Comments on: Losing Wild Birds: Where did my sparrows, finches & other birds go?

By: Emma

Emma — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 17:37:31 +0000

2011 June, this past winter north NYC left us with little, heard blue jays scream often, no crows due to the west nile hitting hard here..a few song sparrow, a cardinal or two, no juncos, chicadees, house finches gone for well over a decade, lots of english sparrow, starlings and still pigeons. Perigrines and redtail hawks increasing, huge female nesting here a few years now raided two bluejay nests easily seen. One oriole some redwing blackbirds, a few egrets, night herons, canada geese flying, lots of catbird sounds, NO mockingbirds (but these are wintering) they are rare now. Seen not far away, sharpshinned and coopers hawks. Many many black vultures spotted in the sky, two hawks seen here taking a bird from the skies bringing it down easily..Little green heron seen in a small lake and a family of wood ducks, very nice to see this spring/summer..

By: Don Gazpacho

Don Gazpacho — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:37:52 +0000

Don Gazpacho
Acton, Ca 93510
Sierra Highway & Shannondale road.

Ravens – Every year there seems to be more.

Blue Heron 1 -started showing up in 2009 and ate my goldfish – None since March 2010

Road Runners – seeing fewer each year.

Turkey vultures – never saw them here in 20 years but suddenly a few sightings since 2008

pigeons – a few at fish pond
Quail – many
mourninbg doves many – one got a drink 3′ from a Coopers Hawk bathing in fish pond!
sparrows/finchs – many
red tailed hawks fewer – due to Ravens
sharp shin and coopers hawk – many
kestrels – drastic decline (rarely seen now)
wood peckers – several
towhees – many, including aggressive (Aberts?), that chase Scrub Jays away from peanuts!

oregon junkos – occasional but fewer

starlings – many
blackbirds – several
red wing balck birds- none
gold finches – several
scrub jays – many
killdeers – none
western bluebirds – a few nest in boxes in yard
swallows – a few

Golden Eagles – residents sighted all the time until 2006. Now none.

Prairie Falcons – residents sighted all the time until 2006. Now occasionally.

Harrier hawks & Kites – once a few now none.

Osprey – 2 fly overs a couple of years apart (rarely)
Barn Owls – many. Nest in box I put up since 1987.
Horned Owls – a few
Burrowing Owls – None since 1988, when there were a few.
Phenopepla – many
Tit Mouse – a few residents
hummingbirds – many
Robins – Occasional few
Horned Larks – once many now just a few
Meadow Larks – once many now less

By: Monica Herman

Monica Herman — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:27:30 +0000

Concord, near John Muir Hosp.(Concord Campus)

House Finch – Many = No Change
White Crowned Sparrow – Few = No Change
Morning Dove – few= No Change
Plain Titmouse – none, usually a few
Golden Finch – Few– usually many*
California Towhee – one, comes every year
European Sparrow- many, slightly less

*its seems gold finches only like that one white sock type feeder, everything else they ignore, even if a new thistle feeder is in the same spot.

By: Katya Carlen

Katya Carlen — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:20:23 +0000

I have the opposite problem now that I’ve chased the neighbors’ crouching cats away–daily–but one thing that brings them back is a mixture of Niger seed and hulled black sunflower seed. The hulled sunflower is pricey, but mix it up with the Niger and a little “ordinary” wild birdseed. One other idea: you might try taking the feeder down, giving it a really good scrub, even a little Clorox, rinsing well, letting it dry for a day or two, then refilling with seed. Good luck!

By: Alice Johnson

Alice Johnson — Sun, 23 May 2010 18:30:04 +0000

Gary, I’ve had a nice feeder for American Goldfinches hanging outside my kitchen window, NOT under an eave, in Antioch CA for a couple years now, but I don’t think a goldfinch has ever approached it. We make sure the seed is kept fresh. What could be the problem?

By: Carol Lyons

Carol Lyons — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 21:38:10 +0000

I have two nesting pairs of White-Tailed Kite in my yard. First time seen in Vallejo

By: Leslie

Leslie — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:16:36 +0000

All summer I had a hard time keeping my feeders full. I feed sunflower seeds and have had a wide variety of birds such as chickadees,sparrows, finches, titmouse and Juncos. I have suet for Blue Jays and Flickers. Now this is the second week that I haven’t had any small bird to the feeders and only one flicker. what is changing?

NE Everett st,Portland OR

By: Leslie

Leslie — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:15:09 +0000

18521 NE Everett st,Portland OR

By: Portia

Portia — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:00:15 +0000

I have the same problem as Denise. Where did the sparrows, ground doves and finches go ? Still have tree clingers also. Who knows the answer ? They were here all summer . Feeders are full and no birds to eat it. Also had mor than usual hummingbirds this summer and some Orioles.

By: Denise

Denise — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:16:29 +0000

I am from Masschusetts and have had the same loss of birds(See Karen & Linda). I stll have tufted titmouse, chickadees, and woodpeckers. That is it. I had at least 11 different birds this summer including Baltimore Orioles, Scarlet Tanagers, and hummingbirds. While I realize that it is the natural order for these birds to winter elsewhere, it is not the natural order for the finches, morning doves, chipping sparrows, nurthatches, and cardinals to disappear; but, they have. I haven’t seen any Junco’s yet either. It is snowing out; so, it it time to see them and they aren’t here. What is going on?