From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 1 09:28:34 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Robert O'Brien via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 1 09:28:48 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] re "an important article" In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: This article raises some important issues as Dennis points out. But at the same time it is a sad conflation of two very different situations. The images alone bring this out. The Capercaillie image is undefined but it could be the intrusion of an eager photographer onto the breeding grounds of a rare grouse. This very likely could be a serious problem if that is what this (potentially staged?) photo represents. This would not normally be called twitching. The other two images show what can be called twitching.in Europe. The group of photographers behind a closed gate undoubtedly represents a vagrant bird whose viewing is obviously well controlled. i don't believe this represents any problem for this ;rare' species because it is rare only in this location (whatever it is). This is twitching as normally defined. This represents no threat to this particular species because this bird is so out of range it is unlikely to return, and in most such cases it is abundant in its normal range. Ditto for the Scarlet Ibis. Surely this is an extremely rare bird in China, because its natural range is South America. Where it is abundant and widespread. These birders/photographers represent zero influence on the species Scarlet Ibis. Note also that the ibis is paying zero attention to the photographers. The main problem with occasional appearances of vastly out of range occurrences of common birds is for 'twitchers' to scare it away so that others don't 'get there in time' to see it. I don't believe this has any bearing at all on conservation of the vast majority of 'vagrant' twitchees. I also am a subscriber to the Guardian because it presents important world situations. And disturbance of threatened or endangered birds is likely a real problem in some areas of the world. But the Guardian misrepresents this problem quite seriously here. Bob OBrien Portland On Mon, Sep 30, 2024 at 12:21?PM Diann MacRae via Tweeters < tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > Hi, Tweets > > I am for the most part a supporter of the *Guardian* and certainly > understand the story, which is scary. Isn't it similar here when the powers > that be decided which owl is to be "saved" in certain areas. Yes, I know > both sides so don't lecture me, it's just that when people want to see > things or publish what they see they don't always give much thought to the > final outcome, no matter where they are in the world. I don't know if leks > in our state have been negatively affected but I know there are warnings to > not go close during breeding season. Sorry, I am mildly horrified when I > see photos of huge groups of birdwatchers looming over one ibis or > capercaillie or, as occasionally in Washington, a rare raptor. > > Just my comment on an interesting situation. > > Cheers, Diann > > Diann MacRae > Olympic Vulture Study > 22622 - 53rd Avenue S.E. > Bothell, WA 98021 > tvulture@gmx.com > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 1 09:49:18 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Michael Price via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 1 09:49:34 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Migrant Steller's Jays (was: Semiahmoo Spit birds) Message-ID: Hey tweets In this region, migrant Steller's Jays in weeks 1 and 2 Oct is also the time for watching for FOS Blue Jays (presumably on the lam from irate Toronto fans after crashing and burning in the AL East). best wishes, m -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 1 09:58:53 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Tim Brennan via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 1 09:58:57 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] 167 in Renton Message-ID: Hey Tweets! Although my birding has been focused on Jefferson and Kitsap counties this year, the appearance of a Pacific Golden-Plover at the mouth of the Cedar River got me out for some local birding. It was a life bird for me - and as it turns out, it was the 167th species I'd found in the city limits of Renton. I have admittedly been jealous of the Pierce County 253 club - the number representing their area code. It's also the number of species that must be seen in Pierce County to earn a celebratory beverage from the founding members. Renton, in its 425 area code, has a bar set a little too high! This is true even if other gems like Bellevue, Newcastle, and (surprise!) Edmonds could be lumped in. But looking at my patch total on eBird, and seeing it hit 167 (and actually 168, as I added Green Heron there too), made me think that 167 may be just plenty of species. Having Hwy 167 start (end?) in Renton makes it a good fit as well. Having many years with a feeder in Renton helped, of course (Harris's Sparrow being one of the best feeder birds). The Cedar River Mouth has of course been great for ducks, geese, shorebirds, and gulls. Historically, the Black River Riparian Forest has been great for some species, but it has felt far less safe over the past few years. The Renton Natural Area, above the Maple Valley Highway, has been good for almost 100 species, including many passerines, four species of owls, and some tough King County birds like American Kestrel and California Quail. I know there have been some far more active, long-running, and flat-out better birders than me in Renton, though. I'm curious to know if anyone else has crested that mark. I'm happy to at least found the tradition of the celebratory beverage. ? Cheers! Tim Brennan Technically ahead of the curve, in Renton -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 1 10:11:19 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (pan via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 1 10:11:26 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Windy Gap migration (King/Kittitas Counties) Message-ID: <1054016010.387804.1727802679464@fidget.co-bxl> Tweets, Yesterday, Mark and Elaine T. and I birded Windy Gap, on the crest border of King and Kittitas Counties, for about five hours.? Clear skies and east-northeast winds seemed likely to bring us birds, but it was slow.? We did have robins and Varied Thrushes eating deteriorating huckleberries, a fair number of Golden-crowned Sparrows, and one flurry of activity mid-day, which included several pipits, a half-dozen Mountain Bluebirds, a Townsend's Solitaire, and an immature goshawk harassing a Red-tailed Hawk, our only raptors.? A quick afternoon check of Veazie marsh near Enumclaw featured a few snipe and a dozen or more dowitchers, plus a few white-fronted geese in the field to the west. of 30 September, 2024, Alan Grenon Seattle panmail AT mailfence PERIOD com -- Sent with https://mailfence.com Secure and private email -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 1 10:48:24 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Ven. Dhammadinna via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 1 10:49:02 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Windy Gap migration (King/Kittitas Counties) In-Reply-To: <1054016010.387804.1727802679464@fidget.co-bxl> References: <1054016010.387804.1727802679464@fidget.co-bxl> Message-ID: Oh hey! While you and Elaine were at Windy Gap, I was on Granite Mountain. We had upwards of two dozen flickers at the meadows on the shoulder of the mountain. Also, many robins, some pipits. We had some fragments of a song that reminded me of a white throated sparrow. On Tue, Oct 1, 2024 at 10:19?AM pan via Tweeters wrote: > Tweets, > > Yesterday, Mark and Elaine T. and I birded Windy Gap, on the crest border > of King and Kittitas Counties, for about five hours. Clear skies and > east-northeast winds seemed likely to bring us birds, but it was slow. We > did have robins and Varied Thrushes eating deteriorating huckleberries, a > fair number of Golden-crowned Sparrows, and one flurry of activity mid-day, > which included several pipits, a half-dozen Mountain Bluebirds, a > Townsend's Solitaire, and an immature goshawk harassing a Red-tailed Hawk, > our only raptors. > > A quick afternoon check of Veazie marsh near Enumclaw featured a few snipe > and a dozen or more dowitchers, plus a few white-fronted geese in the field > to the west. > > of 30 September, 2024, > > Alan Grenon > Seattle > panmail AT mailfence PERIOD com > > > -- > Sent with https://mailfence.com > Secure and private email > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 1 18:24:06 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 1 18:24:11 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] =?utf-8?q?REMINDER=3A__WOS_Monthly_Meeting=2C_October_?= =?utf-8?q?7=2C_2024?= Message-ID: <20241002012406.29272.qmail@s401.sureserver.com> The Washington Ornithological Society (WOS) is pleased to announce the kick off of our next series of Monthly Meetings with Connie Sidles who will present "Hummingbirds: Masters of the Air" on Monday, October 7. These tiny dynamos of the avian world seem immune to the ordinary laws of physics with their ability to hover in place, fly upside-down or backwards, and cross seas without stopping. Master Birder Connie Sidles is a well-known, dedicated educator in our region. She is a published author including four books about nature focusing on her favorite ?backyard? Montlake Fill, aka Union Bay Natural Area on the UW campus. Connie will guide us through the wonders of hummingbirds and show us how to attract them to our yards. The meeting will be conducted virtually, via Zoom (no in-person attendance). Please note that this presentation will not be recorded. Sign-in will begin at 7:15 pm, and the meeting commences at 7:30 pm. Please go to the WOS Monthly Meetings page: https://wos.org/monthly-meetings/ for instructions on participation and to get the Zoom link. When joining the meeting, we ask that you mute your device and make certain that your camera is turned off. This meeting is open to all as WOS invites everyone in the wider birding community to attend. Thanks to the generosity of our presenters, recordings of past programs are available at the following link to the WOS YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@washingtonornithologicalso7839/videos Once again, please note that this presentation will not be recorded. If you are not yet a member of WOS, we hope you will consider becoming one at https://wos.org. Please join us! Elaine Chuang WOS Program Support From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 2 20:20:57 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Tom Benedict via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 2 20:21:14 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Odd Red-breasted Sapsucker in Burien Message-ID: <614F8F00-837F-4151-BFB8-41762236F462@comcast.net> This afternoon I noticed (heard) a Sapsucker in a tree in our yard. We don?t see them often but they are regular yard birds and a few of the trees, cedars, have many rows of sap ?taps? in them. The birds are usually easy to identify, especially since here in the Puget Trough we typically only have the Red-breasted Sapsucker. Today, however, the bird looked different. The red on the head and neck was subdued and there was distinct facial patterning including bold white lines from the bill to nap. The facial markings suggested Red-naped Sapsucker, but there was definitely no red nape. I considered that it might be a juvenile, but the other markings, especially the white/black on the back and tail, were quite distinct. I?ve browsed a lot of photos at Cornell Lab and All About Birds and am wondering whether it might be a hybrid. I took some low quality photos with my phone but I don?t have a site to upload them to. I?d be happy to send some photos to anyone who?d like to see them. Tom Benedict Seahurst, WA From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 2 20:36:06 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Tom Benedict via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 2 20:36:42 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Odd Red-breasted Sapsucker in Burien In-Reply-To: <614F8F00-837F-4151-BFB8-41762236F462@comcast.net> References: <614F8F00-837F-4151-BFB8-41762236F462@comcast.net> Message-ID: <9C8DE821-A786-42C4-93B4-84F4A87679E2@comcast.net> I?m reading now at https://forums.whatbird.com/index.php?/topic/15582-what-kind-of-sapsucker/ a discussion of Sphyrapicus ruber daggetti which bears considerable resemblance to my bird. One photo at https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/47538091#_ga=2.117925579.314690642.1607699442-635920480.1580272015 looks rather like mine. Further browsing at bird.org found a few Sphyrapicus ruber which a white malar stripe, but not nearly as bold as mine. https://ebird.org/species/rebsap?__hstc=264660688.518c6b2c667ce608f25ee9acc86aba1d.1727908962038.1727908962038.1727924698023.2&__hssc=264660688.8.1727924698023&__hsfp=3134180813&_gl=1*y43xei*_gcl_au*MTAzOTE0MDcwNC4xNzI3OTA4OTYx*_ga*ODkzMTEwMzg3LjE3Mjc5MDg5NjI.*_ga_QR4NVXZ8BM*MTcyNzkyNDY5Ni4yLjEuMTcyNzkyNjIyNS42MC4wLjA. Tom benedict Seahurst, WA > On Oct 2, 2024, at 20:20, Tom Benedict via Tweeters wrote: > > This afternoon I noticed (heard) a Sapsucker in a tree in our yard. We don?t see them often but they are regular yard birds and a few of the trees, cedars, have many rows of sap ?taps? in them. > > The birds are usually easy to identify, especially since here in the Puget Trough we typically only have the Red-breasted Sapsucker. Today, however, the bird looked different. The red on the head and neck was subdued and there was distinct facial patterning including bold white lines from the bill to nap. The facial markings suggested Red-naped Sapsucker, but there was definitely no red nape. I considered that it might be a juvenile, but the other markings, especially the white/black on the back and tail, were quite distinct. > > I?ve browsed a lot of photos at Cornell Lab and All About Birds and am wondering whether it might be a hybrid. > > I took some low quality photos with my phone but I don?t have a site to upload them to. I?d be happy to send some photos to anyone who?d like to see them. > > Tom Benedict > Seahurst, WA > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 3 09:20:34 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Dennis Paulson via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 3 09:20:59 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Odd Red-breasted Sapsucker in Burien In-Reply-To: <9C8DE821-A786-42C4-93B4-84F4A87679E2@comcast.net> References: <614F8F00-837F-4151-BFB8-41762236F462@comcast.net> <9C8DE821-A786-42C4-93B4-84F4A87679E2@comcast.net> Message-ID: <72916FC6-0E56-40C2-ABB2-B031D9349A43@comcast.net> Tom, Red-breasted and Red-naped Sapsuckers hybridize surprisingly freely where their ranges meet, and a wandering hybrid (Red-naped genes would be migratory) is probably a lot more likely than the southern subspecies of Red-breasted. Dennis Paulson Seattle > On Oct 2, 2024, at 8:36 PM, Tom Benedict via Tweeters wrote: > > I?m reading now at https://forums.whatbird.com/index.php?/topic/15582-what-kind-of-sapsucker/ a discussion of Sphyrapicus ruber daggetti which bears considerable resemblance to my bird. One photo at https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/47538091#_ga=2.117925579.314690642.1607699442-635920480.1580272015 looks rather like mine. > > Further browsing at bird.org found a few Sphyrapicus ruber which a white malar stripe, but not nearly as bold as mine. https://ebird.org/species/rebsap?__hstc=264660688.518c6b2c667ce608f25ee9acc86aba1d.1727908962038.1727908962038.1727924698023.2&__hssc=264660688.8.1727924698023&__hsfp=3134180813&_gl=1*y43xei*_gcl_au*MTAzOTE0MDcwNC4xNzI3OTA4OTYx*_ga*ODkzMTEwMzg3LjE3Mjc5MDg5NjI.*_ga_QR4NVXZ8BM*MTcyNzkyNDY5Ni4yLjEuMTcyNzkyNjIyNS42MC4wLjA. > > Tom benedict > Seahurst, WA > > > > > >> On Oct 2, 2024, at 20:20, Tom Benedict via Tweeters wrote: >> >> This afternoon I noticed (heard) a Sapsucker in a tree in our yard. We don?t see them often but they are regular yard birds and a few of the trees, cedars, have many rows of sap ?taps? in them. >> >> The birds are usually easy to identify, especially since here in the Puget Trough we typically only have the Red-breasted Sapsucker. Today, however, the bird looked different. The red on the head and neck was subdued and there was distinct facial patterning including bold white lines from the bill to nap. The facial markings suggested Red-naped Sapsucker, but there was definitely no red nape. I considered that it might be a juvenile, but the other markings, especially the white/black on the back and tail, were quite distinct. >> >> I?ve browsed a lot of photos at Cornell Lab and All About Birds and am wondering whether it might be a hybrid. >> >> I took some low quality photos with my phone but I don?t have a site to upload them to. I?d be happy to send some photos to anyone who?d like to see them. >> >> Tom Benedict >> Seahurst, WA >> _______________________________________________ >> Tweeters mailing list >> Tweeters@u.washington.edu >> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 3 11:05:22 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Joe Buchanan via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 3 11:05:26 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Franklin's Gull at Kennedy Creek Estuary Message-ID: <128232118.408954.1727978722441@connect.xfinity.com> This morning on a falling tide there was a first winter Franklin's Gull visible from the interpretive area at Kennedy Creek Estuary (Mason County). The gulls move around the estuary quite a bit and during high tides they will roost on the small patches of marsh off the northern end of the main marsh. The FRGU this morning was preening and foraging on exposed mud to the southeast of the interpretive area. Joe Buchanan jlrj@comcast.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 3 10:59:42 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Paul Bannick via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 3 11:07:30 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Odd Red-breasted Sapsucker in Burien In-Reply-To: <72916FC6-0E56-40C2-ABB2-B031D9349A43@comcast.net> References: <614F8F00-837F-4151-BFB8-41762236F462@comcast.net> <9C8DE821-A786-42C4-93B4-84F4A87679E2@comcast.net> <72916FC6-0E56-40C2-ABB2-B031D9349A43@comcast.net> Message-ID: Yes, but keep in mind that Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are (rarely) seen here during the winter. They can be distinguished by having the red on their heads entirely bordered by black (except just behind the bill) and having more white on the back. In the fall they generally have a vary disheveled look On Thu, Oct 3, 2024 at 9:21?AM Dennis Paulson via Tweeters < tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > Tom, Red-breasted and Red-naped Sapsuckers hybridize surprisingly freely > where their ranges meet, and a wandering hybrid (Red-naped genes would be > migratory) is probably a lot more likely than the southern subspecies of > Red-breasted. > > Dennis Paulson > Seattle > > > On Oct 2, 2024, at 8:36 PM, Tom Benedict via Tweeters < > tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > > > > I?m reading now at > https://forums.whatbird.com/index.php?/topic/15582-what-kind-of-sapsucker/ > a discussion of Sphyrapicus ruber daggetti which bears considerable > resemblance to my bird. One photo at > https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/47538091#_ga=2.117925579.314690642.1607699442-635920480.1580272015 > looks rather like mine. > > > > Further browsing at bird.org found a few Sphyrapicus ruber which a > white malar stripe, but not nearly as bold as mine. > https://ebird.org/species/rebsap?__hstc=264660688.518c6b2c667ce608f25ee9acc86aba1d.1727908962038.1727908962038.1727924698023.2&__hssc=264660688.8.1727924698023&__hsfp=3134180813&_gl=1*y43xei*_gcl_au*MTAzOTE0MDcwNC4xNzI3OTA4OTYx*_ga*ODkzMTEwMzg3LjE3Mjc5MDg5NjI.*_ga_QR4NVXZ8BM*MTcyNzkyNDY5Ni4yLjEuMTcyNzkyNjIyNS42MC4wLjA > . > > > > Tom benedict > > Seahurst, WA > > > > > > > > > > > >> On Oct 2, 2024, at 20:20, Tom Benedict via Tweeters < > tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > >> > >> This afternoon I noticed (heard) a Sapsucker in a tree in our yard. We > don?t see them often but they are regular yard birds and a few of the > trees, cedars, have many rows of sap ?taps? in them. > >> > >> The birds are usually easy to identify, especially since here in the > Puget Trough we typically only have the Red-breasted Sapsucker. Today, > however, the bird looked different. The red on the head and neck was > subdued and there was distinct facial patterning including bold white lines > from the bill to nap. The facial markings suggested Red-naped Sapsucker, > but there was definitely no red nape. I considered that it might be a > juvenile, but the other markings, especially the white/black on the back > and tail, were quite distinct. > >> > >> I?ve browsed a lot of photos at Cornell Lab and All About Birds and am > wondering whether it might be a hybrid. > >> > >> I took some low quality photos with my phone but I don?t have a site to > upload them to. I?d be happy to send some photos to anyone who?d like to > see them. > >> > >> Tom Benedict > >> Seahurst, WA > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Tweeters mailing list > >> Tweeters@u.washington.edu > >> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Tweeters mailing list > > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -- Now Available: Owl: A Year in the Lives of North American Owls at: http://paulbannick.com/shop/owl-a-year-in-the-lives-of-north-american-owls/ Paul Bannick Photography www.paulbannick.com 206-940-7835 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 3 11:29:31 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Steve Loitz via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 3 11:29:46 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Odd Red-breasted Sapsucker in Burien In-Reply-To: <614F8F00-837F-4151-BFB8-41762236F462@comcast.net> References: <614F8F00-837F-4151-BFB8-41762236F462@comcast.net> Message-ID: Tom, I'm in the likely RBSA x RNSA hybrid camp. Plumage varies. Red nape is not always present (which is also true for some female RNSAs). IME, RBSA x RNSA hybrids are not all that uncommon in WA's east central Cascades, and I've seen a few of them W of the crest in fall, possibly vertical migrants working down to lower ground. As you likely know, RNSA migrate southward out of WA for the winter, while many (likely most?) mountain summer resident RBSAs migrate vertically to lower ground for the winter. I do not have any data re what proportion of RBSA x RNSA hybrids migrate vertically, but through the years I have seen some in winter on both sides of the crest, e.g., we had a RSBA x RNSA hybrid winter in Ellensburg last year. Steve Loitz Ellensburg, WA steveloitz@gmail.com On Wed, Oct 2, 2024 at 8:21?PM Tom Benedict via Tweeters < tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > This afternoon I noticed (heard) a Sapsucker in a tree in our yard. We > don?t see them often but they are regular yard birds and a few of the > trees, cedars, have many rows of sap ?taps? in them. > > The birds are usually easy to identify, especially since here in the Puget > Trough we typically only have the Red-breasted Sapsucker. Today, however, > the bird looked different. The red on the head and neck was subdued and > there was distinct facial patterning including bold white lines from the > bill to nap. The facial markings suggested Red-naped Sapsucker, but there > was definitely no red nape. I considered that it might be a juvenile, but > the other markings, especially the white/black on the back and tail, were > quite distinct. > > I?ve browsed a lot of photos at Cornell Lab and All About Birds and am > wondering whether it might be a hybrid. > > I took some low quality photos with my phone but I don?t have a site to > upload them to. I?d be happy to send some photos to anyone who?d like to > see them. > > Tom Benedict > Seahurst, WA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 3 12:18:21 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Shep Thorp via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 3 12:18:35 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR for 10/2/2024 Message-ID: Hi Tweets! Approximately 30 of us had a nice Autumn Day at the Refuge with clouds in the morning with sunny skies in the afternoon. Temperatures were in the 40?s to 60?s degrees Fahrenheit, and there was Low 2?11? Tide at 12:12pm. We skipped the Orchard and Access Roads in the morning to make the most of the falling tide. Heading out on the west entrance of the Twin Barns Loops Trail directly out onto the dike or Nisqually Estuary Trail. Highlights included two mixed flocks of foraging passerines including BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, WILSON'S WARBLER, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and HUTTON'S VIREO seen at the west entrance to the Twin Barns Loop Trail and the slough adjacent to the green gate across from the entrance to the Education Center Parking Lot; upwards of 11 MARBLED GODWIT in the surge plain north of the dike adjacent to the Twin Barns, a nice falcon show all three expected species (PEREGRINE, MERLIN, AMERICAN KESTREL) hunting in the Refuge, and return of GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and SNOW GEESE to our wintering waterfowl. We were not able to relocate the Red Knot observed by Jason the previous day with BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. In other exciting news there are some recent photos of BARN OWL on the Refuge and a report this morning of migrating HERMIT WARBLER males x 2 in a large mixed flock on the Twin Barns Loop Trail. Mammals seen included Columbian Black-tailed Deer, Townsend?s Chipmunk, Harbor Seal, Muskrat, Eastern Gray Squirrel, and Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit. Others seen Pacific Tree Frog, Red-legged Frog, and Red-eared Slider. and King Bolete Mushroom. For the day we observed 74 species, with Marbled Godwit and Western Grebe FOY we are now at 168 species for the year. See our eBird report pasted below. Until next week when we meet again at 8am, happy birding. Shep -- Shep Thorp Browns Point 253-370-3742 Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US Oct 2, 2024 7:15 AM - 4:47 PM Protocol: Traveling 8.452 mile(s) Checklist Comments: Wednesday Walk. Cloudy in the morning with sunny skies in the afternoon. Temperatures in the 40?s to 60?s degrees Fahrenheit. A Low 2?11? Tide at 12:12pm. Mammals seen Columbian Black-tailed Deer, Townsend?s Chipmunk, Harbor Seal, Muskrat, Eastern Gray Squirrel, and Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit. Others seen Pacific Tree Frog, Red-legged Frog, and Red-eared Slider. King Bolete Mushroom. 74 species (+6 other taxa) Snow Goose 4 Spotted by Jon flying north over dike. Greater White-fronted Goose 70 Cackling Goose (minima) 500 Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima) 50 Northern Shoveler 4 Gadwall 1 American Wigeon 75 Mallard 150 Northern Pintail 200 Green-winged Teal (American) 400 dabbling duck sp. 1200 Greater/Lesser Scaup 30 Common Merganser 1 Nisqually River. Western Grebe 12 Scoped from Puget Sound Observation Platform on Puget Sound. Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 60 Virginia Rail (Virginia) 3 Three heard, one seen by Jim. Black-bellied Plover 3 Killdeer 15 Whimbrel 1 Spotted by James on mudflats north of Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail bridge that crosses large channel that feeds into Shannon Slough between Tower and McAllister Creek Observation Platform. Marbled Godwit 11 Observed in surge plain north of dike and Twin Barns. Observed at 1-4 mile with 60x spotting scope foraging on mudflats along side Green-winged Teal. Large Buffy shorebird with long upturned bill. Counted individually. Long-billed Dowitcher 25 Dike and flooded field between Entrance Road and Access Road. Wilson's Snipe 1 Spotted Sandpiper 2 Spotted by Ken along West Bank of McAllister Creek. Greater Yellowlegs 50 Least Sandpiper 10 peep sp. 30 Ring-billed Gull 300 Herring Gull 1 Spotted by Shep at 7:15am flying over fields south of Twin Barns. California Gull 1 McAllister Creek. Glaucous-winged Gull 2 Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 5 Western/Glaucous-winged Gull 15 Brandt's Cormorant 2 Channel Marker. Double-crested Cormorant 250 Great Blue Heron (Great Blue) 40 Northern Harrier 1 Bald Eagle 8 Red-tailed Hawk (calurus/alascensis) 2 Belted Kingfisher 6 Red-breasted Sapsucker 1 Orchard. Downy Woodpecker (Pacific) 4 Hairy Woodpecker (Pacific) 1 Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 4 American Kestrel 1 Merlin 2 Peregrine Falcon 2 Hutton's Vireo 1 Slough adjacent to Green Gate across from entrance to Education Center Parking Lot. American Crow 150 Common Raven 6 Black-capped Chickadee 30 Chestnut-backed Chickadee 3 Barn Swallow (American) 25 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 14 Golden-crowned Kinglet 10 Brown Creeper 4 Pacific Wren 2 Marsh Wren 4 Bewick's Wren 3 European Starling 150 American Robin 30 Cedar Waxwing 50 American Pipit 50 Evening Grosbeak 4 Heard and spotted by Steve before walk near west entrance to Twin Barns Loop trail. Purple Finch 7 American Goldfinch 50 Fox Sparrow (Sooty) 3 Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 1 Golden-crowned Sparrow 15 Savannah Sparrow (Savannah) 10 Song Sparrow (rufina Group) 33 Lincoln's Sparrow 1 Spotted by Jon and Eric north dike adjacent to cut-off to Twin Barns. Spotted Towhee (oregonus Group) 4 Western Meadowlark 4 Spotted by Anders north of dike adjacent to Leschi Slough aqueduct under dike. Red-winged Blackbird 60 Orange-crowned Warbler 1 Orange-crowned Warbler (Gray-headed) 1 Common Yellowthroat 4 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 25 Black-throated Gray Warbler 1 Wilson's Warbler 1 Observed at 50 feet with 10x binoculars foraging with mixed flock. Yellow warbler with black cap and yellow mandible. Initially thought this might be a yellow warbler, but yellow mandible and black cap distinctive. Observed by several other birders. View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S197371701 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 3 17:25:23 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Michael Hobbs via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 3 17:25:47 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Marymoor Park (Redmond, King Co.) 2024-10-03 Message-ID: Tweets - Last week it was 49 degrees when we started. Today it was 37 degrees! Very nice weather; nice stars before sunrise, only a little fog, and sunshine. The sun and the lack of wind meant we didn't suffer too badly from the cold, and that things warmed up pretty well. It was 54 degrees by 11:45 when we were done. Highlights: Falcon sp. - Probably a Peregrine, but it passed right overhead so fast that we couldn't be sure Common Raven - Never an expected bird at the park. One flew overhead at the East Meadow. First of Fall (FOF) Pacific Wren - One singing just east of the weir (FOF) Lincoln's Sparrow - One, in an odd location for Lincoln's: the start of the boardwalk Western Meadowlark - Three in the grass/gravel parking triangle in the NE part of the park Townsend's Warbler - At least one just NE of the mansion (FOF) Misses today included American Coot, Wilson's Snipe, gulls other than Glaucous-winged, Green Heron, Bushtit, Cedar Waxwing, American Pipit, and Common Yellowthroat. The day not only had some unexpected misses, it also was short on surprises. Except for the Raven and Townsend's Warbler, pretty much everything we saw was predictable and expected. Still a nice day, though. For today, 49 species plus the falcon. = Michael Hobbs = BirdMarymoor@gmail.com = www.marymoor.org/birding.htm -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 3 22:32:16 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Tom Benedict via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 3 22:32:53 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Odd Red-breasted Sapsucker in Burien In-Reply-To: References: <614F8F00-837F-4151-BFB8-41762236F462@comcast.net> <9C8DE821-A786-42C4-93B4-84F4A87679E2@comcast.net> <72916FC6-0E56-40C2-ABB2-B031D9349A43@comcast.net> Message-ID: <50508E33-DB68-4D5D-878B-46D55A3E5C74@comcast.net> Thanks for the great responses. I will continue to watch for the bird and hopefully get a good view of its face. I didn?t see/hear it today although I was out in the yard most of the day. As far as have a ?disheveled look?, this bird appeared pretty dapper to me. If the bird returns I?ll report it. Tom Benedict Seahurst, WA > On Oct 3, 2024, at 10:59, Paul Bannick wrote: > > Yes, but keep in mind that Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are (rarely) seen here during the winter. They can be distinguished by having the red on their heads entirely bordered by black (except just behind the bill) and having more white on the back. In the fall they generally have a vary disheveled look > > On Thu, Oct 3, 2024 at 9:21?AM Dennis Paulson via Tweeters > wrote: >> Tom, Red-breasted and Red-naped Sapsuckers hybridize surprisingly freely where their ranges meet, and a wandering hybrid (Red-naped genes would be migratory) is probably a lot more likely than the southern subspecies of Red-breasted. >> >> Dennis Paulson >> Seattle >> >> > On Oct 2, 2024, at 8:36 PM, Tom Benedict via Tweeters > wrote: >> > >> > I?m reading now at https://forums.whatbird.com/index.php?