You don't know me, so I apologize on advance for bothering you. I live in OkC now, but I did live in Stillwater for a couple of years. I follow your posts on Oklahoma Ornithology Society, though I've deactivated my Facebook because the election/environmental negativity is killing me.
Anyways, I was just curious if you had noticed a decrease in flycatcher activity this year? I've only been a novice birder for a few years now, but it seems I used to observe them on every wire/fence I drove by. (Western/Easterns/Crested/Scissortails) This year, the numbers seemed almost non-existent. Now, my perception may be skewed because I didn't get out as much as normal with Covid. But at Tinker AFB, where I work, there has always been a plethora of activity, especially with the lead into migration. On my drive to work, a twenty minute drive, I was always accustomed to seeing plenty as well. This year, there has been NONE of that. Am I wrong, skewed in my perception? How could I access data to understand this if I'm not wrong? Thank you for your time!
Yes, I observed to same thing that you did with MANY species, especially the fact that my Green Herons fled after one clutch of young instead of the six that they arrived at several years ago. Why? I believe that the excess heat had a lot to do with it, as many breeding birds are looking for cooler abodes. The Green Herons experienced their own eggs cooking in the heat which does nothing for procreation. If you experiment with heading north to do a little vacation birding, you may find some old friends there, too. Good luck, and let me know about any other oddities that you encounter.
You don't know me, so I apologize on advance for bothering you. I live in OkC now, but I did live in Stillwater for a couple of years. I follow your posts on Oklahoma Ornithology Society, though I've deactivated my Facebook because the election/environmental negativity is killing me.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I was just curious if you had noticed a decrease in flycatcher activity this year? I've only been a novice birder for a few years now, but it seems I used to observe them on every wire/fence I drove by. (Western/Easterns/Crested/Scissortails) This year, the numbers seemed almost non-existent. Now, my perception may be skewed because I didn't get out as much as normal with Covid. But at Tinker AFB, where I work, there has always been a plethora of activity, especially with the lead into migration. On my drive to work, a twenty minute drive, I was always accustomed to seeing plenty as well. This year, there has been NONE of that. Am I wrong, skewed in my perception? How could I access data to understand this if I'm not wrong? Thank you for your time!
Yes, I observed to same thing that you did with MANY species, especially the fact that my Green Herons fled after one clutch of young instead of the six that they arrived at several years ago. Why? I believe that the excess heat had a lot to do with it, as many breeding birds are looking for cooler abodes. The Green Herons experienced their own eggs cooking in the heat which does nothing for procreation. If you experiment with heading north to do a little vacation birding, you may find some old friends there, too. Good luck, and let me know about any other oddities that you encounter.
ReplyDelete