Climate change can mean fewer birds in our Northeast Ohio yards. Here’s how to help. 

CLEVELAND, Ohio — If you are an avid birdwatcher or even a casual observer, you are probably aware that there are fewer birds in our yards and parks now than before. One reason for this is climate change, which can cause a mismatch between birds and their foods. Most insect-eating birds in northeast Ohio migrate south during the fall because they can’t survive on insects during the winter. Their return is triggered by day length; temperature has nothing to do with it. Climate change has resulted in warmer-than-average temperatures during spring (2024 was extremely warm), which causes the insects they feed on to hatch and start their lifecycles sooner. So, when the birds return from Mexico and Central America, they are too late for the spring insect feastClimate change can also cause issues in the fall; lingering warm temperatures can entice birds to depart later or not at all (you can see robins here throughout winter). Birds that can’t shift their behaviors to accommodate a changing climate face serious risks for survival.Other factors that have hurt bird populations include domestic cats, which kill an estimated 1.3-4 billion birds each year, and windows, which cause the loss of some 1 billion birds each year from collisions. City lights can confuse migrating birds, causing confusion, disorientation and collisions.Bird loss has been staggering since 1970. Forests have lost 1 billion birds. Grassland populations have decreased by more than half, mostly due to the rise of megafarms and the loss of hedgerows between fields, which provide important shelter. Populations of aerial insectivores –birds that catch insects in the air—are down by 32% (160 million birds). Populations of birds that nest on shores are down by one-third. The number of birds in the annual spring migration is down by an average of 14% over the last ten years. Birds are a vital part of many ecosystems in our world. Here are a few reasons:Pest control. In our farms and gardens, birds hunt insects in the air, among the leaves, and on the ground. Think of great hunters you have seen like woodpeckers and warblers. Barn swallows can catch as many as 60 insects an hour over an agricultural field, benefitting both us and our crops. Pollination. When birds fly from one flower to the next seeking nectar, they also move pollen, which helps create new plants. Hummingbirds are well-known flower pollinators, but some birds that eat fungi perform a similar service for these non-flowering organisms. When these birds dig up, eat, or move a piece of fungus to another spot, they move spores, helping the fungus disperse to new areas. This also benefits plant roots, since fungi are an important part of the underground ecosystem.Seed dispersal. Birds that eat fruit “deposit” seeds in new places. You have probably seen finches or robins eating fruit and noticed their deposits on your windshield or elsewhere.Manure as fertilizer You may not consider bird droppings to be an asset (especial