One of my jobs requires me to answer bird questions submitted from all over the country. I've received an exceptional number of questions this year from people in the Midwest this year about their missing hummingbirds.
I suspect that local declines are real. I think they probably relate at least in part to the huge number of devastating storms over much of the southern and central states during migration this year, and the long cold spell that extended into June. But really, we won't be certain about anything for years to come. Breeding Bird Survey data aren't as reliable for a species like the Ruby-throated Hummingbird as they are for robins, ovenbirds, and others who use song to defend territory throughout June. And even if the BBS shows declines this year, it will be impossible to be determine the cause(s) with any certainty. Best, Laura -- Laura Erickson Duluth, MN For the love, understanding, and protection of birds There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. —Rachel Carson Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
