Reading over Bill's musings on the change in the composition of Ohio's
winter bird population, one factor should be immediately obvious for many of
the species that changed from the early part of the twentieth century to
today, the early part of the twenty-first century, and that of course is
habitat change. Ohio has become increasingly more urban and developed, which
explains the increase in birds that are adapted to these modern human
environments (starling, house sparrow), as well as the birds that have
become adapted to these environments (mourning dove, mallard, ring-billed
gull). Other changes in populations have to do with increase in average
temperatures over the last hundred years. What I find truly intriguing are
the reports on the relative scarcity of birds like Red-Breasted Mergansers
and Greater Black-Backed Gulls in the early reports. Where were the
mergansers in the 1930s compared with the thousands upon thousands along
Lake Erie today (perhaps the species is composed of Browns fans...)?

Another thing that I have to wonder about is the abundance of Black-Capped
Chickadees - were they really all that common, or does the number also
include Carolina Chickadees as well?

Andrew R. Sewell, MS, RPA
Principal Investigator
Historical/Industrial Archaeology
Hardlines Design Company
4608 Indianola Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43214
ph. (614)-784-8733
fax (614)-784-9336

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