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The Original All Roller Talk Discussion Board Archive >
Why Southern California Suffers BOP?
Why Southern California Suffers BOP?
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Tony Chavarria
Site Publisher
1568 posts
Aug 15, 2007
10:02 AM
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As pigeon fanciers, it may be time to begin thinking outside the box.
I have shared by email, some correspondence with a "birder" with some insight into the real possible solution. I hope he doesn't mind but I would like to share a few lines from a recent email:
"...generalists like the American Robin are among the most preyed upon songbirds by Cooper's Hawks - robin numbers are increasing..."
"...Specialists, like grassland birds, which are also preyed upon by raptors, are declining. In both cases, both kinds of birds have been natural raptor prey items for tens of thousands of years."
The balance that has been tipped is the loss of habitat for specialists. Managing raptor populations isn't the solution, but restoring habitat is."
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So taking this as a cue: here is my "theory" why So.Cal. roller fanciers feel overwhelmed with bop...
In Southern California back in the 1980's, 1990's and 2000's (when bop first became a really big issue), whole areas of open land once used for dairy's and farming (Ontario, Chino, Orange County, etc) were and are being developed with housing tracts, shopping malls, industry parks, etc.
This urban sprawl encroached and abuts on lands historically supporting bop and other wild animals. In order to remain in instinctual nesting territories, some percentage of bop were compelled to find other non-traditional food sources (Domesticated Pigeons Flying In Circles) and soon reaped the benefit of such ready food stocks that they have mushroomed in numbers.
Looking for reasons why, pigeon fanciers perhaps falsely concluded that the MBTA was responsible. But wait, the MBTA has been in existence since the early 1900's, why did it take all that time for bop to become an issue Southern California?
So, perhaps the long-term solution for the pigeon fancier's bop concerns is for us all to join forces with already strong, established and politically savvy groups to responsibly restore and maintain natural habitat.
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FLY ON! Tony Chavarria
Check Out Our Pigeon Supply Store
Last Edited by on Aug 15, 2007 12:15 PM
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MCCORMICKLOFTS
1509 posts
Aug 15, 2007
10:36 AM
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"responsibly restore and maintain natural habitat"
Just how do you plan to do that in So Cal? Tear down the houses and shopping malls and plant trees and grass, restore the filled in ponds and creeks? A $200,000 for a bare half acre, do you really think developers really want to "restore natural habitat"? Do you think that wasn't fought for when they carved a million homes into the wooded hillsides, caused the relocation of over 3 million head of dairy cows or saw the tens of thousands of acres of old growth citrus bulldozed?
I believe there very well could be some connection between urban sprawl and the increase in predation, at least when it comes to accipiters. That isn't what happened with the Falcon. They are the result of planting them in the cities and backyards and their offspring don't migrate because their parents don't.
The town I grew up in isn't in so cal. Its in the central part of the state, an agricultural community. I lived near a river bottom with several acres of horse property. I NEVER saw a cooper or falcon....EVER. Even with free lofted birds from as far back as I can remember. There hasn't been much urban sprawl in this town. The economics don't support it. I still have a few friends in the area and they have told me they get slaughtered and that it was nothing like it was when we were younger. I visit my dad at the same house I grew up in often. We used to have lots of robins. I haven't seen one there in years. I can only recall seeing one in my residental bird sanctuary once.
A few months back I was attending the CA State Shoot in Kingsburg. We camped on the grounds, I slept in the bed of my truck which is set up for it. The facility is located on the Kings rivers, is surrounded by peach orchards, old growth oaks and this particular place is well groomed grass on the clay fields. The mornings were brisk and wonderful as I awoke every morning to the chorus of Robins hunting worms in the grass and feeding their young. Over the course of five days I was astonished at the number of robins I saw there. I've never seen that many before. One thing I didn't see at all, not one single one and I was outside, looking all day, every day and night...was not one single accipter.
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J_Star
1131 posts
Aug 15, 2007
10:46 AM
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Let me add to your theory is the density of the roller fanciers. There are allot of roller fanciers in CA. In a neighborhood, there must be a few fanciers flying their birds at the same time, every time. Then the abundance of Bop will be to an extreme. The bop will have young and the young will stay around for the easy meal. Why would they go somewhere else when the food bells are ringing?
The problem is when a fancier is very careful and tries to work the Bop, his neighbor(s) down the block is not and feeding the Bop and encourages them to stay by flying his birds to be slaughtered. The cycle doesn't end until all fanciers become educated and work together in CA to minimize their losses. The question is how can that be accomplished? I honestly don't know...
Jay
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Tony Chavarria
Site Publisher
1569 posts
Aug 15, 2007
12:17 PM
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Hey Brian, before I respond to your post, I would like to hear from some others first.
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FLY ON! Tony Chavarria
Check Out Our Pigeon Supply Store
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nicksiders
2066 posts
Aug 15, 2007
1:42 PM
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The federal and state governments own more of California than anyone else. They have to environmentally emprove the lands owned by those agencies. The counties and cities also own large amounts of realistate. Between all of these governing bodies they must legislate environmentally sound practices to make sure developers act responsibly. Even in Arkansas if you develope a once was wetland you must purchase and protect an equivelant sized area. Tit-for-tat. Politics, politics......right? It is whoever has the power that will decide who does what to OUR land.
Tony has pointed out some good things and so has Brian. Both are right on. The problem is well over the head of this fat old man.....
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Nick
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SiDLoVE
35 posts
Aug 15, 2007
2:04 PM
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Brian ..Ur right there bred in the city and released in the City thats why they dont leave ,.,,,Here in central cali ..visalia... they leave to the moutains and i dont see them till winter... i havent lost a young birds since last winter due to BOP....good luck...
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kcfirl
176 posts
Aug 15, 2007
2:31 PM
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Tony,
as I assume you saw from my previous post, raptor populations in the US have been increasing since the 70's. The generally accepted scientific explanation is the ban on DDT.
The MBTA was put in place in 1918 but clearly raptor numbers did not dramtically increase at that time.
Of course building houses where wild things live will cause issues. MBTA was actually put in place to stop people from shooting/trapping/etc. birds for the feathers, taking eggs, and generally shooting anything that flew.
DDT took down the raptor populations and the ban has allowed tham to repopulate.
If building houses is the issue, I would think the populations of raptors would have actually gone down over the last 30 year, not up.
Regards,
Ken firl
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Richard
59 posts
Aug 15, 2007
3:17 PM
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You say building houses is the reason hawks are on the incline? I though it was the other way around. removing the trees and woods caused the wild life to decline!!!!!!
NOw what keeps the hawks in town? Bird feeders in every back yeard. These places are like a smorgasbord to the hawks. Next in line are those who fly their pigeons with out any consideration to how many are feed to the hawks. THEY JUST RAISE MORE
Brian good post.
Richard
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Missouri-Flyer
800 posts
Aug 15, 2007
4:44 PM
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I too was raised in So. Cal. "Bloomington"..I had BR's from 1982 until 1989, when I had my first kid,...I cant recall once losing a bird to a BOP, but again, I was young AND dumb.... I traveled to many a fancier back then, including Higgins on a Bi-weekly bases and never heard anyone talk about a BOP problem...Yep, them times are a changin'.
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Jerry
Home of "Whispering Wings Loft"
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