[Vision2020] Pheasants

[Craine Kit]

I have also noted a shortage of hens. I had one young male who did  
not mature enough to fly before mid-August (end of June is normal).  
As for quail, we do have a number of flocks around, but not as many  
or as large as the last few years. As for other beings, I normally  
put out yellow-jacket/wasp traps in April. Since I didn't see any by  
the first of September, I skipped that step. There were a slightly  
smaller number of honey bees than normal.

For the first time in 15 or so years, my apricot tree had fruit--a  
quart of tennisball-sized, beautiful, tasty globes. Even the  
squirrels (fewer and younger than normal) wouldn't eat the  
excessively wormy Bing cherries--normally a treat.

One year a climate change does not make, but it bears watching.

Be prepared to shovel your sidewalks this winter!

Kit Craine





On Sep 12, 2008, at 2:57 PM, Saundra Lund wrote:

> Visionaries:
>
> I know we've got some other folks here who enjoy *watching* birds,  
> so I
> thought I'd ask y'all:  have you noticed any changes in your local  
> pheasant
> populations?
>
> In spite of the wretched hawks (to those of you who enjoy raptor  
> visits,
> send me your physical addresses and I'll direct them your way!)  
> that decided
> to plague me this past winter, the bird population in my  
> neighborhood seemed
> to have weathered the harsh winter well.  Of course, I about killed  
> myself
> keeping my feeding stations & the paths to & from them open, but  
> that's
> another topic  :-)
>
> Anyway, in the Spring, it seemed as though our bird populations for  
> this
> neighborhood were pretty typical.
>
> However, over the past many weeks (probably two months or longer),  
> I've not
> seen a single hen, which has never happened in all the years we've  
> lived in
> this neighborhood.  Also, the male population seems to be decreased  
> but not
> eliminated.  At various times in previous years, we've seen no  
> pheasants for
> short periods, but we've never had an extended period such as this  
> where no
> hens pheasants have been spotted.
>
> On another bird note, we've not had any quail broods visit this  
> year, which
> has also never happened in the years we've lived in this neighborhood.
> That's a huge bummer, too.  I did see one brood down towards the  
> south end
> of Mountain View, but that's been the extent of my glimpses of those
> wonderful families this year.
>
>
> Saundra Lund
> Moscow, ID
>
> The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people  
> to do
> nothing.
> ~ Edmund Burke
>
> ***** Original material contained herein is Copyright 2008 through  
> life plus
> 70 years, Saundra Lund.  Do not copy, forward, excerpt, or  
> reproduce outside
> the Vision 2020 forum without the express written permission of the
> author.*****
>
>
>
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