A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist holds a saltmarsh sparrow for a study on mercury levels at a Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge. Bird handling should always be conducted by trained researchers with proper permitting. (USFWS photo)
Bird populations monitored on Audubon Society of Rhode Island refuges continue to decline, with more than one third of birds experiencing long term population losses, and only about a quarter of species growing in population.
The species that have shown the greatest declines are birds that eat insects as they fly, including barn and bank swallows and chimney swifts, which are facing habitat loss.
That’s the ominous news from the Audubon Society’s 2023 State of Our Birds report.
The good news though is that Rhode Islanders don’t have to be scientists to get involved in the effort to reverse this dismal trend. “ Birds Across New England ,” the Audubon Society’s second annual Regional Conservation Symposium happening Sunday, Feb. 4, at Salve Regina University in Newport, aims to communicate the latest research findings to the general public. (Registration for the symposium was scheduled to close Thursday.)