Experiences: How climate change is affecting migratory birds in the great lakes region

Environment   Apr 20, 2016 by Cassidy

Migratory birds in the great lakes region depend on trees and caterpillars for food. Since climate change is making our winters warmer and for the most part shorter, the resident birds can start breeding earlier. Therefore, the resident birds can have more babies in one season. Most of the regions cannot sustain increased populations. this is especially bad for migratory birds how time their travels by day length rather than temperature, because by the time they arrive back in the region most of the food source will be gone.  The warmer temperatures are also dangerous for the resident birds because a lot of food sources wont be available at the time of their hatch, since it is happening earlier than past years. Many animals in the region rely on each other and climate cue for survival. If the cues keep changing the reliability of them decreases. Since the climates are changing (by the end of the century southern Ontario could look like northern Virginia) resident plants and animals will follow their climate northwards. For birds this will mean new predators, and loss of their food sources. Climate change isn't the only threat to birds either. Loss of habitats die to deforestation and development, hunting, pressure from other species, pollution, and habitat contamination are just a few of the other threats to birds. 

All over North America we have started to see climate change effecting birds and their patterns have even started changing. In Alaska, they have been losing wetlands for many years to a much dryer climate, as a result the habitat has been lost. North American Swallors have started laying eggs 9 days earlier. With the increasing monthly minimum temperature in Arizona we have started seeing the same effect, birds have started laying eggs earlier. Finally, in Wisconsin the migratory birds have started arriving earlier because of earlier ice melt and the increasing of temperatures.

The government, scientists, and even you have an important role to play in help the birds and our environment. There isn't much we can do to help the birds except try to stop climate change, or drastically reduce the amount of greenhouse