Lifestyle

North American birds are in decline. Here are 8 simple ways you can help : Life Kit

Published

3 years ago

April 17, 2022

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North American birds are in decline. Here are 8 simple ways you can help : Life Kit

A cedar waxwing, photographed by way of binoculars.

Audrey Nguyen/NPR

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A cedar waxwing, photographed by way of binoculars.

Audrey Nguyen/NPR

I love this time of yr, as a result of meaning plenty of birds are migrating to their breeding grounds. I reside alongside the Central Flyway migration hall, so I get to see a number of birds I often do not see throughout non-migration months. Final spring, I used to be fortunate sufficient to identify a Painted Bunting, a Blackburnian Warbler, and an Orchard Oriole, simply to call a number of!

However in North America, we have seen a staggering lack of birds. A 2019 research led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology discovered that there are 3 billion fewer breeding birds than in 1970. To place that into context: we have misplaced roughly one in 4 birds over the course of my mother and father’ lifetime. Greater than 90% of those losses are of widespread birds, like sparrows, blackbirds and finches.

Audrey Nguyen, the reporter of this story, birdwatching in Dillon Reservoir in Colorado in August of 2021.

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Audrey Nguyen, the reporter of this story, birdwatching in Dillon Reservoir in Colorado in August of 2021.

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Birds can function indicator species, that are species that assist us perceive how wholesome an ecosystem is. “If we’re seeing them decline, then we all know one thing is fallacious with the environment and that ought to concern us, as a result of our well being is tied up in the identical shared setting,” says Miyoko Chu, the director of communications on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

The scenario sounds fairly dire, however there’s lots we are able to do to assist birds survive – and thrive.

Assist cut back habitat loss and degradation

Habitat loss and degradation are the largest drivers of the decline in birds. With steady human inhabitants development and our elevated demand on the setting, “It is no shock … that there [is] much less high quality habitat for birds, and [that] some habitats disappearing altogether,” Chu says.

There are simple steps you possibly can take to do your half to scale back habitat loss for birds:

Planting native species of crops may help create habitat for birds. The Black-Eyed Susan is a local species in jap and central North America.

Becky Harlan/NPR

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Buying shade-grown espresso may help defend chicken habitats.

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Buying shade-grown espresso may help defend chicken habitats.

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Advocate for bird-friendly environmental insurance policies. Chu says one other approach you possibly can assist deal with habitat loss, with no value to you, is by advocating for insurance policies that present funding for environmental protections. She additionally recommends electing individuals who prioritize environmental points.

Cut back chicken deaths by way of a number of, easy, on a regular basis actions

Holding your cat indoors helps defend birds.

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Holding your cat indoors helps defend birds.

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Preserve your cat indoors. “Other than habitat loss, the subsequent greatest reason for direct mortality for birds is outside cats,” says Chu. One research estimates free-ranging home cats kill someplace between 1.3-4 billion birds yearly. Chu says she’s seen individuals create enclosed patios, or “catios,” so their cats can get exterior time with out posing a danger to birds. If you wish to take your cat out, it’s also possible to attempt utilizing cat leashes and cat backpacks to maintain them shut.
Chu additionally recommends placing on considered one of Cornell’s reside chicken cams to maintain your feline engaged and entertained whereas they’re indoors.”We discovered that cats love them as a lot as individuals do, and so they’ll sit and watch these reside chicken cams and so they will not do any hurt to the birds they watch,” Chu says.

A northern parula, surprised by a big window in North Carolina.

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A northern parula, surprised by a big window in North Carolina.

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Make your home windows extra seen to birds to assist cut back collisions. Window collisions kill as much as a billion birds yearly within the U.S. “Lots of people suppose that these collisions are occurring on excessive rise buildings, however many of the collisions are occurring on the decrease ranges of those excessive rise buildings,” says Hallager. The American Chook Conservancy estimates 44% of chicken window strike fatalities happen at houses or different buildings which might be 1 to three tales tall.
To make your home windows extra seen to birds, you possibly can attempt:
– Making DIY acopian blinds with string or parachute twine
– Placing up window movie with dots or traces
-Including a window display screen or some form of netting, set not less than a pair inches from the window

Flip off lights you are not utilizing, particularly at evening and through instances of excessive migration. “Many birds migrate at evening. And as they go, they’re attracted by mild,” says Chu. Lights will draw birds near buildings, and typically, they collide. Chook collisions additionally occur in the course of the daytime, as a result of birds cannot see glass. “So one of many issues which you could assist with, particularly throughout migration, is to show off any lights that aren’t used,” Chu advises. You possibly can try The Audubon Society’s Lights Out program for extra data.

