[obol] Re: Black phoebes thinned out by freeze
- From: Braz <brazzzle@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: monroemolly@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 30 May 2014 05:39:35 -0700
Black Phoebe was a notable miss on the Rogue Valley Audubon Birdathon, held
just 27 days ago.
However, Black Phoebe has been spotted this calendar year at
Cantrall-Buckley Park(Applegate Valley) and at North Mountain Park(Ashland).
- Mark Brazelton
Hobby Birder
Medford, Oregon
On Thu, May 29, 2014 at 11:32 PM, Molly Monroe <monroemolly@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
> Hi Bill,
> I too have noticed a lack of B phoebes around the Willamette Valley
> Refuges and Corvallis. We had several nesting pairs on Finley the last few
> years and had one reliable bird at the office pond right up until the first
> freeze. I'm sure the second round of below freezing temps did not suit them
> well. It was rough on many birds. With over 18 inches of snow (followed by
> a layer of ice) covering the ground for multiple days, we had dozens of
> robins feasting on the grapes and apples we threw out in our yard multiple
> times a day. Killdeer lined the open pavement on the highway before the
> fields melted down. There were two juncos and four bluebirds found dead
> around the office building when we were finally able to return to work. I
> was amazed each day the Anna's showed up to feed at dawn, that they were
> able to survive -2 degrees.
> There is hope for the phoebes though, I've heard of one near the
> confluence of the Mary's and Willamette River in South Corvallis, it hangs
> out on the buildings near the Co-op, and another passed through a small
> wetland south of our house near an apartment complex so maybe they had a
> few extra spiders to get them through the chilly weather.
> Molly-
>
> Msg: #11 in digest
> From: BILL ROSIE <watice@xxxxxxx>
> Subject: [obol] Black Phoebe Question
> Date: Thu, 29 May 2014 19:40:46 +0000
>
> Hi Folks,
> I and some of the local birders I am associated with have been talking about
> the paucity
> of Black Phoebes in the Willamette Valley this season. I have not seen one
> since
> January, and the two places in the county where they nested last year, are
> vacant this
> year. We are surmising that the cold spell this winter killed them off. I
> would be
> interested in a discussion to see if others have the same outlook. It could
> be very
> local in Polk County, or we could just be missing them altogether. The
> latter seems
> unrealistic because a few of us have birded quite extensively in the last few
> months,
> and it would seem we would have had some success.
>
> It may be that this species would need to repopulate itself if there was
> indeed a die
> off?
> Bill Tice: Birding - The best excuse for getting outdoors, and avoiding
> chores.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> * _( '</ ) )//" *
>
>
> *I love to see anything that implies a simpler mode of life and a greater
> nearness to the earth. - Henry David Thoreau *
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mollie_Beattie#cite_note-3>
>
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