Study shows declines in bird populations

Killdeer by PEGGY HAMLEN

ISLAND PARK – As spring arrives in the caldera, the area’s bird enthusiasts await the first glimpses of the species that arrive here from far away to mate and raise a new crop of birds.

Most avid birders keep journals that note the first day they see a migratory species, and where they saw the birds. Usually the birds arrive on the same or close to the same day, every year.

Red-winged blackbirds are some of the first to arrive in the caldera. They were here the last week of February. Last week, dozens of mountain bluebirds were spotted along the Red Rock Road. They will soon spread out across the caldera, locating the same nesting boxes and trees they have used in the past.

And even lukewarm birders will soon thrill to the raucous cries of returning sandhill cranes, the whimsical peeps of killdeer, and the screams of red-tailed hawks.

This year, birders in Island Park and across the nation are especially anxious to view the new arrivals, in light of a report, The U.S. State of the Birds, just released by U. S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.

It’s a comprehensive report on bird populations in the United States, and it shows that nearly a third of the nation’s 800 bird species are endangered, threatened, or in significant decline due to seven factors: residential and commercial development, agricultural practices, energy production and mining, natural resource use, invasive and problem species, pollution, and climate change.

Will declines be observed in the caldera and in Greater Yellowstone, where all seven factors exist to some degree?

The U.S. State of the Birds also highlights examples, including many species of waterfowl, where habitat restoration and conservation have reversed previous declines, offering hope that it is not too late to take action to save declining populations.

“Just as they were when Rachel Carson published Silent Spring nearly 50 years ago, birds today are a bellwether of the health of land, water and ecosystems,” Salazar said. “From shorebirds in New England to warblers in Michigan to songbirds in Hawaii, we are seeing disturbing downward population trends that should set off environmental alarm bells. We must work together now to ensure we never hear the deafening silence in our forests, fields, and backyards that Rachel Carson warned us about.”

The U.S. State of the Birds synthesizes data from three long-running bird censuses conducted by thousands of citizen scientists and professional biologists — including data submitted to Project FeederWatch at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology by the Island Park News.

The U.S. State of the Birds calls attention to the crisis in Hawaii, where more birds are in danger of extinction than anywhere else in the United States.

The report indicates a 40 percent decline in grassland birds over the past 40 years, a 30 percent decline in birds of arid-lands, and high concern for many coastal shorebirds.

Thirty-nine percent of species dependent on U.S. oceans have declined.

The report also reveals evidence that birds can respond quickly and positively to conservation action. The data show dramatic increases in pelicans, herons, egrets, osprey, and ducks, a testament to numerous cooperative conservation partnerships that have resulted in protection, enhancement and management of more than 30 million wetland acres.

“These results emphasize that investment in wetlands conservation has paid huge dividends,” said Kenneth Rosenberg, director of Conservation Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

“Habitats are on the verge of losing entire suites of unique bird species,” said Dr. David Pashley, American Bird Conservancy’s Vice President for Conservation Programs. “Birds also face many other man-made threats such as pesticides, predation by cats, and collisions with windows, towers and buildings. By solving these challenges we can preserve a growing economic engine – the popular pastime of birdwatching that involves millions of Americans – and improve our quality of life.”

U. S. Fish and Wildlife data show that there are around 50 million birdwatchers across America, and they spend more than $40 billion a year on their pastime. Expenditures include travel, bird watching gear, bird feeders, birdfeed, and books, DVD’s, and other media.

While some bird species are holding their own, many once common species are declining sharply in population. Habitat availability and quality is the key to healthy, thriving bird populations,” said Dave Mehlman of The Nature Conservancy.

Surveys conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey, including the annual Breeding Bird Survey, combined with data gathered through volunteer citizen science programs such as the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count, show once abundant birds such as the northern bobwhite and marbled murrelet are declining significantly. The possibility of extinction also remains a cold reality for many endangered birds.

“Citizen science plays a critical role in monitoring and understanding the threats to these birds and their habitats, and only citizen involvement can help address them,” said National Audubon Society’s Bird Conservation Director, Greg Butcher. “Conservation action can only make a real difference when concerned people support the kind of vital habitat restoration and protection measures this report explores.”

Birds are beautiful, as well as economically important and a priceless part of America's natural heritage. Birds are also highly sensitive to environmental pollution and climate change, making them critical indicators of the health of the environment on which we all depend.

The United States is home to a diversity of native birds, with more than 800 species inhabiting terrestrial, coastal, and ocean habitats, including Hawaii. Among these species, 67 are federally-listed as endangered or threatened. More than 184 species are designated as species of conservation concern due to a small distribution, high-level of threats, or declining populations.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service coordinated creation of the report as part of the U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative, which includes partners from American Bird Conservancy, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Klamath Bird Observatory, National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Geological Survey.

This is part of the March 27, 2009 online edition of The Island Park News.

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