![\"Ecological](\"https:\/\/esa.org\/esa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/ESA2015-Baltimore-logo_204_300.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/a>ESA Centennial Annual Meeting, August 9-14, 2015 in Baltimore, Md.\n<\/em>
\nEcological Science at the Frontier<\/em><\/p>\n
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- Program<\/a><\/li>\n
- Press Releases<\/a><\/li>\n
- Media Registration<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Many of us lavish attention on our front yards, spending precious weekend hours planting, mowing, and manicuring the plants around our homes to look nice for neighbors and strangers passing by. But from the point of view of our feathered friends, our shaggy backyards are far more attractive.<\/p>\n
![\"Is](\"https:\/\/esa.org\/esa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/backyard-birds-robin-pokeweed-c_whelan-300x201.jpg\")
<\/a>Is a robin eating backyard pokeweed berries a welcome visitor or weed-spreading nuisance? Credit, C. Whelan<\/em>.<\/p><\/div>\n
So found ecologist Amy Belaire when she surveyed human and avian residents in 25 Cook County neighborhoods in suburban Chicago. She will present her research during the 100th<\/sup> Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America<\/a> on August 9\u201314, during a session on Urban Ecosystems<\/a> that also includes Caroline Dingle\u2019s observations on how birds modulate their songs to be heard over the noise of daily life in Hong Kong, and Kara Belinsky\u2019s exploration of how many trees it takes to make a forest (from a bird\u2019s point of view) in suburban New York.<\/p>\n
Belaire, a natural resources manager and education and research coordinator at St. Edward\u2019s University\u2019s Wild Basin Creative Research Center in Austin, Tex., and her colleagues Lynne Westphal (USDA Forest Service) and Emily Minor (University of Illinois Chicago) asked people about their perceptions and awareness of birds in their neighborhoods and how they felt about having birds around their homes. They also asked about the yard design and management choices that residents make in both front and back yards. The researchers also looked at socioeconomic factors and used statistical analysis to tease out the relative importance on yard management choices of neighbors, factors like income, and perceptions of local birds.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe cool thing about this is how much it reveals about backyards,\u201d said Belaire. \u201cOur most interesting take-away is that backyards tend to be treasure troves of ecological resources<\/strong>. It\u2019s where you find a lot of factors helpful to native birds\u2014more vegetation complexity, more plants bearing fruits and berries\u2014and more design with the intention of attracting birds.\u201d<\/p>\n
When planting and cultivating their front yards, people seemed most motivated by what their neighbors were doing. But in managing backyards, perceptions of birds became important to residents. This suggests that local birds may motivate stewardship<\/strong>. People enjoyment of and appreciation for birds appears to translate into on-the-ground effects, at least in backyards.<\/p>\n
![\"Examples](\"https:\/\/esa.org\/esa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/backyard-birds-Chicago-yards-300x139.jpg\")
<\/a>Examples of front yards in Belaire and colleagues\u2019 study area in the greater Chicago region.\n
Credit: E. Minor<\/em>.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>
Belaire found a surprising 36 bird species<\/strong> living in or passing through the Chicago neighborhoods. In landscapes increasingly sublimated to human industry, parks and yards within cities are potentially essential habitat for local birds as well as oases for birds stopping by on long seasonal migrations. Belaire and colleagues want to know what motivates people in the design of their yards, and what yard elements matter the most to the birds.<\/p>\n
Models of her data indicated that the resources in groups of neighboring yards were, as clusters, more important for predicting the diversity and distribution of bird species than measurements of whole neighborhood, or landscape scale, tree cover. In Cook County, backyards with more trees, especially a mix of evergreen and broadleaf trees, more fruit and berries, and fewer outdoor cats had more native bird species. Bird feeders did not have an effect on the number and diversity of birds.<\/p>\n
Belaire said she and her colleagues were cheered by the excellent response rate to the survey and the overall enthusiasm of residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it was because of the subject matter. Birds are something that people care about and are excited about,\u201d she said. \u201cI was surprised by how much people enjoyed being part of a scientific study and felt honored to be asked<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n
The importance of yard-scale land management choices in boosting the presence of native bird species in urban areas was also encouraging for its implications for outreach programs. The efforts of individuals can make a difference and many people care about outcomes for birds. In the future, people may even be influenced by neighbors to make changes that could help birds thrive.<\/p>\n
![\"Cook](\"https:\/\/esa.org\/esa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/backyard-birds-sample-responses-courtesy-J-Amy-Belair-300x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Cook County, Ill. homeowners respond to survey questions about nature in their yards or neighborhoods. Courtesy, J. Amy Belaire<\/em>.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s empowering,\u201d said Belaire. \u201cEvery little bit matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Different social drivers, including perceptions of urban wildlife, explain the ecological resources in front vs. back yards<\/a><\/strong> (COS 151-4)<\/p>\n
J. Amy Belaire<\/strong>, Wild Basin Creative Research Center, St. Edward\u2019s University, Austin, TX<\/p>\n
Friday, August 14, 2015: 9:00 AM, rm 347.<\/em><\/p>\n
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More meeting sessions on urban birds:<\/strong><\/p>\n
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- COS 151-2 A coo story: Both oscine and non-oscine birds adjust their songs in noisy cities<\/a>Caroline Dingle, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Hong Kong,\n
Friday, August 14, 2015: 8:20 AM, rm 347<\/em><\/p><\/li>\n
- COS 151-9 Avian diversity and abundance on a suburban university campus: Are trees enough to make a forest from a bird\u2019s point of view?<\/a>Kara L. Belinsky, Biology, SUNY New Paltz\n
Friday, August 14, 2015: 10:50 AM, rm 347<\/em><\/p><\/li>\n
- COS 93-7 Effects of urban noise, irrigation, and neighborhood socioeconomics on bird communities in Fresno, California<\/a>Madhusudan Katti, Biology, California State University, Fresno\n
Wednesday, August 12, 2015: 3:40 PM, rm 348<\/em><\/p><\/li>\n
- PS 57-168 Improving biodiversity in urban gardens: Determinates of garden bird abundances in Greenville County, SC<\/a>Katherine B Murray, Biology, Furman University\n
- COS 151-9 Avian diversity and abundance on a suburban university campus: Are trees enough to make a forest from a bird\u2019s point of view?<\/a>Kara L. Belinsky, Biology, SUNY New Paltz\n
- Press Releases<\/a><\/li>\n