Santandercol
1582 posts
Oct 31, 2007
10:44 PM
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Hey List,
Have you guys noticed a marked decline in the numbers of songbirds around your local areas?I'm talking birds like grassland birds,moorehens,finches,swallows,american bitterns,jays,blackbirds,starlings,,,all those types of birds,eh.I was watching a documentary on CBC about how songbirds are dissapearing in many parts of eastern Canada and it got me to thinking how it did seem like there are less birds around these days,compared to like 30-40 years ago.I live on the west coast and have noticed less Rufus Hummingbirds,swallows and cormorants(a seabird).Cormorants are a seabird but there used to be HUGE flocks of them on the water and nesting in the cliffs all up and down the coast here and now you hardly see any at all.This is something that can and will tragically affect our beloved flying breed of pigeon and I'm just wondering how other people around the continent and the world for that matter,see this phenomenom unfolding or if you do see any change in bird populations??Curious....
Kelly
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black_hawk_down
43 posts
Oct 31, 2007
10:52 PM
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Yes it does seem like they're disappearing. I remember there was a lot more of scrub jays and mocking birds flying everywhere a few years back. Kinda lonely aint it?-joe
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MILO
684 posts
Oct 31, 2007
10:53 PM
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Absolutely.
I can remember waking up because the songs were so loud I couldn't sleep in the morning. They filled the skies. I remember my mother would have to fill the feeder twice a day. I visited her a couple days ago and she had the same feed in there for weeks...LOL Don't get me started on the bandtail populations here. Decimated. They want to blame that on hunting? LOL Please.
My favorite local story here was of a young Peregrine falcon. The tourists at the pier were alarmed one day when they noticed something unusual. A young Peregrine falcon was killing seagulls that were too heavy to carry off. It was killing them all day. By the time animal control got there, there were over nine dead birds on the beach, and some floating in the water. Just precious aint they? I guess when you have eaten everything around, seagulls don't seem so bad to eat? LOL
c
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Electric-man
768 posts
Oct 31, 2007
11:06 PM
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The field larks (meadow lark) was thick as flies as a kid, hardly ever see one anymore around here! Quail are almost non-existant here! People blame the domestic cats, but I hunt alot and never see cats in the woods, the coyotes thin them out! Rabbits are something that was in an abundance years ago! Song birds are definatly scarce! I see a difference!
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Val
"Site Moderator"
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SAT Roller
64 posts
Nov 01, 2007
12:03 PM
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Kelly,
You maybe correct in all the songs birds disappearing: however, the Cormorants are in great numbers here in Texas.
These things have such an appetite I wish something was preying on them as I am a fisherman and hate them like most of us hate BOPs.
I am hoping they open up hunting them in Texas, currently they are protected for some unknown reason.
Richard
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Missouri-Flyer
878 posts
Nov 01, 2007
1:34 PM
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Richard,
where I used to live and fish in Ohio I seen very few if any Commorants. That was up until the last 90's. While fishing a bass tourney at Paint Creek Lake I believe, they were so thick that you couldn't see the trees from all of them..While talking to a local guide after the tourney, he informed me that the abundance of fish that these birds eat will stunt a fish population in a matter of a few years.
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Jerry
Home of "Whispering Wings Loft"
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Santandercol
1586 posts
Nov 01, 2007
4:49 PM
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Hunh.Maybe our westcoast ones have all gone to Missouri.Send em back anytime,rather have them than the harbour seals.
How about you guys across the pond?Do you see any reduction in songbird populations?
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Kelly
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J_Star
1225 posts
Nov 01, 2007
6:17 PM
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Most likly all those song birds moved to Ohio. I think they are thick in this part of the country.
Jay
Last Edited by on Nov 01, 2007 6:17 PM
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bman
481 posts
Nov 02, 2007
5:06 AM
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Jerry, the commorant population is so high on lake erie the state has gotten a permit to reduce (shoot) the population on several islands they use for nesting.
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Ron
Borderline lofts
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SAT Roller
65 posts
Nov 02, 2007
6:53 AM
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My wife and I pulled in the back of a creek a couple years ago and there were well over 5000 comorants in there. They were herding what there were fishing and it was down right scary to watch, as a large pack they push everything back in the little coves and then they comsume whatever is there. If you like fish it is ugly!!!
Of course after I saw what was happening I fired my big motor up and run them off, they really don't like being around boats/fishermen.
Yes we do need an open season on them down here in Texas..
Richard
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