Bird-Lovers Flock Together

Bird watching is the number one hobby in America. And when we flock together, bird-lovers have a strong voice in protecting birds and bird habitat. That is why NRDC has joined together with Cornell Lab of Ornithology to create a new interactive online community for bird enthusiasts. WeLoveBirds.org offers a free and open social network of people who are passionate about birds. Come check it out and you’ll find bird guides and nest cams, a place to share your bird photos and videos, a place to ask fellow bird lovers if they can identify that bird that you can’t quite name, and a place to share your stories about the birds you see every day. The WeLoveBirds.org launch also coincides with the Great Backyard Bird Count, an annual event hosted by Cornell Lab, National Audubon Society, Bird Studies Canada and others that runs from February 12–15, 2010, and tallies more than 11 million birds during the 4-day count.

Through the site, NRDC will provide you with actions that you can take to help save birds and bird habitat. The current action is about protecting a one of the world’s most important nesting grounds for migratory birds - the Peace-Athabasca Delta. The Delta is downstream from the world's largest industrial project---Alberta's tar sands oil mines. Tar sands oil is a more recent, dirty and expensive form of petroleum extraction to fuel American cars and trucks. It is already having devastating impacts on the delta and on migratory birds. More than 1 million birds, including tundra swans, snow geese and countless ducks nest in the delta. For many waterfowl, this area is their only nesting ground. But Canada is ramping up tar sands oil extraction in the Boreal forest just south of the delta, which could contaminate and reduce water flow into the delta, kill fish and disturb habitat. Tar sands oil development and use also contributes to global warming, which has reduced ecologically important flooding in the delta.

Join WeLoveBirds.org today and take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count this weekend. And as you do, know that when you join with other bird lovers, you can make a real difference for the birds and for us all.