HARTFORD — Connecticut advocates for birds say the state is failing to protect habitats.

The Connecticut Audubon Society says in its annual report that the population of some bird species is falling because traditional habitats are disappearing.

The report also says there's no accurate count on how much open space is available in Connecticut.

Stephen B. Oresman, chairman emeritus of the Connecticut Audubon Society, says the legislature is doing little to preserve habitats that humans don't find attractive or valuable, such as scrubland and meadows.

Susan Whalen, deputy commissioner at the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, says agencies are taking a coordinated approach to re-establish grasslands and shrub lands. She says if left alone a meadow will return to forest in a few years.