Don Torino's latest column is about the decline of the Rusty Blackbird.

Here's a sample:

While it may be a challenge to get some people excited about these special little birds, we all should be very concerned about the future of this fast disappearing species.

The National Audubon Society lists the Rusty Blackbird on its “Yellow” alert status category on the “Watch list," which means that a species is either declining or rare.

These typically are species of national conservation concern. The Rusty Blackbirds numbers have been on the decline for more than 40 years, from an estimated 13 million in 1965 to 2 million in 2004, a more than 10% a year decrease with no end in sight.

And maybe just as frightening is that the reasons for their declines are not understood.

The link is here.