[Tweeters] Lower bird counts at Union Bay this past winter?

[HAL MICHAEL via Tweeters]

This has probably been going on for decades.  Between 1990 and 2015 we lived SE of Lacey. We had 2.5 acres that was originally Old Growth Scot's Broom. Over time, about half an acre was covered into around the house landscaping and orchard, The remained was pasture that had the broom controlled, Lupine encouraged, and some conifers tried to grow.  We installed a bunch of nest boxes for the smaller passerines and initially had blueb9rds, tree swallows, violet-green swallows, and very occasionally a house sparrow.  We also had barn swallows on the structures, which we encouraged. Over time we lost the bluebirds, barn swallows, Violet0-greens, most of the tree swallows and all the house sparrows, Both chickadees moved into the boxes with chestnut-backed increasing as the landscaping grew.  
 
The feeders hosted the same species of seed-eaters with seemingly little change.  The feeders did also support the occasional Accipter.  Scrub jays moved in and seemed to be replacing the Stellar's.  
 
It looks like the flying insect eaters took the biggest hit.  I would also add that my waterfowl hunting has taken a serious hit with about a 90+% reduction in birds even just flying around the area.
 
Hal Michael
Board of Directors, Ecologists Without Borders http://ecowb.org/
Olympia WA
360-459-4005
360-791-7702 (C)
ucd880 at comcast.net
 
 


> On 02/22/2026 8:49 AM PST Dennis Paulson via Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:

>  

>  

> House Sparrows and European Starlings have been declining in Seattle for years. Both were common at our feeders in Maple Leaf after we moved here in 1991, now long gone. The cause isn’t at all clear, although part (all?) of it may be a general tidying up of the city, getting rid of crevices in which they could nest. There is presumably no lack of winter food, with all the feeders around (a census of feeders and the species that visit them all over the area would be of great interest), but perhaps a general decline in insects, which they feed their developing young, is of great significance.

>  

> Swallows and swifts disappeared from most parts of the city long ago, presumably because of the loss of flying insects. They may also have been affected by nest-site crevice cleanup.

>  

> Birds that seem to be thriving, such as chickadees and nuthatches and woodpeckers, have in common that they nest in cavities (thus immune to crow predation) and get a lot of their insect prey by digging it out of the substrate where it is spending the winter. Flycatchers (aerial insects) and warblers and vireos (leaf-dwelling insects) aren’t doing so well. Neotropical migrants in our yard have declined dramatically over the years.

>  

> I find it very interesting that all three of the warbler species that winter in our yard (Yellow-rumped, Townsend’s and Orange-crowned) eat some seeds along with suet and bark butter. They couldn’t winter here if they only fed on insects. The first two also drink nectar from wells in the hummingbird feeders.

>  

> Dennis Paulson

> Seattle

> dennispaulson at comcast dot net

> 

> 

> > On Feb 22, 2026, at 6:29 AM, Jerry Tangren via Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu mailto:tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:

> > My thought is because of the overall weather this winter, the birds are not concentrated into the usual areas they need to for survival. Here in East Wenatchee, I can count on one hand the number of nights the temperatures have dropped below 20 degF, and also the number of days with more than a trace of snow cover.

> >  

> > * Jerry Tangren, East Wenatchee, WA

> >  

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> > 

> > ---------------------------------------------

> > From: Tweeters <tweeters-bounces at mailman11.u.washington.edu mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman11.u.washington.edu> on behalf of Hans-Joachim Feddern via Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu mailto:tweeters at u.washington.edu>

> > Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2026 8:11:21 PM

> > To: Constance Sidles <constancesidles at gmail.com mailto:constancesidles at gmail.com>

> > Cc: Julia H <azureye at gmail.com mailto:azureye at gmail.com>; tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu mailto:tweeters at u.washington.edu>

> > Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Lower bird counts at Union Bay this past winter?

> >  

> > There seems to be a general decline in bird numbers except maybe for gulls and crows. Even my non birder wife has commented on it lately. Numbers of birds on our feeders appear to be lower than in previous years - except for juncos. Interestingly enough, introduced species such as House Sparrow and European Starling numbers are way down and I have yet to see an Eurasian Collared-Dove in the Seattle/Tacoma area this year. Not all of this decrease can be explained with global warming or habitat loss.

> >  

> > Good Birding!

> >  

> > Hans

> > 

> > Hans Feddern

> > Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA

> > thefedderns at gmail.com mailto:thefedderns at gmail.com

> >  

> > 

> > On Sat, Feb 21, 2026 at 4:42 PM Constance Sidles via Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu mailto:tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:

> > 

> > > Hey tweets, I've noticed the same thing that Julia mentiones in her tweet, namely, numbers of birds seem  in general to be down at Montlake Fill. This includes land birds as well as waterfowl. I have no explanation. - Connie, Seattle

> > > 

> > > > On Feb 21, 2026, at 2:26 PM, Julia H via Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu mailto:tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:

> > > >

> > > > This is pure anecdata, but I feel like Union Bay Natural Area has been less "birdy" overall this past winter.  Numbers have been down both in terms of species count + raw number of birds the past two months I've led my bird walk, compared to Januaries/Februaries of the prior years, and the usual giant-raft-of-coots-and-wigeons that habitually forms in Lake Washington has been much smaller as well.

> > > >

> > > > Has anyone else noticed this / does anyone have any theories for why this might be?

> > > >

> > > > Good birding,

> > > >

> > > > Julia Hasbrough

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