Birds By The Numbers

Monday, October 09, 2006 03:48 AM

Now they may not be statistics that you can take to the bank, but the Canadian Wildlife service has published some facts about what our birds are doing in British Columbia.
These stats cover the period from 1999 to 2004 and are a reflection of what they have been seeing. We have only picked a few of the more common species that we come in contact regularly.

The table below shows increases or decreases in the bird population in their estimates.

*Bird*	*Decrease*	*Increase*
Bald Headed Eagle	-4 %
King Fisher		+12%
Black Capped Chickadee	-1.9%
Black Swift	-33%
Blue Grouse		+20%
Bufflehead Duck	-14.9%
Calliupe Humming Bird		+1.6%
Canada Goose		+3.7%
Cedar Waxwing		+1.8%
Chestnut Back Chickadee		+14.8%
Cliff Swallow	-18.3%
Downy Woodpecker		+1.5%
European Starling	-12.0%
Mallard Duck		+0.4%
Mountain Blue Bird	-4.0%
Northwestern Crow		+9.1%
Osprey		+4.7%
Pileated Woodpecker		+4.7%
Pine Siskin	-12.1%
Purple Finch	-10.8%
Ruffed Grouse	-9.6%
Rufous Hummingbird		+2.6
Sandhill Crane		+4.1%
Stellars Jay		+3.0%

If the figures show any trend it is that the Pileated Woodpecker, which eats a lot of Pine Beetles, is on the steady increase, while the Pine Siskin who relies on the living Pine on the decrease.

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