"In the meantime, maybe golden-crowned kinglets deserve being closely watched by us. "
Dave, If you can help bring one down from hiding in the upper spruce canopy I'll be happy to watch it, and closely. :-) David Suddjian Ken Caryl Valley On Tue, Mar 1, 2022 at 8:51 AM DAVID A LEATHERMAN <[email protected]> wrote: > I appreciate Brandon's summary of the CBCs and found his noting the > scarcity of golden-crowned kinglets worthy of further comment. I am not > sure how many are found on Colorado CBCs in a normal year. My sense is > that most of the counts are low elevation and that a golden-crowned kinglet > in winter at low elevation is always special. But I would expect a lot > more than 1 for all our counts combined! > > The reality of fire now being part of the deal in spruce-fir is in stark > contrast to the historical record. Climate change making the upper > mountains warmer and drier than normal has them stressed. Spruce beetles > have accepted this invitation in the older stands and are killing huge > swaths of spruce in the High Country. Add in big fires and the combination > of these two disturbance agents is becoming significant. Is the > golden-crowned kinglet a "canary" of these shocks to the upper forests? > Maybe, maybe not, but I would suggest birders take particular note of this > species, especially in breeding areas. > > The predictions for Engelmann spruce habitat suitability between now and > 2060 due to climate change are not good (66% reduction) (Funk and Saunders > 2014). The golden-crowned kinglet account by Paul Slingsby, Richard Roth > and Kim Potter in the Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas II publication reports > nationwide Breeding Bird Survey data show a decline of 2.3% per year > between 1966 and 2012. Breeding Bird Atlas III would happen in the > mid-2030s if we stay on an every-20-years schedule. That feels like a long > ways away. > > In the meantime, maybe golden-crowned kinglets deserve being closely > watched by us. Just a thought. > > Dave Leatherman > Fort Collins > > Funk, J., and S. Sauders. 2014. Rocky Mountain forests at risk: > Confronting climate-driven impacts from insects, wildfires, heat, and > drought. Report from the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Rocky > Mountain Climate Organization, Cambridge, MA. Available at > http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2014/09/Rocky-Mountain-Forests-At-Risk-Full-Report.pdf > . > > -- > -- > 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] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en > * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include > bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate > * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Colorado Birds" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CY4PR0601MB3763446B1EC89EF83A1985A7C1029%40CY4PR0601MB3763.namprd06.prod.outlook.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CY4PR0601MB3763446B1EC89EF83A1985A7C1029%40CY4PR0601MB3763.namprd06.prod.outlook.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- -- 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] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAGj6Roo11oKf3i0xnF_zjeg12wY5G-hVj73%3DS4SCeWCED93bhw%40mail.gmail.com.
