While driving to Myrtle Beach recently on a cloudy winter day, I thought about the time when the secondary road was built and there was nothing but forest on both sides.
It was not uncommon to see a lot of wildlife at that time, especially wild birds flying back and forth on the road.
On this day, I drove from Murrells Inlet to the heart of Myrtle Beach. Now, of course, there are only developments and shopping malls along the previously forested route – and no birds crossed the road as I drove to my destination. On the way back, a lone crow and a single seagull appeared.
I also remember, on my many visits to the Francis Marion National Forest and the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, where there is still a beautiful habitat around, that these areas contained huge populations of all types of bird species. Many songbirds could be seen and heard throughout the forest – especially in winter. These forests are much quieter now.
Here at Murrells Inlet, just 20 years ago, there were many songbirds that visited my feeders every day – cardinals, towhees, orioles, tanager, buntings and many other more populous species. Now, these visits are not so common.
Recent scientific studies have revealed that the entire North American continent is experiencing similar scenarios. Since the 1970s, the continent has lost almost 30% of its bird population – about 3 billion birds. Especially affected are the areas where pastures have been converted to biofuel plantations and along the east coast, where rapid development has eliminated even more habitat.
Many experts also point to chemicals of human convenience, such as fertilizers and pesticides, as the culprits. Birds eat insects that have ingested chemicals – and birds die. Many of these chemicals have been recklessly deregulated in the past four years.
There are some bright spots where the wetlands have been protected. Ducks, geese and related water birds, in addition to the birds of prey that attack them, are doing very well. But scientists have determined that 19 of the most common species have lost more than 50 million birds since 1970. Twelve groups, including sparrows, songbirds, finches and blackbirds, have been particularly hard hit, according to Scientific American and other publications.
In the past two decades, I have also seen a marked increase locally in scavenger species, such as grackles, catbirds, crows and seagulls, while the most common species have virtually disappeared.
When I was young, there were very few vultures in sight, especially in the field where wild animals run over on the roads and other similar animals were more common. Now, they can be seen gathering in huge flocks on the roofs of restaurants. If a trash can is left open, they descend on it with great enthusiasm.
This is just one example of how man changed the methods of feeding wild birds. Not long ago, I noticed a large group of beautiful red-headed woodpeckers in a feeding frenzy – but they weren’t pecking at wood. I stopped to observe their technique as they swarmed the many insects that gathered in the night lights of the awning at a local gas station.
Just two nights before, I had heard the methodical passes of an airplane spraying mosquitoes. I am sure that there were many more victims of this spraying than ever before.
And so on. Rapid development has replaced our natural areas with concrete, asphalt and steel. Roofs, sidewalks and streets have replaced beautiful trees and wildlife habitats with landscapes that greatly increase flooding and accelerate the drainage of rainwater, full of its pollution, into our waterways.
If we listen a little more closely and observe a little more closely, we can only understand that we are poisoning everything we absolutely need (and love) as we walk the path to human convenience, the almighty dollar and, eventually, the poisoning of humanity.
Rick Baumann is the founder of Murrells Inlet Seafood and serves on the board of the Small Business Chamber of SC.