Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
FARMINGTON — Maine Audubon wildlife ecologist Sally Stockwell will give a one-hour presentation, “What’s Happening to Our Birds?” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, in room C23, University of Maine at Farmington’s Roberts Learning Center.
Stockwell will talk about the shocking decline in forest bird numbers both in the region and throughout North America. She will also discuss steps we can take as individuals and as a society to help mitigate further declines. The talk is sponsored by Western Maine Audubon and is free and open to the public.
The numbers are staggering. A recent article in the journal Science documents declines among 64 percent of all eastern forest bird species — a loss of 167 million birds — and among 50 percent of all boreal forest species — a loss of 501 million birds — in North America alone. That means nearly one in four of all eastern forest birds and one in three of all boreal forest birds that were coloring the forest with their flashy feathers and cheerful songs in 1970 are no longer with us.
There are many reasons for the decline. Some of the more persistent are habitat loss on both breeding and wintering grounds, loss or degradation of migratory stopovers, decline or contamination of insect food from overuse of pesticides, collisions with windows and other human structures, and predation from cats. Individuals can take simple steps to steward birds and habitat, and every little bit helps. Maine can do more than a little bit; in fact, we can play an outsized role in helping to stem the decline.
Come learn more about how the data were gathered, who’s at risk and why, and what you can do to help stem the declines. All landowners in the region with grasslands or forestlands can help change that by creating or improving habitat for birds in Maine. Your efforts to care for your woods, fields and waters can make a big difference.
PHOTO: Savannah Sparrow (Jennifer Brockway photo)
