Tag: migratory

Birds Springing North Too Early

  • Aleutian Cackling Goose (Photo courtesy of the US Fish and Wildlife Service)

Some migratory birds are heading North earlier
because of climate change. That’s causing problems for
some bird species. Lester Graham reports:

Transcript

Some migratory birds are heading North earlier
because of climate change. That’s causing problems for
some bird species. Lester Graham reports:

On their way north, the migratory birds check things out at each stop along the way. If
the leaves are budding and the days are warm, they keep going north. But because of
climate change they’re getting to their breeding grounds a lot earlier.

Johannes Foufoloupolus is a researcher with the University of Michigan. He says, for
example, in the Rocky Mountain region, robins are arriving early. And when they go to
their highland breeding grounds, there’s still snow on the ground.

“A robin eats worms and it can’t really tunnel through six feet of snow to get to the
worms. So, that might be a problem.”

Other birds arrive early to find one of their main sources of food, insects, are not
emerging yet. What makes it worse, in some species the females like to hook-up with
males who get to the breeding grounds early. But with not as much food and cold
snaps, it means some baby birds are not surviving as well.

For The Environment Report, this is Lester Graham.

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Fcc Ordered to Protect Birds

A court is ordering the Federal Communications Commission to protect birds. Rebecca Williams reports the FCC has to find ways to keep birds from crashing into radio, TV and cell phone towers:

Transcript

A court is ordering the Federal Communications Commission to protect birds. Rebecca Williams reports the FCC has to find ways to keep birds from crashing into radio, TV and cell phone towers:


The government says each year, as many as 50 million birds are killed by communications towers.


Darin Schroeder is with American Bird Conservancy. He says birds mistake the tower lights for stars they use to migrate at night.


“They’re drawn to these towers, they circle the towers within this cone of light and they’re unable to escape so they either hit each other or hit the structure, or they fall exhausted, often to their death.”


Schroeder’s group was part of a lawsuit against the FCC. The court ruling means the FCC will need to find ways to protect birds from communications towers. That might mean installing different kinds of tower lights that won’t confuse birds.


For the Environment Report, I’m Rebecca Williams.

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Audubon Society Cheers Congress for Bird Law

  • The European Starling, an invasive species, has been pushing woodpeckers out of their nests and preventing them from breeding. The Migratory Bird Treaty Reform Act will help reduce populations of non-native bird species. (Photo by Louis Rock)

The National Audubon Society is praising Congress for strengthening protections for American migratory birds. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Erin Toner reports:

Transcript

The National Audubon Society is praising Congress for strengthening protections for American migratory birds. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Erin Toner reports:


The U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act was passed in 1917 to protect native birds, such as the woodpecker, the Baltimore Oriole, and the American Black Duck. But a court ruling earlier this year changed the law, by extending protections to all birds, including non-native species. National Audubon Society spokesman John Bianchi says invasive species like the European Starling are pushing out native birds.


“That is hard for people to understand, but the equation there is that pushing out means killing. A European Starling pushing a woodpecker out of its nest means that that woodpecker will not breed that year.”


As part of a recent spending bill, Congress amended the law to once again only protect native migratory birds. That provides millions of dollars a year for protection efforts, which can include trapping and removing non-native birds, or killing them.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Erin Toner.

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Environmentalists Cheered by Dam Removals

60 dams are scheduled for removal this year across the country. 40 of them are currently located in the eight Great Lakes states. Environmentalists say the removal of these dams will improve water quality and help restore fisheries. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Celeste Headlee reports:

Transcript

60 dams are scheduled for removal this year across the country, 40 of them
are currently located in the eight Great Lakes states. Environmentalists
say the removal of these dams will improve water quality and help restore fisheries.
The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Celeste Headlee reports:


A survey by the environmental group American Rivers shows
that more than 145 dams have been removed nationwide since 1999. Serena
McClain is a conservation associate for American Rivers. She says there are
two good reasons why these dams are coming down. First, there’s a growing
concern for the ecological health of rivers and streams. But there is also
an economic benefit to removing some dams.


“It’s an infrastructure that requires constant maintenance and improvement. And a lot of
these dams, too… they’ve outlived their purpose. When they were first built, a lot of them
powered old grist mills, but now they’re just sitting there, kind of rotting away.”


McClain says migratory species like salmon and trout are negatively impacted by dams,
and new evidence shows even fish that don’t travel as far benefit when the structures are
pulled down. About 65 percent of the dams scheduled for removal this year are located
in the eight Great Lakes states.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Celeste Headlee.

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‘SPECIES AT RISK ACT’ QUESTIONED

People often associate Canada with wildlife. Beavers, moose and grizzly
bears are among the better-known residents. So it may come as a
surprise that endangered species are not federally protected. The
Canadian government is hoping to change that with a new bill called the
Species at Risk Act. But environmentalists say the plan is too weak.
The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly reports: