Fall 2020 Wisconsin Natural Resources
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
All in toboost Alarming drop in populations spurs actions around the state LISA GAUMNITZ birds Lynn Christiansen of Saukville It’s exactly what conservationists say “No matter where you live and no must happen if we are to save the birds matter how much land you influence, traded the perennials in her that delight our eyes and ears, serve as you can have a positive impact for birds flower beds for native species pollinators, seed dispersers, pest control and the insect species that many of and added dogwood trees, native and food for other wildlife, and anchor them depend on for food,” he says. a birdwatching industry that generated grasses, shrubs and a bur oak. $107 billion nationally in economic NUMBERS CONFIRM WORST FEARS When she moves to a 3-acre site impact, 666,000 jobs and $13 billion in Hard numbers now confirm what near Grafton this year, she plans tax revenue in 2011. many bird lovers have noticed for years National studies are revealing a steep at their feeders, along roadsides and in to double down on native land- loss of birdlife in North America since fields and woods: Birds and birdsong scaping for birds. 1970 as science hammers home the con- are disappearing from our lives. North cept that conserving birds means protect- America has 2.9 billion fewer breeding Cattle producer Jerry Marr uses rota- ing them throughout their life cycle. birds than there were in 1970, repre- tional grazing, enrolls some of his family’s “Before the early 2000s, the focus of senting a net loss of nearly 30%. 256 acres in northern La- Those numbers, from fayette County in a federal a study published in program to conserve grass- Eastern bluebird Science magazine in lands, and keeps plows off populations have September 2019, was his hillsides so the eastern rebounded with based on long-term meadowlarks, bobolinks the help of nest boxes put up bird surveys and night and Henslow’s sparrows by the Bluebird radar showing spring find plenty of insects to eat Restoration migrations. Even com- and places to nest. Association of mon, beloved species Wausau Bird Club Wisconsin and have fallen off the cliff. members are restoring others. Evening grosbeak native trees and shrubs and populations have removing invasive buck- plunged 90%, wood thorn on Barker-Stewart thrushes 60%, eastern Island, located in the meadowlarks 75% Wisconsin River in down- and dark-eyed juncos town Wausau, and carefully 50%, according to the tending the new plant- research by seven lead- ings during the summer. READY PATRICK ing bird conservation Members scoop water out of the river bird conservation in North America organizations including the Smithson- in buckets and carry them to the middle was very much on protecting and ian Migratory Bird Center, Cornell of the island to water the trees. restoring breeding grounds,” says Owen University’s Lab of Ornithology and “We’re hoping to lure the migra- Boyle, species management chief for the American Bird Conservancy. tory birds along the river with native the DNR’s Natural Heritage Conser- The only groups of birds doing well plantings,” says Susan Haug, the club’s vation Program. are raptors, waterfowl and woodpeck- treasurer. “We hope they’ll have more While breeding grounds are obvi- ers, all conservation success stories of the foods they like instead of getting ously critical for bird productivity, if reflecting, respectively, the ban on DDT trapped in downtown Wausau with all migratory birds die on the wintering and Endangered Species Act protec- of the taller buildings and glass windows grounds in Central or South America tions, public and private investment to collide with.” or while returning to Wisconsin, it in wetland protection and restoration, All across Wisconsin, people are add- doesn’t matter how good the breeding and the maturation and protection of ing native habitat and taking other steps grounds are because there are fewer woodlands. to help the birds they love. birds to use them, Boyle says. Trends in the state generally track the 26 wnrmag.com North American study results, based on data collected through the Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas II, a comprehensive five-year survey carried out by more than 2,000 volunteers partnering with the DNR, Wisconsin Society for Orni- thology, the Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory and the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Partnership. The only exception is that forest birds have fared better in Wisconsin, reflect- ing the rebound of our northern forests Eastern whip-poor-will and their ability to provide important CYNTHIA BRIDGE nesting areas for many species of warblers, thrushes, vireos and more. Eastern meadowlark HABITAT LOSS DRIVES DECLINE While the North American study didn’t look specifically at causes for the declines, research has