{"id":29105,"date":"2023-03-28t17:45:01","date_gmt":"2023-03-28t17:45:01","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/?p=29105"},"modified":"2023-08-03t16:32:40","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03t16:32:40","slug":"rock-creek-songbirds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/rock-creek-songbirds\/","title":{"rendered":"this spring, a changing environment for rock creek park\u2019s songbirds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
on a warm and sunny day in early march, you might be able to spot a few birds perched in the budding trees of rock creek park \u2014 and if you listen closely, you can hear them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
though it\u2019s early in the season for the area\u2019s songbirds, the chirps and calls of some species are a sign of what\u2019s to come as temperatures warm and flowers bloom. but this spring highlights a challenging trend: fewer songbirds are returning to the park each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
rock creek park has long been a hotspot for birders to watch the migration of northbound songbirds each spring. positioned along the atlantic flyway<\/a> migration route, d.c.\u2019s largest park is home to a variety of birds passing through each year on their return from the winter retreat to warmer climates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201ca key part of the park\u2019s value is as a safe migration route for birds that are traveling north and south,\u201d said bill yeaman, the national park service\u2019s resource management specialist for rock creek park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n to the casual park goer, rock creek park seems inundated with birds each spring. but changing migration patterns and habitat disruption mean that songbirds are disappearing from the area, leaving conservationists concerned about the future of the park\u2019s biodiversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n over 150 species<\/a> of birds call the 1,754-acre rock creek park home. many of those species are migratory birds that inhabit the park during the warmer months and migrate south to central and south america for the winter. but each year, fewer birds are making the thousand-mile journey. a 2019 study revealed that the bird population of north america plummeted by almost a third since 1970, resulting in a net loss of nearly three billion birds<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n one species falling victim to this trend is the wood thrush, a small, cinnamon-brown songbird with striking black spots \u2014 the official bird of d.c.<\/a> the wood thrush population in the united states has decreased by more than 60%<\/a> since 1966.<\/p>\n\n\nthe vanishing songbird<\/h2>\n\n\n\n