♪ ♪ AND HOW CAN WE CHANGE IT?

♪ ♪ >> A RECENT STUDY REVEALED THAT WE HAVE ABOUT THREE BILLION LESS BIRDS THAN WE DID 50 YEARS AGO.

THE QUESTION IS, WHAT'S HAPPENING TO THESE BIRDS, AND WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?

♪ ♪ >> LIFE FOR A BIRD IS REALLY HARD.

THEY HAVE TO DODGE PREDATORS AT ANY TIME.

THEY HAVE TO DEAL WITH A WHOLE PLETHORA OF DIFFERENT CLIMATIC AND WEATHER SITUATIONS IF THEY'RE NON-MIGRATORY SPECIES, AND THOSE THAT DO MIGRATE HAVE TO TRAVERSE GREAT DISTANCES AND FLY OVER MOUNTAIN RANGES AND OCEANS.

ALL THE WHILE LOOKING FOR FOOD AND SAFE SHELTER ON THEIR JOURNEYS.

A BIRD ALREADY HAS A LOT OF DIFFICULTIES TO OVERCOME, AND WE HUMANS ARE MAKING IT A LOT TOUGHER.

AND ONE WAY THAT WE'RE DOING THAT IS, YOU KNOW, CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE AND PUTTING UP A LOT OF BUILDINGS THAT ARE BRIGHTLY LIT AND COVERED WITH GLASS.

♪ ♪ MANY OF OUR BIRDS MIGRATE AT NIGHT AND THEY USE THE SUN, THE STARS, THE MOON TO KNOW WHERE TO GO, AND AS WE PUT UP MORE OF THAT AMBIENT LIGHT POLLUTION BIRDS ARE CONFUSED, AND EVEN ATTRACTED BY THOSE BRIGHT LIGHT SOURCES.

AND IT'S NOT JUST IN URBAN AREAS, BUT SUBURBAN AND RURAL AREAS WHERE LIGHT IS PRESENT.

AND SO BIRDS ARE PULLED INTO THOSE AREAS AND THAT'S WHERE THEY ENCOUNTER THE REAL ISSUE WHICH IS REFLECTIVE OR TRANSPARENT GLASS.

BIRDS DON'T UNDERSTAND REFLECTION, THEY DON'T KNOW THAT TRANSPARENT GLASS IS A BARRIER, AND WHEN THEY SEE THE REFLECTION OF A TREE OR OF A LAKE THEY CONFUSE THAT FOR MORE HABITAT AND THAT OFTEN LEADS TO A COLLISION.

AND IT'S A MAJOR CAUSE OF MORALITY FOR OUR BIRDS THROUGHOUT NORTH AMERICA.

THE NUMBERS OF BIRDS KILLED BY CATS IS STAGGERING.

ON THE LOW END IT'S OVER A BILLION BIRDS A YEAR.

AND PART OF THE PROBLEM IS THERE ARE JUST A LOT OF CATS, MANY MORE THAN THE NATIVE PREDATORS, YOU KNOW, COYOTES OR BOBCATS FOR EXAMPLE.

EVEN IF THEY'RE WELL FED, THEY HAVE THIS INNATE ABILITY AND DESIRE TO HUNT.

THE BEST THING TO DO IS JUST KEEP YOUR CATS INDOORS.

IT'S HEALTHIER FOR THE CAT, AND FOR THE BIRDS, AND ALL OF OUR NATIVE WILDLIFE IS JUST TO KEEP THEM INDOORS WHERE EVERYONE CAN BE SAFE.

IN LATE 2019 A GROUNDBREAKING NEW STUDY CAME OUT, AND IT'S CALLED THE THREE BILLION BIRDS REPORT.

IN 1970 THERE WAS ROUGHLY ABOUT TEN BILLION BIRDS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA AT ANY GIVEN TIME, AND THAT LEVEL HAS BEEN DROPPED TO AROUND SEVEN BILLION BIRDS.

SO, AROUND A QUARTER OF ALL OF OUR BIRDS THAT EXIST IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD ARE NOW JUST GONE.

ONE VERY POSITIVE THING THAT DID COME FROM THAT REPORT IS THAT THE AREAS WHERE WE'VE ACTUALLY PUT IN THE EFFORT, AND WE'VE PUT IN THE MONEY, WE ARE SEEING SPECIES REBOUND.

OUR RAPTORS ARE DOING GREAT NOW THAT WE'VE BANNED DDT AND PROTECTED THEM IN MAY WAYS.

