In stark contrast to the multiple daily reports on the Deleware
Whiskered Tern last summer, interest in the SIBERIAN ACCENTOR on
this list has seemed modest. Does that reflect a predominantly
Eastern population of Chatters? Certainly the accentor is in a
relatively remote area: a 6-hour drive from Seattle, a 4 and 1/2
hour drive from Vancouver. Anyhow, I went for it and saw it
yesterday. As of then, 70 birders had visited the Kime residence
and had seen the accentor, most of them Canadian "locals" (that is,
from 4 and 1/2 hours away). But on Friday most of the birders were
from the US, and had come from Alabama, Florida, California, and
other remote areas. There were about 20 people in the AM. The
following words are intended as tips and cautions for other people
who might think about going to look for the accentor(s).

The location is 10k west of Salmon Arm, BC. About 200 feet
west of a COOP Station on Hwy 1 (the Trans-Canada), take Sunny
Brae Canoe Point Road. Go 2k to Sumac Road, opposite a fire
station, turn left. After 20 yards, turn left onto South View,
a short drive that ends in a cul de sac. The Kime residence is
well marked. Enter from the rear.

Two SIBERIAN ACCENTORS have been present for over a month.
Mr. Kime, an ornithologist, first observed the male on March 3,
then the female the next day. Then the birds "disappeared." Nine
days ago, Mr. Kime, doing yard work, saw the female, stopped doing
yardwork, buttoned down the house, and started alerting birders.

Since then, the male has been heard once and seen seldom. The
female has been seen every day, typically every half hour till noon
and again from mid to late afternoon. The female skulks toward one
single object, according to Mr. Kime: bits of suet tossed off by
the woodpeckers at the (visible) base of a large fir. She moves
slowly toward her goal, walking, or she runs, but she never flies
in (though she flies off).

Three days ago, a territorial female towhee arrived, and will
chase off the accenter if she sees her. Visitations to the suet
spot became hourly rather than half-hourly. Yesterday, the female
Red-winged Blackbirds arrived (a marsh is near by). The accentor
was seen about 8:00, but, while the blackbirds patrolled the under
growth, hunkered down. In other words, the accentor will not venture
forth in the face of competition, especially of larger birds. Also,
she will not venture forth if there is any human disturbance, such
as birders arriving, car doors slamming, etc.

At about noon, the blackbirds flew off. 15 minutes later, the
female accentor attempted her approach but was driven off by the
towhee (although seen by birders, briefly). 15 minutes after that,
the coast was clear and she feed greedily for about 3 minutes at the
base of the fir.

The point of this narrative isn't the story; it's to suggest
that the migration process may affect the feeding dynamic of the
female accentor, causing her to be less easy to observe or possibly
to move on. Whether human disturbance will be a problem remains to
be seen. On the positive side, it is felt by Mr. Kime and others
that the bird would not normally migrate will the end of April, and
will not migrate will the weather clears anyhow (which rarely
happens).

Much else might be said about this bird, the generosity of
the Kimes, the other birds in the area, and so on. But this message
is alreay probably too long. I hope it will be of use to those who
might be thinking of traveling to see the Siberian Accentor.

---Macklin Smith

P.S. Sorry, but I have lost the phone number for the Kime residence.
It's on NARBA and on the Vancouver tape. The Kimes like to know in
advance who's coming to see the bird.