{"id":47,"date":"2020-12-07T11:56:35","date_gmt":"2020-12-07T16:56:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/?page_id=47"},"modified":"2022-06-07T12:21:15","modified_gmt":"2022-06-07T16:21:15","slug":"birdmania","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/birdmania\/","title":{"rendered":"Bird Mania"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embedContent widescreen\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/embed\/cdTr_phNviE\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>More New Yorkers are taking up birding amid the pandemic. Produced by Sydney Bertun and Serge Kharytonau.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"text-header-xl\">Watching Bird Migration can Reduce your COVID-19 Stress<\/p>\n<p><strong>By Serge Kharytonau<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The COVID-19 pandemic has been stressful and tiring for many. It has changed the ways we work, communicate, travel, and most importantly how we experience this stress. New Yorkers have been forced to rethink the ways they deal with anxiety as millions of bedrooms and living rooms have been turned into offices.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_166\" style=\"width: 690px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-166\" class=\" wp-image-166\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-1.00.23-PM-300x153.png\" alt=\"A Canada goose spotted in Brooklyn\" width=\"680\" height=\"347\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-1.00.23-PM-300x153.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-1.00.23-PM-1024x521.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-1.00.23-PM-768x391.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-1.00.23-PM-1536x782.png 1536w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-1.00.23-PM.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-166\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Canada goose spotted in Brooklyn<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">While some New Yorkers had a chance to build their own gyms at home, or get bicycles for outdoor rides (with some niche stores profiting <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/05\/18\/nyregion\/bike-shortage-coronavirus.html?smtyp=cur&amp;smid=fb-nytimes&amp;fbclid=IwAR0MOdjGTi92ltGoVQ0-UaJoWpwVULrjv2-tZlov12gAvOq68DTR0TcPobg\">up to 600 percent<\/a><\/span> from what they made last year), others chose a cheap way to let off steam: birding.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">There are <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ebird.org\/barchart?byr=2019&amp;eyr=2020&amp;bmo=1&amp;emo=12&amp;r=US-NY-005,US-NY-047,US-NY-061,US-NY-081,US-NY-085&amp;separateYears=true\">more than 300 species<\/a><\/span> of birds that can be spotted in New York City. They are not just beautiful creatures. Scientists say that birds can have a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.audubon.org\/magazine\/winter-2019\/birding-benefits-how-nature-improves-our-mental\">direct positive impact<\/a><\/span> on your mental health.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The relaxing effect of birding could be one of the reasons this hobby has remained popular in America since the late 1880s. According to the U.S. Fish &amp; Wildlife Service, approximately 46.7 million people <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/prod\/2012pubs\/fhw11-nat.pdf\">observed<\/a><\/span> wild birds \u201caround the home and on trips\u201d in 2011. Although the number of birdwatching enthusiasts fell nationwide by 2 million people in the next five years, it seems like birding community is again on the rise in 2020 as people seek more outdoor activities.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_254\" style=\"width: 690px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-254\" class=\" wp-image-254\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.12.28-PM-300x158.png\" alt=\"Michele Truong, member of the Brooklyn Bird Club\" width=\"680\" height=\"358\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.12.28-PM-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.12.28-PM-1024x541.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.12.28-PM-768x406.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.12.28-PM.png 1151w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-254\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michele, member of the Brooklyn Bird Club.<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Michele moved to New York City from North Carolina a few years ago. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, she has been working as a personal assistant to a globally-renowned cinema director. At the time of the spring lockdown, she chose to leave her office, and return to her family. There, one of her acquaintances invited her on birding walks with a pair of binoculars.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Michele has enjoyed watching birds for a long time. Soon after moving to North Carolina, she has realized the pandemic was a good reason to restart the hobby that she liked so much.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cI already knew about birding a few years ago. But then this past spring during the pandemic I decided to pursue it even more because I had time, and time outside, and I\u2019ve been doing it ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In mid-July, Michele returned to New York City, and became involved with professional birding walks with Brooklyn Bird Club, which she joined recently. The club was founded in 1909, and is today one of the oldest acting birdwatch groups in North America. This year, the club grew from 100 to over 300 members because of the pandemic. For many people like Michele, birding became a great source of safe in-person socializing.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cIt\u2019s kind of like a quite hobby. You can do it safely during the pandemic. Its not like a contact sport or like something when you need to be within six feet of somebody,\u201d Michele said. \u201cI think it brings a lot of peace.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_177\" style=\"width: 690px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-177\" class=\" wp-image-177\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-1.09.48-PM-300x158.png\" alt=\"A Northern Harrier on a tree\" width=\"680\" height=\"358\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-1.09.48-PM-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-1.09.48-PM-1024x540.