Celebrate Urban Birds!

Free event raises awareness, helps scientists learn about birds in the city

By Karen Purcell

You're Invited! What: "Celebrate Urban Birds!" a nationwide event connecting nature and city neighborhoods through gardening and watching birds Who: Bird enthusiasts of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities Where: Cities and suburbs anywhere in North America When: May 10–13, 2007 Why: • Learn about urban birds and help create green spaces in your neighborhood. • Involve children, friends, and neighbors in learning about birds and green spaces. • Help scientists understand how balconies, parks, and gardens may benefit birds in cities.

This spring, urban communities nationwide will "Celebrate Urban Birds!" through gardening, bird watching, cultural activities, and citizen science. Led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Urban Birds Studies, the event on May 10–13, 2007, coincides with International Migratory Bird Day and will raise awareness of urban birds and provide information that scientists can use to understand the relationship between green spaces and birds in cities. Urban areas are poor habitats for most native bird species, but green spaces can provide refuge for exhausted migrants and other birds. Some species may benefit from small gardens or parks, whereas others may require a large network of interconnected green spaces to survive. Some areas may attract native birds, whereas others might favor invasive species such as European Starlings and House Sparrows. What is the value of urban green areas, both large and small? We need the help of city residents to answer these questions by watching birds in a wide variety of green spaces, including balconies, small gardens, isolated trees, and public parks. Help us find out how important your potted plants, gardens, and parks are for birds living in your city! There are many ways to participate, from planting sunflowers in pots on a balcony to reporting which of 15 bird species you see in green spaces in your neighborhood. You can join on your own or through community celebrations at participating libraries, schools, or community gardens. For more information, visit www.urbanbirds.org/celebration. Karen Purcell is project leader of Urban Bird Studies.

An American Robin raises it young on a statue of Romeo and Juliet near the Great Lawn in Central Park, New York. Cal Vornberger

A Great Egret is attracted to water in Central Park's Bethesda Fountain. Cal Vornberger

Birds in Community Gardens

As shown by the famous city-dwelling Red-tailed Hawk, Pale Male, New York's Central Park is full of suprising birdlife. Photographer Cal Vornberger's The Birds of Central Park captures the beauty of wild birds in the heart of the city.

Though people often think of cities as "concrete jungles" devoid of nature, many metropolitan areas are teeming with wildlife. New York's Central Park is one of the country's best birding sites, with 285 species spotted there to date. Although urban development destroys the natural habitats that many native birds need to survive, public green areas such as Central Park, as well as greened spaces such as community gardens, can improve habitat for wildlife and stopover areas for birds that might otherwise have nowhere to go.

In an informal survey I conducted in March 2005, a majority of community gardens surveyed in New York City had bird feeders, birdhouses, or birdbaths. I was struck by the potential not only for monitoring the variety of bird species that use these areas, but also for creating and linking habitats to enhance conservation in urban areas.

Even more exciting were the possibilities for place-based environmental education for urban youth and adults. During "Celebrate Urban Birds!" (May 10–13, 2007), people can send information about their community gardens and green spaces to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This will help researchers from the Lab and Cornell's Civic Ecology Initiative learn more about the bird diversity these areas attract.

In densely populated cities, community greening creates multiple, small-scale patches in addition to the green spaces of formal parks. Led by city residents, community greening encompasses community gardens, memorial gardens, trough gardens planted throughout a city; plantings along railroads and highways, and community forestry.

Through partnerships with organizations in New York City, such as Green Thumb and Green Guerillas, and national organizations, such as the American Community Gardening Association, we hope to better understand the ways that birds use urban community greened spaces, the ways in which community greeners can create urban bird habitats and contribute to citizen-science efforts, and ways to further utilize community greened spaces in environmental education.

Through efforts such as these, we would like to raise hope that humans and other creatures will increasingly find ways to get along in their shared urban environments. According to a recent article in National Wildlife, "The right kind of city planning may not only boost wildlife numbers, it can also make our urban world more livable—and offer city dwellers a vital connection with nature." Whether it is a Red-bellied Woodpecker outside our window, a pair of Red-tailed Hawks nesting on Park Avenue, or simply pigeons and sparrows gleaning from community gardens, the wild creatures in our midst make both the "natural" and urban worlds immeasurably richer.

—Keith G. Tidball, associate director of the Civic Ecology Initiative, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University

For permission to reprint all or part of this article, please contact Laura Erickson, editor, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd., Ithaca, NY, 14850. Phone: (607) 254-1114. email: lle24@cornell.edu