bird populations on 'rollercoaster ride' — amherstburg festival of hawks
the big birds of prey once endangered by insecticides s...
sep 16 2024
2 minute read
some birds adapt to human influence on their environment: phil roberts, of the holiday beach migration observatory, shows a great horned owl during the festival of hawks, sunday september 15, 2024, in amherstburg.
brian macleod
/
windsor star
the big birds of prey once endangered by insecticides such as ddt have made a comeback, but other birds are now facing challenges, according to those who track and record their migration.
“it really has been a rollercoaster ride over the last 50 years, where we had massive, massive declines,” said phil roberts, a volunteer with the holiday beach migration observatory in amherstburg.
“and some of the really big species — bald eagle, peregrine falcon, osprey — they’ve made tremendous comebacks. b ut now we’re looking at declines in birds that were relatively unscathed by some of those big pesticides,” roberts told the star.
roberts was one of several naturalists on hand during last weekend’s festival of hawks, held during the annual migratory bird count at the conservation area.
there are fewer sightings, for example, of the sharp-shinned hawk, the smallest hawk in north america and known for its acrobatic flying style, as well as the american kestrel, the smallest falcon on the continent, roberts said.
while the decline in actual numbers of the smaller birds remains anecdotal, “it’s kind of proving to us … that some of this could be based on the fact that we wage an enormous war on insects,” he said. “so we’re seeing declines in a lot of aerial insect-eating birds, which are food for the top predators.”
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kim tomljenovic of windsor prepares to release a hawk into the wild at the holiday beach conservation area on sunday, sept. 15, 2024 during the festival of hawks.
brian macleod
/
windsor star
climate change has also altered some birds’ behaviour, he said. cooper’s hawks, for example, now often inhabit urban areas even though they prefer to nest in tall trees with a thick canopy cover.
“we’ve seen adaptations based on human influence, sometimes positive, often negative. i t’s been a real roller coaster ride of the trends that we’ve seen over the last 50 years,” said roberts.
large numbers of birds migrate through the area annually, including ospreys, bald eagles, several kinds of hawks and turkey vultures.
the annual migration count started to trace the effect of chemicals on birds 50 years ago, but it has now turned into an annual census.
the holiday beach observatory — which includes a hawk tower overlooking large ponds next to lake erie — is one of 150 migration stations in north america and one of the oldest, he said.
jennifer dalley left, wildlife co-ordinator at wings rehabilitation centre and lori flowers, a volunteer at wings, pose beside a painting of a screech owl at the festival of hawks at holiday beach, sunday, september 15, 2024. the painting will be raffled off in a fundraiser later this year.
brian macleod
/
windsor star
festival attendees also learned about the banding program which sees small identification bands placed on birds’ legs to help record where they travel, their longevity and general health.
“it’s a very citizen-science way to track wildlife populations,” said roberts.
habitat protection is critical to protecting bird populations, he said.
“right from the pollinators all the way up. hummingbirds that migrate through here in the thousands don’t make it on the trip unless they have a fuelling station.”
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the recent warm weather has delayed bird migration, which can have effects down the road, because food sources may be missing when they begin their journeys, roberts said.
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