For the birders here, are you seeing fewer less-common songbirds this year?

I have been birding for about 5 years now and haven’t noticed a difference in my area at all.

I’ve heard that migratory songbird populations in some areas aren’t doing well. I’ll try to dig up some sources either tonight when I get home or tomorrow.

I have seen a lot of variation this spring, but that may be more to me being more observant. I walk the local reservoir a lot, and this spring I have seen a kingfisher, all the normal finches and swallows, a few hawks (last year there was only one that hung out there), and a couple of osprey. Last week I saw some greenish yellow birds, about a dozen of them, feeding on a couple of bushes. Unfortunately, I am not very good at identifying them.

My little oak riparian habitat is all a twitter with everything, bountiful birdlife.
Just dusk here and I was watching the tree swallows making one last swoop around my pasture while Robins carried on and a Western Bluebird took a last dip before nightfall in the birdbath.

Some years ago I had an outbreak of avian pox in some Pine Siskins and had to stop feeding from my feeders for the end of the winter/ early spring.

I haven’t noticed any declines over this way.

The Poison Oak is lush too, I might become a lush before my nasty outbreak gives me some relief. That’s what I get for cuddling the forest cat. lol

I just started birding again after a long break from it and am quite surprised by all the song birds just in my yard alone. Quite the variety too! Saw/heard warblers, Gold finches, Cedar Waxwings, Cow Bird, Cardinals and another Baltimore Oriole just today. Have a couple dozen Red Wings in the wet lands that make quite the racket all day long.

My binocs won’t get put away anytime soon!

I have seen a lot of variation. Some species, both migratory and non-migratory, have gotten a lot rarer. I haven’t seen a tricolor blackbird or a flock of cedar waxwings in ages. Other secies seem to be holding their own, like mockingbirds and Say’s phoebes. And some seem to be increasing; I’ve seen (or, more often, heard) more meadowlarks in the last few weeks than I have seen in years.

@crisw

True, about the Cedar Waxwings. As a kid in the Sac. valley there were often large flocks that would feast on the Pyracantha berries in our yard. I haven’t seen a Waxwing in years.

I did see some Tri-color BB’s in Amador county a few years ago, and, I have seen fewer of the migratory Western Tanagers, but, I am about a 1000 feet lower in elevation now from where I used to live for years. More Oaks, less Pines.

What I really love are the Mountain Blurbirds, their range overlaps the western, and it is always a treat to see one. :-)

My wife is a biologist and bird lover. Actually, she mentioned the opposite here in Germany: more of the less common songbirds, even songbirds she hasn’t seen or heard in the past. But this is anecdotal evidence. I’m sure there are empirical studies about this. For both Europe and North America.

We have more Orioles this year than in the past, but less Tanagers.

Our Blue Bird population is finally back on the rise…we had a large migration taken out during one of the tropical storms that hit the Florida coastline about 3yrs back. The year after that storm our area had almost zero Blues. :(

I don’t know where you live @gailcalled, but here in Wis, we’re having a good year so far. I’ve been birding my entire life. We have many feeding stations & nesting sites in our yard

Having just gone outside to listen mindfully, I did hear the song of the ovenbird from the woods. That makes me happy.

@SpatzieLover: Dairy farm country in central eastern NYS.