Re: [cayugabirds-l] Where are the birds?

[david nicosia]

 I look at Long Point Bird Observatory from this Canadian site 
https://www.bsc-eoc.org/birdmon/default/popindices.jsp  This banding site seems 
to have the longest record. They report a population index which I presume 
accounts for banding hours. If you look at the different species, it seems that 
most of our forest dwelling species are doing well especially warblers. This is 
probably related to the maturation of our woodlands since 1960. These increases 
come at a time when we supposedly lost a large amount of tropical wintering 
habitat. It also is time period of more cell towers and now wind farms. This 
data only goes to 2015. It doesn't account for the last few seasons. Personally 
I haven't noticed much declines in fact, veeries, rose-breasted grosbeaks, 
ovenbirds, blackburnian warblers, chestnut-sided warblers, least flycatcher 
among a few others seem up to me this year in the areas I go in June. I have 
noticed a dearth of wood thrushes. American Robins don't seem as common either 
in my neighborhood. Probably all local variations at least here 





On Wednesday, June 20, 2018, 2:47:33 PM EDT, k...@empacc.net 
 wrote:  
 
 
Not at all in banding reports which show lower numbers on average in some 
places, more in others and a healthy bunch of birds. Uniform agreement that 
weather caused a strange migration with both flyovers and late, if much at all, 
movers after a blocking front(s). All of this is localized and some happened 
around here las year as well whereas other areas are just fine. The mix of 
species here as I mentioned, tends to agree with that idea. Even here, some 
areas are reporting normal species and numbers. I doubt the disease theory as 
there is no evidence. The weather mortality reports are minimal and confined to 
birds landing in awkward place like parking lots. I have only looked at 
Saw-whet breeding and it appears its cyclic self and very dependent on prey 
populations.

John



---
John and Sue Gregoire
 Field Ornithologists
 Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory
 5373 Fitzgerald Rd
 Burdett, NY 14818
 42.443508000, -76.758202000
On 2018-06-20 16:43, David Nicosia wrote:

I remember this conversation last year. If there is a marked rapid decline in 
song birds as reported, then something has occurred in the past couple years 
that is wiping our birds out. Habitat loss is a gradual slow process that would 
not be so readily noticed on a wide scale from year to year. The weather 
patterns, I don't believe were bad enough for massive mortality events 
(although I haven't looked into this in full depth). Wind farms keep popping 
up, but again its a gradual pressure that wouldn't manifest itself in 1-2 years 
for such reported rapid declines. The only thing I can think of is if there is 
a disease (west nile?) that is affecting songbirds and other species? This 
could explain two poor breeding seasons. Does anyone know if this is being 
reported in species of songbirds???  
 Dave 
On Tue, Jun 19, 2018 at 2:10 PM  wrote:

The current "record" based on banded birds returned to the wild is 8 years 2 
months. That said, Nancy may well have been enjoying the progeny of that first 
pair as their site fidelity is high.

John



---
John and Sue Gregoire
 Field Ornithologists
 Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory
 5373 Fitzgerald Rd
 Burdett, NY 14818
 42.443508000, -76.758202000
On 2018-06-19 17:17, Asher Hockett wrote:

Likely "your" pewee was at least two different birds, as their lifespan is ~7 
years.
On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 7:57 PM, Nancy Cusumano  
wrote:

It really is an odd summer!  We also are missing "our" peewee, who has been 
here reliably for the 14 years I have lived in this house. Missing him!There 
are at least 2 pair of great crested flycatchers and on Friday an Indigo 
bunting showed up and is still around singing his head off from the tops of the 
black locust trees.There are sapsucker babies (that sound like they are humming 
in morse code from inside the tree) and bluebirds too.  So down one peewee, up 
a bunting? Guess I would call that OKbut I want my peewee back. thanks for 
everyone's comments on this thread. Nancy
Cayuga Dog Rescue has saved more than 578! dogs since 2005!Learn more at 
cayugadogrescue.org
On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 1:28 PM,  wrote:


Hi!

Over 30years of banding, migration and population study here and we experienced 
and ever increasing paucity of birds. About 15 years ago I wrote a report 
citing these losses. While many can be linked to loss of habitat mainly due to 
factory farming, that didn't account for the lack of song. We prognosticated at 
the time that populations within species were undergoing a drastic 
diminishment.That has since been shown to be even worse than we guessed ( based 
on American Bird Conservancy data sets).

A result most noticeable was in song. With fewer competitors, birds in lesser 
numbers arrive on native land and , if they find it still existent, establish a 
territory. With little or no 

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Where are the birds?

[Paul Schmitt]

It strikes me that this might just be following the food.  Many years we see 
our hummers disappear for a week or more in early June to and then return.  
Went to Watkins Glen gorge this morning and was surprised to see many birds.  
Not usually the case there. Even saw Louisiana Waterthrush foraging in stream 
areas.  

Paul Schmitt

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 20, 2018, at 3:31 PM, Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes 
>  wrote:
> 
> Something not mentioned is the impact of unexpected Atlantic tropical and 
> hurricane storm systems and the affect these may have upon migrating 
> neotropical passerines which launch from the Cape Hatteras, North Carolina 
> area East out into the Atlantic Ocean, to catch the Trade Winds pushing them 
> back toward the Caribbean and Northeastern South America. An example of this 
> migration is the well documented occurrence of Blackpoll Warblers taking 
> advantage of this wind pattern, their migration of which takes place over 
> several days.
> 
> Looking at accidentals, you will see several North American neotropical 
> migrants which showed up on the Island of Flores and Corvo Island located WNW 
> of The Azores, which is about 2,100 to 2,300 nautical miles to the ENE of 
> Hatteras, NC. Several of these showed up in the days following the passage of 
> Hurricane Maria. You can view this map to see the storm tracks and dates: 
> https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tracks/tracks-at-2017.png The only plausible 
> explanation of the abundance of these accidentals (several Blackpoll Warblers 
> this past fall, for example), is the direct migration interference these 
> massive storm systems may have had upon the migrants setting out over the 
> Atlantic Ocean.
> 
> Imagine a single key moment during migration, where thousands of birds take 
> off from Hatteras, NC or other nearby areas along the East Coast, headed 
> East, aiming for those favorable Trade Winds to return them back to land, 
> only to be disrupted and exhausted by the unexpected rapid approach of a 
> massive hurricane. How many thousands of migrants might perish? How would 
> that affect species at the population level? Could the dearth of birds this 
> spring (as we have also seen with increasing frequency over the years) be the 
> direct result of the increasing frequency of and numbers of major hurricanes 
> or other perfect storms?
> 
> Perhaps this is worthy of some collaborative research project.
> 
> Sincerely,
> Chris T-H
> 
> 
> On Jun 20, 2018, at 1:00 PM, David Nicosia  wrote:
> 
> I remember this conversation last year. If there is a marked rapid decline in 
> song birds as reported, then something has occurred in the past couple years 
> that is wiping our birds out. Habitat loss is a gradual slow process that 
> would not be so readily noticed on a wide scale from year to year. The 
> weather patterns, I don't believe were bad enough for massive mortality 
> events (although I haven't looked into this in full depth). Wind farms keep 
> popping up, but again its a gradual pressure that wouldn't manifest itself in 
> 1-2 years for such reported rapid declines. The only thing I can think of is 
> if there is a disease (west nile?) that is affecting songbirds and other 
> species? This could explain two poor breeding seasons. Does anyone know if 
> this is being reported in species of songbirds???  
> 
> Dave 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Tue, Jun 19, 2018 at 2:10 PM  wrote:
>> The current "record" based on banded birds returned to the wild is 8 years 2 
>> months. That said, Nancy may well have been enjoying the progeny of that 
>> first pair as their site fidelity is high.
>> 
>> John
>> 
>> 
>> ---
>> John and Sue Gregoire
>> Field Ornithologists
>> Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory
>> 5373 Fitzgerald Rd
>> Burdett, NY 14818
>> 42.443508000, -76.758202000
>>> On 2018-06-19 17:17, Asher Hockett wrote:
>>> 
>>> Likely "your" pewee was at least two different birds, as their lifespan is 
>>> ~7 years.
>>> 
 On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 7:57 PM, Nancy Cusumano 
  wrote:
 It really is an odd summer!  We also are missing "our" peewee, who has 
 been here reliably for the 14 years I have lived in this house. Missing 
 him!
 There are at least 2 pair of great crested flycatchers and on Friday an 
 Indigo bunting showed up and is still around singing his head off from the 
 tops of the black locust trees.
 There are sapsucker babies (that sound like they are humming in morse code 
 from inside the tree) and bluebirds too.  So down one peewee, up a 
 bunting? Guess I would call that OKbut I want my peewee back.
  
 thanks for everyone's comments on this thread.
  
