American goldfinch Photo by Kelly McAllister

"Missing" birds just taking care of themselves

Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary Managers Jon and June Hahn of Woodinville returned from a two week vacation this past summer to discover their bird feeders and baths still partially full – obviously, and oddly, unused for some time – and no birds.

They refilled all the feeders and baths, but over the next couple of weeks they still observed no birds – not even squirrels.

Normally the Hahns feed through the summer and enjoy more than a dozen species of birds, including hummingbirds, chickadees, wrens, warblers, siskins, creepers, Stellar's jays, grosbeaks, goldfinches, and towhees. They have one plus acres of wooded and landscaped grounds just outside town, with groundcovers, flower gardens, native plants, shrubs, 15 fruit trees, mature firs, and more.

Puzzled by the “missing birds,” the Hahns e-mailed WDFW wildlife biologist Russell Link for an explanation.

“We can discover no major development projects nearby, nor any word or evidence of (pesticide) spraying,” they wrote. “(In the past) we have had occasional visits by peregrine falcons, but we cannot imagine they would have decimated all the other birds.

In fact, we've not seen the peregrines, nor have we seen our local redtail hawks or the occasional bald eagle, (although we think we heard their hunting calls over the Samammish Valley about 1/4 mile distant.) All feeders and baths are filled, and there’s no change in local environment. Can you offer any suggestions as to what has happened here?”

Russell responded that the Hahns’ “missing birds” might just have been taking care of themselves in other places for dietary reasons.

“Many birds, especially those in the finch family, search a variety of areas for natural foods as they become available,” he wrote. “It could be they are simply feeding elsewhere. Birds that feed on seeds for much of the year will move to invertebrates when feeding their young of the year.”

Russell also noted that bird populations fluctuate as a result of overall food availability and disease. The pine siskin population in western Washington, for example, seems to be comparatively low this year.

Although the Hahns did not witness bird predators in their area, Russell says it’s possible that a Cooper's hawk, sharp shinned hawk, merlin, peregrine falcon, or even a stealthy cat could have been hunting in the area and birds just started avoiding their yard for awhile.