Support bird populations in your own backyard

Fall is a time of change. The temperature gets colder, the leaves change colours and birds migrate to warmer climates for the winter months.

Fall migration in Canada is a remarkable process to witness. Some of the birds we see are stopping only briefly before they travel to the southern extremes of Argentina and Chile. Other birds will stay in your backyard for much of the winter before they fly back to Canada’s Arctic or boreal regions in the spring.

In addition to being extraordinary creatures to observe, birds are an important part of our environment and provide many benefits to people. They help control insect and rodent populations, pollinate plants and disperse seeds. They are also an indicator of the health of our ecosystem.

A new report published in the journal Science revealed that since 1970, the United States and Canada have three billion fewer birds. While the study is a wake-up call to the state of our birds and environment, it also provides hope.

Thanks to wetland conservation and restoration, waterfowl (ducks, geese and swans) have made a remarkable recovery over the past 50 years, in part because of ambitious habitat protection initiatives. By supporting conservation groups like the Nature Conservancy of Canada, we can reverse bird declines through habitat protection, community involvement and coordinated conservation efforts.

But there’s also something else we can all do.

As birds continue their fall migration over the next few weeks, some will stop in our national and provincial parks, but many will also stop and rest in our cities, parks and backyards. If you have a backyard or patio, there are many things you can do to help protect birds throughout their journey.

Keep your cat indoors

After habitat loss, cats are the number one human-caused reason for the loss of birds. It is estimated that over 2.6 billion birds are lost annually in Canada and the U.S. from being killed by cats. By keeping your cat indoors and using a leash when taking your cat outside, you can help protect bird populations.

Create bird habitat

Migrating songbirds are often looking for a place to rest and fuel up. You can help create this habitat by making your backyard bird-friendly. Native trees and shrubs provide shelter and food, particularly if they bear fruit or nuts in the fall.

Reducing the amount of fall garden cleanup you do can also provide bird habitat. This includes not cutting down your flowers and leaving some leaves on your grass and in your garden. Both can help support insects that migrating birds need to eat along their journey.

Improve window safety

Each year, up to one billion birds are lost in Canada and the U.S. from fatal window collisions. Daytime window strikes occur because birds often see reflections of vegetation or the sky on the glass. Birds may also interpret their own reflection as another bird in their territory and try to attack it. Nighttime strikes, which are more common on tall buildings, occur when nocturnal migrants (including most songbirds) get confused by the lights and crash into windows.

There are several ways you can improve the safety of your windows for birds. Turning off indoor lights at night, closing the blinds and curtains, leaving window screens on the outside surface of the windows and hanging visual obstructions on the glass can reduce the risk of collision.

Bird collisions increase significantly when windows are sparkly clean, so cleaning windows less frequently and leaving tiny dust particles on windows helps reduce the glass’s reflective qualities. While bird feeders are a great way to nourish migrating birds, they should be placed at least 4.5 metres from windows to avoid collisions.

By making small changes around our homes and in our daily lives, we can protect the future of bird populations.