I was turkey hunting Tuesday morning (didn't have a gobbler within calling distance) when I heard a whippoorwill call twice. I thought I was hearing things. 20 years ago, there so many of them that it was hard to hear a turkey in the pre-dawn hours of a spring morning. Rather quickly, they have disappeared. Something has happened that has drastically reduced their numbers to where I haven't heard one in years until this week.
Do you have whippoorwills where you hunt?
OT Whip poor wills
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OT Whip poor wills
axiom
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- AJ01
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Re: OT Whip poor wills
Whip-poor-will also known as a Nightjar. Never really a large population of them here in East Texas. However, as a kid, I did hear them from time to time.
Use to hear them and their cousin the Chuck-will's-widow, another pretty cool and rare night bird with it's on distinct song.
Eastern whip-poor-wills breed in deciduous or mixed woods across central and southeastern Canada and the eastern United States, and migrate to the southeastern United States and to eastern Mexico and Central America for the winter. These birds forage at night, catching insects in flight, and normally sleep during the day. Eastern whip-poor-wills nest on the ground, in shaded locations among dead leaves, and usually lay two eggs at a time. The bird will commonly remain on the nest unless almost stepped upon.
The eastern whip-poor-will is becoming locally rare. Several reasons for the decline are proposed, such as loss of early successional forest habitat, habitat destruction, predation by feral cats and dogs, Fire Ants and feral Hogs and poisoning by insecticides, but the actual causes remain elusive. Even with local populations endangered, the species as a whole is not considered globally threatened due to its large range.
The whip-poor-will has been split into two species. Eastern populations are now referred to as the eastern whip-poor-will. The disjunct population in southwestern United States and Mexico is now referred to as the Mexican whip-poor-will, Antrostomus arizonae. The two populations were split based on range, different vocalizations, different egg coloration, and DNA sequencing showing differentiation.
Thanks, Grouse, for sharing this encounter with a pretty rare bird of the night!!
Hope you hear them again!
Use to hear them and their cousin the Chuck-will's-widow, another pretty cool and rare night bird with it's on distinct song.
Eastern whip-poor-wills breed in deciduous or mixed woods across central and southeastern Canada and the eastern United States, and migrate to the southeastern United States and to eastern Mexico and Central America for the winter. These birds forage at night, catching insects in flight, and normally sleep during the day. Eastern whip-poor-wills nest on the ground, in shaded locations among dead leaves, and usually lay two eggs at a time. The bird will commonly remain on the nest unless almost stepped upon.
The eastern whip-poor-will is becoming locally rare. Several reasons for the decline are proposed, such as loss of early successional forest habitat, habitat destruction, predation by feral cats and dogs, Fire Ants and feral Hogs and poisoning by insecticides, but the actual causes remain elusive. Even with local populations endangered, the species as a whole is not considered globally threatened due to its large range.
The whip-poor-will has been split into two species. Eastern populations are now referred to as the eastern whip-poor-will. The disjunct population in southwestern United States and Mexico is now referred to as the Mexican whip-poor-will, Antrostomus arizonae. The two populations were split based on range, different vocalizations, different egg coloration, and DNA sequencing showing differentiation.
Thanks, Grouse, for sharing this encounter with a pretty rare bird of the night!!
Hope you hear them again!
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming "Wow, What a Ride!
Re: OT Whip poor wills
Actually heard one Tue. morning
1rst one i heard in a long time.
aka, chuck willow wills in my area.
Dave
1rst one i heard in a long time.
aka, chuck willow wills in my area.
Dave
Last edited by papabear1 on Sat Apr 29, 2023 7:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
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<-------<
known as doe bow
vixenmaster custom string
swacker bhs, 2/1/4" cut 120 grn.
xx75 Easton 2219,s
firebolt arrows
S5 pads
if it ain't broke don't fix it
be safe in all you do
see ya in the woods
<-------<
Re: OT Whip poor wills
I'm not sure if I've ever heard a whip-poor-will in this area. I'll have to listen a bit more intently this fall.