 Nancy
 
 Cayuga Dog Rescue has saved more than 578! dogs since 2005!
 Learn more at cayugadogrescue.org
 
> On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 1:28 PM,  wrote:
> Hi!
> 
> Over 30years of banding, migration and population study here and we 
> experienced and ever increasing paucity 

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Where are the birds?

[Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes]

Something not mentioned is the impact of unexpected Atlantic tropical and 
hurricane storm systems and the affect these may have upon migrating 
neotropical passerines which launch from the Cape Hatteras, North Carolina area 
East out into the Atlantic Ocean, to catch the Trade Winds pushing them back 
toward the Caribbean and Northeastern South America. An example of this 
migration is the well documented occurrence of Blackpoll Warblers taking 
advantage of this wind pattern, their migration of which takes place over 
several days.

Looking at accidentals, you will see several North American neotropical 
migrants which showed up on the Island of Flores and Corvo Island located WNW 
of The Azores, which is about 2,100 to 2,300 nautical miles to the ENE of 
Hatteras, NC. Several of these showed up in the days following the passage of 
Hurricane Maria. You can view this map to see the storm tracks and dates: 
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tracks/tracks-at-2017.png The only plausible 
explanation of the abundance of these accidentals (several Blackpoll Warblers 
this past fall, for example), is the direct migration interference these 
massive storm systems may have had upon the migrants setting out over the 
Atlantic Ocean.

Imagine a single key moment during migration, where thousands of birds take off 
from Hatteras, NC or other nearby areas along the East Coast, headed East, 
aiming for those favorable Trade Winds to return them back to land, only to be 
disrupted and exhausted by the unexpected rapid approach of a massive 
hurricane. How many thousands of migrants might perish? How would that affect 
species at the population level? Could the dearth of birds this spring (as we 
have also seen with increasing frequency over the years) be the direct result 
of the increasing frequency of and numbers of major hurricanes or other perfect 
storms?

Perhaps this is worthy of some collaborative research project.

Sincerely,
Chris T-H


On Jun 20, 2018, at 1:00 PM, David Nicosia 
mailto:daven102...@gmail.com>> wrote:

I remember this conversation last year. If there is a marked rapid decline in 
song birds as reported, then something has occurred in the past couple years 
that is wiping our birds out. Habitat loss is a gradual slow process that would 
not be so readily noticed on a wide scale from year to year. The weather 
patterns, I don't believe were bad enough for massive mortality events 
(although I haven't looked into this in full depth). Wind farms keep popping 
up, but again its a gradual pressure that wouldn't manifest itself in 1-2 years 
for such reported rapid declines. The only thing I can think of is if there is 
a disease (west nile?) that is affecting songbirds and other species? This 
could explain two poor breeding seasons. Does anyone know if this is being 
reported in species of songbirds???

Dave



On Tue, Jun 19, 2018 at 2:10 PM mailto:k...@empacc.net>> wrote:

The current "record" based on banded birds returned to the wild is 8 years 2 
months. That said, Nancy may well have been enjoying the progeny of that first 
pair as their site fidelity is high.

John


---
John and Sue Gregoire
Field Ornithologists
Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory
5373 Fitzgerald Rd
Burdett, NY 14818
42.443508000, -76.758202000

On 2018-06-19 17:17, Asher Hockett wrote:

Likely "your" pewee was at least two different birds, as their lifespan is ~7 
years.

On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 7:57 PM, Nancy Cusumano 
mailto:nancycusuman...@gmail.com>> wrote:
It really is an odd summer!  We also are missing "our" peewee, who has been 
here reliably for the 14 years I have lived in this house. Missing him!
There are at least 2 pair of great crested flycatchers and on Friday an Indigo 
bunting showed up and is still around singing his head off from the tops of the 
black locust trees.
There are sapsucker babies (that sound like they are humming in morse code from 
inside the tree) and bluebirds too.  So down one peewee, up a bunting? Guess I 
would call that OKbut I want my peewee back.

thanks for everyone's comments on this thread.

Nancy

Cayuga Dog Rescue has saved more than 578! dogs since 2005!
Learn more at cayugadogrescue.org

On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 1:28 PM, mailto:k...@empacc.net>> 
wrote:

Hi!

Over 30years of banding, migration and population study here and we experienced 
and ever increasing paucity of birds. About 15 years ago I wrote a report 
citing these losses. While many can be linked to loss of habitat mainly due to 
factory farming, that didn't account for the lack of song. We prognosticated at 
the time that populations within species were undergoing a drastic 
diminishment.That has since been shown to be even worse than we guessed ( based 
on American Bird Conservancy data sets).

A result most noticeable was in song. With fewer competitors, birds in lesser 
numbers arrive on native land and , if they find it still existent, establish a 
territory. With little or no 

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Where are the birds?

[khmo]

Not at all in banding reports which show lower numbers on average in
some places, more in others and a healthy bunch of birds. Uniform
agreement that weather caused a strange migration with both flyovers and
late, if much at all, movers after a blocking front(s). All of this is
localized and some happened around here las year as well whereas other
areas are just fine. The mix of species here as I mentioned, tends to
agree with that idea. Even here, some areas are reporting normal species
and numbers. I doubt the disease theory as there is no evidence. The
weather mortality reports are minimal and confined to birds landing in
awkward place like parking lots. I have only looked at Saw-whet breeding
and it appears its cyclic self and very dependent on prey populations. 

John 

---
John and Sue Gregoire
Field Ornithologists
Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory
5373 Fitzgerald Rd
Burdett, NY 14818
42.443508000, -76.758202000 

On 2018-06-20 16:43, David Nicosia wrote:

