Hi Vince and all,
Good question about the Bewick's Wren. The last confirmed nesting was
from Brown County, in extreme southern Ohio along the Ohio River, in
1995. And there is only a smattering of nesting records in the two
decades preceding that. I remember well going to see a pair that was
nesting in a hanging geranium pot on the porch of a house in Pike County
in the 1980's, that Dave Minney had found.
An amazing disappearing act, considering this species formerly nested in
every county in at least the southern two-thirds of Ohio, and was often
locally common. It has essentially disappeared from the other states
east of the Mississippi, too. Appalachian populations, including those
in Ohio, have been described as Thryomanes bewickii subsp. altus,
although there is some dispute about the legitimacy of recognizing that
subspecies.
But it fits a "boom and bust" pattern exhibited by other species like
the Loggerhead Shrike and Bachman's Sparrow, both of which used to be
widespread Ohio breeders. The first Bewick's Wren record in Ohio was in
1879, they peaked from the 1920's-40's, and are now gone. Prior to
European settlement, when Ohio was cloaked with a 95% cover of mature
forest, these species would have been absent, or at least quite rare and
local. As settlers opened the landscape and created conditions favored
by these species, they thrived, albeit briefly in the long-term scheme
of things. While the reasons for each of these species decline may be
slightly different, in general it has to do with ongoing landscape-level
changes that now don't favor these birds, and increased competition from
other species.
In the case of Bewick's Wren, researchers that have studied it feel that
the abundant and ubiquitous House Wren is a primary reason for the
decline, as the latter can readily outcompete the former.
If anyone manages to produce breeding Bewick's Wren during the course of
the ongoing Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II, it would truly be a great find.
Jim McCormac
Jim McCormac
Ohio Division of Wildlife
2045 Morse Rd., G-3
Columbus, Ohio 43229
614-265-6440
-----Original Message-----
From: Ohio birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Vincent Lucas
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 8:07 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [Ohio-birds] Bewick's Wren In Ohio
I remember back in the mid-90's when several of us (Rob Harlan, Ed
Pierce and some others) went down to Brown County to see a nesting
Bewick's Wren. This was part of a Kirtland Bird Club field trip I
believe. My question is, when was the last report of Bewick's Wren
nesting in Ohio? I'm sure Peterjohn addresses this but I do not have
that source available at the moment. Is Bewick's Wren still being
reported in Ohio at all? Here in Florida, they are rarely reported
with a few reports coming out of the Florida Panhandle. I'd be so
lucky to see one in this state!
Cheers.
Vince
Vincent Lucas
Naples, FL
[log in to unmask]
http://www.flickr.com/photos/leppyone/
http://www.caloosabirdclub.org
______________________________________________________________________
Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at
www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.
You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]
______________________________________________________________________
Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.
You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]
|
