Page 32 - The Black Range Naturalist Vol. 4, No. 3

traveled about the state but also relied heavily on specimens maintained at NMSU.
These data sets have been generally corroborated by independent studies. The drastic decline in game birds, to include the Band-tailed Pigeon, for instance, has been dramatic. In the case of those species, the declines have not been caused by a change in the
Ponderosa Pine ecosystem but rather by human hunting/disturbance. The decline in other species, like the Olive-sided Flycatcher, is due, primarily, to changes in the ecosystem. As a counterpoint to these declines, the occurrence of woodpecker species (the Williamson’s Sapsucker being an exception) have remained relatively stable. Some species will change in abundance following fires. This change is not always negative
(reduced numbers). Woodpecker populations will often increase following fires because insect infestation will increase (or at least be easier to access).
In the Black Range, the Hairy Woodpecker is often the most abundant, and the Northern Flicker is often the most apparent, woodpecker.
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