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-1.09.48-PM-768x405.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-1.09.48-PM.png 1150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-177\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Northern Harrier on a tree<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">New York City is located along a unique natural \u201cbird highway\u201d, the Atlantic Flyway. It is a major migratory route of birds. The Atlantic Flyway stretches from the tropical areas of South America towards Greenland.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Every year, millions of birds follow this path for their spring and fall migration and many of them land in New York City for a while. In search of safe green locations, birds usually stay for short breaks in major city parks. This is where birds feel safe and get enough food and water before they continue their journey.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Central Park, Palham Bay Park, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Green-Wood Cemetery, and Prospect Park are particularly popular among birders: they offer the greatest variety of migrating species. However, there are plenty of smaller birdwatching spots in local parks within <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ny.curbed.com\/maps\/best-birding-nyc-central-park-prospect-park\">each<\/a><\/span>\u00a0of the five boroughs. Visiting one of those is a good idea to avoid long commutes.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_258\" style=\"width: 690px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-258\" class=\" wp-image-258\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.12.59-PM-300x158.png\" alt=\"Kathy Willens, member of the Brooklyn Bird Club\" width=\"680\" height=\"358\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.12.59-PM-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.12.59-PM-1024x540.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.12.59-PM-768x405.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.12.59-PM.png 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-258\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kathy Willens, member of the Brooklyn Bird Club<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cDuring the pandemic people need things to relax, ways to distress. And birding is one of those perfect pursuits,\u201d said Kathy Willens, an Associated Press photographer and birding veteran with three decades of experience. In her opinion, birding has become a great source of safe human communication during the pandemic for both freshly-introduced and mature birders.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cRight now it\u2019s a very relaxing pursuit. People need that during the pandemic. And I did too. I\u2019ve found so many new birders.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dennis Hrehowsik, who was elected president of Brooklyn Birding Club in late 2017, noticed that after the pandemic started, birding became a popular way to escape the indoors: \u201cPeople sought, especially in NYC, activities that they can do in a park. And birding became one of these activities.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_255\" style=\"width: 691px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-255\" class=\" wp-image-255\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.13.35-PM-300x159.png\" alt=\"Dennis Hrehowsik, president of the Brooklyn Bird Club\" width=\"681\" height=\"361\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.13.35-PM-300x159.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.13.35-PM-1024x541.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.13.35-PM-768x406.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.13.35-PM.png 1147w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-255\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dennis Hrehowsik, president of the Brooklyn Bird Club<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Since birding has become a technology-savvy industry, an amateur birder now uses smartphone applications like iBird, Audubon, or Sibley to help identify birds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I began birding it was really hard to find information besides a field guide that wasn\u2019t passed down person to person. Now I can go online and within about three minutes I can find different solutions to different ID problems from a dozen people,\u201d \u2013 said Hrehowsik.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Since March 2020, public interest for birding apps and websites have grown exponentially. Prior to the pandemic, the world&#8217;s biggest birding community, eBird, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ebird.org\/about\">had<\/a><\/span> an average participation growth rate of approximately 20 percent year over year. In March-June 2020, eBird membership grew by <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/magazine\/2020\/08\/26\/forget-neflix-tune-feathered-soap-opera-outside-your-window\/?arc404=true\">around 70 percent<\/a><\/span> (compared to 2019) with almost 200,000 new members.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bird identification app Merlin ID <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/94a1ea5938943d8a70fe794e9f629b13\">doubled<\/a> the number of downloads compared to 2019. Cornell Lab of Ornithology (that runs both eBird and Merlin ID) announced that its identification app had achieved the largest monthly increase in its six-year history \u2013 reaching <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/lots-of-people-are-discovering-the-joy-of-birding-from-home-during-lockdown\/\">150,000 new downloads<\/a><\/span> in April 2020.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another popular app, Audubon Society\u2019s Bird Guide, achieved similar results as the number of installs <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/birding-is-having-its-moment-during-the-pandemic\">doubled<\/a><\/span> in March-April 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Although anyone can do birding on their own, the exciting part of it, for both beginners and veterans alike during the pandemic, is the ability to interact with other people in fresh air. The pandemic has become a turning point for people who had interest in birding but didn\u2019t get involved on a professional level.