[TN-Bird] Re: Shrikes & Quail
- From: Duane Rice <drbirdsong4@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <owlshilljeanb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <greenesnake@xxxxxxxxx>, <terrywitt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:45:06 -0600
Thanks Mark, for your 2 cents.
I live on the Cheatham/Montgomery County line. It was not uncommon, when I
first moved here 11 years ago, to hear and see Bobwhite year round.
I was amazed when I heard them last Spring and Summer. That's an indication of
how much things have changed since I moved here.
I've done all I can to keep my property a safe haven for all species of
birds,especially with "progress' creeping up all around me. Sometimes I feel
like I live on an island.
We have American Woodcock on our property, but have never had Shrikes, since
we've been here.
However, while walking with my neighbor, on his forty acres, the other day, he
said he used to have "Butcher Birds" all over the place. Hard to believe that a
Loggerhead Shrike is now a life bird, for the likes of someone like me. I'm
sure in my travels I must have seen one. Yet I can't recall it, and can't find
documentation of having seen one.
I'm glad to say, that on the CBC (Clarksville/Warioto Audubon), we counted a
covey of 5 Bobwhites. Sad to say, we were the only group to count any that day.
Just my two sense,
dr > From: owlshilljeanb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: greenesnake@xxxxxxxxx;
terrywitt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [TN-Bird] Re: Shrikes
& Quail> Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:57:40 -0600> > I have been the Director of
Owl's Hill Nature Sanctuary in Brentwood TN,> northwestern Williamson County,
since 1990. We have 160 protected natural> acres with a 220 acre undeveloped
buffer tract to our north. The neighbors> have 10-200 acre tracts-no one really
manicures their lots. There are horses> as there have always been. There is
lots of brush, the occasional old> orchard, fields periodically bush hogged and
forest in various stages of> succession. We are on Beech Creek Road which has a
good fencerow habitat.> The only hunting is illegal poaching. Herbicide use is
virtually> non-existent. And yet...the Loggerheaded shrikes are gone as are
the> Bobwhite quail and the Eastern meadowlarks, all very prevalent in the
early> 90s.> In the mid 90s I read an article in Birders World magazine about
declining> shrike populations world wide without any sound explanations as to
the Why?> At our sanctuary we have coyote, bobcat, red fox and grey fox but I
don't> sense in any greater or lesser numbers than were here in 1990, the same
for> deer. We have fewer feral cats than in 1990, thanks to the coyotes, I>
suspect. However a species that has increased dramatically on our acreage> and
on the surrounding properties is turkey. Do turkeys eat the quail eggs> and
young as I've been told? We also have more Cooper's and Sharp-shinned> Hawks
than when the Loggerheads were prevalent. Coincidence?> Some observations over
time.> > Jean Buchanan> Williamson County> > > ----- Original Message ----- >
From: "Mark Greene" <greenesnake@xxxxxxxxx>> To: <terrywitt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>;
<tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>> Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 11:50 AM> Subject:
[TN-Bird] Shrikes & Quail> > > > Terry,> >> > I think there is more going on
with the Loggerhead Shrike than just> > habitat loss. I have no proof to back
this up but my feeling is that it is> > habitat loss coupled with pesticides
that are the culprit. Pesticides are> > more devastating long term to predators
than non-predators. Pesticides may> > be having a negative impact on N.
