Nesting Barn swallow populations at the Des Moines Marina have dropped
about 50% over the last few years. And the Violet-green swallows seem a
fraction of what used to "fill" the sky over our condo complexes.
Me too *:>(
Maureen Ellis me2 at u.washington.edu Univ of WA and Des Moines, WA

"Finding the occasional straw of truth awash in a great ocean of
confusion and bamboozle requires vigilance, dedication, and courage."
-Carl Sagan-
********************************************
On Wed, 15 Jul 1998, Diann MacRae wrote:

> Hi Carol and Tweets,
>
> I've lived here in greater Bothell (Snohomish County), on probably its
> highest hill, for over 15 years. When we moved here, the skies were full
> of barn, violet-green, and tree swallows plus swifts. They nested all over
> the neighborhood. Now, we see a few violet-greens and that's it, but none
> nest here or at the neighbors that I know of. The corvid population,
> including crows and Steller's jays, has been the same all along. So has
> the neighborhood cat population :-( My feeling has been since I started
> noticing the decline about eight years ago, that it is a problem on the
> wintering grounds involving some of the same situations that have caused
> severe declines in some songbird species. Habitat destruction, etc. But
> there is definitely a decline in many areas. To add to this, there is a
> definite decline in the number of tanagers around this year (at this
> location).
>
> Diann MacRae
> Bothell
> tvulture at halcyon.com
>
>