OUR WATERFOWL HAVE INCREASED DURING THAT TIME WHERE WE'VE PROTECTED WETLANDS AND, YOU KNOW, STOPPED DRAINING THOSE WETLANDS.

BIRDS ARE THE GREAT GATEWAY INTO OUR WILD SPACES, INTO HABITAT, AND EVEN PLACES THAT YOU MIGHT NOT EXPECT TO FIND WILDLIFE.

YOU COULD SPEND YOUR WHOLE LIFE LOOKING FOR A BEAR OR A BOBCAT AND NEVER HAVE ANY LUCK, BUT BIRDS ARE EVERYWHERE, THEY'RE EVER-PRESENT, THEY'RE SINGING OUTSIDE.

SO THEY'RE A GREAT WAY TO CONNECT WITH NATURE AND REALIZE THERE IS WILDLIFE IN OUR CITIES, AND IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, AND IN OUR BACK YARDS.

MY, YOU KNOW, EVERY DAY WORK IS "HOW CAN I HELP THESE BIRDS?

HOW CAN I MAKE SURE THEY'RE AROUND FOR MY GENERATION AND FUTURE GENERATIONS?"

NOT ONLY TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE A HEALTHY AND HAPPY, AND WELL FUNCTIONING ECOSYSTEM, BUT JUST TO BRING PEOPLE JOY.

TO BRING THEM THE SENSE OF WONDER, TO SEE THINGS THAT CAN FLY AND ALL THE AMAZING COLORS AND DIVERSITY THAT ALL OUR BIRDS HAVE.

♪ ♪ >> Jennie: HUGE AREAS OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST ARE PROTECTED, AND MANY OF THESE ECOSYSTEMS WERE SAVED BY DUCKS.

♪ ♪ >> DUCK HUNTING HAS ITS DEEP ROOTS IN FAMILY TRADITION.

>> WHEN I WAS PROBABLY FIVE YEARS OLD, MY FAMILY HAS SOME PROPERTY OUTSIDE OF CHARLESTON, AND I GREW UP IN AN ARMY-GREEN SLEEPING BAG IN THE BOTTOM OF A DUCK BLIND WITH MY DAD AND MY GRANDFATHER.

A SECOND-GENERATION CONSERVATIONIST, AND I ALWAYS KNEW THAT I WANTED TO WORK IN CONSERVATION AND PROTECT LAND.

I WORK WITH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERS TO PULL TOGETHER FUNDS TO RESTORE WETLANDS.

AND THIS WHOLE PURPOSE OF THAT NOT ONLY IS TO BENEFIT WATERFOWL SPECIES, TO BENEFIT ALL MIGRATORY BIRD SPECIES.

>> THE BIGGEST THREAT THAT DUCKS ARE FACING RIGHT NOW, OF COURSE, IS HABITAT LOSS.

SO WE'RE ALSO SEEING THAT AS THE SEA LEVEL RISES, AND THAT'S TAKING AWAY MARSH THAT, YOU KNOW, THOSE BIRDS HAVE BEEN COMING TO FOR DOZENS OF YEARS, AND THAT MARSHLAND'S GONE, THEY'RE GONNA BACK UP AND GO TO OTHER AREAS.

>> WE'RE STANDING AT THE MAIN HOUSE SITE AT KINLOCH PLANTATION, WHICH IS COMPRISED OF 13 ORIGINAL PLANTATIONS FROM THE COLONIAL PERIOD.

AND THE PROPERTY, ITS PURPOSE AT THIS POINT IS TO MANAGE WILDLIFE RESPONSIBLY AND PRODUCTIVELY, BUT THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE WAY IT WAS.

THE LAND WAS GRANTED BY THE KING TO THOMAS LYNCH I IN 1718, AND THE VALUE OF THE PROPERTY WAS ITS POTENTIAL, FOR AGRICULTURE, AND THE PROPERTY CONSISTED OF GREAT CYPRESS SWAMPS, VIRGIN CYPRESS THAT HAD NEVER BEEN CUT.

AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT CYPRESS TREES THAT WERE EIGHT OR TEN-FEET IN DIAMETER.

THE LAND WAS A PLACE WHERE YOU COULD GROW RICE, AND SO, WHAT HE PROCEEDED TO DO WAS TO TAKE DOWN ALL THE CYPRESS TIMBER AND MILL IT INTO LUMBER.

>> ENSLAVED PEOPLE TOILED IN INTENSE HEAT, SHOVELING OUT CANALS BY HAND.

