I’m lucky enough to work at a place where there is a small wild area with a circular trail running along the outer edge. The entire tail takes about five minutes to walk, but at least it’s something.

For such a small area, there are varied habitats such a meadow, woods, thickets, stream and a very small pond. I’ve seen wildlife such as deer, garter and water snakes, wild turkeys, Canada geese, hooded mergansers and a variety of songbirds. I’m sure there are otters, minks, muskrats and plenty of other critters that I haven’t been lucky enough to see yet.

The other day, I took a short break and visited the area. I heard a yellow warbler in the thickets, and a few goldfinches flitted among the meadow. Then I heard a song I did not recognize in a tree overhead. I launched my Merlin app, and it identified the songster as an orchard oriole. That made sense because I have seen orchard orioles in the area before.

I peered into the tree to try to find the bird, knowing it would be easier since I now knew what I was looking for. I did not have any luck spotting the oriole, but I did catch a glimpse of the afternoon sun. I shaded my eyes and carefully took another peek at the sun. It was a perfectly round bright orange orb glowing rather dimly through a haze. I had noticed it was hazy when I stepped outside but did not realize the extent until I looked at the sky and noticed the oddly muted sun.

I returned to my desk and mentioned the eerie atmosphere to a co-worker, who told me about the wildfires from Canada impacting the air quality through much of the Midwest and eastern U.S. As a former newspaper reporter and editor, I keep up with the news fairly well and listen to news radio on my half-hour drive to and from work. At the time anyway, I hadn’t heard any mention of the fires. By the time I drove home, it was all anyone was talking about.

The walk, particularly the yellow warbler and orchard oriole, got me thinking about what happens to birds and other wildlife during such ecological events. The impact, of course, is far greater where the actual fires are as wildlife of all sorts must scramble to find water or other safe areas. Generally speaking, birds and larger mammals are fast enough to stay ahead of the flames. Smaller mammals may not be as fortunate. Birds that had already nested would have been forced to abandon their nests. Hopefully, they are able to find suitable habitat nearby and try again.

But what about the impact on birds and other wildlife in New England? From what I could find in researching the topic, it should not have a big impact on our local birds. In fact, there has been little scientific research done on the impact on birds from distant fires. It is known that birds have respiratory systems that are more sensitive than humans, hence the expression “canary in a coal mine.” The smoke, which could be seen and smelled throughout New England, will hopefully not impact our birds too much.

The Connecticut Audubon Society made a blog post about the fires and their potential impact on our birds but did not mention with certainty what will happen. Of course, with the fires still burning, it’s too early to tell what short- and long-term impacts the fires will have on New England wildlife. In terms of respiratory concerns, the blog reads: “Wild birds, like other animals, can experience respiratory problems when exposed to smoke and poor air quality. Smoke particles and pollutants can irritate their lungs, leading to difficulty breathing and potentially impacting their overall health.”

Again, let’s hope for the best for our birds and the birds up north closer to the fires. It’s a story worth keeping an eye on as the impacts become known.