Date: 6/17/26 8:04 am From: Zach DuFran <zdufran...> Subject: Re: Bird Fertility and Pesticides
The goal of pesticides is to kill the various creepy crawlies (primarily
insects, but also spiders, centipedes, etc.). Seeing that nesting birds
need these species as their primary food source for their young, there's
not really a "safer" pesticide. We can't pick and choose which parts of
nature we want to keep. If we want birds, we need to be okay with the
existence of other species. I know that our culture sees a flat green lawn
as beautiful, but hopefully with time we can steer the ship back towards a
mindset that considers the ecological *benefits *of landscapes. For a lawn,
there are none. Then maybe we can see the inherent value and beauty of
chemical-free natural green spaces with native plants and lots of insects
making use of those plants.
Zach DuFran
Norman, OK
On Wed, Jun 17, 2026 at 9:11 AM drhal2 Yocum <drhal2...> wrote:
> Very interesting . I knew that the use of pesticides had an effect but did
> not think it was that dramatic. Sounds like a “Catch 22”. I see the
> opposing decision making challenges. Perhaps there is some work being done
> on safer pesticides or
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> Very interesting . I knew that the use of pesticides had an effect but did
> not think it was that dramatic. Sounds like a “Catch 22”. I see the
> opposing decision making challenges.
> Perhaps there is some work being done on safer pesticides or other
> solutions.
> Hal Yocum. Edmond
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Jun 17, 2026, at 8:47 AM, <jwdavis...> wrote:
>
>
> My yard has 20 nest boxes for various species from Bluebirds, Chickadees,
> Titmice, Nuthatches to Owls. For decades I had four pairs of Bluebirds, two
> pairs each of Chickadees, Titmice, and White-breasted Nuthatches, and a
> pair of Eastern Screech
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> My yard has 20 nest boxes for various species from Bluebirds, Chickadees,
> Titmice, Nuthatches to Owls. For decades I had four pairs of Bluebirds, two
> pairs each of Chickadees, Titmice, and White-breasted Nuthatches, and a
> pair of Eastern Screech Owls using these boxes. They had full clutches of 4
> to 5 eggs with all hatching and multiple re-nesting successes each year.
> This year is typical of the nesting success since my neighbor started a
> lawn treatment service six years ago. Four Bluebird pairs nested, two with
> 5 eggs and two eggs hatched, one with four eggs and one hatched and one
> with five eggs and three hatched. There was only one Titmouse pair nesting,
> and it had four eggs with only two hatching. The Carolina Chickadees did
> not nest this year, nor did the Eastern Screech Owls.
> Lawn treatment services use a mix of insecticides, fungicides, herbicides,
> and fertilizer. Pesticides impact bird and human fertility. The impacts to
> adult birds are reduced fertility, eggshell thinning, impairing incubation
> and chick-rearing behavior, and causing hormonal disruption. The impacts to
> embryos and chicks are reduced hatchability and higher embryo mortality,
> wasting syndrome where young birds do not thrive, and skeletal
> abnormalities and impaired differentiation of the reproductive and nervous
> systems. Fungicides reduce growth by 10%, and higher mortality with 47%
> exposed chicks die after fledging, with a greater impact on females. This
> does not address the young birds killed in the nest nor die as fledgling by
> being fed pesticide treated insects and other invertebrates.
> Bird population level consequences are accumulated with sublethal and
> lethal effects. This is leading to lower breeding success, fewer
> fledglings, and population declines. In the US we have 50 million acres of
> treated lawns, an area equal to the size of Nebraska. Of the 880 million
> acres of farmlands, 328 million acres of croplands are treated with
> pesticides, along with 2.3 million acres of treated Golf Courses that use
> 2.1 billion gallons of water per day. Pesticide use amounts to 1 billion
> pounds of pesticides used in lawns, golf courses, forest management,
> schools, and public spaces, meaning their use extends far beyond yards and
> farms.
> Lawn treatments and other pesticides kill birds directly and indirectly.
> This has been contributing to our loss of 3 billion birds in North America
> since 1970. Lawn treatments that kill grubs are killing earthworms, insects
> and other invertebrates which are bird food. Those with the mindset and the
> needed status of manicured lawns could at least have the lawn service
> eliminate the insecticides, fungicides and other elements that are
> impacting bird fertility, reproduction and survival. A better solution is
> to go with native plants and eliminate lawn maintenance services
> altogether. People that care about birds should act and help others to
> become pesticide aware. We need to realize the impacts that pesticides are
> having on birds, and bird food on over 360 million acres. This is impacting
> the life and reproduction of birds and accelerating bird decline. You can
> help by changing your mindset and by educating others about how these
> practices are directly and indirectly killing our birds on multiple fronts.
> Every species of life on Earth is always just one generation away from
> extinction.
> Jerry Wayne Davis
> May 30, 2026
> Hot Springs, AR
>
>
