Mind you using areas like drake and annamoose as a barometer is not exactly the best location to pick. Up until about 2000 never saw Jack s*** for birds around that area.I will second the Hawk comment! We hunted the Esmond, Anamoose, Drake, McClusky, Mercer area Saturday/sunday. A few years ago, I owned a hunting shack in McClusky area so hunted that area fairly regularly. Bird numbers are down. Our usual tried and true locations of yesteryear did not produce anywhere near what we experienced a few years ago. Not even close. Other areas, same thing. Birds are down in that area. Although there is still corn and beans standing, we were not seeing birds even on posted land, farmers yard birds, or even ditch parrots on gravel roadside. It will be interesting to see once corn and beans are off. One thing we did notice was the number of hawks...seemed to be everywhere. While we didn't run across any coyotes, hawks were a different story so besides the lack of habitat, I believe predators are having a big impact as well. Loss of habitat, less than ideal weather, and predators are creating a perfect storm the last number of years. Hope it turns around that is for sure.
Especially the way they explode... I've heard...i think hawks and owls are cool
Especially the way they explode... I've heard...
Well saw more birds today then all the birds I've seen since June combined times a whole lot! Needless that say it never hurts when you stop to take a piss and somehow managed to flush 50 of them not to mention the better part of 30 Grouse in the same group talk about it klusterfuk if you were trying to pick birds. But even excluding that group I saw dramatically more birds today than any other day with multiple groups of 2 to 10 Birds out and about doing their thing and generally trying to bounce them selves off the front of my vehicle. Also saw multiple groups of sharp tails and one group of about 15 Huns so all in all Upland bird wise it was a good day didn't see Jack schitt for Antelope but lots of pheasants.
As for that eagle meme there's some serious flaws in those stats.