THE WATERY RICE FIELDS BECAME BREEDING GROUNDS FOR MOSQUITOES, CREATING HUMAN MISERY, BUT THRIVING CONDITIONS FOR GROWING RICE.

♪ ♪ >> THEY GREW RICE SUCCESSFULLY FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.

THROUGHOUT GENERATIONS, AS IT PROCEEDED FROM THE COLONIAL PERIOD TO THE ANTEBELLUM PERIOD, THE RICE SURVIVED UP UNTIL THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES.

AT WHICH TIME, NORTHERN BUSINESSMEN WHO WERE WEALTHY SAW THAT THIS PROPERTY HAD A LOT OF WATERFOWL ON IT, AND THEY WANTED TO DUCK HUNT, SO IT WAS TURNED INTO A DUCK HUNTING CLUB.

♪ ♪ SO WHAT WE DO HERE TODAY IS WE TAKE LAND THAT WAS CHANGED DURING THE COLONIAL PERIOD, AND WE TRY TO PRESERVE IT AT THE STATE AFTER THE CHANGE WAS OCCURRED, WHICH LENDS ITSELF TO HABITAT FOR NOT ONLY DUCKS AND GEESE AND OTHER WATERFOWL, BUT FOR WADING BIRDS AND OTHER KINDS OF FOWL.

SO OUR JOB HERE IS PRIMARILY TAKE CARE OF BIRDS.

SO WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS CALLED A RICE TRUNK.

IT'S TECHNOLOGY FROM HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO, IT'S BEEN USED SINCE THE ENTIRE RICE CULTURE IN AMERICA WAS STARTED, TO CONTROL WATER.

IT'S A DEVICE THAT ALLOWS US TO LET WATER INTO THE FIELD, FROM THE CREEK, AND KEEP IT THERE, OR LET WATER OUT OF THE FIELD BACK INTO THE CREEK, AND NOT ALLOW IT TO GET BACK IN.

>> STANDING RIGHT HERE, WE ARE CONNECTED TO APPROXIMATELY TWO MILLION ACRES OF PROTECTED AND CONSERVED LANDS IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, AND SANTEE COASTAL RESERVE WITH 12,000 ACRES OF THAT, IS A PIECE OF THAT PUZZLE.

YOU WOULDN'T KNOW IT, BUT ALL OF THESE WATER CONTROL STRUCTURES AND SYSTEMS OF CANALS AND DIKES, FUNCTION TO SERVE A PURPOSE FOR MANAGING WILDLIFE, AND IT TAKES A LOT OF WORK.

IT TAKES A LOT OF MONEY.

THIS PROJECT IS A MODEL FOR OTHER CONSERVATION EFFORTS ACROSS THE U.S.

I DON'T KNOW OF ANY OTHERS THAT FUNCTION LIKE IT, AND I AM IN THE JOINT VENTURE CONSERVATION WORLD.

♪ ♪ >> AND IT'S NOT JUST DUCKS.

IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING, IT SEEMS.

AND THIS PARTICULAR PLACE, IT WAS GIVEN TO THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, WHO THEN TURNED IT OVER TO THE DNR.

WATERFOWL HARVEST IS WHAT PAYS FOR THIS ALL.

YOU KNOW?

IT'S HUGE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE REALLY PROVIDE PRIME HUNTING, TOO.

FOR DUCKS, WHAT WE TRY TO PROVIDE, IS SPACE, WHICH WE HAVE, AND WATER, YOU CAN SEE ALL AROUND ME, WE GOT THAT, TOO.

AND COVER, WE'RE GOOD WITH THAT, TOO.

BUT YOU NEED FOOD.

SO THE FOOD THAT WE ARE MAINLY TRYING TO GROW RIGHT HERE IS A SUBMERGED AQUATIC PLANT CALLED WIDGEON GRASS.

WIDGEON GRASS HAS THE ADVANTAGE THAT IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE PLANTED.

IT'S ALREADY IN THE SYSTEM.

IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE FERTILIZED, IT DOESN'T -- ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS MANAGE THE WATER JUST RIGHT TO ENCOURAGE THE MAXIMUM GROWTH OF WIDGEON GRASS.

THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

THIS IS DELICIOUS.

NOT ONLY IS IT THE VEGETATIVE PARTS OF THIS PLANT THAT THE DUCKS WILL EAT, BUT ALSO THE ASSOCIATED INVERTEBRATES.

THEY LOVE THIS.

