Making Buffalo a Bird Friendly City
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The Buffalo Audubon Society is committed to protecting birds and the places they need to survive. This commitment goes beyond the 1000 acres of our nature preserves, and extends to birds living in the urban and suburban communities of Buffalo NY.
We see birds around us every day. Many species of birds are our neighbors, finding homes in our backyards, parks, schoolyards, and other places we use. From the American Robins finding worms in your lawn, to the Downy Woodpecker visiting to your birdfeeder, to the Great Horned Owl hooting in your neighborhood every winter, these birds must overcome challenges that their wilder cousins do not need to face. Other birds are visitors to our city, taking a short break as they follow a migration route that predates colonial times. We must welcome these travelers, and make sure they are able to pass through our city safely. Buffalo is known as the "City of Good Neighbors" - a nickname we are all proud of. Let's work together to be a city and region that is as good to our feathered neighbors as we are to our human neighbors. |
Ruby-throated Hummingbird in Delaware Park - Photo by Bill Massaro
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"The answer to why birds matter can be found in our own backyards and parks, with our eyes and ears. Birds uplift our spirits every day with their beauty, wonder, and song." - President Jimmy Carter
Building and Window Collisions
A Stunned Tennessee Warbler - Photo by Andrew Gaerte
Read More at All About Birds
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One of the most dangerous hazards that urban birds face is collisions with buildings and windows. A study from 2014 concluded that up to one billion birds are killed by building and window collisions every year. Some birds collide with windows during the daytime. These are usually local birds looking for food, trying to escape predators, or just going about their daily lives. During migration season, many birds collide with buildings along their journey at night.
During the day, windows are not invisible to birds, as many think. Instead, they reflect an inviting image of trees, shrubs, or the sky. Birds that collide with glass can be killed on impact or they can be stunned. Stunned birds are vulnerable to predators, traffic, hazardous weather, and other dangers. Most stunned birds will die without help. These deaths can be prevented by the use of bird-safe glass or other products that break up the reflection. At night, city lights confuse migrating birds. This can be made worse by weather that causes them to fly lower. Confused birds will collide with buildings, windows, and even each other. The simplest solution is to turn the lights off! Many cities, such as New York, Toronto, Dallas, Houston, and Philadelphia have adopted Lights Out programs and policies to help migrating birds safely pass through their cities. Find out more on how to help prevent window strikes at home by visiting All About Birds. |
Habitat Loss and Native Plants
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For a bird, finding habitat among the buildings, roads, and people of a city can be challenging. Many birds rely on parks and other green spaces to provide habitat, but homes and backyards can also create important habitat.
While many of us have birdfeeders to support our feathered friends, most birds cannot live on seeds alone. Studies have shown that a pair of Chickadees must find 5,000 to 9,000 insects to raise a nest of their chicks. If we want to see birds in our neighborhood, we must support the insects they feed on by planting native plants and reducing pesticide use. Insects rely on native host plants to feed on as adults and larvae. One of the most important things we can do to help birds is to plant native trees and shrubs in our gardens, and encourage landscapers to do the same around businesses and commercial properties. Without native plants, there is no food for the birds that are further up the food chain. The National Audubon Society has many great resources for finding the right native plants for your home. Check out their Plants for Birds page and the Audubon Native Plants Database to find he plants that will help birds in your area the most, and search for nurseries that sell them. Local parks, nature centers, and wildlife sanctuaries provide habitat four our local year-round birds, but also provide important stop-over habitat for migrating birds. Migrating birds must find food and shelter along their journey, and will concentrate in these important habitats. |
Black-capped Chickadee in Buffalo - Photo by Sakura Paterniti
Blackburnian Warbler in Buffalo - Photo by Bill Massaro
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Secondary Rodenticide Poisoning
Great Horned Owl in the Town of Tonawanda - Photo by Tom Kerr
Eastern Screech-owl in Delaware Park - Photo by Tom Kerr
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Birds of prey, including Owls, Hawks, and Eagles are killed needlessly by the careless use of rodenticide. Rodenticide is more commonly known as "rat poison" and is used to kill unwanted pests near homes, restaurants, and other businesses. Poisoned rats are often eaten by raptors, or brought back to nests to feed their young. Rats often return to bait boxes and eat poison for several days before they die, resulting in an even more dangerous dose of poison for the hawk or owl.
The danger of rodenticide is even greater during nesting season. Great Horned Owls begin nesting in January, and Red-tailed Hawks start in April. Once their chicks hatch, their parents work around the clock to bring them food. When more food is needed, the parents need to travel farther to find food, and the chances they encounter rodenticide are increased. Raptors are highly visible birds. Birdwatchers, photographers, and other nature lovers visit their nesting sites to watch their chicks grow, anxiously awaiting they day they fledge from their nest and take their first flight. When a well-known hawk or owl is killed by rodenticide, it has a terrible emotional impact on the people who spent time watching them. As apex predators, birds of prey are important parts of their ecosystems, and do a great job of controlling rodents on their own. Without their help, we would be faced with an increase in unwanted pests. For more information on the problems rodenticide can cause, visit Raptors are the Solution (RATS). |
Free-roaming and Feral House Cats
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Free-roaming cats are difficult issue to address, but they are the leading human-related killer of birds across the world. There are an estimated 100 million free-roaming cats in North America. Most of these cats are not pets, but "wild" feral cats. A 2013 study determined that outdoor cats kill 2.4 billion birds every year in the United States and Canada. All the other causes of bird death added up don't even come close to the damage done by cats. The extinction of 63 species of birds, mammals, and other small animals has been attributed to free-roaming cats. Feral cats have contributed to the decline of hundreds of bird species as well.
Cats are efficient hunters and belong indoors. If they are left unsupervised outside, they will kill bids and other small animals. This is a well-known ecological problem, but addressing this issue is often met with resistance. People love cats, understandably, but it is a pet owner's responsibility to keep their cat from harming wildlife. We must work with local governments and communities to safely and humanely reduce feral cat populations, in ways that will stop their damage on local bird populations. Steps you can take: - Always keep your cat indoors. If you cat must go outside, keep it under your supervision. - Spay or neuter your cat to prevent more unwanted cats - Make sure your birdfeeders are at a safe height that cats can't easily reach. - Support shelters that rehome unwanted cats Cats are not a problem that only urban birds face, but cats can be found just about wherever people are found, and are more abundant in cities. Read more about what can be done to help birds deal with cats at All About Birds and at the American Bird Conservancy. |
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