Group 36 - Podcast Cons 210 - Final Edit

Hello and welcome to the Future of Feathers. On this podcast, we will be talking about the impacts of climate change on bird migration. Today, we will bring in special guest Michael Miller to dive deeper into the fantastic world of birds. Throughout this episode, we'll uncover how climate change has triggered adjustments in the traditional routes and schedules of bird migration. We'll explore the challenges that birds face in adapting to changing environments, finding suitable habitats, and securing essential resources along their arduous journey. Thanks for being with us today, Michael. Our first question is, is there a history of bird migration changing over the past few decades? What I've seen in the past 40 or 50 years as climate change is advancing, we're seeing the equatorial regions increase. The tropical regions, not physically, but climate wise are increasing. So warmer temperatures are creeping further north. And with warmer temperatures, the atmosphere energy increased by those temperatures, you're seeing a lot more, a lot bigger changes in weather predictability. So weather is becoming less and less predictable. Are the times of year that birds migrate changing relative to changing seasons? And how is that seen in bird populations? Yes, with climate change, the nesting and the breeding chronology, so when they start to breed and when they start to return, has all increased probably about maybe a couple days per decade. So since the 40s or 50s, we're looking at 10 or 12 days or, you know, about a week or so changes. So these birds are migrating earlier to get to these climate staged areas. If bird migration distance is changing so much, what are some physical changes that birds may need to undergo in order to prepare for their journeys? Birds are migrating further north. The energy requirements that they have to go through, so you have to fatten up. Sometimes you're going over a large body of water. So there's migrants across the Gulf of Mexico and hopscotching through the Caribbean and things like that. So they have to take advantage of food availability. So if they're racing through to get back to an area that's further north than what they're used to, they might be missing those opportunities to take advantage of food gluts, insects or shorebirds probing in sand to take advantage of worms and things like that. So those staging areas, we call them, might change. And if they're flying too fast to get where they need to go, they're going to be exhausted. So it's a physiological challenge for them as well. So not only having to adjust your egg-laying date, but to get to that point, you're going to be physiologically challenged as well. Okay, so we've talked a bit about the changes in bird migration, but what are some of the consequences that we as humans could be exposed to? Migratory birds are able to transport microbes all over the world. This is both a threat to humans and animals. Changing of bird migration threatens to bring new infectious diseases to humans. Do you think this is possible? With birds migrating, and it most changes in migration patterns could manifest in different disease transmissions and things like that. A few ways that have been proven to help birds successfully migrate include supporting bird habitats by making your backyard friendly to birds. This can be done by planting shrubs, flowers, and native grasses. Another way is to support organic food sources as they don't use pesticides that can be harmful to birds. And finally, another simple change is keeping cats indoors as they can pose a threat to many bird species. Are there any other ways that individuals can change their behaviors and help mitigate the impact of bird migration that are human caused? I think one of the biggest problems with migratory birds, at least in areas where there are lots of people, is their attraction to light. So light pollution is something that's really going to influence birds. So if you walk down in Vancouver or downtown Toronto during spring or fall migration, the first thing in the morning you end up with a whole whack of birds dead on the ground by flying into buildings. How that plays into climate change? Well, to mitigate that, owners of the buildings or people who live in the buildings could adjust their light usage at night to allow these birds. So it's the light that actually attracts them to these buildings. So changes in how lights are used could help mitigate challenges for birds migrating through cities. Not only do they have challenges due to climate change, but if we could look at changing how easily birds can migrate through built up areas, that could help to offset some of these climate change or potential climate change challenges to birds. What are some specific challenges that birds face in urban environments and how can we, as individuals, help contribute to that mitigation? They found that when you turn off the lights in buildings, and a lot of people don't want to do that because there's security concerns and whatnot, but if you do turn off the lights in these buildings, birds tend to avoid them. So I think maybe the light might seem like a pathway through a building or something like that, but it's well known in every urban area, heavily urbanized areas, that birds that are migrating through get heavily impacted by these buildings. So that's something that's still a big challenge for migratory birds. I mean, in the last 40 or 50 years, 60 years, when high rises and things have gone up, it's really causing problems. And so the coalition is called FLAP or something along those lines, but protecting birds from hitting buildings. So they're moving towards turn off your lights to save a bird. There's small little cutouts you can get of that line of a falcon that you can stick to the window that most non-predatory birds are going to be afraid of, birds of prey and raptors. So to get something that looks like a raptor, these little window stickers are stuck in the windows. It's like a miniature scarecrow made out of a bird shape. Are there other ways, apart from reducing light pollution in buildings and houses, that could help to aid bird migration? You know, along those lines of city and mitigation, with urban planning, green spaces are quite important. So with urban planning, a lot of people are moving, or at least the idea is to have a lot of green space and trees. And not only is that good for temperature reduction in cities and things like that, but it also provides habitat, albeit temporary, for birds moving through. So when we eliminate habitat, then birds are going to move somewhere else. So if we eliminate a grove of trees in some downtown core, then the birds are going to move somewhere else. So if we can maintain those green spaces, maintain your Central Park, your Stanley Park and things like that, then that will allow birds to congregate and focus. And our focus and attention on mitigation can be these little isolated areas where we can support birds during migration. So what do you see as the short and long term future for birds? And do you feel like birds are a species that are at risk due to anthropogenic climate change and human impact? I wouldn't say it's all doom and gloom. I think one of the things that a lot of people tend to not take into account, but there is that plasticity in birds. If one habitat's gone, they have that in them to exploit either another habitat or, as you mentioned, maybe take on a different food source or change their food. But these changes tend to occur over fairly long periods of time. But in the short term, as you said, we have to maintain these migratory routes, these stopover points, and a lot of these stopover points, for example, might be beaches that people love or marshes that people want to clear to put in more housing. So it's a tradeoff. Do we support biodiversity or do we support housing? And it's always going to be that challenge between what do we do, what do we preserve? You know, we do see changes. It's a change, it's a challenge to the environment, it's a challenge to them. Like all living things, they rise to the occasion and they can change. But there's a lot of things that humans have done, but at the same time, we're smart enough and intelligent enough to think of possible solutions. And I think it's incumbent to understand these things or to start to look at these solutions, but also know a little bit more about the problem. As we wrap up this insightful episode of Future of Feathers, our exploration into the impacts of climate change on bird migration has shed light on the intricate and ever-evolving relationship between avian behaviors and environmental shifts. Our discussion with the esteemed Michael Miller has presented many challenges faced by these wind voyagers in navigating transformed landscapes, seeking suitable habitats and securing essential resources crucial for their challenging travels. As alterations in temperature, precipitation and overall climate conditions persist, so too will the dynamic response of birds. The adaptability showcased by birds in adjusting their movement serves as a testament to their resilience in the wake of environmental challenges. Now, moving forward, our journey into the world of avian migration and its interaction with climate change serves as a reminder of the delicate balance between nature and the changing world around us. Thank you for tuning in to Future of Feathers.