Photo: Maddie McGarvey/Audubon
By Greg Butcher
Bird conservation helps to slow the decline in bird populations, but it also contributes to human well-being in a variety of ways. Conservation of bird habitat contributes to the fight against climate change, reduces heat islands in cities, preserves water sources, and reduces forest fire threats. By making our parks better for birds, we also improve their value as a reservoir for clean water and air and for people to interact with and enjoy the natural world.
Birds are great indicators of conservation success because they occupy so many habitats and they are easy to count, so if the habitat indicators used in the State of the Birds Report stabilize or increase, then we have concrete evidence that things are improving for people and for other wildlife in those habitats. Here in northern Virginia, we are lucky that citizen scientists have been tracking bird populations in a variety of ways, especially over the past 30 years. ASNV conducts natural resource surveys, butterfly and dragonfly surveys, the annual Northern Virginia Breeding Bird Survey, the World Migratory Bird Count, and the Christmas Bird Count and sponsors the Great Backyard Bird Count.
Declining bird populations reflect commercial agricultural development, over-fishing, over-abundant deer, plastic pollution, and loss of natural habitats. Conservation success will require changing these practices that negatively affect both birds and humans.
Saving, restoring, and properly managing habitat are the most important actions we can take, but reducing threats to birds is also important. This past year, World Migratory Bird Day focused on “Turning Down Lights at Night” to prevent luring night migrants into dangerous urban areas. There are several things we can do to reduce threats in our neighborhoods: reduce window reflections to keep birds from crashing into them, keep cats indoors, and reduce pesticide use in our yards.