Birds suffer die-offs in unusual winter storms

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The extreme cold weather and snow were hard on the local wildlife population. Some residents reported finding dead birds on their porches and in their yards, and throughout the state people have found dead bluebirds in bluebird boxes.

Joe Neal, a retired wildfire biologist with the U.S. Forest Service, said the state experienced a massive die off of Eastern bluebirds.

“Some people reported checking their bluebird box and finding the birds dead,” Neal said. “Everyone across the state started looking at their bluebird boxes and found many dead birds. They were huddled for warmth and safety in bluebird boxes, and it got too cold. They probably also didn’t have enough food. Some people found them staggering out of boxes. They couldn’t fly. They ran out of energy.”

Neal said the birds’ average range has been moving north. But that can be deadly when there is a severe cold spell.

“Those birds trying to adapt to climate change by moving north get caught in one of these supermax storms,” Neal said. “We had a lot of bluebirds in the Fayetteville bird count this past year. You wonder how many survived. I imagine we had a huge amount of robin mortality. Right before this started, we had a big robin roost with tens of thousands of robins. Probably thousands of robins died. All kinds of birds were probably affected by something like this.”

A situation like what we just went through is hard on every living thing, J. Pat Valentik, an avid local birder said.

“Usually, our weather is so mild that birds can find food all winter like seeds and buds off trees,” Valentik said. “Birds don’t store up big amounts of fat, so they need a continual source of food. Most birds around this time of year are seed eaters. I was stuck at home during the bad weather, so I don’t know how birds were affected. All I know is the birds I feed at the house were very interested in food, especially when it was really, really cold.”

He said it is good to feed birds in the winter. Some of the birds are smaller and not good dealing with sunflower seeds, so he recommends seed mix with millet, a soft seed they can get into easily.

Wrens eat a lot of bugs. “In the ice storm in 2009, there was not a wren left because they couldn’t get to the food they were used to having,” Valentik said.

Especially during prolonged cold, it can also be good to provide birds with water. You can purchase electric heated water bowls that work well for that.

           Dan Scheiman, Ph.D., bird conservation director, Audubon Arkansas, said that although the worst is over for this winter season, we all know now to be better prepared with food and water for the birds in the face of the next snowstorm.

“With climate change, we should expect more extremes in weather to occur more often,” Scheiman said. “At all times of the year, everyone can help keep birds safe and healthy by cleaning their feeders and bird baths on a regular basis, planting native plants that provide natural food and cover for birds, treating windows to prevent collisions, and keeping cats indoors.”

Scheiman said whether there was a decrease in bird populations large enough to be detectable through community science surveys has yet to be determined. Many of the bird species in Arkansas also occur further north where they experience greater cold and snow on a more regular basis.

“Disease is always present in bird populations, and it can take more of a toll when birds are stressed by the cold and lack of food,” Scheiman said. “Plus, disease will spread faster when more birds crowd around feeders, as they did in large numbers during this cold snap. The young, the old, the sick, and the weak are less likely to make it, though I bet most individuals have survived.”