L.Brown, I agree completely with you and was just reporting the news as I read it. I remember the first time I saw an eagle in Blackhawk county. It was on Dec.6 1972 and I didn't see another one for years and now if I want I can go down by the Cedar river and one will probably be along soon.I am really worried about the loss of riparian habitat in Iowa and elsewhere. The numbers of song birds have dropped drastically and we still see wood lots cut out for some strip mall that will be out of business in 10 years.
The pheasant numbers have me puzzled as I can go to good habitat and still not see even a track!The "Big Marsh" near Parkersburg used to be full of pheasant and for the last 10 years or so it is rare to see more than a few,if any.Quail used to be common in southern Iowa where my dad grew up and now they are practically gone. We definitely need to be planting more young trees and encourage weedy fencerows and brushy draws but more and more farmers are tiling the waterways and farming every available acre. Much more of an immediate problem than lead shot by and standard.