Fireworks are an integral part of New Year’s celebrations, but for birds and other wildlife, fireworks are a real shock. With the help of weather radar data and bird counting, a group of Dutch researchers demonstrated the confusion caused by the mass use of pyrotechnics on New Year’s Eve in birds.

Scientists from the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (BEDOne of the research institutions of the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands). Experts IBED This is not the first time this problem has been brought to attention due to the popularity of fireworks in the country.

Although only 3.8% of the European Union’s population lives in the Netherlands, the Netherlands accounts for 22% of all fireworks imported into the EU. This is connected with the historical traditions of the country: I began to use fireworks in bulk quite early, and from there Peter I brought them to Russia (herring, by tradition).

According to a past article, wild geese were so impressed by the fireworks that they spent an average of 10% more time than usual foraging for at least 11 days afterward. The birds apparently needed additional food to replenish the energy they expended during the flight and to acclimate to the unfamiliar feeding site in which they found themselves, escaping the noise and glare caused by fireworks.

A new study published in the journal Boundaries in Ecology and Environmentecologist Bart Hoekstra (Bart Hoekstra) and colleagues evaluated not only geese but also other birds. After all, the Netherlands is located on the route of the annual migration of a huge number of birds (geese, goats, gulls, herons and others, about 180 species in total), and the Rhine, Maas and Scheldt deltas have organized places where birds can spend this time. winter.

To assess the impact of fireworks on birds, scientists compared data on flight activity on New Year’s Eve and other nights from December 15 to 25 and January 5 to 15, obtained with the help of radars of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. The information was combined with information on the location and number of birds collected by volunteers of the SOVON Field Ornithology Center in the Netherlands.

Based on this data, the authors of the paper were able to calculate how many birds flew after the fireworks started on New Year’s Eve, how far they flew from the fireworks launch sites, and which bird species responded particularly well.

The analysis showed that as fireworks began on New Year’s Eve, nearly 400,000 birds took to the skies in areas surveyed in the study area of ​​just two radars. As a result, approximately 1,000 times more animals were flying than on normal nights. According to Bart Hoekstra, in a country like the Netherlands, where there are many wintering birds, millions of birds suffer due to fireworks.

Flight explosions caused by pyrotechnics decreased with distance from where fireworks were used. The most significant decrease occurred within a five-kilometer radius, but overall flight activity remained ten times higher at a distance of up to 10 kilometers. It also turned out that large species react more sharply to greetings than small birds.

Considering that approximately 62% of birds in the Netherlands live within a radius of 2.5 kilometers from settlements, the consequences of the use of pyrotechnics for them are very serious. Frightened by fireworks, birds soar into the sky and spend a lot of energy, the consumption of which increases in winter. The risks are especially great for larger birds, which may become disoriented and collide with their relatives in a panic.