Important Bird Areas

BirdNote^®

Important Bird Areas

Written by Todd Peterson

This is BirdNote!
[General wetland ambient]
    In order to survive, birds – like all creatures – need the essentials of life: food, water, safe shelter, a place to bring forth the next generation. The single name for these essentials is habitat.
Yet natural habitats are being lost as people convert them to other uses. Stanford University Professor Paul Ehrlich says, “We stand today at a crossroads: Never has our species been more disconnected from the natural world; but ironically, never have so many Americans been interested in the welfare of birds.”*
Fortunately, some high-quality habitats for birds have become “Important Bird Areas” or IBAs, a designation making a strong case for their protection. It’s likely there’s one near you. Whether identified by American Bird Conservancy as globally significant, or by National Audubon as important in your state, these areas help maintain healthy populations of millions of birds that live in or migrate through our country.  
     [Calls of Least Sandpipers]
The Least Sandpipers you’re hearing travel to and from the Arctic, year after year.  They’re just one of the birds that rely on Important Bird Areas to rest and feed during their long journeys. What would they do if the food and safety there were gone?
 [Calls of Least Sandpipers + marsh ambient]
Find out if there’s an IBA near you. Visit our website, birdnote.org. I’m Michael Stein. [Alt. line 2012: Are you helping to protect an Important Bird Area? Would you like to share your story on our new website? Come to BirdNote.org.]
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Bird audio provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Marsh ambient [58508] recorded by W.W.H. Gunn. Least Sandpiper recorded by C.A. Sutherland. Least Sandpiper flock recorded by C. Duncan.
Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Chris Peterson
© 2012 Tune In to Nature.org   May 2012   Narrator: Michael Stein

ID# iba-03-2012-05-19

* The American Bird Conservancy Guide to The 500 Most Important Bird Areas in the United States; Chipley, Fenwick, Parr and Pashley, Random House, NY 2003 pg. vi.