> From: "Margaret Parkinson" <margparkie at comcast.net>
> Subject: Few yard birds this spring

> In previous years our yard has been almost deafening with bird song--now
> almost nothing. Is anyone else experiencing anything like this?

In a word, no. In fact, our yard seems to be even more alive with birds than
usual.

We don't put out feeders (we used to, but local rat populations were
thriving on dropped seed and nesting in our attic. Ick ick ick.), but we
have a nice mixture of trees and shrubs in the yard, and we always draw lots
of bushtits, goldfinches, chickadees, bewick's wrens, flickers, and
steller's jays -- a wren and some chickadees are singing out there right
now.

Moreover, we did better with migrants this year than in past years, with
substantial numbers of orange-crowned and Townsend's warblers ambling
through (and the usual hordes of yellow-rumps). And we only live a couple of
miles from you!

But it's true, siskins seem to have basically vanished: I haven't seen even
one this year.

-Josh Hayes, josh at blarg.net