CLIMATE CHANGE AND BIRDS
CLIMATE CHANGE AND BIRDS
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species of birds will be seriously threatened by climate change by the end of
this century.
Dramatic climate change such as famine producing
droughts, killer floods , out- of
-control forest fires, desertification of fertile lands, melting of the polar caps, soaring
record- breaking temperatures, increase in the number of
deadly and property destroying weather events such as hurricane, tornadoes,
cyclones, massive mud slides, freezing rain, and snow blizzards affect all birds
in different ways.
v It
can greatly affect bird distribution in specific area.
v It can modify the birds’ behaviour.
v Their
numbers can be dramatically reduced.
v And
even their genetic composition can be altered.
v The
timing of year when birds migrate and when they breed can be drastically
altered depending on the severity of the change in climate.
v Birds
are affected directly in a negative way if rainfall is suddenly reduced in a
specific area or if there is a dramatic decline or increase in the temperature.
v And
as the climate changes in significant ways, birds may face increase pressure
from parasites, new diseases, and predators to which they have not been able to
adapt quickly enough.
v Birds
will also be increasingly and negatively impacted as more and more forest fires
rage out of control for months and months, leaving behind a bare and blackened
wasteland. Today birds are one of the best studied groups of organisms. The data is
already available clearly showing the devastating effects of climate change on
birds.
Help our feathered friends by joining any of the
following-
1. NATURE BARRIE - naturebarrie.com
2. York Simcoe Nature Club –ysnatureclub.com
3. NATURE CANADA - naturecanda.ca
4. ONTARIO NATURE - info@ontarionature.org
Specific Ways Birds Have Been Affected by Climate Change
Egg laying
One large-scale study showed that birds are laying
eggs up at an average rate of 6.6 days earlier per decade.
Most birds are migrating earlier in the spring as
spring temperatures are getting warmer.
A study of 63 years of data for 96 species of bird
migrants in Canada showed that 27 species have changed their arrival dates
significantly.
Birds also
seem to be delaying their autumn departure due to global warming.
In a study
of 13 North American passerines, 6 species were found to delay their departure
dates.
Some birds in Europe are even failing to migrate all together.
Bird behaviour and their environment are becoming mismatched
Much of a bird’s life cycle and behaviour is
closely linked to cues from the environment, like changing seasons. A mismatch
occurs when birds cannot shift their behaviour, such as breeding times, enough
to coincide with changes in environment, such as when prey is available.
Long-distance migrants are particularly at risk of
a mismatch as it is harder for them to know what conditions might be like at
the end of the migration route. For example, wood warblers in North America
aren’t migrating earlier from their neo-tropical wintering grounds, despite
earlier springs in their northern breeding ranges – this risks a late arrival,
after spring food sources on breeding grounds are gone.
Distributions are changing
As climate continues to change, bird populations
are expected to shift toward the North and to higher elevations to remain with
their ideal temperatures.
A study of 35 North American warbler species found that
7 of the species had shifted their range of occurrence significantly north in
the past 24 years, by an average of over 100 km. None
of the birds shifted to the south.
The Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas data demonstrates
that “southern” bird species such as Tufted Titmouse, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher,
Northern Mockingbird, and Red-bellied Woodpecker have increased in number and
have expanded their range northwards in Ontario compared to 20 years ago.
Unfortunately, not all bird populations are able to
cope with a warming climate by shifting their range. Migrating bird may be
prevented from finding new ranges by human development, fragmentation, or
natural geological features like large bodies of water.
At least 85 of the worlds breeding species breed
in the global Arctic regions. Since warming is occurring at an alarming rate in
the Arctic, birds breeding here are particularly vulnerable. The loss of vast
areas of tundra and sea ice will have devastating effects on Arctic birds;
especially, Ivory Gulls which forage along the sea shore.
Ecological communities are disrupted
Entire ecological communities can be drastically
altered by climate change. The food, shelter, nesting material that birds
depend on may have diminished or disappeared making birds very vulnerable to prey,
parasites, competitors, and predators.
Thick-billed Murree breeding in the northern Hudson
Bay area have not been able to adapt higher temperatures and higher volumes of
mosquitoes breeding earlier. This double whammy- climate- induced scenario has
resulted in greater adult mortality and higher egg loss.
As the climate continues to transform in northern
Manitoba and southwestern Ontario we may end up with 14 fewer species of
warblers than currently are in existence in 2016. Since the web of life is
intricately interconnected, the loss of many species can have serious
consequences. In this case of warblers, we may experience increased outbreaks
of forest pests such as the spruce budworm.
Tufted Puffins at Canadian sites are dangerously
affected by global warming. When water
is at its warmest their breeding success is near zero! As waters continue to
warm, year after year, Scott Island will become completely unsuitable as a
breeding ground for Tufted Puffins.
Scott Island is the largest breeding ground in
Canada for this species!
Extinction risks are on the rise
The birds,
which are most at risk for disappearing form our Earth forever, are those with restricted ranges, poor ability to move
their range, small populations, or those already threatened for any number of
reasons.
Migratory birds, which they depend on multiple
habitats and sites, are particularly vulnerable to climate change effects.
HOW CAN I HELP PROTECT BIRDS FROM THE DEVASTATING
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
·
Join Nature Canada
Nature Canada supports community-based bird
conservation programs across Canada to promote local stewardship and
restoration efforts. Since 1996, Nature Canada has supported more than 150
grassroots projects and invested close to $450,000 in on-the-ground projects
involving 100 Important Bird Areas.
Nature
Canada fought vigorously to bring Bill C-15 into law to ensure shipping
companies and their ships are held accountable if they illegally dump bilge oil
in Canadian waters. The new law protects birds from chronic oil pollution at
sea and could prevent the deaths of some 300,000 seabirds annually off the
coast of Newfoundland alone.
