[obol] White-throated Sparrows West--Increase in wintering numbers?

[David Bailey]

Dave Irons recently shared his conclusion that WHITE-THROATED SPARROW 
populations wintering in Western States, specifically Oregon have 
increased. I am not so sure. Back in the winter of 1983, the first year 
I began really birding, participated on both the Forest Grove and Sauvie 
Island Christmas Bird Counts with me and Jim Johnson. All three of us, 
if memory serves, shared the same area for these two counts that year. 
In Forest Grove on Gieger Rd. there was a large sparrow flock 
frequenting a field that held a group of at least three WHITE-THROATED 
SPARROWS. In the Johnson Unit of Sauvie Island was another group of 
sparrows that also contained a trio of  WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS.

In the Northwest we now have many more feeder watchers and birders that 
are much more prepared to identify the sparrows coming to their feeders 
than they were in the 1980s.  General skill-levels have increased due to 
the increase and/or improvement of birding guides and tools as well as 
available experts. Also, there were no specialty bird feeding stores in 
Portland before sometime in the late eighties except at the Audubon 
Society of Portland's sanctuary store.

My question is, where is the data that shows there has really been an 
increase in WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS. Or where is the evidence that the 
increase is not only an increase in recognition and discovery of the 
species in its regular wintering numbers?

David

David C. Bailey
Seaside, Oregon