![]() Our guide, Patrick Skeen was exceptional. We did a half day beginning fly fishing experience in the resort's Spring Creek. So, In an effort to teach them a little about their native state's wonders, we ventured to Elk Springs while staying at our condo at Snowshoe. He is a naturalist and writer in Oregon.Our 9 year old twins are not outdoorsy kids at all. ![]() Pepper Trail is a contributor to Writers on the Range,, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. Together, we can save the lives of millions of birds and help ensure that their incredible migratory journeys never end. And, keep your cats inside, as free-ranging cats take a staggering toll on birds.įinally, support organizations that advocate for birds and their habitats or promote research on migratory birds, such as the National Audubon Society, the American Bird Conservancy, and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. For DIY instructions, and much other information, go to. Many solutions are available, including “Zen wind curtains”: light cords hanging in front of the glass. Second, take steps to reduce bird collisions with your windows. First, advocate for the preservation of bird habitats - and provide your own by planting native fruiting and flowering plants on your land. Hungry migrants may arrive in spring to find that the peak of insect abundance has already passed.įortunately, there are many things each of us can do to help migrating birds. In addition to broad effects like widespread drought in the West and melting permafrost in the Arctic, climate change can scramble the relationship between migration timing and the availability of food resources. Brightly lit skyscrapers are also a menace to songbirds, most migrating at night.Ĭlimate change adds to the threats for migratory species. Collisions with windows are estimated to kill a staggering billion birds in this country each year. The greatest hazard may seem mundane, but it’s ubiquitous: windows. Human constructions from power lines to wind turbines to oil pits increase the dangers of migration for birds. ![]() Loss of winter habitat in Mexico and Central America also threatens many species. That’s an area larger than Yellowstone National Park. For example, between 2018-19 alone, 2.6 million acres of grassland in the Great Plains were converted to row-crop agriculture. Why is this happening? The loss of habitat is the main problem for many species, especially grassland birds. Turkey Vulture soaring near Ashland, Oregon. Although declines of birds in the western part of the country are less severe overall than in the East, many of our familiar migrants are showing dramatic reductions, including rufous hummingbird, down 60%, common nighthawk, 58%, band-tailed pigeon, 57%, Lewis’s woodpecker, 67%, and evening grosbeak, 92%. Of that 2.9 billion, 86% - 2.5 billion - are migratory species. That is one-third of the total bird population of the United States. Based on many lines of evidence, scientists have concluded that 2.9 billion - yes, billion - breeding adult birds have been lost in the United States since the 1970s. Elk and pronghorn face ever-increasing obstacles posed by highways, roads to access, and extract fossil fuels and other developments on the landscape.īut, what’s happening to migratory birds really tells the story. The drastic declines of Pacific salmon are known all too well. Īt the same time, we are also coming to understand the many threats to migration. For an example with turkey vultures, go to. The citizen science database eBird, combined with advances enabling the detection of signals from lightweight tags attached to migrating animals, have provided migration maps of stunning specificity. Radar allows documentation of the magnitude of animals on the move: On a recent night, for example, it was estimated that 5.4 million birds were in the skies over Oregon. Thanks to advances in technology and data collection, this is a golden age for research on migration.
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