When you’ve got a chicken feeder, ensure to wash it often to scale back the prospect of illness transmission. “Generally individuals fear, will they change into so depending on my feeders that they’re going to neglect the way to forage on their very own? Or possibly they will not migrate as a result of they wish to keep right here? However birds really are fantastic survivors. They must depend on pure meals sources, not simply feeders,” says Chu. She recommends conserving your feeders clear by washing them often to scale back the chance of illness transmission.

The following tips are particularly useful in periods of elevated chicken exercise (like spring and fall migration), however you possibly can positively use them yr spherical to help our feathered buddies.

We might love to listen to from you. When you’ve got an excellent life hack, depart us a voicemail at 202-216-9823 or electronic mail us at LifeKit@npr.org. Your tip might seem in an upcoming episode.

Should you love Life Package and need extra, subscribe to our e-newsletter.

The podcast portion of this story was produced by Sylvie Douglis with engineering help from Joshua Newell. It was hosted and reported by Audrey Nguyen.

Lifestyle

Two Arrested for Curfew Violations Near Kamala Harris' L.A. Home Amid Palisades Fire Evacuation Zone

Published

21 minutes ago

January 12, 2025

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Two Arrested for Curfew Violations Near Kamala Harris' L.A. Home Amid Palisades Fire Evacuation Zone

Two men were arrested for curfew violations within the Palisades Fire evacuation zone not far from Vice President Kamala Harris‘ Los Angeles property.

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The LAPD says they responded to the VP’s Brentwood neighborhood around 4:30 AM on Saturday. Two individuals were taken into custody for being in the area past the curfew set due to the ongoing wildfires.

Pacific Palisades Fire In Malibu

Law enforcement sources told NBC4 there is no evidence the men ever entered the VP’s property. The arrests come as heightened security measures are in place in the area due to the ongoing evacuation order zone for the Palisades Fire, which as of Saturday night has burned over 23,000 acres and was only 11% contained.

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It’s unclear if the VP or any of her family members were home at the time of the arrests. The VP or her office have yet to comment on the incident.

Lifestyle

What Are the Alternatives to TikTok?

Published

8 hours ago

January 12, 2025

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On Friday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in the case that will determine the fate of TikTok in the United States. While some users and creators are holding out hope that the ban will not go into effect and that they’ll be able to continue using the app, justices seem poised to uphold the law that could slowly render it defunct.

As the court’s decision looms, some of the platform’s roughly 170 million users in the United States are starting to wonder: Where is everyone going instead?

There have been some murmurs about Lemon8, a highly visual social media app focused largely on lifestyle content that has the same Chinese owner as TikTok, ByteDance. Resembling a hybrid between Instagram and Pinterest, Lemon8 first launched in Japan in 2020 and has slowly rolled out in other countries.

In 2023, as lawmakers in Washington were grilling TikTok’s chief executive, ByteDance was quietly pushing creators to join Lemon8 and offering potential paid incentives. But because of its ownership, the platform could be subject to the same law as TikTok.

If Lemon8 were to be banned as well, TikTok users would largely be limited to long-established social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube, which have added features in recent years to compete with TikTok.

Instagram, for instance, rolled out its vertical video feature, Reels, in 2020 as an answer to the ByteDance-owned platform. Initially, some users found that Reels left a lot to be desired, but its vertical video format is visually similar to TikTok, and some users already cross-post TikTok content there.

YouTube introduced YouTube Shorts the same year, allowing for short-form videos of up to one minute.

And, of course, there’s the traditional YouTube video format. In recent years, TikTok has been putting an emphasis on longer videos, which means creators and users alike may be primed to begin making and watching video content that seems at home on YouTube, rather than YouTube Shorts.

Yumna Jawad, a recipe developer and content creator who goes by Feel Good Foodie, said she felt prepared for the potential ban because she had taken pains to make sure she never relied too heavily on a single platform in her work.

“I was on Flipboard. I’m trying to figure out Lemon8 and Threads,” said Ms. Jawad, who is 42 and lives in Grand Rapids, Mich. “There’s constantly a new one, and I’m always open to trying things out.”

