For the Birds: Good and bad news in latest State of the Birds Report

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The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and other bird conservation organizations released the 2025 U.S. State of the Birds Report last week. Not surprisingly, the news was rather somber and highlighted alarming decreases in bird populations over the last 50 years. 

It largely echoes the 2019 study that showed the loss of three billion birds in North America since 1970. Unfortunately, the news has gotten worse for many birds in the five years since that landmark study.

Rather than recapping the press release here, I wanted to point out some of the figures that jumped out at me personally. The full news release may be found online by searching for “2025 U.S. State of the Birds Report” or by visiting birdsofnewengland.com. 

Like many studies, there is good news and bad news to be found. This study, sadly, is mostly bad news, but we’ll take a look at both sides.

It’s good news that 489 (68 percent) of the assessed bird species are listed as low concern. That doesn’t necessarily mean that these species are increasing or thriving; in fact, many are declining in number, but they haven’t reached the threshold for priority conservation planning.

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Bald eagle in flight

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Photo by Chris Bosak Bald eagle in New England, March 2025.

Saw this beauty the other day in New England by a reservoir. It’s so nice to see bald eagles more frequently now.

For the Birds: Odd ducks are fun to find

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Photo by Chris Bosak A Redhead swims alongside a Ring-necked Duck in Darien in March 2014.

It’s always good to know where a little open water exists.

Whether the water doesn’t freeze during the winter because of a dam, waterfall, fountain or otherwise, these spots are great for duck watching on even the coldest of days. In fact, the coldest days may be the best time to visit these spots, as very little open water exists elsewhere, and the ducks concentrate in these little oases.

I find it interesting when different species of ducks that usually are not found together congregate in these pools of open water. I’ve seen huge rafts of scaup on Long Island Sound and some large lakes throughout the Northeast. The ducks usually stick with their own kind on these large bodies of water. But when a freeze forces them to find open water, it is not uncommon to see scaups swimming among goldeneyes, buffleheads and redheads.

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State of the Birds rings some alarms

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Below is the press release (without edits or opinion from me) for the 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report. Commentary will come in a later post. …

The release of the 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report was announced today (Thursday, March 13, 2025) at the 90th annual North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. The report, produced by a coalition of leading science and conservation organizations, reveals continued widespread declines in American bird populations across all mainland and marine habitats, with 229 species requiring urgent conservation action. The report comes five years after the landmark 2019 study that documented the loss of 3 billion birds in North America over 50 years.

Key findings from the new report show that more than one-third of U.S. bird species are of high or moderate conservation concern, including 112 Tipping Point species that have lost more than 50% of their populations in the last 50 years. That includes 42 red-alert species facing perilously low populations, such as Allen’s Hummingbird, Tricolored Blackbird, and Saltmarsh Sparrow—birds that are at risk without immediate intervention. 

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Just a few larks

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Photo by Chris Bosak A horned lark at a Connecticut beach, February 2025.

I came across these horned larks during a recent walk along a beach in southern Connecticut the other week. Larks and buntings are often seen during the winter along the Long Island Sound coast. I’m yet to get a quality photo of one with its “horns” raised. Until then, enjoy these photos.

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For the Birds: Blue jays chase owl into the woods

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Photo by Chris Bosak A cedar waxwing eats border privet berries in New England, February 2025.

Blue jays give and blue jays take away.

During a walk in the woods the other day, I heard a bunch of blue jays squawking up a storm. It was too loud and frantic to be simple alarm calls for a potential threat. This threat had to be real. The calls and squawks reached a fever pitch as more and more blue jays appeared onto the scene from all directions.

I knew it had to be a hawk or owl that had the jays all riled up. I just had to find it.

After a minute or two of peering into the thick hemlock branches, I noticed a large bird being harassed. The blue jays may have been smaller, but it was at least 15 to 1 in their favor. From my angle, the larger bird was still well hidden. I took a few steps to change my perspective, and my suspicions were confirmed that it was a barred owl.

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For the Birds: Icy conditions good for photography, not so much for birds

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Photo by Chris Bosak Black-capped chickadee perches on an icy branch, February 2025.

Every so often in New England, everything is covered in ice. I’m not talking about lakes and rivers freezing or icicles dangling from the edge of roofs. I’m talking about when literally everything outside is covered in ice. Every branch, every leaf, every pine needle, every blade of grass is sheathed in its own covering of ice. 

It doesn’t happen often. Sometimes it’s once or twice a winter. Sometimes it’s once every couple of years. The conditions have to be just right. 

The other week, the conditions were just right. A near-freezing rain fell hard in the evening, and, when the temperature dropped just a bit after the sun went down, it turned into freezing rain. By morning, everything was ice, including a slick covering on the remaining snow. 

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Cedar waxwings eating berries

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Photo by Chris Bosak A cedar waxwing eats border privet berries in New England, February 2025.

A walk earlier this week yielded these beauties eating border privet berries. Cedar waxwings are one of my favorites.

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Never enough cardinal photos

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Photo by Chris Bosak Northern cardinal in birdbath, New England, Feb. 2025.

Can there ever be enough northern cardinal photos? Here are a few shots from the other day.

Photo by Chris Bosak Northern cardinal in New England, Feb. 2025.

Red-winged blackbirds return in force

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Photo by Chris Bosak A red-winged blackbird rests on a perch near a feeder in New England, February 23, 2025.

This guy showed up at my feeder a few days ago, marking the first time I’ve seen a red-winged blackbird at my feeder in many years. Today, during a walk, I saw dozens and dozens of male red-winged blackbirds, mostly flying overhead. Males show up a few weeks before females to scout out territories. The familiar sounds of red-winged blackbirds are back. The spring migration is under way.