This spring, billions of migratory birds are working their way back to their breeding grounds in the United States and Canada, and they need your help. If this familiar mantra falls flat, perhaps consider doing so for your own health and well-being.

The COVID pandemic brought birds sharply into focus, both figuratively and literally, through the (binocular) lenses of many who found a new fascination with our feathered friends. Birds represented distraction, connection and freedom of movement – luxuries many of us lost for some time. For many, life eventually returned to normal, and birds drifted into the background again. For countless others – maybe yourself included? – time spent outdoors is now inextricably linked with the enjoyment of birds. A recent survey indicated an astounding 96 million people in the United States identify as birders.

The reasons we love birds are as varied and diverse as those who love them. Birds provide us with mental and physical health benefits such as increased exercise, decreased stress levels and an improved mood. Birds are also among nature’s best ecosystem services, as they provide pest control, and enjoying them is good for the economy, estimated at $279 billion in annual spending in the United States alone!

Further, protecting birds and their habitats means greater carbon sequestration, soil health and increased climate resilience, all of which benefit our species. It’s no wonder the narrative about protecting birds has begun to change.

Yet, one has to wonder if this a two-way street. Despite the tremendous interest in them, wild birds face a conservation crisis. In recent years, alarming reports known by their descriptive taglines such as ‘The Three Billion Birds Report,’ and ‘Tipping Point Species,’ detail staggering bird declines at all scales.

A more-acute threat now comes from within. In recent weeks, literally overnight in some cases, millions of dollars of federal funding to protect endangered and threatened species and conduct research has been eliminated, as well as thousands of jobs and countless other partnerships and conservation programs. In a time of greatest need to protect what’s left, intentional cuts and associated rollbacks of protective environmental regulations and programs will undoubtedly harm bird populations.

The results may play out at different time scales, but we’re sure to see negative consequences for many more species that benefit from this funding, too. In these transactional times, we must ask ourselves what this unraveling means for our own health as a species and as individuals who are better connected to the world through birds. If we can’t find it in our hearts or policies to protect birds for their own sake, the message that conserving birds supports clean air, clean water and a healthier environment for us all should resonate.

Let’s turn our appreciation for birds into changes we can make as individuals and communities. Thankfully, we are not alone, and there have been great victories due to our collective actions. The American Bird Conservancy has summarized some of the major bird conservation successes of 2024  at abcbirds.org/news/abc-2024-results.

Below are several simple solutions you can take to help protect birds this season.

Prevent bird-window collisions. Over 1 billion birds are killed in the United States each year due to collisions with glass, which happens both day and night. You, as a homeowner or renter, can make a difference by turning off outdoor lights at night and placing window decals or markers spaced two inches apart uniformly across the window. Products are available online, as are do-it-yourself solutions. Find one that works at abcbirds.org/solutions/prevent-home-collisions.

Keep cats indoors. Domestic cats are an invasive species in our natural environments, and studies have shown they are responsible for killing 2.4 billion birds in the United States each year.

Drink shade-grown coffee. Most of the world’s coffee is grown in the open in cleared forests, and as demand spreads, we’ve seen astounding losses in biodiversity, including that of birds. Simply transitioning your consumption choice from sun- to shade-grown coffee means supporting farms with more bird habitat for colorful warblers, orioles, and tanagers that migrate from the “neotropics” to our backyards each spring. For information, visit nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/about-bird-friendly-coffee.

Manage landscapes to protect native wildlife. Reverse habitat loss and degradation, perhaps the leading cause of human-driven bird mortality. This might be converting a patch of lawn to a native plant garden, or managing a woodlot with bird in mind. Small-scale efforts matter. For information, visit massaudubon.org/nature-wildlife/plants/native-beneficial-plants and extension.unh.edu/resource/your-woodlot-your-legacy-managing-songbird-habitat.

Eliminate the use of chemicals. Herbicides, pesticides like neonicotinoids and rodenticides, all of which are used residentially, do untold harm to bird populations. For information, visit abcbirds.org/blog/bird-friendly-gardening.

Support local and national conservation organizations that protect and advocate for birds and their habitats. The Harris Center is one of many groups that recognized a growing interest in, and the urgent need to protect, birds, and today incorporates bird monitoring, research and conservation into its work.

The center offers bird-focused public field trips and programs designed to educate, engage and bring the joy of birds to all. Finding a birding field trip near you has never been so easy, and this includes near-monthly offerings of the popular Birding for All and Young Birders Club field trips.

Become more bird aware and literate! Volunteer to monitor birds, and contribute your sightings to eBird.org. Subscribe to NH Bird Records journal at nhbirdrecords.org to learn more about them locally.

Phil Brown is bird conservation director for the Harris Center for Conservation Education. He can be reached at brown@harriscenter.org.