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November Artist of the Month – Alyssa Kenny

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I’ve had a longtime interest in photography and its ability to capture and retain moments and stories. After moving on from family and travel snapshots, I developed an interest in landscapes. This took new focus during the height of the COVID 19 pandemic. During the early weeks of stay-at-home orders, I found myself focusing on the bustling activity of nature in my garden. Particularly the birds which I had noticed but not appreciated. This collection of photographs focuses on native birds of Berkshire County. Highlighting them in their everyday habitats and activities. Birds are absolutely essential for our ecosystem and play a vital role in seed dispersion, pollination, pest control, scavenging, and landscape transformation.

In 2019 Gustave Axelson published “Vanishing: More Than 1 In 4 Birds Has Disappeared In The Last 50 Years” in Living Bird magazine and on the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s website (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/vanishing-1-in-4-birds-gone/). It explored the first-ever “comprehensive assessment of net population changes in the U.S. and Canada” which revealed staggering declines in bird populations. “The North American bird population is down by 2.9 billion breeding adults, with devastating losses among birds in every biome. Forests alone have lost 1 billion birds. Grassland bird populations collectively have declined by 53%, or another 720 million birds.”

Common birds that we see in our everyday lives have shown the greatest decline. “More than 90% of the losses (more than 2.5 billion birds) come from just 12 families including the sparrows, blackbirds, warblers, and finches.” The Red-winged Blackbird, shown in the photographs included here, is still common in the Berkshires. However, a third of the entire population has been destroyed in the last 50 years, a reduction of more than 90 million.

There are so many ways that you can help to stabilize the loss of native birds in your area. Actions as simple as planting native plants in outdoor spaces can help to encourage and support native bird species in your area. Voting and advocating for local and state initiatives to stem habitat loss and address contributions to and effects of climate change are essential.

Read more about what actions you can take here: https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/seven-simple-actions-to-help-birds/