Ledges

[wybo...@gmail.com]

I was at Ledges for over two hours last night. I hiked some of the trails on the side opposite the large stream/canyon road. I’ve never heard those woods so SILENT. It was spooky. Many times, I set a timer which reached over a full minute without a single bird song or call, save maybe a distant woodpecker. That’s an eternity in the woods, especially at Ledges. If that’s not evidence the songbird population has decreased, I don’t know what is. In the 1980s, 90s & 2000s I remember those woods being a constant cacophony, even in the relative “quiet” of summer. I know Spring is more active, but still. Really sad.

 

Thankfully, one Louisiana Waterthrush saved the day right before sunset. The stream on this back side is down to just a trickle, so maybe due to the water source there are more birds on the other side? I did notice a marked difference upon just cresting the hill, though there still aren’t as many birds as I remember growing up.

 

On a more positive note, the Cliff Swallow colony on the rock face along the canyon road is so cool! 😊 I’m used to watching the colony at Gray’s Lake in Des Moines, but you can’t actually see the nests unless you’re on the water under the bridge. Those nests are an amazing feat of avian architecture.

 

Wyman Borts

[weatherbird58]

Thanks for the observations Wyman.  This morning I was out leading a Friends of the Ledges bird hike around the stone arch bridge and upstream along Davis Creek, which comes in from the north.  I'm not sure how this compares to where you hiked.

I would agree that the woods are quieter than I'm used to, if you filter out the catbirds which were numerous near the creek.  Red-eyed Vireos largely unheard, same with Great-crested Flycatchers, Indigo Bunting numbers are down, and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are not in their usual nesting locations.  Ovenbirds seem to have disappeared from the park and I haven't heard a cuckoo in weeks.

Still, we found Baltimore Orioles to be common and feeding young at two different nests, Cedar Waxwings were milling about like they would be nesting, Robins were everywhere (I know, generalist birds), Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are there but not singing a lot, plus quite a few Eastern Wood-Pewees.  Yellow Warblers were singing near the creek junction.

Upstream along Davis Creek, we still found "good" woodland birds, although singles.  These included Acadian Flycatcher, Scarlet Tanager, Louisiana Waterthrush, Broad-winged Hawk, Northern Parula, Pileated Woodpecker and Carolina Wren (back after a few years absence) .

I too am concerned about the bird numbers.  Whether this is a trend or a seasonal disruption for whatever reason(s), or the birds taking a break from a warm afternoon with tons of kids and park visitors in the creek, I don't know.  We'll just have to keep observing and recording!

Karl Jungbluth, 2 miles south of Boone