Naturally Kiawah Magazine Volume 37 | Page 57

While much about migration remains a mystery , scientists are learning more every day . They are using both time-tested and modern methods to gather information . For example , bird banding , first done in America by John James Audubon , is still the most successful way of tracking birds and is considered essential to conservation . EBird ( www . eBird . org ) is an online data collection program that organizes millions of observations entered by citizen scientists . Operating out of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology , eBird provides real-time information about birds and migration patterns never before available .
From this data , scientists are finding that migrating songbirds may be less tied to traditional flyways for their flight back to their northern breeding grounds . We also have a better understanding of the importance of their quality of life during winter months . Habitat destruction and related food and shelter limitations in the wintering grounds affect the strength with which birds approach the next nesting season and ultimately the health of subsequent broods . Additionally , we know that while a drop in temperature and shorter daylight hours may inspire birds to go on a feeding frenzy ( called pre-migratory hyperphagia ) to build up the reserves of fat needed to fuel their grueling journey , it is winter ’ s impending shortage of food that necessitates their travel .
Scientists are also gaining insight into the navigational strategies that allow birds to fly the same routes used by earlier generations and to return annually to the wintering grounds of their ancestors . However , there is still much to learn about how birds use an impressive assortment of navigational guideposts including simple visual landmarks , the position of the stars and moon , and the earth ’ s magnetic field .
Migratory birds can be divided into two groups : those that fly during the day and those who prefer to travel under cover of darkness . Most of the daylight fliers are large birds , predators like eagles and hawks . The night travelers are smaller , primarily songbirds , trying to avoid becoming a snack for their more aggressive counterparts . The mortality rate for migrating songbirds is estimated to be a shocking 50 percent . Day or night , their trip is becoming ever more challenging . Nasty weather and collisions with windows take a toll . Habitat destruction in all its many forms becomes
Photo by Sue Corcoran
more problematic each year .
The NABCI * 2016 State of Birds Report looked at all 1,154 of North America ’ s native bird species and found an alarming decline in bird populations . Specifically , they found that onethird of these native species , including migrating songbirds and migrating shorebirds , need “ urgent conservation action ” to avoid extinction . An earlier Duke University study projects that extinction will affect some 1,200 species of birds worldwide during the twenty-first century as compared to 500 species that disappeared over the preceding 5,000 years .
Scientists and bird fans worldwide consider this a wake-up call , an impetus to step up efforts that have already started to yield impressive results . Expanded bird-banding efforts and isotope studies , both of which the Town of Kiawah Island and the Kiawah Conservancy are supporting locally , are contributing to a growing database . Radio telemetry , satellite telemetry , and creative audio recording of migrating flocks are adding to the mix . All these , along with eBird , are being used to shape a concerted conservation effort and to direct further research .
We are still fascinated by the journeys that migrating birds take annually . We now know that there is work to be done to assure the survival of these amazing creatures , and we all have a role to play . Kiawah ’ s wide beach and maritime forest have made it a popular stop-over for migrating birds .
As development reduces our maritime forest , we can lessen the negative impact by landscaping with native plants that provide food and shelter for weary songbirds . Feeders and fresh water sources in our yards will draw migrating birds during September and October . We must remind visitors that flocks on the beach in the spring and the fall are recovering from long flights . They should be admired from a distance and not be harassed or disturbed . Last , but not least , we should support the good work done by our town biologists . Migrating birds are sensitive indicators of the overall health of our environment ; they are canaries in the coal mine of our ecosystem . We need to pay attention to what they are telling us . NK
* North American Bird Conservation Initiative is a cooperative venture of Canada , the United States , and Mexico formed in 1999 .
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