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_260\" style=\"width: 690px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-260\" class=\" wp-image-260\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.20.03-PM-300x169.png\" alt=\"Diana Quick and her camera\" width=\"680\" height=\"383\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.20.03-PM-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.20.03-PM-1024x577.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.20.03-PM-768x433.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-2.20.03-PM.png 1169w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-260\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Diana Quick and her camera<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Since the COVID-19 outbreak in New York, Diana Quick has come to picturesque Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn to do birdwatching four to five times a week. Quick was involved in amateur birding for many years.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">But the pandemic has become a turning point in her relationship with birds. Quick, who has been in nonprofit communications for more than 20 years, recently purchased a 600 mm professional photography lens to get better images of Baltimore orioles, bald eagles, and other \u201ccooperative\u201d birds that she meets during her walks.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Quick photographs birds for <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dianaquick\/\">her Instagram<\/a><\/span> account. Although she does not yet plan to turn her social media profile into a source of income, she is glad to observe how her interest turned into a passion:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cI\u2019ve been interested for a couple of years, but this year since the pandemic, I\u2019ve had a bit more time to be able to come and I\u2019ve learnt a lot during the last 8 months,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s new, but it\u2019s definitely a passion now. And I think it would be a lifetime passion.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"text-header-xl\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What More Birdwatchers Could Mean for Conservation Policy<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>By Sydney Bertun\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_346\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-346\" class=\"size-large wp-image-346\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-17-at-5.32.53-PM-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Michele Truong looks at a bird\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-17-at-5.32.53-PM-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-17-at-5.32.53-PM-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-17-at-5.32.53-PM-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-17-at-5.32.53-PM-1536x863.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-17-at-5.32.53-PM.jpg 1818w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-346\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michele in Prospect Park.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s an early fall morning in Prospect Park. Joggers and strollers share the paths at this time of day, and it\u2019s quiet for New York, save for the occasional biker with a boombox. Michele, a production assistant, is here too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She walks with a set of binoculars around her neck, eyes cast upward to witness the fall migration. She pauses every so often, noting a bird in her phone. Michele is a \u201cpandemic birder,\u201d or one of the many New Yorkers who have taken up the hobby since March.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI think it brings a sense of peace,\u201d she said of her new hobby. \u201cThere is a sense of wonder that comes with watching birds.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Michele is typical of many new birders in that she started on her own, but eventually joined a local club. While a lot of information is available online, organizations like the Brooklyn Bird Club are continuing to provide an essential background education. According to the club\u2019s president Dennis Hrehowsik, their membership has increased by 30 percent over the past seven months.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s kind of like learning a language,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can\u2019t learn Mandarin just listening to tapes, you have to go to Beijing at some point and interact with people.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_348\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-348\" class=\"size-large wp-image-348\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-17-at-5.41.18-PM-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"a group of birders\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-17-at-5.41.18-PM-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-17-at-5.41.18-PM-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-17-at-5.41.18-PM-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-17-at-5.41.18-PM-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-17-at-5.41.18-PM.jpg 1866w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-348\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dennis Hrehowsik and a group of birders on Coney Island.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In many ways birding is the perfect socially distant activity: it&#8217;s outdoors, it&#8217;s easy to do alone or in a masked group walk, and there are endless ways to learn more about the hobby through apps and books. But the growing interest in birdwatching could have a meaningful impact beyond binocular sales.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Along with increases in fundraising (see video story), more bird watchers means higher bird counts through eBird and NestWatch, two crowdsourcing sites run through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The sites have had a 29 percent and 41 percent increase respectively over the past year. The impact of this data could help to shape environmental policy across the country in years to come.