Mourning Doves (initially one of the most regular species in my yard),
Collared Doves, and Coopers Hawks have been in an epic battle in my yard
for the better part of a decade now. The Collared Doves originally
arrived sometime around 2012, 2014ish and aggressively drove the
Mourning Doves away. There was a while when Collared Doves perched on
every street light along Independence and would gather in groups up to a
dozen at a time.
The hawks noticed soon enough and for a couple of years I'd see a
Coopers Hawk several times a week, often eating a dove right in the
middle of my yard.
The Collared Doves have thinned out now and Coopers are uncommon again
around here. This year I even had a regular pair of Mourning Doves in
the yard daily. I suspect the struggle will continue since the Collared
Doves are still around and still aggressive. This has to have influenced
other bird populations too.
Jennifer Powell
Jeffco, east of Standley Lake
On 7/30/2021 9:58 AM, MARK CHAVEZ wrote:
Do you think there is a correlation with the increase of smaller
mountain species nesting along the front range (especially the western
areas), and the explosion of Cooper's Hawks in the same areas? It was
an uncommon occurrence to have Cooper's appear in my yard until the
expansion of Eurasian Collared Doves. The increase in food supply has
these hawks nesting everywhere! The once very common summer species
in my neighborhood like Blue Jays, Grackles, Orioles, Flickers, Robins
and even Mourning Doves have disappeared. Now that the predators
(Cooper's prey) like Blue Jays, Grackles, and Scrub Jays have
decreased, the smaller birds like hummingbirds (Black-chinned was rare
10 years ago), nuthatches, bushtits, goldfinches, and chickadees are
increasing. The Cooper's don't seem that interested in the smaller
prey. The last two years, I have had Cordilleran Flycatchers
successfully nesting under the eaves of the house. When the uncommon
Blue Jay shows in the yard, the flycatchers get upset with these nest
predators. I am seeing a huge decrease in Eurasian Collared Doves in
my neighborhood. Will the balance eventually return?? I must admit,
I'm excited when the Cooper's finish nesting in mid-August and leave
our neighborhood. By this time, the flycatchers and others have
finished nesting and the mentioned species return. Just my thoughts...
Mark Chavez
Lakewood-Green Mtn
http://jaeger29.smugmug.com/
On 07/27/2021 9:50 AM Ira Sanders <[email protected]> wrote:
In reply to Dave's posting about Cordilleran Flycatcher, there have
been at least 2 birds in my neighborhood since spring calling and I
presume nesting. I have put them on eBird lists several times.
On a side note, hummers arrived in some numbers this morning
including BCHU along with the usual BTHU and RUHU that have been here
for a week or so. I haven't seen Calliope yet.
Ira Sanders
Golden
On Fri, Jul 23, 2021 at 12:53 PM DAVID A LEATHERMAN <
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Over the past 45 years or so of visiting Fort Collins' Grandview
Cemetery and also spending a lot of time on the eastern plains at
places like the Pawnee Grasslands and Lamar, the occasional and
seemingly increasing presence of foothills/lower mountain species
at low elevation has intrigued me.
I have mostly attributed this to maturation of the "urban
forest", especially Colorado Blue Spruce but certainly other
conifers and many deciduous trees, as well.
Species with the bulk of their breeding habitat in the foothills
and lower mountains that sometimes breed in Grandview Cemetery
include: red-breasted nuthatch (of late, every year),
broad-tailed hummingbird (of late, every year), western
wood-pewee (of late, 2 out of every 3 years), chipping sparrow
(of late, every other year), ruby-crowned kinglet (of late, every
third year), red crossbill (ever(?), once), western tanager
(ever(?), once).
Now I am beginning to wonder about cordilleran flycatcher. In
the last couple weeks there have been reports of this species at
the prairie-foothills interface from several locations along the
Front Range on COBIRDS. Last weekend I can add another from the
River's Edge Natural Area in Loveland (Big Thompson River near
the softball complex at the old fairgrounds). The Loveland bird
was a male giving the characteristic territorial "squeek-itt!"
call. Other recent reports have mentioned detection via this
same vocalization.
I have questions. BBAII accounts indicate one nesting cycle and
attribute late nests to renesting after early nest failures. The
"Birds of the World" account for this species mentions the
likelihood of two nesting cycles in Oaxaca, MX. Do the recent
reports represent second-try nesting at lower elevation? Do they
represent second nestings at lower elevation after a successful
nesting higher up? Do they represent post-breeding dispersal,
with the individuals simply vocalizing in the lower elevation
area they moved to as if on territory? Does the "new normal" of
fires and smoke in the mountains of the West have anything to do
with what appears to be a shift to lower elevations at this time
of year?
We birders need to keep reporting our presence/absence and
behavioral observations of all species, including common
ones, and I still maintain COBIRDS is a good place to do that.
Thanks to everyone who makes the effort to post to COBIRDS,
especially if that means extra effort because you also did an
eBird checklist or posted to some other media. There is no such
thing as "excessive" communication.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
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cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."
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