zeroed in on habitat loss, followed by habitat degrada- tion due to fragmentation, invasive species and declining water quality, as the top two causes driving the declines. “Habitat loss is the silent killer,” DEMICHEN WADE Boyle says. Native landscapes have been cleared to make way for agriculture, develop- ment, resource extraction and other land uses, eliminating the native plants and natural communities that have evolved in Wisconsin over eons to support bird species that are year- round residents. About 96% of all land birds feed their young insects, and native plants support a ready supply. Chickadees bring mostly caterpillars home to their young, one caterpillar every three minutes, accord- ing to Doug Tallamy, a University of Palm warbler Delaware entomologist and author of “Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants.” That’s 350 to 570 caterpillars every day for each of the 16 to 18 days it takes the chicks to fledge. Warblers, finches and Pileated woodpecker swallows have suffered Oak trees support 534 species of BRADY RYAN moths and butterflies, which in turn staggering losses in provide food for many birds includ- North America, ing those migrating from neotropical though Wisconsin wintering grounds to nesting sites in declines have been Wisconsin. Oaks also offer vital nesting less severe. Eastern whip-poor-wills and cavities for owls, woodpeckers, nut- eastern meadowlarks hatches and bluebirds, Tallamy writes. are among big Native plants have evolved along decliners in the with the insects that eat them, which state, while pileated are able to detoxify and digest the woodpeckers and native plants. Most insects lack the orchard orioles are enzymes necessary to eat non-native big gainers thanks plants, like the ornamental trees and to conservation work Orchard oriole other plants so common in landscaping. JAMES KINDERMAN and protections. ARNDT LINDA FRESHWATERS Fall 2020 27 Up to 90% of the world’s plant-eating the family farm and is proud to play a of them, thanks in large part to the insects can feed only on a small selec- role in saving grassland birds. He credits Wausau Bird Club in cooperation tion of plant species. his father, Robert, for teaching him and with the Wausau and Marathon Research showed that in East Coast siblings Richard, Greg, Jim and Mary County Parks, Recreation and Forestry suburban neighborhoods where less Jean to care for the land. Department. than 70% of native vegetation remains “My dad was a great conservationist,” In addition to the habitat work on — and that means most neighborhoods he says, noting that Robert received Barker-Stewart Island and a native plant — the birds do not have the insects and “about every county conservation garden at Monk Botanical Gardens, seeds they need to eat and are having award there is. His attitude was always, members have engaged youth groups trouble reproducing, says the DNR’s ‘Do what’s best for the land.’” in building nest boxes and planned Craig Thompson, a migratory bird The elder Marr put some of his land a bluebird trail project with a local expert who leads the Natural Heritage into the USDA’s Conservation Re- middle school (put on hold during the Conservation Program’s Integration serve Program to keep it as grassland, COVID-19 pandemic). They have par- Section. knowing the program would allow ticipated in bird surveys and document- “85% of Wisconsin is privately owned,” the family to maintain income but also ed a state-threatened warbler species at Thompson says. “So what happens on reduce work. He never plowed the Nine Mile County Forest, which Haug private lands really matters for birds.” hillside, preserving the soils, reducing hopes can help protect the bird’s habitat. runoff and nurturing native plants that Also in Wausau, several golf courses IMPORTANCE OF NATIVE PLANTS produced a bumper crop of insects for host bluebird trails, one has obtained an Like her parents, Christiansen fed birds birds and other wildlife. exemption to the mowing ordinance mainly at feeders until inspired by a “We all worked very hard after my dad to let areas go natural by adding native 2011 “Grosbeaks Galore: Birds on Your bought the land to plant trees and main- plantings, and still another is a “Certi- Landscape” workshop put on by the tain the farm,” Jerry Marr says. “To get it fied Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.” DNR and partners in the Wisconsin to this point was a huge family effort.” The city uses dark sky friendly out- Stopover Initiative. Tallamy was a Robert passed away in 1992 and door light fixtures when possible to di- featured speaker. the farm was put into a trust. Richard rect light to the ground, reducing light “That seminar was a complete eye- Marr and his wife, Kitty, and their chil- pollution and allowing birds to better opener for me,” Christiansen says. “It dren ran the farm for 25 years before see the stars needed for navigation.