White-tailed Kite?
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Karl Schneck
Jan 14, 2021, 7:28:28 PM1/14/21
to Rogue Valley Birds
What happened to the WTKI in Jackson County? The last one I saw was 1/1/19. I don't see any eBird reports for 2020 or 2021, although I thought someone saw one north of Medford in 2020. Today while I was on a bike ride I stopped and talked to someone on Myer Creek Rd. (I previously talked to him while I was photographing a pair of WTKI mating on top of a tree next to his property on 3/5/16... photo at https://www.flickr.com/photos/136435824@N03/25415083112/in/dateposted/). He told me he still sees them... something like not every day, but often enough. So what's up with all the Rogue Valley birders? Let's find some WTKI for the books.
Karl Schneck
Jan 14, 2021, 8:11:32 PM1/14/21
to Harry Fuller, Rogue Valley Birds
Harry, thanks for the info and I hope this is a good year for the voles. The WTKI has been a target bird for me since I last saw one on 1/1/19. I see on eBird you are one of the few that have seen another target bird of mine in Jackson County: the Phainopepla. I've seen them in California, but I really want one for Jackson County... maybe with climate change we'll see more of them heading north.
Karl Schneck
Ashland, Oregon
"As age comes on, one source of enjoyment after another is closed, but nature's sources never fail." John Muir
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On Thu, Jan 14, 2021 at 4:53 PM Harry Fuller <ato...@gmail.com> wrote:
I know that kites are given to wide population swings. They are almost entirely dependent on vole populations which also fluctuate (not quite like lemmings) andrecent years of drought have surely sent the vole population down...might be worth checking with some biologists atr BLM or US Forest Service
On Thu, Jan 14, 2021 at 4:28 PM Karl Schneck <keschn...@gmail.com> wrote:
What happened to the WTKI in Jackson County? The last one I saw was 1/1/19. I don't see any eBird reports for 2020 or 2021, although I thought someone saw one north of Medford in 2020. Today while I was on a bike ride I stopped and talked to someone on Myer Creek Rd. (I previously talked to him while I was photographing a pair of WTKI mating on top of a tree next to his property on 3/5/16... photo at https://www.flickr.com/photos/136435824@N03/25415083112/in/dateposted/). He told me he still sees them... something like not every day, but often enough. So what's up with all the Rogue Valley birders? Let's find some WTKI for the books.
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--Harry Fullerauthor of: San Francisco's Natural History: Sand Dunes to Streetcars:author of Great Gray Owls of CA-OR-WA: https://ecowise.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/the-great-gray-owl-book/author of Freeway Birding: freewaybirding.com
birding website: http://www.towhee.net
my birding blog: atowhee.wordpress.com
Harry Fuller
Jan 14, 2021, 9:05:38 PM1/14/21
to Karl Schneck, Rogue Valley Birds
I know that kites are given to wide population swings. They are almost entirely dependent on vole populations which also fluctuate (not quite like lemmings) and
recent years of drought have surely sent the vole population down...might be worth checking with some biologists atr BLM or US Forest Service
On Thu, Jan 14, 2021 at 4:28 PM Karl Schneck <keschn...@gmail.com> wrote:
What happened to the WTKI in Jackson County? The last one I saw was 1/1/19. I don't see any eBird reports for 2020 or 2021, although I thought someone saw one north of Medford in 2020. Today while I was on a bike ride I stopped and talked to someone on Myer Creek Rd. (I previously talked to him while I was photographing a pair of WTKI mating on top of a tree next to his property on 3/5/16... photo at https://www.flickr.com/photos/136435824@N03/25415083112/in/dateposted/). He told me he still sees them... something like not every day, but often enough. So what's up with all the Rogue Valley birders? Let's find some WTKI for the books.
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Jeffrey Tufts
Jan 15, 2021, 11:04:07 AM1/15/21
to Rogue Valley Birds
Loss of appropriate habitat figures to be a big factor in the decline of the White-tailed Kite population in Jackson County.
Places where we used to see WTKIs in the winter but don't anymore (and the reasons why)
1) the fields near Lincoln Elementary School in Medford at the north end of McLoughlin Drive (construction)
2) the big ag field at the north side of the west end of Old Sams Valley Road (rodenticides?)
