Paul, 

   I believe you are correct about the decline of Carolina Wrens due to the severity of the winter. I am finding many fewer during my walks in recent weeks. Thirty-some years ago I did a comparison of Carolina Wrens found on Christmas Bird Counts in 1976 and 1977. I estimated a decline of 54% on the Coastal Plain, 71% in the Piedmont, 74% in the Ridge & Valley Section, and 95% on the Allegheny Plateau from one year to the next using birds per party mile on foot. The severity of the winter was the culprit then also. It will be interesting to see if we find similar declines this year. 

Bob Ringler 
Eldersburg MD 
 



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paul Woodward" <> 
To:  
Sent: Sunday, March 21, 2010 8:06:50 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern 
Subject: [MDOSPREY] McKee-Beshers WMA (Mont Co) 3-21-10 

             It's too early to fully measure the impact of this winter on 
birds,but in 6 winter counts along Hunting Quarter Rd my average Carolina 
Wren number was 18.  Today I had only had 4.  However, I was surprised to 
find 4 Winter Wrens.  It is just the start of their spring migration so they 
may have been migrants, but if they were winter birds they suffered less 
damage than the carolinas. 

Paul Woodward 
Fairfax City, VA