Perspectives on the Shutdown: Birds

Perhaps like us, you’ve been wondering about how the coronavirus shutdown is affecting the natural world, water resources, infrastructure, and the work of environmental advocates. We reached out to some experts in the Finding the Flint Working Group to see what they are noticing during these weeks of cancelled meetings, work-from-home experimentation, and quiet time outdoors.

Ben Emanuel surveying plant and bird life (and gear) along the Flint River in Bainbridge, Georgia. Photo by Richard Milligan.

Ben Emanuel surveying plant and bird life (and gear) along the Flint River in Bainbridge, Georgia. Photo by Richard Milligan.

We’re hearing neighborhood birds these days more than ever. Are they actually louder or is the world just quieter? We asked our team birder, Ben Emanuel, Director for Clean Water Supply at American Rivers and a founding team member of Finding the Flint. Ben has been a birdwatcher ever since he and friends started a project called the Georgia River Survey in 2003. In addition to a lot of paddling, their long canoe journeys along Georgia’s major rivers entailed surveying plant and bird life along the river corridors.

How are you? What are your days like at American Rivers right now?

I am doing pretty well in these strange circumstances. My days are hectic: I spend roughly the first half of every weekday chasing my three young boys. We are very fortunate to have a big backyard and a neighborhood with quiet outdoor places to visit, from woods and trails to empty parking lots for bike-riding practice. I am constantly in awe that all this is happening during Atlanta’s best time of year®, and that this spring’s weather is turning out so incredibly beautiful so far.

After lunch, I make a pot of tea and trade places with my wife, settling in at our shared at-home workstation for an afternoon of email, phone and videoconference work with my American Rivers colleagues and a variety of collaborators here in Georgia.

What have you noticed about how the coronavirus shutdown is affecting birds?

Before we get to the birds, a quick word on my professional area of expertise: rivers. I’m noticing more wipes being used than ever before. Do not flush sanitary wipes! Even if they say “flushable,” they clog sewers, causing back-ups, spills and nasty pollution in streams and rivers. #WipesClogPipes

Also, in the area of water policy, I’m grateful for my colleagues who are leaning in to the issue of clean water access for households in need across the country. For an introduction, see Destinee Henton’s article here.

Lastly, I got my start in river work with a focus on water conservation. With all of us at home, and in our yards and gardens, we need to remember that our local rivers need water too, especially when the weather heats up (which it will, sooner or later!). Last year a lot of local water providers saw a big spike in usage with the heat wave and dry weather that first hit around Memorial Day; it would be good to more efficient with our home water use if the weather takes a similar turn this year.

As a hobby birder, I haven’t noticed much out of the ordinary that I can attribute to the shutdown—with the notable exception of some neighbors’ report of a Wild Turkey wandering the streets of our intown neighborhood a few weeks ago. This sighting lines up with the reports of coyotes and other critters being braver than usual as human activity patterns have changed.

Your question prompted me to go online and find this interesting example from the Pacific Northwest of quick-response community science to amass information about birds during the migration and breeding season that is coinciding with the shutdown. The birder world is rich in community science efforts, so maybe more studies like this one will crop up.

The thing about birding is that you don’t have to go anywhere to bird. It’s a great way to get outside, and it’s often just as much fun in your backyard or neighborhood as it is if you seek out a dedicated greenspace or particular destination—especially this time of year, when the spring migration is on and we can spot all kinds of wonderful birds in just about any habitat.

Atlanta is always really good for spring-migration birding. Even on my schedule, I’ve noted a couple of exciting visitors to my yard: a Yellow-Throated Warbler in early April, and later a Prairie Warbler that I heard singing but didn’t get a look at. My kids and I found a robin’s nest with four blue eggs in a nearby park a few weeks ago and enjoyed checking in on it over a couple of afternoon visits. For the record, it was the six-year-old who first spotted it. Birds are everywhere!

Do you think these changes are temporary? 

My range of observation is limited to my immediate neighborhood, but I think things are changing in both the wildlife and human worlds even during the course of the shutdown. One morning in the middle of April I was actually out in my neighborhood forest patch just after the dawn chorus of birdsong had ended, and despite the extent of the shutdown, the droning roar of I-20 still dominated the soundscape.

Any silver linings that we should try to preserve? 

I’m a lifelong outdoorsy person and amateur naturalist, and I have been amazed to see so many people reaching for and recommending fresh air and time in nature in these tough times. It’s not hard to imagine that this will be one of the positive societal changes that can linger on in a good way down the road.

How can we help?

This time of year people often find bird nests, sometimes in inconvenient places. If you do, socially distancing from our bird friends is the best course of action. Read more good advice here.

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InterviewsHannah Palmer