Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Where are the Local Birds?

Where are the local Birds? I live on the California Coast in a mostly pine forest in Northern California. Since California Sprayed (safe?) pheromones over my suburban area by plane all the local birds are gone except for 1 mourning dove and a few crows. Yes. There are still migratory birds but all the local ones like steller jay and blue jays and woodpeckers are gone. zero. Last year I couldn't go out into my hot tub without seeing at least 10 birds of the local varieties. Now they are all gone. There are still at least two varieties of squirrels here but even they are diminished. I think the propellant from the pheromones probably reduced them as well.

Over the last two days after writing the above I searched for any scrub jays:
http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/108/overview/
Western_Scrub-Jay.aspx

or acorn woodpeckers:

http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/175/overview/
Acorn_Woodpecker.aspx

within one block of my house. Since 1999 when I moved here I would see at least 5 to 10 total in every hour spent outside in my backyard. This year there are none. I did, however, see 100s of seagulls

http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/133/overview/
California_Gull.aspx

flying at several hundred feet and then 2 mourning doves

http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/163/overview/
Mourning_Dove.aspx

in a tree today and 100s of seagulls at several hundred feet and 1 mourning dove yesterday in a tree but no Acorn woodpeckers or scrub jays this year at all.
I also have seen several American Crows:

http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/103/overview/
American_Crow.aspx

Where are the acorn woodpeckers and scrub jays?

Note: Finally on Sunday April 13th 2008, a very warm day for this area I saw my first scrub jay taking a drink at our bird bath in the morning. Then as I was watering my front yard I noticed about a block away a mated pair of Acorn woodpeckers. So at least there are a few still around.

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