April 22 is Earth Day, a day when we should be particularly aware of our impact on the natural world.\u00a0 Plants and animals cannot speak for themselves; concerned citizens must speak for the thousands of other species whose survivorship is threatened by human activities.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll start today with a long view of earth\u2019s history. \u00a0Using the fossil record, paleontologists have documented five mass extinctions.\u00a0 During each of these episodes, at least 75% of existing species were driven to extinction.\u00a0 The most recent mass extinction was about 65 million years ago when the dinosaurs, pterodactyls and the large marine plesiosaurs were wiped out.<\/p>\n
Paleontologists do not fully understand the cause of most of these mass extinctions although changes in climate and volcanic activity seem to be likely candidates.\u00a0 We do have better understanding of the most recent mass extinction that resulted in the elimination of the dinosaurs.\u00a0 An asteroid, probably about six miles in diameter, hit the earth. \u00a0The crater has been found off the coast of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico.\u00a0\u00a0 The ash from the collision would have greatly reduced photosynthesis by plants, disrupting the food web of that era.<\/p>\n
A recent article in the journal Science by Anthony Barnosky and colleagues suggests that we are at the beginning of a sixth mass extinction.\u00a0 This time, the cause is clear.\u00a0 Humans are causing the extinction of many species by removing natural resources from communities, destroying and fragmenting habitat, and facilitating the introduction of non-native species.\u00a0 The authors argue that 75% of existing species could be driven to extinction in the next few centuries unless humans reverse our ways and become better stewards of the earth.\u00a0 That is a sobering claim.<\/p>\n
We know that birds are especially sensitive to environmental degradation and habitat loss.\u00a0 Conservationists often use birds as indicator species.\u00a0 If a particular indicator species is doing well, then other associated species that are less sensitive are probably doing fine as well.\u00a0 If a habitat starts to degrade because of human impacts, a change in the survivorship or reproductive success of birds will be one of the first signs.<\/p>\n
As Earth Day approaches, what are some of the things you can do to help protect the birds?<\/p>\n
Share your interests in birds with other people who haven\u2019t been exposed to the wonders of birds.\u00a0 People are often amazed to learn of the many birds all around them that they were never really aware of.\u00a0\u00a0 Young people often become eager birders once they see how much fun birding can be.<\/p>\n
Make your property more bird-friendly. All birds need water so a water bath or pool will help the birds. Brushpiles are great habitat for sparrows.<\/p>\n
Feed the birds.\u00a0 Abundant evidence shows that feeding birds increases their survivorship.\u00a0 Birds do not become dependent on human handouts so don\u2019t worry if you can\u2019t maintain your feeding station continuously.\u00a0 Keep your feeders clean; bird diseases can spread rapidly at a frequently used feeder.<\/p>\n
Join Partners in Flight.\u00a0 This program depends on the work of thousands of people interested in birds throughout the Americas.\u00a0 Join and find out what you can do to help conserve birds. Information can be found on the WorldWideWeb at: http:\/\/www.partnersinflight.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n Join the American Bird Conservancy.\u00a0 You can find information on this very effective conservation group at http:\/\/www.abcbirds.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n Contribute to or join other conservation groups like the Nature Conservancy, the National Audubon Society, Maine Audubon Society, the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Sierra Club or the Appalachian Mountain Club.<\/p>\n Do your best to conserve resources: water, gasoline, paper, any other consumable resource.\u00a0 We can reduce our effects on the natural world by reducing the amount of tree harvesting, oil mining and other removals of natural resources.<\/p>\n When you travel to go birding, considering purchase carbon offsets for the amount of carbon dioxide your car or jet transportation releases into the air.\u00a0 Carbon offsets might be an investment in a solar energy plant or funding to plant trees that will absorb carbon dioxide and convert it to new plant tissue.\u00a0 You can find lots of carbon footprint calculators on the web.\u00a0 One I like is: http:\/\/www.terrapass.com\/carbon-footprint-calculator\/<\/a><\/p>\n If you are a coffee drinker, purchase shade-grown coffee.\u00a0 Most coffee is grown on huge plantations in which the natural tropical forest has been clear-cut to allow coffee bean plants to grow. These coffee plantations have a very low diversity of birds. Some coffee bean plants grow well in the natural forest in the shade.\u00a0 Supporting growers that use shade-tolerant coffee bean plants protects habitats and therefore birds.\u00a0 A useful website can be found at: http:\/\/www.coffeeresearch.org\/politics\/birdsafe.htm<\/a><\/p>\n [First published on April 17, 2011]<\/p>\n\n April 22 is Earth Day, a day when we should be particularly aware of our impact on the natural world.\u00a0 Plants and animals cannot speak for themselves; concerned citizens must speak for the thousands of other species whose survivorship is threatened by human activities. We\u2019ll start today with a long view of earth\u2019s history. \u00a0Using […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[432],"tags":[],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":391,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390\/revisions\/391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}