The findings of a study published yesterday in the Journal Science demonstrate that North America has lost 30% of it’s birds population since 1970. The authors of this study suggest that this loss of almost 3 billion birds is like a canary in the coal mine and conclude their abstract with the statement “This loss of bird abundance signals an urgent need to address threats to avert future avifaunal collapse and associated loss of ecosystem integrity, function and services.”
National Geographic summarizes the Science article well touching on the reasons why bird populations are in decline and why birds matter.
Habitat loss in the name of development another example of a fools progress.
Another strip mine, another strip mall. The human population is striping the planet bare. Time to take action and make sure your local governmental representatives at all levels work to protect habitat, the environment and the future of every species that inhabit the planet.
Beautiful images. I love the birds. Tragic to think their numbers are falling.
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Hi and tragic to realize our species is doing it.
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Yes it is!
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Heartbreaking news.
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Very much so.
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I think we need to add a little more ‘reminders’ into our posts. Hard to not be on a soap box and still get the message out.
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Hi Ted, if people hear thing enough the message will get out. Subtle reminders work if heard often enough and from enough different sources. We need to keep at it.
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I completely agree.
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🙂
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I cried.
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It is disheartening and that’s only a report on birds.
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Very sad news. Some people think there’s no hope, but we have to keep trying to improve things, or there really is no hope.
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HI Kit, yes we need to work towards making change and putting the brakes on the decline of life on earth. Every ounce of effort is worth the fight.
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FYI (although you probably already know): the Three in your title is missing its “r”. (Feel free to delete this… I couldn’t find a non-public way to let you know about the typo…). Love your blog. Please keep sharing your photos and observations with us.
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Thanks. Typos are my specialty.
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Mine, too! Which is why I try to point them out. I hope someone else will do the same for me! Have a great day.
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All great writers need a good proofreader or editor. 🙂
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It has been the same here and for similar reasons, Mike. Beautiful photos!
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Thanks Pete, I am sure the same is true world wide and that report is only for birds. I don’t think anything is faring well except for a few humans.
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Thanks for bringing this to the forefront.
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You welcome Jim. Just one of innumerable pieces of evidence that the health of our planet is changing.
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Sad. I am heading out in a few minutes to join the local Climate Strike march. I expect our crowd will be a good size. It will include a lot of young as well as us old hippies.
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How was the march. There was a big one in our town yesterday as well.
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Well attended by young and old. It was fun to be part of it.
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The one in our town was well attended despite a cold rain pouring down.
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That sounds unpleasant. We had a perfect blue sky.
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A nice sunny day sounds good right now. We got snow over the weekend and it’s still grey and unusually cold to start the week.
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Low 80s and 🌞 today
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Like summer….
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As long as money matters more to those in power the more losses we will see.
“When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realize that one cannot eat money.”
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……or breathe it.
The checks and balances in many of our systems are indeed not functioning right now. Both with respect to capitalism and our Democracy.
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Nice photo series of our beloved avian friends. The drum I beat is use no pesticides, plant more native plants and by all means, replace at least half your lawn with native plantings. Native plants feed insects that feed birds. ‘If you build it, they will come.’ 🙂
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HI Eliza, I agree with all your thoughts. We have an additional problem in the west of development. Conversion of agricultural and undeveloped land (wetlands) into subdivisions, strip mall etc and of course deforestation and mining.
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We are very, very, very bad stewards of this unique planet and its denizens. 😪
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Hi Tanja, yes we are the rats on the ship call earth in a way yet capable of being the captains. Only time will decide how the story ends and we hope to help write a good ending to the story.
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Yes, let’s hope and work for the best!
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I love that you’re doing something to put this crisis out there – education is key – but I have to admit to thinking we’re way past any tipping points. If humanity is screwed, along with many blameless species, I can only take comfort in the fact that there will be life on earth, and it’ll get along just fine recovering without humans.
That said, your bird photos are lovely to see, and a reminder that those who care should keep fighting…
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HI Adam, I teeter between having hope for humanity to change and thinking we have indeed gone to far. I also know that life will go on and evolve long after humans have left the picture on this planet. It is ironic to think if humanity is screwed, it has screwed itself. The disgusting part is that humanity screwed so many other species whilst going down.
Right now the action I believe needs to occur is to make more care enough to take just a little action. Remind people of the beauty of it all and what will be lost in a world without beauty.
Education is indeed the key and maybe someday we could discuss the over a coffee or a beer.
Here’s to the weekend and walk in the woods or along the beach.
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Great post of this disheartening news, thank you for sharing.
This is a lovely collection of bird images.
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WOW WOW WOW
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THanks.
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These are many of the locals in the photos and you can sure feels the numbers of many declining even with the scientific proof just served up. A animals who choose we sometimes make poor choices but not learning from our prior environmental mistakes is another thing altogether.
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Yes, and that lack of learning and additional poor choice is rapidly catching up to us.
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We will have to pay the piper.
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Probably sooner than we expect.
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I have a feel when things fall apart they will indeed fall fully apart. We know so little about how this whole earth works but are so willing to risk it all.
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We need to be more than sad about the loss of such magnificent creatures. We need to be alarmed for all future life on this planet..
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Well said. This report was on birds. We must know all other creatures are suffering the same fate.
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Makes me so sad!and angry. Thank you for this.
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Yes humans are doing a number on this planet. Hope we can avert a ecosystem collapse.
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Where will we be when all the birds and bees have gone?
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We probably will go with them or now soon after.
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Who would want to live in a world without birds anyway?
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Unfortunately it seems many humans would.
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😢
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Sad but true.
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I think there is always reason to hope! Lovely bird photos. Your photography is amazing.
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I like to view the impending collapse with the eye of an optimistic-pessimist or visa-Vera. Hope will require action in this Case.
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The State of Nature report has recently been published in the UK. It has similar findings. There are some positives, but there has been a decline in the diversity of species here. One of the positives is that human intervention has led to the improvement of habitats and reintroduction of species such as the red kite. This type of intervention needs to be scaled up, if we are to arrest the decline. Good blog and great photos.
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Reblogged this on Wolf's Birding and Bonsai Blog.
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Thanks, what is the status of bird populations in Africa? I have read similar report on population declines in Europe but have not see one on Africa.
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Click to access soab_2017-english_final.pdf
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Thank you very much, I am looking forward to reading it.
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So disheartening:(
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