Protecting the Pacific Flyway
By Hunter Herbert, MDLT volunteer
The Pacific Flyway is a flight path for migratory birds that originates in Alaska and ends in Patagonia, South America, passing through California along the way. It is a valuable route for birdlife, shown through the volume of birds passing through each year - around one billion altogether!
A flock of seagulls take flight above the Salton Sea in California. Photo: Matthew Dillon, courtesy of Flickr
The Flyway spans over 4,000 miles, and forms one of four major migratory routes in North America. Due to its length, birds need stopover points to fuel up and to rest, which means key habitats like wetlands and lakes along the way need to be protected.
The Salton Sea is an attractive rest stop for millions of birds (approximately 400 species) in California due to the water and food contained in the lake, such as brine shrimp, which nourish waders and waterfowl. However, the Salton Sea is California’s most polluted inland lake. Lack of inflow from the Colorado River and the ongoing impacts of climate change have created a toxic environment resulting in an increased concentration of salts and agricultural chemicals. This has led to deaths of the fish and insects within.
Salton Sea photo courtesy of Audubon.org
The decline of available food and water poses an increased risk of exhaustion to migratory birds as the Salton Sea becomes a less viable place for them to rest and replenish their energy. Among humans, studies have shown that people living in the nearby eastern Coachella Valley suffer from alarmingly high rates of childhood asthma, among a range of other health implications. To protect residents and wildlife, the Salton Sea is the focus of a 10-year state plan to improve conditions by constructing 30,000 acres of habitat and dust suppression projects around the sea.
Impressive journeys
To better understand migratory birds and their routes, the recently released Audubon Bird Migration Explorer shows the distribution of select species based on data from certain locations.
Salton City, a California desert “hotspot”, shows 95 species in the area that travel in and around the US, while 33 and 31 respectively journey to Mexico and Canada. This illustrates just how important the Salton Sea is to birds from both continents using it as a stopover on their annual migration.
One of the most impressive journeys undertaken was by two Whimbrel who travelled from the Salton City area to Chiloé National Park in Chile. This cross-continental journey of just over 5,500 miles is even more incredible considering Whimbrel weigh approximately 13 ounces!
A whimbrel in flight. Photo: Trish Gussler, courtesy of Flickr.
Even after making the long exhausting migration or stopping off during it, birds are then faced with more challenges, especially drought, which is intensified in a desert ecosystem where water stress is already prevalent. Dehydration and heat exhaustion cause increased mortality rates to birds making a long journey.
The Audubon Bird Migration Explorer shows migration routes and where birds are under threat.
With climate change intensifying, drought conditions will become more common and more severe and cause more bird and wildlife fatalities. It is vital to manage water usage to prevent further evaporation of crucial water sources to protect key stopover points for birds travelling along the Pacific Flyway, bird communities, and the many people living in the region.