There is a feeling of spring in the air despite sprinkles of snow and chilly nights. Some waterfowl are hanging out on open water, although some probably did not go far away this past winter. Pussy willows are opening.
Longer days means I start anticipating the return of breeding birds.
The State of Canada’s Birds report came out recently and while there are some serious declines of birds in some groups, the report is not all doom and gloom.
Groups such as waterfowl, birds of prey and wetland birds have increased by 46 per cent, 35 per cent and 21 per cent respectively since 1970.
The peregrine falcon was almost on the brink of extinction until the registered use of DDT was banned in the ’80s. Hunting regulations and conservation of habitat has reversed the threatened status of the wood duck.
However, not all wetland birds are recovering and there is much work to be done to protect and conserve wetlands. Humans also need wetlands as sources of clean water in the face of future drought conditions due to climate warming.
Many of the songbirds that charm our lives through the spring and early summer, such as warblers, are long-distance migrants that, overall, have experienced a 29 per cent decline due to habitat loss and climate change.
These birds also face numerous hazards during their long migration, as well as, in their winter homes where we cannot provide much help. However, here in their prime breeding areas we can do a few things to provide safer breeding conditions such as keeping cats inside, preventing and reducing window kills, and maintaining habitat.
Another group in trouble are the aerial insectivores such as swallows and flycatching birds, which have declined by 43 per cent since 1970. They must have had a terrible time last year up here as there were almost no mosquitoes and few other flying insects.
While the droughty spring and summer last year was due to climate change, we can still endeavour to stop using insecticides. Petitioning politicians to ban neonicotinoids would be one useful activity.
Shorebird numbers in Canada have dropped more than 42 per cent since 1980 and grassland bird populations have dropped by 67 per cent. The population of one grassland species in the Prairies, the chestnut-collared Longspur, has dropped by 95 per cent, so Birds Canada has adopted it as their avian ambassador for 2025.
If you are concerned and want to know how to help, I strongly recommend going online and visiting Birds Canada.org for information on how to help the birds and maybe by supporting their conservation projects.
