Do I call an environmental scientist or a priest about this (terrifying) swarm of birds?
Your yard is an ecosystem.
Spring has sprung in Eastern Kansas. The daffodils are blooming and the migratory birds are returning - sometimes in dramatic fashion.
Many of us likely take notice of the first robin of Spring. Maybe you’re lucky enough to have a nearby nest where you can witness the change in season as eggs become hatchlings, then fledglings and eventually fly the nest.
But Spring doesn’t always come with children’s book cuteness. Sometimes it takes the form of terrifying swarms of blackbirds as happened for me this week.
Those of us who grew up in the plains states are likely familiar with scenes like this.
Or if you’re me trying to sleep in on an otherwise quiet Sunday morning, this.
As it turns out, the din of birds squawking and screeching outside my window was not a punishment from a spurned pagan god, nor a previously unknown 8th plague of revelation. These birds are just doing what they have always done this time of year: looking for food and mating.
You’re the most important species in the neighborhood.
I’ve lived in the suburbs of Johnson County for 20 of my 25 years on this Earth (my therapist drives a REALLY nice car) and almost always ignored the nature that surrounds me. That’s pretty easy to do given that we live most of our lives inside of manmade boxes - homes, cars, office complexes - that are between 68 and 72 degrees fahrenheit year-round. Unless you’re at my grandma’s, which sits at around 79 degrees. (She’s also wearing a sweater.)
But this transition from Winter to Spring is a great time to take note of the fact that even the suburbs are part of a complex and dynamic ecosystem. More importantly, whether you’re aware of it or not, you’re contributing to the local ecology. And I’m not just talking about your bird feeder. (Mine is squirrel-proof!)
Your hedgerow and groundcover provides vital shelter for smaller songbirds trying to escape from predators like hawks (and house cats). Ornamental bushes with little berries or flowers can be an important source of food and pollination. The fertilizer on your lawn and salt on your driveway ultimately ends up in the creek, which can drastically change the chemistry and biology of your local watershed.
Didn’t know we even had watersheds here? It’s probably because in the ‘burbs we spend more time rocketing over tributary streams at 45 miles an hour while searching for the right Spotify playlist and the fries at the bottom of the bag than we do noticing the land we inhabit everyday.
That’s not your fault necessarily, it’s just how we build things around here - with cars in mind. Thankfully, really smart people have created tools and resources to help us learn about the nature in our own backyards and improve our relationship with it.
Quit littering, assh*le!
Jk. You should definitely stop littering, but there are tons of proactive things you can do other than just the bare minimum.
If you just looked out your window and were only able to identify the organisms you saw as “bird” and “tree,” check out the iNaturalist app. This crowdsourced database allows you to take pictures of the things you see everyday and identify the species - like that one type of tree that smells that one way. (Hint: It’s called a Bradford Pear and it’s literally the worst thing ever.)
You can also let other people do the work for you and see what has already been identified in your neck of the woods. Did you know there are beavers in Lake Lenexa?
If you know the plants and wildlife living nearby, you’ll notice them. Life is more interesting when ambient nature noise becomes a cacophony of mourning doves, red-winged blackbirds and red-bellied woodpeckers. It also connects us to our neighbors and generations of people who lived on the land before us. (Stop listening to podcasts about developing a passive income during your mental health walks through the park.)
So bad news, your lawn sucks.
If you’re ready to make a change to support your hyperlocal ecosystem, let’s talk about ditching your lawn.
“Wait why? I thought everything in my yard was part of the ecosystem. Doesn’t that include my lawn?”
-You probably
I know, I know. The monocultural (single-species) lawn is as much a staple of suburban life as white kids in karate classes and absolute, irrational disdain for a neighbor you’ve never spoken to. But it doesn’t provide anything for other species. It’s not a food source and only becomes shelter if you stop mowing it for weeks at a time (speaking of hating your neighbors…).
It also needs a metric crap-ton of water because of its puny root system. I’m not joking, what’s happening underground is incredible. I’m about to show you a chart that absolutely changed my life. (Granted I’m a very specific-type of weirdo.) Ready?
I know you may not give even a half a shit about what’s happening underground, but here’s why you should. A complex law is a healthy lawn. The little bugs, beetles and bacteria (ok, alliteration) that live in this forest of plant roots improve soil health and provide a nice meal for those adorable chickadees I mentioned earlier. They also provide nutrients for your precious shade trees that contribute to your home’s value.
Even if you don’t care about the general health of your backyard environment (because you hate nature I guess), native grasses play a vital role in preventing flooding and keeping water out of your basement. All of those roots provide channels for rainwater to seep into the soil instead of quickly running into the street, then sewer, then already bloated creek. That also means fewer multi-million dollar stormwater projects and river diversions. (Republicans read: lower taxes!) To sum it up, slow water = good; Fast water = expensive.
There’s free money you could be using!
Though we sometimes have beef, my hometown of Overland Park is an expertly-run city when it comes to public works and services (Shoutout City Manager Bill Ebel). That means there’s a whole webpage on all of the stuff I just mentioned! (Be still my heart.)
This also includes cost-sharing programs for eligible projects in your literal backyard (Rain and Pollinator Gardens, Rain Barrels, Native Tree Plantings, Native Buffers and Swales, Riparian Plants, Rain Cisterns, Permeable Pavement, Floating Wetlands!!!). Because even meat-hating, socialist hippies are itemizing on their tax returns nowadays.
If you’re not lucky enough to live in a municipality with a world-class native plants program, you should find out what options are available in your city or county. You should also suggest they create a similar rebate program to help your neighbors make this sustainable change too. Just be careful because if you suggest too many changes you’ll probably get asked to run for a board position with your water conservation district (you should definitely do this too).
Alright, let’s wrap this shit up.
If you’ve read this far, you’ve endured a pretty deep dive that included jargon like “monocultural” and “swales.” (I apologize.) That must mean you’re either as big a nerd as I am or you’ve definitely spent enough time procrastinating that thing you know you should be doing right now.
Here’s the wrap-up: Part of being a responsible property owner is being aware of your impact on the environment. Even if you rent your home or live in your parents basement (which is a totally cool and normal thing to do as a 25 year old), there are many changes we can make, large and small, that make the suburbs a better place to live for plants and animals (including humans).
I’m not advocating that we tear down the entirety of the built environment and return to a hunter gatherer society. (Although…..?) But we should be thinking of the land we live on as just that - land. If you’re the one who takes care of your yard, you’re both a land manager and a steward of nature.
Let’s remember that as the trees start to bud and landscaping companies leave those little fliers on all of our front doors. (See Municipal Code Title 5 § 5.64)