My nuthatch observation in NE WA would be "normal". Lots of Pygmy's where I
expect them. Red-breasted snd White-breasted also seem average in Kettle
Falls.

Dave Kreft
Kettle Falls

On Sat, Aug 19, 2023 at 8:40 PM Kim Thorburn <KThorburn at msn.com> wrote:


> Bill's observations about the poor conifer cone crop are interesting.

> Ponderosa pines around my area of Spokane County are practically absent of

> cones after several years of huge cone production, including one that

> blanketed the forest floors with sprouting seedlings. Pollen production,

> however, seemed heavy last spring so I suspect it has something to do with

> reproductive cycling by these trees that also show considerable stress from

> our periods of extreme drought. My observations some years have been that

> cones were smaller and often fell before maturity.

>

> The most prominent bird species observation that I've related to conifer

> cone production is red crossbills. For several years, they've been

> everywhere in our area. After 2 nesting cycles this year in my yard,

> they're completely gone as of several weeks ago. I've not seen any in all

> my local Ponderosa pine forest haunts. Certainly, this irruptive finch

> cycles in our area but its prominent presence of the past few years seemed

> remarkably prolonged and its recent disappearance quite precipitous. I'm

> observing the same about Cassin's finches that tend to be more sporadic

> around here anyway. I've also been cognizant of an absence of Clark's

> nutcrackers during hikes in the Selkirks.

>

> Pygmy nuthatches are another story. I count this as a remarkably abundant

> year, both in my yard as well as a number of my breeding bird surveys. They

> don't seem dependent on cone production for forage, and I wonder if our

> stressed trees might be better habitat. Could high production success be

> pushing nuthatches yonder?

>

> Kim

>

>

>

> Kim Marie Thorburn, MD, MPH

>

> Spokane, WA

>

> (509) 465-3025

>

>

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