RUSTY BLACKBIRD 8862, originally uploaded by Mudhen2.
If I asked you what North American bird has suffered a population decline of 85-99%, I would get plenty of answers, but I’m betting Rusty Blackbird wouldn’t be one of them. Undoubtedly, it’s one of our least known birds.
Most of North America’s blackbird species are doing fine, they are highly adaptable and have expanded their ranges and population despite (because of?) human development. But unlike these species, the Rusty Blackbird is a bird of the northern boreal wetlands, wintering in wooded wetlands of the …

Sandpiper: Pectoral Sandpiper, originally uploaded by ReinhardG.
It may come as a surprise, but American birds are in serious decline. In March of last year, US Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, announced that one-in-three American birds are endangered. Even once common birds are showing precipitous declines. Birds face a barrage of threats, which are only complicated—and heightened—for migratory birds.

The past several years have seen an explosion of social media tools and applications. How can they be applied and help birders (and other outdoor enthusiasts or frankly anyone)?

When do you throw in the towel and concede that a rare species has gone extinct? A new study presents a methodology for helping conservationists answer this difficult question…

Red Knot and Horseshoecrab, originally uploaded by b52starr.

In the early 1960s, Rachel Carson wrote “Silent Spring,” an important book that helped increase public concern for the environment. The work was most directly about the dangers and effects of irresponsible, uninformed pesticide use. Carson’s broader message — the one that resonated with the public around the world — was about the failure to take care of the environment with which humanity has been entrusted.
Carson painted a picture of a silent spring — devoid of the beauty of bird songs because of …