Photo: Brown Pelicans, Syler Peralta-Ramos/Audubon Photography Awards
Tom Blackburn
When I first became interested in birds about 15 years ago, I was simply attracted by their diversity. But the more I observed them, the more I recognized what amazing creatures they are.
I continue to wonder:
How can a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, weighing as much as a dime, fly 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico without stopping to rest or eat?
How do three species of boobies – red-footed, blue-footed, and Nazca – exist on the small Galapagos Islands without competing for food and nesting territory?
How do birds learn their songs? Do bad singers lose out in the mating competition?
Did some species of manakins actually compromise their ability to fly when they evolved to make sounds that are more attractive to females?
I have found great enjoyment learning about birds but there’s been a depressing side to my education. People who have been birding far longer than I have, lament that there are so many fewer birds than there were in previous decades.
It turns out they are right.
A recent study in the journal Science, tells us that we have lost more than one in four birds in North America since 1970.
The loss of 2.9 billion birds has to be worrisome to anyone who cares about the future of our planet.
How can you help make our environment more bird-friendly?
Begin by going to 3billionbirds and discover 7 Simple Actions you can take to help birds.
Visit our website audubonva.org for ways to help ASNV in our efforts to stop bird declines.
Become a better birdwatcher so that you can participate in citizen science efforts.
We need everyone who cares about birds to learn more and support all efforts to save them.