A few more things occurred to me after I sent out my comments on
Neotropical migrants earlier in the day (why hasn't that come back to me
yet??).

"Trans-Gulf" doesn't quite cover eastern migrants; lots of them move along
the Florida-Cuba-Yucatan route, quite a few Florida-Bahamas and/or Greater
Antilles, and some, as you doubtless know, leave the Atlantic coast to fly
south to the eastern West Indies. Water is a barrier, but it's pretty short
on the Florida-Cuba-Yucatan route, far shorter than the tracts of desert
that wet coniferous forest species such as Townsend's Warblers have to
cross between breeding and nonbreeding homes. Weather during migration is
definitely a threat, certainly more serious when there's nothing but salt
water below a little migrant bird!

It's been somewhat sublimated that within the same species there are
different populations that migrate to different places. I have long touted
the idea that the "migrant status" should be done on a population (or at
least subspecies) basis, but that goal has been only partially realized.
Mournings Doves have been listed on Neotropical migrant lists, probably
primarily because quite small ## of eastern ones migrate to eastern Mexico.
I think there may be one band recovery of Northwestern Mourning Doves in
Mexico.

By the way, there are segments of society who question whether Partners in
Flight is making "great strides." The WA/OR group has now worked for quite
a while, has spent a lot of effort on these prority lists that you
mentioned, and I don't know whether any habitat or species has been
protected yet. Surely that's the goal; what we need most is (1) careful
scientific study of individual species or populations, (2) rapid action to
save species and habitat. What we get instead is people in meetings (ah,
but that's the human way). I'm being a bit facetious here, but I really
think there is enough truth in this that I could get in trouble in some
circles by saying it.

Brian Sharp, who did the study of migrant populations on national forest
land, sent me a copy of a letter he wrote in which he decried the fact that
PIF wouldn't fund any studies of cowbird parasitism in this region (I agree
with him on the paramount importance of understanding this). Instead the
organization apparently considers money better spent by bringing large
numbers of people to meetings several times a year. (Remember, I'm just
commenting, not making value judgments.....). I wonder if any PIFers or
federal or state agency people are on this network and would care to
comment about this.

Dennis Paulson