> I remember this conversation last year. If there is a marked rapid decline in 
> song birds as reported, then something has occurred in the past couple years 
> that is wiping our birds out. Habitat loss is a gradual slow process that 
> would not be so readily noticed on a wide scale from year to year. The 
> weather patterns, I don't believe were bad enough for massive mortality 
> events (although I haven't looked into this in full depth). Wind farms keep 
> popping up, but again its a gradual pressure that wouldn't manifest itself in 
> 1-2 years for such reported rapid declines. The only thing I can think of is 
> if there is a disease (west nile?) that is affecting songbirds and other 
> species? This could explain two poor breeding seasons. Does anyone know if 
> this is being reported in species of songbirds???  
> 
> Dave  
> 
> On Tue, Jun 19, 2018 at 2:10 PM  wrote: 
> 
> The current "record" based on banded birds returned to the wild is 8 years 2 
> months. That said, Nancy may well have been enjoying the progeny of that 
> first pair as their site fidelity is high. 
> 
> John 
> 
> ---
> John and Sue Gregoire
> Field Ornithologists
> Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory
> 5373 Fitzgerald Rd
> Burdett, NY 14818
> 42.443508000, -76.758202000 
> 
> On 2018-06-19 17:17, Asher Hockett wrote: 
> Likely "your" pewee was at least two different birds, as their lifespan is ~7 
> years. 
> 
> On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 7:57 PM, Nancy Cusumano  
> wrote:
> 
> It really is an odd summer!  We also are missing "our" peewee, who has been 
> here reliably for the 14 years I have lived in this house. Missing him! 
> There are at least 2 pair of great crested flycatchers and on Friday an 
> Indigo bunting showed up and is still around singing his head off from the 
> tops of the black locust trees. 
> There are sapsucker babies (that sound like they are humming in morse code 
> from inside the tree) and bluebirds too.  So down one peewee, up a bunting? 
> Guess I would call that OKbut I want my peewee back. 
> 
> thanks for everyone's comments on this thread. 
> 
> Nancy 
> 
> Cayuga Dog Rescue has saved more than 578! dogs since 2005! Learn more at 
> cayugadogrescue.org [1] 
> On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 1:28 PM,  wrote:
> 
> Hi! 
> 
> Over 30years of banding, migration and population study here and we 
> experienced and ever increasing paucity of birds. About 15 years ago I wrote 
> a report citing these losses. While many can be linked to loss of habitat 
> mainly due to factory farming, that didn't account for the lack of song. We 
> prognosticated at the time that populations within species were undergoing a 
> drastic diminishment.That has since been shown to be even worse than we 
> guessed ( based on American Bird Conservancy data sets). 
> 
> A result most noticeable was in song. With fewer competitors, birds in lesser 
> numbers arrive on native land and , if they find it still existent, establish 
> a territory. With little or no competition, the territorial song is short 
> lived -after all, why expend energy needlessly? Defense of territory is 
> seldom needed so in season song is greatly diminished. 
> 
> That doesn't mean it stops entirely but certainly far less than what we new 
> 50, 40 or 30 years ago. 
> 
> Fast forward to the crazy migration we experienced this spring. Expected 
> species have still not checked in and we guess they either overflew or were 
> content to our south. We have the same experience with Veery here and Wood 
> Thrush has been declining steadily. Least Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo are all 
> missing and the fancy Thrushes once a stopover certainty haven't been seen 
> for several years. Yesterday, we finally had a single Pewee. On the positive 
> side we are inundated with Grosbeaks, Purple Finch, Great-crested 
> Flycatchers, cuckoos and others that are normally here in much smaller 
> numbers. 
> 
> Looking South to the greater DC area, many of these species are still there 
> and that's abnormal. Check the 

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Where are the birds?

[Linda Orkin]

In addition, the lack of flying insects, especially ones of large and more
nutritious sizes is also well documented in many countries. And there is
the phenomenon of "thinning" , localized large decreases in numbers that
are not initially noticed and hard to enumerate.

Here is an article from the Guardian.  There is no lack of warnings about
these declines.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/18/swifts-tragic-decline-birds

Linda Orkin

On Wed, Jun 20, 2018 at 2:00 PM, Marc Devokaitis 
wrote:

> One thing Dave didn't mention is the possibility of the (increasingly
> 
> ) well-documented
> 
>  songbird
> declines following suit from a sharp decline in (and to also timing
> mismatches with) the invertebrate prey that nearly all songbirds rely on to
> some extent throughout their breeding cycle.
>
> The latest of lots and lots of stories about this over the past couple of
> years below. Europe seems to be more on top of studying and spreading the
> word about this.
> https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/17/where-ha
> ve-insects-gone-climate-change-population-decline
>
> “If all humankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to
> the rich state of equilibrium that existed 10,000 years ago. If insects
> were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.” E.O.Wilson
>
> Marc
>
>
> On Wed, Jun 20, 2018 at 1:00 PM, David Nicosia 
> wrote:
>
>> I remember this conversation last year. If there is a marked rapid
>> decline in song birds as reported, then something has occurred in the past
>> couple years that is wiping our birds out. Habitat loss is a gradual slow
>> process that would not be so readily noticed on a wide scale from year to
>> year. The weather patterns, I don't believe were bad enough for massive
>> mortality events (although I haven't looked into this in full depth). Wind
>> farms keep popping up, but again its a gradual pressure that wouldn't
>> manifest itself in 1-2 years for such reported rapid declines. The only
>> thing I can think of is if there is a disease (west nile?) that is
>> affecting songbirds and other species? This could explain two poor breeding
>> seasons. Does anyone know if this is being reported in species of
>> songbirds???
>>
>> Dave
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Jun 19, 2018 at 2:10 PM  wrote:
>>
>>> The current "record" based on banded birds returned to the wild is 8
>>> years 2 months. That said, Nancy may well have been enjoying the progeny of
>>> that first pair as their site fidelity is high.
>>>
>>> John
>>>
>>>
>>> ---
>>> John and Sue Gregoire
>>> Field Ornithologists
>>> Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory
>>> 5373 Fitzgerald Rd
>>> 
>>> Burdett, NY 14818
>>> 
>>> 42.443508000, -76.758202000
>>>
>>> On 2018-06-19 17:17, Asher Hockett wrote:
>>>
>>> Likely "your" pewee was at least two different birds, as their lifespan
>>> is ~7 years.
>>>
>>> On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 7:57 PM, Nancy Cusumano <
>>> nancycusuman...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
 It really is an odd summer!  We also are missing "our" peewee, who has
 been here reliably for the 14 years I have lived in this house. Missing 
 him!
 There are at least 2 pair of great crested flycatchers and on Friday an
 Indigo bunting showed up and is still around singing his head off from the
 tops of the black locust trees.
 There are sapsucker babies (that sound like they are humming in morse
 code from inside the tree) and bluebirds too.  So down one peewee, up a
 bunting? Guess I would call that OKbut I want my peewee back.

 thanks for everyone's comments on this thread.

 Nancy

 Cayuga Dog Rescue has saved more than 578! dogs since 2005!
 Learn more at cayugadogrescue.org

 On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 1:28 PM,  wrote:

> Hi!
>
> Over 30years of banding, migration and population study here and we
> experienced and ever increasing paucity of birds. About 15 years ago I
> wrote a report citing these losses. While many can be linked to loss of
> habitat mainly due to factory farming, that didn't account for the lack of
> song. We prognosticated at the time that populations within species were
> undergoing a drastic diminishment.That has since been shown to be even
> worse than we guessed ( based on American Bird Conservancy data sets).
>
> A result most noticeable was in song. With fewer competitors, birds in
> lesser numbers arrive on native land and , if they find it still existent,
> establish a territory. With little or no competition, the territorial song
> is short lived -after 

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Where are the birds?

[Marc Devokaitis]

One thing Dave didn't mention is the possibility of the (increasingly

) well-documented

songbird
declines following suit from a sharp decline in (and to also timing
mismatches with) the invertebrate prey that nearly all songbirds rely on to
some extent throughout their breeding cycle.

