FLYOVER COUNTRY
a film by Fauna Creative
North America has lost 30% of its birds in less than 50 years.
That's 3 BILLION birds lost since the 1970s. (Source)
FLYOVER COUNTRY
a story about saving America's birds
The US is home to several epic bird migrations each year. As birds fly over our farms, cities and communities, they interact with a landscape that we've come to dominate. Until recent technologies have been developed, it’s been difficult to study birds but what scientists are finding is that we’ve lost too much habitat to sustainably support our bird populations. With the loss of more than 3 billion birds within the last 50 years alone, we need to take a deep look at how our practices impact wildlife. Our film aims to highlight the people working on ways to reverse declines and those who are implementing the often simple solutions that would allow humans and birds to coexist far into the future. There is hope for birds in North America but we must act now. Can scientists and conservationists spread their message fast enough to save the birds?
FOCUS AREAS
Migration is the most stressful and difficult time in a bird's life. Our dominance of the landscape has created barriers and destroyed habitat, making these migrations harder to survive. With new knowledge of our impacts emerging, there are people who are making changes and learning to lessen our impact. We will explore the paths toward survival for the birds and hear the stories of those most dedicated to protecting birds.
The Migration Puzzle
Follow researchers in the eastern US who are doing innovative research to unlock the mysteries of songbird migration. These tiny and colorful birds make long and stressful migrations that are extremely difficult to observe. These are some of the birds who are struggling the most so the race is on to understand migration and what we can do to conserve these birds.
Restoring the Heartland
America’s breadbasket feeds the world but it naturally feeds millions of birds as they migrate, nest and overwinter within the lands we use for agricultural production. Explore how farmers are innovating how they use the land. Both large and small scale habitat restoration efforts are occurring, presenting a viable pathway toward sustainable cohabitation of the land.
The Highlands
Birds of prey follow the mountainous peaks of the American west. What can research and monitoring tell us about raptor populations and what can these top predators tell us about the health of ecosystems?
The Culture of Birding
Birds bring out the explorers in us all. There’s a rush in spotting a new bird that drives a motivation to travel and sacrifice time, money and comfort in the quest for a sighting. It's this passion that drives the need to understand our birds and participate in their protection.
Concrete Jungle
Habitat loss and window collisions are a major source of mortality of birds each year. Sanctuaries offer a literal lifeline for migrating birds passing over our cities and there are behavioral changes that can save birds from window collisions. From lights out programs, to anti collision stickers, to changing the way we design future buildings - there are small and large steps that can be taken to protect birds from urban centers.
HELP
SAVE
BIRDS
As bird populations crash in North America, we are at a tipping point for many species. Can we, as humans, understand the stresses we’re putting on birds and put into place the changes needed for future generations to be able to see the birds that we still have today?
We think stories play an important role in the conservation of birds. You can help bring this story to life. Together, we can inspire more people to work toward saving the birds.
ARTIST STATEMENT
We've been chasing birds with our cameras for more than a decade. Our conservation storytelling has allowed us to learn about the birds around us and develop our own views of the current state of bird conservation. We know birds mean so much to so many people and we know humans can be doing a lot more to ensure their survival. This is our effort to play a role in saving the birds.