/topic/15582-what-kind-of-sapsucker/ a discussion of Sphyrapicus ruber daggetti which bears considerable resemblance to my bird. One photo at https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/47538091#_ga=2.117925579.314690642.1607699442-635920480.1580272015 looks rather like mine. >> > >> > Further browsing at ebird.org found a few Sphyrapicus ruber which a white malar stripe, but not nearly as bold as mine. https://ebird.org/species/rebsap?__hstc=264660688.518c6b2c667ce608f25ee9acc86aba1d.1727908962038.1727908962038.1727924698023.2&__hssc=264660688.8.1727924698023&__hsfp=3134180813&_gl=1*y43xei*_gcl_au*MTAzOTE0MDcwNC4xNzI3OTA4OTYx*_ga*ODkzMTEwMzg3LjE3Mjc5MDg5NjI.*_ga_QR4NVXZ8BM*MTcyNzkyNDY5Ni4yLjEuMTcyNzkyNjIyNS42MC4wLjA. >> > >> > Tom benedict >> > Seahurst, WA >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> >> On Oct 2, 2024, at 20:20, Tom Benedict via Tweeters > wrote: >> >> >> >> This afternoon I noticed (heard) a Sapsucker in a tree in our yard. We don?t see them often but they are regular yard birds and a few of the trees, cedars, have many rows of sap ?taps? in them. >> >> >> >> The birds are usually easy to identify, especially since here in the Puget Trough we typically only have the Red-breasted Sapsucker. Today, however, the bird looked different. The red on the head and neck was subdued and there was distinct facial patterning including bold white lines from the bill to nap. The facial markings suggested Red-naped Sapsucker, but there was definitely no red nape. I considered that it might be a juvenile, but the other markings, especially the white/black on the back and tail, were quite distinct. >> >> >> >> I?ve browsed a lot of photos at Cornell Lab and All About Birds and am wondering whether it might be a hybrid. >> >> >> >> I took some low quality photos with my phone but I don?t have a site to upload them to. I?d be happy to send some photos to anyone who?d like to see them. >> >> >> >> Tom Benedict >> >> Seahurst, WA >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> Tweeters mailing list >> >> Tweeters@u.washington.edu >> >> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters >> > >> > _______________________________________________ >> > Tweeters mailing list >> > Tweeters@u.washington.edu >> > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Tweeters mailing list >> Tweeters@u.washington.edu >> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > > > -- > Now Available: > Owl: A Year in the Lives of North American Owls at: > http://paulbannick.com/shop/owl-a-year-in-the-lives-of-north-american-owls/ > > > Paul Bannick Photography > www.paulbannick.com > 206-940-7835 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Fri Oct 4 13:59:02 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Nick Bayard via Tweeters) Date: Fri Oct 4 13:59:17 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Your Favorite Birder... Or a Bird??? Message-ID: Hello Tweets, Please join BirdNote for our year-end virtual auction on November 14! Special guests Amy Tan and Christian Cooper will test your birding-by-ear skills! We have an excellent musical guest as well: Mr. Jalan Crossland out of Ten Sleep, Wyoming. You'll have a chance to bid on spectacular artwork, trips and experiences, and one-of-a-kind bird-related items. All funds raised go directly to supporting BirdNote's mission to inspire more people to care about the natural world and take steps to protect it. Secure your spot today! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/your-favorite-birder-or-a-bird-tickets-1036804980607 Best, Nick -- Nick Bayard Executive Director | He/Him [image: BirdNote] *Follow BirdNote on social media:* [image: Instagram] [image: Facebook] [image: YouTube] [image: TikTok] [image: LinkedIn] www.birdnote.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Fri Oct 4 17:40:45 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Jeff Fleischer via Tweeters) Date: Fri Oct 4 17:41:01 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Winter raptor survey opportunities References: Message-ID: Hi Everyone, My name is Jeff Fleischer and I am Project Developer / Coordinator for the Winter Raptor Survey Project sponsored by the East Cascades Audubon Society chapter based in Bend, OR. Last winter (our 20th survey season), we had 572 active survey routes throughout all of WA, ID, and OR, the northern parts of CA and UT, and western MT covering more than 34,000 miles of transects surveyed by more than 460 primary project volunteers. The purpose of this message is to advertise available established routes around the state. We ask our volunteers to commit to doing one survey each month during the months of December through February. Optional months for additional surveys include November and March. Folks can do their surveys on a day of their choosing and should have a good working ID knowledge for the more common species such as Red-tailed Hawks, American Kestrels, Northern Harriers, Bald Eagles, and Rough-legged Hawks. These 5 species account for more than 90% of all species counted in this project each winter. Here is a list of available routes and their driving lengths: Raymond - Holcomb. 55 mi Aberdeen. 37 Oakville. 56 Castle Rock. 52 Enumclaw. 77 Arlington NW. 58 Fidalgo - Whidbey Island North. 80 Whidbey Island South. 58 Moses Lake North. 66 Wapato. 67 Selah. 51 Chatteroy. 49 Kennewick South. 79 Kennewick SW. 55 Prosser West. 90 Touchet. 73 Walla Walla NW. 84 Walla Walla East. 53 If you are interested in any of these routes, please email me directly and I will be happy to provide further information to get you started. I will necessarily fill these on a first come first served basis so if you wish to do a particular route, please get back to me at your earliest convenience :). These surveys are fun to do, especially with family or friends along to share the experience. I can guarantee that going through one season of survey work will enhance your knowledge of this wonderful family of birds to your delight :). Hope to hear from you soon, Jeff Fleischer Project Developer / Coordinator Winter Raptor Survey Project East Cascades Audubon Society chapter - Bend, OR. (project sponsor) From tweeters at u.washington.edu Fri Oct 4 20:05:42 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (via Tweeters) Date: Fri Oct 4 20:06:26 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Assistance with kestrel project Message-ID: <004201db16d3$779f4a00$66ddde00$@comcast.net> Tweeters, I received the following request (in quotes) from a professor and friend on the faculty at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC. Although she is a marine biologist, she has been very instrumental in projects involving the enticement of kestrels to berry fields through the placement of nest boxes to help control starling populations. I was involved initially with the research and the methods have been quite successful. "I have a student, Jane Doe, working on a thesis relating to population levels of the American kestrel in lower mainland of BC and northwest Washington State. Beginning in 2007 there has been quite a bit of TWU-related (Trinity Western University) research on this species in the region. Many undergraduate thesis projects were completed during this time, with nearly a hundred nest boxes placed in the lower mainland and Whatcom County (WA), as well as a couple of dozen boxes in the Okanagan region. The long-term project also involved translocation of 21 pre-fledging kestrels from areas of plentiful population in eastern Washington, for release in western Washington under my direction, with appropriate permits. In summer 2022- 2024 three more students, including Jane, made observations on an occupied box near Chilliwack. Unfortunately, we have not had the resources to keep tabs on overall box occupancy per se, and many boxes have since fallen into disrepair. But we do have some anecdotal reports that overall kestrel numbers in our local agricultural areas have increased in this nearly 20-year period. Some attempts have been made to access citizen science data re AMKE sightings, to see if these numbers [at least indirectly] support the idea of AMKE population increase in the region, but we haven't gotten very far with that. Obviously, we have lots of data, and some ideas about where to go with this project. But we'd love some assistance. Would you be interested in working with Jane and me, to give input and brainstorm on this data set?" I'm hoping that someone on our list serve may have some information or a resource regarding this request. Any assistance would be appreciated. Don Aupperlee, DVM -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sat Oct 5 09:01:26 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Jim Betz via Tweeters) Date: Sat Oct 5 09:01:32 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Where do the shorebirds go ... In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <6ecb014f-bb06-4819-b717-f9ba373003c5@jimbetz.com> ? ... when the low tides are so high? ? The tides right now only have actual lows in the middle of the night.? The "low" tides in the middle of the day are running +5 and higher.? I go to Channel Drive often.? I was there just yesterday and the 'low' tide was so high it felt more like a "low high" than a low.? And large areas that are usually uncovered/mostly uncovered where pretty deep.? There were a few ducks but even those numbers were small.? BTW - if you are thinking of going to Channel Drive check the tides for "La Conner" and expect good things if the tide will be zero or a minus tide. ? I followed up the quick visit to Channel Drive by going to Hayton - there were a few Greater Yellowlegs and a couple of GBH but no 'collection' of other shorebirds such as Whimbrels, Dowitchers, any form of peeps, etc. ... in fact I didn't see or hear any other than the Yellowlegs.? There were considerable numbers of ducks (mostly pintails) and a lot of gulls - but the Snow Geese so common recently were missing (at Hayton).? That Bald Eagle was sitting in the tree at Hayton for a long time (an hour or more). ? I then checked eBird Explore for Skagit County and didn't find any checklists with shorebirds. Even locations such as Ship Harbor were "shorebirdless". ? So is anybody seeing any credible numbers of shorebirds?? In Skagit County?? Do you know of some areas that have relatively large expanses of "high low tide wading depths"?? Again - in Skagit if possible. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ???????????????????? - Jim From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sat Oct 5 15:01:15 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (David A. Armstrong via Tweeters) Date: Sat Oct 5 15:01:35 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Deer Lagoon Snow Buntings Message-ID: A flat-calm day at Deer Lagoon, Whidbey Island. Diversity and numbers of birds increasing....many 100s of wigeons, pintails, teals, and shovelers. Missing still are buffleheads, hooded mergansers, scaups, plovers, dunlin. Yellow legs came and went. Highlight was a pair of snow buntings in driftwood on the sand spit at mouth of Deer Lagoon as it empties into Useless Bay. A male and female in fall-winter plumage. We've seen them there before but not this early. david armstrong -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sat Oct 5 15:37:41 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (David A. Armstrong via Tweeters) Date: Sat Oct 5 15:37:59 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Deer Lagoon Snow Buntings In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Correction: My wife has correctly ID'ed the pair of birds at Deer Lagoon as lapland longspur, not snow buntings On Sat, Oct 5, 2024 at 3:01?PM David A. Armstrong wrote: > A flat-calm day at Deer Lagoon, Whidbey Island. Diversity and numbers of > birds increasing....many 100s of wigeons, pintails, teals, and shovelers. > Missing still are buffleheads, hooded mergansers, scaups, plovers, dunlin. > Yellow legs came and went. > Highlight was a pair of snow buntings in driftwood on the sand spit at > mouth of Deer Lagoon as it empties into Useless Bay. A male and female in > fall-winter plumage. We've seen them there before but not this early. > david armstrong > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sat Oct 5 16:23:39 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (BRAD Liljequist via Tweeters) Date: Sat Oct 5 16:23:44 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Remarkable raft of about 400 scoters in front of coupevllie Message-ID: Right now...a couple blacks and white winged mixed in...appears equal number around penn cove Brad liljequist Seattle Sent from my T-Mobile 5G Device Get Outlook for Android -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sat Oct 5 19:54:05 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (BRAD Liljequist via Tweeters) Date: Sat Oct 5 19:54:27 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Coupeville Scoters redux Message-ID: Just a quick update - I dashed that out quickly... Correction...the only clear non-Surf Scoter was a White Winged Scoter on wing... Pretty amazing...the whole ~350 bird raft would dive together...the birds at the front leading edge would dive, slowly followed by others...it took ~30 seconds for the rest of the raft to dive. Hard to imagine there was that much prey below...but there you have it. A real highlight catching this group! Brad Liljequist Phinney Ridge, Seattle, WA, Earth -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sun Oct 6 10:32:20 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Constance Sidles via Tweeters) Date: Sun Oct 6 10:32:35 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Need a little wren help Message-ID: Hey tweets, in trying to make out what the July 2023 AOS species lists are saying about House Wrens, I got lost in the scientific nomenclature and recommendations. As best as I can make out, the AOS has decided to split House Wren into several new species. All the new species occur on Caribbean islands. AOS seems to be holding off on designating the Brown-throated House Wren (Troglodytes aedon brunneicollis) a separate species but will most likely do so in the future when more data and thinking are completed. Is this how you read their report too? - Connie, Seattle constancesidles@gmail.com and csidles@constancypress.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sun Oct 6 12:57:01 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Dan Reiff via Tweeters) Date: Sun Oct 6 12:57:08 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] THE WASHINGTON POST: Once endangered, the bald eagle came roaring back. Now it has a new foe. Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sun Oct 6 13:04:43 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Stephen Chase via Tweeters) Date: Sun Oct 6 13:04:59 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Smorgasbord of Large Shorebirds @ Blaine Marine Park Message-ID: Hi Tweets, Blaine Marine Park in northwest Whatcom County is putting on a show! Last night, my son Josiah and I, and two local birders, enjoyed views of seven Marbled Godwits, one Bar-tailed Godwit (continuing from Semiahmoo a week ago), two Whimbrels, and one Long-billed Curlew associating with a dozen or so Black Oystercatchers! Our eBird checklist is here . I was just notified that all of these birds are continuing at Blaine Marine Park right now, and have been joined by an additional two Marbled Godwits! What an impressive showing of migrating large shorebirds! In Everson, Stephen Chase -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sun Oct 6 14:54:34 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Andy McCormick via Tweeters) Date: Sun Oct 6 14:57:39 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Kestrel Project Message-ID: Dear Don Aupperlee, I am very interested in this project and would like to discuss it with you . I have been reading about falcons and the AMKE with the intention of writing about the kestrel and helping with research on this bird. Please contact me privately at andy (underscore) mcc at hotmail.com Thanks, Andy McCormick Bellevue, WA Get Outlook for iOS -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: [Tweeters] Assistance with kestrel project.eml Type: application/octet-stream Size: 8772 bytes Desc: [Tweeters] Assistance with kestrel project.eml URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sun Oct 6 15:06:38 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Andy McCormick via Tweeters) Date: Sun Oct 6 15:06:44 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Shorebirds Message-ID: To: Jim Betz We had over 200 Long-billed Dowitchers, Greater Yellowlegs, and Western and Least Sandpipers at Eide Road on Saturday, September 28. There were over 20 Killdeer. Here is a link to my checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S196825698 Andy McCormick Bellevue, WA Get Outlook for iOS -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 7 11:13:43 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Kathleen Snyder via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 7 11:14:00 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] =?utf-8?q?Under_the_Surface_=E2=80=93_Bird_Bones_=26_S?= =?utf-8?q?keletons_Thursday_Oct_10th_7_pm_via_Zoom?= Message-ID: David Lukas, well known naturalist and author based in the Methow Valley, will acquaint us with the amazing skeletal adaptations that birds have to eat, sleep, move, and fly ? just in time for Halloween. You might remember David?s wonderful presentation on bird song which he gave in April. This free program is offered by Black Hills Audubon. You can register using this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIpcO2hrT0iHtM31BMt7PixTL6e9jz2L9rr You can also join us at Temple Beth Hatfiloh for refreshments and social time starting at 6:30, 201 8th Ave SE Olympia. We will then view the program on a big screen. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 7 11:51:01 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Jim Betz via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 7 11:51:07 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Why don't we see birds on blackberries? In-Reply-To: <6ecb014f-bb06-4819-b717-f9ba373003c5@jimbetz.com> References: <6ecb014f-bb06-4819-b717-f9ba373003c5@jimbetz.com> Message-ID: Hi ? Now that the blackberry season is past - I was reflecting on the fact that, to the best of my knowledge, I've never seen a bird eating blackberries.? I went to the web and looked it up and, according to the web, birds do eat blackberries.? So why haven't I seen them doing this? In fact - my observation is that birds seem to avoid blackberry stands (as in, if there are other bushes nearby you are much more likely to see any birds there than in the blackberries). ? Are the blackberries on the East Coast different than here in the West?? I even found pictures of birds "in the blackberries" (but did not see very many of them actually feeding on the blackberries). - Jim From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 7 11:59:16 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Hal Opperman via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 7 11:59:37 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Dan Victor, founder of Tweeters Message-ID: <987CF20D-843A-4EA1-B73C-0165C9B456D8@catharus.net> Dan Victor, who founded Tweeters in 1992, passed away earlier this year at the age of 85. It was Dan who established the ?broad tent? ethos of the Tweeters list, fostering discussion across a wide range of topics, activities, and interests related to birds, birding, and the natural world, which he guided from the background with quiet wisdom and a steady hand up until his retirement from active duty four or five years ago. Older members among us from around Puget Sound will have had the pleasure of knowing Dan personally, from encounters in the field and through activities of the Seattle Audubon Society, Washington Ornithological Society, and other outdoor and conservation organizations he participated in. Professionally, Dan was an acquisitions librarian in the University of Washington Libraries. I first met him at the informal campus birders? bag lunches held regularly at the UW Medical Center. Our friendship deepened through membership in the first class of Seattle Audubon?s Master Birder program (1988-1989). That class was a tightly knit bunch, birding together long afterwards. Most joined Tweeters early on, and many are still on board today. Tweeters began as an outgrowth of the UW bag lunch group, with three people sharing messages about bird sightings on a distribution list Dan managed on his own computer. By February 1994 the list had swelled to an unwieldy hundred-plus addresses, and with the support of a birder colleague in the Internet Technology Department, Dan transformed Tweeters into an open, two-way email list running on a UW server as a public service. Circulation boomed. For the next couple of decades, with Dan in the wheelhouse, Tweeters served as the main stem of the information system for Washington's birding community, reaching an audience of thousands with up to 30 or 40 postings per day. Preserved in the Tweeters archive thanks to the Washington Ornithological Society (https://tweetersarchives.org/), these postings document the people, places, events, ideas, and of course the bird sightings, that compose the story of birding around Washington literally day to day. Although traffic volume is much lower now (thankfully, perhaps), Tweeters still has about as many members as before, and holds a unique and valued place among the greatly expanded array of media outlets for birders. Browse or search through the archives to begin to realize the importance of Dan?s contribution to the birding community. Tweeters is an enduring part of his life legacy. You may visit Dan's obituary at https://obituaries.seattletimes.com/obituary/daniel-victor-1089881381 Thanks, old friend. Please join me in raising our binocs in tribute. Hal Opperman Seattle hal at catharus dot net From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 7 13:04:37 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Dennis Paulson via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 7 13:05:04 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Why don't we see birds on blackberries? In-Reply-To: References: <6ecb014f-bb06-4819-b717-f9ba373003c5@jimbetz.com> Message-ID: Jim, I have seen European Starlings and House Finches in some numbers in Armenian (Himalayan) Blackberry patches, and I assumed they were feeding on the berries. Dennis Paulson Seattle > On Oct 7, 2024, at 11:51 AM, Jim Betz via Tweeters wrote: > > Hi > > Now that the blackberry season is past - I was reflecting on the fact that, to the best of my > > knowledge, I've never seen a bird eating blackberries. I went to the web and looked it up > > and, according to the web, birds do eat blackberries. So why haven't I seen them doing this? > > In fact - my observation is that birds seem to avoid blackberry stands (as in, if there are > > other bushes nearby you are much more likely to see any birds there than in the blackberries). > > Are the blackberries on the East Coast different than here in the West? I even found > > pictures of birds "in the blackberries" (but did not see very many of them actually feeding > > on the blackberries). > > - Jim > > > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 7 13:20:47 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Ron Post via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 7 13:21:31 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Why don't we see birds on blackberries? In-Reply-To: References: <6ecb014f-bb06-4819-b717-f9ba373003c5@jimbetz.com> Message-ID: At the CUH in Seattle I have seen finches eat blackberries but not in abundance. Also at times I have seen band tailed pigeons drop down to go for lower branched blackberries. I think many birds just won't bother with them (invasive ones) because of the thorns Ron Post On Mon, Oct 7, 2024, 1:06 PM Dennis Paulson via Tweeters < tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > Jim, I have seen European Starlings and House Finches in some numbers in > Armenian (Himalayan) Blackberry patches, and I assumed they were feeding on > the berries. > > Dennis Paulson > Seattle > > > On Oct 7, 2024, at 11:51 AM, Jim Betz via Tweeters < > tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > > > > Hi > > > > Now that the blackberry season is past - I was reflecting on the fact > that, to the best of my > > > > knowledge, I've never seen a bird eating blackberries. I went to the > web and looked it up > > > > and, according to the web, birds do eat blackberries. So why haven't I > seen them doing this? > > > > In fact - my observation is that birds seem to avoid blackberry stands > (as in, if there are > > > > other bushes nearby you are much more likely to see any birds there than > in the blackberries). > > > > Are the blackberries on the East Coast different than here in the > West? I even found > > > > pictures of birds "in the blackberries" (but did not see very many of > them actually feeding > > > > on the blackberries). > > > > - Jim > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Tweeters mailing list > > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 7 13:35:36 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Julia H via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 7 13:35:53 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Turkey vultures kettling over Queen Anne, Seattle Message-ID: About 30 total, circled for a bit before moving on. