Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)
With International Migratory Bird Day this weekend, the Globe and Mail featured an editorial about the decline of Boreal breeding birds today. The editorial is signed by Bridget Stutchbury, biology professor at York University and author of Silence of the Songbirds, Caroline Schultz, executive director of Ontario Nature, and Jeff Wells, director of science and policy for the Boreal Songbird Initiative. You can read the letter at TheGlobeandMail.com.
International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD), celebrated on the second Saturday in May, marks the height of the migratory season and celebrates the astounding journeys of millions of birds who travel thousands of miles from wintering grounds in the south to their northern breeding grounds. Their journeys are fraught with peril and many fall along the way. Every year, fewer migratory birds return. Now the Boreal forests so many breeding birds depend on are increasingly exploited and developed by industry. The populations of migratory birds are suffering one of the most precipitous declines of any animal group on earth. To raise awareness of the plight of migratory birds and celebrate their spring return, IMBD is celebrated in Canada, the United States and Mexico with bird walks and festivals. You can learn more about IMBD, including events near you at Nature Canada or Birdday.org.
Willow House Chronicles 