Birds are gone

[blue_jay]

60. As luck would have it, I have unintentionally been paying attention to our local wildlife

Last edited Wed Aug 13, 2025, 05:44 PM - Edit history (1)

and have watched as species are forced to move to smaller and smaller swaths of trees when their homes are clear cut for builders like DR Horton and see that remaining swath decimated kind of like when farm animals eat pastures. I also watch the change in wind patterns after the loss of those trees and the damage to the trees that used to be protected. Winds get gustier and more destructive since trees are not yet strengthened for the wind exposure and are damaged by the severe weather ups and downs and rains.

I also have been privy to watching a local green belt for the past half decade, season to season with changes in insect population and damage to trees from the varied weather of extreme heat, drought and extreme cold over the past several years. It has gone from being swarmed by mosquitos with at least a dozen squirrels (it's a relatively small greenbelt) and probably more bunnies to just a sighting here and there. I often hear the coyotes late at night when they catch their prey. Breaks my heart but I know it's the "circle of life".

The bird population seems less this year here. There used to be at least a hundred various species of chickadees and a decent amount of hummingbirds. The deep freeze killed some and the local "outdoor" cats (ostensibly for mouse control in these here parts) have likely killed quite a few. They killed (dept of ecology or something like that) off a bunch of barred owls and I have only seen one and possibly one owlet this year (still barred versus the native spotted). We also get some pine birds, towhees, flickers, sparrows, other woodpeckers, less stellar jays, possibly more crows, and only 1 eagle sighting.

The insect population is down too, have seen one yellow butterfly and 2-3 blue dragon flies. Many many less moths, more spiders, less flies, less mosquitos, more tiny flying insects and more spider this year. No ladybugs in sight the past 2 years, a few pill bugs, black beetles, occasional cricket, one frog, a couple earwigs, one or two marmorated stink bugs, one carpenter ant, a few bumble bees and wasps, I could go on but each is less than I've noticed in past years. I will be watching next year to see how the cycle goes from here. I'm sure it is different in all areas and microclimates. We can only share what we each observe where ever we are and try to deduce the bigger picture.

I for one, will do what I can control and keep planting more plants and flowers and covering bare ground where and when I can.