You hit the nail on the head oldtimr! I can't believe the way the newer farmers are taking out all the tree rows that provided cover and eliminated erosion, as well as farming every last piece of property right to the road edge. The equipment harvests the crops much better and leaves very little for wildlife compared to the old days. Also blamed by some are the various pesticides and herbicides that have been used in my lifetime and I think all of those things together pretty well put the kabosh to the birds in many states. Even Iowa where I used to hunt and had a ton of birds is nothing like the past, but Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas seem to be still doing well with the vast amount of crops and CRP that the birds can use for nesting and getting out of bad weather.