Ahead of world migratory bird day On 9th May, united nations news Spoke to Katherine Quayle, communications director at the Wild Bird Fund in New York.
This year’s theme, Every bird matters, your comments matterHighlights the urgent need to protect migratory birds and the ecosystems on which they depend.
UN News: People in cities can feel like wildlife is far away – how are migratory birds still part of our daily lives?
Catherine Quayle: If you live anywhere where there are trees and a little greenery, even the middle of Manhattan, you can hear birds when you wake up. His songs keep changing from year to year. You don’t have to leave home to see the ecological diversity outside your window.
Birds also often migrate at night. In the evening, you can see gulls or herons migrating to roost. Look early in the morning or in the evening, and you will see birds without leaving the house.
UN News: New York City lies on the Atlantic Flyway; Basically a bird highway. How many birds pass over our heads during peak migration?
Catherine Quayle: BirdCast, a tool from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, uses weather radar to track bird migration, showing how many are flying and when.
On the busiest nights, as few as a few Arab birds may be in the US air at once. Over New York City, more than a million people can pass in a single night, but most people are unaware of this because it happens at night.
UN News: What challenges do birds face during migration?
Catherine Quayle: One of the biggest challenges is habitat loss. Birds migrate in search of specific food available at certain times of the year. Over generations, they have learned where to go, for example, Central America in the winter.
But if that habitat is removed, built over, paved over, or logged, many birds will not survive when they reach their winter migration or breeding grounds.
The other big danger in New York City is window collisions. It’s probably much worse than it was 50 years ago because modern architecture is highly glass-centric. Highly glazed surfaces and completely glass windows are very popular, and this is very dangerous for birds.
UN News: Are certain types of buildings or places more dangerous for birds?
Catherine Quayle: Skyscrapers are dangerous because their bright lights attract birds, drawing them during migration to areas such as Downtown Manhattan, where the glass surfaces reflect off nearby trees. The combination of light and glass is extremely dangerous.
But homes can be just as risky. Reflections, especially near feeders or trees, often cause collisions. Houses actually cause most of the collisions, they are less noticeable because it’s one or two birds at a time, whereas in downtown Manhattan you might get a hundred birds.
Migratory birds are particularly at risk as they arrive at night tired, disoriented and in unfamiliar areas.
UN News: What can we do on a daily basis to contribute to bird conservation?
Catherine Quayle: You can keep your outdoor lights off at night so the sky remains dark and birds are not attracted to the lights. In a small community, it makes a big difference for people to turn off their lights.
One of the best things you can do is plant native species in your garden. Do a little research on what species are native to your area and dedicate part of your outdoor space to native species to attract insects and birds.
UN News: Do you have any memorable rescue story that really stuck with you?
Catherine Quayle: When I go to a nearby park to watch birds, I pass several buildings where boarded up windows are common. During migration season, I check for injured birds.
During one visit, I saw a bird on the road under a glass skybridge – such structures are particularly dangerous because birds do not expect them and often hit the windows.
I ran down the hill and picked up the bird; A few seconds later, a car drove up to where she was. That bird was a red tanager with beautiful yellow feathers. It was later rehabilitated and abandoned, and it certainly would have been affected had I not picked it up.
UN News: What’s one small thing that people who don’t consider themselves bird people can do?
Catherine Quayle: Start by paying attention to the birds around you, what you see and hear when you go outside. As you pay attention, your curiosity will increase. You can pick up binoculars or join a bird walk.
During migration, local parks offer many free birding walks, often led by experts, and they are really fun.
Several years ago when I went into Central Park with binoculars for the first time and started seeing all the birds I hadn’t noticed before, it blew my mind. I was so excited and couldn’t stand it. I’ve been doing it ever since, and that was 25 years ago.
