Many species of both common and uncommon birds in North America are in serious trouble

"Citizen birder" Bob Janssen, 79, has been watching and listing birds for more than six decades. He has compiled more than 175,000 records of his observations in the state's 87 counties, and he has spent the past two years transferring them to spreadsheets for the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union, a state birding club. He is troubled by the declining populations of many species. What he sees, or, in some cases doesn't see, alarms him. Janssen said he has seen a "tremendous decline" in many of their populations, particularly in the 35 warbler species that nest in or migrate through the state. His conclusions are similar to those of thousands of other birders: Many species of both common and uncommon birds in North America are in serious trouble.

Janssen has traveled the same 25-mile route near Lakeville in Dakota County once every June since 1968, stopping every half-mile for 3 minutes to identify and list the birds he sees and hears. "I've done it for so long, my car almost knows where to stop," he joked. On his survey near Lakeville, Janssen said he heard western meadowlarks at 48 of the 50 stops in 1972. The numbers began to dwindle over the years, and this year he didn't record any.

Source: Star Tribune, November 25, 2011
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