By Sophie Lamb, Teton Conservation District Intern
Green-tailed towhee by Larry Lamsa
Every year, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Environment Canada coordinate over 4,100 roadside avian surveys to gauge the longitudinal health of bird populations across the Continent. The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) began in 1966 in response to rising concerns over population-level impacts of pesticide use and habitat loss, as highlighted by scientists like Rachel Carson in Silent Spring. BBS captures integral data for local conservation efforts—and helped identify the staggering loss of 2.9 billion breeding birds since 1970.
For the past six years, GIS & Wildlife Specialist Morgan Graham has taken up the task of surveying birds along the Moose, WY BBS Route. To conduct the survey, Graham stops 50 times for three minutes each at half-mile intervals between Moose, WY, and Upper Slide Lake. Through song and visual identification, Graham was able to identify a total of 53 species and 394 individual birds, the most populous being Canada Geese (39 individuals), American Robins (26 individuals), and Brewer's Sparrows (26 individuals). 394 may sound like a lot of birds, but it indicates a 25% decline in species and 51% decline in total individuals along the Moose Route since high counts in 1992 and 1993 respectively. Given birds' role in insect and rodent control, plant pollination, and seed dispersal, this decline can have tangible impacts on further destabilizing our ecosystem. Here are well-known steps that you can take to mitigate further bird deaths:
Warbling vireo by Becky Matsubara
Bird feeders and bird baths are breeding grounds for salmonella and avian flu, which kill over 500,000 birds annually. To prevent the spread, clean your feeders weekly. Better yet, replace feeders with native plants (songbirds love blanket flowers, switchgrass, and serviceberries).
Window strikes are also one of the leading causes of songbird deaths. Every building is unique, but you can prevent strikes by installing outside screens or reducing reflective surfaces with devices such as decals or UV products. You can also draw the shades when you’re not home to further reduce reflection. Click here for a full list of products vetted by the American Bird Conservancy.
The average outdoor cat kills an estimated 34 birds a year–that’s over 1 billion birds in the U.S. alone. Keep cats indoors or supervise them outdoors while wearing a bird-safe collar or leash.
Finally, learn more about the wildlife around you! Check out Morgan's Nature Notebook: Birding By Ear to learn how to identify more species next time you are outdoors, and work to spread the word with your neighbors and friends about how to better protect bird species.
Check out jhbirds.org to read more about how to protect birds.