<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">First of all, thank you, Connie, for your inimitable voice! To all readers who care about our cavity-nesting birds (Purple Martins, etc), offer plaudits and thanks to D. Z. and his UWBG horticulture staff who have been wonderfully supportive of birds (witness the <a href="https://botanicgardens.uw.edu/about/blog/2021/05/08/gourds-go-up-by-connie-sidles/" class="">gourds for Purple Martins sent aloft in 2021</a>). In fact this is an opportunity to point out a very fine new snag next to the Washington Arboretum, Graham Visitors’ Center. Some will recall that months ago, several large conifers (redwoods?) needed to be addressed due to safety-concerns-for-humans. Well, more recent visitors will have noticed that one quite tall snag has been left, and has a distinctly ‘modified’ upper few feet - that is the dedicated handiwork of one of those very UWBG horticulture staff (thanks to Larry Hubbell for the role you played in ushering the work): many hours of effort were contributed to creating a bird-nesting cavity!</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Let’s put our voices together in some way to suggest that those Western Cottonwoods / Poplars near the Youth Farm not only be transformed into snags of considerable height, but that some cavities be given a nice start in them, with help of the UWBG horticulture staff. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""> Elaine elc at uw dot edu<br class="">
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<br class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><b class="">From:</b> Constance Sidles <<a href="mailto:constancesidles@gmail.com" class="">constancesidles@gmail.com</a>></div><div id="divRplyFwdMsg" dir="ltr" class=""><font class="elementToProof" color="#000000"><b class="">Sent:</b> Monday, September 26, 2022 6:25 PM<br class=""><b class="">To:</b> Tweeters <<a href="mailto:tweeters@u.washington.edu" class="">tweeters@u.washington.edu</a>><br class=""><b class="">Subject:</b> [Tweeters] Poplar grove at the Fill</font> <div class=""> </div></div><div class="" style="word-wrap:break-word; line-break:after-white-space">Hey
tweets, Here's a heads-up: I have just learned that the UWBG is
planning on removing the cottonwood grove bordering the east side of the
Youth Farm. They have determined that the trees have become unsafe,
dropping big limbs without warning. Plus, the kids want to start an
orchard as part of their farm, and the cottonwoods need to make way for
the kids. <div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">David
Zuckerman, manager of UWBG, asked me whether I knew of any hawk nests in
that grove. I don't think there are any, though the grove is well-used
by many passerines, both resident and migratory, who forage here, nest,
roost, and perch. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">We
are suggesting that UWBG staff think about leaving several of the
cottonwoods as limbless snags, which would help woodpeckers and
passerines alike. I hope this possibility will be pursued, as we have
lost several snags at the Fill in recent years due to sheer age, and the
beavers are doing their best to prevent new snags from developing by
gnawing all the trees they can get at. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">I'm
going to suggest that UWBG think about the loss of tree canopy as well.
These are big trees and the loss of their canopy cover will be
correspondingly big. To mitigate the loss, I'm hoping UWBG will consider
planting a grove of evergreens in the area that used to be the road
leading into the Dime Lot. - Connie, Seattle</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><a href="mailto:constancesidles@gmail.com" data-auth="NotApplicable" class="">constancesidles@gmail.com</a></div><div class=""><a href="mailto:csidles@constancypress.com" data-auth="NotApplicable" class="">csidles@constancypress.com</a></div></div></div><br class=""><br class=""><div class="">
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =<br class=""> Elaine<br class="">
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