The Demise of Songbirds

Some biologists estimate that we may have lost almost half of the songbirds that filled our skies 50 years ago. Warblers, orioles, thrushes, and tanagers are just a few of the species in decline as a result of human activities. The rate at which we are losing them is alarming scientists and bird watchers alike. The Messenger is a new documentary film about the mass depletion of songbirds on multiple continents. Writer and director Su Rynardjoins Mindy Todd on The Point. Scientists from our region join the discussion with reports about what we are seeing locally: Mark Faherty, Science Coordinator atMass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary; and Trevor Lloyd Evans, director of the Land Bird Conservation Program at Manomet. The Messenger will be screened at the Cape Cod Museum of Artin Dennis this Saturday January 30th at 2 and 4:30pm. Here's a link to a “behind the scenes” videothat shows how the film crew photographed songbirds in flight...  And also, these "positive action" tips: follow this link to Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's article "7 Things You Can Do To Help Songbirds."