TITUSVILLE, Fla. – Along the banks of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, birdwatchers are noticing a change -- fewer birds.
“Here comes a nice spoonbill coming along,” Jeff Gordon said. “Yeah, Florida is a great place to be in the winter that’s for darn sure.”
Gordon is the president of the American Birding Association.
He recently traveled from Delaware to lead a tour of amateur birdwatchers for the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival.
“It’s like treasure hunting because you never know what you’re going to find,” said his wife, Liz Gordon.
“Florida is low-lying and has lots of water,” Jeff Gordon said. “That is kind of the recipe for life.”
He said there are fears that recipe may be changing.
According to a study by the Audubon Society, two-thirds of the birds in North America are at risk of extinction over the next 30 years due to what they called a “global temperature rise.”
In Florida, researchers found 29 species of birds that they classified as “vulnerable,” which included the whooping crane and sandhill crane.
To head it off, the group asked people to urge their members of Congress to support clean energy.
“I do see a difference in the amount of birds,” Jeff Gordon said. “I do see the differences in distribution.”
Jeff Gordon said birds that nest in the marshes of Brevard and Volusia Counties were at most risk because the temperature affects the salt water and the mangroves they nest in.
“Things are definitely changing, and it’s like we’re rolling some pretty big dice,” Jeff Gordon said.
“You do see a lot of declines,” Liz Gordon said. “It’s hard to be optimistic. You don’t really appreciate something until it’s gone, and I think we have a chance to turn things around, but it’s actually going to take people caring. The more people care, the more it will happen.”
The Audubon Society has developed a website that allows users to find out which birds may be threatened in their ZIP code and to find out ways to help prevent future loss.