I work at Dartmouth but live in SW Vermont (weekends) where I do most of my bird and wildlife observing. I have notices some major changes this year following 1) a super abundance of flowers and fruit on fruit trees in summer 2013, and 2) a long and cold winter just past. I note these observations in parallel to the concerns about changes in the hummingbird population.
The trees that normally flower in spring here, had very few blossoms, even those that are 'decorative'. Even our lilacs were sparse and not very aromatic.
The insect population is sparse; i have not experienced any misquotes and the black flies are at the lowest numbers I have ever seen in my years in Vermont. This is despite adequate water in the natural pools and streams that are near or on our property. Our property is pesticide free and I know of no nearby use of pesticides.
To date (but our best flowers on plants like buckwheat have not yet flowered) there seem to be very few pollinating insects, a few bumble bees and wasps but no honey bees noted.
Toads: Those that we have seen are large or very small. The normal medium size toads are missing from the garden.
Snakes: None seen so far this year. Maybe its still to early?
Ice crystals are still found in the center of our aged compost storage pile (where I am digging it out for the garden) .... this seems very late.
Hummers: we don't feed them so have no gauge. I have seen the occasional male, in the last few days, perching in trees near the house.
Some questions that come to mind in considering the hummingbird comments.
Are insects sparse throughout the region? Could the birds have needed to migrate to areas where adequate protein was available to support nesting? Just as we observe variation in winter bird populations, could this also be happening with the hummingbirds?
Has anyone observed other significant bird, insect or reptilian population variations this spring?
mardi crane-godreau
wrote:
I am also very concerned about my hummingbirds. I live on Hurricane Hill in WRJ. I have been feeding them for years and always have large numbers all spring and summer. I had more than the usual numbers this year . They arrived right on time on May 8th. But 2 weeks ago I saw a drastic decrease in the number of birds at my feeders. I am extremely fastidious with my feeder cleaning and regularly put out fresh nectar, that I make myself after boiling the water and adding the sugar. I always have a slight decrease every year, that I attribute to the nesting and mating period. But this seems so different. I now have a few males and females. I wish that some of the more knowledgeable birding experts would weigh in on this.....something is very different this year. I am so thankful that I at least still have a few. I would be so sad if they disappear completely.
Judy Lombardi
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