Silence of the Songbirds: How We Are Losing the World's Songbirds and What We Can Do to Save Them

This is an excellent book written by a very knowledgeable author, I enjoyed the engaging prose and the serious scientific facts presented in a very convincing way. I highly recommended to any birder or to anyone interested in nature.

A book full of fascinating stories that weave together Stutchbury's years of field experience and research with easy-to-understand explanations of the state of our understanding about bird ecology and behavior and how they interact with the issues impacting bird populations. I was taken-aback by the stats on pesticide use here and in Latin America and intrigued by the discussion of how fragmentation of habitat can change the behavioral and social fabric of bird species. I highly recommend it for all who care about birds, behavior, and the environment. from http://www.borealbirds.org/blog/?p=94 Jeff Wells, author Birder's Conservation Handbook: 100 North American Birds at Risk Birder's Conservation Handbook: 100 North American Birds at Risk

Purchased this for my wife, who is an Audubon Board member and leads a young birders group. She loved reading this !

I am always very grateful when an author presents his or her subject matter in concise and easy to understand language. I most certainly found this to be the case with "Silence of the Songbirds". Author Bridget Stutchbury, a professor of biology at York University in Toronto and a woman widely recognized as an international birding expert gives her readers plenty to ponder in her new book. If you are reading about this subject for the very first time then you could not have chosen a better book to get up to speed on these issues. And for those who have some familiarity with this topic "Silence of the Songbirds" provides lots of new and important information. It seems that scientists have learned an awful lot about songbirds just in the past couple of decades. And what remarkable lives they lead! Innovative new technolgies have allowed scientists to tag and track birds in an effort to learn more about the breeding habits and migratory patterns of these magnificent creatures. "Silence of the Songbirds" explores the many obstacles and threats facing birds like the wood thrush, Eastern kingbirds and Kentucky warblers to name but a few. I simply had no idea of the scope of the problems that threaten the very existence of many of these species. And while the main problem continues to be a loss of habitat for these birds there are also a host of other threats that they must reckon with. Armed with well-researched facts and figures, Bridget Stansbury makes a compelling case that there will be serious long-term consequences not only to these birds but to our environment as well if we fail to deal with these problems in the near future. Fortunately, Bridget Stutchbury offers a number of practical ways that each of one of us can help to make the world a more hospitable place for our fine feathered friends. But while the individual choices we make can be helpful it is really not enough. Write a letter to the editor and discuss these issues with family and friends. How we choose to utilize our land and other natural resources is a conversation that we really need to have in this country. In the meantime I strongly urge everyone to read "Silence of the Songbirds". This is an extremely well written book that deserves your time and attention. Highly recommended!

Author Bridget Stutchbury is a bird researcher and biology professor in Canada and here considers the current condition of songbirds and their habitats in a book which rivals SILENT SPRING for its message about endangered birds. From fragmentation of bird habitats to the idea that another 25 percent of bird species cold be extinct by the time our great grandchildren reach adulthood - added to the fact that the songbird population has already been halved over the last forty years, SILENCE OF THE SONGBIRDS is a wake-up call for any who would understand the dangers. Recommended for all public and school libraries. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch