This is seemingly a world wide problem. My dawn chorus here in the UK is do=
wn on last year and also previous years to that. I was at a wildlife park i=
n France last week and had a discussion with a ranger that also agreed with=
this. Common garden birds are down in numbers by about 35%.
I hope for a recovery in the next 3 to 5 years but it could take a lot lon=
ger.
Simon.
--- In "John Crockett" <> wrote:
>
> I have been noticing all spring that the number of singing birds in our v=
icinity has been dramatically down this year compared to previous years. I =
don't know if this is true for the area in general or just around our house=
, but the absence of many of our regular singers (especially veerys and woo=
d thrushes) has been conspicuous. I've been waiting for the solstice to doc=
ument it, because I started last year to record the dawn chorus on the morn=
ing of the solstice.
>
> I posted a 1-minute clip on soundcloud with the result.
>
> http://snd.sc/125LGYo
>
> The first 30 seconds is from last year, and the second 30 seconds from th=
is morning. I recorded for three hours both years. These clips both come fr=
om approximately 6:00 am EDT. The chorus usually begins around 4:15 and end=
s by 7:00. I chose these clips in part because they are not masked by one b=
ird vocalizing very close to the microphones. Last year a catbird and this =
year a robin drowned out large segments of the recording.
>
> Both clips were recorded using a home-built boundary array based on EM172=
capsules. The 2012 clip was recorded on a Sony MZRH1 minidisc recorder and=
the 2013 clip on an Olympus LS-11. I usually run the LS-11 on low sensitiv=
ity, and the MZRH1 on high sensitivity, so I have raised the level of the s=
econd recording to make them roughly comparable, probably within a dB or tw=
o. The location and orientation of the microphones is the same both years. =
The hiss is not microphone noise but two streams that run through the prope=
rty.
>
> I am really puzzled by this decrease in singing bird activity this year a=
nd wonder if others are experiencing the same thing.
>
> John
>
> John Crockett
> Westminster, Vermont
>
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