Silence of the Songbirds Author:Bridget Stutchbury A distinguished scientist reveals how we are losing the world?s songbirds, why this predicts widespread environmental problems, and what we can do to save the birds and their habitats. Wood thrush, bobolinks, the Eastern kingbirdmigratory songbirds are disappearing at a frightening rate. Following the birds on their six-thousand-mil... more »e migratory journey, renowned biologist Bridget Stutchbury leads us on an ecological field trip to explore firsthand their major threats, and reveals what a vital part of our ecosystem they are. Bridget Stutchbury completed her Ph.D. at Yale University, was a research associate at the Smithsonian Institute, and is now Professor of Biology at York University in Toronto. She lives in Woodbridge, Ontario, and in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania. Wood thrush, Kentucky warbler, the Eastern kingbirdthese and other migratory songbirds are disappearing at a frightening rate. By some estimates, we may already have lost almost half of the songbirds that filled the skies only forty years ago. Renowned biologist Bridget Stutchbury convincingly argues that songbirds truly are the canaries in the coal mine?except the coal mine looks a lot like Earth and we are the hapless excavators.
Following the birds on their six-thousand-mile migratory journey, Stutchbury leads us on an ecological field trip to explore firsthand the major threats to songbirds: pesticides, still a major concern decades after Rachel Carson first raised the alarm; the destruction of vital habitat, from the boreal forests of Canada to the diminishing continuous forests of the United States to the grasslands of Argentina; coffee plantations, which push birds out of their forest refuges so we can have our morning fix; the bright lights and structures in our cities, which prove a minefield for migrating birds; and global warming. We could well wake up in the near future and hear no songbirds singing. But we won?t just be missing their cheery calls, we?ll be missing a vital part of our ecosystem. Without songbirds, our forests would face uncontrolled insect infestations, and our trees, flowers, and gardens would lose a crucial element in their reproductive cycle. As Stutchbury shows, saving songbirds means protecting our ecosystem and ultimately ourselves.
Some of the threats to songbirds:
The U.S. annually uses 4-5 million pounds of active ingredient acephate, an insecticide that, even in small quantities, throws off the navigation systems of White-throated Sparrows and other songbirds, making them unable to tell north from south.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conservatively estimated that 4-5 million birds are killed by crashing into communication towers each year.
A Michigan study found that 600 domestic cats killed more than 6,000 birds during a typical 10-week breeding season. "Important [and] enlightening . . . Here is an essential primer for any person who cares about our planet as a whole, or about our immediate environment. It's an eye-opener, to bird watchers, and an introduction that once again illuminates how nature is subtle beyond our humble efforts to comprehend."Irene Wanner, San Francisco Chronicle "Page after page here recounts surprising details taken from the lives of birds pursuing their destinies within the grand yet heartbreaking drama of 21st-century migration."Frank Graham Jr., Audubon "Stutchbury's book is an encyclopedia of the threats faced by songbirds. Her style is lucid and precise and as easy on the ear as a wood thrush's song."Tom Pelton, Baltimore Sun "It's a good, frightening read."New Scientist "Birds, and the ecosystems we share with them, are balancing on a razor's edge. This absorbing book explains why."Birder's World "Beautifully written. Stutchbury's obvious brilliance as a scientist is matched by her poet's heart."Béa Gonzalez, author of The Mapmaker's Opera
"Few scientists know migratory birds as intimately as Bridget Stutchbury, who has followed them with wonder and passion from the jungles of Costa Rica and Belize to the hardwood forests of North America."Scott Weidensaul, author of Living on the Wind and Return to Wild America
"Bridget Stutchbury is a leading authority on the science of migratory songbirds, but she understands the magic, too, and knows how to express it in clear, rich prose. Silence of the Songbirds has heart as well as brains, telling us not only what we risk losing but also why we should care."Kenn Kaufman, author of the Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America
