Bye Bye Whip-Poor-Will

There have been quite a few articles as of late to the plethora of birds that seem to be spreading their wings in and around Lawrence.  The annual Christmas Bird Count, the count of waterfowl that is performed every few weeks out at Clinton Lake are just a few, and yes, according to the Audubon Society’s Bird-a-thon Kansas does rank third in the nation for avian species diversity.  Kansas ornithologists have counted at least 225 different bird species in the Sunflower State.  But it is not all wine and roses, while some more domesticated birds are indeed thriving like the American Robin and American Crows in man-made environments.  There has been a precipitous drop among birds that require substantial territories of natural habitats to survive. 

In essence the canaries are deserting the coal mine, which is more or less the message from the National Audubon Society.  Every year since 1900 Audubon has compiled a nationwide bird census where thousands of volunteers participate in the Christmas Bird Count.  Since 1966, this tally has been matched by another volunteer count, the North American Breeding Bird Survey, conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Canadian Wildlife Service.  Feathered friends that rely on wetlands, grasslands and woodlands are finding life quite a bit more stressful than in years past.

According to those survey’s the Northern Bobwhite, a grassland bird; population is down 82% over the last 40 years while other grassland birds like the Eastern Meadowlark down 72%, Loggerhead Shrike down 71%, Grasshopper Sparrow down 65%, Lark Sparrow down 63% and Horned Lark down 56%.   The whip-poor-will and the ruffed grouse, both woodland natives have declined 57% and 54% over the same period.  American bittern and the little blue heron, wetland dwellers, declined 59% and 54%.

“Most birds require natural environments”, says Bill Busby, Associate Scientist for Kansas Biological Survey, “As natural environments are lost to human altered ones (housing, agriculture, etc…), places for birds decrease and bird populations decline.  In the Great Plains, one of the biggest issues is declines of grassland birds, whose rates of decline exceed that of most other groups of birds.  The key is maintaining habitat.  On the other hand, birds that prefer or tolerate human-altered habitats like starlings, robins, mourning doves and cardinals.  They are all faced with increasing areas of habitat, so their prospects are sunny.”

Susan Iversen, Jayhawk Audubon Society member, states some examples of dwindling habitats that have affected birds.  “If the type of tree or bush that a bird uses to nest has been eliminated than they cannot mate, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker is of course the classic example, needing a type of southern pine forest that was virtually destroyed by logging in the first half of the 20^th century.  It can simply be that there is only a fragment remaining of the forest or field a bird needs and there just isn’t enough shelter or food for more than a few pairs to successfully raise offspring.  In Kansas birds are affected by continuing conversion of grasslands to intensive agriculture and by changes in agricultural practices such as the elimination of hedgerows and grassy verges when the entire field is planted from edge to edge.”

The development of roads to formerly remote areas not only give humans access but it also provides predators such as coyotes and house cats a buffet of bird delights.  The noise that traffic produces disturbs the mating calls and reproduction of songbirds.  With these new roads generally the land is converted to lawns, which are essentially a no-man’s land for birds providing zero protection and the introduction to dangerous lawn chemicals.  But, there is actually quite a lot that gardeners can do to aid in the survival of not only “domesticated” birds but for the grassland natives as well.

Iversen shares some ideas on increasing the chances for grassland bird’s survival, “Plant shrub and evergreen shelter belts to give birds more protection from weather and predators, plant trees and shrubs that have berries such as crabapples, serviceberries, sumac, Virgina creeper, elderberry, viburnum and mulberry.  Try planting flowers that have bird attracting seeds and leave the seed heads standing in the winter.”

The Audubon Society Guide to Attracting Birds has these suggestions:

• The single best thing you can do to attract birds is to plant native species.
• Provide water, which is best when protected by shrubs.  Bird baths should only be a few inches deep.  A dripping water effect will lure more birds and mount your bird bath on a pedestal if you have cats.
• Create a songbird border along your property edge.  Plant several species adjacent to each other; include one species of thorny tree like a hawthorn or raspberry for nesting.  Also include evergreens, such as holly or juniper for cover.  Plant berry producing shrubs such as dogwood and winterberry that will provide food throughout the season.
• Create a brush pile when limbs break throw them into the heap, songbirds will use this for shelter.
• Reduce your lawn by at least 25% to favor meadow plants and taller grasses.  Tall grasses provide seeds and nesting places for birds.  Avoid lawn pesticides, currently, 50% of U.S. households treat their lawns with chemicals that kill about 7 million birds each year.
• Clean tube feeders with a brush and 10% solution of non-chlorine bleach; allow the feeder to dry completely before refilling.  Remove soggy seeds that could carry lethal molds.  Move feeders about 3 feet from windows to avoid deadly strikes, they will not have enough momentum from that distance to harm themselves too much. 
• Keep your cats indoors for the safety of both cats and birds.  Cats kill hundreds of millions of birds each year- especially in the spring when young birds are fledging.  Indoor cats are less prone to diseases, collisions with cars and other predators.

When asked what are some other proactive results we gardeners can try to muster in order to aid the populations of birds that require large habitat spaces to thrive, Iversen advises, “Audubon advocates preserving farmland and promoting a strong Conservation Reserve Program which pays farmers to keep marginal agricultural land idle and supports millions of acres of bird habitat.  Support smart growth and preservation of open space such as planned by the ECO2 plan in Douglas County.  Ask the Park District to set aside more parkland in the form of prairie.  Write KDOT and ask them not to mow roadsides until late in the season so that birds can complete their nesting cycles and fledge their young.”

All in all the unabashed interest in the birds is a wonderful thing.  But keep in mind that while the feathered friends in our gardens are whistling a happy tune as they become accustomed to humanized environments, the grassland, wetland and woodland birds’ songs are quickly getting muffled by the trappings of “human progress”.  And maybe the most progressive thing we can do is to lend a voice to those songbirds before they are a distant memory.

sources:

www.audubonofkansas.org

www.grasslandheritage.org

www.audubon.org/bird/at_home