October 10 is the fall celebration of World Migratory Bird Day. Celebrated in both the fall and spring, World Migratory Bird Day overlaps with the main migratory seasons for hundreds of bird species around the world.
Migratory birds include the famous and charismatic, the colorful and the drab, the small and the big. This includes birds you may not even think of as migratory, like gulls. Migratory birds connect ecosystems, spending part of the year in one place and part of the year in another. During migration, birds use areas known as stopover sites to rest and refuel on their long journey. These stopovers also allow birders to see species that they wouldn’t see otherwise.
Migration is a taxing and dangerous journey. Many birds travel thousands of miles, crossing countries, continents, and even oceans. The journey is exhausting, and the birds have to navigate to areas they haven’t been to in months, or in the case of young birds, places they have never been before.
Migratory birds also have to contend with human-caused (anthropogenic) threats. Some of the most common threats to migratory birds are habitat loss and disorientation from artificial light, including light from stationary sources such as houses or moving sources such as ships. World Migratory Bird Day raises awareness of the need for the conservation of migratory birds. This year’s theme focuses on how community (or citizen) science contributes to this mission.
Citizen science invites members of the public to contribute to scientific research. A well-known example of this is eBird, a data platform hosted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where birders can submit their observations. Citizen science data are integral to understanding the dynamics of migratory birds, since studying birds across their entire migration routes can be difficult and prohibitively expensive for ornithologists.
CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (CSA) often uses citizen science data when preparing baseline studies for Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) for client projects, combining it with data gathered from formal sources such as scientific papers and government publications. Together, these data can show whether a project area overlaps with a key migration route or stopover site. When it does, CSA develops measures that operators can apply to reduce project risk to migratory birds, such as limiting artificial light or avoiding key nesting areas.
Another common way CSA protects migratory birds during client projects is by recommending, training, and hiring Protected Species Observers (PSOs). PSOs monitor for protected species during project vessel transits and operations. They photograph any protected species observed and help vessel operators minimize the risk of impacts to them.
“Birds are highly diverse, with over 10,000 bird species found throughout the world, including many with small, restricted ranges,” said Sebastian Orue, CSA Project Scientist and Avian Biologist. “To best address this diversity, it is important to have large publicly-available databases of bird presence for the international work that CSA engages in daily. These data are especially helpful in areas where funding for formal bird monitoring is limited, and so such data may be sparse or outdated.”
Beyond ESIAs and PSOs, CSA has the expertise to assist with other common conservation methods for migratory birds, including developing and implementing monitoring and management plans, identifying birds around the world, and conducting bird surveys before, during, and after construction of ocean-based infrastructure, among other methods.
This World Migratory Bird Day, and every day, keep an eye out for birds that may be migrating through your area. Submit your sightings to citizen science projects like eBird or iNaturalist, or work with local organizations in your area to get directly involved in bird-focused projects. If you don’t have time but still want to help, try just turning off outside lights so the migrating birds can more easily find their way.
To find out how CSA can help your projects support bird conservation and minimize impacts to migratory birds, please contact us at info@csaocean.com.
