The case of the missing birds

Where have all the birds gone? That depends who you ask.

Herb Pawlik, who owns the Coeur d’Alene Wild Birds Unlimited store, a retailer popular with birders, has heard that question from many customers.

Some customers reported birds seemed to disappear from the area back in August, Pawlik said.

Owners of other Wild Birds Unlimited stores from the Pacific coast to central Montana, also report customers noticing a scarcity of avian visitors to their yard. Pawlik even received an email from a Wild Birds Unlimited store in northern Wisconsin where customers reported the same phenomenon.

Although some attribute the lack of backyard birds to an abundance of natural food sources, Pawlik believes differently. If that were true, he said, residents would hear the songbirds, even if they avoided backyard feeders.

Even experts from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology cannot explain why many people reported a lack of songbirds during late summer and fall this year, Pawlik said. However, certain species of birds were plentiful during that period. Pawlik observed ground-feeding birds like doves and California quail in yards.

Certain species like starlings and robins congregate in large flocks during the winter.

Many prairie-dwelling species like birds of prey and bobolinks have declined over the years, due to loss of habitat for feeding and nesting.

Shirley Sturts, editor of the Coeur d’Alene Audubon Society’s newsletter, said until recently she has noticed fewer birds in her backyard. However, she has spoken with local residents who observed more normal numbers of birds.

Sturts expects an uptick in the number of yard birds as the weather turns colder and they rely more on seeds, suet, mealworms and other food provided by humans.

Other Coeur d’Alene residents have observed flocks of robins in snow-laden trees as recently as Dec. 9.

During spring and summer, robins show up on lawns a few at a time. In winter, they get together in large flocks.

Locals can find 50 or more birds in neighborhood trees either perching or eating fruit. The robins particularly enjoy the fruit of crabapples, sumacs, dogwoods and hawthorns.

Juncos and chickadees also hang around the Coeur d’Alene area.

Additional bird surveys will get underway soon. Partnering with chapters of the Audubon Society throughout the United States, the local chapter will conduct a surveys of bird populations on Dec. 15, Jan. 2 and Jan. 5. In addition, Audubon Society members with conduct a census of area hawks soon.

The Bureau of Land Management conducts its annual counts of bald eagles at the east end of Lake Coeur d’Alene around this time each year.

Before the end of the year, volunteers of the local Audubon Society will complete the Yard List Challenge, which tallies different species of birds seen in area backyards.

Results from recent challenges indicate the number of species observed changes little from year to year.

Perhaps these studies will shed new light on whether or not backyard birds are decreasing in the Coeur d’Alene area, and possibly explain these trends.

In the meantime, the evidence shows many birds are still around, although not in every yard. Bird enthusiasts continue to enjoy opportunities for viewing our fine feathered friends in Coeur d’Alene and surrounding areas.

Residents can attract birds to their yards, even in winter, by creating an environment that is as natural as possible and bird-friendly, by providing quality food and fresh water, and by taking other steps to keep our avian visitors healthy.