I did hear a night sound last hunting season that I set out to identify because I heard it frequently. I would normally hear it on the way to/from my stand in the dark. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what was making the sound. I searched for animal sounds that I may not be familiar with and drew a blank. Then I started searching through all of the night bird sounds. I took a while but my daughter finally found the culprit.
The sound we were hearing what the whinny of a Eastern Screech Owl. It's not a loud or particularly scary sound at night, but it bugged me that I didn't know what was making it. Now I know.
I did hear a night sound last hunting season that I set out to identify because I heard it frequently. I would normally hear it on the way to/from my stand in the dark. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what was making the sound. I searched for animal sounds that I may not be familiar with and drew a blank. Then I started searching through all of the night bird sounds. I took a while but my daughter finally found the culprit.
The sound we were hearing what the whinny of a Eastern Screech Owl. It's not a loud or particularly scary sound at night, but it bugged me that I didn't know what was making it. Now I know.
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- Robinsons Rebel
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Re: OT Whip poor wills
Used to love hearing Bob white quails. Haven't heard those in a long time too.
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18¨ Diablo lumenok bolts
100 gr. Trailblazer broadheads
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String by xcaliber
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- AJ01
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Re: OT Whip poor wills
If y'all have Fire Ants and Hogs, that's why you have no Quail. They wreak havoc on any ground nesting bird.Robinsons Rebel wrote: ↑Fri Apr 28, 2023 6:43 pmUsed to love hearing Bob white quails. Haven't heard those in a long time too.
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming "Wow, What a Ride!
- AJ01
- Posts: 2489
- Joined: Fri Nov 24, 2017 10:09 am
- Location: Deep in the Heart of the East Texas Piney Woods!
Re: OT Whip poor wills
When I was a kid growing up in East Texas you would see these by the hundreds. I always thought they were a very colorful bird. They always showed up in the fall. Migration, I guess. Then they stopped.
I learned later on that they were called Cedar Wax Wings. Don't ask me why they are called that, but it's got to be because they feed on the seeds cedar's produce.
Then 2 years ago now, I saw my 1st Wax Wings in more than 40 years. I have 2 large Cedar trees on my place. I was gonna cut them down, until these guys should up. Now the Cedars will stay.
I learned later on that they were called Cedar Wax Wings. Don't ask me why they are called that, but it's got to be because they feed on the seeds cedar's produce.
Then 2 years ago now, I saw my 1st Wax Wings in more than 40 years. I have 2 large Cedar trees on my place. I was gonna cut them down, until these guys should up. Now the Cedars will stay.
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming "Wow, What a Ride!
Re: OT Whip poor wills
That is one of many birds we hear along with black birds, geese, starlings, chickadees, robins and piliated woodpeckers, killdeer and more. We have a lot of birds here! But I have to put on my hearing aids to hear them!
Some people just like stepping on rakes
Re: OT Whip poor wills
My parents had a couple of red cedars (really a species of juniper - not a true cedar) and cedar waxwings used to descend on them and eat the little bluish gray berries in the fall. I don't remember seeing one for a long time. They may still be common and I just don't see them, but I think that their numbers have dropped.AJ01 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 29, 2023 9:18 amWhen I was a kid growing up in East Texas you would see these by the hundreds. I always thought they were a very colorful bird. They always showed up in the fall. Migration, I guess. Then they stopped.
I learned later on that they were called Cedar Wax Wings. Don't ask me why they are called that, but it's got to be because they feed on the seeds cedar's produce.
Then 2 years ago now, I saw my 1st Wax Wings in more than 40 years. I have 2 large Cedar trees on my place. I was gonna cut them down, until these guys should up. Now the Cedars will stay.
Pesticides are always suspected when bird numbers decline, but at least around here, these birds don't seem like insect feeders. Besides, many species that feed heavily on insects seem to be doing fine. Something does seem to be negatively affecting quite a few species of birds though.
axiom
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