Out here west of Port Angeles, we feed the Band-tailed's extensively. We
have none in the winter. Numbers go over 50 at times in the spring, drop to
a few in the summer and then rise again in the fall to levels less than in
the spring. We did have 44 last week which is the most we have ever had in
the fall.
Our figures are misleading as it took several years to attract the first
birds in and they have been increasing year by year presumably due to repeat
customers. I also was surprised that it was felt that numbers had risen to
where a hunting season could be held.

Bob Norton
Joyce (near Port Angeles), WA
norton36 at olypen.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott Atkinson" <scottratkinson at hotmail.com>
To: <megger at attbi.com>; <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Monday, September 16, 2002 9:33 AM
Subject: Re: poor Band-tailed year?


> Mark:
>
> I too sense a decline in Band-tails in the general area over the years,
and
> in fact the only time I really see numbers the way I once did is in spring
> migration (late April-early May), and that involves birds presumably that
> nest north of here. I was surprised, given local declines, that we have a
> 8-day season for hunting them this year, given that population levels seem
> not all that great.
>
> Scott Atkinson
> Lake Stevens
> mail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com
>
>
> >From: Mark Egger <megger at attbi.com>
> >Reply-To: megger at attbi.com
> >To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> >Subject: poor Band-tailed year?
> >Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 02:02:41 -0700
> >
> >Hello Tweets,
> >
> >I've been wondering if anyone else has noticed the lack of Band-tailed
> >Pigeons this spring and summer. I've had them in my back yard and
elsewhere
> >around the Matthews Beach area every year, nearly year round, for well
over
> >a decade, but they seem to be locally extirpated or else gone
elsewhere,,.
> >all within the last year! Has anyone in this area seen them? Pigeons are
> >such cool birds (possibly excepting urban rock doves, I hate to loose a
> >species like that, especially when it's held on for so long against all
> >urban odds...I've always associated these forest pigeons with the
pine-oak
> >of the SW and the Sierras of W Mexico, and to have them in the Seattle
> >backyard was a real treat! I was never sure where this group found its
salt
> >-- can anyone on the list shed some light on that? I know the Band-tails
of
> >Matthews Beach long pre-date MY arrival on the scene (moved to
neighborhood
> >in 1986), so their disappearance, if that is what it is, should be an
> >"environmental consequence" worthy of some further note and analysis...
> >
> >Mark
>
>
>
>
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