Book by Seattle author teaches how to coexist with birds

  • Herald news services
  • Monday, November 24, 2014 4:30pm
  • Life

Impassioned ornithologist John Marzluff has combed the United States — specifically the suburbs that ring large cities — to research what our feathered friends are up to. The result, “Welcome to Subirdia: Sharing Our Neighborhoods with Wrens, Robins, Woodpeckers and Other Wildlife” (Yale University Press), is surprising, uplifting and somewhat cautionary.

Marzluff, who is based at the University of Washington, starts the book in his own backyard on the outskirts of Seattle, where at 3 a.m. on a frigid January morning, he listens to two great horned owls exchange interrogatory territorial calls that happen to sound literal. Whoooo, says one, and in the distance the other asks the same.

In his well-researched book, he tells us what those of us living in urban areas can observe steps from our back doors, how it has worked out that way and how to enhance bird diversity and numbers. This is an edited version of our conversation.

Q: The wordplay in the book title is deliberately suggestive. What does that tell readers they should expect inside?

A: I hope it says that where they live is pretty darn rich in birds – in the variety, abundance and activity of the birds in that area.

Q: Would most people who read your book be surprised by what they learn?

A: I think they would, and that’s really the point for me – to encourage people to get out and look and not just ignore the richness around them, or feel that they have to go to the ends of the Earth to see nature, and birds specifically.

Q: You mention in the book that despite the overall loss of biodiversity we still have a lot to celebrate. So you’re saying that things aren’t as dire as people might think?

A: I don’t want to downplay the losses that have occurred and probably will accelerate in the future. But on the flip side, it’s important to understand that a lot of animals, especially birds because of their mobility and their general lifestyles, are able to live with us and exploit and adapt to our activities.

Q: Your breakdown of birds as exploiters, adaptors and avoiders makes it easier to understand what’s happening in suburban ecosystems. How do those designations take form?

A: The avoiders, it’s pretty easy to grasp that. They’re the ones that don’t do well with us. When we occupy certain places on Earth those are the species that drop out. Warblers are the classic avoiders. We do gain species that can adapt to our actions, like the junco, so the overall diversity increases. The exploiters are a pretty small group but are absolutely closely tied to our presence, and those are birds that tend to have house or barn in their name, like the house sparrow.

Q: From the perspective of the book, classic sprawling English lawns must drive you crazy.

A: They kill me. If there’s one thing we can do to increase the ability of other animals to live in the places we do it’s to get rid of lawns. A little patch here and there for robins or for us to play soccer on is fine, but it is just out of control. That’s the message. That’s not subirdia. That’s suburbia. But that’s what could be converted for a lot of win-win. People could spend less time on lawns, less energy and generate greater carbon storage. Almost anything about the lawn comes out as a negative for the environment.

Q: Are you familiar with the Chicago area in regard to bird life?

A: Chicago has done some great things. They have a very strong awareness program (Lights Out Chicago sponsored by the Audubon Society) for bright light (on tall buildings to reduce bird collisions). There’s been a change in that behavior, and that will certainly help a lot of migratory birds.

Q: Where does the Chicago area’s ecosystem fit in the context of your book?

A: It’s a really important one. It’s at this interface of forest and grassland, plus has a big lake, so there’s a huge migratory route there that a lot of species require and therefore come in close contact with residents. You have grassland species very close by; prairie chickens typically have declined with our activities, but some, like grouse and quail, can do quite well with our disturbance.

You also have the Chicago Wilderness Initiative there, which really has provided a lot of important remnants of habitat within the city and suburbs, and that’s the real key to increasing diversity. Go to those places and you can see all manner of birds. And by having those birds around you also get spillover into the neighborhoods.

You have aquatic, forest and Great Plains species there, plus development has included a valuing of green space for people, but also for the animals that utilize them. By maintaining the unique and interesting habitats around your area, more prairie and meadow habitats, that’s what’s key.

Q: How big of a problem are domestic cats?

A: It’s got to be the No. 1 problem in terms of (bird deaths). The whole idea is to increase the size of the habitat in which birds can live with us, and then take out the limiting factors – and No. 1 in order of magnitude is the house cat. The median average (of birds killed by house cats) is 2.4 billion. Keep your house cats in the house. Even if they get out and don’t kill birds, just their presence will reduce the birds’ tending of their nests.

