TC/TCWA

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	Where Have All the Songbirds Gone?

	Wes Shirk

From a totally subjective basis many of our year round residents living on the Pocono Plateau report a significant decrease in the quantity and variety of song birds visiting their winter feeders. Bird watchers are asking whether such observations represent a real problem or have the recent mild winters caused the birds to seek food elsewhere? Two of our summer residents have addressed this question from a more scientific perspective. Phil Street and, more recently, Bob Lewis, both expert ornithologists, have participated for years in the Audubon Annual Breeding Bird Census, probably the most sophisticated and technically difficult of the Audubon censuses. Phil's records go back to 1966 and reveal some interesting facts. Every effort is made to accomplish this census on or about the same date each year, generally between the second and third week in June. Taking the census involves considerable skill. Phil and Bob arise about 4:00 am and head out to their starting location, just east of I-380 on route 940. Beginning very close to 5:00 am they travel in their car about 1/2 mile west, stop, get out of the car and listen and look for exactly three minutes, recording on paper every bird they hear and see noting the exact species and the number of all birds heard or observed at that particular site. They then move on to the next half mile site. Each site is predetermined and is precisely at the same location each year. Their route continues west on 940, then north on Locust Ridge Road working their way up through Thornhurst and then out to Route 115. They are normally finished between 9:00 and 9:30 am. The results of their survey are shown in an abbreviated table as follows:

			YEARS TOTAL #  INDIVIDUALS TOTAL # SPECIES 1966 - 1976 575 56 1976 - 1986 410 50 1986 - 1996 448 56
	In all, they have observed about 131 of the over 200 species inhabiting the Pocono Plateau. Some species are declining such as the yellow shafted flicker which went from a high of 16 in 1968 to only six since 1992. The wood thrush dropped off dramatically from an average of 10 per year up to 1989 to none since 1995. The olive sided flycatcher and yellow bellied flycatcher are gone. However, new species have begun to move into the area. Four raven have been observed since 1992. The population of the hermit thrush is increasing and, of course, the osprey can be frequently observed since it was reintroduced into the area by Dr. Larry Rymon and his volunteers from ESU in 1982. From the mid '60s to 1982 there were no active osprey nesting sites in PA. Now there are 39 with 18 located in the Pocono region. According to Phil, the reason for changes are many. An increase in traffic is possibly driving some birds back into the woods where they can not be identified. There is the loss of winter nesting  ites in the South American rain forests with the result that fewer migratory birds are surviving. The loss of under story caused by an over population of deer has destroyed ground nesting sites. And an increase in the feral cat population (domestic cats that were lost but managed to survive and have reverted to their wild state) find native birds, particularly ground nesters, easy prey. And, finally, as our own forest matures and changes it will naturally attract different species. On the plus side, our milder winters are now permitting some migratory birds to remain year round and others migrating from the north are not moving as far south. The answer to our original question is that, yes, there are somewhat fewer song birds than in the past but there does not seem to be an alarming change. However, to prevent a collapse of our song bird population we will have to manage our natural resources, preserve open space with a proper mixture of forest, wetlands, meadows or farmland, control our deer herd and minimize the influence of non native plant and animal species which can crowd out native food sources. The observed reduction of birds at our winter bird feeders is real but is probably the result of warmer winters and reduced snow fall in recent years. However, the Audubon Society advises that avian salmonella is on the rise and it is essential that we clean and sanitize our bird feeders regularly to prevent the spread of this fatal (to birds) disease. One of the birds not listed in the above census, but prevalent throughout the summer, is the hummingbird. A recent article in The Pocono Record raised the question of whether the standard mixture of 25% sugar water is an appropriate food for the hummingbird. This article stated that a new handbook recommends that honey, one part to three parts boiled water, is better than sugar. Rather than feeding hummers 100% refined carbohydrates, honey, a natural food, also provides proteins and minerals. The article further states that pure sugar water can be hazardous to the hummer's health. Of course hummers also feed on insects which supply essential protein. If anyone has more information on this topic, we would like to hear from you.