Perry is so close to the finish line but this could have been his last stop! For good! Perry accidentally got himself tangled in a pile of discarded fishing line. Once again, though, Perry lucked out, a human wandered by and, even more luckily, the human had a pair of scissors. Untangling birds is a difficult and stressful process (for both humans and birds), especially for people not trained or used to handling birds. Most birds are not so lucky though.
Click on “Read More” below to check out Episode Nine and learn about the challenges Perry faces at the ninth leg of his journey and how you can help. Click here to read Episode 8. Click here to read Episode 10.
Many sources contribute to the entrapment of birds: oil, tar, and brine pits, evaporation ponds, open containers like tanks or tubs, oil spills, and as we saw, garbage such as soda can plastic rings and fishing nets. Becoming trapped isn’t what kills the birds of course, it’s the fact that they are now stuck and can’t escape. The chances of being found by a human are slim, Perry was incredibly lucky. After becoming trapped, birds drown, starve, experience cold and heat stress, or asphyxiate. They can also die while trapped from ingesting toxins, becoming sick, or being eaten by predators. A little bird caught in a fishing line is a free meal for any fox or cat wandering by. (photos by John Cancolosi, Betsy Peyreigne, and Julie Dermansky)
Let’s look at some numbers: an estimated 500,000 to 1 million birds are killed annually in oil pits and evaporation ponds, but it’s thought that this number is an underestimate because a lot of birds can go undetected. As of 2018, “183 species of migratory birds have been documented in oil pits, ponds, and heater-treaters.” 62% of these were songbirds like Perry, 10% were waterfowl, and 8.5% were waterbirds. Songbirds make up 49% of all documented kills from pits and tanks. Gillnet bycatch of seabirds takes another huge toll on populations, with an estimated 400,00 birds being accidentally caught by fishing vessels worldwide.
Finally, we all know about the plastic rings on soda cans. There’s a debate on how much of an impact those little plastic rings are really having on wildlife. Plastic rings actually make up a very small percentage of the plastic trash in the ocean, but it’s hard to ignore those horrible images of birds and turtles trapped or dead. Regardless of the impact of the issue, it takes two minutes to cut the rings so why not do it? Or, better yet, buy boxed, no rings needed.
Beach cleanups are a great way to make an impact on the environment and get outside. Plastics and trash make their ways down our rivers into the ocean, only to be brought up on shore hundreds or thousands of miles away. California Coastal Cleanup, in 2020 while everyone was struggling through the height of the pandemic, spent their year collecting 98,100 pounds of trash and recycling. You don’t need to join a group, although it does make it more fun, bring paper bags and some gloves and just pick up what you see anytime you visit the beach. You will be amazed at some of the things that wash up on our shores.
It’s important we understand that just because birds can fly over it all, doesn’t mean they aren’t affected by what’s going on down here on the ground. The population of North American birds has dropped by nearly 30% since the 1970s, that is a total of almost 3 billion birds. Gone.
Birds are incredibly important to the balance of our ecosystems: they are essential as pollinators and for seed dispersal, particularly for native plants, and they feed on and help control a variety of critters we consider pests like insects and rodents. Bird studies teach us about climate and the environment, and the birds themselves are key indicators of environmental change. And, most simply, birds are beautiful, and they provide us with music and joy.
The protagonist of this story, Perry, is doing his part as a bird, migrating to his northern breeding location to hopefully pass on his little brown bird genes. It’s all he can do. Perry’s Journey illustrates the important journey of birds like him across the globe, who are doing their parts to help.
Migrating birds are disproportionately affected because they need not just one habitat, but multiple habitats that can serve as stopping points along their journeys. We call these migration corridors and it’s important that they are protected: for the birds’ sakes as well as our own. Birds like Perry can’t control what happens on the ground, or in the water and air, but we can. During Perry’s journey over the couse of ten posts, we will go into some of the main issues facing not just migrating birds, but all birds, and what you can do to help. To support SFBBO’s work to conserve birds and their habitats through science and outreach, please make a donation to our Spring Appeal!
Katrina McCollough is from the Bay Area and is a science outreach intern with SFBBO and the creator of Perry’s Journey. Her interest in birds stemmed from an internship she had at SFBBO’s Coyote Creek Field Station where she got firsthand experience working with the banders and volunteers at the station. That was the first time she ever held or released a bird, and she’s fallen in love with them since, and her favorite bird is the Bushtit. Previously, her interests were directed toward the ground, instead of the sky, hunting for mushrooms or insects. Katrina is currently a college student with a major in Biological Sciences, and she hopes to continue her schooling in mycology and bioremediation.