Q: You list nine commandments for people if they want to support bird life. What’s the common thread running across those?

A: It’s more like three threads:

Increase the habitat. The more native the better, but it doesn’t have to be all native. And increase the connections of those habitats. So, habitat first.

Reducing mortality is second: That’s the cats and (bird collisions with) windows and lights that are well-documented hazards.

Third, get out there and enjoy the nature around you and bond with it so you will care for it.

Sustainability is all about people and their attitudes, wonder and care, and their understanding of the benefits of having wildlife around, which is economic as well as social and aesthetic. We did a study here in Seattle and found that people spend $120 million a year on bird food, feeders and nest boxes. And that’s just what the people we asked told us. One in every five people in the U.S. feeds birds.

The U.S. Fish &Wildlife Service has a bounty of information on birds, and what homeowners and gardeners can do to protect and attract migratory as well as year-round species, at fws.gov/migratorybirds (type “home for birds” in the search field). Included on the site are the best bird feeders for specific species.

To learn how to prevent bird collisions with windows (the cause of millions of avian deaths), go to another great site, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology (birds.cornell.edu and type “window collisions” in the search field).

Including native plants in your landscaping helps birds and wildlife. Here are just a few of the plants suggested by the Chicago Wilderness Initiative: viburnum, native phlox, juneberry, blazing star, sedges, native asters, purple coneflower. Learn more at (chicagowilderness.org).

The National Audubon Society website has information for gardeners who want to create bird-friendly habitats for year-round species and the migratory birds passing through in fall and spring.

Talk to us

More in Life

Everett comedian Taylor Clark performs stand-up in 2023 at The Triple Door in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Mike Bryk)
Comedian Taylor Clark to film first special Friday in Everett

The skateboarding funny-man will record an hour of his stand-up at the Historic Everett Theater.

Local musician Alex Johnston, whose newest album "Daylight Fooldream" pairs with short film he made with help from his partner Mikaela Henderson, sits with his morning coffee on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, at Narrative Coffee in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Folktronica musician shoots 37-minute visual album on iPhone in Everett

Alex Johnston, 31, describes his music as ”if Coldplay and Bon Iver had a love child.”

Flowering knotweed Persicaria amplexicaulis firetail in the morning light.
Save for one infamous variety, fleece flowers are easy to fall in love with

This long-blooming, easy-to-grow perennial comes in many desirable varieties. But watch out: One is an invasive knotweed.

A view of King Street Station in Seattle, Washington from an Amtrak Cascades train to Portland, Oregon from Everett, Washington on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Ride the rails on Amtrak Cascades from Everett to Portland

Make new friends and let Amtrak do the driving on this 5-hour trip past sea, city and forest.

From left, Elora Coble, Carol Richmond, David Hayes, Karli Reinbold, Giovanna Cossalter Walters, Landon Whitbread in a scene from Edmonds Driftwood Players' production of "Murder on the Orient Express." (Dale Sutton / Magic Photography)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Edmonds Driftwood Players opens its 65th season with Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express.”

Some collectibles are found in nature; some imitate them. If it weren’t for the attached figure, this Royal Dux porcelain vase might pass for a real conch shell.
This shell-shaped vase would make a fine souvenir of summer fun

It may not be a real shell, but this art nouveau piece could still evoke fond memories of days at the beach.

Arlington Garden Club celebrating its 90th anniversary

The club has monthly programs for north Snohomish County gardeners and awards scholarships to area students.

Spouses Franchesca and Don Simpson talk about their baby girl’s “chubby cheeks” and “button nose” as Kelly Fox RDMS RVT performs a live-view 3D ultrasound on the expecting mother Saturday, August 26, 2023, at Wonder Baby Ultrasound Studio in Everett, Washington. The Simpsons are expecting their first child in October. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Glamour shots in utero? Everett studio offers HD ultrasound keepsakes

For curious parents, these glimpses are exciting, but not medically endorsed.

An Oxford White grille with red “BRONCO” lettering signifies the 2023 Ford Bronco Sport Heritage Limited Edition model. (Ford)
2023 Ford Bronco Sport has two new Heritage Edition models

Design and paint treatments pay homage to the original Bronco introduced in 1966.

Most Read