Bird conservation

Birds face many dangers and challenges in the modern world. Many of the things we can control as individuals in our own yards and life choices, but many of these challenges require a societal response, too.

Some of these issues are addressed elsewhere on this website. Or, in the case of habitat loss, is the focus of this entire website! Native plants are crucial for bird conservation!

Challenges birds face:

Light pollution

How much night has changed in the last 100 years! This may make people happy, but it’s a disaster for wildlife (and even for plants).

Light pollution in our cities seriously affects birds during migration, steering them off course and causing them to crash into buildings. It can affect the timing of their migration, leading to mismatches between available food and their arrival. It also can affect nocturnal birds who hunt at night.

Light pollution in buildings

What can we do? In our own yards, we can forgo the decorative use of light, washing walls with light, highlighting trees, spotlighting architecture, and so forth. Some lighting may be necessary for safety (and can often just be accomplished by using motion detectors), but much of it is just for show.

Beyond our own yards, we can advocate for more responsible lighting techniques in our own communities and in society in general.

Another window issue

Simple fix for birds attacking windows

An occasional problem has been male robins attacking our windows, thinking their reflection was a competitor. This happens only some years and only for a week or two in the spring as robins are establishing their territory.

Neither the windows nor the robins have been injured, but it can be distressing to see and hear. We’ve found that simply taping some newspapers to the windows solved the problem. (Pretty ugly, but it’s only for a week or two…)

Protecting birds from pipes

Umbrella stand pipe covered
Umbrella stand pipe covered ©Janet Allen
Umbrella pipe glass
Glass covering umbrella pipe ©Janet Allen

We haven’t had the problem of birds getting caught in a pipe (described in the Resources Miscellaneous section below) but we do leave the base of our umbrella stand outside over the winter, so we make sure we keep it covered.

The first year we taped the top with duct tape. It worked okay, but we were left with a sticky pipe. Since then, we’ve used either an old tall, thin plastic food container or even a glass one such as the olive jar shown above. We haven’t had a problem with the plastic one flying off or the glass one breaking since they go down far enough to stay put.

Glue traps for invasive insects

It’s important to eliminate the invasive non-native insects destroying our native trees, BUT we must do this in a way that doesn’t harm birds! Check the NY Audubon resource below.

Halloween fake spider web

Halloween fake spider web

Yes, it’s fun to decorate for Halloween, but this fake spider web can be a death trap for birds, who can get tangled up in it.

Heat

Catbird sunning with beak open

As the climate warms, it’s becoming more difficult for birds in lots of ways.

How do birds “sweat”?

As Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology says: “It’s normal for birds to breathe with an open beak (called “gular fluttering”) when temperatures climb. Resist the urge to provide hands-on help (e.g., don’t attempt to administer fluids to birds, don’t take nestlings inside to “cool off,” etc.), and as always, wait until a box is unoccupied to make adjustments (to avoid stressing young and parents). “

Here are other ways Cornell says we can help nesting birds:

“Many places are experiencing higher-than-normal temperatures right now, and this leads to questions about how to help nesting birds endure the heat, particularly those in nest boxes. Here are our top six suggestions:

  • maintain a birdbath nearby if there isn’t a close natural water source
  • place nest boxes to receive afternoon shade
  • paint nest boxes a light color
  • use 1″ thick lumber for nest boxes (avoid thin pieces of wood)
  • consider adding a heat shield to your nest box if you expect multiple days over 100°F”

Non-native plants

Buckthorn berries
Buckthorn berries ©Janet Allen
Honeysuckle berries
Honeysuckle berries ©Janet Allen

Some non-native plants — apart from invading space that would otherwise grow native plants — are actively harmful to birds. For example, buckthorn berries can make birds sick or even kill them, and non-native berries such as honeysuckle berries can alter feather pigments, giving false signals to potential mates.

Nandina in North Carolina

And we’ve seen a lot of non-native nandina in our daughter’s Chapel Hill neighborhood.

It’s common name is “heavenly bamboo” — but it’s not so heavenly for birds (and other animals). It’s high in cyanide and entire flocks of berry-eating birds such as cedar waxwings are killed by this non-native berry the birds didn’t evolve with.

And even worse, it’s still sold in most conventional nurseries and big box stores down there because it’s “pretty.” Pretty is as pretty does,” as my grandmother used to say…

All in all, it’s best to eliminate non-natives and plant natives!

Lead in fishing sinkers and in ammunition

When does the kind of sinker fishermen use affect birds? When they’re made of lead!

Loons in the Adirondacks

This is an especially critical issue for one of our most beloved birds of the Adirondacks — the loon.

Loons and other waterfowl (including swans, redhead ducks, and others) ingest these sinkers, swallowing them with the minnows attached to lost rigs, mistaking them for prey, or mistaking them for the small stones they ingest to help them grind fish bones.

Birds of prey swallow lead ammunition in dead animals they find and ingest.

In both cases, these birds die horrible deaths.

Fortunately, New York State followed the lead of some other states and has banned some of the sale of lead fishing weights. Unfortunately, though other states such as New Hampshire have banned sinkers weighing less than an ounce, NYS has banned only those weighing less than half an ounce. Why?

BUT nationally, there has been surprising (or maybe not so surprising) opposition to banning lead sinkers and ammunition.

Fishermen can also help keep our forest healthy by NOT dumping their extra bait worms! Read more about this issue.

Resources

Light pollution

Pesticides

Other issues

Reflections

Birds are indicators of the environment. If they are in trouble, we know we’ll soon be in trouble.
~ Roger Tory Peterson