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 7 14:11:19 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Diann MacRae via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 7 14:52:30 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Dan Victor, founder of Tweeters In-Reply-To: <987CF20D-843A-4EA1-B73C-0165C9B456D8@catharus.net> References: <987CF20D-843A-4EA1-B73C-0165C9B456D8@catharus.net> Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 7 15:30:59 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Carol Riddell via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 7 15:31:13 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Edmonds Roundup - September 2024 Message-ID: <94324E15-F0AB-42BA-96F0-B9E559123E80@gmail.com> Hi Tweeters, With September additions we have reached 187 for our Edmonds 2024 list. In taxonomic order, the new species are: Clark?s Grebe (code 4), 1 at the waterfront, 9-28-24. Sandhill Crane (code 5), 2 flying along the waterfront, 9-22-24. (This is the sixth sighting so we are overdue for revising it to code 4. This change will be on the 2025 checklist.) Other birds of interest: There were three reports of California Scrub-Jays (code 4), in north, central, and Lake Ballinger neighborhoods. Two Evening Grosbeaks (code 3) were reported in north Edmonds. One Red Crossbill (code 3) was seen at Edmonds marsh. Declined species: Report of a Peregrine Falcon (code 3) at City Park by a new eBirder with no documentation of this challenging code 3 species. When we do not know the birder or their skills, we do not accept, without documentation, birds that are code 3 or rarer as we cannot be certain of the accuracy of the ID. As always, I appreciate it when birders get in touch with me to share sightings, photos, or recordings. It helps us build our collective year list. If you would like a copy of our 2024 city checklist, with 281 species, please request it from checklistedmonds at gmail dot com. The 2024 checklist, with sightings through September, is in the bird information box at the Olympic Beach Visitor Station at the base of the public pier. Good birding, Carol Riddell Edmonds, WA cariddellwa at gmail dot com Abundance codes: (1) Common, (2) Uncommon, (3) Harder to find, usually seen annually, (4) Rare, 5+ records, (5) Fewer than 5 records -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 7 20:28:07 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Linda Phillips via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 7 20:28:11 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Why don't we see birds on blackberries? Message-ID: Jim and Tweeters, I don't see a lot of birds eating Himilayan Blackberries, but I do notice it from time to time. Off the top of my head I remember seeing chickadees, towhees, finches and robins eating blackberries. My favorite was watching a flock of tipsy Cedar Waxwings who had been feasting on blackberries that had fermented in the hot August sun along the Samamish River trail. Linda Phillips Kenmore WA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 8 08:33:25 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Bob Morse via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 8 08:33:48 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Honoring Hal Opperman Message-ID: <004f01db1997$6b5fd400$421f7c00$@comcast.net> It has been a treasure to work with Hal Opperman in the creation of our first bird book, Birds of the Puget Sound Region. Hal and Tom Aversa selected the species, did all the research, wrote the text for each species, and selected the photographs for the book. Because of Hal's dedication and accurate and complete species accounts, Birds of the Puget Sound Region has been, for years, the best-selling local bird book. Thank you, Hal. Bob and Christina Morse R. W. Morse Company -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 8 10:31:27 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Elaine Chuang via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 8 10:31:51 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Hal Opperman moves on References: <44923A34-E04A-42B3-939E-6BF4A2361090@u.washington.edu> Message-ID: This is an exceptional week for our listserve. Hal Opperman's tribute yesterday to Dan Victor sketched out so much of who Dan was, his dedication and what he accomplished, and their long friendship. We?ve been awarded a special peek into the history of getting birding going in these parts, and sharing it (would someone please tell us about the ?Bird Box??). If Dan as the founder of Tweeters ?? established the 'broad tent' ethos of the Tweeters list?,? please remember that for the better part of three decades, Hal has been right there too. Together they wisely assembled and then tweaked the gears beneath the wheelhouse, as Hal calls it. Please read or re-read Hal?s tribute to Dan Victor yesterday for the best thumbnail possible about where Tweeters came from and where it is. Well, the day has come: Hal has announced that he is stepping fully away from Tweeters. He has turned in his Administrator's cap! It has been my privilege to serve as ?the Sorcerer?s Apprentice? and to appreciate how, upon the foundation that he and Dan constructed, Hal has consistently steered the listserve forward via clear communications with spare intervention. Far superior to anything else that could be offered is the superb tribute written by Jane Hadley, upon Hal?s being awarded the Zella M. Schultz Award by the Washington Ornithological Society, in 2014. https://wos.org/documents/wosnews/wosnews152.pdf Congratulations and deepest thanks, Hal. Here?s a standing ovation to you, with feathers and confetti! Elaine Chuang, for Tweeters Seattle elc at uw dot edu From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 8 10:41:25 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Dennis Paulson via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 8 10:41:51 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Hal Opperman moves on In-Reply-To: References: <44923A34-E04A-42B3-939E-6BF4A2361090@u.washington.edu> Message-ID: Indeed, Hal, thanks so much for all you have contributed to the birding community in this part of the world! Dennis Paulson Seattle > On Oct 8, 2024, at 10:31 AM, Elaine Chuang via Tweeters wrote: > > This is an exceptional week for our listserve. Hal Opperman's tribute yesterday to Dan Victor sketched out so much of who Dan was, his dedication and what he accomplished, and their long friendship. We?ve been awarded a special peek into the history of getting birding going in these parts, and sharing it (would someone please tell us about the ?Bird Box??). If Dan as the founder of Tweeters ?? established the 'broad tent' ethos of the Tweeters list?,? please remember that for the better part of three decades, Hal has been right there too. Together they wisely assembled and then tweaked the gears beneath the wheelhouse, as Hal calls it. Please read or re-read Hal?s tribute to Dan Victor yesterday for the best thumbnail possible about where Tweeters came from and where it is. > > Well, the day has come: Hal has announced that he is stepping fully away from Tweeters. He has turned in his Administrator's cap! It has been my privilege to serve as ?the Sorcerer?s Apprentice? and to appreciate how, upon the foundation that he and Dan constructed, Hal has consistently steered the listserve forward via clear communications with spare intervention. > > Far superior to anything else that could be offered is the superb tribute written by Jane Hadley, upon Hal?s being awarded the Zella M. Schultz Award by the Washington Ornithological Society, in 2014. https://wos.org/documents/wosnews/wosnews152.pdf > > Congratulations and deepest thanks, Hal. Here?s a standing ovation to you, with feathers and confetti! > > > Elaine Chuang, for Tweeters > Seattle > elc at uw dot edu > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 8 11:59:10 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 8 11:59:16 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] TVs Message-ID: <000001db19b4$297eb8e0$7c7c2aa0$@olympus.net> Kettle of 20+ north of Sequim 2pm 10/7/24, Wings, Jan Jan Stewart 922 E Spruce Street Sequim, WA 98382-3518 jstewart@olympus.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 8 12:10:21 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Constance Sidles via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 8 12:10:37 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Tribute to Hal Message-ID: Hey tweets, I've known Hal for a long time, ever since he mentored me on Seattle Audubon's Publications Committee. He was always generous about sharing his expertise, and our books certainly reflected that. But as much as I appreciate Hal's many years of service to (now) Birds Connect Seattle - including on the Science Committee - what I am most grateful to him for is his leadership with Tweeters. Hal, I want to thank you for your service to Tweeters. There is nothing else like Tweeters on the internet, as far as I can make out. There are hot lines in other regions, of course, but they do not foster discussions. Many refuse to allow any questions that aren't simple requests for "where is that rare bird?" Tweeters is different. It is a force to create community, and we need that now more than ever. - Connie, Seattle csidles@constancypress.com constancesidles@gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 8 12:20:01 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Nagi Aboulenein via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 8 12:20:16 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Tribute to Hal In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <38253084-a4a8-489c-ab7e-928ac961bfe1@Canary> I?ll second the tributes to Hal - thank you! My first interactions with Hal were when he was seeking photo contributions for an (at the time) upcoming book (Birds of the Pacific Northwest - A Photographic Guide). I?ll also add a note to Constance?s comment - in Oregon, we have OBOL (Oregon Birders OnLine), which is Oregon?s version of Tweeters (I happen to be OBOL's current moderator). We also have great conversations and birding discussions there. While the message volume of OBOL (and Tweeters, I think) has significantly decreased with the advent of WhatsApp and Discord channels for instant birding and twitching updates, thankfully both OBOL and Tweeters are still very much alive and kicking :) For those interested, OBOL archives can be found at https://www.freelists.org/archive/obol/ , and if anyone?s interested contact me for information on how to subscribe. Cheers! ? Nagi Aboulenein > On Tuesday, Oct 08, 2024 at 12:10, Constance Sidles via Tweeters wrote: > Hey tweets, I've known Hal for a long time, ever since he mentored me on Seattle Audubon's Publications Committee. He was always generous about sharing his expertise, and our books certainly reflected that. But as much as I appreciate Hal's many years of service to (now) Birds Connect Seattle - including on the Science Committee - what I am most grateful to him for is his leadership with Tweeters. > > Hal, I want to thank you for your service to Tweeters. There is nothing else like Tweeters on the internet, as far as I can make out. There are hot lines in other regions, of course, but they do not foster discussions. Many refuse to allow any questions that aren't simple requests for "where is that rare bird?" Tweeters is different. It is a force to create community, and we need that now more than ever. - Connie, Seattle > > csidles@constancypress.com (mailto:csidles@constancypress.com) > constancesidles@gmail.com (mailto:constancesidles@gmail.com) > > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 8 13:15:24 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Bob Boekelheide via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 8 13:15:40 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Why don't we see birds on blackberries? Message-ID: Hi Jim, Over here on the north Olympic Peninsula, birds seem to use Himalayan blackberry patches quite a bit, particularly during winter. Fox Sparrows especially hang out in blackberry patches, along with Golden-crowned, White-crowned, and Song Sparrows, Spotted Towhees, House Finches, and more. We particularly see House and Purple Finches, along with towhees, eating the berries in late summer and early fall. A couple years ago, a ?restoration project? removed several big clumps of blackberries along the Dungeness River, leading to a noticeable drop in winter sparrows in that area. Bob Boekelheide Dungeness From: Jim Betz via Tweeters > Subject: [Tweeters] Why don't we see birds on blackberries? Date: October 7, 2024 at 11:51:01?AM PDT To: via Tweeters > Reply-To: Jim Betz > Hi Now that the blackberry season is past - I was reflecting on the fact that, to the best of my knowledge, I've never seen a bird eating blackberries. I went to the web and looked it up and, according to the web, birds do eat blackberries. So why haven't I seen them doing this? In fact - my observation is that birds seem to avoid blackberry stands (as in, if there are other bushes nearby you are much more likely to see any birds there than in the blackberries). Are the blackberries on the East Coast different than here in the West? I even found pictures of birds "in the blackberries" (but did not see very many of them actually feeding on the blackberries). - Jim -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 8 14:43:30 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Jane Hadley via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 8 14:43:45 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Hal Opperman moves on Message-ID: <4dec031d-0247-4c04-b12d-671d5361c6a7@gmail.com> Dear Tweeters: Hal Opperman's contribution to birding in Washington State is staggering. Here's an incomplete list: Member of? the Seattle Audubon Society Board for six years 1996-2002; prime mover in creation of Seattle Audubon?s Science Committee; leader of team that produced the marvelous online BirdWeb (https://www.birdweb.org/); major mover and recruiter in the four-county Breeding Bird Atlas, its surveys and eventual publication and placement online; re-organizer of the Seattle Audubon Christmas Bird Count; field trip leader. ALSO, pre-Internet, the first administrator of the invaluable Bird Box for six years from 1995 to 2001 (a phone system for reporting notable sightings, available 24/7 to anyone who called);co-owner and manager for three decades of the Tweeters mailing list; charter member of the Washington Ornithological Society (WOS); WOS treasurer; editor of five issues of WOS's scholarly journal Washington Birds. ALSO, editor of and major contributor to A Birder's Guide to Washington (2003), the state's main bird-finding guide (636 pages); key advisor and contributor to the second edition of A Birder's Guide to Washington (2015); co-author of three small field guides aimed at beginning birders (Birds of the Puget Sound Region, Birds of the Willamette Valley Region, and Birds of Southwestern British Columbia), all of them best sellers that have had several reprintings. Overall, it is a truly remarkable record of achievement and service. Thank you, Hal! Hal received WOS's Zella M. Schultz Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 and was given a standing ovation at the WOS Conference at which it was presented. Jane Hadley and Randy Robinson Seattle, Washington -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 8 19:13:39 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Stan Bezimienny via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 8 19:13:54 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Why don't we see birds on blackberries? Message-ID: Jim, I am rather positive birds feed on blackberries - and contribute to their spread, I see colonies of seedlings of trinity of invasives: Himalayan blackberry, English ivy, English holly in my garden in the areas where birds (I suspect robins) frequent. Our light color deck is often splattered with purple from bird poop, of course to prove my point I would have to run a formal experiment and germinate the seeds from it, but it coincides with blackberry fruiting. As I photograph in local parks, I notice blackberry thickets with lots if birds, eg in Magnuson there are always house finches in abundance, also golden-crown and fox sparrows, towhees etc. in blackberry thickets. In fact it is often difficult to find birds perching on anything else (within camera reach) than a blackberry stem, so they must accept life with the thorns. I have lots of pictures of this sort, too many for my taste. I think the thorny thickets offer birds protection, rather than deterring them. Best, Stan From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 8 21:08:17 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Thomas Dorrance via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 8 21:08:32 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Why don't we see birds on blackberries? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Anybody remember when the world-class blackberry patch along the slopes of Beacon Hill above I-5 produced flocks of inebriated robins? Possibly in the late ?70s or early ?80s. Considered a traffic hazard, maybe even an aviation hazard. if memory serves. Tom Dorrance On Tue, Oct 8, 2024 at 7:14?PM Stan Bezimienny via Tweeters < tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > Jim, > > I am rather positive birds feed on blackberries - and contribute to their > spread, I see colonies of seedlings of trinity of invasives: Himalayan > blackberry, English ivy, English holly in my garden in the areas where > birds (I suspect robins) frequent. Our light color deck is often splattered > with purple from bird poop, of course to prove my point I would have to run > a formal experiment and germinate the seeds from it, but it coincides with > blackberry fruiting. > > As I photograph in local parks, I notice blackberry thickets with lots if > birds, eg in Magnuson there are always house finches in abundance, also > golden-crown and fox sparrows, towhees etc. in blackberry thickets. In fact > it is often difficult to find birds perching on anything else (within > camera reach) than a blackberry stem, so they must accept life with the > thorns. I have lots of pictures of this sort, too many for my taste. I > think the thorny thickets offer birds protection, rather than deterring > them. > > Best, > > Stan > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 8 23:51:57 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Bud Anderson via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 8 23:52:14 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Hal Opperman Message-ID: The erudite gentleman of the birding community. Thank you Hal. We all appreciate you so much. Bud Anderson -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 9 03:11:43 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (tom aversa via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 9 03:11:53 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Hal Opperman moves on In-Reply-To: <4dec031d-0247-4c04-b12d-671d5361c6a7@gmail.com> References: <4dec031d-0247-4c04-b12d-671d5361c6a7@gmail.com> Message-ID: *Hey Tweeters,* *It has been years since I posted. but I need to join those prasing Hal for his work. I met Hal soon after I migrated to Seattle from Boston in 1996. He became a major inspiration and mentor throughout the years that followed. He is a true giant in the Washington birding community. His many achievements were noted by others. These contributions include but are not limited to having done so much for Birds Connect Seattle (formerly Seattle Audubon), authoring the excellent guide to birding Washington, leading field trips, and serving in countless ways to further birding in the Pacific Northwest. Not bad for a guy whose professional expertise is in Art History! He mentored me in so many ways that allowed me to speed up my learning process regarding the avifauna of the state that I can't list them all. Co-authoring several Northwest bird guides with Hal was truly one of the pinnacles of my professional career. Jane neglected to mention the one that we are most proud of - Birds of the Pacific Northwest. Thanks Hal. Your retirement from Tweeters is well-deserved!* *tom aversa* *Unity, Maine* On Tue, Oct 8, 2024 at 5:44?PM Jane Hadley via Tweeters < tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > Dear Tweeters: Hal Opperman's contribution to birding in Washington State > is staggering. > > Here's an incomplete list: Member of the Seattle Audubon Society Board > for six years 1996-2002; prime mover in creation of Seattle Audubon?s > Science > Committee; leader of team that produced the marvelous online BirdWeb ( > https://www.birdweb.org/); major mover and recruiter in the four-county > Breeding Bird Atlas, its surveys and eventual publication and placement > online; re-organizer of the Seattle Audubon Christmas Bird Count; field > trip leader. > > ALSO, pre-Internet, the first administrator of the invaluable Bird Box > for six years from 1995 to 2001 (a phone system for reporting notable > sightings, available 24/7 to anyone who called); co-owner and manager for > three decades of the Tweeters mailing list; charter member of the > Washington Ornithological Society (WOS); WOS treasurer; editor of five > issues of WOS's scholarly journal Washington Birds. > > ALSO, editor of and major contributor to A Birder's Guide to Washington > (2003), the state's main bird-finding guide (636 pages); key advisor and > contributor to the second edition of A Birder's Guide to Washington (2015); > co-author of three small field guides aimed at beginning birders (Birds of > the Puget Sound Region, Birds of the Willamette Valley Region, and Birds of > Southwestern British Columbia), all of them best sellers that have had > several reprintings. > > Overall, it is a truly remarkable record of achievement and service. Thank > you, Hal! > > Hal received WOS's Zella M. Schultz Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 and > was given a standing ovation at the WOS Conference at which it was > presented. > > Jane Hadley and Randy Robinson > > Seattle, Washington > > > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 9 05:57:30 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (LMarkoff via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 9 05:58:33 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Why don't we see birds on blackberries? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <003e01db1a4a$cfb3a2c0$6f1ae840$@mycci.net> Blackberry patches can provide nesting opportunities for birds too. I've seen Tricolored Blackbirds nesting in them in Klamath, Oregon. See photos here: https://www.flickr.com/gp/canyoneagle/8kSZ2N/ Lori Markoff -----Original Message----- From: Tweeters On Behalf Of Stan Bezimienny via Tweeters Sent: Tuesday, October 8, 2024 7:14 PM To: jimbetz@jimbetz.com Cc: tweeters@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Why don't we see birds on blackberries? Jim, I am rather positive birds feed on blackberries - and contribute to their spread, I see colonies of seedlings of trinity of invasives: Himalayan blackberry, English ivy, English holly in my garden in the areas where birds (I suspect robins) frequent. Our light color deck is often splattered with purple from bird poop, of course to prove my point I would have to run a formal experiment and germinate the seeds from it, but it coincides with blackberry fruiting. As I photograph in local parks, I notice blackberry thickets with lots if birds, eg in Magnuson there are always house finches in abundance, also golden-crown and fox sparrows, towhees etc. in blackberry thickets. In fact it is often difficult to find birds perching on anything else (within camera reach) than a blackberry stem, so they must accept life with the thorns. I have lots of pictures of this sort, too many for my taste. I think the thorny thickets offer birds protection, rather than deterring them. Best, Stan _______________________________________________ Tweeters mailing list Tweeters@u.washington.edu http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 9 09:43:49 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Paul Bannick via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 9 09:44:05 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Philippines for Bird Photography Message-ID: Hi Tweeters, Have you been birding or photographing nature in the Phillipine islands? Does anyone know of good guides and ecolodges for bird photography in the Philippines? Thanks for any info you might have. Paul -- Now Available: Owl: A Year in the Lives of North American Owls at: http://paulbannick.com/shop/owl-a-year-in-the-lives-of-north-american-owls/ Paul Bannick Photography www.paulbannick.com 206-940-7835 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 9 17:42:36 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Linda Phillips via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 9 17:42:42 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] bird I D help please Message-ID: Hi Tweeters Today 10-9-24 I saw a bird foraging in a hawthorn bush at Kenmore's Wallace Swamp Creek Park. It was overall pale yellow. Had facial markings similar to a Townsend's Warbler. Had wing bars. Lighting and distance made it difficult to get views for more than a few seconds at a time but I was able to watch it on and off for several minutes. Looking at warbler pictures I'm not seeing anything that matches. Do any of you have suggestions? Linda Phillips Kenmore -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 9 19:24:21 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Ron Post via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 9 19:24:42 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] bird I D help please In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: The state bird? Ron On Wed, Oct 9, 2024, 5:43 PM Linda Phillips via Tweeters < tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > Hi Tweeters > > Today 10-9-24 I saw a bird foraging in a hawthorn bush at Kenmore's > Wallace Swamp Creek Park. > It was overall pale yellow. Had facial markings similar to a Townsend's > Warbler. Had wing bars. > Lighting and distance made it difficult to get views for more than a few > seconds at a time but I was able to watch it on and off for several > minutes. > Looking at warbler pictures I'm not seeing anything that matches. Do any > of you have suggestions? > > Linda Phillips > Kenmore > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 10 08:05:19 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Robin Baird via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 10 08:05:26 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Guided birding trip in the South Sound, boat trips in Hawaii, a stay at Chan Chich Lodge, Belize Message-ID: Hello all, There are a few trips that should be of interest to birders on an online silent auction that Cascadia Research Collective is having to raise funds for research and education programs. These include a day of guided birding around the South Sound, two nights of accommodation (with breakfast) at Chan Chich Lodge in Belize, and boat trips off Kaua'i and Kona. I stayed at Chan Chich twice in 2023 (Feb and Dec), and can attest to how impressive it is both for birds and other wildlife (I had 129 species birds in the Orange Walk region in which Chan Chich is located - checklists available on eBird). The boat trip on the auction site for Kaua'i is a 7-hour trip with Holoholo Charters that involves crossing over to Ni'ihau, and depending on the time of the year the channel is a great place to see migrating pelagics, as well as all the local breeding species. There are a couple of boat trips off Kona that would also be quite good for seabirds, although the focus of the trips is to see marine wildlife in general. The auction closes on Sunday October 13th at 6 PM PDT - you can find it at the link below or just go to the Cascadia Research Collective website cascadiaresearch.org and click on the auction banner. https://givebutter.com/c/Q6Feaa/auction Robin Baird Olympia, WA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 10 09:19:54 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Steve Hampton via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 10 09:20:08 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] bird house hole sizes and entry shapes Message-ID: Earlier this year, there was a productive discussion on Tweeters about bird nest boxes and hole sizes, and how to exclude House Sparrows. I've since had some great discussions with local legends Ron Sikes and Ken Wiersema, who have used a WDFW diamond-hole design, modified it into a long oval, and had great success. The key is the height of the oval should be 7/8" tall, but can be 2" wide. This will be suitable for chickadees, wrens, nuthatches, and swallows, but will exclude House Sparrows. I've posted some pics and diagrams here (as well as some other tips on backyard bird habitat and feeding). *What you can do for birds in your yard * good birding, -- Steve Hampton Port Townsend, WA (qat?y) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 10 09:32:26 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Shep Thorp via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 10 09:32:41 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR for 10/9/2024 Message-ID: Hi Tweets, Approximately 30 of us enjoyed a beautiful Autumn day at the Refuge with cloudy skies in the morning and sun in the afternoon with temperatures in the 50's to 60's degrees Fahrenheit. There was a High 12'3" Tide at 11:50am, so we did our routine walk of the Orchard, Access Roads, Twin Barns Loop Trail, Dike and Estuary Boardwalk Trail. The Refuge Biologist was out performing a monthly bird survey and some of the Wednesday walkers were assisting. This was the last Wednesday to walk out to the Puget Sound Viewing Platform until February 2nd 2025, as the last 700 feet are gated/closed off from October 12th for hunting season. Highlights included mixed flocks around the west end of the west parking lot and entrance to Twin Barns Loop Trail, continuing MARBLED GODWIT and WHIMBREL on the surge plain and mudflats, COMMON LOON in McAllister Creek, and good views of VIRGINIA RAIL in the freshwater marsh. We also had a good mammal day with sightings of Long-tailed Weasel around the Orchard and numerous Harbor Seal on the Marsh Islands in McAllister Creek. Many enjoyed nice observations of a GREAT BLUE HERON carrying a Garter Snake over the freshwater marsh and numerus AMERICAN PIPITS flying back and forth over the dike. We were not able to relocate the Northern Shrike seen earlier in the week, nor the Willet. For the day we observed 72 species. This year we have seen 168 species which is consistent with previous years. See our eBird report pasted below with details, and embedded photos. Until next week when we meet again at 8am. Happy birding. Shep -- Shep Thorp Browns Point 253-370-3742 Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US Oct 9, 2024 7:35 AM - 4:08 PM Protocol: Traveling 7.056 mile(s) Checklist Comments: Wednesday Walk. Cloudy in the morning with sun in the afternoon. Temperatures in the 50?s to 60?s degrees Fahrenheit. A High 12?3? Tide at 11:50am. Mammals seen Columbian Black-tailed Deer, Long-tailed Weasel, Townsend?s Chipmunk, Eastern Gray Squirrel, and Harbor Seal. Others seen Pacific Tree Frog, Red-legged Frog, Garter Snake, and Red-eared Slider. 72 species (+7 other taxa) Greater White-fronted Goose 4 Cackling Goose (minima) 1000 Cackling Goose (Taverner's) 4 Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima) 30 Wood Duck 2 Flooded field between Access Road and Entrance Road. Northern Shoveler 10 Gadwall 20 American Wigeon 350 Mallard 100 Northern Pintail 500 Green-winged Teal (American) 700 Surf Scoter 125 Nisqually Reach. Horned Grebe 6 Nisqually Reach. Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 34 Anna's Hummingbird 3 Virginia Rail 3 Black-bellied Plover 1 Initially spotted by Jason, relocated and observed on the mudflats from the Puget Sound Observation Platform and the Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail north of the McAllister Creek Observation Platform. Killdeer 8 Whimbrel 1 Previously reported. Photos. Seen from Puget Sound Viewing Platform and Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail between Tower and McAllister Creek Viewing Platform. Marbled Godwit 7 Previously reported. Photos. Roosting and foraging on the surge plain north of Nisqually Estuary Trail north of Twin Barns. Long-billed Dowitcher 12 Wilson's Snipe 4 Flooded field between Access Road and Entrance Road. Spotted Sandpiper 2 West Bank of McAllister Creek. Greater Yellowlegs 45 Least Sandpiper 35 Short-billed Gull 15 Ring-billed Gull 300 California Gull 1 Glaucous-winged Gull 3 Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 6 Western/Glaucous-winged Gull 10 Common Loon 7 One in McAllister Creek and 6 on Nisqually Reach. Brandt's Cormorant 9 Double-crested Cormorant 100 Great Blue Heron 20 Osprey 1 Northern Harrier 1 Sharp-shinned/Cooper's Hawk 1 Bald Eagle 6 Red-tailed Hawk (calurus/alascensis) 1 Belted Kingfisher 7 Downy Woodpecker (Pacific) 4 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Northern Flicker 5 Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 1 Steller's Jay 2 American Crow 100 Common Raven 4 Black-capped Chickadee 20 Chestnut-backed Chickadee 8 Barn Swallow (American) 4 Bushtit (Pacific) 30 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 15 Golden-crowned Kinglet 15 Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 Brown Creeper 5 Pacific Wren 1 Marsh Wren 2 Bewick's Wren 8 European Starling 150 American Robin 50 Cedar Waxwing 40 American Pipit 40 Purple Finch 2 American Goldfinch 16 Fox Sparrow (Sooty) 6 White-crowned Sparrow (pugetensis) 2 Golden-crowned Sparrow 15 Savannah Sparrow (Savannah) 8 Song Sparrow (rufina Group) 18 Lincoln's Sparrow 2 Observed north of Nisqually Estuary Trail north of Twin Barns. Spotted Towhee (oregonus Group) 4 Western Meadowlark 1 Heard only north of Nisqually Estuary Trail. Red-winged Blackbird 40 Orange-crowned Warbler 2 Common Yellowthroat 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler 30 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 10 View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S198181311 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 10 12:24:03 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Gunnell, Chase (DFW) via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 10 12:24:08 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Wiley Slough / Skagit HQ reopening, hunting seasons underway Message-ID: Tweeters, many of you enjoy and care about the Headquarters Unit of Skagit Wildlife Area, also known as Wiley Slough, managed by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). This area is scheduled to reopen to the public on Friday, Oct. 11. Learn more in the WDFW news release copied below: https://wdfw.wa.gov/newsroom/news-release/skagit-wildlife-area-headquarters-unit-reopen-oct-11 Additionally, please be advised that the general waterfowl hunting season opens this Saturday, Oct. 12, and this site and others may be busy with hunters. More information on hunting seasons and tips for sharing space in the Skagit Valley and beyond are available in this recent WDFW blog post: https://wdfw.medium.com/hunting-seasons-underway-tips-for-sharing-space-in-the-skagit-valley-b53a7a2b44c5 Skagit Wildlife Area Headquarters Unit to reopen Oct. 11 MILL CREEK - The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today that the Skagit Wildlife Area Headquarters Unit near Conway will reopen to the public on Friday, Oct. 11. The area-also known as Wiley Slough-is popular for water access, waterfowl hunting, bird watching, and walking and has been closed for construction since spring 2023. "We're excited to welcome visitors back to Skagit Headquarters in advance of this Saturday's general waterfowl hunting season opener," said WDFW's North Puget Sound Regional Director Brendan Brokes. "The Skagit Wildlife Area is one of the largest areas of state public land bordering Puget Sound, and it's location minutes from I-5 makes it accessible to many Washingtonians and diverse outdoor opportunities." The renovated Skagit Headquarters Unit features a new concrete boat launch and paved approach road offering access to Freshwater Slough on the South Fork Skagit River and Skagit Bay, as well as an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-accessible loading ramp and reconfigured parking area. There is also a hand-launch area for kayaks and canoes, elevated dikes with graded, ADA-accessible walking trails, an updated wildlife-viewing blind, and replanted areas to restore marsh and riparian habitat. The dikes were raised and widened in accordance with Army Corps of Engineers standards to protect neighboring lands from flooding. More information is available on this project webpage. The Skagit Headquarters Unit is part of the 18,138-acre Skagit Wildlife Area, which is managed for conservation of wintering waterfowl, restoration of estuary habitat for salmon, and access for recreation including hunting, wildlife watching, and other outdoor activities. More information on estuary restoration projects on WDFW-managed lands is available on this webpage. Information and tips for hunting can be found in the Skagit Wildlife Area Waterfowl Hunting Guide (PDF). The nearby Milltown Island Unit of Skagit Wildlife Area, which is only accessible by boat, also reopened to the public in early October following extensive estuary restoration work. WDFW manages more than 1 million acres of land and hundreds of water access areas throughout the state. By actively managing lands, restoring habitats, and preserving wild places, the Department serves as stewards for Washington's natural places, protecting the state's land and water for wildlife and people. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife works to preserve, protect and perpetuate fish, wildlife and ecosystems while providing sustainable fish and wildlife recreational and commercial opportunities. ### -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 10 16:03:51 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Michael Hobbs via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 10 16:04:08 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Marymoor Park (Redmond, King Co.) 2024-10-10 Message-ID: Tweets - Compared to last week, today was almost 10 degrees warmer to start, but two degrees cooler at the end. Mostly cloudy, with enough breeze that many leaves were falling. The birding felt more like winter birding, though we are still missing many of the "winter" birds. Highlights: Greater White-fronted Goose - One noted with Canadas on our way heading to the Rowing Club Cackling Goose - While Matt thought he heard a large flock pre-dawn, we "merely" had a near constant overflight of small (3-30 birds) flocks American Wigeon - Lone female in the slough and again at the lake (or, I suppose, a 2nd bird) Green-winged Teal - Two from the Lake Platform, eight in a fly-by during a late scan of the lake Western Grebe - Five seen from the Lake Platform Anna's Hummingbird - Notably, only one! - at the Pea Patch Northern Harrier - Being harassed by crows - First of Year (FOY) Sharp-shinned Hawk - Over mansion - First of Fall (FOF) Cooper's Hawk - Harassing crows over the weir Bald Eagle and Red-tailed Hawk - Made for a 5 raptor day! Western Meadowlark - A dozen near the NE ball fields Townsend's Warbler - One near the mansion A late scan of the lake confirmed CALIFORNIA GULLS. From the Lake Platform earlier, we had also seen a distant flock of unidentifiable birds (though I think we could have ID'd them if anyone had brought a scope). The late scan turned up a very similar flock that comprised six RUDDY DUCKS (FOF) and a HORNED GREBE (FOY). Not a surprise to have the WESTERN GREBE this week. We've now had them 24 of 31 years during this week of the year. The next three weeks have 15, 18, and 16 / 30 respectively, and they are the next most likely weeks. Misses today included Hooded Merganser, American Coot, Ring-billed Gull, Barn Owl, Downy Woodpecker, Bushtit, and Pacific Wren. For today, 57 species. = Michael Hobbs = BirdMarymoor@gmail.com = www.marymoor.org/birding.htm -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 10 16:45:24 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Ellen Blackstone via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 10 16:45:42 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Kudos to Hal Opperman! Message-ID: Hey, Tweets, Much of this has already been mentioned, but it can't be said enough: Hal's legacy is amazing! Hal, thanks for your patience and kindness and steady hand over the years. Tweeters has a well-deserved reputation nationally, and it?s a terrific archive for us locals. So much history... There was a real live Tweeters picnic sometime during the ?90s. Yes, we cyber birders finally met face to face. As part of his gift to Pacific Northwest birding, Hal also managed a lot of the development of BirdWeb https://birdweb.org, a terrific online resource. (And thanks, JaneH, for the list of accomplishments.) Hal, thanks for all you?ve done! It?s quite a legacy. Take care and enjoy your ?retirement.? Hope to see you in the field! Ellen Blackstone Edmonds WA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 10 17:13:29 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Jim Betz via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 10 17:13:42 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Wiley Slough opens Friday! Message-ID: Just got word from WDFW that Wiley opens on Friday. Oh happy day! Sent from my iPhone > On Oct 8, 2024, at 3:06?PM, via Tweeters wrote: > > ?Send Tweeters mailing list submissions to > tweeters@u.washington.edu > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > tweeters-request@mailman11.u.washington.edu > > You can reach the person managing the list at > tweeters-owner@mailman11.u.washington.edu > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Tweeters digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Why don't we see birds on blackberries? > (Dennis Paulson via Tweeters) > 2. Re: Why don't we see birds on blackberries? > (Ron Post via Tweeters) > 3. Turkey vultures kettling over Queen Anne, Seattle > (Julia H via Tweeters) > 4. Re: Dan Victor, founder of Tweeters (Diann MacRae via Tweeters) > 5. Edmonds Roundup - September 2024 (Carol Riddell via Tweeters) > 6. Re: Why don't we see birds on blackberries? > (Linda Phillips via Tweeters) > 7. Honoring Hal Opperman (Bob Morse via Tweeters) > 8. Hal Opperman moves on (Elaine Chuang via Tweeters) > 9. Re: Hal Opperman moves on (Dennis Paulson via Tweeters) > 10. TVs (via Tweeters) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2024 13:04:37 -0700 > From: Dennis Paulson via Tweeters > To: Jim Betz > Cc: TWEETERS tweeters > Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Why don't we see birds on blackberries? > Message-ID: > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > Jim, I have seen European Starlings and House Finches in some numbers in Armenian (Himalayan) Blackberry patches, and I assumed they were feeding on the berries. > > Dennis Paulson > Seattle > >> On Oct 7, 2024, at 11:51 AM, Jim Betz via Tweeters wrote: >> >> Hi >> >> Now that the blackberry season is past - I was reflecting on the fact that, to the best of my >> >> knowledge, I've never seen a bird eating blackberries. I went to the web and looked it up >> >> and, according to the web, birds do eat blackberries. So why haven't I seen them doing this? >> >> In fact - my observation is that birds seem to avoid blackberry stands (as in, if there are >> >> other bushes nearby you are much more likely to see any birds there than in the blackberries). >> >> Are the blackberries on the East Coast different than here in the West? I even found >> >> pictures of birds "in the blackberries" (but did not see very many of them actually feeding >> >> on the blackberries). >> >> - Jim >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Tweeters mailing list >> Tweeters@u.washington.edu >> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2024 13:20:47 -0700 > From: Ron Post via Tweeters > To: Dennis Paulson > Cc: Jim Betz , TWEETERS tweeters > > Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Why don't we see birds on blackberries? > Message-ID: > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > At the CUH in Seattle I have seen finches eat blackberries but not in > abundance. Also at times I have seen band tailed pigeons drop down to go > for lower branched blackberries. I think many birds just won't bother with > them (invasive ones) because of the thorns > Ron Post > >> On Mon, Oct 7, 2024, 1:06 PM Dennis Paulson via Tweeters < >> tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: >> >> Jim, I have seen European Starlings and House Finches in some numbers in >> Armenian (Himalayan) Blackberry patches, and I assumed they were feeding on >> the berries. >> >> Dennis Paulson >> Seattle >> >>> On Oct 7, 2024, at 11:51 AM, Jim Betz via Tweeters < >> tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: >>> >>> Hi >>> >>> Now that the blackberry season is past - I was reflecting on the fact >> that, to the best of my >>> >>> knowledge, I've never seen a bird eating blackberries. I went to the >> web and looked it up >>> >>> and, according to the web, birds do eat blackberries. So why haven't I >> seen them doing this? >>> >>> In fact - my observation is that birds seem to avoid blackberry stands >> (as in, if there are >>> >>> other bushes nearby you are much more likely to see any birds there than >> in the blackberries). >>> >>> Are the blackberries on the East Coast different than here in the >> West? I even found >>> >>> pictures of birds "in the blackberries" (but did not see very many of >> them actually feeding >>> >>> on the blackberries). >>> >>> - Jim >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Tweeters mailing list >>> Tweeters@u.washington.edu >>> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Tweeters mailing list >> Tweeters@u.washington.edu >> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters >> > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2024 13:35:36 -0700 > From: Julia H via Tweeters > To: tweeters@u.washington.edu > Subject: [Tweeters] Turkey vultures kettling over Queen Anne, Seattle > Message-ID: > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > About 30 total, circled for a bit before moving on. > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2024 23:11:19 +0200 > From: Diann MacRae via Tweeters > To: tweeters t > Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Dan Victor, founder of Tweeters > Message-ID: > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 5 > Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2024 15:30:59 -0700 > From: Carol Riddell via Tweeters > To: tweeters > Subject: [Tweeters] Edmonds Roundup - September 2024 > Message-ID: <94324E15-F0AB-42BA-96F0-B9E559123E80@gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > Hi Tweeters, > > With September additions we have reached 187 for our Edmonds 2024 list. In taxonomic order, the new species are: > > Clark?s Grebe (code 4), 1 at the waterfront, 9-28-24. > > Sandhill Crane (code 5), 2 flying along the waterfront, 9-22-24. (This is the sixth sighting so we are overdue for revising it to code 4. This change will be on the 2025 checklist.) > > Other birds of interest: There were three reports of California Scrub-Jays (code 4), in north, central, and Lake Ballinger neighborhoods. Two Evening Grosbeaks (code 3) were reported in north Edmonds. One Red Crossbill (code 3) was seen at Edmonds marsh. > > Declined species: Report of a Peregrine Falcon (code 3) at City Park by a new eBirder with no documentation of this challenging code 3 species. When we do not know the birder or their skills, we do not accept, without documentation, birds that are code 3 or rarer as we cannot be certain of the accuracy of the ID. > > As always, I appreciate it when birders get in touch with me to share sightings, photos, or recordings. It helps us build our collective year list. If you would like a copy of our 2024 city checklist, with 281 species, please request it from checklistedmonds at gmail dot com. The 2024 checklist, with sightings through September, is in the bird information box at the Olympic Beach Visitor Station at the base of the public pier. > > Good birding, > > Carol Riddell > Edmonds, WA > cariddellwa at gmail dot com > > Abundance codes: (1) Common, (2) Uncommon, (3) Harder to find, usually seen annually, (4) Rare, 5+ records, (5) Fewer than 5 records > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 6 > Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2024 03:28:07 +0000 > From: Linda Phillips via Tweeters > To: "tweeters@u.washington.edu" > Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Why don't we see birds on blackberries? > Message-ID: > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > Jim and Tweeters, > > I don't see a lot of birds eating Himilayan Blackberries, but I do notice it from time to time. Off the top of my head I remember seeing chickadees, towhees, finches and robins eating blackberries. My favorite was watching a flock of tipsy Cedar Waxwings who had been feasting on blackberries that had fermented in the hot August sun along the Samamish River trail. > Linda Phillips > Kenmore WA > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 7 > Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2024 08:33:25 -0700 > From: Bob Morse via Tweeters > To: > Subject: [Tweeters] Honoring Hal Opperman > Message-ID: <004f01db1997$6b5fd400$421f7c00$@comcast.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > It has been a treasure to work with Hal Opperman in the creation of our > first bird book, Birds of the Puget Sound Region. Hal and Tom Aversa > selected the species, did all the research, wrote the text for each species, > and selected the photographs for the book. Because of Hal's dedication and > accurate and complete species accounts, Birds of the Puget Sound Region has > been, for years, the best-selling local bird book. > > > > Thank you, Hal. > > > > Bob and Christina Morse > > R. W. Morse Company > > > > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 8 > Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2024 10:31:27 -0700 > From: Elaine Chuang via Tweeters > To: tweeters@u.washington.edu > Subject: [Tweeters] Hal Opperman moves on > Message-ID: > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 > > This is an exceptional week for our listserve. Hal Opperman's tribute yesterday to Dan Victor sketched out so much of who Dan was, his dedication and what he accomplished, and their long friendship. We?ve been awarded a special peek into the history of getting birding going in these parts, and sharing it (would someone please tell us about the ?Bird Box??). If Dan as the founder of Tweeters ?? established the 'broad tent' ethos of the Tweeters list?,? please remember that for the better part of three decades, Hal has been right there too. Together they wisely assembled and then tweaked the gears beneath the wheelhouse, as Hal calls it. Please read or re-read Hal?s tribute to Dan Victor yesterday for the best thumbnail possible about where Tweeters came from and where it is. > > Well, the day has come: Hal has announced that he is stepping fully away from Tweeters. He has turned in his Administrator's cap! It has been my privilege to serve as ?the Sorcerer?s Apprentice? and to appreciate how, upon the foundation that he and Dan constructed, Hal has consistently steered the listserve forward via clear communications with spare intervention. > > Far superior to anything else that could be offered is the superb tribute written by Jane Hadley, upon Hal?s being awarded the Zella M. Schultz Award by the Washington Ornithological Society, in 2014. https://wos.org/documents/wosnews/wosnews152.pdf > > Congratulations and deepest thanks, Hal. Here?s a standing ovation to you, with feathers and confetti! > > > Elaine Chuang, for Tweeters > Seattle > elc at uw dot edu > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 9 > Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2024 10:41:25 -0700 > From: Dennis Paulson via Tweeters > To: TWEETERS tweeters > Cc: Elaine Chuang > Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Hal Opperman moves on > Message-ID: > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 > > Indeed, Hal, thanks so much for all you have contributed to the birding community in this part of the world! > > Dennis Paulson > Seattle > >> On Oct 8, 2024, at 10:31 AM, Elaine Chuang via Tweeters wrote: >> >> This is an exceptional week for our listserve. Hal Opperman's tribute yesterday to Dan Victor sketched out so much of who Dan was, his dedication and what he accomplished, and their long friendship. We?ve been awarded a special peek into the history of getting birding going in these parts, and sharing it (would someone please tell us about the ?Bird Box??). If Dan as the founder of Tweeters ?? established the 'broad tent' ethos of the Tweeters list?,? please remember that for the better part of three decades, Hal has been right there too. Together they wisely assembled and then tweaked the gears beneath the wheelhouse, as Hal calls it. Please read or re-read Hal?s tribute to Dan Victor yesterday for the best thumbnail possible about where Tweeters came from and where it is. >> >> Well, the day has come: Hal has announced that he is stepping fully away from Tweeters. He has turned in his Administrator's cap! It has been my privilege to serve as ?the Sorcerer?s Apprentice? and to appreciate how, upon the foundation that he and Dan constructed, Hal has consistently steered the listserve forward via clear communications with spare intervention. >> >> Far superior to anything else that could be offered is the superb tribute written by Jane Hadley, upon Hal?s being awarded the Zella M. Schultz Award by the Washington Ornithological Society, in 2014. https://wos.org/documents/wosnews/wosnews152.pdf >> >> Congratulations and deepest thanks, Hal. Here?s a standing ovation to you, with feathers and confetti! >> >> >> Elaine Chuang, for Tweeters >> Seattle >> elc at uw dot edu >> _______________________________________________ >> Tweeters mailing list >> Tweeters@u.washington.edu >> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 10 > Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2024 11:59:10 -0700 > From: via Tweeters > To: "'Tweeters'" > Subject: [Tweeters] TVs > Message-ID: <000001db19b4$297eb8e0$7c7c2aa0$@olympus.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > Kettle of 20+ north of Sequim 2pm 10/7/24, > > Wings, > > Jan > > Jan Stewart > > 922 E Spruce Street > > Sequim, WA 98382-3518 > > jstewart@olympus.net > > > > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: > > ------------------------------ > > Subject: Digest Footer > > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@mailman11.u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > > ------------------------------ > > End of Tweeters Digest, Vol 242, Issue 8 > **************************************** From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 10 17:27:32 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 10 17:27:35 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Hal Opperman tribute Message-ID: <1126511402.601804.1728606452186@connect.xfinity.com> I have known Hal since the 1988-89 Master Birder class. I was lucky to have been part of that group. It was an amazing group. Dan Victor was also in that class as well as Bob Sunstrom. Many other classmates are still involved in the birding community. Jane Hadley wrote about Hal for the 2014 WOS News. In the article, Jane quoted that Hal had said the class, ?opened up a path I have followed ever since?. While I have never accomplished as much as Hal, I am still on that same path. I did not remember that Hal was the first administrator of the Birdbox. At the time it was a big deal. I remember calling in and being asked how many species of chickadees are found in WA. I guess only serious birders would know that there are Boreal Chickadees in the state along with the other three more commonly known species. Hal married his wife, JoLynn at the Broadmoor Country Club while we were taking the Master Birder class. They were very kind to invite all the students to the wedding. It was an afternoon wedding followed by another one at the venue in the evening. We enjoyed ourselves into the late afternoon, too long as far as the staff was concerned. They finally asked us to leave. For years we joked about how it was the nicest place we were ever kicked out of. My wife Carleen has known Hal much longer than I have. Hal was her Art History professor at the UW in the early 70s. She said that the class was hard, but the teacher was great. While we think of Hal in the birding world, she thinks of him as an art instructor. I know that while he is retiring from handling Tweeters, he will still be part of the birding community that he has helped develop for so many years. Neil Zimmerman -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Fri Oct 11 00:05:26 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Hans-Joachim Feddern via Tweeters) Date: Fri Oct 11 00:05:43 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Red-naped Sapsucker in Twin Lakes Message-ID: A likely Red-naped Sapsucker - or a hybrid - has been here in Twin Lakes/Federal Way for the last two days. It has taken a liking to a birch tree which has been a favorite of local Red-breasted Sapsuckers for many years. The bird has a red head with a more rosy hape and two white facial stripes. Its black back with white markings is perfect camouflage on the birch tree. The Cackling Goose flock at Treasure Island Park has grown to more than 300.The first four Cackling Geese arrived on September 23rd and the flock grew daily with more arrivals. The majority are of the smallest minima subspecies. I finally saw my first two Golden-crowned Sparrows in the neighborhood yesterday. Good Birding! Hans -- *Hans Feddern* Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA thefedderns@gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Fri Oct 11 20:47:12 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Hank Heiberg via Tweeters) Date: Fri Oct 11 20:47:31 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Snow Geese at Hayton Reserve Today (10/11) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Today there were thousands of Snow Geese at Hayton Reserve on Fir Island (Skagit County). Here is a link to a video. https://www.flickr.com/photos/ljcouple/54060660548/in/dateposted/ Hank & Karen Heiberg Issaquah, WA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Fri Oct 11 22:45:40 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Alan Roedell via Tweeters) Date: Fri Oct 11 22:45:57 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Snow Geese at Hayton Reserve Today (10/11) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Thanks, always happy to hear that they're back. On Fri, Oct 11, 2024, 8:47?PM Hank Heiberg via Tweeters < tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > Today there were thousands of Snow Geese at Hayton Reserve on Fir Island > (Skagit County). Here is a link to a video. > > https://www.flickr.com/photos/ljcouple/54060660548/in/dateposted/ > > Hank & Karen Heiberg > Issaquah, WA > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Fri Oct 11 23:27:39 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Christina T bean 4 ever via Tweeters) Date: Fri Oct 11 23:27:51 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Question for Sandy Pringle Was a scope used for western grebes, rhino auklets, loons etc at Dune park? Message-ID: Hello tweeters and Sandy, I live near Dune Park and plan to go there. Can you tell me if it's possible to see those species or do I need a scope? Thanks Christina of Tacoma -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sat Oct 12 00:10:00 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Hans-Joachim Feddern via Tweeters) Date: Sat Oct 12 00:10:18 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] American Dipper over Saltwater? Message-ID: My wife and I decided to check out the new overlook below Pike Market today. We made it all the way down to the water and while on the floating dock across from the Seattle Aquarium, I noticed a starling size dark bird flying across the water and landing at the end of the float. Unfortunately it was immediately spooked by people before I had a good look at it. It tokk off again and flew low over the water towards the marina. It had a buzzy flight similar to a Spotted Sandpiper. It did look much like an American Dipper to me. Has anybody observed dippers on saltwater?. Could this be a migrant from a more northern population? Our local birds are non-migratory to the best of my knowledge. Hans -- *Hans Feddern* Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA thefedderns@gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sat Oct 12 00:46:37 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Dan Reiff via Tweeters) Date: Sat Oct 12 00:47:04 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Snow Geese at Hayton Reserve Today (10/11) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Nice video, Hank. It?s great to see the geese are back. Thanks for sharing the clip. Dan Sent from my iPhone > On Oct 11, 2024, at 8:47?PM, Hank Heiberg via Tweeters wrote: > > ? > Today there were thousands of Snow Geese at Hayton Reserve on Fir Island (Skagit County). Here is a link to a video. > > https://www.flickr.com/photos/ljcouple/54060660548/in/dateposted/ > > Hank & Karen Heiberg > Issaquah, WA > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sat Oct 12 07:33:04 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Dennis Paulson via Tweeters) Date: Sat Oct 12 07:33:30 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] American Dipper over Saltwater? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hans, dippers are well known to be occasional migrants, appearing in winter in places where they don?t breed. Not only latitudinal but altitudinal, perhaps the second more common. Birds of the World online doesn?t give any details, but it does mention estuaries as being winter habitats. I would say one on Puget Sound is very unusual, but I wouldn?t think it was impossible. Dennis Paulson Seattle > On Oct 12, 2024, at 12:10 AM, Hans-Joachim Feddern via Tweeters wrote: > > My wife and I decided to check out the new overlook below Pike Market today. We made it all the way down to the water and while on the floating dock across from the Seattle Aquarium, I noticed a starling size dark bird flying across the water and landing at the end of the float. Unfortunately it was immediately spooked by people before I had a good look at it. It tokk off again and flew low over the water towards the marina. It had a buzzy flight similar to a Spotted Sandpiper. It did look much like an American Dipper to me. > Has anybody observed dippers on saltwater?. Could this be a migrant from a more northern population? Our local birds are non-migratory to the best of my knowledge. > > Hans > -- > Hans Feddern > Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA > thefedderns@gmail.com > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sat Oct 12 07:58:01 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Steve Loitz via Tweeters) Date: Sat Oct 12 07:58:14 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] American Dipper over Saltwater? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hans, I have seen AMDIs near salt water in winter, e.g., Larabee State Park, although I've never seen one swimming or feeding in salt water. Many, very likely most, of WA's AMDIs migrate vertically as the streams, high lakes and tarns in which they feed during breeding season and throughout the summer freeze and/or become snow-covered. Each year, we mountain travelers observe hundreds of AMDIs descending from their breeding grounds in winter to the Yakima River, Methow River, Tieton River and tributaries thereof. Dippers are common IDs on the Yakima River in winter. I have counted 20+ AMDIs on the Tieton River on several drives home from mid-winter skiing at White Pass. I suspect that many, possibly most, of those birds breed on the Tumac Plateau (north of White Pass). Steve Loitz Ellensburg, WA steveloitz@gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sat Oct 12 07:57:59 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (HAL MICHAEL via Tweeters) Date: Sat Oct 12 07:58:24 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] American Dipper over Saltwater? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <35781211.631688.1728745079508@connect.xfinity.com> I have seen Dippers on a couple of creeks In Discovery Bay. They were down near the mouths of the streams in reaches that were at least influenced by tides. We also found nests on the valley floor before the creeks climbed the hills. Hal Michael Board of Directors, Ecologists Without Borders http://ecowb.org/ Olympia WA 360-459-4005 360-791-7702 (C) ucd880@comcast.net > On 10/12/2024 7:33 AM PDT Dennis Paulson via Tweeters wrote: > > > Hans, dippers are well known to be occasional migrants, appearing in winter in places where they don?t breed. Not only latitudinal but altitudinal, perhaps the second more common. Birds of the World online doesn?t give any details, but it does mention estuaries as being winter habitats. I would say one on Puget Sound is very unusual, but I wouldn?t think it was impossible. > > Dennis Paulson > Seattle > > > > On Oct 12, 2024, at 12:10 AM, Hans-Joachim Feddern via Tweeters wrote: > > My wife and I decided to check out the new overlook below Pike Market today. We made it all the way down to the water and while on the floating dock across from the Seattle Aquarium, I noticed a starling size dark bird flying across the water and landing at the end of the float. Unfortunately it was immediately spooked by people before I had a good look at it. It tokk off again and flew low over the water towards the marina. It had a buzzy flight similar to a Spotted Sandpiper. It did look much like an American Dipper to me. > > Has anybody observed dippers on saltwater?. Could this be a migrant from a more northern population? Our local birds are non-migratory to the best of my knowledge. > > > > > > Hans > > -- > > Hans Feddern > > Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA > > thefedderns@gmail.com mailto:thefedderns@gmail.com > > _______________________________________________ > > Tweeters mailing list > > Tweeters@u.washington.edu mailto:Tweeters@u.washington.edu > > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > > > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sat Oct 12 11:31:20 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Hans-Joachim Feddern via Tweeters) Date: Sat Oct 12 11:31:34 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Snow Geese at Hayton Reserve Today (10/11) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Amazingly enough there was a single Snow Goose here at Lake Lorene this morning. The Cackling Geese had left, likely because a dog being walked on a long leash?.. *Hans Feddern* Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA thefedderns@gmail.com On Sat, Oct 12, 2024 at 12:47?AM Dan Reiff via Tweeters < tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > Nice video, Hank. > It?s great to see the geese are back. > Thanks for sharing the clip. > Dan > Sent from my iPhone > > On Oct 11, 2024, at 8:47?PM, Hank Heiberg via Tweeters < > tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > > ? > > Today there were thousands of Snow Geese at Hayton Reserve on Fir Island > (Skagit County). Here is a link to a video. > > https://www.flickr.com/photos/ljcouple/54060660548/in/dateposted/ > > Hank & Karen Heiberg > Issaquah, WA > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sat Oct 12 14:01:37 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Tom Benedict via Tweeters) Date: Sat Oct 12 14:01:54 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Breeding Plumage Common Loon at Seahurst Park Message-ID: A couple of days ago my son and I visited Seahurst Park here in Burien, WA and had the pleasure of seeing COLO in winter as well as summer plumage. The one still in breeding plumage was in the nearshore so we got very good views of it. Quite a treat. A few minutes later a pair of Harlequin Ducks landing right in front of us, the first of the season for me. HARD are very reliable at this location during the season and I was a bit surprised we didn?t see more. Tom Benedict Seahurst, WA From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sat Oct 12 14:25:11 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Dan Reiff via Tweeters) Date: Sat Oct 12 14:25:16 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE: Meet Milagra, a Rare Condor Rescued as an Egg and Newly Released Back Into the Wild Message-ID: <71F27394-BD35-40E6-BBAC-F654C01A039B@gmail.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sat Oct 12 21:53:16 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Jenny Easterberg via Tweeters) Date: Sat Oct 12 21:53:32 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE: Meet Milagra, a Rare Condor Rescued as an Egg and Newly Released Back Into the Wild In-Reply-To: <71F27394-BD35-40E6-BBAC-F654C01A039B@gmail.com> References: <71F27394-BD35-40E6-BBAC-F654C01A039B@gmail.com> Message-ID: Hi Tweeters, This was a nice read! Very interesting to learn about the endeavors taken to ensure the survival of the species. I ran the Grand Canyon today and had a chance to ask a ranger if any condors had been sighted recently. Unfortunately I was not able to see one this time, but I still remember in 2019 when I saw one soaring high above the South Kaibab trail. They are huge! No accidentally thinking they are a vulture. Cheers, Jenny On Sat, Oct 12, 2024 at 2:25?PM Dan Reiff via Tweeters < tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > > *Meet Milagra, a Rare Condor Rescued as an Egg and Newly Released Back > Into the Wild* > Milagra, Spanish for ?miracle,? was hatched and raised in captivity by > foster condor parents after her mother died of avian flu in April 2023 > > Read in Smithsonian Magazine: https://apple.news/AP4PewqsUQHWjc9DzUcDBlg > > > Shared from Apple News > > Sent from my iPhone > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sun Oct 13 02:11:46 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Dan Reiff via Tweeters) Date: Sun Oct 13 02:11:51 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Singers in the Dark: Conserving the Mysterious Whip-poor-will and Other Nightjars (webinar-nightjars-24) Message-ID: I have a never-ending fascination and awe of nightjars. This may be an interesting webinar. Dan Reiff https://act.abcbirds.org/a/webinar-nightjars-24 Sent from my iPhone From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sun Oct 13 12:51:26 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Kersti Muul via Tweeters) Date: Sun Oct 13 12:51:40 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] common loon at seahurst Message-ID: Tom- This week I had an 'Asylum' ?of Common loons out from private property at Brace point (just north of seahurst) almost 20! I've never seen that many together in West Seattle, so it was quite a treat. They were also of mixed plumage. I usually see 1 or 2 in the area at a time. More on a good day, but never this many. Kersti E. Muul ED -SALISH WILDLIFE WATCH Urban Conservation & Wildlife Biologist/Specialist - Response and Rescue Washington Animal Response Team, BCS and MMSN referral Wildlife Field Biologist IV Marbled murrelet forest certified and USFWS marine certified Birds Connect Neighborhood Bird Project Site Leader Climate Watch Coordinator Animal Care Specialist/Animal & Off the Grid First Aid Certified -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sun Oct 13 16:24:56 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Dan Reiff via Tweeters) Date: Sun Oct 13 16:25:01 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] How playing songs to Darwin's finches helped biologists confirm link between environment and the emergence of new species | ScienceDaily Message-ID: <7F8EDBD6-5833-4781-BDAA-0CF457C1D4A5@gmail.com> Interesting, complex, creative research design. Dan Reiff https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241010142532.htm Sent from my iPhone From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sun Oct 13 22:07:44 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Hans-Joachim Feddern via Tweeters) Date: Sun Oct 13 22:07:59 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] common loon at seahurst In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: We took a trip up to Point-no-Point with stops in Silverdale, Salisbury Point County Park(Hood Canal Bridge) and Port Gamble and saw several Common Loons in all plumages at each stop. Seems their southward movement started in the last few days. Hans *Hans Feddern* Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA thefedderns@gmail.com On Sun, Oct 13, 2024 at 12:51?PM Kersti Muul via Tweeters < tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > Tom- This week I had an 'Asylum' ?of Common loons out from private > property at Brace point (just north of seahurst) almost 20! I've never seen > that many together in West Seattle, so it was quite a treat. They were also > of mixed plumage. > > I usually see 1 or 2 in the area at a time. More on a good day, but never > this many. > > Kersti E. Muul > > ED -SALISH WILDLIFE WATCH > Urban Conservation & Wildlife Biologist/Specialist - Response and Rescue > Washington Animal Response Team, BCS and MMSN referral > > Wildlife Field Biologist IV Marbled murrelet forest certified and USFWS > marine certified > > Birds Connect > Neighborhood Bird Project Site Leader > Climate Watch Coordinator > > Animal Care Specialist/Animal & Off the Grid First Aid Certified > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 14 08:03:20 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Diann MacRae via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 14 08:03:27 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] September 2024 TUVU report Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 14 15:53:28 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Patricia Brent via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 14 15:53:41 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Need ID help Message-ID: About 10 a.m. this morning, south of Ridgefield, WA (Salmon Creek area of Vancouver), I spotted a group of large birds overhead. They were in a swirling pattern and remained that way as other southbound birds joined them. They were approximately 100 meters high. I didn?t have my binocs with me and the backlighting made them appear all black. I did not see the typical silver-grey flight feathers on any of them. A few had typical tipped-up wings in flight but not as accentuated as I usually see. There were 25-30 birds. Once the strays joined the swirling group they took off southbound, but not in an organized pattern. I haven?t done any serious birding for quite a while, but my birdie sense says Turkey Vultures. Anyone else in my area witness this? Your thoughts are welcome. Thanks, Patti Brent (Vancouver, WA) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 14 18:08:57 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Denis DeSilvis via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 14 18:09:02 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] JBLM Eagle's Pride Golf Course Monthly Birdwalk - Thursday, October 17 Message-ID: Hi Tweeters, The Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) Eagle's Pride Golf Course (GC) birdwalk is scheduled for Thursday, October 17. The JBLM Eagle's Pride GC birders meet the third Thursday of each month at 8:00AM. Starting point is the Driving Range Tee, Eagle's Pride Golf Course, I-5 Exit 116, Mounts Road Exit. When you turn into the golf course entrance, take an immediate left onto the road to the driving range - that's where we meet. (We'll be switching to a 9:00AM start time November-February.) Also, to remind folks that haven't been here before, even though Eagle's Pride is a US Army recreational facility, you don't need any ID to attend these birdwalks. Hope you're able to make it! The weather forecast looks to be 46-53 degrees (lower for real-feel) for the walk - and we might get some rain during the walk. Dressing for success is always a key! May all your birds be identified, Denis Denis DeSilvis Avnacrs 4 birds at outlook dot com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 14 21:02:28 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Hans-Joachim Feddern via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 14 21:02:42 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Twin Lakes Snow Goose Message-ID: The single juvenile Snow Goose continues at Treasure Island Park, Twin Lakes in Federal Way. Any county listers still need one in King County? *Hans Feddern* Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA thefedderns@gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 14 21:45:33 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Robert O'Brien via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 14 21:45:48 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Need ID help In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Great, detailed observation! As you decided, Turkey Vultures (TUVUs). You should start following and contribute to Diann MacRae's frequent posts to Tweeters this time of year, of which the following is her most recent. [Tweeters] September 2024 TUVU report External Inbox Search for all messages with label Inbox Remove label Inbox from this conversation Diann MacRae via Tweeters Unsubscribe 8:04?AM (13 hours ago) to tweeters Hi, Tweets I'm a little late - was hoping for huge September numbers like last year but the vultures control those numbers so it wasn't to be: next month!! October already looks great. So, for September, numbers really started building up on the traditional date of the 28th but no really outstanding numbers yet. E-bird is, of course, looking like everywhere is covered with turkey vultures but most of the sightings are of 1-2 birds. They are a healthy population still. September starts with one bird seen from a B.C. ferry and a bit later another single is seen crossing (maybe) the Salish Sea. Most reports are from tweeters in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia with several from e-bird. *SEPTEMBER* 01 -- One from the Tsawwassan-Duke Point Ferry, B.C. 05 -- One turkey vulture at Migration Corner, eastern Clark County. 06 -- One at Migration Corner, eastern Clark County. 08 -- Five turkey vultures in Skagit county today: 2 separate individuals flying over Anacortes; 3 others on a road kill on Best Road between La Conner and Mt Vernon - 2 on the ground (along with a raven) and 1 in the air. 09 -- Five at Woodland Bottoms, Cowlitz County. 10 -- Two turkey vultures at Upper Larch Mountain Lookout, eastern Clark County. 11 -- One TV within tree tops and house-tops at Bay View, Skagit County; 15 at Alberni Valley circled high and headed south, China Creek Marina, BC; 9 seen at Uclulet, B.C. 12 -- Two west of Mount Vernon, at about 10:30 am, then about 30 min. later, same area, one TV was circling. 13 -- Twenty turkey vultures at Fisherman's Bend R.A., Marion County, Oregon; one over the Salish Sea, Nanaimo. 15 -- One at Hayton Preserve on Fir Island, Skagit County. 16 -- Five at Woodland Bottoms, Cowlitz County. 20 -- one turkey vulture near Costco in Mount Vernon; five at Orondo River Park, Douglas County; 22 at Woodland Bottoms, Cowlitz County. 21 -- Two at Tokeland, Pacific County. 22 -- A huge group near Camas, I lost count at 50 (could have been up to 100) came in at sunset and stayed in the roost area for the night. One was chased by a hawk that shrieked and flew off when the vulture he was chasing swooped in with the group in the trees. The majority left in morning; 27 at Woodland Bottoms, Cowlitz County. 24 -- Two at Bonney Butte in Oregon along with a variety of other raptors; at Larch Mountain's Migration Corner, 5 turkey vultures. 25 -- "scouts" being seen over Sequim; one TV, Anacortes, Sea Farer Park at 4:50. 26 -- Two turkey vultures at MP57, on I-5 by Castle Rock at approximately 1400; 25 at Witty's Lagoon Reg.Park, B.C.; One at Migration Corner, eastern Clark County. 27 -- 125 at Larch Mountain, Cowlitz County. 28 -- One turkey vulture at the West 90 and 2 seen from I-5 just north of Everett; 267 turkey vulturesw at Larch Mountain; one at the trailhead; 15 at Lyle Conservation Area, Clallam County; 11 at Rotary Park, Ellensburg, Kittitas County; 25 in a big kettle at Both (?) Road Interurban Trail, Fife; one at Migration Corner, eastern Clark County. 29 -- Killingsworth Street, Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon (how funny - I grew up near this street - never looked up, I guess!); 86 at Woodland Bottoms, Cowlitz County; 5 at Rhododendron Park, Kenmore, King County. 30 -- Four at Cranberry Marsh, Fraser River Gorge, B.C.; 14 at Hunt Point, Richland, Benton County; 4 at Migration Corner, eastern Clark County; 7 at Lower Larch Mountain, eastern Clark County. As always, thanks for the great reports. October should be an interesting month, vulturewise. Cheers, Diann Diann MacRae Olympic Vulture Study 22622 - 53rd Avenue S.E. Bothell, WA 98021 tvulture@gmx.com On Mon, Oct 14, 2024 at 3:53?PM Patricia Brent via Tweeters < tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > About 10 a.m. this morning, south of Ridgefield, WA (Salmon Creek area of > Vancouver), I spotted a group of large birds overhead. They were in a > swirling pattern and remained that way as other southbound birds joined > them. They were approximately 100 meters high. I didn?t have my binocs > with me and the backlighting made them appear all black. I did not see the > typical silver-grey flight feathers on any of them. A few had typical > tipped-up wings in flight but not as accentuated as I usually see. There > were 25-30 birds. Once the strays joined the swirling group they took off > southbound, but not in an organized pattern. I haven?t done any serious > birding for quite a while, but my birdie sense says Turkey Vultures. > Anyone else in my area witness this? Your thoughts are welcome. > > Thanks, > Patti Brent (Vancouver, WA) > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 14 23:28:17 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Dan Reiff via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 14 23:28:22 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] =?utf-8?q?I_Highly_recommend_reading_this_article=3A_?= =?utf-8?q?=E2=80=9CHow_Scientists_Started_to_Decode_Birdsong_=7C_The_New_?= =?utf-8?b?WW9ya2Vy4oCd?= Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 15 05:27:03 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Jim Betz via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 15 05:30:01 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Why don't we see birds on blackberries? In-Reply-To: <003e01db1a4a$cfb3a2c0$6f1ae840$@mycci.net> References: <003e01db1a4a$cfb3a2c0$6f1ae840$@mycci.net> Message-ID: <811c6b10-d675-4e38-a6a1-8b7cf8496229@jimbetz.com> ? My thanks to all who replied - both on and off list.? It appears that this is some kind of 'blind spot' in my birding and that the birds -do- consume blackberries.? I guess I just need to spend more time 'seeing' and less time 'on line asking questions'.? *G*? - Jim From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 15 12:50:48 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Hans-Joachim Feddern via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 15 12:51:03 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] FOS Buffleheads Message-ID: Yeah, they are back! We had a male and three female Buffleheads on Lake Lorene, Twin Lakes, Federal Way this morning. They are first-of-season birds for me. Another FOS bird was a male Lesser Scaup The previously mentioned Snow Goose is still there. It associates with "Bob", our resident Canadian goose /gander with a broken wing. To round off the three musketeers, a Cackling Goose also hangs out with them.. I also saw the Red-naped Sapsucker again this morning. Good Birding! Hans -- *Hans Feddern* Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA thefedderns@gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 15 14:36:46 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Scott Ramos via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 15 14:37:27 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Skagit Bay CBC needing leaders Message-ID: The Skagit Bay CBC has been running for 37 years and is usually held on January 1. The count circle includes fresh and saltwater habitats, as well as farmland, forest and residential areas. Many of the leaders of our 12 sectors have been participating for a considerable time but there has been turnover recently, and we are now recruiting new leaders for 2 of our sectors. If you would like to join our enthusiastic group, please get in touch. We will provide all the information necessary to run the count for the sector, including suggestions on how best to work the route. It is likely that there will be eager volunteers to help with the count; you can bring your own birding pals, of course. Contact: Scott Ramos nearpost@gmail.com 206-229-2421 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 15 18:59:08 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Rachel Lawson via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 15 18:59:13 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Tropical Kingbird in Edison Message-ID: Elaine Chuang, Douglas Marshall, Katha Cowgill, and I had a good day today up on the Skagit and Samish. We saw most of the expected species, including big flocks of Snow Geese (the flock at the entrance of Wiley Slough had at least five Blue-morph birds) and Cackling Geese. FYI, hunting season has begun. Our most notable sighting was of one Tropical Kingbird, flycatching from the tops of the trees along the slough right behind the Bread Farm Bakery in Edison. We also found two Yellow-headed Blackbirds in a big mixed flock at Hayton Preserve. Rachel Lawson Seattle Rwlawson5593@outlook.com Get Outlook for iOS -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 16 10:55:48 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Tom Benedict via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 16 10:56:01 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Lousy with Band-Tailed Pigeons! Message-ID: A glorious flock of at least 25 BTPI arrived in the big cedar just below us here in Burien, WA this morning. These are extremely handsome birds and I?ve never seen them in this large of grouping before. Smaller flocks are regular visitors. According to bird web.org they are fairly common march through September and uncommon October through February. These might be migrating through? Tom Benedict Seahurst, WA From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 16 11:16:09 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Hans-Joachim Feddern via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 16 11:16:26 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Lousy with Band-Tailed Pigeons! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: It may very well be a migrating flock. Years ago I used to have 20 to 30 Band-tailed Pigeons on my feeders year round. Other folks used to report their spring arrival. Nowadays I only get 3-4 and sometimes 6 birds and not every day but year round. Hans On Wed, Oct 16, 2024 at 10:56?AM Tom Benedict via Tweeters < tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > A glorious flock of at least 25 BTPI arrived in the big cedar just below > us here in Burien, WA this morning. These are extremely handsome birds and > I?ve never seen them in this large of grouping before. Smaller flocks are > regular visitors. According to bird web.org they are fairly common march > through September and uncommon October through February. These might be > migrating through? > > Tom Benedict > Seahurst, WA > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -- *Hans Feddern* Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA thefedderns@gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 16 11:45:31 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Rachel Lawson via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 16 11:45:36 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] More from the Skagit on 15 October In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I forgot to mention two interesting geese we saw in the big flock of Snow and Cackling Geese on Rawlins Road near the entrance to Wiley Slough. One Cackling Goose had a band of pure white on the upper belly and flanks that divided the dark color of the breast from the dark color of the lower belly. Another goose nearby showed the same pattern, but the white band was not as broad and contrasty. I have never seen this pattern on a Cackling or Canada Goose before. There was also one probable "Aleutian" Cackling Goose with a white collar in the flock. (And Catha spells her name with a "C") Rachel Lawson Seattle Rwlawson5593@outlook.com ________________________________ From: Rachel Lawson Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2024 6:59 PM To: Tweeters Subject: Tropical Kingbird in Edison Elaine Chuang, Douglas Marshall, Katha Cowgill, and I had a good day today up on the Skagit and Samish. We saw most of the expected species, including big flocks of Snow Geese (the flock at the entrance of Wiley Slough had at least five Blue-morph birds) and Cackling Geese. FYI, hunting season has begun. Our most notable sighting was of one Tropical Kingbird, flycatching from the tops of the trees along the slough right behind the Bread Farm Bakery in Edison. We also found two Yellow-headed Blackbirds in a big mixed flock at Hayton Preserve. Rachel Lawson Seattle Rwlawson5593@outlook.com Get Outlook for iOS -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 17 12:21:52 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Shep Thorp via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 17 12:22:07 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR for 10/16/2024 Message-ID: Hi Tweets, Approximately 25 of us enjoyed a very nice Autumn Day at the Refuge with partly cloudy skies in the morning and sunny skies in the afternoon and temperatures in the 50's to 60's degrees Fahrenheit. There was a Low 2'11" Tide at 11:12am, so we did our usual walk. Highlights included nice mixed flocks of RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, both CHICKADEE'S, both YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and DOWNY WOODPECKER, nice looks of WILSON'S SNIPE in the flooded field between the entrance road and access road, a good raptor day with observation of AMERICAN KESTREL, MERLIN, PEREGRINE FALCON, NORTHERN HARRIER (Ghost as well), RED-TAILED HAWK and BALD EAGLE, a WESTERN GREBE in Shannon Slough, and continuing WHIMBREL and MARBLED GODWIT. Steve observed our First Of Year BARN OWL flying into the Twin Barns at dawn. Both FOX SPARROW and GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW were singing away with the autumnal recrudescence of the amorous urge in the morning. There was an intergrade NORTHERN FLICKER in the Orchard and a few WESTERN SANDPIPER's mixed in with LEAST SANDPIPERs along Shannon Slough. For the day we observed 71 species, and with FOY Barn Owl we have seen 169 species this year. Check out our eBird report pasted below with great photos from Lisa and all. We had another good frog day and great looks at Paddle-tailed Darner. I'll be away for the next 3 weeks, on a trip to the north east Atlantic Forest in Brazil. Ken, Jim, Pete, Heather, Jon and Jason will sub in my absence. Until next week when the Wednesday Walk meets again at 8am at the Visitor Center Pond Overlook, happy birding. Shep -- Shep Thorp Browns Point 253-370-3742 Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US Oct 16, 2024 7:54 AM - 5:01 PM Protocol: Traveling 6.46 mile(s) 71 species (+6 other taxa) Greater White-fronted Goose 6 Fresh water marsh. Cackling Goose (minima) 1000 Cackling Goose (Taverner's) 6 Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima) 6 Northern Shoveler 25 American Wigeon 2000 Mallard 30 Northern Pintail 250 Green-winged Teal (American) 1500 Surf Scoter 30 Nisqually Reach Pied-billed Grebe 1 Flooded field between entrance road and access road. Western Grebe 1 Spotted by Heather in Shannon Slough. Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 40 Anna's Hummingbird 4 Virginia Rail (Virginia) 1 Freshwater marsh. Black-bellied Plover 5 Killdeer 18 Whimbrel 1 Previously reported. Photo. Seen on incoming tide north dike and west of Leschi Slough. Marbled Godwit 8 Previously reported. Seen on incoming tide on mudflats west of Leschi Slough and in the surge plain. Photo. Wilson's Snipe 3 Spotted Sandpiper 1 Greater Yellowlegs 45 Dunlin 60 Least Sandpiper 20 Western Sandpiper 4 Ring-billed Gull 150 California Gull 1 Glaucous-winged Gull 3 Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 10 Larus sp. 200 Brandt's Cormorant 4 Channel Marker Pelagic Cormorant 2 Channel Marker. Double-crested Cormorant 50 Great Blue Heron (Great Blue) 30 Northern Harrier 4 Bald Eagle 6 Red-tailed Hawk (calurus/alascensis) 1 Barn Owl 1 Spotted by Steve at Twin Barns Observation Platform. Belted Kingfisher 3 Red-breasted Sapsucker 2 Orchard. Downy Woodpecker (Pacific) 5 Northern Flicker 2 Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 1 Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted x Red-shafted) 1 Orchard. American Kestrel 1 Merlin 2 Peregrine Falcon 2 Steller's Jay 1 California Scrub-Jay 2 American Crow 75 Common Raven 4 Black-capped Chickadee 20 Chestnut-backed Chickadee 4 Barn Swallow 2 Two dark throated swallows seen flying over freshwater marsh. Observed foraging at 1/4 mile with 10x binoculars. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 12 Golden-crowned Kinglet 20 Brown Creeper 4 Pacific Wren 1 Marsh Wren 3 Bewick's Wren 7 European Starling 25 American Robin 20 Cedar Waxwing 9 American Pipit 20 Pine Siskin 25 American Goldfinch 4 Fox Sparrow (Sooty) 3 Golden-crowned Sparrow 20 Savannah Sparrow (Savannah) 6 Song Sparrow (rufina Group) 23 Lincoln's Sparrow 1 Spotted by Jon north of dike north of Twin Barns. Spotted Towhee 4 Western Meadowlark 1 Seen in grassy area south of surge plain. Red-winged Blackbird 50 Orange-crowned Warbler (lutescens) 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 6 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 20 View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S199184176 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 17 14:49:30 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Michael Hobbs via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 17 14:49:47 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Marymoor Park (Redmond, King Co.) 2024-10-17 Message-ID: Tweets - The day was better than we expected, with the forecast rain holding off until we were on our ways home; just a sprinkling at the Rowing Club was all we faced. We even had sunshine for part of the morning, and it was rather warm and windless. And birdy! Highlights: Snow Goose - One bird, spent most of the day with a flock of Cacklers. First of Year (FOY) Cackling Geese - 1000+, with many flocks overhead at sunrise and a large flock on the grass later Ring-necked Duck - One in the slough from the Rowing Club. First of Fall (FOF) Short-billed Gull - One in our first mixed flock of gulls at sunrise this fall (FOF) Northern Harrier - One being escorted off-site by crows, just like last week Cooper's Hawk - Both an adult and a juvenile, separately Northern Saw-whet Owl - Matt had two pre-dawn (FOY) Merlin - Two sightings Hermit Thrush - One at the "Mysterious Thicket" south of the East Meadow (FOF) American Robin - Constantly super-abundant. No way to put a number on them, though it was in the hundreds HOUSE SPARROW - The first for the Survey since 2021-03-11 (!) Male at the Compost Piles (FOY) American Pipit - Around a dozen on the grass/gravel field in the NE, only our 2nd sighting this fall Pine Siskin - Fifteen or more today; our first actual flocks of the fall Townsend's Warbler - Beautiful male near the mansion A late scan of the lake turned up over a dozen WESTERN GREBE and a couple of AMERICAN COOT. There was also a very large raft of ducks too far out to ID, but they were at least mostly Aythya spp. So perhaps way more than 1 Ring-necked Duck for the day. An earlier flyby of ducks also appeared to contain a female Aythya duck, possibly a scaup. So here's hoping we'll have some diving ducks more visible next week. Misses today included Hooded Merganser, Ring-billed Gull, Brown Creeper (may have heard), and Purple Finch. For the day, 63 species. = Michael Hobbs = BirdMarymoor@gmail.com = www.marymoor.org/birding.htm -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Fri Oct 18 13:57:17 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Denis DeSilvis via Tweeters) Date: Fri Oct 18 13:57:22 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) Eagle's Pride Golf Course (GC) monthly bird walk - 10-17-2024 Message-ID: Tweeters, Although the weather forecast appeared to bode a bit of wet, the 18 of us touring JBLM Eagle's Pride GC found just a cloudy although cool Fall day (44-52degF) with a nice roundup of species typical of this time of year. Highlights included the following: - NORTHERN PINTAIL - A new species for this site! A lone female was spotted by Jon A and subsequently ID'd by many of us. Given that we've been tallying birds at Eagle's Pride GC each month for over 11 years, it seems almost ridiculous that we haven't seen this duck species here in that time. I must chalk this lack of sightings up to timing because Northern Pintails are relatively plentiful in the area around here in season. - Duck species aplenty: WOOD DUCK, MALLARD, HOODED MERGANSER, RING-NECKED DUCK, AMERICAN WIGEON, and the aforementioned PINTAIL, most of which were at Hodge Lake. No ducks were at the 9th hole pond, which is atypical. It could be maintenance work in the area spooked away what might have usually been there. - RED CROSSBILL - 89, the most seen thus far this year. - EVENING GROSBEAK - A single bird. - VARIED THRUSH - 12 of this species, which at most times wouldn't be a "big" highlight except that all of these were found in trees and none on the ground - a more typical occurrence here. - An unidentified GULL (Larus genus) flew directly over us, but the backlighting made it such that no definitive ID could be made. Gulls are rarely seen on this count. - A lone, unidentified, SWALLOW flyover; high up, but with typical swallow flight. Barn Swallows were seen at Billy Frank, Jr., Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, which is about a mile south of Eagle's Pride, the previous day. Mammals were scarce with only Douglas squirrels (10) found along the route. The JBLM Eagle's Pride GC birders meet the third Thursday of each month at 8:00AM except for November to February, when the start time is at 9:00AM. Starting point is the Driving Range building, Eagle's Pride Golf Course, I-5 Exit 116, Mounts Road Exit. (Turn left immediately after entering the parking lot to take the road leading to the driving range building.) Upcoming walks include the following: * November 21 (start time - 9AM) * December 19 (start time - 9AM) * January 16 (start time - 9AM) >From the eBirdPNW report: 36 species (+2 other taxa) Cackling Goose 82 Wood Duck 1 American Wigeon 15 Mallard 22 Northern Pintail 1 A first sighting of this species at this location for this monthly walk. Ring-necked Duck 5 Hooded Merganser 22 Band-tailed Pigeon 1 Larus sp. 1 Overflight but backlit such that ID problematic. Great Blue Heron 1 At Hodge Lake. Bald Eagle 2 Northern Flicker 9 Steller's Jay 8 American Crow 44 Common Raven 2 Black-capped Chickadee 7 Chestnut-backed Chickadee 9 swallow sp. 1 Flew relatively high overhead. ID'd as "swallow" by shape and flight pattern by several of the group. Barn Swallows persist at Billy Frank Jr., Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge less than 1 mile from Eagle's Pride GC and were seen there the previous day. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 10 Golden-crowned Kinglet 18 Red-breasted Nuthatch 10 Brown Creeper 2 Pacific Wren 4 Bewick's Wren 4 European Starling 5 Varied Thrush 12 All found in trees with none on the ground. American Robin 15 Evening Grosbeak 1 Red Crossbill 89 Pine Siskin 55 Fox Sparrow 4 Dark-eyed Junco 38 Golden-crowned Sparrow 4 Song Sparrow 21 Spotted Towhee 10 Red-winged Blackbird 4 Yellow-rumped Warbler 2 Townsend's Warbler 1 View this checklist online at https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Febird.org%2Fchecklist%2FS199369960&data=05%7C02%7C%7Cc0886245327847cf2bc008dcefb49891%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638648806171708942%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=WU6onf1yFGhNSKwhzvbNKXCBZtogcXAPjv%2BHd0%2BmZOg%3D&reserved=0 May all your birds be identified, Denis Denis DeSilvis Avnacrs 4 birds at outlook dot com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sun Oct 20 19:26:11 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (via Tweeters) Date: Sun Oct 20 19:26:16 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] =?utf-8?q?WOS_Monthly_Meeting=2C_November_4=2C_2024?= Message-ID: <20241021022611.35787.qmail@s401.sureserver.com> The Washington Ornithological Society (WOS) is pleased to announce our next Monthly Meeting: on Monday, November 4, Loma Pendergraft, Ph.D., will present, ?Clever, Curious, and Charismatic Crows.? The antics of crows, ravens, and other Corvids?have captivated our imaginations throughout history. Many of our myths, legends and stories revolve around the astonishing brainpower these birds possess. But what is fact and what is fiction? Join us while we discuss fun facts about crows, the capabilities (and limits) of their intelligence, and the research that scientists at the University of Washington have conducted on these fascinating birds.? Loma Pendergraft earned his Ph.D. studying crow behavior at the University of Washington. He currently works for the UW as an instructor of animal behavior and wildlife science. Visit his website: https://lomapendergraft.com This meeting will be conducted virtually, via Zoom (no in-person attendance). Sign-in will begin at 7:15 pm, and the meeting commences at 7:30 pm. Please go to the WOS Monthly Meetings page: https://wos.org/monthly-meetings/ for instructions on participation and to get the Zoom link. When joining the meeting, we ask that you mute your device and make certain that your camera is turned off. This meeting is open to all as WOS invites everyone in the wider birding community to attend. Thanks to the generosity of our presenters, recordings of past programs are available at the following link to the WOS YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@washingtonornithologicalso7839/videos If you are not yet a member of WOS, we hope you will consider becoming one at https://wos.org Please join us! Elaine Chuang WOS Program Support From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sun Oct 20 19:33:59 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Rachel Lawson via Tweeters) Date: Sun Oct 20 19:34:05 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] RFI: Recent Red-footed Booby sightings Message-ID: A friend of mine would like to go look for the booby. Most recent ebird reports have not been specific about locations. Can any of you tell us exactly where you have seen it in the last week or so? Rachel Lawson Seattle rwlawson5593@outlook.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sun Oct 20 19:45:37 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Steve Hampton via Tweeters) Date: Sun Oct 20 19:45:53 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] RFI: Recent Red-footed Booby sightings In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: It's almost always at the Marine Science Pier at Fort Warden, on the pilings in the middle of the little kayak launch marina. If it's not there, check the rigging of the Hawaiian Chieftain tall ship downtown. It's also been on the beach with the gulls northwest of the lighthouse, and even on the iconic rainbow log on the beach at Pt Hudson. On Sun, Oct 20, 2024 at 7:34?PM Rachel Lawson via Tweeters < tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > A friend of mine would like to go look for the booby. Most recent ebird > reports have not been specific about locations. Can any of you tell us > exactly where you have seen it in the last week or so? > > Rachel Lawson > Seattle > rwlawson5593@outlook.com > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -- ?Steve Hampton? Port Townsend, WA (qat?y) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 21 00:22:17 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Dan Reiff via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 21 00:22:22 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Underestimated female tutors: Zebra finch mothers coach their sons to sing better Message-ID: <840ECC22-B88A-4798-AB76-0B523993465D@gmail.com> https://phys.org/news/2024-10-underestimated-female-zebra-finch-mothers.html Sent from my iPhone From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 21 12:20:14 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Larry Schwitters via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 21 12:20:32 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Lk Sammamish new arrivals Message-ID: <83F91E7A-DCAD-4CDB-B83E-CD1AD3E27AA7@me.com> Three new arrivals at Lake Sammamish State Park this morning. 1. 2 female Buffleheads 2. 40 surprisingly tame Cackling Geese 3. 20 fly over Trumpeter? Swans Larry Schwitters Issaquah From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 21 12:24:48 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Ronda Stark via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 21 12:25:04 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Lk Sammamish new arrivals In-Reply-To: <83F91E7A-DCAD-4CDB-B83E-CD1AD3E27AA7@me.com> References: <83F91E7A-DCAD-4CDB-B83E-CD1AD3E27AA7@me.com> Message-ID: Can you clarify please? Did you see swans -- but you weren't sure if they were Trumpeters or Tundras? On Mon, Oct 21, 2024 at 12:21?PM Larry Schwitters via Tweeters < tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > Three new arrivals at Lake Sammamish State Park this morning. > 1. 2 female Buffleheads > 2. 40 surprisingly tame Cackling Geese > 3. 20 fly over Trumpeter? Swans > > Larry Schwitters > Issaquah > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 21 13:41:24 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Tim Brennan via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 21 13:41:49 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Jefferson-Kitsap Blog updates Message-ID: Hey Tweets, I made two quick runs - one to Kitsap, and one to Jefferson - during October. The Kitsap trip was successful in getting me over 150 species for the year, with some skillful help exploring Peninsula no Peninsula. The Jefferson trip was successful in putting my sense of humor to the test, and I think it is intact. The bird of interest for that trip was an Eared Grebe that has been continuing at Kah Tai Lagoon. It has been continuing, distant, and diving. I'm certain that I got pictures of an Eared Grebe out there, but unfortunately, not based on any of the pictures! I left Kah Tai Lagoon in an optimistic search of Jefferson County farmland for, among other things, the possibility of a Northern Shrike. One was found two days later, at Kah Tai. ? Both trips provided me with great scenery and great company. Many thanks to friendly eBird reviewers for taking the time to look at grainy pictures of grebes, and for sharing their understanding of posture and plumage. Hopefully that Eared Grebe might stay out there and give me another crack at it in November! Cheers, Tim Brennan Renton -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 22 08:01:02 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Hank Heiberg via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 22 08:01:16 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Semiahmoo Plus In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Recently we birded at Semiahmoo in Whatcom County and several locations in Skagit County. Previously I posted a video of several thousand Snow Geese at Hayton Reserve on Fir Island in Skagit County. Here is a slide show of the same event. https://www.flickr.com/photos/ljcouple/54081957275/in/dateposted/ We always enjoy birding at Rosario Head northwest of Deception Pass both for the birds and the scenery. The checklists for Rosario Head & our other birding spots can be seen via our eBird trip report. https://ebird.org/tripreport/281608 Here is a link to the photo album for the trip. https://www.flickr.com/photos/ljcouple/albums/72177720321243608/with/54069251906 Hank & Karen Heiberg Issaquah, WA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 22 09:54:54 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Michael Hobbs via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 22 09:55:41 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Swans over West Seattle Message-ID: Just had ~10 swans flying over West Seattle. They flew over my yard at 41st, a little north of Admiral, and they were heading due south. = Michael Hobbs -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 22 14:06:06 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Blythe Horman via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 22 14:06:21 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] A little lovely mixed flock Message-ID: Hi Tweeters, Hauled myself, MECFS crashed, to the kitchen window of my apartment, and saw lots of movement in the stubbornly green maple tree. Grabbed my binoculars to see a Dark-Eyed Junco, Brown Creeper, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, and I think a Hutton?s Vireo. A little gift to the nature-deprived! Happy Birding! Blythe Horman Lynnwood, WA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 22 18:08:17 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (TERRANCE DUNNING via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 22 18:08:21 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Found SD card. Message-ID: <652244545.942993.1729645697540@connect.xfinity.com> If you left an SD card on the railing at Edmonds Marsh, please contact me at madalama@comcast.net. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 23 06:02:34 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Jim Betz via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 23 06:04:42 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Cape May was Phenomenal! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <77266387-7f07-4b54-ba7c-a026129a7ca1@jimbetz.com> Hi all, ? We just returned from our trip to Cape May with Naturalist Journeys - amazing place with a great guide (Rick Weisman).? I highly recommend this place at this time of year! https://eamon.smugmug.com/Family-pics-from-jim/n-CHQfg/Cape-May - Jim From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 23 13:05:38 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 23 13:05:44 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Cape May was Phenomenal! In-Reply-To: <77266387-7f07-4b54-ba7c-a026129a7ca1@jimbetz.com> References: <77266387-7f07-4b54-ba7c-a026129a7ca1@jimbetz.com> Message-ID: <000501db2586$eea4ba60$cbee2f20$@northbeachlandscapes.com> I'm curious to know if others have used Naturalist Journeys as well and what your experiences have been. They offer an amazing number and array of trips! Janine Anderson Port Townsend, WA janine@northbeachlandscapes.com -----Original Message----- From: Tweeters On Behalf Of Jim Betz via Tweeters Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2024 6:03 AM To: via Tweeters Subject: [Tweeters] Cape May was Phenomenal! Hi all, We just returned from our trip to Cape May with Naturalist Journeys - amazing place with a great guide (Rick Weisman). I highly recommend this place at this time of year! https://eamon.smugmug.com/Family-pics-from-jim/n-CHQfg/Cape-May - Jim _______________________________________________ Tweeters mailing list Tweeters@u.washington.edu http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 23 14:28:59 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Nick Bayard via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 23 14:29:13 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Bid for BirdNote - Year-End Auction is Live! Message-ID: Hello Tweets, BirdNote has received some awe-inspiring items for this year's annual auction, including: - VIP Owl Prowl at Seward Park - Birding experience with Amy Tan and Christian Cooper in Central Park - Zeiss SFL 8 x 40 binoculars - Winter birding in Washington with Dr. Thomas Bancroft - Original, limited edition bird-inspiring artwork - BirdNote episode dedications for specific bird species - Signed books, Bird-Friendly coffee, and much more! Every bid helps advance our mission to inspire people to care about the natural world and take steps to protect it. Register to bid until November 14 using this link: https://app.galabid.com/support-birdnote/items Best, Nick -- Nick Bayard Executive Director | He/Him [image: BirdNote] *PS: Join us for our biggest event of the year on November 14. Register here !* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 23 15:13:53 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Larry Schwitters via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 23 15:14:12 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Lake Sammamish Kittiwakes Message-ID: <8BD29BC4-5E3C-4A04-9B00-144CDEEDE434@me.com> Yesterday AM 120 Cackling Geese were on Lake Sammamish State Park beach. They were at first actively feeding and making noise. They they all shut up and sat down. They were gone this morning. There were six Kittiwakes briefly with the California Gulls. All adults still in breeding plumage. Last seen headed North at 10:30. Larry Schwitters Issaquah From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 23 21:11:18 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Kenneth Brown via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 23 21:11:46 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Nisqually. Message-ID: <1884217430.1027885.1729743078526@connect.xfinity.com> Our day began with a report by early arrivers, Steve and Ellen, of a Barn Owl at and around the southern most barn, similar to previous reports. Craig reported a Barred Owl on a sign post along the entrance road on his drive in. Fortunately we were able to relocate that Owl in the orchard/play area and most of the 40 (+/-) birder got a good look at it. We counted 11 Wilson's Snipe, along with 2 dozen Greater White-fronted Geese, around the flooded field south of the access road. Other highlights included good visuals of both Virginia Rail and Sora in the freshwater marsh, and a first of the season Trumpeter Swan and female Bufflehead out on the surge plain. It was probably the high tide that pushed in the unusually large number of Greater Yellow legs we saw, most in the grass on the far side of McCallister Creek. We did not find the Whimbrel seen the last several weeks but found Black-bellied Plovers and a flock of Dunlin to console ourselves. The complete list follows: Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, Olympia US-WA 47.07225, -122.71205, Thurston, Washington, US Oct 23, 2024 8:13 AM - 3:41 PM Protocol: Traveling 4.41 mile(s) Checklist Comments: Mammals seen include Harbor Seals, River Otter, American Beaver, Black-tailed Deer, Townsend's Chipmunk, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Eastern cotton-tailed rabbit. 67 species (+4 other taxa) Greater White-fronted Goose 24 Cackling Goose 1500 Canada Goose 2 Trumpeter Swan 1 Northern Shoveler 125 Gadwall 2 American Wigeon 2500 Mallard 125 Northern Pintail 1200 Green-winged Teal 2000 Surf Scoter 45 Bufflehead 1 female. Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 40 Anna's Hummingbird 3 Virginia Rail 1 In the open on the freshwater side of the dike. Sora 1 Seen in the freshwater marsh south side of dike. Black-bellied Plover 4 seen from the end of the boardwalk. Killdeer 4 Wilson's Snipe 11 Greater Yellowlegs 75 Dunlin 60 Least Sandpiper 16 peep sp. 30 Short-billed Gull 15 Ring-billed Gull 120 California Gull 1 Glaucous-winged Gull 1 Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 8 Western/Glaucous-winged Gull 12 Larus sp. 300 Horned Grebe 5 Common Loon 5 Brandt's Cormorant 1 Double-crested Cormorant 25 Great Blue Heron 20 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 Seen by Laurie. Northern Harrier 5 Bald Eagle 15 Red-tailed Hawk 1 American Barn Owl 1 Seen by Steve and Ellen around 7am at the southerly barn. Barred Owl 1 Seen by many in the orchard/ play area. Belted Kingfisher 4 Downy Woodpecker 3 Northern Flicker 3 Peregrine Falcon 2 American Crow 150 Common Raven 1 Black-capped Chickadee 15 Chestnut-backed Chickadee 6 Bushtit 20 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 12 Golden-crowned Kinglet 24 Brown Creeper 2 Pacific Wren 1 Marsh Wren 5 Bewick's Wren 4 European Starling 25 American Robin 60 American Pipit 2 Pine Siskin 36 Fox Sparrow 2 Dark-eyed Junco 3 Golden-crowned Sparrow 25 White-throated Sparrow 1 Song Sparrow 19 Lincoln's Sparrow 2 Spotted Towhee 8 Western Meadowlark 1 Red-winged Blackbird 6 Orange-crowned Warbler 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler 3 View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S200043746 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 24 13:34:58 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Jay via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 24 13:35:14 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Cape May was Phenomenal! Message-ID: We have used Naturalist Journeys as guides on three trips: 1. South Texas in April, 2021 - excellent trip and guide. 2. Cape May in October, 2023 - excellent trip and guides. Dan and Rick were both outstanding guides. 3. Colombia in Jan-Feb, 2024 - We saw so many birds - 289 species. But the Naturalist Journeys guide and local guide were not great. They knew their birds but were not very accommodating to the group or very flexible. Anyway, the fall migration through Cape May is worth seeing and I would recommend using Naturalist Journeys for your trip. Hope this helps - Jay E Bellingham, WA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 24 13:41:34 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Michael Hobbs via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 24 13:41:55 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Marymoor Park (Redmond, King Co.) 2024-10-22 Message-ID: Tweets - A bit chilly to start today, with dense fog pre-dawn. It took a while, but the weather eventually cleared, leaving us under beautiful sunny skies. A really nice morning to be out. Highlights: Cackling Goose - 1500-2000, I'd guess. Huge flock landed on the grass soccer fields, with many scattered flocks flying at dawn Virginia Rail - A few of us actually got glimpses of one, while hearing another, both on the far side of the slough Ring-billed Gull - 2+ in a mixed flock of gulls at sunrise, First of Fall (FOF) Four Woodpecker Day - No sapsuckers, but saw the other four common woodpeckers Merlin - One flying to the NE White-throated Sparrow - Well marked bird with other Zonos near the Dog Area portapotties (FOF) Western Meadowlark - One heard A late scan of the lake turned up about 10 RING-NECKED DUCKS, 2 LESSER SCAUP (FOF), and 20 WESTERN GREBE that were probably birds we'd seen from the Lake Platform but which we'd been unable to identify. Misses today included American Coot, Short-billed Gull, Northern Shrike (seen 15 of the last 30 years this week), and Lincoln's Sparrow. For the day, 60 species. = Michael Hobbs = BirdMarymoor@gmail.com = www.marymoor.org/birding.htm -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sat Oct 26 16:44:54 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Jeff Fleischer via Tweeters) Date: Sat Oct 26 16:45:07 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Winter Raptor Survey Project route vacancies References: Message-ID: Hi Everyone, Several weeks ago I posted a list of vacant routes that I had for this winter?s Winter Raptor Survey Project sponsored by the East Cascades Bird Alliance (formerly Audubon Society) based in Bend, OR. I did fill some of them but still have a selection of vacant routes to choose from incase you are interested in participating in the project this winter by taking one of these routes. Here is a list of vacant WA routes and their mileage lengths : Raymond - Holcomb. 53 Aberdeen 37 Castle Rock 52 Orcas Island 34 San Juan Island 69 Moses Lake North 66 Wapato 67 Selah 51 Chatteroy 49 Kennewick South 79 Kennewick SW 54 Prosser West 91 Touchet 73 Walla Walla NW 84 Walla Walla East 53 The fact that we have 181 routes throughout WA and that we only need these 15 routes to fill the entire state for this project says volumes regarding the dedication that WA volunteers in this project put forth :). This will be our 21st survey season and we will have at least 584+ routes in the project this winter covering more that 34,000 miles of transects surveyed by over 470 primary project volunteers, it is a huge citizen science project :) To participate, I ask that our volunteers commit to one survey per month during the primary survey period from December through February. Volunteers can select survey dates each month to dovetail with their own life schedules. November and March are also available for surveying but these are optional months as they do contain migrational activity and this is a wintering project. You should have at least a pair of binoculars to help you find and ID the birds, spotting scopes are encouraged but not mandatory. If this sounds like something that you would like to do, I encourage you to email me soon so that you can hopefully cover the route(s) of your choice, I will necessarily fill these on a first come first served basis. If you make that decision, I will provide additional information and instruction to get you properly prepared for what you will be doing on these surveys. This is a fun way to enjoy winter birding while at the same time collecting valuable population data for this wonderful family of birds, I hope that you will join us this winter :). Thank you, Jeff Fleischer Project Developer / Coordinator Winter Raptor Survey Project East Cascades Bird Alliance (formerly Audubon Society) Bend, OR -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sun Oct 27 10:15:00 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Martha Jordan via Tweeters) Date: Sun Oct 27 10:15:51 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Birds of Alaska book Message-ID: I have a copy of Birds of Alaska, 1959. It is a retired Seattle Public Library copy and in moderate/poor shape. All the pages are there with some water crinkle on the lower right corners. The binding of the pages is intact. Inside the book plate says: Seattle Public Library presented by Seattle Audubon in memory of Ellsworth D. Lumley. It is FREE. Just come and pick it up or pay for the mailing (book rate). Reply offline please: mj.cygnus@gmail.com Martha Jordan 206-713-3684 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sun Oct 27 13:58:02 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Ian Paulsen via Tweeters) Date: Sun Oct 27 13:58:16 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] The Birdbooker Report Message-ID: HI ALL: I posted about 8 bird and 3 non-bird books at my blog here: https://birdbookerreport.blogspot.com/2024/10/new-titles.html sincerely Ian Paulsen Bainbridge Island, WA, USA Visit my BIRDBOOKER REPORT blog here: https://birdbookerreport.blogspot.com/ From tweeters at u.washington.edu Sun Oct 27 23:04:33 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Dan Reiff via Tweeters) Date: Sun Oct 27 23:04:37 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] BBC WILDLIFE MAGAZINE: Back from the dead: Scientists plot to resurrect the passenger pigeon - but should we really bring it back just because we can? Message-ID: <6A822D72-870D-4FAE-B97F-DB24254EFBDD@gmail.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 28 07:22:48 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Louise via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 28 07:23:02 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] BBC WILDLIFE MAGAZINE: Back from the dead: Scientists plot to resurrect the passenger pigeon - but should we really bring it back just because we can? In-Reply-To: <6A822D72-870D-4FAE-B97F-DB24254EFBDD@gmail.com> References: <6A822D72-870D-4FAE-B97F-DB24254EFBDD@gmail.com> Message-ID: Interesting article, Dan. It certainly raises a lot of questions and I can't see that fruit farmers would be pleased if passenger pigeons were restored to anything like their former numbers. But restoring species like beavers and wolves to their former habitats has proven their beneficial effects on the landscape were more dramatic than we ever thought, so maybe we should try it and see how far we can get. Louise Rutter Kirkland On Sun, Oct 27, 2024 at 11:05?PM Dan Reiff via Tweeters < tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > > *Back from the dead: Scientists plot to resurrect the passenger pigeon - > but should we really bring it back just because we can?