Michael Price wrote: "The first nesting WEKI *ever* for VCR BC were at
Colony Farms *way* up on a high tension tower just last year, and this year
they're even higher on the same tower."

We all know that Western Kingbirds like to nest on utility poles east of
the Cascades. When I was in Texas I was told that the species was
extending its range eastward on the upper Texas coast, primarily nesting at
power plants! This is a bird that clearly likes a buzz.

And when I spent a couple of summers in the Columbia Basin, I found that
the best way to find nighthawks was to stop at a power station somewhere,
and they would be roosting all over it, even though you'd see none in the
surrounding countryside. What's going on here? Do power stations sound
like giant insects buzzing? Do they attract insects? Do they deter
predators? Or is it just the magical alignment of the ions there?

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