The latest of lots and lots of stories about this over the past couple of
years below. Europe seems to be more on top of studying and spreading the
word about this.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/17/where-
have-insects-gone-climate-change-population-decline

“If all humankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the
rich state of equilibrium that existed 10,000 years ago. If insects were to
vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.” E.O.Wilson

Marc


On Wed, Jun 20, 2018 at 1:00 PM, David Nicosia 
wrote:

> I remember this conversation last year. If there is a marked rapid decline
> in song birds as reported, then something has occurred in the past couple
> years that is wiping our birds out. Habitat loss is a gradual slow process
> that would not be so readily noticed on a wide scale from year to year. The
> weather patterns, I don't believe were bad enough for massive mortality
> events (although I haven't looked into this in full depth). Wind farms keep
> popping up, but again its a gradual pressure that wouldn't manifest itself
> in 1-2 years for such reported rapid declines. The only thing I can think
> of is if there is a disease (west nile?) that is affecting songbirds and
> other species? This could explain two poor breeding seasons. Does anyone
> know if this is being reported in species of songbirds???
>
> Dave
>
>
>
> On Tue, Jun 19, 2018 at 2:10 PM  wrote:
>
>> The current "record" based on banded birds returned to the wild is 8
>> years 2 months. That said, Nancy may well have been enjoying the progeny of
>> that first pair as their site fidelity is high.
>>
>> John
>>
>>
>> ---
>> John and Sue Gregoire
>> Field Ornithologists
>> Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory
>> 5373 Fitzgerald Rd
>> 
>> Burdett, NY 14818
>> 
>> 42.443508000, -76.758202000
>>
>> On 2018-06-19 17:17, Asher Hockett wrote:
>>
>> Likely "your" pewee was at least two different birds, as their lifespan
>> is ~7 years.
>>
>> On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 7:57 PM, Nancy Cusumano <
>> nancycusuman...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> It really is an odd summer!  We also are missing "our" peewee, who has
>>> been here reliably for the 14 years I have lived in this house. Missing him!
>>> There are at least 2 pair of great crested flycatchers and on Friday an
>>> Indigo bunting showed up and is still around singing his head off from the
>>> tops of the black locust trees.
>>> There are sapsucker babies (that sound like they are humming in morse
>>> code from inside the tree) and bluebirds too.  So down one peewee, up a
>>> bunting? Guess I would call that OKbut I want my peewee back.
>>>
>>> thanks for everyone's comments on this thread.
>>>
>>> Nancy
>>>
>>> Cayuga Dog Rescue has saved more than 578! dogs since 2005!
>>> Learn more at cayugadogrescue.org
>>>
>>> On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 1:28 PM,  wrote:
>>>
 Hi!

 Over 30years of banding, migration and population study here and we
 experienced and ever increasing paucity of birds. About 15 years ago I
 wrote a report citing these losses. While many can be linked to loss of
 habitat mainly due to factory farming, that didn't account for the lack of
 song. We prognosticated at the time that populations within species were
 undergoing a drastic diminishment.That has since been shown to be even
 worse than we guessed ( based on American Bird Conservancy data sets).

 A result most noticeable was in song. With fewer competitors, birds in
 lesser numbers arrive on native land and , if they find it still existent,
 establish a territory. With little or no competition, the territorial song
 is short lived -after all, why expend energy needlessly? Defense of
 territory is seldom needed so in season song is greatly diminished.

 That doesn't mean it stops entirely but certainly far less than what we
 new 50, 40 or 30 years ago.

 Fast forward to the crazy migration we experienced this spring.
 Expected species have still not checked in and we guess they either
 overflew or were content to our south. We have the same experience with
 Veery here and Wood Thrush has been declining steadily. Least Flycatcher,
 Warbling Vireo are all missing and the fancy Thrushes once a stopover
 certainty haven't been seen for 

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Where are the birds?

[David Nicosia]

 I remember this conversation last year. If there is a marked rapid decline
in song birds as reported, then something has occurred in the past couple
years that is wiping our birds out. Habitat loss is a gradual slow process
that would not be so readily noticed on a wide scale from year to year. The
weather patterns, I don't believe were bad enough for massive mortality
events (although I haven't looked into this in full depth). Wind farms keep
popping up, but again its a gradual pressure that wouldn't manifest itself
in 1-2 years for such reported rapid declines. The only thing I can think
of is if there is a disease (west nile?) that is affecting songbirds and
other species? This could explain two poor breeding seasons. Does anyone
know if this is being reported in species of songbirds???

Dave



On Tue, Jun 19, 2018 at 2:10 PM  wrote:

> The current "record" based on banded birds returned to the wild is 8 years
> 2 months. That said, Nancy may well have been enjoying the progeny of that
> first pair as their site fidelity is high.
>
> John
>
>
> ---
> John and Sue Gregoire
> Field Ornithologists
> Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory
> 5373 Fitzgerald Rd
> Burdett, NY 14818
> 42.443508000, -76.758202000
>
> On 2018-06-19 17:17, Asher Hockett wrote:
>
> Likely "your" pewee was at least two different birds, as their lifespan is
> ~7 years.
>
> On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 7:57 PM, Nancy Cusumano  > wrote:
>
>> It really is an odd summer!  We also are missing "our" peewee, who has
>> been here reliably for the 14 years I have lived in this house. Missing him!
>> There are at least 2 pair of great crested flycatchers and on Friday an
>> Indigo bunting showed up and is still around singing his head off from the
>> tops of the black locust trees.
>> There are sapsucker babies (that sound like they are humming in morse
>> code from inside the tree) and bluebirds too.  So down one peewee, up a
>> bunting? Guess I would call that OKbut I want my peewee back.
>>
>> thanks for everyone's comments on this thread.
>>
>> Nancy
>>
>> Cayuga Dog Rescue has saved more than 578! dogs since 2005!
>> Learn more at cayugadogrescue.org
>>
>> On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 1:28 PM,  wrote:
>>
>>> Hi!
>>>
>>> Over 30years of banding, migration and population study here and we
>>> experienced and ever increasing paucity of birds. About 15 years ago I
>>> wrote a report citing these losses. While many can be linked to loss of
>>> habitat mainly due to factory farming, that didn't account for the lack of
>>> song. We prognosticated at the time that populations within species were
>>> undergoing a drastic diminishment.That has since been shown to be even
>>> worse than we guessed ( based on American Bird Conservancy data sets).
>>>
>>> A result most noticeable was in song. With fewer competitors, birds in
>>> lesser numbers arrive on native land and , if they find it still existent,
>>> establish a territory. With little or no competition, the territorial song
>>> is short lived -after all, why expend energy needlessly? Defense of
>>> territory is seldom needed so in season song is greatly diminished.
>>>
>>> That doesn't mean it stops entirely but certainly far less than what we
>>> new 50, 40 or 30 years ago.
>>>
>>> Fast forward to the crazy migration we experienced this spring. Expected
>>> species have still not checked in and we guess they either overflew or were
>>> content to our south. We have the same experience with Veery here and Wood
>>> Thrush has been declining steadily. Least Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo are
>>> all missing and the fancy Thrushes once a stopover certainty haven't been
>>> seen for several years. Yesterday, we finally had a single Pewee. On the
>>> positive side we are inundated with Grosbeaks, Purple Finch, Great-crested
>>> Flycatchers, cuckoos and others that are normally here in much smaller
>>> numbers.
>>>
>>> Looking South to the greater DC area, many of these species are still
>>> there and that's abnormal. Check the ADK reports and they are also having a
>>> strange year although I've not seen any thoughts on the subject from that
>>> area.
>>>
>>> The short answer is an unusual migration window with lots of weather
>>> effect, rapidly declining populations creating an environment where our old
>>> expectations are no longer valid.
>>>
>>> I liked it much better several decades ago. We have stopped banding
>>> passerines and happy we did as the disappointment would be even greater.
>>>
>>> Best,
>>>
>>> John
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ---
>>> John and Sue Gregoire
>>> Field Ornithologists
>>> Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory
>>> 5373 Fitzgerald Rd
>>> 
>>> Burdett, NY 14818
>>> 
>>> 42.443508000, -76.758202000
>>>
>>> On 2018-06-18 15:45, W. Larry Hymes wrote:
>>>
>>> I have noticed, as have others, that the woods have not been as
>>> plentiful with bird song as 

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Where are the birds?