THIS IS PRIME INVERTEBRATE HABITAT, AND SO, THIS IS LOADED.

AND THAT'S WHY YOU TEND TO SEE ALL THE DUCKS, AND ONCE THE WATER IS LOW ENOUGH, ALSO SHOREBIRDS IN THE AREA, BECAUSE THIS IS PRIME FOOD.

>> WE KNOW WHAT WATER LEVELS THESE SPECIES NEED.

THE DUCKS SWIM, SO THEY NEED A LITTLE BIT DEEPER WATER, AND THEN THE SHOREBIRDS ARE OFTEN PRETTY SMALL, SHORT LEGS, SO THEY NEED REALLY SHALLOW WATER, AND THEY MOSTLY JUST POKE THEIR BILL INTO THE MUD, AND EAT INVERTEBRATES.

AND THEN, THE WADING BIRDS ARE KIND OF THE TALLER BIRDS, EGRETS, HERONS, AND THEY'RE PRIMARILY GONNA JUST WALK AND FEED ON THE FISH, SO THEY NEED MAYBE FIVE, SIX-INCHES OF WATER.

>> THE SANTEE COASTAL RESERVE IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR WATERFOWL, AS OVER 40% OF THE STATE'S WATERFOWL UTILIZE THIS AREA.

IT ALSO LIES WITHIN A SHOREBIRD RESERVE NETWORK SITE OF INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE.

SO OVER 100,000 SHOREBIRDS MIGRATE THROUGH THIS AREA EVERY SINGLE YEAR, AND SO, IT'S PROVIDING REALLY CRITICAL STOPOVER HABITAT FOR THEM ON THEIR MIGRATIONS, TO FUEL UP AND KEEP GOING.

THE ATLANTIC FLYWAY IS A CORRIDOR THAT THE BIRDS ON THE EAST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA USE, SO, MILLIONS OF BIRDS EVERY SEASON, EVERY SPRING, HEAD NORTH TO NEST, AND THEN WHEN THE WEATHER COOLS, THEY HEAD SOUTH.

IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT FLYWAY, BECAUSE IT'S A LOT OF DIVERSE, RICH LANDS, FORESTS, GRASSLANDS, YOU KNOW, COASTAL MARSHES, ATLANTIC COAST.

>> RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE WATER THAT IS SO HIGH, IT'S -- THERE ARE MINOR NUISANCES, LIKE, YOU HAVE TO PUT ON YOUR RUBBER BOOTS, OR EVEN YOUR WADERS, TO GET TO THE BOAT.

BUT THERE'S ALSO MAJOR ISSUES, WHERE THE WATER JUST RUSHES OVER THE DIKES.

SO, WE HAVE PLENTY OF ALLIGATORS ON THIS PROJECT, AND THEY JUST LIKE TO MOVE AROUND FREELY.

YOU KNOW, SOME MORE, SOME LESS.

GPS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT THEY CAN BE VERY MOBILE.

SO, DEPENDING ON WHERE THE FOOD IS AVAILABLE, THEY WILL MOVE ALL OVER THE PLACE, AND IF THEY WANNA GO FROM THIS SIDE OF THE IMPOUNDMENT TO THAT SIDE OF THE IMPOUNDMENT, THEY WILL HAVE TO CROSS THOSE DIKES.

AND AS THEY CROSS THE DIKES, YOU KNOW, THEY START TO CREATE LITTLE PATHS THERE, LIKE ANY KIND OF WILDLIFE WILL DO.

THEIR TAIL DRAGGING, THEIR FEET LEAVING LITTLE MARKS, AND AFTER AWHILE, IT BECOMES A BIT OF A WILDLIFE HIGHWAY, AND THAT LEADS TO A LOW SPOT IN THE DIKE.

AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHEN WATER COMES, THAT'S WHERE IT WILL RUN THROUGH, AND IT WILL START TO EAT OUT THE DIKE MORE AND MORE.

AFTER AWHILE, WITH ENOUGH WATER RUNNING ACROSS IT, IT JUST TURNS INTO A BIT OF A DISASTER, AND YOU CAN'T REALLY JUST COME AND TAKE AN EXCAVATOR AND PATCH THAT SPOT RIGHT THERE, BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENS THEN IS THAT THE WATER WILL RUN TO THE LEFT AND TO THE RIGHT OF THAT SPOT.

SO THEN, YOU NEED TO REALLY RE-TOP A LARGE STRETCH OF DIKE, BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT IN A PROJECT LIKE THIS THAN HAVING FUNCTIONING, TALL DIKES.

