Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, about seven million birds are killed
every year by common household lawn pesticides. In general, insecticides are more dan-
gerous than herbicides, but both can cause neurological damage and cancers in birds and
even people. It's difficult and expensive to necropsy and do the necessary tests to learn
if pesticides have killed a bird. Most modern pesticides break down very quickly, both in
the environment and in the body, so finding the definitive cause of your robins would be
difficult and expensive at best.
In addition to weed killers for destroying dandelions and insecticides for killing cut-
worms, some lawn care applications include fertilizers. Although fertilizers would not be
to blame for sick robins, they seep down into groundwater, eventually working their way
into lakes, rivers, and streams, where they contribute to the excessive growth of aquatic
plants. So it's very important to minimize the use of fertilizers as well as pesticides. Be
sure to check the labels of every product you use, and if you hire a company to apply
lawn products, make sure they tell you what products they're using and the purpose of
each one. In all cases, it's sensible to apply the absolute minimum amount that would be
effectivefortheproblemahomeowneristackling.Unlessweedsaredire,it'smuchwiser
to pull or spot spray weeds than to spray every inch of lawn.
Better yet, an integrated pest management system can often maintain beautiful yards
without formulated chemicals. The EPA has information at
www.epa.gov/opp00001/
factsheets/ipm. htm
about using this “common-sense, effective, and environmentally
sensitive approach to pest management” that will help you keep your family, pets, and
wildbirdssafe.Ifyourneighborsseeyoursuccesswithit,perhapsthey'llconsidertrying
it, too.
Q When my nephew graduated from elementary school, I wanted to have a big bal-
loon release but he said that would be bad for birds and, of all things, turtles! Is this
true?
A
Balloons are lovely floating in the sky, but eventually they come back to earth. Since
two-thirdsofourplanetiscoveredbywater,agreatmanyreleasedballoonsfindtheirway
tolakesandoceans.Marinemammals,seaturtles,andmanyseabirdssuchaspelicansare
killed or seriously injured when they encounter them and get entangled in the strings or
swallow them. Strings from balloons sometimes ensnare birds in trees, too. You're lucky
to have such a conscientious and aware nephew! He may appreciate a tree planted in his
honor that will provide food and shelter for the birds he treasures for years to come. (Of
course, he'll also appreciate a gift he can use right now, too!)