[David Nicosia]

 I remember this conversation last year. If there is a marked rapid decline
in song birds as reported, then something has occurred in the past couple
years that is wiping our birds out. Habitat loss is a gradual slow process
that would not be so readily noticed on a wide scale from year to year. The
weather patterns, I don't believe were bad enough for massive mortality
events (although I haven't looked into this in full depth). Wind farms keep
popping up, but again its a gradual pressure that wouldn't manifest itself
in 1-2 years for such reported rapid declines. The only thing I can think
of is if there is a disease (west nile?) that is affecting songbirds and
other species? This could explain two poor breeding seasons. Does anyone
know if this is being reported in species of songbirds???

Dave

On Tue, Jun 19, 2018 at 2:10 PM  wrote:

> The current "record" based on banded birds returned to the wild is 8 years
> 2 months. That said, Nancy may well have been enjoying the progeny of that
> first pair as their site fidelity is high.
>
> John
>
>
> ---
> John and Sue Gregoire
> Field Ornithologists
> Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory
> 5373 Fitzgerald Rd
> Burdett, NY 14818
> 42.443508000, -76.758202000
>
> On 2018-06-19 17:17, Asher Hockett wrote:
>
> Likely "your" pewee was at least two different birds, as their lifespan is
> ~7 years.
>
> On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 7:57 PM, Nancy Cusumano  > wrote:
>
>> It really is an odd summer!  We also are missing "our" peewee, who has
>> been here reliably for the 14 years I have lived in this house. Missing him!
>> There are at least 2 pair of great crested flycatchers and on Friday an
>> Indigo bunting showed up and is still around singing his head off from the
>> tops of the black locust trees.
>> There are sapsucker babies (that sound like they are humming in morse
>> code from inside the tree) and bluebirds too.  So down one peewee, up a
>> bunting? Guess I would call that OKbut I want my peewee back.
>>
>> thanks for everyone's comments on this thread.
>>
>> Nancy
>>
>> Cayuga Dog Rescue has saved more than 578! dogs since 2005!
>> Learn more at cayugadogrescue.org
>>
>> On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 1:28 PM,  wrote:
>>
>>> Hi!
>>>
>>> Over 30years of banding, migration and population study here and we
>>> experienced and ever increasing paucity of birds. About 15 years ago I
>>> wrote a report citing these losses. While many can be linked to loss of
>>> habitat mainly due to factory farming, that didn't account for the lack of
>>> song. We prognosticated at the time that populations within species were
>>> undergoing a drastic diminishment.That has since been shown to be even
>>> worse than we guessed ( based on American Bird Conservancy data sets).
>>>
>>> A result most noticeable was in song. With fewer competitors, birds in
>>> lesser numbers arrive on native land and , if they find it still existent,
>>> establish a territory. With little or no competition, the territorial song
>>> is short lived -after all, why expend energy needlessly? Defense of
>>> territory is seldom needed so in season song is greatly diminished.
>>>
>>> That doesn't mean it stops entirely but certainly far less than what we
>>> new 50, 40 or 30 years ago.
>>>
>>> Fast forward to the crazy migration we experienced this spring. Expected
>>> species have still not checked in and we guess they either overflew or were
>>> content to our south. We have the same experience with Veery here and Wood
>>> Thrush has been declining steadily. Least Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo are
>>> all missing and the fancy Thrushes once a stopover certainty haven't been
>>> seen for several years. Yesterday, we finally had a single Pewee. On the
>>> positive side we are inundated with Grosbeaks, Purple Finch, Great-crested
>>> Flycatchers, cuckoos and others that are normally here in much smaller
>>> numbers.
>>>
>>> Looking South to the greater DC area, many of these species are still
>>> there and that's abnormal. Check the ADK reports and they are also having a
>>> strange year although I've not seen any thoughts on the subject from that
>>> area.
>>>
>>> The short answer is an unusual migration window with lots of weather
>>> effect, rapidly declining populations creating an environment where our old
>>> expectations are no longer valid.
>>>
>>> I liked it much better several decades ago. We have stopped banding
>>> passerines and happy we did as the disappointment would be even greater.
>>>
>>> Best,
>>>
>>> John
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ---
>>> John and Sue Gregoire
>>> Field Ornithologists
>>> Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory
>>> 5373 Fitzgerald Rd
>>> 
>>> Burdett, NY 14818
>>> 
>>> 42.443508000, -76.758202000
>>>
>>> On 2018-06-18 15:45, W. Larry Hymes wrote:
>>>
>>> I have noticed, as have others, that the woods have not been as
>>> plentiful with bird song as 

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Where are the birds?

[khmo]

The current "record" based on banded birds returned to the wild is 8
years 2 months. That said, Nancy may well have been enjoying the progeny
of that first pair as their site fidelity is high. 

John 

---
John and Sue Gregoire
Field Ornithologists
Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory
5373 Fitzgerald Rd
Burdett, NY 14818
42.443508000, -76.758202000 

On 2018-06-19 17:17, Asher Hockett wrote:

> Likely "your" pewee was at least two different birds, as their lifespan is ~7 
> years. 
> 
> On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 7:57 PM, Nancy Cusumano  
> wrote:
> 
> It really is an odd summer!  We also are missing "our" peewee, who has been 
> here reliably for the 14 years I have lived in this house. Missing him! 
> There are at least 2 pair of great crested flycatchers and on Friday an 
> Indigo bunting showed up and is still around singing his head off from the 
> tops of the black locust trees. 
> There are sapsucker babies (that sound like they are humming in morse code 
> from inside the tree) and bluebirds too.  So down one peewee, up a bunting? 
> Guess I would call that OKbut I want my peewee back. 
> 
> thanks for everyone's comments on this thread. 
> 
> Nancy 
> 
> Cayuga Dog Rescue has saved more than 578! dogs since 2005! Learn more at 
> cayugadogrescue.org [1] 
> On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 1:28 PM,  wrote:
> 
> Hi! 
> 
> Over 30years of banding, migration and population study here and we 
> experienced and ever increasing paucity of birds. About 15 years ago I wrote 
> a report citing these losses. While many can be linked to loss of habitat 
> mainly due to factory farming, that didn't account for the lack of song. We 
> prognosticated at the time that populations within species were undergoing a 
> drastic diminishment.That has since been shown to be even worse than we 
> guessed ( based on American Bird Conservancy data sets). 
> 
> A result most noticeable was in song. With fewer competitors, birds in lesser 
> numbers arrive on native land and , if they find it still existent, establish 
> a territory. With little or no competition, the territorial song is short 
> lived -after all, why expend energy needlessly? Defense of territory is 
> seldom needed so in season song is greatly diminished. 
> 
> That doesn't mean it stops entirely but certainly far less than what we new 
> 50, 40 or 30 years ago. 
> 
> Fast forward to the crazy migration we experienced this spring. Expected 
> species have still not checked in and we guess they either overflew or were 
> content to our south. We have the same experience with Veery here and Wood 
> Thrush has been declining steadily. Least Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo are all 
> missing and the fancy Thrushes once a stopover certainty haven't been seen 
> for several years. Yesterday, we finally had a single Pewee. On the positive 
> side we are inundated with Grosbeaks, Purple Finch, Great-crested 
> Flycatchers, cuckoos and others that are normally here in much smaller 
> numbers. 
> 
> Looking South to the greater DC area, many of these species are still there 
> and that's abnormal. Check the ADK reports and they are also having a strange 
> year although I've not seen any thoughts on the subject from that area. 
> 
> The short answer is an unusual migration window with lots of weather effect, 
> rapidly declining populations creating an environment where our old 
> expectations are no longer valid. 
> 
> I liked it much better several decades ago. We have stopped banding 
> passerines and happy we did as the disappointment would be even greater. 
> 
> Best, 
> 
> John 
> 
> ---
> John and Sue Gregoire
> Field Ornithologists
> Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory
> 5373 Fitzgerald Rd [2]
> Burdett, NY 14818 [2]
> 42.443508000, -76.758202000 
> 
> On 2018-06-18 15:45, W. Larry Hymes wrote: 
> I have noticed, as have others, that the woods have not been as plentiful 
> with bird song as normal.  On my recent walks at Upper Buttermilk I have been 
> very disappointed in the total absence of Wood Thrush, Veery, and Scarlet 
> Tanager.  By this time in past years I've always have several of these birds. 
>  On my most recent walk (Friday) I was wonderfully surprised to hear 2 Wood 
> Thrush and 2-3 each of Veery and Scarlet Tanager.  Why the sudden 
> "reappearance"??  I know I'm going to be criticized for asking, but could 
> some birds (species) still be migrating in?  If not, then why did they 
> finally "show up"?  Some could argue they were busy with nesting.  But I've 
> never experienced birds remaining completely mum during the nesting season.  
> Another argument could be that they are now moving around after the first 
> brood.  I doubt that would explain the numbers of these species I had all of 
> a sudden plopping down in Upper Buttermilk?  By the way, we picnicked at 
> Upper Treman yesterday and
bird song was relatively infrequent.  Do any of you have any thoughts on this 
subject??
> 
> Larry
> 
> -- 
> 
> 
> W. Larry 

