Most everything is linked to rainfall and mostly positive correlation. The problem is you always take it 2 or 3 degrees more without supporting data, in this case linking avian predation and poults to both rainfall and rodent populations as if increased rainfall is responsible for higher poult survival because of higher rodents populations. Might be true but it may also be that higher rodent populations cause higher nest predation rates or more rainfall cause increased insect populations increasing poult food supply or better nesting cover increasing nest success or better cover for poults while they are feeding increasing survival...........
You slay me……..One minute you say I’m pulling chit out of my butt and the next minute suddenly it seems feasible after I explain it. Maybe you should give it more thought before slamming what I post
Do you have a link to the Tall Timbers research on alternative prey sources??........I believe I remember you quoting yourself where they found higher levels of rodent populations equating to lower levels of predation on poults. It would stand to reason that this would be something that would swing back and forth over time as rodent populations went up and down
OK, Why OH why would Jackson and Cleburne co's be not as limited from avian predator pressure??
Couple of reasons why they may not see the same rate of avian mortality…….The first being that those close canopied hardwoods probably don’t support the same levels of rodent populations as open grassland to begin with……therefore you likely don’t have as many avian predators per sq mile or whatever unit of measurement you prefer……..Secondly, the avian predators likely don’t have the same ease of hunting in closed canopied hardwoods as they do in open rangeland. There is limited visibility from the air and much shorter lines of sight which likely means less efficiency in comparison. If this isnt true then explain the dynamics of how an area like Jackson Co has such a thriving turkey population…..or has in the past.