THAT'S A REAL BIG PROBLEM FOR US, BECAUSE WE HAVE ABOUT 50 MILES OF DIKE HERE, AND ABOUT 60 WATER CONTROL STRUCTURES.

>> NATURE ITSELF IS ALWAYS GOING TO ATTEMPT TO REVERT BACK TO THAT WHICH WAS ORIGINAL, BEFORE MAN HAD ANY INFLUENCE ON IT.

AND IT TRIES TO DO THAT ALL THE TIME.

WE GET BIG TIDES, WE GET HURRICANES, WE GET RAIN EVENTS.

>> THE EFFECTS OF SEA LEVEL RISE CAN BE MITIGATED IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS.

MANY OF THE PLACES, THE SEA LEVEL RISE IS OCCURRING SO FAST THAT THE MARSH DOESN'T HAVE TIME TO MIGRATE INLAND AND PROVIDE THAT HABITAT.

SO, WE'RE IDENTIFYING AREAS WHERE MARSH CAN BE SAVED, AND MARSH CAN MIGRATE, AND FOCUSING ON THOSE AREAS WHERE WE CAN CONSERVE AND HOPEFULLY HAVE HABITAT FOR THOSE SPECIES IN THE FUTURE.

THESE LANDS ARE CONSERVED IN PERPETUITY, YET THEY HAVE TO BE MAINTAINED AND MANAGED VERY INTENSIVELY.

AND BIRDS ARE SIMPLY A PART OF THAT PICTURE, IT'S REALLY MANAGING AN ENTIRE WETLAND ECOSYSTEM, AND THAT PROVIDES BENEFITS FOR A LOT OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF WILDLIFE, INCLUDING MAMMALS, INSECTS, POLLINATORS, AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.

♪ ♪ >> USUALLY, I GET TO SEE DEER, YOU KNOW, DEER JUST RUNNING ON THE DIKES, AND YOU SEE A LOT OF BOBCATS.

YOU SEE THIS WHOLE CYCLE OF, YOU KNOW, FROM REALLY SMALL INVERTEBRATES, TO BLUE CRABS, TO EAGLES, YOU KNOW, SWOOPING IN AND TAKING ALL OF THAT.

IT'S JUST THE VARIETY OF WILDLIFE OUT HERE IS REALLY AMAZING, AND VERY OFTEN, YOU MIGHT ADJUST A WATER CONTROL STRUCTURE, YOU ALMOST STEP OVER AN ALLIGATOR TO GET TO IT, ON THE OUTSIDE, THERE IS DOLPHINS SWIMMING, ON THE INSIDE, THERE'S A PELICAN FLOATING BY.

IT'S PRETTY AMAZING.

♪ ♪ >> Jennie: BIRDS OF THE GREAT PLAINS ARE SOME OF THE MOST THREATENED IN THE COUNTRY.

SHRINKING GRASSLANDS AND CLIMATE CHANGE ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THEY FACE.

♪ ♪ >> THERE'S STILL SOME MYSTERY AROUND WHY SOME BIRDS ARE DECLINING MORE THAN OTHERS.

WE'RE JUST GETTING TECHNOLOGY SMALL ENOUGH THAT WE CAN PUT ON THESE SPECIES TO TRACK THEM, WHERE THEY GO.

I THINK WE OFTEN THINK ABOUT, WE HAVE TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT EVERYTHING WITH OUR TECHNOLOGY.

AND YET, THERE'S STILL A LOT OF UNKNOWNS IN THE NATURAL WORLD.

GRASSLAND BIRDS, AS A HABITAT-BASED GROUP, HAVE HAD THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF POPULATION LOSSES, SO, OVER 50% OF THEIR POPULATIONS AMONGST SPECIES OF GRASSLAND BIRDS HAVE BEEN LOST SINCE THE 1970'S.

IN THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS HERE, WE STILL HAVE TWO-THIRDS OF OUR GRASSLANDS STILL INTACT, BUT YOU STILL HAVE FRAGMENTATION, WHICH DEGRADES THE HABITAT QUALITY FOR THE GRASSLAND BIRDS.

HABITAT LOSS REALLY STANDS OUT AS, PROBABLY, THE PRIMARY THREAT, JUST BECAUSE THE SHEER AMOUNT OF HABITAT CONVERSION.

WE DON'T SEE MANY OF THESE SPECIALIZED GRASSLANDS BIRD SPECIES USING THE ROW CROPS AS HABITAT.

