For the Birds: The serious decline of birds

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Photo by Chris Bosak
Even common birds such as robins are declining, according to a new study.

Several articles published last week confirmed what we all knew already: Birds are in decline.

What was enlightening, in a bad way, was the degree to which birds are disappearing. Citing a report from the journal Science, the articles reported that there are 2.9 billion fewer birds in the U.S. and Canada now than there were in 1979. That’s a decrease of 29 percent.

The 2.9 billion fewer birds certainly is startling. The 29 percent decline is also eye-opening, but to be honest, that number doesn’t really surprise me given the percentage decline of some species. The wood thrush, for example, has declined 62 percent from 1966 to 2015, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Its beautiful flute-like song still echoes throughout our woods, but not nearly as often as it used to.

Other startling examples include the eastern meadowlark (89 percent decline), cerulean warbler (72 percent decline), salt marsh sparrow (75 percent decline from 1998 to 2012), and American bittern (42 percent decline).

Unfortunately, examples are easy to come by as nearly every species has declined to some degree over the last 50 years. And don’t even get me started with the birds that are on the brink of extinction, such as the Kirtland’s warbler.

According to the latest study published by Science, waterfowl and raptors are faring the best with slight population increases. That is not surprising considering the amazing recovery of species such as the osprey and bald eagle.

It is interesting to note the discrepancies between this latest study and previous studies such as the North American Breeding Bird Survey and the Partners in Flight study. The previous studies showed stable or slightly increasing populations for many of our common birds. The latest study shows decreases even among birds such as robins and the more common sparrows. The study was conducted by a collaboration of government, nonprofit and educational organizations.

Not that it makes the 29 percent decrease in the overall bird population any better, but part of me thought that the number would be even higher.

What is the significance of this report and why should we care if birds are in decline or not? Aside from the fact that they are beautiful and fascinating creatures, and that millions of people enjoy watching them, there are serious consequences to losing birds. Birds eat insects, pollinate flowers, are a vital part of the food chain and contribute greatly to earth’s incredible biodiversity. They help keep nature in balance.

Birds are also an indicator species, those species that give a picture of the overall health of the planet. If something is wrong with the birds, something is wrong with the planet. And something is certainly wrong with the birds.

To lose nearly three billion birds in a relatively short time signals that changes need to be made. Pesticides, despite our earlier close calls with extinction due to their use, continue to plague the environment. Habitat loss continues nearly unabated and the rapidly-growing world population isn’t going to ease those pressures any time soon. The fires in the Amazon rainforest don’t help either.

Unfortunately, the list of factors in the decline of bird populations goes on and on and on. Fortunately, we have taken notice and that’s the first step toward doing something about it.

Here’s the full report.

Stranger Things: Crane fly

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It looks like an overgrown mosquito and causes fear among many people who find these menacing-looking giants in their homes. But, alas, crane flies are as gentle as they come. They can neither sting nor bite. They can make it difficult to sleep as they flitter around your walls and ceiling at bedtime, but don’t worry, they won’t attack you in your sleep. In fact, they aren’t even capable of attacking as many species do not even have mouth parts. So, no, they don’t eat mosquitoes either as many people believe. And they certainly aren’t mosquitoes, despite their uncanny resemblance.

Praying mantis: bonus photo

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Photo by Chris Bosak
Praying mantis at Highstead in Redding, CT, summer 2019.

Here’s my favorite praying mantis shot from the other day. I figured I’d save it for its own post.

Here’s the original Stranger Things: Praying mantis post.

Here are the other Stranger Things posts, in case you missed them.

Hummingbird moth

Dragonflies

Treehopper

Cicada

Dobsonfly

Stranger Things: Praying mantis

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Photo by Chris Bosak Praying mantis at Highstead in Redding, CT, summer 2019.

The insect world is rife with fodder for Birds of New England’s Stranger Things series. It doesn’t get much stranger than the praying mantis, a beloved insect that is not seen often enough.

It had been a few years since I had seen one, in fact, but a recent walk at Highstead in Redding, Connecticut, yielded three of the beauties. The first one got my attention as it flew across the meadow path and landed on a goldenrod stalk that was bursting with September color. I can’t remember the last time I saw a praying mantis in flight. It’s hard to miss as they are quite substantial insects, regardless of their skinny frame when not flying.

The second and third mantises I saw were on top of each other, literally. These ones were on a goldenrod stalk as well. One of my favorite things about September is the proliferation of goldenrod in New England’s meadows.

The praying mantis is so named because it looks as if it is praying when it’s waiting for food. Check out the bent front legs held together in the photo above.

Praying mantises are excellent hunters with an oversized, triangular head and large compound eyes. They are green, brown or a combination of those colors, making them hard to find for both prey and predators. Another great adaption utilized by mantises are the spikes front legs for capturing and holding prey.

Mantises eat crickets, moths, other insects, and, allegedly, hummingbirds. I’ve never seen this, but I’ve read it enough to include here. They also sometimes eat each other. Yes, sometimes the female eats the male after mating. I don’t know if that was the case with these two. I didn’t stick around to find out.

Photo by Chris Bosak
Praying mantises in Redding, CT, summer 2019.

Click here for “11 wondrous facts about praying mantises” from treehugger.com

Finally, here’s another shot of the couple. I have one more shot to share, but I’ll save that for tomorrow.

Photo by Chris Bosak
Praying mantises in Redding, CT, summer 2019.

