<div dir="ltr">Yes, hopefully it's a start. I knew they were bad but not how _really_ bad they are.<div>Maybe Washington and Oregon could be next to ban?</div><div><a href="https://abcbirds.org/neonics">https://abcbirds.org/neonics</a><br></div><div>Bob OBrien Portland</div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Jul 25, 2024 at 9:08 PM Andy McCormick via Tweeters <<a href="mailto:tweeters@u.washington.edu">tweeters@u.washington.edu</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div class="msg-1641997420907160441">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Hi Tweeters,
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">I appreciate everyone’s comments on the decline in swallows and the resources that have been shared. As many have noted the decline in the populations in swallows is evident
to everyday birders and it is part of a wider decline in many aerial insectivores including larger birds such as American Kestrel which feeds on grasshoppers.
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">However, there is a bit of good news about this problem. In the summer issue of
<i>Living Bird</i> from Cornell Lab is news that New York State legislature is acting to stop the decline by passing the Birds and Bees Protection Act which will outlaw
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">neonicotinoid pesticide on seed coverings by 2029<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/new-york-neonic-ban-crop-seed-coatings/" target="_blank">https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/new-york-neonic-ban-crop-seed-coatings/#</a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It’s a start. I hope it is not too late and that more states follow New York’s lead.
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Andy McCormick<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Bellevue, WA<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> Carol Riddell via Tweeters
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<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, July 25, 2024 10:52 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> tweeters <<a href="mailto:tweeters@u.washington.edu" target="_blank">tweeters@u.washington.edu</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Tweeters] Where Have All the Swallows Gone?<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Hi Tweeters,<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">In general, I too have noticed a decrease in swallow numbers over the years. For about 25 years I have watched swallow numbers decline at Edmonds marsh, even though there seem to be plenty of insects. In the late 70s and early 80s, Barn
Swallows were a summer fixture in my yard. They nested in my neighbor’s carport. When that house sold, the new owners eradicated the nests. I have not seen a swallow in my neighborhood since then even though there have been plenty of insects. This is a July
2014 article at <a href="http://phys.org" target="_blank">phys.org</a> that may be of interest to some of you. It was provided by Dalhousie University. Perhaps they were noticing the problem before we were. I would suspect that the extensive use of insecticides on commercial farm land has a great impact
on migrating insectivores.<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Carol Riddell<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Edmonds, WA<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:15pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,36,56);background:white">Extinction: the permanent loss of a species. It is deeply troubling—and scientists and birdwatchers are ringing the alarm about a bird species
that only a few decades ago was widespread and very common.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:15pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,36,56);background:white">Swallows, along with other birds that feed primarily on flying insects, are experiencing the greatest population declines for any group of birds
in North America, and their declines are particularly pronounced in the Maritimes. The Barn Swallow, for example, has seen a 95 per cent drop in numbers across North America in the last forty years, placing it on the endangered species list in Nova Scotia.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<span style="font-size:15pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,36,56)">PhD student Tara Imlay and master's student Sarah Saldanha are trying to figure out why this is happening—hopefully, a first step in reversing this alarming trend.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:15pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,36,56)">"This decline is especially concerning because this type of bird used to be so widespread and abundant and the decline of a common, widespread species hints at a broad scale cause,"
explains Saldnha. "Although this decline may be attributed to changes in North America ecosystems, it may also be attributed to changes in the birds' wintering grounds.”<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<h2 style="margin-top:0in;box-sizing:border-box;margin-bottom:1.75rem;font-size:1.4375rem">
<span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,36,56)">An ecological mystery<u></u><u></u></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size:15pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,36,56)">Working for the summer from a busy research station near Sackville, N.B. (run by Acadia University and Ducks Unlimited), the two student researchers are focused on the decline in Bank,
Barn, Cliff and Tree Swallow populations in the Maritimes.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:15pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,36,56)">"I grew up in Wolfville and I have always been interested in the conservation of species in the region," says Imlay, "I heard about the huge decline in swallows and the lack of information
about the cause so I really wanted to investigate this question. Understanding the cause—or causes—of declines is vital for determining the right steps to reversing these downward population trends.”<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:15pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,36,56)">There are two leading theories about the decline. The first suggests it's driven by a related decline in insect abundance or a mismatch in the timing of when insect abundance is highest
and swallows are breeding. The second theory is connected to the fact that the greatest declines have been in birds that migrate long distances to Central and South America. This theory suggests that conditions at wintering locations or during migration could
be impacting these species.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:15pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,36,56)">Imlay and Saldanha are examining the first of these theories: the relationship between daily insect abundance and the timing of swallow breeding. They are closely tracking a multitude
of factors in the swallows' summer routines, including variable insect populations, the date the first eggs are laid, the date eggs hatch, the number of eggs laid and the number that hatches, and chick survival rates. This data will allow them to determine
if insect abundance is limiting population growth.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:15pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,36,56)">They're also looking at the foraging habits of Bank Swallows during the breeding season, using very small radio transmitters on the birds and high-tech receiving towers to monitor the
birds' movements.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:15pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,36,56)">"This is the first time automated telemetry on is being used on the local scale," says Saldanha. "With this technology, I am getting a much better understanding of how the birds are
traveling and using the habitat in their daily lives." The number of daily foraging trips and their distance from the breeding colony may suggest clues as to insect abundance.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:15pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,36,56)">Summer field work</span></b><span style="font-size:15pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,36,56)"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:15pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,36,56)">To test the wintering ground theory, they are using a variety of methods, including lightweight nets to collect feather samples from adult birds to determine where the birds spend the
winter and their stress levels during the wintering period. This data will allow them to determine whether wintering ground conditions are also impacting populations.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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