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Where are the birds?

[Asher Hockett]

Likely "your" pewee was at least two different birds, as their lifespan is
~7 years.

On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 7:57 PM, Nancy Cusumano 
wrote:

> It really is an odd summer!  We also are missing "our" peewee, who has
> been here reliably for the 14 years I have lived in this house. Missing him!
> There are at least 2 pair of great crested flycatchers and on Friday an
> Indigo bunting showed up and is still around singing his head off from the
> tops of the black locust trees.
> There are sapsucker babies (that sound like they are humming in morse code
> from inside the tree) and bluebirds too.  So down one peewee, up a bunting?
> Guess I would call that OKbut I want my peewee back.
>
> thanks for everyone's comments on this thread.
>
> Nancy
>
> Cayuga Dog Rescue has saved more than 578! dogs since 2005!
> Learn more at cayugadogrescue.org
>
> On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 1:28 PM,  wrote:
>
>> Hi!
>>
>> Over 30years of banding, migration and population study here and we
>> experienced and ever increasing paucity of birds. About 15 years ago I
>> wrote a report citing these losses. While many can be linked to loss of
>> habitat mainly due to factory farming, that didn't account for the lack of
>> song. We prognosticated at the time that populations within species were
>> undergoing a drastic diminishment.That has since been shown to be even
>> worse than we guessed ( based on American Bird Conservancy data sets).
>>
>> A result most noticeable was in song. With fewer competitors, birds in
>> lesser numbers arrive on native land and , if they find it still existent,
>> establish a territory. With little or no competition, the territorial song
>> is short lived -after all, why expend energy needlessly? Defense of
>> territory is seldom needed so in season song is greatly diminished.
>>
>> That doesn't mean it stops entirely but certainly far less than what we
>> new 50, 40 or 30 years ago.
>>
>> Fast forward to the crazy migration we experienced this spring. Expected
>> species have still not checked in and we guess they either overflew or were
>> content to our south. We have the same experience with Veery here and Wood
>> Thrush has been declining steadily. Least Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo are
>> all missing and the fancy Thrushes once a stopover certainty haven't been
>> seen for several years. Yesterday, we finally had a single Pewee. On the
>> positive side we are inundated with Grosbeaks, Purple Finch, Great-crested
>> Flycatchers, cuckoos and others that are normally here in much smaller
>> numbers.
>>
>> Looking South to the greater DC area, many of these species are still
>> there and that's abnormal. Check the ADK reports and they are also having a
>> strange year although I've not seen any thoughts on the subject from that
>> area.
>>
>> The short answer is an unusual migration window with lots of weather
>> effect, rapidly declining populations creating an environment where our old
>> expectations are no longer valid.
>>
>> I liked it much better several decades ago. We have stopped banding
>> passerines and happy we did as the disappointment would be even greater.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> John
>>
>>
>>
>> ---
>> John and Sue Gregoire
>> Field Ornithologists
>> Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory
>> 5373 Fitzgerald Rd
>> 
>> Burdett, NY 14818
>> 
>> 42.443508000, -76.758202000
>>
>> On 2018-06-18 15:45, W. Larry Hymes wrote:
>>
>> I have noticed, as have others, that the woods have not been as plentiful
>> with bird song as normal.  On my recent walks at Upper Buttermilk I have
>> been very disappointed in the total absence of Wood Thrush, Veery, and
>> Scarlet Tanager.  By this time in past years I've always have several of
>> these birds.  On my most recent walk (Friday) I was wonderfully surprised
>> to hear 2 Wood Thrush and 2-3 each of Veery and Scarlet Tanager.  Why the
>> sudden "reappearance"??  I know I'm going to be criticized for asking, but
>> could some birds (species) still be migrating in?  If not, then why did
>> they finally "show up"?  Some could argue they were busy with nesting.  But
>> I've never experienced birds remaining completely mum during the nesting
>> season.  Another argument could be that they are now moving around after
>> the first brood.  I doubt that would explain the numbers of these species I
>> had all of a sudden plopping down in Upper Buttermilk?  By the way, we
>> picnicked at Upper Treman yesterday and bird song was relatively
>> infrequent.  Do any of you have any thoughts on this subject??
>>
>> Larry
>>
>> --
>>
>> 
>> W. Larry Hymes
>> 120
>> 
>>  Vine
>> 
>>  Street,
>> 
>>  

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Where are the birds?

[Nancy Cusumano]

It really is an odd summer!  We also are missing "our" peewee, who has been
here reliably for the 14 years I have lived in this house. Missing him!
There are at least 2 pair of great crested flycatchers and on Friday an
Indigo bunting showed up and is still around singing his head off from the
tops of the black locust trees.
There are sapsucker babies (that sound like they are humming in morse code
from inside the tree) and bluebirds too.  So down one peewee, up a bunting?
Guess I would call that OKbut I want my peewee back.

thanks for everyone's comments on this thread.

Nancy

Cayuga Dog Rescue has saved more than 578! dogs since 2005!
Learn more at cayugadogrescue.org

On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 1:28 PM,  wrote:

> Hi!
>
> Over 30years of banding, migration and population study here and we
> experienced and ever increasing paucity of birds. About 15 years ago I
> wrote a report citing these losses. While many can be linked to loss of
> habitat mainly due to factory farming, that didn't account for the lack of
> song. We prognosticated at the time that populations within species were
> undergoing a drastic diminishment.That has since been shown to be even
> worse than we guessed ( based on American Bird Conservancy data sets).
>
> A result most noticeable was in song. With fewer competitors, birds in
> lesser numbers arrive on native land and , if they find it still existent,
> establish a territory. With little or no competition, the territorial song
> is short lived -after all, why expend energy needlessly? Defense of
> territory is seldom needed so in season song is greatly diminished.
>
> That doesn't mean it stops entirely but certainly far less than what we
> new 50, 40 or 30 years ago.
>
> Fast forward to the crazy migration we experienced this spring. Expected
> species have still not checked in and we guess they either overflew or were
> content to our south. We have the same experience with Veery here and Wood
> Thrush has been declining steadily. Least Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo are
> all missing and the fancy Thrushes once a stopover certainty haven't been
> seen for several years. Yesterday, we finally had a single Pewee. On the
> positive side we are inundated with Grosbeaks, Purple Finch, Great-crested
> Flycatchers, cuckoos and others that are normally here in much smaller
> numbers.
>
> Looking South to the greater DC area, many of these species are still
> there and that's abnormal. Check the ADK reports and they are also having a
> strange year although I've not seen any thoughts on the subject from that
> area.
>
> The short answer is an unusual migration window with lots of weather
> effect, rapidly declining populations creating an environment where our old
> expectations are no longer valid.
>
> I liked it much better several decades ago. We have stopped banding
> passerines and happy we did as the disappointment would be even greater.
>
> Best,
>
> John
>
>
>
> ---
> John and Sue Gregoire
> Field Ornithologists
> Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory
> 5373 Fitzgerald Rd
> 
> Burdett, NY 14818
> 
> 42.443508000, -76.758202000
>
> On 2018-06-18 15:45, W. Larry Hymes wrote:
>
> I have noticed, as have others, that the woods have not been as plentiful
> with bird song as normal.  On my recent walks at Upper Buttermilk I have
> been very disappointed in the total absence of Wood Thrush, Veery, and
> Scarlet Tanager.  By this time in past years I've always have several of
> these birds.  On my most recent walk (Friday) I was wonderfully surprised
> to hear 2 Wood Thrush and 2-3 each of Veery and Scarlet Tanager.  Why the
> sudden "reappearance"??  I know I'm going to be criticized for asking, but
> could some birds (species) still be migrating in?  If not, then why did
> they finally "show up"?  Some could argue they were busy with nesting.  But
> I've never experienced birds remaining completely mum during the nesting
> season.  Another argument could be that they are now moving around after
> the first brood.  I doubt that would explain the numbers of these species I
> had all of a sudden plopping down in Upper Buttermilk?  By the way, we
> picnicked at Upper Treman yesterday and bird song was relatively
> infrequent.  Do any of you have any thoughts on this subject??
>
> Larry
>
> --
>
> 
> W. Larry Hymes
> 120
> 
>  Vine
> 
>  Street,
> 
>  Ithaca,
> 
>  NY
> 
>  14850
> 
> (H) 607-277-0759, 

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Where are the birds?

[Geo Kloppel]

There are plenty of birds around my place, and West Danby generally. In this 
area I have all the expected breeding birds, and even some fun additions, like 
Marsh Wrens, Pied-billed Grebes and Northern Harriers. If you’d asked me a 
couple days ago about what’s missing, I might have said Cerulean Warbler, but 
lo! Chris Wood found one yesterday in more-or-less the same area they’ve 
occupied in previous years.

Well, yeah,  there don’t seem to be any Grasshopper Sparrows, let alone 
Henslow’s; but that’s not exactly news.

Cuckoos, Thrushes, Tanagers, Flycatchers, Warblers, Vireos, Bobolinks, 
etcetera: they’re all here.

However, it’s certainly true that things are quieter now that territorial 
rivalries have settled and nests have been filled. During the next few weeks 
I’m expecting an explosion of bird activity, but it won’t really be about 
singing, it will be all about stuffing the gullets of hungry youngsters!

-Geo


> On Jun 18, 2018, at 11:45 AM, W. Larry Hymes  wrote:
> 
> I have noticed, as have others, that the woods have not been as plentiful 
> with bird song as normal.  On my recent walks at Upper Buttermilk I have been 
> very disappointed in the total absence of Wood Thrush, Veery, and Scarlet 
> Tanager.  By this time in past years I've always have several of these birds. 
>  On my most recent walk (Friday) I was wonderfully surprised to hear 2 Wood 
> Thrush and 2-3 each of Veery and Scarlet Tanager.  Why the sudden 
> "reappearance"??  I know I'm going to be criticized for asking, but could 
> some birds (species) still be migrating in?  If not, then why did they 
> finally "show up"?  Some could argue they were busy with nesting.  But I've 
> never experienced birds remaining completely mum during the nesting season.  
> Another argument could be that they are now moving around after the first 
> brood.  I doubt that would explain the numbers of these species I had all of 
> a sudden plopping down in Upper Buttermilk?  By the way, we picnicked at 
> Upper Treman yesterday and bird song was relatively infrequent.  Do any of 
> you have any thoughts on this subject??
> 
> Larry
> 
> -- 
> 
> 
> W. Larry Hymes
> 120 Vine Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
> (H) 607-277-0759, w...@cornell.edu
> 
> 
> 
> --
> 
> 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/
> 
> --

--

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/

--

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Where are the birds?

[Glenn Wilson]

We seem to have a lot of birds on the lower 10 ton15 acres. The odd thing to us 
is indigo Buntings, Rose-breasted grosbeaks, and Baltimore Orioles all frequent 
our feeders. At the same time, our usual 5 or 6 red-breasted Nuthatches seem to 
be down to 1 or 2. Many birds live around here including several warblers.  

Glenn Wilson
Endicott, NY
www.WilsonsWarbler.com

On Jun 18, 2018, at 1:28 PM,   wrote:

Hi!

Over 30years of banding, migration and population study here and we experienced 
and ever increasing paucity of birds. About 15 years ago I wrote a report 
citing these losses. While many can be linked to loss of habitat mainly due to 
factory farming, that didn't account for the lack of song. We prognosticated at 
the time that populations within species were undergoing a drastic 
diminishment.That has since been shown to be even worse than we guessed ( based 
on American Bird Conservancy data sets).

A result most noticeable was in song. With fewer competitors, birds in lesser 
numbers arrive on native land and , if they find it still existent, establish a 
territory. With little or no competition, the territorial song is short lived 
-after all, why expend energy needlessly? Defense of territory is seldom needed 
so in season song is greatly diminished.

That doesn't mean it stops entirely but certainly far less than what we new 50, 
40 or 30 years ago.

Fast forward to the crazy migration we experienced this spring. Expected 
species have still not checked in and we guess they either overflew or were 
content to our south. We have the same experience with Veery here and Wood 
Thrush has been declining steadily. Least Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo are all 
missing and the fancy Thrushes once a stopover certainty haven't been seen for 
several years. Yesterday, we finally had a single Pewee. On the positive side 
we are inundated with Grosbeaks, Purple Finch, Great-crested Flycatchers, 
cuckoos and others that are normally here in much smaller numbers.

Looking South to the greater DC area, many of these species are still there and 
that's abnormal. Check the ADK reports and they are also having a strange year 
although I've not seen any thoughts on the subject from that area.

The short answer is an unusual migration window with lots of weather effect, 
rapidly declining populations creating an environment where our old 
expectations are no longer valid.

I liked it much better several decades ago. We have stopped banding passerines 
and happy we did as the disappointment would be even greater.

Best,

John





---
John and Sue Gregoire
Field Ornithologists
Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory
5373 Fitzgerald Rd
Burdett, NY 14818
42.443508000, -76.758202000
> On 2018-06-18 15:45, W. Larry Hymes wrote:
> 
> I have noticed, as have others, that the woods have not been as plentiful 
> with bird song as normal.  On my recent walks at Upper Buttermilk I have been 
> very disappointed in the total absence of Wood Thrush, Veery, and Scarlet 
> Tanager.  By this time in past years I've always have several of these birds. 
>  On my most recent walk (Friday) I was wonderfully surprised to hear 2 Wood 
> Thrush and 2-3 each of Veery and Scarlet Tanager.  Why the sudden 
> "reappearance"??  I know I'm going to be criticized for asking, but could 
> some birds (species) still be migrating in?  If not, then why did they 
> finally "show up"?  Some could argue they were busy with nesting.  But I've 
> never experienced birds remaining completely mum during the nesting season.  
> Another argument could be that they are now moving around after the first 
> brood.  I doubt that would explain the numbers of these species I had all of 
> a sudden plopping down in Upper Buttermilk?  By the way, we picnicked at 
> Upper Treman yesterday and bird song was relatively infrequent.  Do any of 
> you have any thoughts on this subject??
> 
> Larry
> 
> -- 
> 
> 
> W. Larry Hymes
> 120 Vine Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
> (H) 607-277-0759, w...@cornell.edu
> 
> 
> 
> --
> 
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> 
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Re: [cayugabirds-l] Where are the birds?

