Hi Fred,

Fred Pierce said,
"Seriously though, it does impress upon me the importance of noting even common species that we take for granted. Since I don't keep such accurate notes, I can only guess when I last saw one. Most accurate observation I can make is that I don't recall ever before having an entire winter pass in the area without seeing or hearing one."

I understand your concern about a bird that is common and then they appear to disappear form the area.  The happened to the Tufted titmice in Nanjemoy a few years ago.  We band feeder birds every winter and by the end of the season we have usually banded every titmouse and could process up to about 20 individuals.  A few years ago we for a few seasons the population seemed to drop at our feeder station and very few were caught or seen. Now the numbers are back up and if it was West Nile Virus than they appear to have recovered.

However birds and wildlife move in and out of areas for various reasons such as availability of resources, predators, disturbance and disease.  It is definitely a local thing.  I would be that eager to call this the demise of the BLJA or any other bird at the moment.  Perhaps the birds you used to see have moved somewhere else for reasons unknown to you. Maybe they moved to Nanjemoy.  For the last few years I have observed an increase in the number of BLJA's in Nanjemoy.  This year along with 5th grade students we banded more BLJA's than I can recall in my 8 years of banding there.  Not to mention daily while birding with 5th graders we see at least 5 or six individuals now that is is spring.  After all Blue Jays are migratory.

Often birders are ready to blame WNV for the lower numbers of birds they see, but we really need to look at the big picture.  It could be WNV, but low bird numbers could also have to do with human activity and impact.  So before we are ready to point the finger at WNV we need to look a little closer to home and consider habitat destruction, and the feral cat population both for which we are to blame.  Not a sermon, just a thought!

Naturally,
Mike Callahan
Nanjemoy, Charles County MD