Where have all the birds gone?

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The purple finch, about 5-6 inches in size and weighs about 1-1 1/2 ounces with a thick and pointed bill, is usually seen in the eastern United States in the winter months. Males are traditionally reddish in color and females brown with white stripes. In the past, the purple finch has seen cyclical declines, many have said due to the introduction of other species such as the house sparrow over 100 years ago. However, interestingly enough, the purple finch is seeing another decline in the eastern parts of the United States, and this time it's not due to the introduction of new species, and acording to the Audubon Society, more than 305 bird species have been moving further north than usual due to the rapid damage of their ecosystem. The fact is that that purple finch, who once migrated across Springfield, MO are now seen further north along the latitude of Milwaukee, Wis. Why? Global warming is changing these beautiful birds habits and migration patterns. In addition, other concerns for the purple finch and the other 305 bird species is the fact that they no longer have homes to come back to to nest. Deforestation, and low food supply in these once abudant regions are now limited areas for successful breeding. A study on North American species spending winters farther north indicates that "...the only explanation why so many birds over such a broad area are wintering in more northern locales is global warming." While our planet continues to warm due to anthropogenic-enhance greenhouse gases, global warming will manifest itself in a number of ways. We already see it by the changing paterns of the purple finch and the 305 other bird species affected, but what about things that effect us directly? Such as changing weather patterns, the contraction of ice sheets in the antartic causing dangerous sea leveal variations, agricultural fields ruined by dust and wind and finally extreme temperatures in steady areas. While these changes may be regional, it's only a matter of time before its global impact.