Photo Top Left: Ovenbirds are among the many species negatively affected by multiple man-made threats; photo by Paul J. Fusco.
Photo Top Right: Migrant warblers such as this Northern Parula commonly strike windows; photo by Julian Hough.


Lapland Longspurs have been killed by the thousands at communications structures; photo by Paul J. Fusco.

Power lines can be deadly to raptors such as this Cooper's Hawk; photo by Julian Hough.

Founded in 1898, Connecticut Audubon Society is an independent science-based conservation organization focused on Connecticut’s native birds and habitats. In keeping with our mission, in 2006 we launched a new annual initiative called “Connecticut State of the Birds.” This was a first-of-its-kind report for the state, and it focused on the single major threat to our native birds: habitat loss. As a result, an estimated 50% of Connecticut’s native bird species are declining, and 17% are on the State’s Endangered, Threatened and Species of Special Concern list. That means 50 out of 290 regularly or annually occurring bird species in Connecticut are State-listed.

Our 2006 report also contains Connecticut Audubon Society's five specific, science-based recommendations for mitigating these threats and protecting Connecticut’s birds and habitats. In cooperation with the State and other conservation organizations, Connecticut Audubon Society has followed through on all five recommendations, and we are pleased to see that bird conservation in Connecticut is moving forward.

In our 2007 report, another group of independent experts describes the next most serious set of threats to our native birds. These are specific factors, either man-made or within our control, that kill or injure millions of birds annually and destroy precious habitat. Just one of these, glass strikes, conservatively kills an estimated 100 million birds every year in the U.S. -- and some experts say 1 billion!

Public and legislative awareness of these conservation problems was a major objective of our first two reports. However, awareness of the issues is only the first step toward solutions. The difficult part is designing, funding and implementing action plans that address the problems, including changing human behaviors, perhaps the most difficult challenge of all. Generalizations such as "habitat protection" are valid, but effective solutions must be both local and specific. Our new 2008 "Connecticut State of the Birds" report focuses on the conservation of five bird species that are in serious trouble. The conclusion: Solutions are complex and expensive; one-time fixes do not work.

This does not mean that the future of habitat protection and bird conservation is bleak. It does mean that "one-size-fits-all" programs will not get the job done. In order to reduce the unnecessary deaths of millions of birds in Connecticut each year, Connecticut Audubon Society stands ready, once again, to work with State legislators, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, other state agencies and other conservation organizations to develop the specific actions required to implement our recommendations and make progress in achieving our common goal of conserving Connecticut’s birdlife and protecting our natural environment.

Connecticut Audubon Society will continue its advocacy work in Hartford to support scientifically sound, new initiatives and to protect our remaining habitat. We will continue to help publish the best available conservation work and make it available to the general public, and we will educate children and adults to appreciate and understand wildlife at our Nature Centers around the state.

Sincerely,

Robert Martinez, President
Connecticut Audubon Society
Fairfield, Connecticut