Animal population variations- What have you noticed this year?

We usually have huge numbers of robins in this area. I think I have seen only three or four so far this year!

On the other hand, there seems to be an outbreak of wood frogs on the north side of all our buildings. Strange...

What are you noticing with the populations of wild animals this year?

I agree, robins are way down, none in their usual nesting spots either. Lots of Canada geese though - i almost hit a big flock of them that were hanging out on Highway 20 (luckily not much of a Highway!) also many kinds of ducks. Black wasps everywhere - nasty things - especially nasty right over the door to the turkey poult shed; we usually get yellow jackets in August but not this many black wasps - and they always seem to be in the vehicles too. Lots of black bears this spring and lots of mule deer.

Have a fair amount of robins here
Dragonflys are early this year
a over amout of Barn Swallows and they showed up early and babys have already left the nest
alot of Crows up in the coolees usually only see a couple in the summer and I bet the other day when we drove up in the pastures I counted 2o to 30 on the gravel piles.
alot less deer this year and have only seen a couple moose.

When this area was developed and roads were built with vast amounts of riprap (large rocks blasted from the bedrock) marmots moved in. Marmots can devastate a garden! We don't have them right here, but a half mile up the road where the rocks are the road base, the marmots were thick!

All of a sudden, none.

We usually have a magpie problem. Earlier in the year, lots of magpies. Now, no magpies. Weird.

Maybe they heard I've been brushing up on my mad sniper skills ...

Sue, all your robins are here this year. They came early and there was way more than usual. Maybe they knew you guys were going to have a wet summer and we were going to have a dry one???
The coyotes always move away when the wolves are close and they were very close this winter. Didn't see any bears this spring, but that seems to go in cycles.
I haven't noticed anything really different this year except my chickens seem to be growing very fast and making the pens look SMALL!

White fuzzy caterpillars, lots of robins, now gone, 5 turkey vultures in the alfalfa field when it was cut down first cut, no millions of green caterpillars in our elderberry shrubs like last year (think my shaking the tree and feeding chickens interrupted a cycle), lots and lots of big toads, only small amounts last year. Seems each year has its lots. Good topic, have an awesome day, CynthiaM.

BC seems to have taken my toads and robins, but Authentic, your magpies are here! Haven't seen them in 4 years and now back!

I have noticed less Magpies around my place, and far fewer Ringneck Pheasants. Usually you can throw a rock and hit one! Less wild birds in general. And NO toads this year, outside my bedroom window. Even though I missed the window of opportunity this spring when I would normally clean out my little yard pond, and had to leave it because it was already full of eggs/tadpoles by the time I had time to deal with it, I have not heard a single toad serenading his sweetie outside in my back yard.  

CynthiaM's husband and she and I were discussing wasps yesterday. This is a downcycle year, at my place. Last year was very bad for them. Maybe it's still to come.

I was just on a 4-day motorcyle trip in southern BC and only saw 2 deer on the side of the road the whole time!!

Otherwise I think my wildlife sightings are about on par to other years.

We still have a lot of deer here. All getting fat on our alfalfa fields! We really should be deer farming by the time they fatten on the alfalfa and then finish on the silage they are beautiful and fat. Should do some hunting this fall I guess.

Husband takes a deer once a year on principle, they eat so much early alfalfa! Mule deer spring range? His best hayfield! Some evenings you go by you could mistake it for a venison farm.

Oh lots of foxes this year but all looking really mange-y and skinny. Suspect their population is about to crash.

coopslave wrote:We still have a lot of deer here.  All getting fat on our alfalfa fields!  We really should be deer farming by the time they fatten on the alfalfa and then finish on the silage they are beautiful and fat.  Should do some hunting this fall I guess.

Let me know if you have extras you want taken. Elk too.
We didn't have many bluebirds this year. Lots of mosquitos though.

Schipperkesue wrote:BC seems to have taken my toads and robins, but Authentic, your magpies are here!  Haven't seen them in 4 years and now back!  

You can keep them. You're welcome.

authenticfarm wrote:

Schipperkesue wrote:BC seems to have taken my toads and robins, but Authentic, your magpies are here!  Haven't seen them in 4 years and now back!  

You can keep them. You're welcome.

How kind of you. I shall be sure to send you my excess ravens next year. They successfully raised a brood of young'uns this year so I expect surplus. Do you prefer boys or girls?

Tent caterpillars real bad two years in a row now, no song birds, few robins and less than last year, more towhees, oodles of birds of prey, mink problems all over the island, cougars and bears swimming to our previously cougar and bear-less island, too many sick deer breaking into peoples gardens (so silently welcoming the cougar and bear), increased raven and crow populations, increased mouse and rat populations...hoping that the increased bird of prey population will eat all the surplus mice and rats. Oh, and LOTS of bats this year, yeah...I love bats, cause they eat lots of mosquitoes which are also in abundance this year.

Schipperkesue wrote:How kind of you.  I shall be sure to send you my excess ravens next year.  They successfully raised a brood of young'uns this year so I expect surplus.  Do you prefer boys or girls?

Ummmm ... I only want the gendered-confused ones. They'll be too busy composing bad poetry and wearing a lot of eyeliner to eat anything they're not supposed to.

totally not going to be popular but WHOHOO the whitetail have been hanging around!! which means hunting off the general tag becomes sooooo much easier!

ravens are thick, despite shooting at them, red wing black birds are really not around this year... trying to think of what else

Lots of  birds this year ! some that  I have never seen before ? Hardly any Humming birds though ? Lots of crows for some reason ?? not a good omen ..............death all around ?? No honey bees though ? some are starting there second brood ?? ............almost normal , except for the lack of honey bees !

Insects... No Mosquitos, but then we never have many. Lots of grasshoppers but not tons, lots of bees including honeybees and those giant bumblers. Something new this year....horseflies and deer flies. Hope they don't make a habit of sticking around!

We have TONS of black flies this year, its horrible!

interesting, the ebb and flow of different wild populations each year isn't it?
We noticed yellow jackets this year, never noticed them out here at all other years, had one build a nest right next to the house under the steps.
Also those darn potato beetles, they are all gone now, probably done their cycle now for this year and looks like my plants are not too affected after all thank goodness.

Had lots of mosquitoes, not so many now?

Now we have a bunch of robins, only about one in the spring ( if you can call it that). No honey bees.

A few bumble bees earlier in the year, not now? No humming birds, just the little wild brown type birds, not sure what they're

called. Have lots of those. I guess because we fed them all winter, then they stayed and hatched their babies here. Birdseed

is getting expensive. We really enjoy them though. Oh have a pair of mourning doves come to eat too.

We leave water out, if it hasn't rained. Spoiled birds.

No mourning doves this year at all. Usually we are swamped.

We have lots of robins, martins, dragonflies, horse flies, and of course, zillions of skeeters. Only a few bees though, and no wasps. also have a good population of frogs and fat garter snakes. I swear I saw one as thick as my wrist slither off into the long grass by the pond.  

 

I only wish we has snakes here!