Credits

Created by Christine Stephens, additional voice: Kerry Skiff. Explore Natural Communities Intern Summer 2017, NatureServe.

Sounds: Wind Houling 1, by Bosk1 (freesound.org). Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0. City Traffic (outdoor), by embracetheart (freesound.org); Wings-flapping, by Tommy Mooney (freesound.org); Bear Growl and Roar, by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (freesound.org). Public Domain. Woodthrush, Indigo Bunting, and other bird sounds recorded by ENC Interns 2017. Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0.

Music: Thinking Music, by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0.

Photo: Acadian Flycatcher in a Forest, by Judy Teague, courtesy of NatureServe. Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0.

References:
Bird Migration Facts
Habitat Impacts

Transcript

Podcast time: 3:14 minutes

[sound of wind and wings flapping]

[First Voice] Flap, flap, flap, on and on. It's been hours since my wings have had a rest, and boy, am I tired and hungry, too! It’s almost dawn, so I’m searching for a place to touch down and recharge, but I've run into a problem! I'm on my usual migratory route from Mexico to Canada and I’m expecting to land in a forest that I visit every year, but I can't seem to find it anywhere! [city traffic sounds fade in] All I see below are rows and rows of houses with no food, no shelter, and nowhere for me to hide from predators. What am I going to do?

[Second voice] Maybe you haven't thought much about the impact of human development on migratory birds, butterflies, and bats, but habitat loss is a serious threat to their survival. [music fades in]

Migrating animals travel thousands of miles every year to reach their destinations for breeding or overwintering. But, they can’t just pack up a cooler. They need spots to touch down along the way that provide food, water, and rest. [bird singing] Many birds travel at night, so they need the cover that the canopy provides to protect them from daytime predators while they rest and look for food. [bird chirping] A forested oasis fits the bill! Natural communities like floodplain forests or grasslands provide everything migrating animals need to restore energy lost during a long night of flying. [bird singing]

Unfortunately, these habitats are becoming fewer and farther between as human development expands into natural areas. National parks and protected areas provide spaces for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife to get some quality R&R (rest and relaxation), whether they're passing through or looking for a place to settle down. [bird chirping]

When natural or forested areas are divided by human activity and development, it's called habitat fragmentation. Fragmentation is a problem in natural communities because it reduces the amount and quality of habitat available for species to thrive, even species that are just passing through. [bird singing] Native animals like birds, bats, and black bears, require large amounts of connected space, especially the bears! [bear roar]

We are surrounded by rapidly expanding human development and changes in land use, which destroy habitat. [bird chirping] National parks preserve habitat and create stepping stones for animals heading to breeding or wintering grounds. Even a small national park is an island oasis for native plants and wildlife in urbanized regions. As animals navigate the landscape, they need connections and corridors between these protected areas. [crickets fade in] Streamside natural communities are important corridors that animals can use to travel to larger areas of habitat. [woodpecker drilling] By not developing too close to a stream, we can protect these areas and help animals move more freely. When preserved, parks and the corridors that connect them can create a network of refuges for migrating animals. [sounds of insects and birds calling fades in]

[First Voice] Ahhh, thanks National Parks!

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