| The Executive Office of Environmental Affairs describes biodiversity as the variety of life and its processes, which includes the diversity of living organisms, genetic differences among them, the communities and ecosystems in which they occur, and the ecological and evolutionary processes that keep them functioning, changing and adapting. Tracking and understanding the ecological relationships between bird behavior and use of habitat, natural landforms and human interaction helps to connect people to the natural world and develop support for protecting habitats in our communities. Alterations or destruction of habitat can result in significant reduction in the diversity and numbers of birds.
How are we doing?
In 2002, on a single day at a single place, Boston Public School students observed 127 birds from 15 species — including four Kingbirds, six Mallard Ducks, 71 Canadian Geese, one American Crow, 10 House Sparrows, four Song Sparrows, four Rough-winged Swallows, one Spotted Sandpiper, one Baltimore Oriole, six Common Grackles, two Blue Jays, one Black-capped Chickadee, and three Rock Doves.
Beginning in 1999, students at Odyssey High School in South Boston have been monitoring the bird populations at Leverett Pond on the Muddy River. A comparison of data collected on a single day each year, over the course of four years, shows that 27 different species of birds visit the pond. The highest number of birds and species observed was in 2000 — 19 species and 207 birds. While Leverett Pond has a relatively high abundance of local resources that support birds, these data cannot be used currently to identify broad trends. An accurate avian diversity analysis requires a greater pool of information. Several factors such as temperature, precipitation and noise can account for the swing in numbers observed between years. This long-term study of the site begun by students will generate data suitable for broader analysis.
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