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is actually historical precedent to support this. Citizen-gathered data sets for birds predate the apps and websites birdwatchers use today. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.audubon.org\/conservation\/history-christmas-bird-count\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The National Audubon Society began its annual Christmas Bird Count in 1900, <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which ornithologist Frank M. Chapman proposed in response to declining bird populations. The event began with 27 counters in that first year, and has grown to include more than 30,000 participants worldwide<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.com\/news\/2014\/12\/141227-christmas-bird-count-anniversary-audubon-animals-science\/#:~:text=The%20first%20count%20began%20on,to%20hunting%20birds%20on%20Christmas.&amp;text=Last%20year's%20114th%20Christmas%20Bird,counts%20submitted%20to%20the%20database.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> according to National Geographic.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In part due to the work of those early Christmas Bird Counts, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fws.gov\/birds\/policies-and-regulations\/laws-legislations\/migratory-bird-treaty-act.php\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the Migratory Bird Treaty Act was signed into law by Woodrow Wilson in 1918.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> While it initially included one treaty with Canada, the law has been updated several times to include new agreements with Mexico, Japan and Russia which protect migratory bird species.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Christmas Bird Count has continued to be relevant for policymakers on the federal level. In the 1980s, t<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrcs.usda.gov\/wps\/portal\/nrcs\/detail\/national\/plantsanimals\/fishwildlife\/?cid=nrcseprd1299823\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he United States Department of Agriculture launched a program to protect American Black Ducks<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> after their decline was shown in CBC data.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More recently, in 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency cited CBC data as one of 26 indicators of climate change. However, under the Trump Administration, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/climate-web-pages-erased-and-obscured-under-trump\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the EPA removed all information about climate change from it\u2019s website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In lieu of support from the executive branch, the Christmas Bird Count has become even more critical for conservationists. The Audubon Society now produces a yearly Common Birds Decline report from the data, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.audubon.org\/news\/clean-energy-tax-credits-give-congress-opportunity-climate-progress\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">works with lawmakers to support climate change prevention policies like clean energy tax credits.\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the Christmas Bird Count has been cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased count numbers through eBird, the online bird tracker run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology may help to fill some of the gap.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_234\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-234\" class=\"size-large wp-image-234\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-1.50.56-PM-1024x572.jpg\" alt=\"birder using app in park\" width=\"1024\" height=\"572\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-1.50.56-PM-1024x572.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-1.50.56-PM-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-1.50.56-PM-768x429.jpg 768w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-1.50.56-PM-1536x857.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-1.50.56-PM.jpg 1734w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-234\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kathy Willens marks a bird in her phone.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since it was launched in 2002, eBird has gone through several iterations and is now accessible through a phone app for bird watchers to count with. The data is compiled monthly, and made publicly available via request. According to Jenna Curtis, a project leader for engagement and outreach at the Cornell Lab, there are a wide range of beneficiaries.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEveryone uses eBird data,\u201d she said. \u201cFrom students doing science fair projects, to photographers, to government agencies, nonprofits, and statewide conservation organizations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like the Christmas Bird Count, eBird has been a valuable tool for conservationists. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/science-to-action-california-protects-tricolored-blackbird-after-ebird-data-help-show-34-decline\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2018, the State of California approved <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Endangered Species Act protections for Tricolored Blackbirds<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> based on eBird data<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which showed a 34 percent decline in population over a 10 year period.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other policy initiatives that have come out of eBird data include t<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dallas.culturemap.com\/news\/city-life\/09-29-20-downtown-dallas-lights-out-birds\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he \u201cLights Out\u201d campaign in Dallas,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> where downtown buildings shut off their lights on days when large numbers of birds are migrating through.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the federal level, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fws.gov\/midwest\/es\/wind\/fws_role.