Worth Mathewson
Active member
Just read a report via Audubon about the marked decline of flickers. Between 1966 and 2012 the decline has been 49%. Of course the decline of any bird species is sad. But duck hunters should pay special attention to this decline. While certainly not entirely, buffleheads rely to a great deal using holes made by flickers. In the 1971 book, Buffleheads, by Authony Erskine, he made the fact plain: "The availability of nest cavities is governed by numbers of flickers to make new sites." I think duck hunters should keep this well in mind. Perhaps just limit the number of buffleheads shot to a drake now and then?