The Weekly Chirp: Birds and climate

Anyone living in the general New England area can tell you that this fall has been outrageously warm — a trend that we have been seeing (and feeling) for all seasons over the past decade. While climate change denial clouds the concentration of cocky conservatives in Congress, temperatures in the United States keep breaking records. Weather events are becoming more catastrophic. It’s December, and it hit 56 degrees last week — that’s not normal, and if you think it is, you’re wrong. These super warm temperatures may feel pretty nice compared to the usual below-freezing, gray, winter days that we’re used to, but don’t be fooled. Human-induced climate change is single-handedly wrecking the world in the least conspicuous way possible and, among a suite of other detriments, is messing with birds.

People with bird feeders in their backyards have noticed something rather odd this fall — well, actually, it’s the lack of what they’ve noticed that is noticeable. Their avian feeding stations that normally thrive with bird life (especially once the winter months arrive) have been relatively barren. Seeds of all shapes and sizes huddle together in the pits of feeders untouched and freezing, with only the occasional chickadee or cardinal visiting infrequently throughout the weeks to snatch one away. As a result, one question currently occupies the minds of bird feeder owners throughout the temperate region: Where are the birds?

That’s a good question, and the answer is complicated. One factor playing into the apparent lack of avian diversity this fall is that, due to favorable temperatures, birds have no need to visit feeders to obtain sustenance. Berries and cones, ornate trees and bushes not covered by snow welcome hungry beaks from all directions.

Weird fall temperatures have also confused many migratory species that rely on climatic cues to determine when it’s time to migrate. Yellow-throated Warblers and White-eyed Vireos are two examples of these migratory species, which just recently left their breeding grounds in Canada due to temperature inconsistencies and are now appearing along coastal forests, much to the joy of birders. Many birders keep track of the latest dates at which they’ve seen a particular migratory species, and these record dates are being broken across the board — a Yellow-throated Warblercurrently hanging out along coastal N.H. marks the latest date any N.H. birder has seen this species before, and there are plenty of other migratory species causing the same commotion.

Another factor at play here is simply the overall decline of migratory bird populations over the past couple of decades. Climate alterations and a reduction in breeding and overwintering habitats have drastically increased the peril associated with the life histories of migratory species, as these changes have made breeding, migrating and surviving monumentally more challenging. We see fewer birds because there are fewer birds.

It doesn’t have to stay this way, however. We have the power to exacerbate climate change, we also have the power to end it. You can help prevent climate change in so many ways, from biking to work instead of driving, to eating chicken instead of red meat. Let’s be the generation that makes the step.

Love,

Henry