As summer slowly starts to loosen it's grip and the days grow shorter, the air just a little less sticky Louisiana plays home to thousands of visitors.
Some are here for the winter, while others continue south planning to return again in the spring.
As the last stop before the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana is one of the most important places for birds in the entire country.
Each year migratory birds move through by the thousands, traveling from the Arctic Circle to South America and back again.
Over the last several years, however, the number of birds making this journey has been declining.
If something is going wrong with birds it's a really good indicator that what we're doing in the environment is sustainable.
A studyin the journal Science published a few years ago estimates the number of birds lost over the last several decades could be as high as 3 billion, or 30% of the entire population of birds in the United States and Canada.
"Because they're at the top of the ecosystem they serve as a really good indicator to the overall ecosystem health. If something is going wrong with birds it's a really good indicator that what we're doing in the environment is sustainable." said Erik Johnson an ornithologist with Audubon Delta and life long bird lover.
Scientists believe there are a number of different reasons behind the decline in bird populations but the two biggest are loss of habitat and a changing climate.
"The lower Mississippi Alluvial valley has lost about 80% of it's bottom and hard wood trees," said Erik.
The loss in habitat has been an issue that has continued since bird counting picked up in the 1960s, and has continued as populations have grown along the Gulf Coast.
When it comes to habitat loss, however, there are small things that everyone can do to help bring back habitat.
Planting native plants can go a long way in helping birds, along with trying to make green spaces greener by leaving a variety of plants that can offer food and shelter.
Breeding success can often be largely dependent on the availability of insects like the emergence of caterpillars or mayflies
As the climate changes, scientists have started noticing differences in bird's migratory patterns and have pointed to both changes in distribution and timing.
"That difference in timing is really scary in some cases because there’s what we call phenological mismatch, birds have evolved to schedule their migration to maximize their breeding success." said Erik.
Birds have evolved to time their arrival to coincide with the emergence of certain insects or plants, so has plants bloom earlier or birds arrive later they leave the birds vulnerable if they're unable to shift their migration.
"That breeding success can often be largely dependent on the availability of insects like the emergence of caterpillars or mayflies and that has a schedule too."
Bird watchers are actually one of the most important pieces of information that we know about bird movements
While ornithologists across the country race to study and help conserve birds they're not the only ones playing an important role.
"Bird watchers are actually one of the most important pieces of information that we know about bird movements" said Erik
Susan Edmunds has been a naturalist her whole life, and is a volunteer with the Audubon Society serving as a nest box observer for prothonotary warblers.
"There’s something about them that’s uplifting. They’re flight and they’re beauty they’re just uplifting." said Susan when asked why she was attracted to birds.
A few times a week she spends a few hours checking nest boxes and sending the data she collects to the Audubon Society to use for research.
This small army of citizen scientists are crucial in collecting data on where, when, and what types of birds are nesting in specific areas.
"I think it’s really important that we have a lot of enthusiasts also that take that information and can make some real change in our lives that will benefit birds." said Meadow Landry another citizen scientist working with Audubon.
Life long lovers of birds both Meadow and Susan say that they've noticed changes in the number of birds they have seen over the years, but both believe there's time to turn it around.
Something Erik agrees with, "It’s not a crisis today, it’s not a crisis tomorrow but we’re seeing the indication that a crisis could be coming. We want to be cognizant of that and we want to do everything we can to prevent that from happening."
If you're interested in helping birds here's a few good resources to check out:
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