President's Column-- Urban Bird Conservation

I have been asked by a friend of mine from New York, “What kind of birds do you have in DC besides pigeons and fried chicken?”  This question is just one of many that I get in reference to urban birdlife.  Why go birding in the city?  Why bother making cities bird-friendly?  Don’t we have enough pigeons and starlings?  It is an attitude that is prevalent, even among our more environmentally-minded friends.

While the attitude is prevalent, national action for urban wildlife conservation is growing anyway.  Last week, DC delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton promised to continue her support for urban wildlife conservation when the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition, of which DC Audubon and other Audubon chapters are members, asked Congress to increase federal funding for the State Wildlife Grants Program.  Each year, the program provides DC with approximately $300,000 to implement the DC Wildlife Action Plan which works to conserve bird habitat for 35 bird species of greatest conservation need, including the bald eagle, wood thrush, and cerulean warbler.

The program is important not just in dollar value, but in symbolic value:  as DC is the only totally urban jurisdiction to receive the funds, the federal government views DC as just as important as a state in terms of conserving wildlife.  This makes DC the model for urban wildlife conservation.  In a word, DC has much more to offer than pigeons and fried chicken.

Just open up an issue of the Hill Rag to the “Spotted on the Hill” column and you will read about the birds that call DC home and how they touch the lives of the people around them.  DC is home to more than 250 bird species, both as a breeding location and as a migratory stopover point.  On any given winter day, I may find American widgeon or ring-necked duck in the foreground of the Lincoln Memorial.  On a pleasant spring morning stroll, I can hear the ethereal song of the wood thrush.

But what else can I hear?  Flocks and flocks of honking Canada geese.  The honks are another reason why cities have a role in wildlife conservation.  Cities create delicious habitat for resident Canada geese, resulting in a goose population so high that it cannot be sustained.  As such, the goose has overstepped the carrying capacity of Anacostia’s wetlands and gobbled up habitat for native bird species, such as Sora.  Therefore, land managers in cities have a responsibility for restoring wildlife population imbalances.

Another bonus of birding in the city is that it can be done via public transportation.  Forget emitting toxic fumes to get to a prized location in the middle of nowhere; hop on the bus and find yourself viewing green-winged teal at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.  DC Audubon provides the DC Bird Checklist and a DC Birding Guide while DC provides the transportation.

Now, each week when I am birding along the Anacostia River and spot a bald eagle soaring overhead, I can be confident that our public funds are going to help keep it that way.