THEY CERTAINLY CAN'T NEST IN THERE, IT'S A TOTALLY DIFFERENT HABITAT STRUCTURE.

THIS FIELD IS EURASIAN CRESTED WHEAT.

SO, IT'S AN INTRODUCED PLANT THAT WAS BROUGHT IN, IN THE 1930S, TO STABILIZE SOIL.

AND SO, BIRDS WILL BE ATTRACTED TO NEST IN FIELDS LIKE THIS.

AND THEN, WHEN IT DRIES, THERE'S LESSER INSECT ABUNDANCE, AND SO, THERE'S LESS FOOD TO FEED THEIR YOUNG.

IT LOOKS LIKE A REALLY GREAT PLACE TO RAISE THE KIDS, AND THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN, THEY FIND OUT IT WASN'T.

SOME OF THE SPECIES MOST IMPERILED ARE, LIKE, THAT THICK-BILLED LONGSPUR, THE CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR, THE SPRAGUE'S PIPIT.

WE SEE TIPPING POINTS IN THOSE POPULATION SIZES.

IT'S ESPECIALLY PERILOUS, BECAUSE IF THERE'S ONE OR TWO SEASONS OF DROUGHT, THAT'S GONNA REALLY IMPACT REPRODUCTION.

THAT COULD REALLY SHRINK THOSE POPULATION NUMBERS QUITE QUICKLY.

AND THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH CLIMATE CHANGE.

THOSE LONG-TIME, STABLE CUES ARE NOT AS ACCURATE.

IF YOU'RE TRYING TO THINK LIKE A BIRD, TRYING TO PLAN A TRIP TO GET SOMEWHERE, YOU WANNA GET THERE WHEN THE CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT FOR YOU TO GET THERE, NOT TO SHOW UP AND HAVE SNOW OR REALLY HARSH CONDITIONS.

MOST OF THE BIRDS, 80% OR SO OF THE SPECIES, ARE MIGRATING HERE TO BREED AND THEN LEAVING WHEN THE WINTER CONDITIONS COME.

SO, KINDA LIKE HUMAN SNOWBIRDS, THEY HAVE IT FIGURED OUT TO BE HERE WHEN THE CONDITIONS ARE GOOD.

AND THEN, GO BACK SOUTH WHERE THEY CAN HAVE AN EASIER WINTER.

THERE'S ALSO TUNDRA SPECIES THAT ARE BREEDING UP ON THE ARCTIC TUNDRA.

SO THESE ARE SPECIES LIKE SNOWY OWLS, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, LAPLAND LONGSPURS, AND NORTHERN SHRIKES.

AND THEN, THEY COME DOWN HERE, AND WINTER IN EASIER CONDITIONS THAN IT WOULD BE UP IN THE ARCTIC UP THERE.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> A LOT OF KIDS ARE TAUGHT ABOUT THE RAINFOREST, EVEN THOUGH THEY MIGHT BE LIVING IN THE GREAT PLAINS, AND THEY DON'T KNOW ABOUT THIS WILDLIFE ISSUE IN THEIR OWN BACKYARDS.

I THINK THE MORE AWARENESS WE CAN BRING TO THE PLIGHT OF THE GRASSLAND BIRDS, THE MORE INTEREST WE CAN GET IN CONSERVING GRASSLANDS AND RESTORING GRASSLANDS TO HELP THESE POPULATIONS REBOUND.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> I ALWAYS SAY BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU START LOOKING AT BIRDS, WATCHING BIRDS, RIGHT?

THEY WILL TAKE OVER YOUR MIND AND YOU WON'T HELP BUT BE ABLE TO NOTICE HOW FREQUENT YOU'RE ENCOUNTERING THEM.

WHEN IT COMES TO THE RECREATION OF BIRDING AND ENJOYING BIRDS OUTSIDE.

OVER 90% OF BIRDERS IDENTIFY AS WHITE, AND THEY'RE OFTENTIMES PEOPLE OF MIDDLE OR UPPER SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, RIGHT?

SO WE NEED MORE PEOPLE, REPRESENTATION FOR THE LARGER COMMUNITY TO BE EXPERIENCING AND ENJOYING WILDLIFE.

ONE OF THE MAIN WAYS THAT I CAN CONNECT A DIVERSITY OF AUDIENCES TO THE OUTDOORS, AND TO BIRDS IN PARTICULAR IS TO POINT THEM TO THE DIVERSITY OF WILDLIFE THAT LIVES RIGHT WHERE THEY ARE.

