Where Have All the Birds Gone?

In my October newsletter, I discussed some of the problems associated with the chemicals that are so ubiquitous in our environment.  I noted that, for several years now, I've been basically home-bound — confined to living indoors — during the growing season because of the profound effects these chemicals have on me.  This past year, I started seeing some evidences of the same problems developing in my wife, which concerns me, both for her health and for what it signals for our world.

In that newsletter, I also cited three articles:

• Pesticides, NOT West Nile Virus, are the Leading Cause of Bird Deaths: After studying more than 80,000 birds brought into a New York State pathology laboratory for a study on the West Nile Virus, it was found that, in the vast majority of these birds, the cause of death was pesticide poisoning, not the West Nile Virus.
• The Damage This Polluted World Does to Your Body: A reporter for National Geographic did a study to identify the poisons in his own body, poisons acquired "by merely living".  The results of 14 blood tests revealed the presence of 320 different chemicals in his body.
• Pesticide and Herbicide Contamination: There is widespread toxicity among people.  One study found that 50% of semen samples contained one specific herbicide, and 82% of urine samples were positive for one pesticide.  But, there are 889 other toxins that were not tested.

In this month's newsletter, I'd like to update you a little with some observations I've made over the past few months, relating to that article.

Whose garden was this …

In the early 1970s, John Denver recorded a song (I think it was by Tom Paxton) entitled, "Whose garden was this?"  In it, he lamented the loss of flowers, freely flowing rivers, the color of blue and breezes.  And, the chorus rang out:

Tell me again, I need to know:
The forest had trees, the meadows were green,
The oceans were blue, and birds really flew.
Can you swear that it's true?

That song is beginning to strike home for me as it never did before.

I live in an area that is pretty near the edge of town.  Over the years, we've had large numbers of birds pass through during migratory season, and the number of year-round "residents" has always been substantial.  But, over the past couple of years, those numbers have been dwindling.  Dramatically.  For example:

• In the past, we've lived with a veritable circus of sparrows.  They lived here year-round.  Sit at any window, and you could watch scores of them at almost any moment.  In the fall, they used to queue up on the power lines in the hundreds.  This year, I don't think I've seen more than a handful all summer.  In the last few months, I don't think I've seen any.  There are a few other small birds around, but not a sparrow to be seen.
• Every autumn, we used to have an invasion of starlings — thousands of them — everywhere you'd look.  The swarms of them, circling to start their migration flight, would blacken the sky.  And, along one street in our neighborhood, the trees would be filled with them.  Their screeching was deafening, and the sidewalks would be covered with … um, well; we won't go into that … .  This year, the streets are quiet, and the sidewalks are virtually clear.  I haven't even seen a starling.
• The usual blackbirds and crows are totally absent, as well.

We still have a few robins and blue jays, and I've actually noticed an increase in the number of cardinals.  And we have an abundance of Canadian geese living here year-round.  When the urge to migrate strikes them, they form their wedges in the sky, take a loup around the town and land back where they started.  But, overall, I don't think there are more than 30% of the birds that used to brighten our lives.

Is it West Nile Virus or the pesticides?

Now, in this area, we've had a few birds die from West Nile Virus.  I think a couple of people in the state may have contracted it, as well.  But, when the first birds got sick, the city started a campaign to spray for mosquitoes, hoping to prevent the spread of the disease.  That would seem to have been effective — but at what price?

Now, I've never been a big bird-watcher, but I miss the birds.  Their presence added a very pleasant flavor to life here.  But, my real concern is over the impact the pesticides have on us.  If they have killed off all the birds, what does that suggest for our future?

I encourage you to take another a look at my October newsletter, read the linked articles and begin a serious cleansing program.  I think that taking large quantities of GLF and other liver-supporting products could prove to be very, very beneficial in the years to come.