Submitted by BeamerTakesManhattan t3_10q7a6p in newjersey
Growing up in NJ, I rarely saw any hawks. Basically, I'd see them when driving down highways in less populated areas. I never saw them in the suburbs.
DDT was banned prior to this, and as we've all read, the hawk population made a huge comeback. When I visit my parents, I can look up at any time and see 3 to 5 hawks circling above their yard. It's a huge change. Vultures, too, are occasionally visible when I never saw them as a kid.
But the change I've noticed is in crows. I hardly ever see crows. One is cawing outside my window right now, reminding me. As a kid, I remember hearing these things all the time.
First, I guess I'm wondering if anyone else sees fewer crows. And second, I'd wonder if it's related to the rise in hawks. In any case, it's weird revisiting my parents, as the entire ecosystem has changed. Raccoons no longer climb up their deck stairs and are rarely seen, skunks seem completely gone, and foxes are now everywhere.
erinkimberly t1_j6o96yw wrote
There are plenty of crows, ravens, hawks where I live. Eagles too. Sussex County.