Oregonian Features Audubon Reports and Information on How to Help Birds

The July 9th Oregonian Home and Garden Section includes an article on Oregon's declining bird populations and how you can help. It features information from Audubon's "For the Birds" brochure (also available on our website) for people interested in helping the birds in their backyards. It also features  statistics from two recent reports from National Audubon Society: National WatchList and Common Birds in Decline.

These reports tell us that 11% of the species found in Oregon are either critically imperiled or likely to become imperiled in the near future. It also tells us that nearly a 1/4 of the species found in Oregon, although they may still be relatively common today, are experiencing long term population declines which if allowed to continue could put them on the Watchlist in the future.

 We would like to highlight one significant error that was made in the article. The Oregonian reported that the birds on the Watchlist were also listed under the Federal Endangered Species Act. While a strong case could be made for federally listing some of the species on the WatchList, the fact is that the majority of the species on the Watchlist are NOT listed under the Federal Endangered Species Act as this time.

To put it another way: think of three levels of concern:

1)Threatened and Endangered Species Listed under the Federal Endangered Species Act

2) Birds on the Watchlist which are critically imperiled and may well be candidates for listing under the Endangered Species Act in the near future and

3) Bird contained in the Common Birds in Decline Report which while still relatively common today have longterm downward trending populations which if not correct could make them candidates for listing on the Watchlist or even under the ESA over the nnext several decades.

WE NEED TO BE WORKING AT ALL THREE SCALES: KEEPING COMMON BIRD POPULATIONS HEALTHY AND WORKING TO RECOVER BIRD SPECIES THAT ARE ALREADY IMPERILED, THREATENED AND ENDANGERED. THESE EFFORTS START IN EACH OF OUR OWN BACKYARDS!