[Tweeters] Declining?

[Alan Roedell via Tweeters]

Jim, thanks for your thoughtful message. I think that the real issue is
loss of habitat. I don't have data but in 50+ years of birding I've
observed that cities and towns have sprawled out into the rural areas.
Global warming is forcing birds further North and higher up the hillside.
Reflective  surfaces and  lights take the lives of countless birds every
year. Does the data lie?
We can hope, but "Hope is a thing with feathers". Never truer.

On Fri, Nov 8, 2024, 12:40 PM Jim Betz via Tweeters <
tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:


> Hi,

>

>

>    *** Long message alert ***    *** Please read all the way thru ***

>

>

>    One of the hardest topics I have found to 'deal with' is the one

> about "declining populations".

>

> I am reminded of the counsel an experienced birder gave me a few years

> back when I asked

>

> something like "where have all the Snow Geese gone?" and she quickly and

> correctly

>

> replied "Birds have wings".

>

>    Every time I've ever read any book/online resource/what ever that

> talks about bird

>

> behavior they -always- mention the three primary motivators for birds

> "food (and water),

>

> sex, and territory (which is/can be closely related to the previous two).

>

>

>    What I'm trying to say is that "just because I/you/someone has

> noticed that there

>

> aren't as many _____s around" does not mean that the species is "in

> decline".  It

>

> may be - but that is not the only reason.  They might just be "somewhere

> else".

>

> And even "often are" just somewhere else.

>

>

>    Are there some locations that we've grown to trust as "reliable" for

> a particular

>

> species over the past few years?  Yes, definitely.  But also every time

> I talk with

>

> another birder whose been around longer than I have - they talk about

> how the

>

> particular bird we are talking about "used be in another location - but

> recently

>

> that location hasn't worked" (but some other locations do).

>

>

>    I hope you have stayed with me this far - because I want to say this

> with just as

>

> much emphasis/passion ... I am NOT saying that declining populations is

> not a

>

> real concern - what I am saying is that we have to be careful about getting

>

> concerned about a particular location (such as "in my backyard") and

> especially

>

> when there may be significant reasons why that location isn't as good as it

>

> used to be ... that are unrelated to declining species numbers.

>

> - Jim

>

>

> P.S. Have you ever put a stop watch on how long it takes for a

> bird/flock of birds

>

>         to move far enough away from you that you can no longer detect

> their

>

>         presence?  Have you noticed how someone with a spotting scope can

>

>         find a bird - that you had no idea was there?

>

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