Fat birds?
COVID-19 means more feeding, also may benefit nesting plovers
Many people would agree that coronavirus-related home confinement is for the birds. They may be surprised to learn they are literally correct.
Home wildlife watching was on the rise long before the pandemic. The sale of birding merchandise is up 10-15% this year, according to Panacea Products Corp., an Ohio-based manufacturer of bird-feeding products. Many people working at home are breaking out safely into the virus-free wilds of their backyards to fill feeders. They can’t pass COVID-19 to birds. But if the pandemic lockdown has led to increased bird feeding, could that result in a lot of fat birds?
“It’s hard to say what impact the extra feeding may have on birds long term,” said Jim Bonner, executive director of the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. Since spring the chapter has had a “tremendous number” of inquiries about backyard birding.
“Certainly, with increased food availability, one might expect that additional young birds might survive or older birds might be able to hang on a little longer,” said Mr. Bonner. “That said, it is estimated that most feeder birds only get around 10% — some studies suggest as much as 20% — of their food from feeders and forage for the rest.”
This summer’s heat wave and drought could arguably be relaxing the pressure on some birds, he said, so it may end up being an “average” year. But COVID-19 may have other impacts.
“There have been suggestions that the reduction in noise resulting from decreased industrial activity and commuting has been beneficial to birds. Most use song to establish a territory and attract mates,” said Mr. Bonner. “Carbon output has been down significantly, which is good for reducing the pace of climate change. Pollution, in general, is down, which is good.”
Mr. Bonner suggested that a recent story about significantly lower seismic activity due to worldwide shutdowns could be beneficial to everything.
“Same goes for the reduction in light pollution,” he said. “Meat consumption has been down, which also reduces the carbon footprint.”
But Mr. Bonner said the avian population continues to be under stress.
“With a decrease in ecotourism and tourism in general, some of the wintering grounds in Latin America might be under additional development, logging or farming pressure,” he said. “Research and conservation projects have come to a virtual stop in many areas.”
In Chicago, bird experts are curious to see how shutdowns brought on by the pandemic will affect endangered shorebirds, particularly the first pair of plovers to nest successfully in
Chicago in decades.
Plovers have been spotted along the Lake Michigan shoreline, giving fans hope that local favorites Monty and Rose will come back, the Chicago Tribune reported. Last summer, the couple fledged two chicks at Montrose Beach. Plovers usually return to places where they’ve successfully nested, and in June, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported that Monty and Rose’s four chicks had hatched.
“I saw my first plover at Waukegan on Sunday, and all of a sudden, it’s just such a happy thing to happen in the midst of all of this,” said Tamima Itani of the Illinois Ornithological Society. “It’s kind of like life continues, somehow.”
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Chicago Park District are among those anticipating the plovers’ return.
“We did so much planning over the winter, discussing how to prepare for this year,” said Carl Giometti, former president of the Chicago Ornithological Society. “We did not take into account that there would be a global pandemic.”
A nesting season without beachgoers could lead to more fledging success. Empty beaches may specifically help the plovers’ survival and reproduction, said Brad Semel, an endangered species recovery specialist with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Fewer disturbances could be an advantage, but it also means fewer people on plover watch.
“It really is kind of a double-edged sword,” Mr. Semel said. “In previous years we’ve had almost instantaneous reports of where these plovers are because there are just so many bird watchers.”