We are new users, not yet crazy or sophisticated enough

to take off on a moments notice for places like McNary

Dam, but with enough prompting (pleasantly available on

Tweeters) we're sure to change. Back here at Magnuson

Park (Sunday, Dec 4) we noticed 2 or 3 long-billed birds

zooming above, in and around the meadow between the wind

pipes and the NOAA building. It was impossible to see

these birds at rest. They were so well hidden in the

grasses. We flushed them out several times but their

take off and flight were so rapid, we still could never

focus well enough to see the details. Another watcher

said "Wilson's" something-or-other. Back home I checked

Wilson's phalarope and my husband checked Wilson's

snipe. We decided it was the latter because of its

behavior and range. Thinking back on that sighting I

feel pretty guilty about the several times we flushed

out those birds. The pleasure and fascination of seeing

them doesn't justify such repeated harassment. We've

got videos, books, imaginations, most of the habitat and

even poetic descriptions via e-mail.



Now about landscaping. We and other members of our Port

Townsend co-housing project are trying to choose trees for

the common land of our 8 acres. We're attracted to

several non-native trees - such as deodor cedar, atlas

cedar, dawn redwood, copper beech, thornless honey locust,

giant sequoia, sweet gum, red maple, European mountain ash.

But we're also interested in creating habitat for birds

other than the overly successful types (robins, etc.).

We would also include a few native trees, probably western

red cedar, noble fir and western white pine as well as other

native plantings - smaller trees, shrubs, etc. We are aware

of the importance of food, water, structure - shelter,

corridors, etc. Will those non-native trees ruin our

chances to achieve our bird habitat goal? We have

material from the Wildlife Dept and Kruckeberg's book.

Just wondering if anyone has any additional comments about

this.



Emily Mandelbaum

Seattle, Washington

Electronic mail service - MCI Mail

MCI ID: 499-9429

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