Contemplate the multicolored plumage of the birds and listening to their songs is one of the most welcoming things we can extract, with our senses, from everyday reality. But birds are not just an accessory, made as if by nature’s whim to adorn their ecosystems; in reality, they are vital beings for the balance of the environment.
in his book How to attract, house and feed birdsWalter Schutz underlines the role of birds on our planet, something that every bird lover with an ecological conscience should know.
Without the birds, agricultural cycles would present even more difficulties in terms of pests, because birds feed on insects that would otherwise invade crops. And without them, nature would lose the balance of the food chain, which in turn provides control over the number of animals that inhabit each ecosystem.
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Unfortunately, nowadays the skies are running empty: the bird population has decreased dramatically in the last few decades, due to deforestation, pollution, hunting and the interruption of migratory routes.
In the world there is already a total of 1,200 threatened bird species that need immediate efforts for their conservation, while, unfortunately, in the list of endangered animals in Mexico we can find the green macaw, the quetzal and several species of hummingbird. What can you do about it?
Hacks to observe birds with eco-awareness
Schutz proposes that let’s make bird care more than just a hobby, and merge it with other ecological awareness actions. Among other things, we need to be concerned about the state of our immediate environment: making sure there are adequate parks, whether natural areas are protected, and whether there are conservation groups or clubs we can work with.
In our home we can build bird feeders and drinkers, which in addition to making the environment more friendly for them will bring them closer to our home so that we can begin to observe them. For it it is important to prepare the garden or patio well to attract birdswhich is actually not that difficult, since these noble beings are not so demanding: it will be enough for you to replicate a pleasant habitat for them.
To observe the birds we must start by getting some basic equipment (good binoculars and a notebook will suffice). You can too download some useful apps that will help you identify different birds.
This can help generate digital cartographies about the birds in your city: what species inhabit it or if something is disturbing their balance (for example, the large buildings where thousands of birds crash every year). This way you will be able to know what their needs are and what actions should be taken in this regard.
You can even take it a step further and go out into nearby natural environments where you can monitor how the birds are there, to activate changes also in these zones. For all this, Schutz warns that bird watching can become more than a hobby and become a decided eco-conscious action that helps the birds –and ourselves– to survive.
So don’t think about it too much and dedicate a little of your time to this noble work, which could make the difference between empty skies or skies full of birds flying through them.
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