[Linda Orkin]

Thanks for your astute analysis John.  It is sad to be an observer of all
this as I only learned so much of what I didn't know about the birds around
us in 1990 and since then have watched what I consider to be a precipitous
decline, especially in more marginal habitats.  Those on the frontlines as
banders etc really see these effects so poignantly and knowledgeably

Linda Orkin
Ithaca, NY

On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 1:28 PM,  wrote:

> Hi!
>
> Over 30years of banding, migration and population study here and we
> experienced and ever increasing paucity of birds. About 15 years ago I
> wrote a report citing these losses. While many can be linked to loss of
> habitat mainly due to factory farming, that didn't account for the lack of
> song. We prognosticated at the time that populations within species were
> undergoing a drastic diminishment.That has since been shown to be even
> worse than we guessed ( based on American Bird Conservancy data sets).
>
> A result most noticeable was in song. With fewer competitors, birds in
> lesser numbers arrive on native land and , if they find it still existent,
> establish a territory. With little or no competition, the territorial song
> is short lived -after all, why expend energy needlessly? Defense of
> territory is seldom needed so in season song is greatly diminished.
>
> That doesn't mean it stops entirely but certainly far less than what we
> new 50, 40 or 30 years ago.
>
> Fast forward to the crazy migration we experienced this spring. Expected
> species have still not checked in and we guess they either overflew or were
> content to our south. We have the same experience with Veery here and Wood
> Thrush has been declining steadily. Least Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo are
> all missing and the fancy Thrushes once a stopover certainty haven't been
> seen for several years. Yesterday, we finally had a single Pewee. On the
> positive side we are inundated with Grosbeaks, Purple Finch, Great-crested
> Flycatchers, cuckoos and others that are normally here in much smaller
> numbers.
>
> Looking South to the greater DC area, many of these species are still
> there and that's abnormal. Check the ADK reports and they are also having a
> strange year although I've not seen any thoughts on the subject from that
> area.
>
> The short answer is an unusual migration window with lots of weather
> effect, rapidly declining populations creating an environment where our old
> expectations are no longer valid.
>
> I liked it much better several decades ago. We have stopped banding
> passerines and happy we did as the disappointment would be even greater.
>
> Best,
>
> John
>
>
>
> ---
> John and Sue Gregoire
> Field Ornithologists
> Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory
> 5373 Fitzgerald Rd
> 
> Burdett, NY 14818
> 
> 42.443508000, -76.758202000
>
> On 2018-06-18 15:45, W. Larry Hymes wrote:
>
> I have noticed, as have others, that the woods have not been as plentiful
> with bird song as normal.  On my recent walks at Upper Buttermilk I have
> been very disappointed in the total absence of Wood Thrush, Veery, and
> Scarlet Tanager.  By this time in past years I've always have several of
> these birds.  On my most recent walk (Friday) I was wonderfully surprised
> to hear 2 Wood Thrush and 2-3 each of Veery and Scarlet Tanager.  Why the
> sudden "reappearance"??  I know I'm going to be criticized for asking, but
> could some birds (species) still be migrating in?  If not, then why did
> they finally "show up"?  Some could argue they were busy with nesting.  But
> I've never experienced birds remaining completely mum during the nesting
> season.  Another argument could be that they are now moving around after
> the first brood.  I doubt that would explain the numbers of these species I
> had all of a sudden plopping down in Upper Buttermilk?  By the way, we
> picnicked at Upper Treman yesterday and bird song was relatively
> infrequent.  Do any of you have any thoughts on this subject??
>
> Larry
>
> --
>
> 
> W. Larry Hymes
> 120
> 
>  Vine
> 
>  Street,
> 
>  Ithaca,
> 
>  NY
> 
>  14850
> 
> (H) 607-277-0759, w...@cornell.edu
> 
>
>
> --
>
> Cayugabirds-L List Info:
> http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME
> http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES
> http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm
>
> ARCHIVES:
> 1) 

Re: [cayugabirds-l] Where are the birds?

[khmo]

Hi! 

Over 30years of banding, migration and population study here and we
experienced and ever increasing paucity of birds. About 15 years ago I
wrote a report citing these losses. While many can be linked to loss of
habitat mainly due to factory farming, that didn't account for the lack
of song. We prognosticated at the time that populations within species
were undergoing a drastic diminishment.That has since been shown to be
even worse than we guessed ( based on American Bird Conservancy data
sets). 

A result most noticeable was in song. With fewer competitors, birds in
lesser numbers arrive on native land and , if they find it still
existent, establish a territory. With little or no competition, the
territorial song is short lived -after all, why expend energy
needlessly? Defense of territory is seldom needed so in season song is
greatly diminished. 

That doesn't mean it stops entirely but certainly far less than what we
new 50, 40 or 30 years ago. 

Fast forward to the crazy migration we experienced this spring. Expected
species have still not checked in and we guess they either overflew or
were content to our south. We have the same experience with Veery here
and Wood Thrush has been declining steadily. Least Flycatcher, Warbling
Vireo are all missing and the fancy Thrushes once a stopover certainty
haven't been seen for several years. Yesterday, we finally had a single
Pewee. On the positive side we are inundated with Grosbeaks, Purple
Finch, Great-crested Flycatchers, cuckoos and others that are normally
here in much smaller numbers. 

Looking South to the greater DC area, many of these species are still
there and that's abnormal. Check the ADK reports and they are also
having a strange year although I've not seen any thoughts on the subject
from that area. 

The short answer is an unusual migration window with lots of weather
effect, rapidly declining populations creating an environment where our
old expectations are no longer valid. 

I liked it much better several decades ago. We have stopped banding
passerines and happy we did as the disappointment would be even greater.


Best, 

John 

---
John and Sue Gregoire
Field Ornithologists
Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory
5373 Fitzgerald Rd
Burdett, NY 14818
42.443508000, -76.758202000 

On 2018-06-18 15:45, W. Larry Hymes wrote:

> I have noticed, as have others, that the woods have not been as plentiful 
> with bird song as normal.  On my recent walks at Upper Buttermilk I have been 
> very disappointed in the total absence of Wood Thrush, Veery, and Scarlet 
> Tanager.  By this time in past years I've always have several of these birds. 
>  On my most recent walk (Friday) I was wonderfully surprised to hear 2 Wood 
> Thrush and 2-3 each of Veery and Scarlet Tanager.  Why the sudden 
> "reappearance"??  I know I'm going to be criticized for asking, but could 
> some birds (species) still be migrating in?  If not, then why did they 
> finally "show up"?  Some could argue they were busy with nesting.  But I've 
> never experienced birds remaining completely mum during the nesting season.  
> Another argument could be that they are now moving around after the first 
> brood.  I doubt that would explain the numbers of these species I had all of 
> a sudden plopping down in Upper Buttermilk?  By the way, we picnicked at 
> Upper Treman yesterday and
bird song was relatively infrequent.  Do any of you have any thoughts on this 
subject??
> 
> Larry
> 
> -- 
> 
> 
> W. Larry Hymes
> 120 Vine Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
> (H) 607-277-0759, w...@cornell.edu
> 
> 
> --
> 
> 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/
> 
> --
--

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