All - in this discussion it is important to remember that Wax Myrtles, as in many fruiting/berry crops, may be cyclical in nature. Many trees and plants have on-year, and off-year fruiting cycles - a heavy crop year depletes the trees' resources available to produce fruit for the following year, so when they do not fruit as heavy, they build up carbohydrates and produce a large crop the following year. Yellow-rumps, as in many birds, follow the harvest, so to speak. It is likely that the "decline" in YRWA populations are not a decline at all, but simply are in another part of the range where the fruit production may be better. There are many factors that determine fruiting - drought, late freezes or rain during flower production or pollination, etc etc. Yellow rumps winter all over the SE, so could simply be elsewhere, noshing on berries and eating bugs without ever making it this far south. Same holds for many species - a bad crop year up north is
usually the reason for large numbers of Robins, Waxwings, Siskins, Finches, and other irruptive species moving around.
Bob Wallace
Chestnut Hill Tree Farm
Alachua FL
----- Original Message ----
From: Meret Wilson <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 11:44:45 AM
Subject: Re: [FLBIRDS] FLORIDABIRDS-L - Yellow-rumped Warbler question
I just returned from vacation so am late on a response
to the Yellow-rumps. My observation is a decrease as
well but at Tomoka State Park the Wax Myrtles are
loaded with berries and are being eaten by the myrtles
present lower numbers than last year. I have only
been banding 1-2 per outing until Feb 9 when I caught
8. I usually have had a fair number in my yard in
past years and only the last couple of days have I
been seeing 10-12 in the oaks around 4:30 PM. It is
so hard to imagine their numbers would be down after
such a huge presence last year. Maybe after an
irruptive year in 2007 which sticks in our memories,
things are back to normal. There does seem to always
be yellow-rumps around, just not like last year. Just
my take.
Meret Wilson
Ormond
--- john hintermister <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> All,
> I only have a feeling about YRWA but feeling is that
> their #'s are down
> around Alachua County. I attributed it to the fact
> that the wax myrtle on
> Paynes Prairie and other spots were killed by the
> floods of 1998 and 2004.
> They depend on the fruits in the winter. But maybe
> not if they are down
> state wide.
> John Hintermister
> Gainesville
>
>
> On 2/19/08, Lucy and Bob Duncan
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >
> > Here on the immediate coast in NW Florida,
> Pensacola area, numbers of
> > Myrtle
> > Warblers have been down for the last three winters
> (this is the 3rd). This
> > year, they're positively scarce. We have also
> noted a paucity of them in
> > the
> > river swamps, the Mobile (AL) causeway, in the Ft.
> Walton spray fields
> > area,
> > and in the Choctawhatchee River floodplain. We,
> too, have taken them for
> > granted over the years, and frankly used to get
> sick of them. I had
> > surmised
> > that our habitat here on the northern Gulf coast
> was so messed up by
> > hurricanes that they just checked it out and then
> went elsewhere.
> > Obviously,
> > elsewhere isn't Deltona!
> >
> > Lucy & Bob Duncan
> > Gulf Breeze, FL (just south of Pensacola)
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Roy Peterson" <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 11:54 AM
> > Subject: [FLBIRDS] FLORIDABIRDS-L - Yellow-rumped
> Warbler question
> >
> >
> > > In the past three months has anyone noticed a
> shortage of Yellow-rumped
> > > (Myrtle) Warblers? I have to admit that I have
> taken them for granted
> > over
> > > the years. Normally, from 12/1 to 3/31 they are
> dripping from every tree
> > > and bush and often the only warbler one sees.
> > > This year they have not been present on many of
> my outings in this part
> > > of Central Florida - and when I do see them they
> are in much smaller
> > > numbers. This contrasts with previous years
> through 2005 when large
> > > numbers were present on 100% of my outings in
> suitable habitat.
> > >
> > > However, in 2006 YRWAs were seen on only 80% of
> my birding trips and in
> > > 2007 it was 84%, but still in good numbers.
> Since January 1, 2008 I have
> > > seen them on only 50% of my trips and only a
> couple of times were they
> > in
> > > any quantity.
> > >
> > > Has anyone else had the same experience?
> > >
> > > Roy Peterson, Deltona
> > >
> > >
> >
>
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Meret S Wilson
Ormond Beach, FL
TBBS, Tomoka State Park
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