Support Our Native Birds - Easy Things You can Do!
1) Pick up fishing line, hooks and other garbage
We guarantee that if you pick up fishing line and hooks while you are out walking, you WILL save a bird from a horrible death. Discarded fishing gear kills birds every day. Birds swallow hooks or get them imbedded in their flesh. The attached line then wraps around the bird and the bird dies from starvation, infection or worse. Have a contest with your hiking friends and children, who can find the most fishing line. But be careful with those hooks!
We guarantee that if you pick up fishing line and hooks while you are out walking, you WILL save a bird from a horrible death. Discarded fishing gear kills birds every day. Birds swallow hooks or get them imbedded in their flesh. The attached line then wraps around the bird and the bird dies from starvation, infection or worse. Have a contest with your hiking friends and children, who can find the most fishing line. But be careful with those hooks!
6 Chickadees orphaned by house cat.
2) Keep cats indoors.
Outdoor cats are responsible for billions of songbird deaths in North America each year and are the leading reason songbirds are admitted to wildlife rehabilitation. As a non-native predator, free-roaming domestic and feral cats have a devastating impact on our native wildlife and ecosystems. For more information about keeping cats indoors, please visit the American Bird Conservancy. Print our Indoor Cats campaign flier here.
Click on these links to peer reviewed scientific articles on the subject of outdoor cats:
The impact of free-ranging cats on wildlife in the United States
Critical Assessment of Claims Regarding Management of Feral Cats by Trap–Neuter–Return
Rabies Prevention and Management of Cats in the Context of Trap–Neuter–Vaccinate–Release Programmes
Outdoor cats are responsible for billions of songbird deaths in North America each year and are the leading reason songbirds are admitted to wildlife rehabilitation. As a non-native predator, free-roaming domestic and feral cats have a devastating impact on our native wildlife and ecosystems. For more information about keeping cats indoors, please visit the American Bird Conservancy. Print our Indoor Cats campaign flier here.
Click on these links to peer reviewed scientific articles on the subject of outdoor cats:
The impact of free-ranging cats on wildlife in the United States
Critical Assessment of Claims Regarding Management of Feral Cats by Trap–Neuter–Return
Rabies Prevention and Management of Cats in the Context of Trap–Neuter–Vaccinate–Release Programmes
Sticky notes makes a quick fix on windows!
3) Reduce bird collisions.
An estimated 300 million to 1 billion birds die each year from collisions with glass on buildings, from skyscrapers to homes. Birds simply can’t tell reflection from reality. Even if a bird flies away after striking a window, it may die elsewhere as a result of the collision. Click here to purchase ABC Bird tape. If you can't afford bird tape or decals, a stack of post it notes is a lifesaver. Just stick the post its to the outside of your windows! More ideas here.
An estimated 300 million to 1 billion birds die each year from collisions with glass on buildings, from skyscrapers to homes. Birds simply can’t tell reflection from reality. Even if a bird flies away after striking a window, it may die elsewhere as a result of the collision. Click here to purchase ABC Bird tape. If you can't afford bird tape or decals, a stack of post it notes is a lifesaver. Just stick the post its to the outside of your windows! More ideas here.
Wren caught in a glue trap - alive!
4) Say no to glue traps, Tanglefoot or sticky flypaper strips.
When placed outdoors, these cruel devices and materials can and do entrap songbirds, usually resulting in death. Not only are these traps inhumane for controlling rodents, they do not discriminate! Any bird or mammal or invertebrate can get stuck. The animal dies slowly of starvation. Just DO NOT USE GLUE TRAPS EVER. Wren photo courtesy of peta.org
When placed outdoors, these cruel devices and materials can and do entrap songbirds, usually resulting in death. Not only are these traps inhumane for controlling rodents, they do not discriminate! Any bird or mammal or invertebrate can get stuck. The animal dies slowly of starvation. Just DO NOT USE GLUE TRAPS EVER. Wren photo courtesy of peta.org
5) Avoid trimming trees and bushes during the breeding season, March through September.
Birds conceal their nests very well, making them difficult to spot. And many birds nest in cavities inside living or dead trees. These chickadees were killed when someone cut down their nest tree: WARNING graphic image. Therefore, it is best not to risk displacing or killing a nest of baby birds by trimming away branches or whole trees that could be concealing their home. Download our free tree trimming guide here.
6) Create Backyard Habitat.
Use native plants that provide food and shelter to our native songbirds. Don’t forget a water feature, such as a small pond or birdbath. Visit National Wildlife Federation at www.nfs.org for more information on creating wildlife habitat in your own back yard.
Beloved Pet + Wildlife Killer = Leash
7) Leash Your Dogs
Dogs can cause alot of damage to wildlife, especially fledgling birds and ground nesting birds. In our Colorado prairie open spaces we have many birds that nest on the ground, right out in the open such as Western Meadowlark, Horned Lark and Killdeer. Dogs can crush eggs and young birds. Fledgling birds, on the ground but not flighted, are easy prey for dogs. Be respectful of wildlife and leash your dog, even in off leash areas.
Dogs can cause alot of damage to wildlife, especially fledgling birds and ground nesting birds. In our Colorado prairie open spaces we have many birds that nest on the ground, right out in the open such as Western Meadowlark, Horned Lark and Killdeer. Dogs can crush eggs and young birds. Fledgling birds, on the ground but not flighted, are easy prey for dogs. Be respectful of wildlife and leash your dog, even in off leash areas.
8) Don't use poison.
Rodents that have been poisoned inside your home will usually venture outside to die. Predators and pets very frequently eat a rodent that has been poisoned. Hawks, owls, foxes, dogs and cats can die from eating a poisoned rodent. Just don't use poison, ever!
Rodents that have been poisoned inside your home will usually venture outside to die. Predators and pets very frequently eat a rodent that has been poisoned. Hawks, owls, foxes, dogs and cats can die from eating a poisoned rodent. Just don't use poison, ever!
Cordilleran Flycatcher
9) Go Birding
Birding is an excellent way to learn more about our beautiful songbirds and other avifauna. Local Audubon Society chapters throughout Colorado offer bird walks that are open to the public and are usually free of charge. For more information, go to www.boulderaudubon.org
Birding is an excellent way to learn more about our beautiful songbirds and other avifauna. Local Audubon Society chapters throughout Colorado offer bird walks that are open to the public and are usually free of charge. For more information, go to www.boulderaudubon.org
Remember, birds are protected by the federal Migratory Bird Act. You cannot kill, possess or sell birds, eggs, feathers and nests. Wildlife rehabilitators that treat injured birds, like Colorado Native Bird Care and Conservation, have a Federal Migratory Bird permit.