00:00Tourists and locals alike have been flocking to this Toronto park in hopes of seeing migratory birds.
00:07But this year, it's been harder to find them.
00:10Researchers say a changing climate is directly linked to a troubling decline.
00:16Shane Abernethy is the bander in charge at Tommy Thompson Park's Bird Research Station.
00:21The station exists to monitor the migratory birds passing through Toronto.
00:25We're at the center of a major migration highway, and peninsulas like this are a great way to sample them.
00:32Abernethy starts his mornings checking these woven mist nets for ensnared songbirds.
00:37On a typical day, the station logs up to 150 birds, with peak days pushing it past 200.
00:44But data from the station's recently published 2025 annual report highlights a worrisome shift.
00:51A significant drop in spring and summer banding totals compared to historical averages.
00:58Last June, we had a very severe heat wave with humidex going over 40 degrees Celsius.
01:04And we did note during summer monitoring focus on breeding birds that there appeared to be a lower amount of
01:10young ones that had fledged in the area.
01:12It led Abernethy to check out local nests, since they're susceptible to extreme heat.
01:18He found a sharp decline in the number of fledglings successfully leaving their nests.
01:23There's only so much parents can do to thermoregulate nests, especially in terms of lowering that temperature.
01:30So once it gets over certain thresholds, there is a potential of the nest just dying.
01:34The heat isn't just impacting birds, but also their food source, says Gregor Beck, Northern Canada Senior Director at Birds
01:43Canada.
01:43With climate change and things warming up faster in spring, the peak of the insects no longer corresponds with when
01:52the birds are migrating through.
01:54The consequences are increasingly visible to bird watchers, some of whom say they've noticed a distinct quietness this season.
