Thanks, Rich. Good report.
Bernie
>It is hard to indicate a trend based on one year. In general I was
>less in contact with bird list servs to follow my friends observations
>within my range, so these comments are based only on my own travels.
>
>I did fail to find a good warbler migration fallout this year but this
>does not mean that all the warblers are gone. Warbler recordings were
>few and far between but I did not make my normal trek to the prime
>warbler breeding area near the Canada border this year due to a death
>in my family that has taken a good chunk of my time this year.
>
>In one of my large areas that I return to each year the Sedge Wrens
>were almost completely replaced with Savana Sparrows due to the very
>dry conditions in the tall grass prairie areas of NW MN.
>
>Over the last two years in the areas of Big Woods that I make a point
>at returning to I noted a very large decline in Cowbird populations.
>This is dramatic enough to make me wonder if there is an illegal
>traping effort somewhere in the central or southern midwest. I did
>not report this as I would not wish to deter that effort. This did not
>result in me seeing more Song Sparrows and they seem to be one species
>that in general I heard less from this year.
>
>Waterfowl continue their slow decline and it is at a level that I feel
>nation wide suspension of duck hunting would be justified. My hope
>then would be to engage the concerns of the hunting groups within the
>country.
>
>Preditor bird species appear to continue their success story and
>appear to be doing well.
>
>Non migratory bird species are about the same this year with the
>exception of the Crow. I failed to locate a single large "murder"
>anywhere. This is likely the ongoing effect of West Nile in my area.
>
>Swallow and Swift counts appear about the same.
>
>Jet noise continues to be reduced and we are starting to see the
>effects of junking the older and noisier jets.
>
>Screaming Crotch rockets are all but gone now and I suspect that they
>have all become organ donors or evolved to Harley bikers.
>
>Dead bird counts were down at a large glass skyscraper in St Paul MN
>that my wife watches on a daily basis, but not every year does this
>building become a death trap. Last year it was.
>
>We made it through another year without a highspeed train in the
>midwest which will be very bad for the birds here. Our train tracks
>are mainly in the river valleys that are used for migration and 80 mph
>is about the limit that a song bird can dodge.
>
>Rich Peet
>
>--- In Wild Sanctuary <> wrote:
>>
>> For those primarily recording the soundscapes of entire habitats
>> (biophonies) in the Northern Hemisphere: Has anyone noticed changes
>> this year in
>>
>> (1) creature voice density, and/or
>> (2) creature diversity?
>>
>> By "density" I mean gross numbers recorded. By "diversity" I mean
>> different species recorded.
>>
>> I'm especially interested in same sites where recordists go year
>after year.
>>
>> Any observations would be appreciated. I'll share my impressions,
>> also, but later.
>>
>> Bernie Krause
>> --
>> Wild Sanctuary
>> P. O. Box 536
>> Glen Ellen, CA 95442
>> t. 707-996-6677
>> f. 707-996-0280
>> http://www.wildsanctuary.com
>>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>"Microphones are not ears,
>Loudspeakers are not birds,
>A listening room is not nature."
>Klas Strandberg
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
--
Wild Sanctuary
P. O. Box 536
Glen Ellen, CA 95442
t. 707-996-6677
f. 707-996-0280
http://www.wildsanctuary.com
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