For World Migratory Bird Day 2023
What is climate change doing to these fluttering, singing friends?
From the perspective of Gut Aiderbichl
(written by Gisela Pschenitschnig)
"All the little birds are already here ...." - a cheerful children's song. Every fall, around 50 billion birds set off to reach their winter quarters in warm countries. In spring, the internal, biological clock drives them back to the home countries of their origin.
How do birds know where to fly? How do they find their way to the winter quarters? How do birds orient themselves?
You think about birds only when it becomes quieter and quieter in the gardens.
The native birds of Austria
Conditiont by agriculture and above all the building up of ecological areas, bird populations in Austria are declining. Numerous bird species, such as the native European Roller (turquoise-blue plumage, feeds on large insects), the Great Grey Shrike (prey is found on thorny bushesrn, creating the predatory shrike's larder) or the ortolan (likes to perch on wires or tree tops and sing). Other birds threatened with extinction include the spotted crake, snipe, red-footed hawk, northern harrier, black-tailed godwit, pintail duck, and Eurasian Stone-Curlew. They all suffer from the effects of industrialization, as well as from the use of pesticides. Chemical substances kill insects and make them extinct, from which which the birds feed on.
Who moves south in the fall and who stays for the winter?
In autumn, many bird breeds migrate south, while others prefer to hibernate in the cold. The swift, the barn swallow, the cuckoo, the white stork and many others leave our country as soon as the days become shorter. They orient themselves to the sun, the stars and the earth's magnetic field in order to reach their destination, Africa.
The starling, the robin or, for example, the redstart are so-called partial migrants and spend the winter on the Mediterranean coasts.
Bird species such as the great tit, the house sparrow and the kestrel spend the winter in their native Austria.
Climate change and the impact on bird life
ByIn the meantime, there are studies that show that especially the long-distance migrantsthat travel as far as Africa have difficulty adapting to the changing climate because their long flight is not in tune with climatic changes. is. The insect world is changing and in many places no longer matches the arrival of migratory birds. This in turn makes it difficult to feed the young, hatched birds. A migratory bird needs functioning conditions along its flight path. Otherwise, everything could change: migration times, the start of breeding, and population development in general.
It's all about rethinking again - nature must be given the chance to repair itself
Climate protection and everything that goes with it is not a problem for Austria alone. Worldwide, everyone must feel called upon to make their contribution to climate protection.
The earth is a unique ball and there is no alternative place for humans and animals to live.
For a long time now, climate protection has meant more than just switching off the lights behind you.
The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth.
~ Seattle (Chief)
