If I Ran the Zoo

I was blown away this winter by the number of birds that I passed by as I drove all around Skagit Valley, including fields filled with snow geese and eagles in trees being photographed by many birdwatchers. Hooray, I thought, birds are making a comeback!

I checked with my friend Libby Mills who is a leading bird expert and has been teaching people about birds for 50 years or so. Libby is a naturalist who is associated with the Padilla Bay Interpretive Center, the North Cascades Institute and a field trip coordinator for the Skagit Audubon Society.

Sad to say, Libby made it very clear to me that my assumption was totally wrong. Snow geese are doing fine but they don’t make it easy for other birds to survive. Libby cited a Cornell University study that said that about 3 billion birds in North America and Canada have disappeared.

She added the following: “So what can one do to make a better world for birds? Learn how to easily make your home or office windows safer for birds and make an easy adjustment to reduce deadly bird collisions. If you have a cat, keep it indoors. Make your yard and garden bird-friendly by eliminating pesticide use and plant shrubs that enhance bird habitat with useful flowers and berries.”

“Join the backyard habitat movement. Natural habitat enhancement throughout our neighborhoods and towns make the world more livable for humans and birds. Vote for representatives that support restoring the natural world for a rapidly changing planet.”

Thank you Libby. Keep up the great work you are doing.