I do think some of the research TFT is funding will have some interesting data. I hope they are looking at the fecundity of those hens that are wearing gps transmitters. I have a suspicion that is a big player in all this. If the numbers are low then the question is why. We suspect predators are issue number one, but I would not be surprised they find differently. I also suspect, Habitat is basically unchanged in many areas of decline with only moderate changes. What I suspect is that what habitat we have just does not have the carrying capacity we hope for. I look at flock stability more than density. We experienced the saturation phenomenon during the restoration years and assumed that was carrying capacity, it may not be.
Occam's razor does not always apply, sometimes it's an obscure dynamic that requires some digging. Low Fecundity can result from low fertility rates, reduced clutch number, breeding disruption and depredation among many other factors. We find a nest that is raided by a raccoon and instantly evaluate that raccoons are taking a large percentage of nest. In most areas I believe it may be a problem worth addressing, but not a primary issue.