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">uses eBird counts of Bald Eagles to issue permits for wind power projects<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. According to Curtis, the data set allows USFWS to identify areas of population of high or low \u201cabundance.\u201d Wind projects are only approved in areas with low numbers of eagles to prevent further population decline under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While it\u2019s difficult to predict exactly what policies could come out of increased counts over the pandemic, Curtis says there is no doubt that it will be useful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMore data is always a good thing,\u201d she said. \u201cI tell people, even if you log something from your backyard, you\u2019re probably the only one logging a bird there, and that fills a data gap.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of the many species that the Cornell Lab of Ornithology tracks, Curtis says the Bobolink is of particular concern because it faces threats on multiple fronts. Bobolinks \u201cbreed in open areas across the Northern United States and Canada,\u201d <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/guide\/Bobolink\/lifehistory\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">according to the Cornell Lab<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Due to habitat loss, they now also breed in eastern hayfields and meadows.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After migrating, the Bobolinks winter in the southern interior of South America. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/wildlife.org\/bobolinks-reliance-on-rice-raises-new-concerns\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A recent study found that the birds rely on rice fields for food in their wintering grounds,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which can contain deadly pesticides.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because of these dual threats to Bobolink habitat and food supply, they were placed on the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stateofthebirds.org\/2016\/#_ga=2.94678554.728143763.1607436776-1980414969.1606362904&amp;_gac=1.250516724.1607438794.Cj0KCQiA5bz-BRD-ARIsABjT4nhhYUXYEGvIKnlteXWdZhbbs7lzXS8-ZQH30kblinBMdm30P4VxvQYaAmt9EALw_wcB\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2016 State of North America\u2019s Birds Watchlist,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">includes bird species that are most at risk of extinction without significant conservation actions to reverse declines and reduce threats\u201d according to the Cornell Lab. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Bobolink is just one of 432 species on the North American Birds Watchlist, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stateofthebirds.org\/2016\/overview\/results-summary\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or 37 percent of the total species which migrate through the continent. <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is difficult to articulate the full impact of these declines, because of the interdependent nature of ecosystems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Birds are vital pieces of the puzzle. They <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/09\/19\/science\/bird-populations-america-canada.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">help to control pests, pollinate flowers and regenerate forests.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Their absence signals permanent changes to ecosystems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While conservationists have been ringing alarm bells for years now, critics say regulations negatively impact American business. In November of this year, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Business\/wireStory\/trump-administration-moves-ahead-gutting-bird-protections-74430870\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the Trump administration moved to roll back protections for birds,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which would \u201cgreatly limit federal authority to prosecute industries for practices that kill migratory birds,\u201d under the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act according to ABC.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In light of all this, the increased eBird data over the pandemic in combination with new enthusiasm for birding could help make the case for restoring <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/graphics\/2020\/climate-environment\/trump-climate-environment-protections\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the 125 environmental protections that have been weakened over the last four years<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> once President-elect Biden takes office.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Biden has already committed to rejoining the Paris Climate Accord, and to end new fossil fuel permits on federal lands and waters. These would be significant first steps, climate change being the \u201csingle greatest threat to birds,\u201d <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.audubon.org\/news\/what-bidens-presidential-win-means-birds-and-environment\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">according to the National Audubon Society.\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experienced birdwatchers like Hreohwsik, president of the Brooklyn Bird Club, recognize that this hobby is about more than just identifying species.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s not really about the gulls,\u201d said Hrehowsik, on a recent group walk. \u201cThis is really a walking advertisement for taking care of Coney Island, and taking care of the environment.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More New Yorkers are taking up birding amid the pandemic. Produced by Sydney Bertun and Serge Kharytonau. Watching Bird Migration can Reduce your COVID-19 Stress By Serge Kharytonau The COVID-19 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/47"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47"}],"version-history":[{"count":44,"href":"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/47\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":383,"href":"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/47\/revisions\/383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.newsdoc.org\/naturenyc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}