4 ms·

They're all in my yard... Seriously, the number of birds I've seen in my yard and neighborhood is way higher than in years past. I don't know what the explanat

by goda90 3y ago

They're all in my yard... Seriously, the number of birds I've seen in my yard and neighborhood is way higher than in years past. I don't know what the explanation is. Maybe the local population has had a boom, or other food sources have disappeared and they have chosen my corner of suburbia. My first assumption was that they were rebounding after a few years of avian flu.

yareally 3y ago
We're assuming the loss affects all bird species uniformly and that location (urban, suburban, rural, shore, etc) does not matter. I'm not an expert, but I would guess both have an impact on losses. Migratory (either regional or long distance) likely has a part in it as well.
8note 3y ago
In terms of quantity or variety?
- zdragnar 3y ago
  Not OP, but I've noticed an uptick in both this past spring. I suspect it has more to do with the exceptional weather and flooding attracting different types of migratory birds than anything else, though. On average, I can't say that I've seen this trend of lesser quantity or variety around my house, but I'm also in a fairly remote area with tons of natural habitat still available.
chiefalchemist 3y ago
Not sure where you are, but I'm in central NJ and just last week I mentioned to a friend that I felt there were more birds than usual. Obviously, anecdotal, but it was a mild winter here. That said, I also feel like there are less squirrels. But they had peaked during Covid due to - I believe - less road kill.
- themitigating 3y ago
  [flagged]
  - zdragnar 3y ago
    What makes you think that the verb "to feel" is exclusively limited to emotion? Among the definitions you'll find in a dictionary, it also encompasses experiencing a sensation, whether by touch or intuition.
    - themitigating 3y ago
      Nothing because my comment wasn't claiming it didn't mean that. I said don't use it to make conclusions
HideousKojima 3y ago
Same, I've literally had a half dozen juvenile sparrows sitting on my bedroom windowsills for the past several days chirping up a storm while their parents fly back and forth feeding them bugs. Plus countless robins, sparrows, sandpipers, and starlings all over the neighborhood.
- da39a3ee 3y ago
  Yes, those birds are basically human commensals -- thriving in urban environments. (Not sandpipers though! I wonder what you meant there?) But being serious -- are you familiar with some of the species that you only see if you go to genuine natural habitat? They are beautiful things, it is very rewarding to see them in their natural habitat, and if humans do not preserve natural habitat they will be lost forever.
  - HideousKojima 3y ago
    >Not sandpipers though! I wonder what you meant there? We've got a few blocks of open fields right next to our house and there are several families of sandpipers (or some other sort of curlew I guess?) that nest in the grass. We actually have a huge wild migratory bird refuge about 10 miles away, so we've seen all sorts of bird life.
    - da39a3ee 3y ago
      Ah right, Killdeers I'm thinking?
      - yareally 3y ago
        The shorebird that frequents parking lot islands more than actual ones? It's probably them, unless you're close to the ocean or the great lakes. I saw some rare piping plovers though the other year on Lake Erie. I used to have a love/hate relationship with killdeer, but while on the trip to see the plovers, I saw a killdeer mom and her babies do the most adorable thing. The mom would let out a little "peep" while forging and expect her babies to peep back one at a time. Gave me a new respect for a bird I used to think of as a suburban parking lot nuisance. It was like a bird implementation of the ping protocol https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/rare-northwest-ohio-piping-plover-eggs-hatch-first-time-80-years-maumee-bay-state-park-oregon-nellie-nish-birds/512-09d27773-5136-41a5-a7f4-962d81fba368 https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/rare-northwest-ohio-...
nemo 3y ago
Some species of birds that do well in suburban habitats are doing well. House sparrows, house finches both have populations that have grown. The building of the suburb caused a loss of whatever habitat was there, and the species that live in those undisturbed habitats aren't the same species that live in suburban yards. Some more adaptable birds are doing well now, but those that are more sensitive in their ecological needs rather than generalists are seeing continuing population losses.

by goda90 3y ago

yareally 3y ago

We're assuming the loss affects all bird species uniformly and that location (urban, suburban, rural, shore, etc) does not matter. I'm not an expert, but I would guess both have an impact on losses. Migratory (either regional or long distance) likely has a part in it as well.

8note 3y ago

In terms of quantity or variety?

zdragnar 3y ago
Not OP, but I've noticed an uptick in both this past spring. I suspect it has more to do with the exceptional weather and flooding attracting different types of migratory birds than anything else, though. On average, I can't say that I've seen this trend of lesser quantity or variety around my house, but I'm also in a fairly remote area with tons of natural habitat still available.

chiefalchemist 3y ago

Not sure where you are, but I'm in central NJ and just last week I mentioned to a friend that I felt there were more birds than usual. Obviously, anecdotal, but it was a mild winter here. That said, I also feel like there are less squirrels. But they had peaked during Covid due to - I believe - less road kill.

themitigating 3y ago
[flagged]
- zdragnar 3y ago
  What makes you think that the verb "to feel" is exclusively limited to emotion? Among the definitions you'll find in a dictionary, it also encompasses experiencing a sensation, whether by touch or intuition.
  - themitigating 3y ago
    Nothing because my comment wasn't claiming it didn't mean that. I said don't use it to make conclusions

HideousKojima 3y ago

Same, I've literally had a half dozen juvenile sparrows sitting on my bedroom windowsills for the past several days chirping up a storm while their parents fly back and forth feeding them bugs. Plus countless robins, sparrows, sandpipers, and starlings all over the neighborhood.

da39a3ee 3y ago
Yes, those birds are basically human commensals -- thriving in urban environments. (Not sandpipers though! I wonder what you meant there?) But being serious -- are you familiar with some of the species that you only see if you go to genuine natural habitat? They are beautiful things, it is very rewarding to see them in their natural habitat, and if humans do not preserve natural habitat they will be lost forever.
- HideousKojima 3y ago
  >Not sandpipers though! I wonder what you meant there? We've got a few blocks of open fields right next to our house and there are several families of sandpipers (or some other sort of curlew I guess?) that nest in the grass. We actually have a huge wild migratory bird refuge about 10 miles away, so we've seen all sorts of bird life.
  - da39a3ee 3y ago
    Ah right, Killdeers I'm thinking?
    - yareally 3y ago
      The shorebird that frequents parking lot islands more than actual ones? It's probably them, unless you're close to the ocean or the great lakes. I saw some rare piping plovers though the other year on Lake Erie. I used to have a love/hate relationship with killdeer, but while on the trip to see the plovers, I saw a killdeer mom and her babies do the most adorable thing. The mom would let out a little "peep" while forging and expect her babies to peep back one at a time. Gave me a new respect for a bird I used to think of as a suburban parking lot nuisance. It was like a bird implementation of the ping protocol https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/rare-northwest-ohio-piping-plover-eggs-hatch-first-time-80-years-maumee-bay-state-park-oregon-nellie-nish-birds/512-09d27773-5136-41a5-a7f4-962d81fba368 https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/rare-northwest-ohio-...

nemo 3y ago

Some species of birds that do well in suburban habitats are doing well. House sparrows, house finches both have populations that have grown. The building of the suburb caused a loss of whatever habitat was there, and the species that live in those undisturbed habitats aren't the same species that live in suburban yards. Some more adaptable birds are doing well now, but those that are more sensitive in their ecological needs rather than generalists are seeing continuing population losses.