By Samantha Bean
We measure success in interesting ways. The more we run marathons, the success is measured in how much time we lose from the prior run. Same for swimming. Success is measured in fractions of seconds lost in some events. Some even measure the success of their workouts by how much weight they lose. Unfortunately, there is so much focus on the loss, we forget to encourage the adrenaline rush we do achieve in gains.
There is nearly always some news headline about biodiversity loss. Or habitat loss. But once in a while, there’s a feel-good gain story that needs to be shared just the same. Let’s measure the GAIN of something that weighs less than an ounce. Could it be done? Let’s tip the scales and think about losses and gains in the mind of a diminutive warbler. A male Common Yellowthroat to be exact.
What if told you that a tiny warbler migrated to the same plot of land two years in a row? Now what if I told you three years in a row, would you believe it? The data on a particular Common Yellowthroat that was captured in the same shrubby/reforestation area two years in a row in central New Jersey has in fact returned again making it a trifecta. This bird was originally banded by a Wild Bird Research Group technician on July 15, 2023. He was again brought into the station on May 4, 2024, and again, on April 27th, 2025. How can a tiny migratory bird pick out an area in the state of NJ and return to it three times? For this particular warbler, his habitat is there, and will continue to be there, as it is currently preserved through the efforts of a local non-profit organization. This is the story that thousands of birds and other migratory (and even some non-migratory creatures) are facing. The loss of what they know to return to. This little bird is a lucky one. His story is not one of loss. And there are plenty more stories just like his.
So while we can talk about the detriments of LOSS until it hurts, why not promote more of the stories of RETURN (or to get the vernacular on the same page, GAIN). As in, the return of the bobwhite to farmlands? The return of countless other creatures. The return of the dainty and Ioveable Eastern Bluebird. The impressive number of American Kestrel fledglings in my home county this past summer? Shouldn’t we also highlight the success stories? Perhaps we need to highlight what good is coming along while we also post harsh headlines about habitat loss. The feel good moments. The way in which this particular common yellowthroat returns to NJ in the spring and summer to breed and raise a brood. And he has the band to prove it.
It’s the feel good stories that also have tremendous reach and can’t be blasted in a meme. It’s the stories we share from the heart that need to be shared. It’s the stories of actual birds that mean so much. The weight of their recorded encounters through the bird banding program is exponentially beneficial. Being a tiny part of a long-term habitat RESTORATION project involving seeing the bird populations change as the land is preserved has allowed me to catch a tiny wave of hope.
