We have a deep-seated connection to birds and we come to learn that the uncertain fate of songbirds might mirror our own. Moving from the northern reaches of the Boreal Forest to the base of Mount Ararat in Turkey to the streets of New York, we come face-to-face with a remarkable variety of human-made perils that have devastated thrushes, warblers, orioles, tanagers, grosbeaks and many other airborne music-makers. In ancient times humans looked to the flight and songs of birds to protect the future. Today once again, birds have something to tell us.