* > Can we - and should we - bring passenger pigeons back? Helen Pilcher > investigates > > Read in BBC Wildlife Magazine: https://apple.news/A94ir0ZHRR62T51b3Y6i6Kg > > > Shared from Apple News > > Sent from my iPhone > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 28 07:39:03 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Eileen & Todd via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 28 07:39:17 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Northern Harrier behavior Message-ID: <63D69A0E-201E-4046-B6B3-323ED5CA668C@gmail.com> Hi Tweeters, I was at North Fork Access road yesterday and observed a female Northern Harrier collecting cattail fluff. From what I've read we are outside the usual nesting season. Why would she be doing this? Do they line their roosting spots with fluff? Thanks, Eileen de la Cruz From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 28 10:46:05 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (HAL MICHAEL via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 28 10:46:29 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] BBC WILDLIFE MAGAZINE: Back from the dead: Scientists plot to resurrect the passenger pigeon - but should we really bring it back just because we can? In-Reply-To: References: <6A822D72-870D-4FAE-B97F-DB24254EFBDD@gmail.com> Message-ID: <77033065.79587.1730137565699@connect.xfinity.com> While I would like to see us be able to actually "recreate" extinct taxa there needs to be a lot of thought given. Would the eastern half of North America be able to host the massive flocks? Not only does the food producing habitat likely no longer exist but could we allow a flock to fly over Chicago (say) for a day, disrupting all those flights? My understanding of Passenger Pigeon biology was that the required large breeding populations (one egg at a time) to buffer from all the losses. So if we wanted wild pigeons we would need those massive numbers. Hal Michael Board of Directors, Ecologists Without Borders http://ecowb.org/ Olympia WA 360-459-4005 360-791-7702 (C) ucd880@comcast.net > On 10/28/2024 7:22 AM PDT Louise via Tweeters wrote: > > > Interesting article, Dan. It certainly raises a lot of questions and I can't see that fruit farmers would be pleased if passenger pigeons were restored to anything like their former numbers. But restoring species like beavers and wolves to their former habitats has proven their beneficial effects on the landscape were more dramatic than we ever thought, so maybe we should try it and see how far we can get. > > Louise Rutter > Kirkland > > On Sun, Oct 27, 2024 at 11:05?PM Dan Reiff via Tweeters wrote: > > > > > Back from the dead: Scientists plot to resurrect the passenger pigeon - but should we really bring it back just because we can? > > Can we - and should we - bring passenger pigeons back? Helen Pilcher investigates > > > > Read in BBC Wildlife Magazine: https://apple.news/A94ir0ZHRR62T51b3Y6i6Kg > > > > > > Shared from Apple News https://www.apple.com/news > > > > > > Sent from my iPhone > > _______________________________________________ > > Tweeters mailing list > > Tweeters@u.washington.edu mailto:Tweeters@u.washington.edu > > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > > > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 28 13:03:53 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Jim Betz via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 28 13:03:57 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Bird Behavior - "Keeping a level head" In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi, ? A while back I posted about how I'd noticed that some sandpipers at Channel Drive were keeping their heads level in tight turns where the body and wings were essentially in the vertical plane ("on their side"). ? On our recent trip to Cape May I took a lot of pictures of various species in flight and it seems like pretty much all birds do this "all the time" (head 'parallel' to the ground even if body and/or wings are not.? Here's an interesting pic of an Osprey taken right after it began a dive ... https://eamon.smugmug.com/Family-pics-from-jim/Birds-and-Stuff-from-Jim/n-4Cw3NF/Cape-May/i-hLnmXQS/A ... and what I notice is that the bird has rotated its entire body so the underside is 'up' and the head is 'normal'.? If you think about how an Osprey dives into the water after a fish this makes a lot of sense because it can keep focused on the fish and adjust its flight path for the target (fish). ? I went back and looked at flight pics of eagles, hawks, owls, gulls and even passerines - and in every case where the body/wings were off level - the head was still "level" (not necessarily 'precisely level' level but definitely 'essentially level'). ? So, this seems like an additional feature of having a relative long neck and a head that can easily rotate relative to the shoulders/body/wings. - Jim From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 28 14:59:23 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Nick Bayard via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 28 14:59:46 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] BirdNote Daily Managing Producer Message-ID: Hello Tweets! BirdNote is hiring for the role of BirdNote Daily Managing Producer! While the role requires both bird expertise and audio production skills, we are more interested in recruiting applicants with bird expertise, as the audio production skills are easier to learn on the job. Please take a look and share with anyone you think would be interested. I'd be happy to answer any questions anyone has about the role. https://birdnote.org/work-with-us Thank you! Nick -- Nick Bayard Executive Director | He/Him [image: BirdNote] *PS: Join us for our biggest event of the year on November 14. Register here !* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 28 15:02:40 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Dennis Paulson via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 28 15:03:07 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Bird Behavior - "Keeping a level head" In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <2FC5B5D5-9EE2-4AC0-9AD3-6E24743BD2CA@comcast.net> Great that you noticed that, Jim. I have long wondered at that in birds, really makes it fun to look at photos of them in flight. the long neck is perfect for that, as well as doing a lot of other things like reaching for food or preening anywhere on their body. Dragonflies can do exactly the same thing in flight, with a very flexible joint between their head and thorax. This must afford stabilization for their vision in both groups, among other possible benefits. Another neat thing about birds is their head bobbing when they walk. Watch a pigeon or a coot, and the head seems to be bobbing all the time. What it is is that the head stays stationary while the bird advances, then moves suddenly to a new position before it advances again. Thus their head is stable for best vision most of the time. Dennis Paulson Seattle > On Oct 28, 2024, at 1:03 PM, Jim Betz via Tweeters wrote: > > Hi, > > A while back I posted about how I'd noticed that some sandpipers at Channel Drive > > were keeping their heads level in tight turns where the body and wings were essentially > > in the vertical plane ("on their side"). > > On our recent trip to Cape May I took a lot of pictures of various species in flight > > and it seems like pretty much all birds do this "all the time" (head 'parallel' to the > > ground even if body and/or wings are not. Here's an interesting pic of an Osprey > > taken right after it began a dive ... > > > https://eamon.smugmug.com/Family-pics-from-jim/Birds-and-Stuff-from-Jim/n-4Cw3NF/Cape-May/i-hLnmXQS/A > > > ... and what I notice is that the bird has rotated its entire body so the underside is 'up' and > > the head is 'normal'. If you think about how an Osprey dives into the water after a fish > > this makes a lot of sense because it can keep focused on the fish and adjust its flight path > > for the target (fish). > > > I went back and looked at flight pics of eagles, hawks, owls, gulls and even passerines - and in > > every case where the body/wings were off level - the head was still "level" (not necessarily > > 'precisely level' level but definitely 'essentially level'). > > > So, this seems like an additional feature of having a relative long neck and a head that can > > easily rotate relative to the shoulders/body/wings. > > - Jim > > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 28 17:36:08 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Dennis Paulson via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 28 17:36:14 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] chickadee abundance Message-ID: <05B802D5-4F0F-4D0F-8151-AFDCEA7EBC38@comcast.net> Hello tweets, Two of us, living several miles apart in Seattle, have noticed a substantial decline in Chestnut-backed Chickadees in our yards from their abundance this summer. Black-capped are still in the same numbers. Has anyone else seen this? Dennis Paulson Seattle From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 28 17:52:06 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Dan Reiff via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 28 17:52:31 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] chickadee abundance In-Reply-To: <05B802D5-4F0F-4D0F-8151-AFDCEA7EBC38@comcast.net> References: <05B802D5-4F0F-4D0F-8151-AFDCEA7EBC38@comcast.net> Message-ID: Hello Dennis, Yes, with Chestnut-backed Chickadees, we have experienced this every year at our home. We have Black-backed chickadees here all year. Dan Reiff MI Sent from my iPhone > On Oct 28, 2024, at 5:36?PM, Dennis Paulson via Tweeters wrote: > > ?Hello tweets, > > Two of us, living several miles apart in Seattle, have noticed a substantial decline in Chestnut-backed Chickadees in our yards from their abundance this summer. Black-capped are still in the same numbers. Has anyone else seen this? > > Dennis Paulson > Seattle > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 28 17:56:38 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (HAL MICHAEL via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 28 17:57:03 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] chickadee abundance In-Reply-To: <05B802D5-4F0F-4D0F-8151-AFDCEA7EBC38@comcast.net> References: <05B802D5-4F0F-4D0F-8151-AFDCEA7EBC38@comcast.net> Message-ID: <439454113.91102.1730163398137@connect.xfinity.com> About mid-year both species seemed to have vanished. A very few are showing up now. Both species. Don't think in banded any YOY. Actually, I think juncos and Steller's Jays are all I have seen YOY's. Not even Song Sparrow and we had lots around in previous years. Hal Michael Board of Directors,Ecologists Without Borders (http://ecowb.org/) Olympia WA 360-459-4005 360-791-7702 (C) ucd880@comcast.net > On 10/28/2024 5:36 PM PDT Dennis Paulson via Tweeters wrote: > > > Hello tweets, > > Two of us, living several miles apart in Seattle, have noticed a substantial decline in Chestnut-backed Chickadees in our yards from their abundance this summer. Black-capped are still in the same numbers. Has anyone else seen this? > > Dennis Paulson > Seattle > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 28 17:57:12 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Dennis Paulson via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 28 17:57:39 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] chickadee abundance In-Reply-To: References: <05B802D5-4F0F-4D0F-8151-AFDCEA7EBC38@comcast.net> Message-ID: <49F62414-99E7-40B7-A90A-BE372852562E@comcast.net> Dan, we still have them, but far fewer than in the summer. They were feeding their young for months, possibly two broods. I wonder if, after they breed in whatever nest holes they can find, they aggregate into winter flocks and move into habitats with a higher density of conifers than we have. Our friend also has rather few conifers in her yard. I hadn?t noticed this substantial decline before, but perhaps I just missed it. Dennis > On Oct 28, 2024, at 5:52 PM, Dan Reiff wrote: > > Hello Dennis, > Yes, with Chestnut-backed Chickadees, we have experienced this every year at our home. > We have Black-backed chickadees here all year. > Dan Reiff > MI > Sent from my iPhone > >> On Oct 28, 2024, at 5:36?PM, Dennis Paulson via Tweeters wrote: >> >> ?Hello tweets, >> >> Two of us, living several miles apart in Seattle, have noticed a substantial decline in Chestnut-backed Chickadees in our yards from their abundance this summer. Black-capped are still in the same numbers. Has anyone else seen this? >> >> Dennis Paulson >> Seattle >> _______________________________________________ >> Tweeters mailing list >> Tweeters@u.washington.edu >> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 28 17:58:12 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Constance Sidles via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 28 17:58:26 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] chickadee abundance In-Reply-To: <05B802D5-4F0F-4D0F-8151-AFDCEA7EBC38@comcast.net> References: <05B802D5-4F0F-4D0F-8151-AFDCEA7EBC38@comcast.net> Message-ID: <0121AA05-4907-41EB-B224-EFA9F18F524C@gmail.com> Dear Dennis, Cheasty Greenspace does not harbor many Chestnut-backed Chickadees, compared to Black-capped. The habitat is dense riparian woods with cleared-off areas decimated by developers building a mountain bike trail through the North Loop. Nevertheless, Chestnut-backed Chickadees do occur here - and probably breed. I'm not sure if we can detect a pattern, but here are our numbers for 2024 so far: Chestnut-backed: January: 3 February: 3 March: 7 April: 2 May: 5 June: 9 July: 4 Aug.: 5 Sept: 1 Oct. ! Black-capped in comparison: January: 18 February: 38 March: 13 April: 26 May: 10 June: 12 July: 35 Aug.: 23 Sept.: 15 Oct. 26 - Connie, Seattle > On Oct 28, 2024, at 5:36?PM, Dennis Paulson via Tweeters wrote: > > Hello tweets, > > Two of us, living several miles apart in Seattle, have noticed a substantial decline in Chestnut-backed Chickadees in our yards from their abundance this summer. Black-capped are still in the same numbers. Has anyone else seen this? > > Dennis Paulson > Seattle > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 28 17:58:35 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Dennis Paulson via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 28 17:59:01 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] chickadee abundance In-Reply-To: <439454113.91102.1730163398137@connect.xfinity.com> References: <05B802D5-4F0F-4D0F-8151-AFDCEA7EBC38@comcast.net> <439454113.91102.1730163398137@connect.xfinity.com> Message-ID: <482697FE-7D6E-4A87-A1FE-15A145083DF6@comcast.net> We have lots of Song Sparrows, as many as I have ever seen. But I wonder about avian flu. Has anyone heard about it affecting small passerines? > On Oct 28, 2024, at 5:56 PM, HAL MICHAEL wrote: > > About mid-year both species seemed to have vanished. A very few are showing up now. Both species. Don't think in banded any YOY. Actually, I think juncos and Steller's Jays are all I have seen YOY's. Not even Song Sparrow and we had lots around in previous years. > > > Hal Michael > Board of Directors,Ecologists Without Borders (http://ecowb.org/) > Olympia WA > 360-459-4005 > 360-791-7702 (C) > ucd880@comcast.net > >> On 10/28/2024 5:36 PM PDT Dennis Paulson via Tweeters wrote: >> >> >> Hello tweets, >> >> Two of us, living several miles apart in Seattle, have noticed a substantial decline in Chestnut-backed Chickadees in our yards from their abundance this summer. Black-capped are still in the same numbers. Has anyone else seen this? >> >> Dennis Paulson >> Seattle >> _______________________________________________ >> Tweeters mailing list >> Tweeters@u.washington.edu >> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 28 18:02:41 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (HAL MICHAEL via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 28 18:03:06 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] chickadee abundance In-Reply-To: <482697FE-7D6E-4A87-A1FE-15A145083DF6@comcast.net> References: <05B802D5-4F0F-4D0F-8151-AFDCEA7EBC38@comcast.net> <439454113.91102.1730163398137@connect.xfinity.com> <482697FE-7D6E-4A87-A1FE-15A145083DF6@comcast.net> Message-ID: <1110078967.91199.1730163761245@connect.xfinity.com> About midsummer all the small passerines seemed to essentially vanish from our yard. We have mixed conifer and deciduous so the two chickadees were other common, along with Songs Sparrow and dark-eyed Junco. We normally have quite a few Purple (especially) and House finches. All down. Last year was fairly low, but not this bad. Hal Michael Board of Directors,Ecologists Without Borders (http://ecowb.org/) Olympia WA 360-459-4005 360-791-7702 (C) ucd880@comcast.net > On 10/28/2024 5:58 PM PDT Dennis Paulson wrote: > > > We have lots of Song Sparrows, as many as I have ever seen. But I wonder about avian flu. Has anyone heard about it affecting small passerines? > > > On Oct 28, 2024, at 5:56 PM, HAL MICHAEL wrote: > > > > About mid-year both species seemed to have vanished. A very few are showing up now. Both species. Don't think in banded any YOY. Actually, I think juncos and Steller's Jays are all I have seen YOY's. Not even Song Sparrow and we had lots around in previous years. > > > > > > Hal Michael > > Board of Directors,Ecologists Without Borders (http://ecowb.org/) > > Olympia WA > > 360-459-4005 > > 360-791-7702 (C) > > ucd880@comcast.net > > > >> On 10/28/2024 5:36 PM PDT Dennis Paulson via Tweeters wrote: > >> > >> > >> Hello tweets, > >> > >> Two of us, living several miles apart in Seattle, have noticed a substantial decline in Chestnut-backed Chickadees in our yards from their abundance this summer. Black-capped are still in the same numbers. Has anyone else seen this? > >> > >> Dennis Paulson > >> Seattle > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Tweeters mailing list > >> Tweeters@u.washington.edu > >> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 28 19:16:36 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Doug Santoni via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 28 19:16:51 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] chickadee abundance In-Reply-To: <1110078967.91199.1730163761245@connect.xfinity.com> References: <05B802D5-4F0F-4D0F-8151-AFDCEA7EBC38@comcast.net> <439454113.91102.1730163398137@connect.xfinity.com> <482697FE-7D6E-4A87-A1FE-15A145083DF6@comcast.net> <1110078967.91199.1730163761245@connect.xfinity.com> Message-ID: <921DE319-C5AB-407A-AE88-F2FAF1C278FE@gmail.com> I have been very concerned over the past few weeks by the absence of both Chickadee species and Red-breasted Nuthatches at my backyard feeders. I?m in the Seattle area not far from the Arboretum. I?ve been happy to see lots of House Finches, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Song Sparrows, and an occasional Spotted Towhee. But I hope the chickadees and nuthatches will come back! Doug Santoni Seattle, WA Dougsantoni at gmail dot com > On Oct 28, 2024, at 6:02?PM, HAL MICHAEL via Tweeters wrote: > > About midsummer all the small passerines seemed to essentially vanish from our yard. We have mixed conifer and deciduous so the two chickadees were other common, along with Songs Sparrow and dark-eyed Junco. We normally have quite a few Purple (especially) and House finches. All down. > > Last year was fairly low, but not this bad. > > > Hal Michael > Board of Directors,Ecologists Without Borders (http://ecowb.org/) > Olympia WA > 360-459-4005 > 360-791-7702 (C) > ucd880@comcast.net > >> On 10/28/2024 5:58 PM PDT Dennis Paulson wrote: >> >> >> We have lots of Song Sparrows, as many as I have ever seen. But I wonder about avian flu. Has anyone heard about it affecting small passerines? >> >>> On Oct 28, 2024, at 5:56 PM, HAL MICHAEL wrote: >>> >>> About mid-year both species seemed to have vanished. A very few are showing up now. Both species. Don't think in banded any YOY. Actually, I think juncos and Steller's Jays are all I have seen YOY's. Not even Song Sparrow and we had lots around in previous years. >>> >>> >>> Hal Michael >>> Board of Directors,Ecologists Without Borders (http://ecowb.org/) >>> Olympia WA >>> 360-459-4005 >>> 360-791-7702 (C) >>> ucd880@comcast.net >>> >>>> On 10/28/2024 5:36 PM PDT Dennis Paulson via Tweeters wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>> Hello tweets, >>>> >>>> Two of us, living several miles apart in Seattle, have noticed a substantial decline in Chestnut-backed Chickadees in our yards from their abundance this summer. Black-capped are still in the same numbers. Has anyone else seen this? >>>> >>>> Dennis Paulson >>>> Seattle >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Tweeters mailing list >>>> Tweeters@u.washington.edu >>>> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 28 19:38:07 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Shelf Life Community Story Project via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 28 19:38:22 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] chickadee abundance In-Reply-To: <921DE319-C5AB-407A-AE88-F2FAF1C278FE@gmail.com> References: <05B802D5-4F0F-4D0F-8151-AFDCEA7EBC38@comcast.net> <439454113.91102.1730163398137@connect.xfinity.com> <482697FE-7D6E-4A87-A1FE-15A145083DF6@comcast.net> <1110078967.91199.1730163761245@connect.xfinity.com> <921DE319-C5AB-407A-AE88-F2FAF1C278FE@gmail.com> Message-ID: I live in Seattle's Central District. We have A LOT of Black Capped Chickadees right now and had more Chestnut Backed than usual over the summer. On Mon, Oct 28, 2024, 7:17?PM Doug Santoni via Tweeters < tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > I have been very concerned over the past few weeks by the absence of both > Chickadee species and Red-breasted Nuthatches at my backyard feeders. I?m > in the Seattle area not far from the Arboretum. I?ve been happy to see lots > of House Finches, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Song Sparrows, and an occasional > Spotted Towhee. But I hope the chickadees and nuthatches will come back! > > Doug Santoni > Seattle, WA > Dougsantoni at gmail dot com > > > > On Oct 28, 2024, at 6:02?PM, HAL MICHAEL via Tweeters < > tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > > > > About midsummer all the small passerines seemed to essentially vanish > from our yard. We have mixed conifer and deciduous so the two chickadees > were other common, along with Songs Sparrow and dark-eyed Junco. We > normally have quite a few Purple (especially) and House finches. All down. > > > > Last year was fairly low, but not this bad. > > > > > > Hal Michael > > Board of Directors,Ecologists Without Borders (http://ecowb.org/) > > Olympia WA > > 360-459-4005 > > 360-791-7702 (C) > > ucd880@comcast.net > > > >> On 10/28/2024 5:58 PM PDT Dennis Paulson > wrote: > >> > >> > >> We have lots of Song Sparrows, as many as I have ever seen. But I > wonder about avian flu. Has anyone heard about it affecting small > passerines? > >> > >>> On Oct 28, 2024, at 5:56 PM, HAL MICHAEL wrote: > >>> > >>> About mid-year both species seemed to have vanished. A very few are > showing up now. Both species. Don't think in banded any YOY. Actually, I > think juncos and Steller's Jays are all I have seen YOY's. Not even Song > Sparrow and we had lots around in previous years. > >>> > >>> > >>> Hal Michael > >>> Board of Directors,Ecologists Without Borders (http://ecowb.org/) > >>> Olympia WA > >>> 360-459-4005 > >>> 360-791-7702 (C) > >>> ucd880@comcast.net > >>> > >>>> On 10/28/2024 5:36 PM PDT Dennis Paulson via Tweeters < > tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> Hello tweets, > >>>> > >>>> Two of us, living several miles apart in Seattle, have noticed a > substantial decline in Chestnut-backed Chickadees in our yards from their > abundance this summer. Black-capped are still in the same numbers. Has > anyone else seen this? > >>>> > >>>> Dennis Paulson > >>>> Seattle > >>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>> Tweeters mailing list > >>>> Tweeters@u.washington.edu > >>>> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > > _______________________________________________ > > Tweeters mailing list > > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 28 20:08:21 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Diann MacRae via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 28 20:08:26 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] chickadee abundance Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Mon Oct 28 22:47:33 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Hans-Joachim Feddern via Tweeters) Date: Mon Oct 28 22:47:55 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] chickadee abundance In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I have noticed the same thing in my yard here in Twin Lakes/Federal Way. I used to have more Chestnut-backed Chickadees than Black-cappeds. Now I have small numbers of Black-cappeds and maybe a couple of nuthatches. I thought maybe the neighborhood Cooper's Hawk or my neighbor's cats made my yard too dangerous. I still see a few Chestnut-backeds on my walks, but something appears to be going on! I have always wondered what happens to Anna's Hummingbirds, Red-winged Blackbird and even European Starlings, but never Chickadees. These three species have started to reappear now, but it happens every summer. I wonder if Chestnut-backeds have a different food source, even though both species seem to be quite happy with sunflower seeds and suet. Hans On Mon, Oct 28, 2024 at 8:08?PM Diann MacRae via Tweeters < tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > Hi, Tweets > > Where I am in Bothell is heavily forested and I've been noting a real lack > of small passerines the past few weeks. There are a few of most of the > regulars but nowhere near as many as usual. I just have been wondering if > it's the rather warmer weather that's hanging on. Perhaps when it really > starts getting colder they'll be back. I even have several different kinds > of flowers still blooming; by now I have usually brought most plants (that > need it) in for the winter. But our owls are still around!! > > Cheers, Diann > > Diann MacRae > Olympic Vulture Study > 22622 - 53rd Avenue S.E. > Bothell, WA 98021 > tvulture@gmx.com > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -- *Hans Feddern* Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA thefedderns@gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 29 08:49:49 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Jim Betz via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 29 08:49:54 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Looking for Advice ... In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <7555c94f-7d8d-4dcd-9bc2-504773432d28@jimbetz.com> Hi all, ? I'm finally ready to actually do something about upgrading from Elements.? However, all of the candidate software (Photoshop, Lightroom, and DXO) that are currently under consideration involve considerable time in just learning them. ?===> So I'm looking for someone who has relatively recently moved from Elements to something ?????????? better - to answer to questions such as: ? 1) What package did you choose?? And why? ? 2) What tutorial/learning aid did you use?? And was it helpful? ? 3) How long did it take you to get from where you were using Elements to being ????? "functionally equivalent" on the new one?? Days?? Weeks? Months? ? 4) What about the time to become functional on some/most of the new features ????? (i.e. 'better than Elements")? ? 5) Have you stopped using Elements entirely?? How long did that take? ? 6) And since 98% of what I do is birding pics - what advantages did you get from the ?????? change to a new package? ? Direct replies to me - as opposed to the list - are welcome. jim betz at jim betz dot com ??????????????????????????? - thanks ... Jim From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 29 09:06:13 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Rob Faucett via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 29 09:06:44 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Looking for Advice ... In-Reply-To: <7555c94f-7d8d-4dcd-9bc2-504773432d28@jimbetz.com> References: <7555c94f-7d8d-4dcd-9bc2-504773432d28@jimbetz.com> Message-ID: <5133F265-C108-4070-AF3F-CD84826A0AE7@mac.com> Hi Jim - There are MUCH better forums for this. rcf ? Rob Faucett +1(206) 619-5569 robfaucett@mac.com Seattle, WA 98105 > On Oct 29, 2024, at 8:50?AM, Jim Betz via Tweeters wrote: > > ?Hi all, > > > I'm finally ready to actually do something about upgrading from Elements. However, all of > > the candidate software (Photoshop, Lightroom, and DXO) that are currently under consideration > > involve considerable time in just learning them. > > > ===> So I'm looking for someone who has relatively recently moved from Elements to something > > better - to answer to questions such as: > > > 1) What package did you choose? And why? > > 2) What tutorial/learning aid did you use? And was it helpful? > > 3) How long did it take you to get from where you were using Elements to being > > "functionally equivalent" on the new one? Days? Weeks? Months? > > 4) What about the time to become functional on some/most of the new features > > (i.e. 