Daily Briefing: Where have all the birds gone?

ALSO: The Washington Bridge diagnosis isn't getting better ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ Advertisement [eNewspaper]( | [Crosswords]( | [Horoscopes]( [Read in browser]( The Daily Briefing YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP Tue Feb 6 2024 Will Richmond | Managing Editor Communities & R.I. [@Will_Richmond]( Good morning, I'm Will Richmond at The Providence Journal and this is the Daily Briefing. I can readily admit I'm not a birdwatcher. Sure, the sight of a bright red cardinal or stunning blue jay will catch my eye, but beyond those and a robin I'd probably have to grab my "National Audubon Society Field Guide" and quickly thumb through the pages in hopes of figuring out a match. This said, the sound of birds chirping and singing their song is always welcome and often a sign of warmer weather, so the news that many bird species are in decline is certainly concerning. That concern is, in part, what brought bird lovers and The Journal's Alex Kuffner to Newport on Sunday for the Audubon Society of Rhode Island’s second annual Birds Across New England symposium. [ClarksonAudubon.jpg] Charles Clarkson, director of avian research for the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, speaks at symposium on birds in New England. Alex Kuffner The news coming from the conference isn't great as Alex reports "More than a third of birds that breed in the organization’s 14 refuges (in Rhode Island and Massachusetts) are in decline." Can the trend be reversed? [Here's a look at why advocates are hopeful.]( • The ongoing work on the Washington Bridge was greeted by a new face on Monday. Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt got a firsthand look at the structure as federal involvement in the project becomes more and more likely. Among his comments, Bhatt told reporters the westbound side of the bridge could be out for a year or two. He also offered a look at how the Federal Highway Administration will likely be involved going forward. [The Journal's Patrick Anderson has a full recap on the latest from the Washington Bridge.]( • Bristol's role in the slave trade has been well documented and now a grant is helping town volunteers. The Journal's Antonia Farzan reports that researchers have been working to identify all the African, African-American and Indigenous people who were enslaved in Bristol between 1680 and 1808 and now [this grant from Tufts University is going to expand that effort](. • It's great news that the legacy of the longtime Providence Journal sports columnist will [live on in a new partnership between the Hope High Bill Reynolds Endowed Scholarship and the Rhode Island Foundation.]( The Journal's Bill Koch reports the Rhode Island Foundation will administer an annual scholarship on Reynolds' behalf, "an initiative that will add to the more than 100 students who have already received aide through that previous charitable work. The link between Hope and the foundation was proposed by his longtime partner, Liz Abbott." • Where is the best romantic restaurant in Rhode Island? [Take our poll to help us find out.]( WORTH A READ 👑 [King Charles has cancer and we don’t know what kind](. How we talk about it matters. ⚖️ 'So much winning'? [Donald Trump remade the Supreme Court.]( It hasn't always made him a winner 🚉 MBTA says [South Coast Rail stations will be finished within weeks.]( Check out the progress. RHODY RANKS Every day we receive emails ranking Rhode Island. While the work behind the ranks may be dubious, they can be fun. Each day I'll share where Rhody Ranks from one of the latest emails. What is the most popular dog breed in Rhode Island? A study by pet nutrition experts at [PetLab]( determined each state's most favored dog breed in the US, with the Golden Retriever taking the top spot in Rhode Island and 37 other state's as the most popular breed. The study analyzed over 200 AKC-recognized dog breeds alongside keywords such as 'buy' and 'adopt' through Google's Keyword Planner to produce a ranking for each state's most searched-for breed over the past 12 months. [TODAY'S WEATHER]( ☀️ Breezy and colder with intervals of clouds and sunshine. 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[READ MORE]( [Camille Chew, a graduate student, at RISD, shows her stamp design.]( [See the latest Lunar New Year stamp designed by RI's Camille Chew]( A Providence resident, Chew has designed the annual Lunar New Year stamps since 2020. [READ MORE]( [RI native and bestselling author Ann Hood at the Skein Yarn Shop in East Greenwich. ]( [Do you know all 10 of these authors with RI connections?]( H.P. Lovecraft is the obvious first one, but did you know these other authors have ties to the Ocean State. [READ MORE]( Advertisement Vote with Confidence This 7-day newsletter course will help you be an informed voter before Nov. 5. [SIGN UP NOW]( SUBSCRIBE TODAY Our Reporting. Your Stories. Full access to subscriber-only content on all devices. Share bonus subscription with a family member or friend. The universal eNewspaper, the digital version of our print paper, plus bonus monthly magazines and hundreds of local papers. 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