Red-bellied Woodpecker Jekyll Island, Georgia This Red-bellied Woodpecker looks like he just stepped out of central casting, with his orangish-red accent colors contrasting with its speckled wings. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Eastern Meadowlark Joe Overstreet Landing, Florida An Eastern Meadowlark, which has a beautiful plaintive song and striking coloring, takes flight in a speedy flash of yellow. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Barred Owl Orlando Wetlands, Florida Watching the juvenile White Ibis practicing moves is rich with humor. Clumsy and persistent, they'll fill an afternoon with landings --- like this one -- not to be missed. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal A member of the Falcon family, the Caracara is found only in Florida, Texas and Arizona -- and even then you have to look hard and long to fine one. Joe Overstreet Landing, Florida Crested Caracara Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Belted Kingfisher Fletcher's Boathouse, D.C. This magnificent, hyperactive bird, whose feathers when spread make him look like an admiral in full military dress, prowls the waterways for fish -- and strikes with breathtaking speed and precision when he fiinds it. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Osprey Christmas, Florida An Osprey, one of the great success stories of bird conservation, is a fishing machine as this bird shows as it prepares for a dive. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Valladolid, Mexico Yellow-throated Warbler Assateague Island, Maryland The Yellow-throated Warbler is one of the first to return to its breeding grounds each spring. The striking yellow throat coupled with its habit of creeping along branches makes it one of the easiest warblers to spot. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal American Flamingo Rio Largartis, Mexico They've been demeaned as a bright pink lawn ornament, but Flamingos are in fact an elegant and stylish bird. They breed in just a couple of locations, one on the northern-most tip of the Yucatan. Both their wingspan and length are startling. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Wood Stork chicks Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Florida The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal White Pelican Merritt Island, Florida The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal American Goldfinch Tupelo, Mississippi One of the smallest and yet most striking birds with their bright yellow feathers and lightning-fast speed that helps them stand out no matter the setting. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Reddish Egret Fort DeSoto, Florida While egrets are among the most common of large coastal birds, the Reddish Egret is harder to find and thus a special sight. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Bald Eagle Rodanthe, North Carolina The Bald Eagle has been the symbol of our nation since 1782. It seems to have little trouble living up to the honor, as evidenced by this elegant bird on a pass over the Outer Banks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Purple Gallinule Viera, Florida The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Turquoise-browed Motmot Valladolid, Mexico The Motmot is like a flying piece of art, decorated with a kite-like tale and its remarkable coloration. Its striking appearance has helped make it the national bird in several Latin American countries. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Prothonotary Warbler Jean Lafitte Preserve, Louisiana The Audubon Society installs and monitors nesting boxes in the Jean Lafitte Preserve to study the threatened Prothonotary Warbler. This lovely male Prothonotary serenaded us for about an hour one sunset in the middle of June. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Northern Cardinal Lorton, Virginia In flight the Northern Cardinal's wings become translucent, its form all about motion. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Magnolia Warbler Granite Village, Nova Scotia This immature Magnolia Warbler displays few adult features -- like the white eye ring -- that makes identification a challenge. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Barred Owl Raleigh, North Carolina The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Boat-tailed Grackle Viera, Florida Grackles are omnipresent and often obnoxious in parts of Florida, constantly squawking an endless flow of avian commentary. Yet when you look closely, they can be magnificent birds. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Cedar Waxwing Raleigh, North Carolina The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Tricolored Heron Viera, Florida A medium-sized wading bird, the Tricolored is a study in patience as it stands like a statue in a marsh in Central Florida. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Watching the small, acrobatic bird on a feeding spree is like watching a movie on fast forward. The Tufted Titmouse never seems to stop. Janes Island, Maryland Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Tufted Titmouse Blue Grosbeak Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Kiptopeke, Virginia The Blue Grosbeak sings a loud, incessant song that stand out as much as its unforgettable deep blue coloring. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Baltimore Oriole Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Rock Creek Park, Washington DC The Baltimore Oriole, which can be found all over the eastern United States, has a high and loud whistle of a song that can lead you to this magnificent species. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Black Skimmers Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Outer Banks, North Carolina A Spoonbill, an iconic species that's expanding its reach in the Southern U.S., takes off from a new rookery in Central Florida. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Roseate Spoonbill Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Stick Marsh, Florida A Spoonbill, an iconic species that's expanding its reach in the Southern U.S., takes off from a new rookery in Central Florida. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Common Yellowthroat Warbler Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Eastern Shore, Maryland The Common Yellowthroat is among the easier warblers to spot because of its loud and clear song and distinctive mask. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Hairy Woodpecker Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Prime Hook Wildlife Refuge, Delaware While it's sometimes hard to distinguish between the two relatives, the Downey and Hairy woodpeckers, the Hairy is bigger, with a longer beak. They can be found all over the U.S. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Prairie Warbler Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Cape Henlopen, DE A Prairie Warbler, adorned in its bright breeding colors, sings for a mate during the springtime breeding season. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Roseate Spoonbill Fellsmere, Florida The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Great White Pelican Haulover Canal, Merritt Island, Florida The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Florida Scrub Jay Titusville, Florida The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Red-cockaded Woodpecker Saint Sebastian River State Park, Florida The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Bachman's Sparrow Saint Sebastian River State Park, Florida The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Prothonotary Warbler Raleigh, North Carolina Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal
    BirdingBirding researchConservation

    How the lockdown has helped birds — or has it?

    by Anders Gyllenhaal
    written by Anders Gyllenhaal

    A surprising thing happened at the Wild Bird Unlimited store in Raleigh, N.C., when the pandemic struck and shut down almost all of the retail stores that surrounded them.