'better than Elements")? > > 5) Have you stopped using Elements entirely? How long did that take? > > 6) And since 98% of what I do is birding pics - what advantages did you get from the > > change to a new package? > > > Direct replies to me - as opposed to the list - are welcome. jim betz at jim betz dot com > > > - thanks ... Jim > > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 29 14:43:02 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Mark Egger via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 29 14:43:18 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] chickadee abundance Message-ID: Interesting discussion! Chickadees are a long-time favorite of mine, so I pay close attention to them on an almost daily basis. I don?t keep a feeder, to avoid drawing cats and rats and to reduce dependence of such things, but I do maintain a bird bath, changing the water daily, especially in the dry months. We have both CBs and BCs in good numbers in the neighborhood (just N of Matthews Beach), and both species continue to be present and visit the water source daily, usually multiple times each day, usually in small, single species groups, though other times both arriving about the same time. I have not noticed a significant decline, though it makes sense that they might move on to other water sources when the rains begin. The CBs actually respond when I imitate their ?tsika-dee-dee? call or their ?agonistic? vocalization after filling the bath with fresh water, flying in to the adjacent apple tree to check things out. Also interesting is that they apparently never actually bathe in the ?bath? but just perch on the rim and dip for drinks. But I have definitely noticed the reported increase in Song Sparrow numbers locally, and they and the towhees seem to prefer bathing over drinking, reinforcing the need for daily cleaning, as they often leave feces in the water while bathing. Long live the Paridae! Mark From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 29 14:59:55 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Rob Faucett via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 29 15:00:24 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] chickadee abundance In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <7BE7FBE8-EEA7-447D-9246-350203DA19DC@mac.com> We?ve had three chickadee nests in our yard for fifteen years. None for the last two. Reminder of the importance of documenting what you DONT see!! Good birding!! Rob ? Rob Faucett +1(206) 619-5569 robfaucett@mac.com Seattle, WA 98105 > On Oct 29, 2024, at 2:43?PM, Mark Egger via Tweeters wrote: > > ?Interesting discussion! Chickadees are a long-time favorite of mine, so I pay close attention to them on an almost daily basis. I don?t keep a feeder, to avoid drawing cats and rats and to reduce dependence of such things, but I do maintain a bird bath, changing the water daily, especially in the dry months. We have both CBs and BCs in good numbers in the neighborhood (just N of Matthews Beach), and both species continue to be present and visit the water source daily, usually multiple times each day, usually in small, single species groups, though other times both arriving about the same time. I have not noticed a significant decline, though it makes sense that they might move on to other water sources when the rains begin. The CBs actually respond when I imitate their ?tsika-dee-dee? call or their ?agonistic? vocalization after filling the bath with fresh water, flying in to the adjacent apple tree to check things out. Also interesting is that they apparently never actually bathe in the ?bath? but just perch on the rim and dip for drinks. But I have definitely noticed the reported increase in Song Sparrow numbers locally, and they and the towhees seem to prefer bathing over drinking, reinforcing the need for daily cleaning, as they often leave feces in the water while bathing. Long live the Paridae! > > Mark > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 29 17:13:44 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Valerie Anderson via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 29 17:13:58 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Chickadee abundance Message-ID: Tweets, I posted on this forum maybe 2 months ago about a sudden disappearance of Chickadees (Black capped and Chestnut Backed), along with Nuthatches, House Finches, etc. We had a huge number of Chickadees particularly Chestnut Backed, over the summer. Then one day: POOF! Now just a few Black Capped, Juncos and a few Sparrows (Song and Golden Crowned). It pains me to think they were wiped out?? I had hoped it was a fluke, but seems pretty widespread based on all of the responses to Dennis's post. Valerie Anderson Olympia -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 29 22:41:38 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 29 22:42:04 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Chickadee abundance In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <873ACDF0B4D64E34869F48505E3C253B@markPC2> Here in Shoreline, at my (now reduced) feeders, with and active flowing water feature with multiple different bathing and drinking sites, as well a large, lush landscape filled with well-watered lawns and gardens with 1000+ species of plants, I have noticed no disappearance of chickadees or any other breeding/seasonally or altitudinal migratory passerines. I have so many small bugs (though notably less larger insects), I have actually more breeding and regularly occurring year round birds than ever before, even with a dramatic increase in smaller urban raptors?marlins, Cooper?s,and sharp-shinned hawks. I have learned to move my feeders and bird houses around to stir things up. All species have memories and can learn quickly and transfer knowledge between generations, so stir it up to keep it more like nature itself. Lots of berries, seed pods, dense evergreens for roosting. More nuthatches, chickadees, robins, juncos,sparrows, wrens, towhees,kinglets, and brown creepers than ever before. I guess it?s an oasis, next to an actively maintained graveyard, and the more you stir things up , the more the ecosystem responds. There has been a dramatic decrease in migratory bird stops, but Shoreline is cutting down trees as fast as it can for new dense pack development, with lots more lights and noise and high rise buildings.. Ravens are now nesting two doors up, so that is suppressing the crows which predate the smaller birds. Crows mess with raptors but not with ravens. And I actively terminate/trap/discourage all non-native mammals as well as those allowed as nuisance species. Coyotes are now helping out with the outdoors cats. Also It has been an extremely dry fall, so birds are moving around. My biggest landscape client, the historic Boeing mansion, has also an overall increase in most year-round, seasonal breeding, and winter birds (crossbills now). This neighborhood is an obvious oasis. If I were to name a decreasing bird group for me this year in my patch, it would be the Piciformes, and I would attribute that to raptors Mark Tomboulian Shoreline, WA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ Tweeters mailing list Tweeters@u.washington.edu http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Tue Oct 29 23:05:45 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Bob Boekelheide via Tweeters) Date: Tue Oct 29 23:06:01 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Chickadee abundance Message-ID: <1766DE97-7B68-4930-82E5-10FD59E80AB5@olympus.net> Hi Dennis & Tweets, Your chickadee question inspired me to look at some data. At Railroad Bridge Park in Sequim, where we have a weekly Wednesday bird survey, both chickadees and nuthatches seem to be doing quite well this fall. We conduct the survey along the same 0.75 mi section of trail every week, during the same morning time period. Here are some comparisons of mean numbers of chickadees and nuthatches just for September/October surveys for the last ten years. For the ten years, Sep/Oct 2024 scores the second-highest year for Black-capped Chickadees, the third-highest year for Chestnut-backed Chickadees, and the second-highest year for Red-breasted Nuthatches. The standard deviations are fairly large for some of these years, so there are likely not many statistically significant differences ? I?m just looking at general trends. Hope these format okay. 2015 (N=9 surveys): BCCH mean=4.3, SD=3.4; CBBH mean=8.5, SD=6.5; RBNU mean=3.8, SD=1.9 2016 (N=8 surveys): BCCH mean=5.6, SD=1.6; CBCH mean=7.8, SD=5.4; RBNU mean=2.9, SD=1.1 2017 (N=8 surveys): BCCH mean=5.6, SD=3.0; CBCH mean=11.9, SD=8.5; RBNU mean=3.9, SD=1.0 2018 (N=9 surveys): BCCH mean=7.4, SD=2.4; CBCH mean=14.2, SD=8.4; RBNU mean=8.2, SD=3.8 2019 (N=9 surveys): BCCH mean=8.3, SD=2.9; CBCH mean=15.0, SD=10.5; RBNU mean=4.8, SD=1.6 2020 (N=9 surveys): BCCH mean=12.0, SD=5.4; CBCH mean=13.1, SD=9.0; RBNU mean=8.2, SD=3.5 2021 (N=9 surveys): BCCH mean=8.6, SD=3.1; CBCH mean=9.3, SD=7.8; RBNU mean=4.5, SD=2.2 2022 (N=8 surveys): BCCH mean=9.1, SD=5.8; CBCH mean=11.9, SD=5.9; RBNU mean=10.6, SD=2.8 2023 (N=8 surveys): BCCH mean=9.8, SD=4.1; CBCH mean=8.0, SD=2.7; RBNU mean=7.1, SD=2.9 2024 (N=8 surveys, so far): BCCH mean=11.1, SD=4.4; CBCH mean=13.4, SD=4.4; RBNU mean=10.3, SD=4.8 To compare this fall with last summer, it looks like the average counts for all three species are higher during Sep/Oct 2024 compared with July/August 2024. Here are the Jul/Aug numbers: 2024 Jul/Aug (N=9) BCCH mean=4.9, SD=1.5; CBCH mean=11.2, SD=5.5; RBNU mean=7.9, SD=3.5 From these data, this local population of Chestnut-backed Chickadees seems to be holding its own or slightly increasing this fall compared with summer. It?s not declining, anyway, particularly compared with other years. Hope this helps. Best, Bob Boekelheide Dungeness From: Dennis Paulson via Tweeters > Subject: [Tweeters] chickadee abundance Date: October 28, 2024 at 5:36:08?PM PDT To: TWEETERS tweeters > Reply-To: Dennis Paulson > Hello tweets, Two of us, living several miles apart in Seattle, have noticed a substantial decline in Chestnut-backed Chickadees in our yards from their abundance this summer. Black-capped are still in the same numbers. Has anyone else seen this? Dennis Paulson Seattle -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 30 10:45:07 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Trileigh Tucker via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 30 10:45:24 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] OT: New Orleans birding recommendations Message-ID: Hi Tweets, I?ve just discovered that I?ll likely have a day or two to go birding in the vicinity of New Orleans in mid-April. I?ve never been birding in that part of the Gulf Coast, so this is really exciting. I?d love to get your recommendations for places to bird, for excellent guides, and for places to stay that are convenient for great birding. We?ll be in NOLA for a wedding just beforehand, but can rent a car and stay elsewhere afterwards for birding purposes. Thanks in advance, Trileigh Trileigh Tucker Pelly Valley, West Seattle NaturalPresenceArts.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 30 11:24:52 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Hubbell via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 30 11:25:38 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Union Bay Watch } Trick or Treat - GCKI + Message-ID: <689F076C-A45D-4C01-89B3-C318C3B5D42E@comcast.net> Tweeters, I hope you enjoy this little Halloween treat! https://unionbaywatch.blogspot.com/2024/10/trick-or-treat.html Have a great day on Union Bay, where nature lives in the city and Black Birders are welcome! Larry Hubbell ldhubbell at comcast dot net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 30 11:35:11 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Ellen Cohen via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 30 11:35:18 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Crows References: <633055849.3051705.1730313311968.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <633055849.3051705.1730313311968@mail.yahoo.com> Just in time for Halloween:If You Think You Can Hold a Grudge, Consider the Crow | | | | | | | | | | | If You Think You Can Hold a Grudge, Consider the Crow The brainy birds carry big chips on their shoulders, scientists say. And some people who become subjects of thei... | | | -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 30 14:04:35 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Stacey T via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 30 14:04:50 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] OT -- New Orleans birding recommendations In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1103BFD3-64DD-4CCA-A52B-C68D450C68B1@gmail.com> Hi Trileigh and Tweets, My husband and I were in New Orleans 3 weeks ago for a long weekend of birding. We were amazed at the number of excellent birding spots within city limits. Our favorite spots were: City Park, Scout Island ? This area has a large meadow surrounded by forest and water. There?s a nice trail around the island that will take you through all of the different habitats. We saw several hawk species, at least 8 different warbler species, woodpeckers, herons, tanagers, grosbeaks, and bunting, among many other things. Dense birdlife, to say the least. Lots of other birders here too. City Park, Couturie Forest ? Mostly forested with good views of the surrounding water. Similar sightings to Scout island, although we saw more vireo and tanger species here. Audubon Park, Audubon Park Trail ?A bit more urban than City Park, similar feel to Greenlake with paved trails through grassy areas, scattered trees, and views of waterways. Bird Island is inaccessible to people but viewable from the trail. Lots of ducks, warblers, ibis, anhinga, and egrets. Bayou Sauvage, Maxent Levee ? A short boardwalk through the bayou. It was scorching mid-day but beautiful morning and evening. Egrets, woodpeckers, warblers, and much more. Keep your eyes on the sky for flyovers from spoonbills, glossy/white-faced ibis, and pelicans. Bayou Sauvage, Lake Levee ? An out and back hike, the trail is next to wetlands on either side but good visibility is often obstructed by trees or the levee itself. If on foot, bring a scope (this was the only place on this list where we felt like we really needed it). There is a boat launch at the start of the trail, so we were wondering if a kayak was the better way to go here. Also, you will need an SUV to get to the trailhead as the dirt road was quite potholed in the beginning, a 4x4 might be required if it?s been raining. This is a well-known hotspot among locals. We were only there for 4 days but met several birders in various locations throughout City Park, all of them very friendly and eager to pass on the days unusual/rare sightings. Enjoy your trip! Stacey Magnolia, Seattle From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 30 16:54:09 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 30 16:54:35 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] OT -- New Orleans birding recommendations In-Reply-To: <1103BFD3-64DD-4CCA-A52B-C68D450C68B1@gmail.com> References: <1103BFD3-64DD-4CCA-A52B-C68D450C68B1@gmail.com> Message-ID: <012901db2b27$03a3d8b0$0aeb8a10$@comcast.net> Trileigh, We were there in April 2019 for a few days before heading over to Dauphin Island, Alabama. If you're looking for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Big Branch NWR, Boy Scout Rd. (on the north side of Lake Pontchartrain) is quite a reliable spot. When we there, some of the local folks were walking their dogs in that area and were eager to point them out to us. They were very close to the parking area. There was also a boardwalk that was quite good for birds. We also stayed on and birded Grand Isle, LA. (2+ hours south of N.O.). It is a barrier island and was a great birding spot also. Just watch out for all that fried food that they love to serve there. Have fun in the bayou, Don -----Original Message----- From: Tweeters On Behalf Of Stacey T via Tweeters Sent: Wednesday, October 30, 2024 2:05 PM To: tweeters@u.washington.edu; tweeters-request@mailman11.u.washington.edu Subject: Re: [Tweeters] OT -- New Orleans birding recommendations Hi Trileigh and Tweets, My husband and I were in New Orleans 3 weeks ago for a long weekend of birding. We were amazed at the number of excellent birding spots within city limits. Our favorite spots were: City Park, Scout Island - This area has a large meadow surrounded by forest and water. There's a nice trail around the island that will take you through all of the different habitats. We saw several hawk species, at least 8 different warbler species, woodpeckers, herons, tanagers, grosbeaks, and bunting, among many other things. Dense birdlife, to say the least. Lots of other birders here too. City Park, Couturie Forest - Mostly forested with good views of the surrounding water. Similar sightings to Scout island, although we saw more vireo and tanger species here. Audubon Park, Audubon Park Trail -A bit more urban than City Park, similar feel to Greenlake with paved trails through grassy areas, scattered trees, and views of waterways. Bird Island is inaccessible to people but viewable from the trail. Lots of ducks, warblers, ibis, anhinga, and egrets. Bayou Sauvage, Maxent Levee - A short boardwalk through the bayou. It was scorching mid-day but beautiful morning and evening. Egrets, woodpeckers, warblers, and much more. Keep your eyes on the sky for flyovers from spoonbills, glossy/white-faced ibis, and pelicans. Bayou Sauvage, Lake Levee - An out and back hike, the trail is next to wetlands on either side but good visibility is often obstructed by trees or the levee itself. If on foot, bring a scope (this was the only place on this list where we felt like we really needed it). There is a boat launch at the start of the trail, so we were wondering if a kayak was the better way to go here. Also, you will need an SUV to get to the trailhead as the dirt road was quite potholed in the beginning, a 4x4 might be required if it's been raining. This is a well-known hotspot among locals. We were only there for 4 days but met several birders in various locations throughout City Park, all of them very friendly and eager to pass on the days unusual/rare sightings. Enjoy your trip! Stacey Magnolia, Seattle _______________________________________________ Tweeters mailing list Tweeters@u.washington.edu http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters From tweeters at u.washington.edu Wed Oct 30 17:29:49 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (via Tweeters) Date: Wed Oct 30 17:29:53 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] =?utf-8?q?REMINDER=3A_WOS_Monthly_Meeting=2C_November_?= =?utf-8?q?4=2C_2024?= Message-ID: <20241031002949.1901.qmail@s401.sureserver.com> The Washington Ornithological Society (WOS) is pleased to announce our next Monthly Meeting: on Monday, November 4, Loma Pendergraft, Ph.D., will present, ?Clever, Curious, and Charismatic Crows.? The antics of crows, ravens, and other Corvids?have captivated our imaginations throughout history. Many of our myths, legends and stories revolve around the astonishing brainpower these birds possess. But what is fact and what is fiction? Join us while we discuss fun facts about crows, the capabilities (and limits) of their intelligence, and the research that scientists at the University of Washington have conducted on these fascinating birds.? Loma Pendergraft earned his Ph.D. studying crow behavior at the University of Washington. He currently works for the UW as an instructor of animal behavior and wildlife science. Visit his website: https://lomapendergraft.com This meeting will be conducted virtually, via Zoom (no in-person attendance). Sign-in will begin at 7:15 pm, and the meeting commences at 7:30 pm. Please go to the WOS Monthly Meetings page: https://wos.org/monthly-meetings/ for instructions on participation and to get the Zoom link. When joining the meeting, we ask that you mute your device and make certain that your camera is turned off. This meeting is open to all as WOS invites everyone in the wider birding community to attend. Thanks to the generosity of our presenters, recordings of past programs are available at the following link to the WOS YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@washingtonornithologicalso7839/videos If you are not yet a member of WOS, we hope you will consider becoming one at https://wos.org Please join us! Elaine Chuang WOS Program Support From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 31 14:15:55 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Kenneth Brown via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 31 14:16:21 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Wednesday walk at Nisqually. Message-ID: <766445976.146251.1730409355422@connect.xfinity.com> Five of us decided, independently, to arrive more than an hour early in hopes of catching the Barn Owl out hunting. We walked out to the twin barns viewing platform in the dark. The sky was overcast, the moon not visible. About 15 minutes after our arrival, still in twilight, we were rewarded with a sight of the owl as it made a few low passes over the field west of the barns and then flew directly into the box high up on the west side of the southerly barn. Within 5 minutes, another owl approached from the north, flew directly over us and then off to the west. This bird was a bit bulkier than the Barn Owl, and from underneath, much darker in color, a Barred Owl. Two owls before 7:30 am, more than enough compensation for an hour less sleep. After returning to the Visitor's Center deck to begin the scheduled walk, there was a sudden cacophony of crows, about 75 of them mobbing another Barred Owl that had just landed in the maple just north of the deck. The mob was successful in driving off the owl fairly quickly, but most of the participants (crows and birders) got a good look before it left. The sky was mostly overcast as we began but to the south of us a patch of clouds were lit up fiery red, reminiscent of that old mariner's adage, "red sky at night, sailor's delight, red sky in morning, sailors take warning." The warning was accurate as it began to rain, lightly at first, but heavier as the day wore on, and a cold wind stirred up. Over the flooded field south of the bend in the access road, we watched a Peregrine Falcon swoop through a large flock of blackbirds then take it's prey to a bare tree to the west where it was dismantled and consumed. Out on the freshwater side of the dike we were treated again to prolonged sightings of a pair of adult Virginia Rails. Dunlin are increasing in number, waterfowl are returning in force, Green-winged Teal, Pintail and Wigeon in particular. Notable misses: no Fox Sparrow, no Waxwings, no Warblers or Grebes of any kind. The complete checklist follows: Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US Oct 30, 2024 7:01 AM - 3:29 PM Protocol: Traveling 6.23 mile(s) Checklist Comments: Wednesday Walk. It was mostly cloudy in the morning with a beautiful sunrise, but the rain began lightly at 8:30, turning heavier in the afternoon with south winds from 5-12 knots. Temperatures ranged from 43-47? Fahrenheit. An 11.5-foot High Tide at 5:38 a.m. ebbed toward a +4.8-foot low water at 11:11 a.m. Non-bird animals seen included Columbian Black-tailed Deer, Townsend?s Chipmunk, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Coyote, Harbor Seal, and Pacific Chorus Frog. 59 species (+5 other taxa) Cackling Goose (minima) 1575 Cackling Goose (Taverner's) 45 Canada Goose 38 Northern Shoveler 14 American Wigeon 450 Mallard 150 Northern Pintail 875 Green-winged Teal 2100 * Flagged as high count. Counted 10x10s, then by 100s; likely an underestimate. dabbling duck sp. 300 Surf Scoter 8 Nisqually Reach Bufflehead 23 Hooded Merganser 4 Two in Visitors' Center pond; two in McAllister Creek Common Merganser 1 McAllister Creek Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 34 Entrance gate area Virginia Rail 3 Watched two adults foraging in cattail marsh; a third bird vocalized American Coot 1 Killdeer 1 Wilson's Snipe 14 Spotted Sandpiper 2 East bank of McAllister Creek Greater Yellowlegs 18 Dunlin 275 Surge plain Least Sandpiper 4 McAllister Creek Short-billed Gull 30 Ring-billed Gull 170 Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 6 Western/Glaucous-winged Gull 20 Iceland Gull (Thayer's) 1 Adult type with Relatively more slender-bill with less of a gonydeal angle than nearby "Olympic" Gulls. Off-black primaries, head with light/moderate grey streaking Common Loon 3 One in McAllister Creek; 2 on Nisqually Reach Brandt's Cormorant 5 Nisqually Reach channel marker Double-crested Cormorant 24 Great Blue Heron 16 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 Immature Cooper's Hawk 2 Immature on surge plain and an adult along the river. Northern Harrier 1 Bald Eagle 6 Red-tailed Hawk (calurus/alascensis) 2 American Barn Owl 1 Foraging bird seen from Twin Barns overlook at 07:17; flew directly into the box on the South Barn Barred Owl 2 One at Twin Barns overlook at 07:23; another at the Visitors' Center being chased by crows at 07:59 Belted Kingfisher 3 Downy Woodpecker (Pacific) 1 Northern Flicker 3 Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 2 Merlin 1 Immature bird Peregrine Falcon 1 Adult bird caught a red-winged blackbird from large flock flying over south fields American Crow 105 Common Raven 1 Black-capped Chickadee 30 Chestnut-backed Chickadee 2 Bushtit (Pacific) 19 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 18 Golden-crowned Kinglet 12 Brown Creeper 2 Marsh Wren 4 Bewick's Wren 7 European Starling 15 American Robin 15 American Pipit 2 Pine Siskin 145 Several large flocks Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 2 White-crowned Sparrow (pugetensis) 1 Golden-crowned Sparrow 10 Song Sparrow (rufina Group) 32 Spotted Towhee (oregonus Group) 3 Red-winged Blackbird 225 View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S200917717 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 31 15:58:56 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Hank Heiberg via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 31 15:59:11 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Port Townsend In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Finally we were able to travel to Port Townsend to see the Red-footed Booby. It was a magical trip. In addition to seeing the Booby we saw Orcas from the Edmonds to Kingston ferry, https://www.flickr.com/photos/ljcouple/54095039197/in/dateposted/ incredible lighting, https://www.flickr.com/photos/ljcouple/54100576922/in/dateposted/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/ljcouple/54103646446/in/dateposted/ and close up views of many of our favorite birds. Here is a Black Oystercatcher. https://www.flickr.com/photos/ljcouple/54102782907/in/dateposted/ Photo album for the trip: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ljcouple/albums/72177720321604615/ eBird Trip Report https://ebird.org/tripreport/287249 Hank & Karen Heiberg Issaquah, WA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 31 16:49:30 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Michael Hobbs via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 31 16:50:01 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Marymoor Park (Redmond, King Co.) 2024-10-31 Message-ID: Tweets - The Halloween/Samhain edition of the survey definitely showed things moving more into winter mode, though we are still waiting for our winter diving ducks. The temps were in the 40's, and felt colder for the first couple of hours, but things cleared to a really nice morning. It was birdy most of the time. Highlights: Greater White-fronted Goose - Eight Cackling Goose - At least 2000 Trumpeter Swan - A flyby of 7, with a flyby of 4 later, both heading towards the lake. First of Fall (FOF). One or two swans looked smaller ?!? Red-breasted Sapsucker - One at the Rowing Club; first in 6 weeks, and only our 4th since July Cedar Waxwing - Good-sized flock(s) Pine Siskin - Good-sized flocks White-throated Sparrow - One near the Dog Area portapotties with WCSPs and GCSPs for the 2nd straight week Western Meadowlark - At least one on the grass & gravel lot in the NE We had some duck flybys early on, when the light was terrible; we may have had Northern Shoveler. Possibly there were Northern Pintail or Green-winged Teal from the Lake Platform, and there was also a very distant line of birds that may have been diving ducks. But none of these could be confirmed. Misses today included Bufflehead, Northern Shrike, Bushtit, and Red-winged Blackbird. For the day, 61 species. = Michael Hobbs = BirdMarymoor@gmail.com = www.marymoor.org/birding.htm -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 31 16:51:56 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Alan Roedell via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 31 16:52:12 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Port Townsend In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Great photos. Thanks. On Thu, Oct 31, 2024, 3:59?PM Hank Heiberg via Tweeters < tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote: > Finally we were able to travel to Port Townsend to see the Red-footed > Booby. It was a magical trip. In addition to seeing the Booby we saw > Orcas from the Edmonds to Kingston ferry, > > https://www.flickr.com/photos/ljcouple/54095039197/in/dateposted/ > > incredible lighting, > > https://www.flickr.com/photos/ljcouple/54100576922/in/dateposted/ > > https://www.flickr.com/photos/ljcouple/54103646446/in/dateposted/ > > and close up views of many of our favorite birds. Here is a Black > Oystercatcher. > > https://www.flickr.com/photos/ljcouple/54102782907/in/dateposted/ > > Photo album for the trip: > > https://www.flickr.com/photos/ljcouple/albums/72177720321604615/ > > eBird Trip Report > > https://ebird.org/tripreport/287249 > > Hank & Karen Heiberg > Issaquah, WA > > > > _______________________________________________ > Tweeters mailing list > Tweeters@u.washington.edu > http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 31 17:30:18 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (MDCarmody@comcast.net via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 31 17:30:54 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] FREE copies of Birding Magazines - simply pick them up Message-ID: <40455EA7-EAA5-4EE5-BC26-9E350ADF820C@comcast.net> I am downsizing now at 70+ years of age. I have 100+ back issues of Birding Magazine, WA Birder, Cotinga, Euphonia, and more? over 30-years of publications. FREE? simply arrange pick-up at your convenience of date, time, & Spokane area location. Mdcarmody@comcast.net Michael & Susan Carmody Legacy Tours PO Box 8156 Spokane WA 99203 509-624-1889 MDCarmody@comcast.net https://legacy-tours.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 31 18:56:23 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (Tom Benedict via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 31 18:56:39 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Geese Still Headed South Message-ID: <31CF22B8-D05D-48C5-81F7-CBF7493298A1@comcast.net> I heard some very faint cackling overhead this morning so I looked up to see a skein of 120-150 geese flying south bound very high over the Puget Sound shoreline here in Seahurst (Burien, WA). They were tiny black objects against high overcast and I couldn?t identify them beyond ?goose?. We have a small (20-25) flock of ?local? Canada Geese which seem to be around all year, but these were definitely a migrating flock. I wonder how high they get on the daytime journeys. These were very high. Tom Benedict Seahurst, WA From tweeters at u.washington.edu Thu Oct 31 21:37:53 2024 From: tweeters at u.washington.edu (B B via Tweeters) Date: Thu Oct 31 21:38:02 2024 Subject: [Tweeters] Galapagos Islands Blog References: <900393052.4843484.1730435873914.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <900393052.4843484.1730435873914@mail.yahoo.com> I recently returned from an awesome 8 day visit to the Galapagos Islands which was preceded by 10 days of birding on mainland Ecuador.? This is the first of two blog posts about the Galapagos.? The next will be in more detail and with more photos about the incredible wildlife.? Hopefully I will be able to get to the birding blogs next week. https://blairbirding.com/2024/11/01/the-magical-galapagos-islands/ Blair BernsonEdmonds, WA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: