Great opinion piece from Jimm Edgar of Mount Diablo Audubon in yesterday’s Contra Costa Times:

"Of course, we’ve seen a lot of changes in our own area lately, mostly due to the drought. Hillsides have turned brown early, and there’s little or no water in our streams and very little food for the birds. As a result, we’re not observing some of our favorite birds in the numbers we’ve seen in the past.

Climate change is hitting our birds hard. According to Audubon’s scientists, 170 California species will be threatened with extinction in the coming decades if we fail to take action on climate. Many of these imperiled birds are local favorites, such as the Western Bluebird, Golden Eagle, Brown Pelican, Burrowing Owl and Hooded Oriole."