Oaks and some other trees are known to have considerable fluctations in the numbers of acorns that they produce. What's more, all of the trees in a given area will fluctuate together. Obviously, birds that rely on acorns will leave an area that is not producing acorns to go to one that is. The Passenger Pigeon was such a bird, and would flock in tremendous numbers to those areas that were producing lots of acorn mast. 

I would guess that the Eastern Shore had a good acorn crop this year, while here in Howard County there was no acorn crop to speak of. I don't believe that these fluctuations are weather related, but I would guess that it is a form of adaptation to reduce the predation of the acorn crop.

Good observation by Phil....

--John McKitterick
Columbia, MD
jbmck-at-comcast.net


> There are several very large White Oaks on the compound where I work in
> DC(23rd & E Streets, NW).  Normally in the fall, the area under these trees
> turns into a hardhat zone due to the constant rain of acorns from above.
> The local squirrel population is in a frenzy gathering and burying the mast.
> This past fall, I don't recall the oaks shedding any acorns whatsoever.  Any
> theories as to why - amount of summer rainfall, periodical cicadas or,
> perhaps, the will of the forest dieties?
> 
> Tom Marko
> Olney, MD
> 
>  
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Maryland Birds & Birding
> To: 
> Sent: 3/15/2005 3:47 PM
> Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] absent Jays
> 
> Interesting point. Now that you mention it, we did have far fewer nuts
> in general this past fall. Our woods are a mix of poplar, oak, and hickory,
> and in past years we've had many nuts on the ground, but last fall was
> rather "tidy."