Birds and Human Behavior: How the Pandemic Altered Avian Land Use
November 19 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in extraordinary changes to human activity, especially during the initial few months of lockdown which coincided with spring bird migrations across North America.
News stories were filled with stories of wildlife showing up in new places or being noticed in greater numbers, but not all those reports were real or verifiable. How much did the decrease in human activity really impact wildlife, and if it did, what can we learn from that?
Dr. Michael Schrimpf will speak on his work using community science data from the eBird program to investigate the lessons we’ve learned from lockdowns. He is one of the authors of a recent study, Reduced human activity during COVID-19 alters avian land use across North America, which used records of more than 4.3 million birds observed by volunteers to examine whether reported bird abundances in cities and surrounding rural areas across Canada and the United States changed during the 2020 spring migration season.
About the Speaker
Dr. Michael Schrimpf is an ecologist who specializes in studying interactions between birds and their environment, both on land and at sea. His work has taken him to far-flung places around the world, including across North America, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, and Antarctica. He is currently transitioning from a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Manitoba’s Natural Resources Institute to a position with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Birds and Human Behavior: How the Pandemic Altered Avian Land Use from CPAWS Manitoba on Vimeo.
Lunch and Learns
Nature has been here for us during the pandemic.
CPAWS Manitoba wants to maintain this positive connection to nature by providing a space for Manitobans to connect online from the safety of our homes and be inspired by nature in our backyards and beyond.
Join CPAWS Manitoba for weekly lunch and learn presentations from experts across the province who will share their knowledge and passion and bring new nature-inspired activities into our lives.
This program is possible thanks to the generous support of The Winnipeg Foundation and the Conservation Trust, a Manitoba Climate and Green Plan Initiative delivered by the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation.