People from all walks of life have shared with us their reasons why birds matter to them. We’d love to hear from you, too. Just enter your reason into the form below and hit “Tell us why.” Your entry will appear on this page with all the rest. Please limit your entries to 150 words.
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My backyard is where I can find peace and tranquility. That is due to the many birds that visit here each day. Their chatter is music to my ears. I once had a workman who was walking toward the back garden and asked if I had an aviary because he heard so many birds. They are my friends. I have “Warby” (a yellow-rumped warbler) who visits one of my hummingbird feeders frequently. I delight in hearing and then spotting the little melodious Bewick wrens. A pair of Titmice come every day to find safflower seeds. And then there are the house finches, sparrows, towhees, hummingbirds, scrub jays,chickadees and goldfinches. In June I await the arrival of the Hooded Orioles. Occasionally I am delighted to see a Nuttall\’s woodpecker or red-breasted sapsucker drop by. What a joy to wake up every morning and hear a symphony and see a rainbow of colors right in my own garden!
Although Audubon deliberately killed birds merely to illustrate them, birds have truly been “canaries in the coal mine.” The loss of wetlands vital to biological diversity affects oceans, land animals, but bird losses are the most visible tragedy. When I was young many more millions of birds migrated, filling the very skies with knowledge of the world\’s abundance, its fierce joy and vigor. Each encounter with forest owl, busy woodpecker, feisty hummingbird, home-bound osprey with fish in hands, are assurances of the wholeness and continuation of existence, at once meaningful and glorious.
Birds are indicators of how “we” are doing…I wish I had understood this a long time ago. For instance, the decline of red-winged blackbirds is (?) due to a loss of their habitat usually from development. Birds also are a sign of freedom and strength for me. How can a bird so small in this big world of ours make it? If the bird can, then so can I.
22. Birds are already demonstrating widespread impacts from climate change
Birds have always been calming and relaxing, I listen to them to distress, I love them.
Birds are as important a part of our world as we are. When I’m watching or listening to them, there is a spiritual aspect that can\’t be replicated.