Bobwhite populations as well but I> > believe that habitat loss is the main
reason for their marked decline.> >> > Mark Greene> > Trenton, TN> > Gibson
County> >> > --- On Tue, 1/20/09, terrywitt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<terrywitt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>> > wrote:> >> > From: terrywitt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<terrywitt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>> > Subject: [TN-Bird] more quail> > To: "tn-bird"
<tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>> > Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2009, 11:40 AM> >> > I
appreciate all the interest and postings - thought I might hit a nerve.> > I am
dubious that habitat change is the major factor in the quail> > population> >
plunge and equally skeptical that hunting pressure is playing a major role> >
though it can't help the situation. Something else is going on and the> > quail
seem to be paralleling the Loggerhead Shrike shrinkage (pun> > intended) at> >
least around here. There is no shortage of shrike habitat, no hunting,> > just
a> > marked disappearance of shrikes, for no apparent reason.> > It just seems
to me that if TWRA is trying to manage wildlife populations,> > and> > a
species is in decline for whatever reason, continuing to harvest> >
individuals> > by hunting is nonsensical. I can see a lot more reason to have
an open> > season> > on Sandhill Cranes which have a non-threatened and
increasing population> > (I> > don't favor this), than continuing to hunt a
species which clearly has> > undergone a rapid fall in numbers. One of the
major benefits of all the> > various> > bird counts we all participate in is to
monitor populations. If the data> > is> > available but ignored, what is the
point of identifying these trends??> >> > When several years ago, the pothole
duck populations fell, there were> > changes> > in hunting seasons, bag limits,
etc. All the National Wildlife Refuges in> > the> > state were either closed or
had drastic restrictions on winter access.> > Why not> > the same logic with
the quail?? Seems like a no-brainer, unless it is> > blocked> > by the hunting
lobbies.> >> > Cheers> >> > Terry Witt> > Murfreesboro Tn> >> >> >
=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================> >> > The TN-Bird Net
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______________________________________________________________> > TN-Bird Net
is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society> > Neither the society(TOS)
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members of this discussion group.> >> > Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN>
> wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > ------------------------------> > Assistant
Moderator Andy Jones> > Cleveland, OH> > -------------------------------> >
Assistant Moderator Dave Worley> > Rosedale, VA> >
__________________________________________________________> >> > Visit the
Tennessee Ornithological Society> > web site at http://www.tnbirds.org> > * * *
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Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com> >> >
_____________________________________________________________> >> >> >> >> >>
>> > =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================> >> > The
TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with> > first and last name, CITY
(TOWN) and state abbreviation.> > You are also required to list the COUNTY in
which the birds> > you report were seen. The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should>
> appear in the first paragraph.> >
_____________________________________________________________> > To post to
this mailing list, simply send email to:> > tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> >
_____________________________________________________________> > To
unsubscribe, send email to:> > tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > with
'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.> >
______________________________________________________________> > TN-Bird Net
is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society> > Neither the society(TOS)
nor its moderator(s)> > endorse the views or opinions expressed> > by the
members of this discussion group.> >> > Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN>
> wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > ------------------------------> > Assistant
Moderator Andy Jones> > Cleveland, OH> > -------------------------------> >
Assistant Moderator Dave Worley> > Rosedale, VA> >
__________________________________________________________> >> > Visit the
Tennessee Ornithological Society> > web site at http://www.tnbirds.org> > * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *> >> > ARCHIVES> > TN-Bird
Net Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/> >> > MAP RESOURCES>
> Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif> >
Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com> >> >
_____________________________________________________________> >> >> >> >
=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================> > The TN-Bird Net
requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with> first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and
state abbreviation.> You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the
birds> you report were seen. The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should> appear in
the first paragraph.>
_____________________________________________________________> To post to this
mailing list, simply send email to:> tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
_____________________________________________________________ > To unsubscribe,
send email to:> tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > with 'unsubscribe' in the
Subject field.> ______________________________________________________________>
TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society > Neither the
society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)> endorse the views or opinions expressed> by
the members of this discussion group.> > Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol,
TN> wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> ------------------------------> Assistant
Moderator Andy Jones> Cleveland, OH> -------------------------------> Assistant
Moderator Dave Worley> Rosedale, VA>
__________________________________________________________> > Visit the
Tennessee Ornithological Society> web site at http://www.tnbirds.org> * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *> > ARCHIVES> TN-Bird Net
Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/> > MAP RESOURCES>
Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif>
Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com> >
_____________________________________________________________> >
_________________________________________________________________
Windows Live?: Keep your life in sync.
http://windowslive.com/howitworks?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t1_allup_howitworks_012009
=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================
The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with
first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds
you report were seen. The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should
appear in the first paragraph.
_____________________________________________________________
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe, send email to:
tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
______________________________________________________________
TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society
Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
endorse the views or opinions expressed
by the members of this discussion group.
Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
------------------------------
Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
Cleveland, OH
-------------------------------
Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
Rosedale, VA
__________________________________________________________
Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
ARCHIVES
TN-Bird Net Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/
MAP RESOURCES
Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif
Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com
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