AS WAS THE CASE FOR ME, I GREW UP IN PHILADELPHIA, A PLACE WHERE BLUE JAYS ARE TYPICALLY FOUND, BUT I WAS NOT PAYING MUCH ATTENTION TO BIRDS OR OTHER NATIVE WILDLIFE AT ALL UNTIL I WENT TO COLLEGE AND TOOK OR ORNITHOLOGY, WHICH IS A CLASS ON THE STUDY OF BIRDS.

AND ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE CLASS, MY PROFESSOR, DR. JASON CORDER WAS RUNNING THROUGH A SLIDE SHOW AND THE FIRST BIRD WAS THE BLUE JAY AND I YELLED OUT, "WHAT IS THAT?"

AND EVERYONE LOOKED AT ME LIKE I WAS CRAZY BECAUSE THEY WERE LIKE, "THIS IS A BLUE JAY, IT'S A VERY COMMON BIRD."

I HAD NEVER SEEN ONE, AND I THINK I WAS 21 YEARS OLD AT THIS TIME.

AND THEN I WENT OUTSIDE AFTER CLASS AND SURE ENOUGH, THEY WERE EVERYWHERE.

[CAWING] CROWS AND RAVENS ARE PART OF A GROUP OF BIRDS CALLED CORVIDS, IN THE FAMILY CORVIDAE, AND THAT FAMILY INCLUDES BIRDS LIKE CROWS, RAVENS, MAGPIES, JAYS, INCLUDING BLUE JAYS LIKE WE HAVE HERE IN NORTH AMERICA, AND THEIR BEHAVIOR IS REALLY UNIQUE.

BLUE JAYS ARE ACTUALLY REALLY GOOD A MIMICRY, AND SO A BLUE JAY WILL MIMIC THE SOUND OF A BIRD OF PREY, OFTENTIMES A RED SHOULDERED HAWK, AND OTHER SMALLER BIRDS, SAY, "OH, THERE'S DANGER.

I GOTTA GO."

SO THEY CLEAR OUT THE FEEDER AND THEN THE BLUE JAY COMES IN AND HAS ALL THE FOOD TO THEMSELVES.

WE'VE SEEN CROWS AND RAVENS LIKE IN THE SNOW SLIDING ON THEIR BACKS DOWN ICY INCLINES, RIGHT?

WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF BEHAVIOR THAT LOOKS MUCH LIKE PLAY AS WE SEE IN OTHER GROUPS OF ANIMALS LIKE MAMMALS.

AND SO THEY DEFINITELY ARE EXTREMELY SOCIAL ANIMALS.

THEY CAN LIVE IN COOPERATING GROUPS AND ENGAGE IN PLAY BEHAVIORS.

>> JUST GET MY SCOPE ON HERE.

GREAT BLUE HERONS ARE ONE OF MY FAVORITE BIRDS.

THEY'RE HUGE, THEY'RE ELEGANT, BUT THEY'RE ALSO LIKE GREAT BIG FLYING PTERODACTYLS AND THEY MAKE THIS GREAT CROAK WHEN THEY FLY.

>> OF COURSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT DINOSAURS SOUNDED LIKE FOR SURE, BUT WHEN YOU HEAR THE SOUND THAT THESE WADING BIRDS MAKE, YOU THINK A DINOSAUR IS BEHIND YOU.

SCIENCE HAS RECENTLY SHOWN US THAT THERE IS DEFINITELY AN EVOLUTIONARY LINK BETWEEN THE BIRDS THAT WE SEE TODAY, AND DINOSAURS FROM THE PAST AND THAT THEY ARE DESCENDANTS OF DINOSAURS.

THAT TENDS TO BLOW KIDS' MINDS.

BIRDS VOCALIZE, OR MAKE CALLS FOR A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT REASONS, AND DEPENDS ON THE KIND OF BIRD.

AND SO DURING THE BREEDING SEASON THEY'LL USE A SONG... [BIRD SINGING] TO LET OTHER BIRDS KNOW THAT, "HEY, THE RESOURCES IN THIS LITTLE GEOGRAPHIC AREA WHERE I'M SINGING, THEY BELONG TO ME.

DON'T COME THIS WAY."

[CAWING] THEY'LL ALSO USE SONG TO ATTRACT A MATE, AND MOST OFTEN THE MALES ARE THE SEX THAT ARE SINGING AND BELTING OUT THESE BEAUTIFUL SONGS THAT KIND OF DRAWS IN A POTENTIAL FEMALE TO MATE WITH AND RAISE A CLUTCH WITH, AND IT ALSO SPEAKS TO HOW FIT THEY ARE.

