Keep in mind when reading this post from Rob Fergus (reposted to Laura Erickson's blog) that the #1 cause of bird population declines is still habitat loss and fragmentation. As annual songbird numbers continue to fall, we're eventually going to face some tough decisions – decisions we should already be addressing on a broad scale. The question might ultimately come down to this: Do we want these particular songbirds or not? Do we want the Cerulean Warbler to grace our woodlands? Be it pesticides, window collisions or cars, communication towers, etc., there are far too many human-made causes that are severely impacting and killing off our native songbirds by the multi-millions each year. If we want these particular bird species around for future generations to enjoy, we'll have to take a hard look at ourselves, our lifestyles, our technologies and come to an understanding of what our legacy will be as it concerns the world's birds.
"Bucky" at Pheasant Branch © 2008 Mike McDowell