    Suddenly, their business started booming.

    Arlette Early (right) and Judy Rosengarten at their store in Raleigh, N.C.

    All kinds of new customers, stuck in their homes at the height of the spring migration, began tuning in to the nearby birds, often for the first time. Demand jumped for feeders, bird seed and the birding supplies that Wild Birds specializes in.

    “We worked out a way to have curb-side service,’’ said Arlette Early, who helps operate the shop. “It was so busy.’’

    The widespread embrace of birding is one part of an unexpected phenomenon unfolding in the midst of the pandemic. At a time when many species have been in decline for years, the slowed economy, reduction in human activity and the growing interest in birdwatching could end up helping birds in ways nothing else has.

    The relief could be momentary, and some worry that the push to restart the economy now underway could run over wildlife protections and end up making conditions worse than before the virus.

    An American Oystercatcher with chicks / Photo by Nancy Koch

    But researchers say there are intriguing signs that birds are taking advantage of an altered world: Some species are nesting where they haven’t in years. They’re showing up in places they’ve long since left. Rates of successful fledglings are unusually high in places.

    Along Florida’s west coast, American Oystercatchers that have struggled to find suitable nesting areas along the state’s densely developed waterfront were discovered raising full broods for the first time in years.

    Up the coast from there, Black Skimmers took advantage of the vacant beaches to reclaim territories they’ve long since abandoned. Up along the waterfront north of Boston, Piping Plovers have been spotted nesting along the coast that’s rare for them. Birders along the North Carolina wetlands say wading birds are nesting for the first time in many places. 

    Black Skimmers, scooping prey along the coast of North Carolina

    Biologist Holley Short / Audubon photo

    “I think that says a lot right there,’’ said Holley Short, project manager for bird stewardship and monitoring in Tampa Bay with Audubon Florida. She’s the biologist tracking the oystercatchers who’ve returned to nest on an island just off the coast that happened to be closed to visitors during the peak nesting season.

    “It’s just one example of many we could come up with,’’ she said. “I think it really shows how we impact these birds.’’

    A number of questions arise from what’s happening:

    Will this surge in interest in birds go deeper than simply enjoying a migration season when birding is its best and easiest? Will the newcomers keep it up when life returns to normal? Will the gains that birds make in new territories and a strong nesting season be enough to offset the pressures on them? Will some of the lessons from the pandemic’s impact help strengthen conservation?

    Florida Audubon’s Erika Zambello / Audubon photo

    The answers might not be clear until a few more seasons have gone by because the landscape for birds is complicated.

    In Florida, for instance, the nesting advances have been offset by a tropical storm that came through as many birds were ready to leave their nests.  “The effects of the tropical storm are going to be mixed in with the effects of the beach closures,” said Erika Zambello, communications director for Audubon Florida. “We certainly don’t see a silver lining in the tragedy of the pandemic.”

    ABC’s Mike Parr / Photo by Bruce Beehler

    “One good year is going to give birds a bit of a boost, but as it evens out over time, it’s not what we need,’’ said Michael Parr, president of the American Bird Conservancy, which has seen a significant rise in participation in its programs and webinars. “I wouldn’t say that the benefits to birds from a slowdown for this period of time is going to be enough to turn around the loss of three billion birds.’’

    It’s hard to measure the overall impacts on birds, and that’s particularly true at a time when many researchers haven’t been able to spend time in the field. At the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where downloads of the lab’s birding apps have skyrocketed this spring, researchers are frequently asked how the lockdowns have impacted birds.

    eBird co-project manager Marshall Iliff / Photo from Cornell Lab of Ornithology

    “We get this question a lot,’’ said Marshall Iliff, co-leader of the Cornell Lab’s eBird project that tracks bird populations and activities with the help of millions of checklists from birders. “A lot of these impacts are longer term and hard to measure.’’

    A likely scenario is since the lockdown aligned with the nesting season for many birds, the boost in breeding could help at least some birds weather the many forces working against them. 

    Researcher Susan Campbell

    “I tend to think it won’t be a lasting effect, but for some species right now, given the stress that’s out there, one good breeding season could make a difference,” said Susan Campbell, a researcher in North Carolina. “Some birds, having the benefit of a season without our presence, that in fact could be a very good thing.”

    There is one impact that almost everyone agrees could come from the past four months: 

    A greater appreciation for how human activity can work against birds –- and that there are basic ways to remedy it.

    In the case of the American Oystercatchers on Shell Key Island just south of St. Petersburg, the birds were able to nest for the first time when the ferry service that delivers people to the deserted island was halted. It has since started up again, and the birds have continued to thrive with guidance on how to give the oystercatchers their space.

    Oystercatchers foraging in the Outer Banks of North Carolina / Photo by Anders Gyllenhaal

    “I think it’s a matter of education,’’ said biologist Holley Short. “I’m not saying we have to get people off the beaches. It’s just that we need to be more conscious of where we are on the beach, and where the birds are, and make sure we’re sharing the beach with the birds.’’

    ABC’s Mike Parr said he thinks the pandemic has helped awaken people to the importance of respecting and following science.

    “I think we’re starting to see a change,’’ he said. ‘’Climate change may not be happening as rapidly as COVID, but it’s going to be much worse. Maybe this is a time to rethink how we think about science and how we map out our response going forward.’’

    Disclosure: I serve on the board of the American Bird Conservancy, and Beverly and I contribute to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society and the American Bird Conservancy. 

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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