Its strange some birds like starling completely vanished. Meadowlarks are also in short supply. Many birds like red wing black birds are completely abscent as well. Sparrows and others are doing just fine. I’m not sure what is going on. Bluejay are becoming more prolific. Do you have a way to tell if they are carrying the flu.
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We’re casual bird watchers and have noticed fewer red wing blackbirds and starlings, meadowlarks. Almost never see yellow headed blackbirds anymore. Usually see a fair number of raptors but not too many this year. Have seen plenty of house sparrows, some white crowned sparrow, fewer song sparrows. Even fewer brewers blackbirds and almost no cowbirds. Robins, woodpeckers of several types seem to be OK. Mountain and western bluebirds were scarce last year. We’ve seen a couple of bald eagles and some great blue herons this year. Mergansers, mallards, and golden eyes seem OK. We hear a few chickadees and occasional nuthatch. Too many Eurasian doves but maybe fewer than last year. Lots of wild turkeys and geese.
Flu is supposedly a factor. I heard there was a major poisoning of blackbird types a few years ago in the midwest but don’t know if that was verified.
Bird populations ebb and flow and shift locations. It’s hard to quantify anything accurately.
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