Without our help, birds will lose home tweet home By Kathryn Reshetiloff Thanks to the springlike temperatures, I've begun sleeping with my windows open. Each morning, I am awakened by the boisterous songs of birds returning from their winter homes in the tropics. More than 360 species of birds make this annual migration between winter grounds in southern North America and Central and South America and breeding grounds in North America and the Arctic. Others, such as the red-eyed vireo, scarlet tanager, wood thrush and Cape May warbler, may be familiar only to bird watchers. The importance of migratory birds cannot be overlooked.
Birds are our best natural insect control, eating tons of insects annually.
As green leaves emerge each spring, so do millions of caterpillars and insects. With the arrival of songbirds and other migratory shorebirds, waterfowl and raptors comes the emergence of a particular breed of person - the bird watcher. Bird watching is becoming a leading recreational industry. People participated in these activities around their homes or during trips. Ninety six percent of all residential wildlife watchers spent their time observing birds.