Good article. Thanks John.

Edgar, I did make up a relatively tasty hawk soup while working in the jungle in Central America many years ago, but I can't recall the exact recipe. I do remember that it wasn't near as good as our usual fare of parrots, pigeons, partridge of some kind and toucans.... think chicken...

I agree that it is an interesting paper, if not a fair bit of opinion.
I think most wildlife biologists are in agreement that grouse populations do change in cycles, all other things being equal (predator population and human influenced habitat changes). I began to notice a significant grouse decline in CT back in the mid 70s, and also an increase in Turkey populations. Prior to this point, we had no wild turkey in CT for generations. I never put the two facts together back then.
The state of Maine has perhaps the largest forrest management program in the country, due largely to the huge logging and pulpwood industry it supports. Still, with this fact in mind, state biologists who have spent years studying grouse populations (Grouse hunting in Maine is second only to the snowmobilers in off season income) feel wild turkey are among the larger number of bird predation.

My yard is definitely beginning to look like a tracked up chicken pen.

News flash: I THINK the spring dispersal has commenced. Only a couple of birds at a time coming in for the past few days and they're coming to eat in broad daylight sometimes. Snow is still at least 2ft deep. Seems early to disperse but not that early as they're often drumming in April if I remember right. At least I'm sending them off fat and sassy and ready to produce nice healthy offspring.

Nice work Richard!





.