Chris et al, I appreciate your comments and fully agree. We are blessed that after 31 years the restoration work to the sanctuary here has really come to fruition. The creation of multiple water features and habitat niches has proven very successful as has design/placement of nest boxes. The elimination of people traffic from the sanctuary of a conservation easement has also been of benefit to the wildlife.
That said, we have also experienced this crazy spring "pattern". We've been studying the timing and routing of migration for the three decades we've worked here and are as flummoxed as everyone else. Some considerations. First weather favored a stop south of us and at times an overflight as shown by the arrival of species in Ontario well ahead of our area. Early and profuse blooming favored nectaring species to either stay south or come late. The local landscape view has changed radically and rapidly with the growth of agribusiness dairies, removal of hedgerows and even woodlots, that added to all the other man induced migration hazards of course! That same redo of farming methods has extirpated many avian species in our area. Several sparrow and warbler species are simply no longer here or about. For comparison: > Yellow Warblers, everywhere? Nope. abundant > Rose-breasted Grosbeak -Nope . abundant > Baltimore Orioles, everywhere? Nope. several > Red-eyed Vireos, everywhere? Nope. many heard -even in the dooryard > Chipping Sparrows, everywhere? Nope. a few pair but they go very sneaky > during nesting so we'll see once young fledge > Common birds absolutely everywhere? Nope. As above -several missing > > A final note and observation. Thirty years ago, bird life and song was > plentiful as was competition for habitat. I think we all agree that species > numbers have plummeted and this is quite observable in the paucity of > territorial competition and later song during nesting. Just isn't there these > days. > Best, > John --- John and Sue Gregoire Field Ornithologists Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory 5373 Fitzgerald Rd Burdett, NY 14818 42.443508000, -76.758202000 On 2017-06-17 13:52, Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes wrote: > Everyone, > > Just pointing out the obvious here, but bird numbers in my immediate area of > Upstate NY are way down this year. I mean, _WAY_ down. John, if you have full > capacity of nesting Tree Swallows, it may be that the sites you host are > prime and being filled to capacity because they _are_ the best locations. It > sounds to me like the sub-par sites are not being filled. > > Acoustically, birds are seriously lacking this year. Visually, birds are > lacking this year. Birding at the Hawthorn Orchard was a disaster, yet there > was food and everything was primed to receive birds. Regular numbers of > expected birds were hugely lacking. What happened to the Tennessee Warblers > and Blackpoll Warblers? I think I recorded something like three Tennessee > Warblers at most on one day at the Hawthorn Orchard, then they were just > done. Blackpoll Warblers...you were lucky to see or hear a single bird this > spring. Blackpoll Warblers used to come through here in droves - just driving > around, you would pass singing Blackpoll Warbler after Blackpoll Warbler, > during their peak migration through this area. Remember? When all of those > Blackpoll Warblers came through, that marked the "end" of that spring > migration - the cleanup species - this simply didn't happen. > > In overflow areas, where habitat may not be the best, or is sub-par, and > which normally fills in because the best habitats are already taken by other > birds, the birds simply are not there. > > Yellow Warblers, everywhere? Nope. > Rose-breasted Gro > Yellow Warblers, everywhere? Nope. > Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, everywhere? Nope. > Baltimore Orioles, everywhere? Nope. > Red-eyed sbeaks, everywhere? Nope. > Baltimore Orioles, everywhere? Nope. > Red-eyed Vireos, everywhere? Nope. > Chipping Sparrows, everywhere? Nope. > Common birds absolutely everywhere? Nope. > > I'm just talking about the regular comings and goings of my own personal > activities of driving around, walking in and out of buildings, coming and > going from home, work, shopping, etc. I'm just not seeing or hearing the > abundance of birds that I'm used to seeing or hearing. It just seems deadly > quiet this year, if you look at the whole picture - the gestalt of bird > abundance this year. > > Sure, prime habitats may seem to have the "regular" volumes of birds, but the > sub-par habitats are seemingly empty. > > If there is not a rock solid explanation for this, then this is a red flag in > my opinion. > > Perhaps the most logical cause is weather-related. > > If this is not the case, then we've got something far more detrimental going > on, at least in the Northeast. > > Hope I'm wrong. > > Sincerely, > Chris T-H > > On Jun 17, 2017, at 9:00 AM, k...@empacc.net wrote: > > We have 17 boxes active, one with bluebirds, two with House Wren, a one with > chickadees and the remainder with Tree Swallows. Probably another good year > after a 100% occupancy/success rate last year. We believe this is due to > effective placement and predator guards that function well. john > > --- > John and Sue Gregoire > Field Ornithologists > Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory > 5373 Fitzgerald Rd > Burdett, NY 14818 > 42.443508000, -76.758202000 > > On 2017-06-17 12:40, Glenn Wilson wrote: > >> We usually have a dozen or so flying and nesting until mid summer. I haven't >> seen a single one since early swallow migration. >> >> Glenn Wilson >> Endicott, NY >> www.WilsonsWarbler.com [1] >> >> On Jun 17, 2017, at 8:34 AM, John and Fritzie Blizzard >> <job121...@verizon.net> wrote: >> >> We've had one nesting pr. with 5 young expected to fledge in 11 days. >> Usually have at least 3 pr. with many others flying about. Not so this yr.. >> Same with barn swallows. For the last 2 yrs. we've not had more than a doz. >> of either lining up on our power line in late summer before migration. Used >> to be many, many dozens. :'( >> >> The 100 acres behind us were mowed on Wed.. I didn't see a swallow. Same >> when the school lawns are being mowed. Always before the birds were swooping >> overhead in great numbers to get insects. We no longer see those many >> insects. >> >> Rachel Carson ... we need you again to lead a new fight. >> >> Fritzie Blizzard >> >> Union Springs >> >> -- >> >> Cayugabirds-L List Info: >> http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME [2] >> http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES [3] >> http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm >> [4] >> >> ARCHIVES: >> 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html [5] >> 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds >> 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html >> >> Please submit your observations to eBird: >> http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ >> >> -- >> >> -- >> >> Cayugabirds-L List Info: >> http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME [2] >> http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES [3] >> http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm >> [4] >> >> ARCHIVES: >> 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html [5] >> 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds >> 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html >> >> Please submit your observations to eBird: >> http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ >> >> -- > > -- > CAYUGABIRDS-L LIST INFO: > Welcome and Basics [2] > Rules and Information [3] > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave [4] > ARCHIVES: > The Mail Archive [5] > Surfbirds [6] > BirdingOnThe.Net [7] > PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR OBSERVATIONS TO EBIRD [8]! > -- > > -- > Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes > Field Applications Engineer > Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology > 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York 14850 > W: 607-254-2418 [9] M: 607-351-5740 [10] F: 607-254-1132 [11] > > http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp > -- > CAYUGABIRDS-L LIST INFO: > Welcome and Basics [2] > Rules and Information [3] > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave [4] > ARCHIVES: > The Mail Archive [5] > Surfbirds [6] > BirdingOnThe.Net [7] > PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR OBSERVATIONS TO EBIRD [8]! > -- Links: ------ [1] http://www.wilsonswarbler.com/ [2] http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME [3] http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES [4] http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm [5] http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html [6] http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds [7] http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html [8] http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ [9] tel:607-254-2418 [10] tel:607-351-5740 [11] tel:607-254-1132 -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
