I forgot to add to my post that today I saw a Red-headed Woodpecker in Fremont County in the trees in front of Holcim Cement Company east of Florence. I have never seen a Red-headed Woodpecker in Fremont County and I don't recall hearing of one in the past 15 years or so. It seems this is a very good year for this species with reports of sightings in many areas.
"Birds of North America" online states, "Over the last 200 years, this species has undergone periods of great abundance and periods when it appeared to be on the verge of extinction. Ornithologists in the early 1900s were baffled by its erratic occurrence; nonbreeding-season movements historically were influenced by nut crops in extensive northern beech (* Fagus*) forests, which no longer exist, and movements today are possibly influenced by large-scale variations in abundance of acorns. Breeding populations benefited from the demise of the American chestnut (*Castanea dentata*) and American elm (*Ulnus americana*) trees from the Eastern deciduous forest, but may have been adversely affected by the disappearance (or possible extinction) of a formerly abundant grasshopper in the Midwest." The bird I saw today and those I saw near Lake Holbrook were not near acorns so that is not the issue with these. I didn't see an abundance of any grasshoppers in either location but suspect that the proliferation of sightings this year may well be tied to some food source. SeEtta Moss Canon City http://BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Colorado County Birding: http://www.coloradocountybirding.com/ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.as/group/cobirds?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
