Back when I was a kid, (mid 50s/60s) growing up on a farm, the old timers referred to any hawk circling above as a "chicken hawk".
They were commonly shot, presumably "for the chickens". The quail were in abundance back then, btw. Could be a coincidence. I don't know.

Why's that Steve?





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Big feet that step on eggs, LOL

My memory is somewhat impacted by my age. I remember the article in Parker Pages now. I wish I could have remembered it when talking to Lou.

I now believe that the biggest contributor to the dimise of grouse in my area is probably predation. It is only in fairly recent history that we have coyotes and bobcats in our coverts. The hawk population is the highest it has ever been.

Predation levels is sort of a see-saw. If there are a lot of predators and not much game, the levels of predators will decline, as they go elsewhere where there is more food. As a result, food levels will again begin to rise.

Airplane accidents are usually a series of events leading up to disaster. I believe that it is the same with the grouse’s disappearance in my area. There is no single event that caused their demise, but a series of events, when taken together, proved disastrous for the species.

However, I believe that the increase of predators in our coverts may be the leading factor, which in conjunction with other factors, spelled the end of grouse hunting. Given the many areas of great cover and feed in my area of the Hudson Valley and Connecticut, I see predation as the leading cause. Possum, racoon and fox are no longer hunted or trapped. New predators such as the coyote and bobcat now are prevalent in our coverts. Without contributing factors, I believe that we would still have grouse, albeit in smaller numbers, given the high number of predators.

But there are increasing numbers of killer predators in NYC that are protected and released and the overall population there continues to increase.

I've subscribed to Dale Rollins' monthly emails for some time. Dale is a biologist who has been studying quail for many years. I'm always interested to expand my knowledge of game birds and the environment. The link provided is Dale's monthly communication for this month, and it has some thought provoking information regarding predation. I work hard to keep and open mind and avoid using my personal observations as gospel on complex matters such as bird numbers, knowing that because I see something, does not mean my "personal empiricism" is accurate.

As with some many issues like this, we need more expansive thinking and open minds...but, also, action. None of this is easy.

https://mailchi.mp/cefae1744b33/rpqr...4?e=1c9b542a38

That's some great information!





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