[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by John Boyd on 14:51:54 04/06/07
In Reply to: Trey/John chat on missing birds posted by Paul
You're mostly talking about wintering birds, not spring migrants.
Like you, I suspect that the canopy damage, reduced fruit, and bird mortality from Katrina and Wilma (maybe Rita in the keys) have had a lot to do with the obvious reduction in wintering birds. I doubt swept into the gulf had much to do with it. Storms that can strip off bark can also easily kill passerines that didn't find adequate shelter.
This probably doesn't apply in the case of goldfinches. They are irruptive and didn't seem to be here in any real numbers for Katrina/Wilma. The big goldfinch years seem to occur at intervals of 5 year or so, although we skipped one or two in the 90's.
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]