mine.” For example, the dramatic decline of the bald eagle population two generations ago was an indicator of the effects of the chemical DDT on our natural landscape. Once humans were alerted to it, we mobilized to change our behaviour (though none too soon). 4. Cats. For all the discussion about how birds meet their demise at the hands of man, no factor has more impact than cats. I am not suggesting you should get rid of your cat, but be mindful what a cat with claws can do in your neighbourhood. Consider not letting it outside or limiting its time outdoors to the night, when bird activity is low. 5. Plant native shrubs and trees, especially those that produce fruit. To maintain a healthy bird population, plant service berry, mountain ash, American highbush cranberry and the native perennials that can stand upright over winter to provide food and shelter for birds. What you can do You can help to build a database of information about birds and the bird population by joining the Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb. 17 to 20.
Take 15 minutes a day, or more, to count the birds and species in your yard or community (you can take a walk through a local park or conservation area if you like; don’t restrict yourself to your backyard). Report the numbers you record on the Bird Studies Canada website (birdscanada.org). This information is aggregated across the country, as it has been for many years. With these numbers, BSC can determine the increase or decline of bird populations across the country. Project Feeder Watch Another great way to get engaged and help is to count the birds on your feeder and report them to BSC on its website. Bird Studies Canada instigated Project Feeder Watch in 1976. Through a partnership with Cornell Lab of Ornithology, in Ithaca, N.Y., they have expanded the program to cover the entire continent. The program runs from November through April (so now is a great time to get started).
For details on both programs, go to birdscanada.org.