SO THE FEMALES ARE LISTENING TO THAT SONG TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, "WOULD YOU BE A GOOD DADDY?

WOULD YOU PASS ON GOOD GENES TO OUR OFFSPRING?"

AND THEY USE THAT KIND OF AS A RATING MECHANISM.

[BIRDING CALLING] BIRDS ALSO USE THEIR VOCALIZATIONS FOR WARNING BIRDS OF PREDATORS NEARBY.

>> THAT'S CALLED PISHING.

P-I-S-H. PISHING.

THE TRICK TO IT IS, I'M IMITATING AN ALARM CALL, AND THE BIRDS AROUND ME WILL POP UP TO BE, "HEY, WHAT IS THERE TO BE ALARMED ABOUT?

A SNAKE, OR SOME KIND OF PREDATOR?"

THE TRICK TO IT IS TO SOUND CONVINCING IN YOUR TONE.

LIKE, IMAGINE IN YOUR HEAD, "OH MY GOSH, IT'S A SNAKE AT MY FOOT AND --" [PISHING] I'VE LEARNED THAT YOUR ATTITUDE WHEN YOU'RE PISHING MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

>> THERE ARE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT APPS THAT YOU CAN DOWNLOAD TO HELP YOU IDENTIFY BIRDS AND EVEN PARTICIPATE IN CONSERVATION ACTUALLY.

>> THE APPLICATION THAT WE'RE GONNA USE TO REPORT WHAT WE FOUND TODAY IS CALLED E-BIRD, IT'S FROM CORNELL UNIVERSITY, AND IT'S THE BIGGEST CITIZEN SCIENCE DATABASE ON THE PLANET.

SUPER EASY TO USE.

>> THE CORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY HAS REALLY ZEROED IN ON PEOPLE'S LOVE OF BIRDS AND SAID, "HEY, WHEN YOU'RE OUT LOOKING AT BIRDS AND ENJOYING BIRDS, WHY DON'T YOU SHARE WHAT YOU'VE SEEN WITH US?"

ONE OF THE REALLY COOL APPS THAT YOU CAN DOWNLOAD, WHICH IS FREE, IS CALLED MERLIN, WHICH IS NAMED AFTER THE BIRD OF PREY.

AND MERLIN IS A BIRD IDENTIFICATION APP THAT ZEROS IN ON YOUR GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION, AND THE APP WILL ASK YOU DIFFERENT QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WAY THE BIRD LOOKS.

INCLUDING THE SHAPE, AND THE COLOR, AND THEN ONCE YOU INPUT ALL THE INFORMATION AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS IT WILL NARROW DOWN THE OPTIONS FOR YOU.

AND THEN THROUGH THE PICTURES YOU CAN SAY, "OH YES!

THAT WAS THE BIRD."

BIRDS ARE EVERYWHERE.

THEY'RE IN SOME OF THE DRIEST PLACES ON EARTH, AND THE WETTEST PLACES ON EARTH.

THE COLDEST AND THE HOTTEST PLACES.

URBAN AND REMOTE, RIGHT?

AND SO NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE, THERE'S SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN SEE WHEN IT COMES TO BIRD LIFE.

IT ALSO HELPS THAT YOU CAN BOTH EXPERIENCE BIRDS WITH YOUR EARS AS WELL AS WITH YOUR EYES, RIGHT?

SO IF YOU'RE SOMEONE WHO MAY BE HAS LOW VISION OR BLINDNESS YOU CAN STILL EXPERIENCE THE SOUND OF BIRDS.

OR IF YOU'RE SOMEONE WHO IS PART OF THE DEAF COMMUNITY YOU CAN STILL SEE BIRDS, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO TRAVEL ANYWHERE REALLY.

IF YOU JUST WANNA WALK AROUND YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD YOU CAN SEE THEM, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE ANY KIND OF SPECIAL EQUIPMENT TO WITNESS HOW INCREDIBLE AND DIVERSE BIRDS ARE AROUND YOU.

I WANT THAT LOVE OF BIRDS TO BE ABLE TO PASSED FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION BECAUSE THERE IS SUCH WEALTH IN BEING ABLE TO SEE BIRDS, NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE, OR WHO YOU ARE, AND I HOPE THAT EVERYONE GETS THE CHANCE TO DO THAT.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