Re: “North America has lost 3 billion birds in 50 years” (Sept. 20, Page A2):

On the night of Sept. 23, Derek Lovitch, editor of “Birdwatching in Maine: A Site Guide,” took 60 Merrymeeting Audubon people on a month-by-month PowerPoint birding trip around Maine. After an engaging lecture with beautiful photographs, many taken by Jeannette Lovitch, we had an opportunity to interact with Derek in a follow-up question-and-answer session.

One of the final questions asked was the one I’d been waiting for. I had read, with great sadness, the Washington Post article in the Press Herald with the terrible news, published in the journal Science, about the ecological crisis of the loss of 3 billion birds. Another person I know could not even bear to read the article. The question was, “What can we do?”

Lovitch said we can solve any problem. “Think about it. Do something.” Climate change, habitat loss and pesticides are major contributors to the precipitous decline in bird populations, but we can help to reverse this decline by taking small steps.

• Buy certified shade-grown coffee, leaving the rain forest canopy in place.

• Keep your cat indoors. Cats instinctively hunt birds. (Go to the American Bird Conservancy’s web page for information.)

• Put decals on your windows to warn birds of hard, reflective glass.

Imagine the effectiveness of our collective action.

Bronda Niese

Brunswick