3) the open fields east of Medford Airport (62 bypass construction)
4) East Barnett Road (construction)
Not a complete list I'm sure
Jeff Tufts
Medford
Romain Cooper
Jan 16, 2021, 12:20:54 PM1/16/21
to Jeffrey Tufts, Rogue Valley Birds
Re: the local demise of White-tailed Kites:
Some habitat loss here in the Illinois Valley but much of the habitat where I regularly or semi-regularly found this species is still intact/ in place. Yet I haven't seen a single WT kite in the Illinois Valley in years.
In Del Norte Co., CA where I often bird, WT Kites are also in very sharp decline. Still plenty of suitable WT kite habitat there but kites are very few & far between.
So my opinion is that habitat loss could be a factor but isn't the main one in the sharp, sudden decline of this species for areas that I'm familiar with.
BTW, I can remember the days before any WT Kites were to be found in Josephine Co. The nearest populations were in Del Norte County, CA and Curry County. (I'm sure there were outliers before I saw my first kite in this area.)
Romain Cooper
Some habitat loss here in the Illinois Valley but much of the habitat where I regularly or semi-regularly found this species is still intact/ in place. Yet I haven't seen a single WT kite in the Illinois Valley in years.
In Del Norte Co., CA where I often bird, WT Kites are also in very sharp decline. Still plenty of suitable WT kite habitat there but kites are very few & far between.
So my opinion is that habitat loss could be a factor but isn't the main one in the sharp, sudden decline of this species for areas that I'm familiar with.
BTW, I can remember the days before any WT Kites were to be found in Josephine Co. The nearest populations were in Del Norte County, CA and Curry County. (I'm sure there were outliers before I saw my first kite in this area.)
Romain Cooper
At 08:04 AM 1/15/2021, Jeffrey Tufts wrote:
Loss of appropriate habitat figures to be a big factor in the decline of the White-tailed Kite population in Jackson County.
Places where we used to see WTKIs in the winter but don't anymore (and the reasons why)
1) the fields near Lincoln Elementary School in Medford at the north end of McLoughlin Drive (construction)
2) the big ag field at the north side of the west end of Old Sams Valley Road (rodenticides?)
3) the open fields east of Medford Airport (62 bypass construction)
4) East Barnett Road (construction)
Not a complete list I'm sure
Jeff Tufts
Medford
On Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 6:05:38 PM UTC-8 Fuller--towhee.net wrote:
- I know that kites are given to wide population swings. They
are almost entirely dependent on vole populations which also fluctuate
(not quite like lemmings) and
- recent years of drought have surely sent the vole population down...might be worth checking with some biologists atr BLM or US Forest Service
- recent years of drought have surely sent the vole population down...might be worth checking with some biologists atr BLM or US Forest Service
- On Thu, Jan 14, 2021 at 4:28 PM Karl Schneck <keschn...@gmail.com> wrote:
- What happened to the WTKI in Jackson County? The last one I saw was 1/1/19. I don't see any eBird reports for 2020 or 2021, although I thought someone saw one north of Medford in 2020. Today while I was on a bike ride I stopped and talked to someone on Myer Creek Rd. (I previously talked to him while I was photographing a pair of WTKI mating on top of a tree next to his property on 3/5/16... photo at https://www.flickr.com/photos/136435824@N03/25415083112/in/dateposted/ ). He told me he still sees them... something like not every day, but often enough. So what's up with all the Rogue Valley birders? Let's find some WTKI for the books.
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- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Rogue Valley Birds" group.
- To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rv-birds+u...@googlegroups.com.
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- --
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- Harry Fuller
- author of: San Francisco's Natural History: Sand Dunes to Streetcars:
- https://ecowise.wordpress.com/2017/04/20/sfnh/
- author of Great Gray Owls of CA-OR-WA: https://ecowise.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/the-great-gray-owl-book/
- author of Freeway Birding: freewaybirding.com
- birding website: http://www.towhee.net
- my birding blog: atowhee.wordpress.com
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Romain Cooper
10398 Takilma Road
Cave Junction, OR 97523
541-592-2311
Karl Schneck
Jan 16, 2021, 8:21:23 PM1/16/21
to Rogue Valley Birds
I got a text message at 4:50 pm and drove over there (1 mile from me) but it was getting late. I suspect the WTKI was heading for a roost because my source said it flew over without any hovering. I trust his ID so maybe a photo soon.
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