Lifestyle

Should pregnant people evacuate L.A. to escape the smoke?

Published

9 hours ago

January 11, 2025

Press Room

Should pregnant people evacuate L.A. to escape the smoke?

After five days of an unrelenting firestorm in Los Angeles County, medical experts are warning that the area’s smoke levels pose unique risks to expectant pregnant people and their unborn children.

So what should pregnant L.A. residents do?

First and foremost, doctors say they should follow local emergency guidance around evacuation, according to Dr. Allison Bryant, a maternal fetal medicine specialist at Mass General Hospital who chairs the American College of OB/GYN (ACOG) Committee on obstetric care practice.

Beyond monitoring evacuation orders, Bryant suggested following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that recommend pregnant people should stay inside as much as possible with windows and doors closed, use HVAC systems with filters or portable air purifiers, and wear N95 masks if outdoor exposure is unavoidable. They should maintain their prenatal care schedule as much as possible and update their delivery plans if evacuation becomes necessary.

Emergency preparedness is also crucial. The CDC recommends keeping a seven- to 10-day supply of prescription medicines and prenatal vitamins ready. That supply can go in a go bag with essential items, including clothes, medical records and insurance information.

The CDC advice closely aligns with new guidance on preparing for disasters that ACOG released this month, specifically focused on helping pregnant individuals navigate emergency situations. While many precautions mirror general public health guidance, pregnant people face additional considerations around maintaining prenatal care and preparing for delivery.

“What’s different about pregnant individuals is that we know that they’re going to need healthcare in the not-too-distant future,” Bryant said.

Research suggests that babies born to mothers exposed to wildfires may be smaller than average, with the effect potentially strongest in later pregnancy, Bryant said. But the risks go beyond just smoke exposure. Pregnancy itself makes people more physically vulnerable, with changes to breathing patterns, heart function and mucus membranes that can intensify the effects of smoke and air pollution.

“During pregnancy, everyone’s mucus membranes — the lining of your nose and mouth — are more active and plump,” Bryant said.

This natural increase in congestion means pregnant people may experience more severe symptoms from smoke exposure than others in their household.

Although the risks don’t vary dramatically by trimester, pregnancy itself makes people more vulnerable to respiratory challenges, according to Dr. Joseph Ouzounian, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at USC’s Keck School of Medicine.

“Pregnant people will breathe more rapidly than non-pregnant people,” he said. “The heart and cardiovascular system are working harder because, to some extent, they’re supporting two lives instead of one.”

Short-term exposure of a few days is typically not dangerous if reasonable precautions like wearing N95 masks are taken, Ouzounian said. However, longer exposure requires more decisive action. Prolonged exposure to environmental toxins could affect a fetus’ development.

With winds expected to intensify again Sunday and potentially reach 50 to 60 mph in mountains and foothills by Tuesday, relief from poor air quality may not come soon. Following public health guidelines should be sufficient for most, but Ouzounian said that those who aren’t close to delivery and can’t maintain adequate air quality at home may want to consider temporary relocation.

“If the exposure is going to be more than a few days, then you have to start thinking about either finding somewhere where the air is better or staying indoors with air filters or air purifiers,” he said.

Some of Ouzounian’s patients are leaving town, including a woman who lived in a mandatory evacuation zone and temporarily relocated to Orange County, where she has already found a new doctor. While most of his patients are staying put, he said that if the fires persist or worsen over the next couple of weeks, he expects more patients will consider transferring their care.

Dr. Christina Han, a professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, also has patients who are planning to relocate to Arizona, San Diego and Northern California. This is especially true for those who have lost their homes and know they won’t be able to rebuild within the time frame of their pregnancy.

“Everybody has a different scenario right now, so we kind of have to just use shared decision-making to kind of go through that calculus with them,” Han said.

She emphasizes that patients should consult their OB-GYN before relocating, because doctors can help connect patients with care in their new location.

“It’s really hard to find an OB last minute, so they should try to utilize their OB-GYN’s network,” she said. “OB-GYNs have a very tight network, so many of us know where other docs are around the country and can potentially reach out to ask for help.”

Although research on wildfire exposure’s effects on pregnancy isn’t definitive, Han stressed that pregnant people following simple precautions are going to be fine. Her most crucial advice?

“Wearing [an N95] mask is really important,” Han said, “more important probably than taking prenatal vitamins at the current time.”