April 26th
Location: ** Zoom **

Climate Change and Birds
What Nature and Birds are Telling Us
What We Can Do About It
Patsy Inglet

Climate change poses an existential threat to two-thirds of North American bird species – but there’s still time to protect them. And it’s to our human advantage to do so.

The earth’s climate has changed throughout time. However, the climate change we are experiencing today is different: the planet is warming at an accelerated rate, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for bird species to keep up with the resulting shifts. Adapting to climate change becomes even more difficult since other natural and human-induced threats add to the challenge. Species already under decline due to other factors are especially vulnerable to climate change.

The birds are telling us that the climate and ecosystems that support us all are in trouble. Almost 3 BILLION birds (1 in 4) have disappeared from NA since 1970. When bird populations go down that rapidly, something is wrong. We already know what has to be done to reduce global warming, and we already have a lot of the tools and solutions necessary to do what must be done.

What we need now are more people committed to making sure those solutions are put into practice. This talk is a call to action to anyone concerned with protecting the ecosystems that sustain birds and humans.

Patsy Inglet is a native Texan originally from the Houston area; she lived and worked 25 years overseas as a teacher with her engineer husband, Tom. They “retired” to the San Antonio area in 1999 and started their new career as “professional volunteers.”

Patsy & Tom became Alamo Master Naturalists in 2000 in Class 8 and volunteered to help band birds; they were hooked through the heart. Birds started as a volunteer interest, but they have now become a passion and a focus of Patsy’s educational and conservation efforts and recreational activities and travels. She & Tom have traveled to every continent to see as many birds as possible, banded birds in the field, monitored birds in the nest, and taught many children and adults the basics of birding.

As current President of Bexar Audubon Society, Patsy supports National Audubon Society initiatives within the Greater San Antonio and community and Master Naturalist
network to ensure that the birds we enjoy today will be here forever. Connecting people of all ages with nature, via birds, and helping to conserve our natural legacy have become top priorities in Patsy’s life.