Provider: Dawn Hewitt, Editor- Bird Watcher’s Digest

Did you know some of the most common bird species found in the Mid-Ohio Valley today weren’t even on this continent in the late 19th century? Back then, bird species that are now extinct were familiar here. For example, vast flocks of passenger pigeons sometimes darkened the skies for days as they passed over, and Carolina parakeets were often spotted along riversides. In the late 1800s, massive declines in bird populations resulted from hunting to obtain feathers for women’s hats—a popular fashion craze. During this time, efforts to change this trend began a conservation movement, which persists today. Join us as we explore this fascinating and often forgotten history of how birdlife has changed in the past 150 years or so.

Dawn Hewitt is editor of Bird Watcher’s Digest, North America’s oldest popular magazine for bird watchers, which was founded in Marietta in 1978. She is also editor of its sister publication, Watching Backyard Birds. The magazines have tens of thousands of subscribers across North America and around the world. Dawn has been a birder for more than 40 years and has traveled across the country and abroad just to see new bird species.