Subject: southern WA vagrants
Date: May 31 15:59:31 1994
From: Dennis Paulson - dpaulson at ups.edu


I can't resist additional comments based on Jerry Tangren's mentioning of
rare-bird records from Walla Walla and the Tricities.

I agree there are a lot of records from there, but they probably don't
total much more than the number accrued from a good spring or two in the
Malheur area. If you look in the OFO's "Rare Birds of Oregon," you will see
many eastern species that have been seen in OR that haven't been accepted
on the WA list yet: Red-headed Woodpecker* (1 record), Alder Flycatcher
(2), Wood Thrush (2), Brown Thrasher* (8), Golden-winged Warbler (2),
Yellow-throated Warbler (1), Pine Warbler (1), Bay-breasted Warbler (6),
Connecticut Warbler (1), Mourning Warbler* (2), Canada Warbler (1), Summer
Tanager (4), Scarlet Tanager (4), Blue Grosbeak (2), and Painted Bunting
(2). (Just for information, I marked species with asterisks that probably
have occurred, but the submitted descriptions were considered inadequate).
Conversely, only a single eastern bird had been recorded in WA up to that
time that hadn't in OR: Sharp-tailed Sparrow (1). This is a substantial
discrepancy which, again, I attribute to latitude. Parenthetically, there
are many, many records of Sharp-tailed from California, and I am sure the
OR birders are gnashing their teeth at the absence of this species (maybe
it's been recorded since "Rare Birds of Oregon").

A much less important, but worth mentioning, reason why there are far fewer
eastern bird records from eastern WA is that some are single-person sight
reports that have not been accepted by the Washington Bird Records
Committee (which *will* be putting out a report soon). A large number of
the rare birds found at Malheur have been documented photographically--at
least the rarest ones--by the gung-ho Oregon birders; almost none of the
rare birds reported from eastern WA are supported by photographs (not to
mention many from western WA, where there are at least a lot more people
and a better chance of someone with a camera in calling range). Why can't
WA birders carry cameras? Or at least those who make it a point of finding
rarities? A camera and lens usable for documenting rarities can be
acquired for $400 and, by getting a used camera body, perhaps for only
$200-250. Once you have it, it doesn't have to be used only for rare birds!

Dennis Paulson