COWBIRD CONTROL CAN'T BE WRONG

but, then I'm prejudiced. I've lived in a rural area SE of Portland for the la
st 20 years. The habitat is mixed (i.e. fragmented) with 100 year old Douglas
Fir forest, maple, alder..., a mixture of woods, fields, farmland, ponds, etc.
There should be a diverse breeding bird population here. The Brown-headed Cowb
ird is not native here, nor anywhere in western Oregon.

In 20 years at this site I've never seen the following birds bring off their ow
n young, only cowbirds: Pacific Slope Flycatcher, Western Wood Pewee, Black-th
roated Grey Warbler, Hutton's Vireo, Western Tanager. All these birds are nea
r annual breeders. True, fledgling cowbirds are very vocal and easily
noticed, while many of these species' young may be less easily observed.
I haven't carried out any kind of population census of fledglings.
How do these birds persist as breeders? Persumably they are 'overflow'
from more productive regions. My observations are not unique. They have
been reported in the literature. I live in a biological 'sink' for these
species. And I don't like it. I don't mind a few cowbirds, they are a fascin
ating species. They shouldn't be exterminated (of course they couldn't be), ju
st controlled.

I suspect these additional birds would be more common breeders here
if cowbirds were diminished in numbers or absent: Olive-sided Flycatcher, Y
ellow Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Warbling Vireo, Lazuli Bunting.

Birds I'm unsure of regarding cowbirds are Swainson's Thrush, Cedar Waxwing, Am
erican Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, House Finch, MacGillivray's Warbler, Wilson's Wa
rbler, Common Yellowthroat, Rufous-sided Towhee, Savannah Sparrow, White-crowne
d Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, Black-headed
Grosbeak, Willow Flycatcher, Solitary Vireo. All these birds are uncommon to
rare breeders in my area, or I just have no evidence either way.

Many of this last group have well-known histories of parasitism elsewhere, I
'm just referring to my own experience at this location. The only 'safe' speci
es are apparently the cavity nesters, American Robin, and the two jays. All
these birds are abundant here.

I would be more than willing to contribute my own part to cowbird control if I
had access to a method which is efficient, not too time consuming, and
(I suppose) legal and relatively humane.

To say that all available funds should be spent on research is, I believe, a
bsurd--unless the research consists of cowbird elimination coupled with fledgli
ng censuses. I think a major (even fatal) flaw in the current b
reeding bird surveys is the failure to even address the cowbird issue. Sure, i
f the landscape were to return to its unfragmented state of yestercentury, cowb
irds might be controlled naturally. However, no amount of research is going to
produce that turn of events. I believe that widespread cowbird control of som
e form or other will come eventually. I'd just like to see it happen while I'm
still able to get out there and bird-watch the beneficiaries.

I would also support research on creative methods of cowbird control. Remove c
owbirds from the protected list (as with Starlings). Contribute stories on
cowbird hunting to hunting and fishing magazines. (Perhaps in hunters' study o
f how to identify cowbirds for shooting, the birding community would gain some
converts). The incidental kill of other species would be more than compensated
for by increased fledgling success. Currently ODFW is offering bounties on squ
awfish (a native species) in the Columbia. They prey on salmon smolts.
This bounty is sufficient to inspire many to devote significant amounts of time
to squawfishing. And the program is said to pay for itself in smolts saved.
Why not do the same with cowbirds?

Do others in the NW have experiences with cowbird parasitism? Is anyone else
ready to take matters into their own hands?

Bob O'Brien, Clackamas