Why are feeder birds missing this spring?

Salvia can be a magnet for hummingbirds. Photo by J.J. Meyer

Here's my latest column scheduled to run on Saturday, May 11 in the Southern California News Group papers including: The Orange County Register,

Los Angeles Daily News, 

Long Beach Press-Telegram

, 

San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, 

The 

Daily Breeze,

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

, 

Riverside Press-Enterprise

and more.

 

Suzanne Mulcahy of Laguna Niguel became concerned when the hummingbirds in her yard disappeared around mid-April.

“I’ve always kept four feeders filled all the time,” she said. “There were birds at them continually. Then all of a sudden, my hummies (sic) were gone.”

Other bird enthusiasts had similar experiences with feathered friends disappearing from backyards when the spring season began blooming. Mary Ann Powers, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Riverside, said she and her staff fielded calls from many customers asking where all the birds had gone.

And the timing of the calls coincided with the super bloom when wildflowers were exploding, she said.

“Initially, there were more nectar and seed sources because of the winter rains, so we saw fewer birds at feeders,” Powers said. “It was happening with both the hummingbirds and goldfinches. Then almost overnight, the blooms dropped off and the birds began returning.

“It’s common sense,” she said. “Last year, there were less natural food sources available and feeding at birdfeeders was heavier.”

When the big bloom show was over, the birds quickly returned to the feeders at her home in Lake Elsinore, where temperatures reached into the 90s last month.

Because the coastal areas of Los Angeles and Orange Counties have stayed cooler than the Inland Empire, most of the hillsides are still filled with color. Mulcahy said there are plenty of blooms around her property, which gets the ocean breezes and is surrounded by open space. The hummingbirds are slowly returning with one or two visiting her feeders at a time over the past couple weeks.

With the drought officially over, it seems logical to assume that the birds will benefit.

“It’s wonderful that we’ve had the winter rains and there’s an increase in the food supply,” said Brad Singer, president of San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society. Although Singer is quick to caution against drawing conclusions about bird distribution and populations based on one factor.

“There are a lot of variables including climate, competition among the birds for food, the presence of disease and even wind patterns,” Singer said. Freak storms during migration can affect distribution by blowing birds off course, sending them to an area where they’re not typically found.

“And it’s breeding season, so there are decreased visits to feeders during this time anyway,” Singer said. “Birds are busy finding a mate and nesting.”

Migrating birds are eager to get to their breeding grounds and reproduce, he said. “That’s their main goal, so they don’t stay around at feeders.”

Fall is a better time to survey bird populations, he said. “Birds aren’t in a hurry to reach their wintering grounds and will often linger in an area to feed before heading south.”

And whether this year’s super bloom and increase in food supplies will have an impact on nesting remains to be seen until data from nest monitoring groups, such as the Southern California Bluebird Club, can be complied and compared to previous years. However, scientific studies have concluded that rainfall can have an overall positive impact on many bird species. An Oregon State University study, conducted in 2014, found that precipitation was the key factor affecting the long-term survival of many bird species because changes in precipitation can affect plant growth, soil moisture, water storage and the abundance of insects.