by Judy Hoy, Stevensville
This year, there appears to be far less songbirds that primarily eat insects for food than there used to be just 5 or 10 years ago. Bluebirds and swallows especially seem to be far fewer than in past years, as well as several other common songbirds. If you are not seeing as many songbirds in your area or where you watch birds as you did in years past, please contact the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and let them know about your observations. It is part of their job to protect Montana’s wildlife. It is much easier and far less expensive to prevent extinctions than it is to bring animals back from the edge. This is especially true when the serious declines appear to be happening to multiple species. The MDFWP appreciates such observations by citizens to help them do their job of protecting Montana’s precious wildlife. Thank you for helping our beautiful songbirds.