A recurring theme this issue is one of common birds no longer being quite so common . In our cover story [ p . 12 ] we address the threats faced by birds that use the Atlantic Americas Flyway — a popular migration route connecting the Canadian Arctic with South America . While affected species such as Canada Warbler and Red Knot are widespread and ( still ) numerous enough to be classified as Least Concern , their decreasing population trends should alarm us all . Left unchecked , they could easily go the same way as the Eskimo Curlew — a once abundant wader that today , thanks to overhunting and the near-total loss of its prairie habitats to agriculture , is a ghost that seemingly no longer haunts the flyway .
The key is to identify the cause of decline swiftly . By the time we had discovered the once superabundant Yellow-breasted Bunting was on the slide , it was almost too late [ p . 34 ]. And even if we are successful in tackling the threats , some species face a long road to recovery — see the slow progress being made to repopulate the Blue-throated Macaw in Bolivia , over three decades removed from the ban on trapping [ p . 58 ]. All these cases illustrate the importance of BirdLife ’ s work in gathering population trend data on all species — and ensuring we keep common birds common . Enjoy the issue , Alex Dale , Editor
CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE
STEPH WINNARD
SIMBA CHAN
CONNIE WARREN
As Senior Conservation Officer of BirdLife International Asia Division based in Tokyo , Simba has been working on conservation issues of the flyways in Asia and wetland conservation since 1995 . On page 34 , he examines the frightening decline of the Yellow-breasted Bunting .
Steph is BirdLife ’ s International Marine Project Officer . She leads on engagement with High Seas fisheries to reduce the numbers of threatened albatross being killed incidentally in longline fisheries . On page 60 , she shares with us some of the stunning photography she ’ s taken during her travels .
As BirdLife Australia ’ s Shorebird Conservation Coordinator , Connie leads on migratory shorebirds related advocacy and is also the Coordinator in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership ’ s Far Eastern Curlew Task Force . Read the latest on this Endangered wader ’ s status on page 30 .