We are not what are probably considered to be ‘experienced’ birders. We have only been at it since 2004, but we have noticed recently that many species that were frequent visitors to our home and favorite birding sites can no longer be seen at these spots.
This southern hemisphere summer, drawing to a close now, has had unusual weather. The month of January was the wettest in recent history with over 440mm of rain, where the historical average is 267mm. As of the 10th of March, the average daily highs have been 2.2oC over normal and the average daily lows nearly 1oC above normal. There was a scant 1mm of rain when, on average, about 53 would be normal. Taken out of context these data might not be significant, but when you consider the recent convergence of scientific opinion on climate change they seem to indicate something.
We can attest that for the human population the impact of these higher temperatures can be extremely uncomfortable, but what impact, if any, can it be having on the avian population, both local and migratory?
We are not sure. Unfortunately, important programs to identify and quantify local bird populations, such as the Great Backyard Bird Count and the Project FeederWatch are not available for birders here in the southern hemisphere. We have contacted both the Audubon Society and Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology to try to get them to broaden their programs, but with no success to date.
What we can say is that certain species that were seen with some frequency in 2005 and 2006 are very difficult to find this year. In those years during January and February some of the more common species have been: Barred Ant-shrike, Sayaca Tanager, Burnished-buff Tanager, Blue-winged Parrotlet, Palm Tanager and the Rufus Hornero. This year the Burnished-buff and Palm tanagers are absent! The Sayaca tanager is present in smaller numbers and the Rufus Hornero seems to be expanding. In another of our observing spots, on some rural roads linking Campinas with Itatiba, we have also noticed the absence of some of what were once regularly sighted species. The Red-legged Seriema, the Yellow-rumped Marshbird and the Chestnut-capped Blackbird all have not been seen in their usual haunts.
In this case there seems to be an additional factor involved. The area, which was a mix of ‘natural’ forest, eucalyptus / pine tree farms and pasture land, is being taken over by sugarcane. This phenomenon, which is linked to the recent hype about ethanol as an automotive fuel, is changing the landscape drastically in Brazil. We discussed this topic in an article on Ethanol, but at that time had not seen the result so close to home. The displacement of pastureland by sugarcane is going to have, indeed is having, an impact on wildlife and the human population.
f you are interested in helping in our efforts to study and quantify the impacts on the avian population due to the influence of climate change and the advancement of the bio-fuel industry, please let us know. Any help will be appreciated, from information (about sightings or expansion of sugar / soybean plantations), influence (with Audubon or Cornell or other organizations) or direct contributions via PayPal.
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