Saving the Birds

It has been difficult trying to find something to write about for the farm blog the past several weeks simply because every topic I come up with seems to require a great deal of effort.  Don't get me wrong.  I do not mind expending effort to accomplish something that may have some value.   The problem has been that so many of the topics that I've been coming up with are difficult to handle and are, quite frankly, depressing.  Depressing because they are topics that show me how unworthy we all are to expect anything more than what is left of the hand we were dealt now that we (humanity in general) have squandered so much of it.  Even more difficult is the fact that I wonder if what I write here will make any difference anywhere at all.

So, I find myself writing this blog post anyway.  Why?  Because it will make a difference to me.  Hopefully it will solidify some of the things I feel I can try in hopes that it makes even a little difference.  I refuse to quit trying to do what I can to make things better - and so should you.

I've been concerned for some time about our declining bird and insect populations as evidenced by this 2013 post.  Even more recently, I discussed concerns about how we farm at the Genuine Faux Farm and I wondered if we could do more. In that post, I mentioned a songbird I had to euthanize because it was clearly suffering and on its way out of this world.  Since then, I have witnessed another songbird going through the same process.  Once again, I found myself in the position of deciding if the merciful thing to do was to end a life.  This time, the bird took the decision out of my hands by expiring before I could reach it.

Graphic from Cornell Daily Sun story

 For a very brief moment in time, the news outlets and social media sources were flooded with the news that North American birds had declined by 29% since 1970.  That is 3 billion birds people.  Three.  Billion.  Birds. Fewer.

Barn swallows at GFF in 2010

Exhibit A from our farm is at the left.  This was the normal barn swallow population once the second hatching was completed for all of the nests on our farm.  The photo only shows the most densely packed areas of the electric lines as the fledglings and their parents took rests from flying and hunting lessons.

Now, ask us how many barn swallows lined up at the same time of year in 2019 (or 2018 and 2017 for that matter).  In 2019, we observed four adults and six young on the line.  Ten.  Contrast that to the approximately 50 birds in the picture at left and remember there were many more birds that were not in this picture. 

Giving you full disclosure, we will point out that our barn has been falling apart for the past several years, removing some of the nesting habitat that they had in 2010.  On the other hand, there is still plenty of available sheltered space in that old barn, in the granary and in the poultry pavilion that they could use.  In fact, they had used these in the past.  Usually, the granary would have three to four nests (one last year) and there were normally a few in the poultry pavilion as well (none last year).


I now give you exhibit B, which is presented in our June of 2018 post titled Bugged!.   We continue to see an increase in Buffalo gnats on the farm that seems to be corresponding with the decline in our insect eating machines (aka Barn Swallows).  Certainly some of the population change has to do with weather conditions, but don't you think a reasonable habitat with a plentiful food supply should result in an increase of our Barn Swallow population?  Yes, I think so too.

Ok, there is no disputing that our bird populations are declining worldwide.  The next question is 'Why?'  What is causing this precipitous drop?  One obvious culprit is reduced habitat - both in quantity and quality.  This is actually something we can address!  Take a look at the figure below that summarizes more of the data from the research showing population trends since 1970.

Graphic from this ABC news story.

Waterfowl numbers have actually gone UP.  And, over that period of time, Bald Eagle populations have recovered significantly.  Why?  Because people recognized they were causing problems with these populations and they were motivated to change a negative trend.  Admittedly, some of the motivation was because hunters want to be able to have waterfowl to hunt.  As far as the Bald Eagle is concerned - well, they are a 'national symbol,' which makes it harder to ignore their decline.  This is one case where the motive isn't pure, but the results are still worth noting.  If we prioritize something as valuable, we can make positive changes.

But, what are the changes we need to be making?  Part of the problem is that we have some suspicions about what is causing bird decline, but we don't have the whole picture.  For example, researchers in Europe have been finding that birds are exhibiting a deficiency in thiamine levels.  Additional research has found that some of the same symptoms could also be due to botulism, but there is no dispute that thiamine levels were lower than they should be in the birds tested.

I ran across the article above and this article which gives a fairly decent summary of the research in this area.  What I read here is frightening for many reasons.  First, it is likely that thiamine deficiency has to do with problems lower in the food chain.  These deficiencies are likely caused by a combination of factors, including climate changes, pollution and the use of various pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. Second, research is beginning to show that these deficiencies may be showing up in other wildlife.  And finally, the two songbirds I mentioned on our farm exhibited exactly the symptoms described for thiamine deficiency syndrome.  I am not an expert, so it could have been botulism or some other issue, but I find it interesting that my search for the exhibited symptoms led me to these pieces of research.

So, it the decline in our bird populations has been dramatic.  It's a scary thing.  Now what?

1. Retrain our values to give more priority to wildlife.

Clearly NOT a Ladage photo - but we did see this Snowy Owl

Get the kids outside.  Get yourself outside.  Learn a little something about a different bird or animal every week (or every day if you can handle that 'difficult' assignment).  Encourage research in our natural systems and give respect to the people who are experts in these fields.  Appreciate the fine work photographers such as Kip Ladage do in capturing creatures in their natural habitat.   If you like games, pick up enjoyable games that include educational components that feature nature.  Try Wingspan out if you like (or might find you like) birds.  Do you love watching birds already?  Then consider being involved in some 'citizen science' and record your findings in eBird.  I recall participating in the first public iteration of the online system by Cornell's Lab of Ornithology in the early 2000s.  It was a pleasant surprise to find the current version.

I believe that it much harder to ignore nature when you expose yourself to it on a regular basis.  Let others see your enthusiasm and let that enthusiasm light a fire in those around you.

2. Think hard about the things you can control that might make even a little difference.

You might be surprised by how much you do that is part of the problem and how many things you can do that move us toward workable solutions.  One simple step might be to not use lead ammunition when you hunt, if you are a hunter.  Or perhaps you can think a whole lot harder at what you get for your perennial garden.  And, you can consider more plants that are native and support wildlife while you are at it.  You can plant a little habitat in the corner of your yard.  Or, if you are like us and are stewards for larger chunks of land, you can plant bigger habitat areas.  You can think harder and longer about the herbicides, pesticides and fungicides you use and truly take the time to research what they do and what impact they will have on the small slice of the environment over which you have the most control.  You can make the decision not to let "Fluffy" outside and you can do things to help control the population of feral cats.  Of course, you can think harder about where your food comes from too - but you've read that here before.  And, you can take the time to tell your public servants (our representatives in government) and those businesses you patronize that you want them to do their part as well.

Look!  A Space Chicken!

3. Do NOT Give Up

I recognize in myself a tendency to become overwhelmed by things that are, in my opinion, wrong in this world.  I also recognize that my sphere of influence is small compared to that of others.  These problems I see are far larger than me and perhaps the world would give me a pass if I abdicated my portion of the the responsibility I feel for what goes on in this world.

But, I don't believe that.  I would not accept a pass, even if it were offered to me.  You should not give yourself a pass either.  We're all better than what we've done.  So let's be better.  To be better, we have to persist in our efforts.

Persistence does not mean we should be blindly stubborn.  It does mean we should be relentless in our search for the right in all things.  It means we should be aware that we can be mistaken and we need to be able to changes as we learn more.  It means that we recognize big change takes time.

And it means we take joy in seeing Cardinals on the farm after more than a year's absence.  Perhaps all is not lost.  And, even if it is, it will not be lost because I did not work to save it. 

Is this my one saving grace?  I can live with that.