Birds in Kitsap County and across the globe are telling us that
the world is changing — and rarely in ways that benefit our avian
friends.
Loss of habitat is affecting even our most common birds,
according to a study published this month in the journal Science.
Bird populations across North America have dropped by nearly 3
billion since 1970, a decline of 29 percent, the study says. Writer
Rachael Lallensack of
Smithsonian magazine does a good job putting the issue into
perspective.
Coming on the heels of that abundance study is a forward-looking
report by the National Audubon Society that focuses on the future
of bird species, particularly with respect to climate change.
“Two-thirds of America’s birds are threatened with extinction
from climate change,” said National Audubon President David Yarnold
in a
news release, “but keeping global temperatures down will help
up to 76 percent of them.”
The Audubon report, called
“Survival by Degrees: 389 Bird Species on the Brink” (PDF 3.9
mb), holds out hope, Yarnold said, “but first it’ll break your
heart if you care about birds and what they tell us about the
ecosystems we share with them. It’s a bird emergency.”
Being relatively mobile creatures, birds are good indicators of
habitat changes, as they generally move north to seek temperatures
suitable for their kind. They may find their new habitats already
occupied, squeezed by space or not quite as conducive to
reproductive success, given the stresses they face. The result is
often a shrinking of their overall range.
“We never saw California scrub jays this far north,” said Gene
Bullock, president of Kitsap Audubon Society. “Now they are nesting
all along our coasts.
“We never saw Anna’s hummingbirds in the winter,” he added. “Now
they are coming to winter feeders as far north as Cordova,
Alaska.”
On the other hand, Gene told me, birds such as common nighthawks
— identified by their nightly calls of “peent … peent … peent” as
they move about — are largely gone from the Kitsap Peninsula.
The new report shows photographs of 22 “highly vulnerable
species” for most of Kitsap County, 50 “moderate vulnerable
speces,” 29 “low vulnerable species” and 37 “stable species.” The
Rufus hummingbird, for example, is expected to disappear from the
lowlands of Puget Sound as it loses 39 percent of its range in
Western Washington and Western Oregon while increasing its range by
26 percent in Northern British Columbia, Canada. That’s under the
best climate scenario that we can hope for at this point.
Adding to the climate-change problems for birds is the loss of
forests to development throughout the Puget Sound region, Gene
said. A decline in insect populations — in part because of
pesticides — constrains the populations of some birds, while a
dwindling number of forage fish constrains others.
“Audubon scientists are showing us pretty clearly that habitat
loss is huge,” Gene said, “but in the long run climate change will
be the number-one culprit as the ranges of birds continue to
shrink. It’s affecting all of our species across the board.”
Brooke Bateman, senior climate scientist for National Audubon,
led the study of climate-related effects, including sea level rise,
urbanization, cropland expansion, drought, extreme spring heat,
fire weather and heavy rain. The scientists examined 140 million
bird records, including observational data from amateur bird
watchers as well as professional field biologists.
“Birds are important indicator species, because if an ecosystem
is broken for birds, it is or soon will be for people too,” she
said. “When I was a child, my grandmother introduced me to the
common loons that lived on the lake at my grandparent’s home in
Northern Wisconsin. Those loons are what drive my work today, and I
can’t imagine them leaving the U.S. entirely in summer — but that’s
what we’re facing if trends continue.”
To help people understand the potential effects on birds where
they live, Audubon experts created a zip-code-based tool call
“Birds and Climate Visualizer.” The result is a listing of
vulnerable species based on location and whether the temperature
rises by 1.5, 2 or 3 degrees Celsius. Without major change, the
temperature is certain to rise by 1.5 degrees by 2050, expert
say.
The Audubon website also includes a report for each state. The
Brief
for Washington (PDF 4.2 mb), for example, predicts a major
shakeup in the state’s biological communities. Changing the plants
that will grow in a particular place changes the diversity of
wildlife, including birds.
“By the end of the century under a 3-degree C (5.4-degree F)
global warming scenario, approximately 30 percent of the state of
Washington will transition to a different biome,” the brief states.
“At present, the largest biome in the state is conifer forest,
covering 59 percent of the state. By the end of the century,
conifer forest will cover approximately 46 percent of the
state.”
The report ends on a note of optimism: “We have the ability to
reverse the direction of this massive threat. We can adapt,
improve, and innovate; we can protect birds, the planet, and
ourselves. We can power our cars, homes, cities, factories, farms,
communities and economy with clean energy —without contributing to
climate change.”
While striving to reduce climate change, people can take steps
to improve the resilience of habitats, so that changes occur more
slowly and birds have a chance to survive. Restoring coastal
wetlands, for example, can provide refuge for birds as sea-level
rise wipes out nesting areas. Cleaning up pollution and protecting
floodplains can help birds adapt to increasing drought and extreme
rain events, according to the report.
Gene Bullock, who has been involved in Kitsap Audubon for more
than 15 years, says he has never seen stronger support for the
organization, which is growing in membership and financial
strength. Thanks to generous donations, Kitsap Audubon is playing
an important role in preserving habitats throughout Kitsap County,
including the
Kitsap Forest and Bay Project (PDF 1.5 mb).
I expected Gene to tell me that concerns about climate change
have become a central part of everything that Kitsap Audubon does —
but that’s not the case. Aside from specific presentations and
discussions about the threats to birds, the organization remains
focused on learning about birds, watching them in the wild and
having fun with fellow bird-watchers.
Monthly educational programs and field trips near and far are
mainstays of the organization. Check out the Kitsap Audubon Society
website and “The Kingfisher,”
the monthly newsletter of Kitsap Audubon.
Gene says his organization is environmentally oriented, but
members also realize that there is a risk from the “Chicken Little
syndrome.”
“People are tired of hearing about apocalyptic gloom and doom,”
he said. “You have to offer them hope and point the way to things
they can do to help — and there are a lot of things you can do in
your own backyard.”
To help birds in your neighborhood, he suggests that people stop
using toxic chemicals, keep bird feeders clean, use decals to
reduce window strikes and keep cats indoors.
In terms of climate change, the National Audubon Society makes
these suggestions:
- Reduce your use of energy, and ask elected officials to support
energy-saving policies.
- Ask elected officials to expand clean energy development, such
as solar and wind power.
- Encourage innovative and economic solutions to reduce carbon
pollution, such as a fee on carbon in fuels and specific
clean-energy standards for appliances and other devices.
- Advocate for natural solutions, such as increasing wetlands and
protecting forests and grasslands, which provide homes for birds.
Grow native plants on your own property.
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