International Migratory Bird Day, observed with hundreds of festivals, bird walks and educational presentations across the country, is designed not only to celebrate migratory birds and their importance in the natural world, but also to help people understand how birds contribute to the quality of everyones lives.
By creating bird-friendly habitat in our back yards and communities, citizens can make their own environment more livable. Parks, greenways and landscaped open spaces - habitat that attracts and nurtures migratory birds - are also a vital component of community life. That habitat can also make an important contribution to the survival of declining bird species.
"What we do for migratory birds, even in our cities, has the potential to doom a species or to save it from extinction. As communities keep growing and expanding, it is important to the health of their environment that they preserve vital open spaces close to home. Its good for the birds, good for the environment, and good for the people," said Service Director Jamie Rappaport Clark.
Birding festivals will be held May 13 and other days throughout the month at dozens of National Wildlife Refuges, national parks and forests, as well as city and state parks, National Audubon sanctuaries and other nature reserves. Many of these events can be found in a registry on the International Migratory Bird Day web site at http://www.fws.gov.
Clark pointed to the successful recovery of the peregrine falcon, which this years migratory bird day celebrates, as an example of how partnerships among citizens, wildlife agencies and conservation organizations can make a difference for birds.
In 1970, the Service listed the peregrine falcon as endangered under the Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969, the predecessor of the current law, when the population in the eastern United States had completely disappeared and populations in the west had declined by as much as 80 to 90 percent below historical levels. By 1975, the population reached an all-time low of 324 nesting pairs in North America.
The banning of DDT made the recovery of the peregrine falcon possible. But the protections provided by the Endangered Species Act and the extraordinary partnership efforts of the Service and state wildlife agencies, universities, private ornithological groups, and falcon enthusiasts accelerated the pace of recovery through captive breeding programs, reintroduction efforts and the protection of nest sites during the breeding season. Currently, there are at least 1,650 peregrine breeding pairs in the United States and Canada, well above the overall recovery goal of 631 pairs.
Overall, government and private raptor experts have reintroduced more than 6,000 falcons into the wild since 1974. Some of the reintroductions took place in urban areas after researchers discovered that the falcons have successfully adapted to nesting on skyscrapers where they can hunt pigeons and starlings.
Though an international effort to protect other migratory birds has made progress over the past several decades, serious challenges remain. Many species are in decline due to environmental contaminants, habitat loss, collisions with man-made objects, and predation from domestic cats.
During the past 30 years, populations of dozens of neotropical migratory birds and other landbirds have declined at rates exceeding 2 percent per year. These losses are not restricted to just one or two groups; warblers, tanagers, sparrows, shorebirds, seabirds, raptors and wading birds all have been affected.
Recognizing the need to take cooperative action to protect migratory birds, Partners in Flight, an international coalition that includes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, other federal and state wildlife agencies, conservation groups, academic institutions and corporations has dedicated itself to reversing declines in migratory bird populations. International Migratory Bird Day is the hallmark event of Partners in Flight.
"International Migratory Bird Day recognizes conservation partnerships like those that made the peregrines recovery possible. No one agency, group or individual can reverse the decline of a migratory bird species alone, which is why efforts like Partners in Flight are so important," Clark said.
Individual actions are crucial to migratory bird conservation. For example, homeowners can make their property safer and more attractive for birds by reducing and carefully monitoring the pesticides they apply to lawns and shrubs, by planting trees and bushes that provide habitat and natural food, and by keeping cats indoors whenever possible and locating bird feeders away from heavy cover so that cats cannot surprise unsuspecting birds. Other suggestions and helpful tips can be found on the International Migratory Bird Day web site or on the Service home page.
Aside from their environmental importance, bird-related activities are also some of Americas most popular pastimes. In fact, bird watching is one of the fastest growing recreational activities in the U.S., outpacing golf and rivaling gardening in terms of the number of particpants. In 1996, more than 63 million people went bird watching, fed birds, or went on trips to watch birds and other wildlife. All told, in 1996 people spent an estimated $29 billion to observe and photograph birds and other wildlife.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 520 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
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