"Nearly half a century ago, Rachel Carson warned us of the grim plight of songbirds, sparking an uproar that led ultimately to the banning of DDT. In Silence of the Songbirds, Bridget Stutchbury makes clear that the dangers migratory songbirds face are greater than ever. Her book is an eloquent plea on behalf of songbirds, and also gives practical suggestions on things we can all do to helpfor the good of the birds as well as the human race."Tim Gallagher, author of The Grail Bird
"Bridget Stutchbury takes us from the tropical forests of Panama to her farm in Pennsylvania, sharing her personal stories about birds as well as the latest scientific information explaining the disappearance of songbirds. The solutions are a win-win-win for birds, people, and the environment. If you care about birds, you owe it to yourselfand to the birdsto read this eye-opening book."Miyoko Chu, author of Songbird Journeys
"An alarming, first-hand journey through the world of disappearing songbirds by a premier scientist. A must-read for anyone who cares about our planet and our place in it."Donald Kroodsma, author of The Singing Life of Birds
"Bridget Stutchbury's writing draws us deeply into the personal lives of the birds, where little-known calls are pregnant with meaning. How joyful it is to learn such intimate and steamy details about the secret language of the birds."Lang Elliott, author of The Songs of Wild Birds
"A gripping revelationboth of the deeply fascinating biology of songbirds and the daunting challenges they face in a human-dominated world. Bridget Stutchbury makes it impossible to look at a songbird the same old way ever again. A joy for bird-watchers and non bird-watchers alike."Thomas E. Lovejoy, president of the J. John Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment
"Highly accessible and engaging, Silence of the Songbirds provides a unique glimpse into the biology and natural history of songbirds. Bridget Stutchbury argues forcefully for the beauty of these birds, the important ecosystem services these species provide, and the everyday things that citizens can do to help conserve them."Steven R. Beissinger, Professor of Conservation Biology at the University of California, Berkeley
"'We will unravel the mystery of the disappearing songbirds by taking a journey with them.' Ornithologist Stutchbury so begins her exploration of the causes for the decline of migratory songbirds in the tropics, the wintering area for many of North America's birds. Migrants fit themselves into the local fauna, joining flocks or defending feeding territories until time to wing north for breeding. As the reader follows the birds, Stutchbury introduces the hazards they must face: fragmentation of habitat, which can range from simple road cuts to complete deforestation; replacement of natural vegetation with agricultural fields, typically 'deserts' for birds; the ongoing problems with pesticides; light pollution, glass windows, communication towers, wind turbines, and other obstacles; and, finally, predators and introduced parasites, which have their greatest effect on the breeding grounds. She discusses the rapid decline of many songbird species and strategies for saving them. Stutchbury's colloquial writing style, bolstered with frequent references to her own and other scientists' research, makes complex population and ecological science easy to understand for the lay reader."Nancy Bent, Booklist
"Consider this a work of gentle scholarship in the Rachel Carson (Silent Spring) tradition. The silence Carson greatly feared still looms: surveys suggest we may have lost half of the songbirds that filled the skies just 40 years ago. Cleverly organized around the return journey of migrant songbirds from Central America to northern breeding grounds, Stutchbury's (biology, York University, Toronto) book details the perils they face at every stage of the way: e.g., tropical deforestation, pesticides, and encounters with house cats and other predators. She sounds the alarm forcefully, arguing that songbirds are more than simply detectors of environmental malaise; they play 'crucial ecological roles in our natural communities.' Strangely hopeful, Stutchbury urges individual discretion as the best solution to the migratory birds' plighte.g., buy shade-grown coffee, turn off the lights at night, and keep kitty indoors . . . important and strongly recommended for academic and public collections."Robert Eagan, Library Journal
"Stutchbury, an avid bird researcher and biology professor at York University in Toronto, paints a complex picture of the current condition of songbirds and their habitats. The bad news is that songbird populations are decreasing alarmingly due to industrialization and development. In their tropical winter homes, habitat ...« less