Bird Conservation and Education

This section of the Peel Birding Class webpage has been created to help birders become more aware of the plight of many migratory bird species and to provide them with the information and resources required to take action to help protect threatened birds and their habitat.

As birdwatching continues to grow in popularity(second only to gardening as an outdoor pastime), so does its positive economic impact in the business world and its potential influence in the political arena(decision-making and policy development). Birders have also played an historically important role in the scientific community by helping provide baseline information on bird species population changes by making informal counts or surveys at given locations on a regular basis. In fact, John Terborgh(1989) stated that......"the leaders in ecological monitoring have NOT been scientists, but amateur ornithologists". Greenberg and Reaser(1995) echoed these sentiments when they acknowledged that "no other field of science has depended as much on the energy and enthusiasm of amateur volunteers as ornithology."

Birders themselves come in all shapes, sizes and interest categories. "Birdwatchers" are traditionally defined as casual bird enthusiasts who enjoy birds in their backyards by feeding and/or landscaping for their benefit. In comparison, "birders" often go beyond the backyard to study birds in their respective habitats and take a more serious interest in their ecology and behavior. Some keep lists, purchase reference books and optical equipment, and often plan their vacations to coincide with unique birding experiences and destinations. Both kinds of bird enthusiasts have the potential and ability to make valuable contributions to bird conservation programs, whether they be scientific in nature(as amateur ornithologists), political(as citizen activists), or BOTH!

In order to promote and help achieve the goals of migratory bird conservation programs across North America( and the world for that matter, since birds don't recognize geo-political boundaries), I have included a sample list of "print" references as well as a selection of "internet" resources on this topic. In addition, I have included a section called What You Can Do to provide a brief summary of ideas and actions that birders can choose to do( depending on their available time, energy and interest levels of course!). For those who appreciate memorable quotations from pioneers/leaders in the field, I have included some of my favorites for inspiration. Please feel free to let me know what you think by e-mailing directly or signing the guestbook. In particular, I am always interested in hearing about how I can improve the webpage or about the addition of resources or materials that I may have missed. Good birding to all!

What You Can Do

1. Educate Yourself and Become More Aware.

The first step towards intelligent, meaningful action is to be aware of the issues. Citizens can influence local and national policy to conserve songbirds after they have educated themselves about the facts and the details of the process. Be sure to check out the educational and conservation resources (print and internet) provided after this section to help get you started in this ongoing process.

2. Join and/or Support Conservation Organizations.

There is a serious shortage of funding and manpower for wildlife research and conservation work in Canada and the U.S. Volunteer your time for local projects or help sustain them with financial support(memberships) if you don't have any free time or energy. The continued public support of conservation organizations and their efforts is of critical importance to their longterm chances of success(see the links section for listings).

3. Volunteerism and Community Involvement.

Find out about the boards, councils, and other decision-making bodies in your community by calling or visiting town hall or your local county government office. In particular, find out about community land-use planning and attend those meetings. Call your local school, scout group, or 4-H club and offer your birding expertise on a fieldtrip(help them fundraise to pay for it-see Birdathons) or help plant trees and naturalize the property(habitat restoration).

4. Political Action: Phone Calls and Letter-writing.

Governments at the Municipal, Provincial or State, and Federal level all make decisions which affect natural areas. After you have learned about issues affecting migratory birds and identified those of interest to you, write letters to government officials and to the editors of local newspapers. Write to legislators about pending legislation on specific issues or to strengthen existing laws and funding measures. It is important that we exercise our democratic rights by informing our political representatives of our concerns.

5. Action at Home and/or in Your Backyard.

In addition to birdhouses and feeders on your property, you can also landscape for wildlife. Plant native species of trees, shrubs and flowers that provide food and shelter for resident and migrant species. You can also adopt "green" individual consumer practices(i.e. recycling, no pesticides in the lawn or garden, eco-friendly shopping, carpooling, etc.)for the family. Don't forget about the keep cats-indoors campaign and make sure your windows don't become bird-collision deathtraps.

