We had our first tree swallow nestbox this year, with 5 chicks
successfully hatched. So fun to watch! We hadn't seen the parents,
usually very doting and attentive, in maybe a couple of days... So we
checked the box today. Sadly, all 5 chicks were deceased, cold, still
without eyes opened. Trying to figure out what happened. There are no
wounds, and there is no sign of the parents or any of the other swallows
that were around here...
Anya
On 7/3/2019 2:03 PM, Gayner, Elizabeth (Redacted sender egayner for
DMARC) wrote:
I have been banding birds at the same site for 20 years on Canyon Mountain. The last couple of years have had low numbers of birds with virtually no young of the year. This year so far has been super low... lowest yet. Adult birds not even in breeding condition and low on fat reserves (based on general observation). We too have noticed the lack of insects... silk moth caterpillars especially used to fill the trees. It dawned on us today while out there... we haven't seen the caterpillars the last couple of years. And we are not even getting eaten up by mosquitoes and no-seeums like we used to... which, though we are not complaining about it in terms of their being a nuisance, but it is a concern in terms of food sources for the birds.
*
*
*/Liz/*
*__*
*/Elizabeth I. Gayner/*
*/Lead Wildlife Biologist - Swiftwater Field Office/*
*/OR/WA BLM Peregrine Falcon Technical Coordinator/*
Bureau of Land Management - Roseburg District Office
Phone: (541) 464-3381; egayner@xxxxxxx <mailto:egayner@xxxxxxx>
On Wed, Jul 3, 2019 at 1:33 PM Mary Anne Brown <majbrown54@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:majbrown54@xxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Our cliff swallow's nest have been falling this year & the
insect/food supply is weak, over the last 10 years the small moths
are virtually gone.
This years crop is not promising...anyone else experiencing that?
Mary Anne
