AS AUDREY COX FOUND OUT, BIRD WATCHING IS A GROWING HOBBY IN
THE GRANITE STATE.
AUDRY: THEY PROVIDE THE SOUNDTRACK TO SPRING.
WHETHER YOU ARE AN AVID BIRDWATCHER OR JUST TAKE THEM IN
STRIDE, THE CHORUS OF CHIRPS AND CHEEPS ARE A SIGN THAT SPRING
HAS ARRIVED.
>> ITS’ MORNING CHORUS, THEY ARE MOST ACTIVE RIGHT AT DAWN, YOU
GET OUT THERE RIGHT AT DAWN AND IT'S SPECIAL.
AUDRY: STEVEN MYRICK HAS BEEN A BIRDER FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS,
AND HE KNOWS THE CALLS SO WELL, HE CAN IDENTIFY A SPECIES ON THE
SPOT.
IN FACT, THE BIRDS INTERRUPTED OUR INTERVIEW WITH STEVEN MORE
THAN ONCE.
>> OH MY GOSH, I THINK I HEAR A WILSON WARBLER.
OH THERE GOES A PILEATED WOODPECKER FLYING BY, AND THAT'S
THE WAY IT IS.
AND YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO MOVE.
THEY FLY BY.
AUDRY: SO WHAT IS ALL THAT SINGING ABOUT?
>> OVER THE NEXT 4 WEEKS, THESE BIRDS SINGING IS THE WAY THESE
BIRDS ESTABLISH TERRITORIES.
EVEN THE BIRDS THAT ARE MIGRATING THROUGH, IT'S IN THEIR
JUICES.
ALL THEY ARE DOING IS ESTABLISHING THEIR BOUNDARIES.
I JUST HEARD A COUPLE OF CARDINALS SINGING RIGHT HERE AND
BASICALLY THEY ARE SAYING, ALRIGHT, THIS IS MY TERRITORY,
THEY KNOW WHERE IT IS.
WE DON’T, BUT THEY WILL NOT CROSSOVER.
AUDREY: IT ISN’T JUST SINGING WE HEARD.
PILEATED WOODPECKERS KNOWN FOR THEIR BRIGHT STRIP OF RED HAIR
WERE VERY BUSY ON THIS DAY, THE CONSTANT DRUMMING OF THIS GUY
COULD BE HEARD AS HE BUSILY PECKED AWAY AT THIS TREE.
>> THE DRUMMING OF THE WOODPECKER SAYS, THIS IS MY
TERRITORY, STAY OUT.
AUDREY: THE NEW HAMPSHIRE AUDUBON SOCIETY HAS BEEN
PROTECTING BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE FOR OVER 100 YEARS.
ESTABLISHED IN 1914, THE AUDUBON SOCIETY HAS NEARLY 40 WILDLIFE
SANCTUARIES AROUND THE STATE, AND IS ONE OF THE OLDEST AUDUBON
SOCIETIES IN THE COUNTRY.
>> THE AUDUBON HISTORY IS FOCUSED ON PROTECTING BIRDS AND
BIRD HABITAT.
WE HAVE BEEN AN ORGANIZATION FOR OVER 100 YEARS.
WE FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION, BIRD SCIENCE,
PROTECTING LANDS, AND INFLUENCING ENVIRONMENTAL
POLICY.
AUDREY: AUDUBON PRESIDENT DAVID BECHTEL SAYS BIRDS CAN ACTUALLY
TELL US ABOUT THE HEALTH OF THE ENVIRONMENT, ESPECIALLY WHEN
CERTAIN SPECIES BEGIN TO DISAPPEAR.
>> ONE EASY EXAMPLE, MANY OF O BIRDS OF PREY, SPECIFICALLY BALD
EAGLES AND PARAGON FALCONS, WERE DISAPPEARING BECAUSE OF POISON
CALLED DDT, AS SOON AS DDT WAS BANNED FROM
THE ENVIRONMENT, THOSE SPECIES REBOUNDE
AUDREY: BUT IT'S NOT JUST ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS THAT CAN
KILL OFF THE BIRD POPULATION, THERE IS ANOTHER PREDATOR DEEMED
DANGEROUS TO BIRDS, AND IT’S ONE MANY OF US ADORE.
YES, CATS, WE ARE TALKING TO YOU.
KEEP YOUR CAT INDOORS AND LET IT VIEW BIRDS FROM INSIDE THE
HOUSE.
ANOTHER HAZARD?
LARGE WINDOWS.
