The Birds Are Not on Lockdown, and More People Are Watching Them
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May 29, 2020This post was originally published on this site
The adult male scarlet tanager is a medium-size songbird with glaring crimson feathers and jet-black wings.
It can be hard to spot, because the species tends to forage among the upper branches of tall trees. But it does come down to earth, and sometimes can be caught hanging out with pigeons outside of the Freeport Wild Bird Supply store in Maine.
It is the kind of sighting that can spark a lifelong interest in bird-watching, said Derek Lovitch, 42, a birder and biologist who runs the store with his wife, Jeannette.
“The scarlet tanager is one that gets a lot of people into it, because you’ve got to know: What is that thing?” Mr. Lovitch said.
Business is booming at his supply store, and he’s seeing younger customers than usual. But it’s not the scarlet tanager that has gotten so many people interested in birds in recent months. It’s the coronavirus pandemic.
“There is definitely a craving for engagement with nature, especially considering how limited our ability to move is right now,” Mr. Lovitch said.
Bird-watching has surged in popularity this year. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, birders set a world record on May 9 for Global Big Day, an annual bird-spotting event. Participants using the lab’s eBird platform reported more than two million observations — the most bird sightings documented in a single day — and recorded 6,479 species.
Spring is always a busy season for bird-watching, said Marshall Iliff, a project leader at the Cornell lab. “But this year is sort of off the charts,” he said.
At a time when humans are nervously tracking the spread of a virus as it seeps through communities and leaps across borders, new birders are finding relief in tracking the migratory patterns of great blue herons, mountain yellow-warblers or ruby-throated hummingbirds instead.
For Layla Adanero, who was working as a business analyst in Manhattan until she was furloughed in April, bird-watching has been a respite from the faster-paced life she left behind when she moved back home to London.
Now the chirps and coos in her backyard, once ignored as background noise, have become clues to understanding an entire ecosystem.
“It’s quite meditative to watch another life form go about its day,” said Ms. Adanero, 23. “It’s like another way of practicing mindfulness.”
Her recent sightings include an adult long-tailed tit, a fluffy little bird with a white head and dramatic black tail feathers; and a great spotted woodpecker in a busy pattern of black and white, with spots of red.
There’s something symbolic about watching the birds fly while she is in lockdown, Ms. Adanero said: “They represent the ultimate freedom of movement.”
Corina Newsome, 27, an avian expert and graduate student of biology at Georgia Southern University, said the coronavirus lockdowns coincided with spring migration — the perfect time for new birders to look to the sky.
“I think it will end up making us better stewards of our natural space, as well as give us peace and calm to see that even though our rhythm is interrupted, there is a larger rhythm that continues to go on,” Ms. Newsome said.
This month, she was excited to spot a purple gallinule, a jewel-toned species that uses its long legs to hop across lily pads.
Ms. Newsome noted that the birding community was not particularly diverse and might not seem welcoming to everyone. “Birding groups are typically white and older people,” she said. “It can feel uncomfortable as a young black person.”
But anyone can take up birding, she said, adding that it was incumbent on white birders to condemn racism in the community, and helpful for bird watchers of color to encourage each other.
During the lockdowns, she has been fielding more birding questions on social media from newbies, amateurs and parents introducing the pastime to their children.
In New Orleans, Rebekah Bradshaw, 41, started bird-watching as a way to keep her three children active after schools closed. Her son Liam, 11, said he had used a phone app to log about 150 species, including ruddy turnstones and yellow-crowned night herons.
“He’s at that age now where he can really get sucked into the screen,” Ms. Bradshaw said. “So I was like, ‘Let’s go bird-watching.’ Both of my big kids really got into it, and even the baby now walks around outside looking at the sky saying: ‘Bird! Bird!’”
Some birds are drawn to the Bradshaws’ area because they live close to the Bayou St. John and Lake Pontchartrain. But birding is a hobby that city dwellers, rural residents or suburbanites anywhere can try.
Frequently Asked Questions and Advice
Updated May 28, 2020
What’s the risk of catching coronavirus from a surface?
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
How can I protect myself while flying?
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
How many people have lost their jobs due to coronavirus in the U.S.?
More than 40 million people — the equivalent of 1 in 4 U.S. workers — have filed for unemployment benefits since the pandemic took hold. One in five who were working in February reported losing a job or being furloughed in March or the beginning of April, data from a Federal Reserve survey released on May 14 showed, and that pain was highly concentrated among low earners. Fully 39 percent of former workers living in a household earning $40,000 or less lost work, compared with 13 percent in those making more than $100,000, a Fed official said.
Is ‘Covid toe’ a symptom of the disease?
There is an uptick in people reporting symptoms of chilblains, which are painful red or purple lesions that typically appear in the winter on fingers or toes. The lesions are emerging as yet another symptom of infection with the new coronavirus. Chilblains are caused by inflammation in small blood vessels in reaction to cold or damp conditions, but they are usually common in the coldest winter months. Federal health officials do not include toe lesions in the list of coronavirus symptoms, but some dermatologists are pushing for a change, saying so-called Covid toe should be sufficient grounds for testing.
Can I go to the park?
Yes, but make sure you keep six feet of distance between you and people who don’t live in your home. Even if you just hang out in a park, rather than go for a jog or a walk, getting some fresh air, and hopefully sunshine, is a good idea.
How do I take my temperature?
Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications.
Should I wear a mask?
The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.
What should I do if I feel sick?
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
How do I get tested?
If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested.
How can I help?
Charity Navigator, which evaluates charities using a numbers-based system, has a running list of nonprofits working in communities affected by the outbreak. You can give blood through the American Red Cross, and World Central Kitchen has stepped in to distribute meals in major cities.
Nathalie Couzon, 31, has been largely confined to her third-floor apartment in Bangkok because of the coronavirus. She usually makes YouTube videos about her travels, but lately she has been turning her camera on the birds that gather in treetops outside.
“I transferred my hobby from the national parks to my balcony,” she said.
Her sightings there have included yellow-vented bulbuls, Asian koels and the coppersmith barbet — her favorite — so named because its metronomic calls ring out like a hammer hitting metal. “You can hear it everywhere,” Ms. Couzon said. “It’s pretty small, but so colorful. If you see it, you will love it from the very first glance.”
Sightings like these are useful to scientists, too. Amateur birders can contribute to global databases like eBird at Cornell, which helps biologists and conservationists track bird populations and migration patterns.
“It’s been used by researchers all over the world in ways that we never predicted,” said Mr. Iliff, the project leader from the lab.
Ms. Newsome uses the program, and the data entered by her and other birders helps contextualize sightings for people who use the lab’s free Merlin app. That’s the one Liam uses in New Orleans.
In London, Ms. Adanero uses an app called Smart Bird ID to identify species, and she has nudged her 10-year-old sister to do the same.
And in Bangkok, Ms. Couzon is relying on an old-fashioned paperback: “A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand.” She is considering buying binoculars, and she knows what she’s after next: the red-eyed greater coucal, a rusty-winged bird whose haunting call she hopes to capture on camera.
It will require patience. But she has cultivated a lot of that in lockdown, with bird-watching as one of her favorite ways to pass the time.
“If you’re staying at home, especially in confinement, and you want to see some nature,” she said, “you can just open your window.”