For the Birds: Last looks at hummingbirds

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Photo by Chris Bosak A Ruby-throated Hummingbird sips nectar from Canna flower in Danbury, Conn., summer 2016.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Ruby-throated Hummingbird sips nectar from Canna flower in Danbury, Conn., summer 2016.

I almost hate to say it but summer 2019 is nearly over.

I say “almost” because fall is up next and who doesn’t love a New England fall? In the bird world, it’s pretty much fall already, so really the calendar is the only thing standing in the way of autumn.

With that said, this seems like an appropriate time to reflect on this past summer. I had several birding and other nature highlights, most notably a camping trip to Pillsbury State Park in nearby Washington.

I was lucky enough while canoeing to share the main pond with three loons bright and early one morning. No matter how many times I experience it, I will always be in awe of the scene: sun peaking above the hills in the east, mist rising off the water and loons starting their day with a slow swim around their pond. A yodel or two from the loons completes the scene.

Such was the case at Pillsbury this summer, only instead of the usual one or two loons, there were three. It’s easy to see why the common loon is such an iconic bird in New England.

The bald eagles at Bashakill National Wildlife Refuge in N.Y. were another highlight.

The backyard highlight of the summer, echoing the highlight of the past few summers, was watching the hummingbird family that split their time between the feeders and flowers. This year, I had salvia, fuschia, sunflowers and rose-of-Sharon to offer. They enjoyed them all.

But mostly they drank from the feeders, as usual. I had to put three feeders out this year to mitigate the bickering among the tiny birds.

Recently, however, the visits by hummingbirds have slowed and it is not because of the wasps and black ants that try to take over the feeders. It’s because hummingbirds migrate in late August and early September. The adult males take off for points south first, followed by the females and first-year birds. I still see hummingbirds at the feeders, but the frequency has fallen and the birds are likely not “my” hummingbirds, but rather other south-bound migrants.

Which brings up the age-old question: Is it OK to feed hummingbirds in the fall or will they stick around and migrate too late if food is available? Studies have shown that hummingbirds are triggered to move south by the shortening of the days, not the weather or availability of food. In fact, an argument may be made that it’s beneficial to continue to feed them as these tiny birds essentially have to double their weight as they make their journey to Mexico and Central America.

The vast majority of the hummingbirds will be gone by the end of the month. By then, even the calendar will have yielded and fall will have its run of New England.

Clearing out the summer files: Eastern towhee

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I get tons of eastern towhee shots in the spring. They are perhaps the most prolific bird at a park I frequent in mid April and early May. The sightings die down dramatically in the summer, but I did manage to get this guy to sit still long enough for a photo in July.

Clearing out the summer files: Common yellowthroat

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A common yellowthroat perches in a tree in Ridgefield, CT, summer 2019.

Yesterday, I featured the American redstart in this series. Today, it’s another warbler without the word “warbler” in its name. The common yellowthroat is one of the more commonly seen warblers in New England. They breed throughout the region and are therefore seen from late April into the fall. Pictured is a male with its bandit-like eye mask. Females are a duller yellow and lack the distinctive markings of the male.

Clearing out the summer files: American Redstart

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Photo by Chris Bosak
American redstart in Ridgefield, CT, summer 2019.

As summer draws to a close and fall takes over, this post will start a short series of photos that I took over the summer, but never got around to publishing. I photographed this male American Redstart in my block of the CT Breeding Bird Atlas. Click here for more information on the CT Breeding Bird Atlas.

Photo by Chris Bosak
American redstart in Ridgefield, CT, summer 2019.

For the Birds: Molting adds another layer of confusion to fall birding

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Photo by Elena Heiden
A molting eastern towhee seen in Winchester, N.H., summer 2019.

I have written several times about the difficulties of bird identification in the fall. I have noted that males often lose their breeding plumage and look much more dull in the fall. The other day I spotted a male scarlet tanager in an apple tree. It looked nothing like the spectacular red-and-black bird that it looked like in the spring. Rather, it was a dirty yellow overall, but the dark wings gave it away as a tanager.

I have noted that first-year birds are heading south for the first time and haven’t reached adult plumage yet. Also, female birds, which often do not resemble males, are not quite as secretive as they are in the spring and are seen more often this time of year. What I failed to mention, however, is that late summer and early fall is also when many birds are going through a molting process. This only adds to the confusion of the challenging fall migration.

I was reminded of this when a photo came through from Elena of Winchester showing a very oddly plumaged bird. The rusty, or rufous, feathers on its side gave the bird away as an eastern towhee, but otherwise the bird looked nothing like the male or Continue reading →

Classic For the Birds: Fall is for hawk watches

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Photo by Chris Bosak An Osprey soars over the Norwalk River on Monday, Sept. 1, 2014.
Photo by Chris Bosak
An Osprey soars over the Norwalk River on Monday, Sept. 1, 2014.

Here is a For the Birds column from circa 2003 …

Birdwatchers are used to looking up. Most of the birds we see are flitting among the trees, perched on branches, flying overhead, or otherwise above eye level. (Ducks and other water birds are an obvious exception.)

Now is the time many birdwatchers really look up, as in look to the sky. High, high in the sky where, literally, the eagles soar. But it’s not only eagles birdwatchers look for in the fall. It’s vultures, osprey, falcons and about a dozen types of hawks that pass through New England on their way south for the winter.

It’s hawk watch time — the time when birders flock to mountains, coastal areas and other open places that afford sweeping views of the sky. The hawk migration actually started in early September and will continue into November.

The peak season depends on your perspective. Broad-winged hawks pass through en masse in mid-September when birders can see groups (kettles) of more Continue reading →