6. Citizen Science Projects and Amateur Ornithology.

Get involved with any number of the following projects: Breeding Bird Surveys, Christmas Bird Counts, Breeding Bird Censuses, Project/Classroom Feederwatch, Breeding Bird Atlases, Forest Bird Monitoring Program, Nest Record Cards, Nestbox Network, North American Migration Count, Hawk or Shorebird Counts, Bird Banding Programs, etc. Contact the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Bird Studies Canada, or refer to the ABA's Annual Directory of Volunteer Opportunities for Birders for more details(see the links section).

Selected Reference Material (Print).

Able, K. 1999. Gatherings of Angels: Migrating Birds and their Ecology. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press.

Askins, R. 2000. Restoring North America's Birds. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.

Bonney, R.,S. Carlson, and M. Fischer.1995. Citizen's Guide to Migratory Bird Conservation. Ithaca, N.Y.:Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

Cokinos, C.W. 2001. Hope is the Thing with Feathers. New York, N.Y.: Warner Books.

Ehrlich, P.R., D.S. Dobkin and D. Wheye. 1988. The Birder's Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds. New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster,Inc.

Ehrlich, P.R., D.S. Dobkin and D. Wheye. 1992. Birds in Jeopardy. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press.

Erickson, Laura. 1997. Sharing the Wonder of Birds with Kids. New York, N.Y.: Pfeifer-Hamilton.

Griffin, B.G. 2000. Birdathons: Counting for Conservation. Green Teacher 60, Winter 2000, pp. 31-34.

Greenberg, R. and J. Reaser. 1995. Bring Back the Birds: What you can do to save threatened species. Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books.

Laughlin, S. and D. Pence. 1997. A Guide to Bird Education Resources. Washington, D.C.: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Terborgh, J. 1989. Where Have All the Birds Gone? Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.

Weidensaul, S. 1999. Living on the Wind:Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds. New York, N.Y.: North Point Press.

Wilcove, D.S. 1999. The Condor's Shadow: The Loss and Recovery of Wildlife in America. New York, N.Y.: W.H. Freeman and Co.

Bird Conservation & Education Internet Resources

Follow this internal link for a comprehensive listing of bird conservation and education internet resources.

Excerpts and Quotations

"Birdwatching is simply a sport or an excuse for outdoor recreation to some of its adherents, but to many others it is an acquired skill that leads to greater fulfillment when it can be put to the service of a worthy cause, especially one that carries the label of science." - John Terborgh from Where Have All the Birds Gone?(1989)

"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect." - Aldo Leopold from A Sand County Almanac(1949)

"Bird migration is the world's only true unifying natural phenomenon, stitching the continents together in a way that even the great weather systems fail to do...... It is an enormously complex subject, perhaps the most compelling drama in all of natural history." -Scott Weidensaul from Living on the Wind(1999)

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead

"A human being is a part of the whole, called by us the 'Universe'; a part limited in space and time. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as some how separated from the rest-a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." -Albert Einstein

"The air is precious to the red man. For all things share the same breath - the beasts, the trees, the man, they all share the same breath.......What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected.........Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth." -attributed to Chief Seattle from an 1854 speech

"Take care of the Earth, for we do not inherit it from our parents, we borrow it from our children." -Indian proverb

"A land ethic, then, reflects the existence of an ecological conscience, and this in turn reflects a conviction of individual responsibility for the health of the land. Health is the capacity of the land for self-renewal. Conservation is our effort to understand and preserve this capacity." - Aldo Leopold from A Sand County Almanac(1949)

"After the sun's energy is captured by the green plants, it flows through chains of organisms dendritically, like blood spreading from the arteries into networks of microscopic capillaries. It is in such capillaries, in the life cycles of thousands of individual species, that life's important work is done. Thus nothing in the whole system makes sense until the natural history of the constituent species becomes known. The study of every kind of organism matters, everywhere in the world." - Howard T. Odum from Environment, Power, and Society(1971)

"The evolutionary unity of humans with all other organisms is the cardinal message of Darwin's revolution for nature's most arrogant species." - Stephen Jay Gould from The Mismeasure of Man(1981)

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