>> PUTTING THINGS ON YOUR WINDOWS THAT THEY CAN SEE IN THE
SHAPE OF A FALCON OR BIRD OF PREY, KEEP THEM ON YOUR WINDOWS
TO AVOID THE KILLING OF MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF BIRDS EVERY
YEAR.
>> EVERY DAY OUT HERE IS A NEW ONE.
AUDREY: BOB QUINN HAS BEEN BIRDING FOR MORE THAN 45 YEARS.
AS A NATURE GUIDE, HE TAKES CLIENTS ALL OVER THE WORLD TO
SEE OUR FINE FEATHERED FRIENDS.
HE KNOWS HIS BIRDS.
>> TREE SWALLOW CALLING, CHIPPING SPARROW, BLUEBIRD, RED
BELLY WOODPECKER OUT IN THE WOOD
A GOOD BIRDER CAN LOCATE AND IDENTIFY 80% TO 90% OF THE BIRDS
BY VOICE.
I SPEND MOST OF MY TIME IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA, BUT A
-- BUT AUSTRALIA IS ONE OF THE MOST EXOTIC PLACES I HAVE EVER
BEEN.
A LOT OF OUR BIRDS GO TO CENTRAL AMERICA, FOR THE WINTER, THEY
ARE COMING BACK NOW AND THEY ARE PART WAY HERE, WE GET A THRILL
OF EXCITEMENT IN MAY WHEN ALL THESE WARBLERS AND BRIGHTLY
COLORED BIRDS COME BACK.
AUDREY: BUT NOT ALL SPECIES ARE RETURNING IN LARGE NUMBERS.
DR. PAMELA HUNT IS A SENIOR BIOLOGIST WITH THE AUDUBON
SOCIETY, AND AUTHOR OF A RECENT REPORT CALLED "STATE OF BIRDS IN
NEW HAMPSHIRE."
TRACKING BIRD POPULATIONS, SHE SAYS ABOUT ONE HALF OF BIRD
SPECIES HERE IS DECLINING.
>> IT COULD BE LOCAL THREATS TO HABITAT LOSS AND DEVELOPMENT
WHICH OBVIOUSLY IS STILL GOING ON.
FOR MOST, OF THESE SPECIES ARE MIGRATORY.
THEY LEAVE NEW HAMPSHIRE IN THE FALL, AND GET BACK HERE THIS
TIME OF YEAR, AND FOR THOSE 8 TO 9 MONTHS OF THE YEAR, THEY ARE
NOT EVEN NEAR HERE BUT THEY HAVE TO FACE THE SAME THREATS, SO IF
THERE IS HABITAT LOSS OR AN OIL SPILL OR DEFORESTATION, ANY OF
THESE THINGS HAPPENING IN LATIN AMERICA, THE CARIBBEAN, OR
FLORIDA, THAT COULD CARRY UP TO THE POPULATION YOU SEE HERE.
AUDREY: SINCE THE PANDEMIC, FOLKS OF ALL AGES TOOK ADVANTAGE
OF THE AUDUBON TRAILS.
>> WE MADE SURE OUT TRAILS REMAIN OPEN DURING THE PANDEMIC.
IT’S IMPORTANT TO CONNECT TO NATURE DURING THIS TOUGH TIME.
AUDREY: WHAT'S ESPECIALLY FUN ABOUT BIRDING IN THE SPRING IS
THAT YOU ARE LIKELY TO SEE BIRDS AT THEIR MOST COLORFUL, THAT IS
BECAUSE IT IS MATING SEASON, SO THE MALE BIRDS WILL BOAST THESE
BRIGHT, BRILLIANT COLORS IN AN EFFORT TO ATTRACT ITS FEMALE
PARTNER.
THE AUDUBON HAS DOZENS OF THESE BOXES ENCOURAGING SPECIES LIKE
BLUEBIRDS AND SWALLOWS TO BREED, NEST, AND RAISE THEIR YOUNG
HERE.
THEY ALSO NEED TO FATTEN UP.
MIGRATING BIRDS CAN TRAVEL UP TO 600 MILES A DAY, SOME SPECIES
SLEEP WHILE FLYING.
>> THEY NEED PLACES TO REST AND FEED, AND THEY WILL LOOK FOR
AREAS PARTICULARLY ALONG THE EDGES OF PONDS IN POOR WEATHER
BECAUSE THEY ARE LOOKING F INSECTS.
SO YOU CAN SEE LOTS OF BIRDS, THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL, THEY ARE
SINGING, AND AFTER A LONG WINTER IT IS JUST SO NICE TO SEE THEM
BACK AGAIN.
♪