Subject: Re: Snohomish STP
Date: Dec 18 17:08:17 1995
From: Dennis Paulson - dpaulson at ups.edu


>***********************************************************************
>Michael, no place is yuckier or more revolting than the sewage ponds at
>Iona near Vancouver, BC. And, the shorebirds, in the hundreds and even
>in the thousands, LOVE it! Just hold yer nose, don't look too hard at
>what they're gobbling up, and be fortunate in the close-up 'n personal view
>these ponds (and others like them) afford of often-rare shorebirds plus
>bunches of other birds in general. The irony just adds to the experience.
>
>Phew, Maureen Ellis (me2 at u.washington.edu)

I believe this adds considerable weight to the statement one reads in
ornithology texts that most birds have essentially no sense of smell.

Some birds--Turkey Vultures and a variety of tube-nosed species--do have a
good sense of smell. Note that you never see any of these birds feeding at
the Iona sewage ponds!

Dennis Paulson, Director phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416