Sad and sobering

A new environmental report on bird decline briefly hit the news cycle last week. Did you hear about it? Three billion birds have vanished from North America since 1970, nearly 30% of the total population, including once abundant birds like sparrows, starlings and blackbirds.   

"When you lose a common species, the impact will be much more massive on the ecosystem," says Gerardo Ceballos, an ecologist and conservation biologist. "It's showing the magnitude of the problem."

I've kept a birding life list book since the 90's, and looking back is sad. What a variety we once took for granted in the backyard: flocks of pine siskins, finches, robins, wrens, sparrows, swallows, even an occasional grosbeak at the feeder.  The main culprit here is habitat loss, as suburban yards give way to development. And pesticides are another nail in the coffin.

Rachel Carson published "Silent Spring" in 1962. The book led to public outrage and eventually a ban on DDT, one of the nastiest pesticides ever created.  Species, such as the Bald Eagle, began to recover.  Our collective attention span seems so scattered these days, and the breaking news cycle so relentless, it's hard to imagine that kind of grassroots activism now.

Speaking of backyard birds, the ones we still have are suddenly visible and active, as some prepare to migrate, fueling up and waiting for favorable winds. In  the last few days I've seen Chickadees, Bewick's Wren, Oregon Juncos, White-crowned Sparrows and even a Varied Thrush.  All the more precious, when you consider what's happening right under our noses.