What Migratory Birds Tell Us About the Health of the Mississippi River

Late summer time is a time of change for a lot of—holidays ending and faculty years starting. It’s additionally a season of celebration as we take pleasure in autumn harvests and fall festivals and start our preparations for the approaching winter. For birds, the transition from summer time to winter creates a time of change as migratory birds start flying south to their wintering grounds. Within the Mississippi Flyway alone, greater than 350 migratory hen species will journey southward for the winter, stopping alongside the Mississippi River and all through the river area to relaxation and feed as they go. We rejoice these exceptional feats on World Migratory Chook Day (WMBD)—a biannual celebration, as soon as for fall migration (this 12 months on October 10, and once more within the spring). 

Every fall, migratory birds give us a snapshot of the river’s well being. When wetlands, backwaters, and floodplain forests are thriving, birds discover the meals and shelter they want. When these habitats disappear, birds are sometimes among the many first to indicate us that one thing is out of stability. WMBD reminds us that birds and persons are related and that we should hearken to what birds are telling us about habitats just like the Mississippi River. Audubon’s Mississippi River Water program is constructing a extra resilient and ecologically vibrant future for the river and migratory hen flyway, in addition to the over 20 million folks who depend on the river for water, jobs, recreation, and resilience. 

The Mississippi River is a big, advanced river and floodplain ecosystem that was traditionally characterised as a wealthy mosaic of braided channels, islands, lakes, and wetlands supporting numerous crops and wildlife. Sadly, hundreds of thousands of acres of wetlands have been misplaced all through the river’s 1.2 million sq. mile basin, degrading the river from its headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf. The infrastructure put into place to  management water circulation and to facilitate financial improvement and navigation additionally impacted the pure flood cycle, with penalties for ecosystems and in some instances, heightening the impacts of pure disasters and extreme climate.  

Audubon envisions a wholesome and related community of habitats all through the Mississippi River area that helps sustainable hen populations and strengthens the resilience of human communities in opposition to each human-made and pure threats. Some 60 % of North American migratory hen species, together with the Northern Pintail, Blue-winged Teal, Prothonotary Warbler, Northern Parula, and Wooden Thrush, depend on the habitats of the Mississippi River for his or her migratory journeys. They want wholesome habitats to help them on their lengthy flights south. 

Audubon is working all through the Mississippi Flyway on packages and tasks to revive the river and uplift group voices. As we glance to WMBD and the lengthy migratory flights of hundreds of thousands of birds within the coming months, Audubon stands able to rejoice the migratory journey from north to south, marking the transition geographically and seasonally, and reminding us of the significance of flyway habitat just like the Mississippi River.