In message <Pine.A32.3.91j.950530083123.66504A-100000 at homer04.u.washington.edu>
writes:
> Roger, I agree with you that the lab's view of the world is apparently of
> forests with no undergrowth. When my husband and I did spot a tanager
> last year on the second site visit, when we were to determine nesting, we
> tried to follow the bird through our typical salal & etc. understorey
> with results you could predict. Husband Steven photographed the area to
> show the folks at the Cornell Lab. of O. what it looks like here.

My wife and I were going to do the study but our forests around Leavenworth
don't match the criteria descriptions for the project. We wrote to Cornell
about these concerns and didn't get a response. The study seems focused toward
eastern forests.
>
> We definitely are novices, yet we felt somewhat prepared to do the study;
> the lab does give aids to identification. They provide a booklet with
> pictures of male and female tanagers and cowbirds (I think), but no
> pictures of the nestlings of each--that would have been helpful. In
> addition, very helpful was the cassette tape the lab provided, giving not
> only tanager calls and songs, but also similar songs so that we could
> really listen and try to distinguish among the species. I think the tape
> was very well done and organized. Our tape was for the Western tanager
> only, of course, not other tanager species. I know that, even with these
> aids, people will still make mistakes. However, I think the lab does
> what it can, given what it is asking and to whom (basically everybody),
> to prepare volunteers as well as possible.
> I hope this note answers at least some of your questions. Thank you for
> your comments. --Anna Coles, Seattle acoles at u.washington.edu
>


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Roger Peffer- rpeffer at ctc.edu