Common bird counts down; Audubon reports

[William Djubin]

Current news on the Audubon front-page for July 2008
State of the Birds.

National Audubon Society - Birds in Decline

Since 1967 the average population of the common birds in steepest decline has fallen by 68 percent; some individual species nose-dived as much as 80 percent. All 20 birds on the national Common Birds in Decline list lost at least half their populations in just four decades.

Audubon lists the Top 20 Common Birds in decline, Bobwhite and Meadowlark make the list.
National Audubon Society - Birds in Decline - Browse Species

[macgardener]

That's sad, and worse than I expected.

I had a little look around the site and found an interesting section on what you can do in your own yard to make it bird-friendly. The info about reducing lawn surprised me. Not only does it increase suitable habitat but it reduces the amount of lawn clippings going to landfill. Don't people compost their lawn clippings, either at home or at a green waste facility?

Anyway, we're somewhat on the right track. Just wish I could find a humane but effective way of keeping that cat out of my yard! The pepper worked for a while and we did remember to spread more after it rained but the cat seemed to develop immunity. Btw can you put too much pepper around your garden? We hear about soil salinity, can one cause problems with pepperinity? (I'm only half joking.)