Some of them are disappearing.
Anyone who has sat in the darkness of the small amphitheater at American Players Theater near Spring Green and enjoyed a Shakespearian play probably remembers the beauty and the mystery of the whip-poor-will's call. The song echoes from the nearby woods during plays and is one of those things mentioned fondly by those who make a visit to the theater an annual summer event.
Yet a landmark report Thursday from the National Audubon Society raised the possibility of a landscape absent this evocative song. The whip-poor-will was among hundreds of common birds listed in the report as being in serious decline. Populations of the bird, according to 40 years' worth of data from Christmas bird counts and breeding bird surveys, have declined more than 57 percent, said the report, "Common Birds in Decline.''
A number of other common Wisconsin birds, many familiar to backyard birders and weekend visitors to the state's parks, are also listed as suffering steep declines in their numbers, largely because of loss of habitat due to sprawl and large-scale agriculture, threats which become even worse when combined with the perils posed by the warming climate and by ever-encroaching invasive species.
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Though none of the birds are in immediate danger of extinction, bird experts with Audubon and in Wisconsin say the population declines are significant because they are happening to species with historically abundant populations thought to be somewhat insulated from threats such as habitat loss.
"These are not rare or exotic birds we're talking about--these are the birds that visit our feeders and congregate at nearby lakes and seashores and yet they are disappearing day by day," said Audubon Chairperson and former EPA Administrator Carol Browner. "Their decline tells us we have serious work to do, from protecting local habitats to addressing the huge threats from global warming."