malpass@vlsi.ll.mit.edu (Don Malpass) (09/12/88)
Over the last year-and-a-half or so, I've observed a great reduction in
the number of white breasted nuthatches in our area, Bedford Mass,
about 20 miles west of Boston. In previous years we typically had
about equal numbers of chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches at our
feeders, and an occasional red-breasted nuthatch. Recently, we have
what seems like the same concentrations of chickadees and titmice, the
occasional RB nuthatch, but never more than one or two WB nuthatches.
I miss them! Is anybody else experiencing this, or can anyone offer an
explanation? Is there reason to suspect that it is only a temporary
glitch? Like a lot of other people, we DO have more house
finches. And subjectively I feel the tree-density in the surrounding
woods is a bit lower, because I can see distant streetlights and
headlights that I did not see years ago. My prejudice would have me
blame that on acid rain, although a severe windstorm a couple of years
ago is probably what wasted a lot of the foliage. Any thoughts?
--
Don Malpass [malpass@LL-vlsi.arpa], [malpass@spenser.ll.mit.edu]
My opinions are seldom shared by MIT Lincoln Lab, my actual
employer RCA (known recently as GE), or my wife.