I wondered about this too. Although I am not aware of any new raptor activi=
ty around us, we have also seen no chipmunks this year, and they are normal=
ly all over the place. We had a pair of nesting phoebes who abandoned their=
nest in mid May and were never seen or heard again. Last year some friends=
had a pair of barn owls nesting near their house, and that drove all the s=
maller birds away, reducing their dawn chorus to near nothing.
I did see a red-tail perched in our back yard a few weeks ago. If they are =
nesting nearby, that might account for it.
John
--- In Scott Fraser <> wr=
ote:
>
> < This is certainly very noticeable. Could you find any apparent reason l=
ike logging nearby or new construction in the locality etc? >
>
> Birdsong is down noticeably in my immediate neighborhood this year due to=
the presence in one of my tall pines of a new family of red-tail hawks. Th=
e adult pair & 3 juveniles are feeding on the smaller species & have driven=
off our normally gregarious & raucous crows. The hawks make up for the rel=
ative quiet by providing a boisterous feeding ritual several times a day. T=
he youths are exploring the neighborhood, flying further from the nest each=
day. They are magnificent & awe-inspiring, and it is truly a gift to have =
such a primal life force choose my home to be their home, a mere 15 minutes=
from downtown Los Angeles.
>
> Scott Fraser
>
>
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