The
Boreal forest region contains crucial breeding habitat for 80% of the waterfowl
species of North America, 63% of the finch species, and 53% of warbler species.
To protect the boreal for all birds, Nature Canada is a member of the Boreal
Forest Conservation Framework, a made-in-Canada effort to balance conservation
and development in Canada’s Boreal region. We are working to ensure endangered
birds are saved and common birds stay common.
As
climate change progresses, many birds could be forced to shift their ranges out
of traditional areas. Where will they go? Nature Canada is a strong advocate
for the need to designate and protect new areas of habitat for birds as they
attempt to adapt to our changing climate, not just relying on static networks
of existing protected areas.
·
Join Nature Ontario
Species
Ontario is a vast
province, rich in biodiversity. Yet every year, more plants and animals are
added to Ontario’s list of species at risk, which now numbers more than 200.
These species are known to be in danger of becoming extinct or of disappearing
from the province. In response, Ontario Nature is actively involved in research,
public education and policy work on their behalf.
Research
Ontario Nature
collaborates with a variety of stakeholders on species at risk research
including government, farmers, naturalists and private landowners. For example,
we promote Safe Harbour stewardship agreements. We produce publications that inform
conservation strategies for endangered wildlife and habitats. We also provide
opportunities for volunteers to be involved in direct, hands-on citizen science
initiatives through projects like the Atlas
of the Breeding Birds of Ontario and the ongoing Ontario
Reptile and Amphibian Atlas project.
Policy
For decades Ontario
Nature has been at the forefront of efforts to
protect species at risk through strong legislation, regulations and policy.
Since the Endangered Species Act was passed in 2007, Ontario Nature has been
advising the government on implementation and on innovative
solutions to difficult issues through public consultations, and through
participation on the Species at Risk Program Advisory Committee and the
Bobolink Round Table. In 2013, we took the
provincial government to court for unlawfully gutting Ontario’s Endangered Species Act. That case
is still before the courts.
Public
Education
Ontario Nature
promotes public awareness of and engagement in the conservation of all wildlife
– including species at risk – through public presentations, workshops, and outreach
materials. Ontario Nature also publishes articles on species at risk in our
award-winning magazine, ON Nature.
·
Join Nature Barrie
The Brereton Field Naturalists'
Club (Nature Barrie) of Barrie is a group of friendly people who enjoy and work
to protect our natural heritage. Their aims are to acquire and share knowledge
of natural history, to protect wildlife, and to stimulate public interest in
nature and its preservation.
The Breretons advocate the
protection of significant green spaces and corridors in the planning process
for our high-growth region. Little Lake, a provincially significant wetland, is
also a high priority. They monitor and advise the city on the management of its
woodlands bordering Little Lake.
In addition, they work with the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation
Authority to manage Minesing Wetlands, an international Ramsar site and
provincially significant wetland complex, support MTM Conservation Association
in managing provincial wildlife areas at Marl Lake, Tiny Marsh and Matchedash
Bay (another Ramsar site), and support local Rails-to-Trails organizations.
Visitors are welcome to their meetings
and field trips which include birding, wildflowers, scenic trails, reptiles,
mushrooms, insects, fossils, stargazing, potluck meals, etc.
The Blue Heron newsletter reports
on club activities and provides information on local natural history.
The Brereton Field Naturalists'
Club was named for Dr. Brereton, a local dentist who was born in Schomberg in
1876.
Dr.
Brereton, was one of Canada’s outstanding amateur ornithologist. He played a
key role in building up the Royal Ontario Museum’s bird collection.
His interest in ornithology began with visits
to Algonquin Park. This interest soon resulted in a connection with the Royal
Ontario Museum in Toronto. Later, he gained distinction as Director of the
Federation of Ontario Naturalists.
He
wrote many notes on a wide variety of subjects for the Canadian Field
Naturalist and for the Barrie Examiner. He also supplied a great quantity of
notes and valuable specimens for the Ontario Museum collections. He was a
collaborator with Ott Devitt in the publication of “Birds of Simcoe County”, and
also contributed notes to the Toronto Field Naturalist’ Club.
·
Become involved in tree planting initiatives
For the first time in history we are facing a global crisis
triggered by climate change. In the last few years we have observed first hand or read about the devastating
effects of climate change such as property destroying and killer floods, ( witnessed first -hand in May 2017
in Ontario and Montreal) out-of-control forest fires, scorching temperatures,
(new records are set daily)
drought-producing famines, rising sea levels, the acidifications of our
oceans, the desertification of fertile
farmlands, melting tundra, (produces
vast amounts of methane gas) and polar caps melting at alarming rates.
The easiest, most effective,
and least expensive way to help mitigate the destructive effects of climate
change is to plant as many trees as possible.
The roots of one mature tree can absorb a staggering 57 thousand
gallons of water-a great sponge for reducing the damaging effects of flooding.
BFNC
is a key community partner with Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, with
a mandate to plant native coniferous
and deciduous trees in the Barrie area.
The autumn tree planting will be announced soon.
Gwen Petreman convinced a local chiropractor to donate his yearly Charity Day
to BFNC to add to the LSRCA tree planting fund. Three community groups received
donations from this chiropractic team, including, $1, 100 for BFNC’s Tree
Planting partnership with LSCRA.
The Nottawasaga
Valley Conservation Authority also spearheads tree planting projects in the Barrie area.
Check out their
tree planting dates by visiting: http://www.nvca.on.ca/about/careers-volunteers
·
Plant as many trees as possible on your property.
My property consists of a small courtyard, so I have been planting
standard trees that take up more air space and less land space.
·
Feed our feathered friends
Feed the birds, especially in winter, by installing your favourite
squirrel-proof bird feeders on your property.
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